Chapter 70: Don’t Use Talismans to Attract Romantic Luck

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Chapter 70: Don’t Use Talismans to Attract Romantic Luck

It turned out that Chen Yuan’s premonition had been correct. When they logged back onto the website later, they discovered that its ordering service had already been suspended. Of course, it wasn’t impossible to continue investigating the website directly, but the problem was that Chen Yuan was merely a consultant brought in to help, while Yu Shenliu was in charge of education, which had little to do with public security or anything of the sort. Although this particular investigation into the student suicides at Shishi Academy had taken on something of a criminal-investigation aspect, the nature of the matter was ultimately different.

At this point, the matter was handed over to Yu Shenliu. Once the findings had been recorded and turned into a report, the investigation could be considered concluded.

Chen Yuan wasn’t particularly fond of this fate-analyst website. In his usual understanding, using metaphysics to make exorbitant profits was fundamentally against his principles. Normally, he kept only enough money for his own needs and donated the rest. More importantly, the way this website was making money had already violated the general rules of the metaphysics community.

Every circle had its own unspoken rules, and those rules were what kept the circle functioning properly. Different schools and traditions, meanwhile, had their own rules that they recognized and upheld. Using the name of metaphysics while deliberately exploiting non-metaphysical methods to make exorbitant profits was considered taboo within the metaphysics community.

If the people behind this website had merely been charlatans with a superficial understanding of metaphysics, or even ordinary scammers, Chen Yuan wouldn’t have been this displeased. But since they had reacted exactly as his premonition suggested, it meant they genuinely possessed some ability. To have that kind of ability and still use such methods to make money was simply too much.

So even though Yu Shenliu no longer needed anything from him regarding the matter, Chen Yuan still kept a careful eye on the website, wondering whether he ought to do something about it later.

Before the website could make its next move, Chen Yuan received a phone call one afternoon while he was enjoying some rare time alone, with Yu Shenliu finally away.

The caller was his hotheaded young disciple, Huo Jian, who had gone off to school.

“Master…” The moment Chen Yuan answered, he heard Huo Jian’s listless voice.

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?” Lately, Huo Jian had been busy with all his coursework, so the two hadn’t been in frequent contact. Whether Yu Shenliu had anything to do with that was anyone’s guess.

On the other end, Huo Jian grumbled, “I’m gonna die, aw… I’m so tired, so tired!”

Chen Yuan simply smiled and said nothing. That was just how the educational system in this world worked. Students first developed all kinds of foundational skills, and after passing the metropolitan examinations, they entered a higher-level academy to pursue more specialized studies and research in various fields. Research was emphasized over classroom learning, meaning they began engaging in practical work right away. Compared with the more theory-heavy education before the metropolitan examinations, it was only natural that Huo Jian would feel more pressure afterward.

Huo Jian had long since gotten used to Chen Yuan barely saying anything during their phone calls. As long as he knew Chen Yuan hadn’t hung up, he continued, “Master, listen to this. Our school is seriously weird. They actually have a metaphysics club on campus. But honestly, I think they should rename it the Gu Poison Club or something. They actually sell gu-poison dolls! And I don’t mean ornaments deliberately made to look like that. I mean the kind where they stick them with silver needles and cut them with knives!”

“The craziest part is that they even have special tools for cursing people, and they sell really well at school. I honestly don’t even know what to say.”

“There’s more, too! Master, did you know they even have special cheating packages for before the exams? They’ve got good-luck talismans, a whole set of offerings for worshiping Wenquxing , the Star of Literature. It’s honestly incredible.”

After all, this world was different from the one he had lived in before. They wouldn’t come up with some tacky title like the “Exam God.” They still placed their faith in Wenkui, an honorific title for those who achieved the highest level of literary and scholarly distinction, and Wenquxing, the god associated with literary talent and scholarly achievement.

“But to be honest, I feel like there’s something kind of sinister about the metaphysics club at school. It also feels like they’ll do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. They’re completely different from you, Master.” Chen Yuan always gave him the impression of a highly accomplished master who followed his own principles in everything he did, whereas there was something distinctly off about the metaphysics club.

Huo Jian thought for a moment before finally getting to the real reason he had called today. “So, um, Master, do you know of any methods for attracting romantic luck?”

At that, Chen Yuan finally spoke up. “Planting a peach tree. But there are specific requirements for that. If you plant one at random, you could attract bad romantic luck instead. The variety and location have to be determined according to a person’s Bazi and other factors. Or, more simply, you can go to a Yue Lao temple or somewhere similar to pray for a marriage match. Those places are associated with orthodox deities, so what you receive there won’t be something strange like a romantic calamity.”

As he said this, he remembered how he had previously told Yu Shenliu about romantic calamities and couldn’t help smiling to himself.

Huo Jian hesitated after hearing this and pressed further. “Other than those two methods, there aren’t any talismans or anything like that? Or some other method?”

“You can also arrange a feng shui formation to temporarily enhance your romantic luck, but the requirements for that are extremely precise, so it’s usually difficult to achieve a perfect result. Other than that, using talismans and the like would generally be considered a form of heterodox arts. Of course, if you’re talking about Siamese or Mayan techniques, there may be such methods because their traditions are different. They aren’t necessarily all heterodox arts.”

“Regional cultural differences are particularly obvious in this regard. The Central Plains place greater emphasis on moderation and propriety, so many such methods are looked down upon. In the south, there are snake gu and insect gu; in the north, there are the Huang Daxian and fox spirits. And as for using talismans and the like to achieve more self-serving aims, such practices can be found in Southeast Asia and among some more obscure schools in the Central Plains.”

“So, Master, I have a friend who wants to buy a peach blossom talisman from the metaphysics club. He wants to use it to get together with another girl. What should he do?”

Chen Yuan’s eyes widened. What, a club at a school actually sold things like this? He hadn’t thought much of the dolls used for curses or the items meant for exams. Things like those could be found in plenty of places. But peach blossom talismans were definitely not something you could just pick up anywhere!

He asked, “Are you sure the things sold by that metaphysics club actually work?” After all, there had never been any shortage of charlatans. Strictly speaking, they weren’t really part of the metaphysics community, but merely existed on its fringes.

At that question, Huo Jian’s tone became somewhat hesitant. “I’m not really sure, because I haven’t tried anything from them. Uh, Master, you know I’m a very upright person. Their stuff all involves rather heterodox methods. How could I possibly use such methods after everything you’ve taught me?”

As usual, he was being cheeky, praising himself while slipping in a compliment for Chen Yuan at the same time.

“But ever since I started school, I’ve been hearing about the metaphysics club everywhere. Everyone says they’re really amazing. That person I mentioned earlier only decided to get one because another friend told him that the club’s peach blossom talismans were incredibly effective.”

Chen Yuan frowned slightly. If those things really worked, it could be troublesome. The reason he had kept an eye on that website was out of a fortune-teller’s sense of responsibility. He was supposed to uphold the rules of the metaphysics community.

Likewise, if the things sold by the metaphysics club came from another tradition, say, one from Southeast Asia, then there was nothing to say. He had no say over the traditions of other schools, and he couldn’t force them to accept his own path. In that regard, the saying about the “Three Thousand Daos” held true: it was up to each person to make their own choice.

However, if they belonged to the metaphysics community of the Central Plains, then using such methods would be considered taboo. If Chen Yuan knew about something like that, he had an obligation to take action.

“Speaking of which, are there any famous fortune-tellers in your area?” He changed the subject, intending to get a better sense of the situation.

Huo Jian immediately answered, “Of course! There’s a famous master who’s become really well-known recently, Zhou Qin. And then there’s you, Master! You two are probably the most famous in all of Xishu Province. You’ve never been wrong!”

Chen Yuan was momentarily stunned. Was his reputation really that widespread? It had reached Huo Jian’s school, of all places. The advanced academies in this world were, after all, entire satellite cities isolated from the main cities. By rights, his reputation should have remained largely confined to Jincheng City. He really hadn’t expected this.

And as for that Zhou Qin, how many times was this now that he had heard the name?

“Since that’s the case, did you go bragging about it?”

Huo Jian gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Hehe, hehehe. Well, you know what they say: if you make it big and don’t go home to show it off, it’s like wearing fine clothes at night!”

Chen Yuan couldn’t help laughing and shook his head. Huo Jian really was still young at heart. Whenever something happened, he always wanted to show off a little. Still, this actually made dealing with the current situation much easier.

“Xiao Jian, since you’ve already shown off, that person you mentioned should know about the situation too. Just tell him I said this: don’t use any talismans or anything like that for now. I may come over to take a look.”

Whatever the case, now that he knew about it, he couldn’t simply ignore it. The key wasn’t whether the other person used talismans, but what kind of practitioner and tradition they belonged to, and whether what they were doing violated the rules they were supposed to follow.

“Okay! Got it, Master!” After Chen Yuan’s instructions, Huo Jian’s voice immediately became more energetic. “Then when are you coming over?” His uncle had been blocking him from seeing Chen Yuan all this time. Did he think Huo Jian didn’t know what he was up to? What a joke. He had known Chen Yuan first. Chen Yuan was his master, and he still had all kinds of techniques to learn from him. Now he had finally found an opportunity.

As for when…

“I’m not sure. Anyway, I’ll come over and deal with it as soon as I can. Don’t worry.”

If Huo Jian’s friend actually did something he shouldn’t because Chen Yuan failed to arrive in time, that wouldn’t be good. Although Chen Yuan himself was a little at a loss, unable to think of a suitable time to go over, he still made the promise first. In any case, he could ask Yu Shenliu about it later. He should be able to come up with a solution.

“Thanks, Master! Then I’ll wait for you to come over!” Huo Jian called out cheerfully before hanging up without the slightest hesitation.

Listening to the dead tone on the phone, Chen Yuan helplessly shook his head.

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