Yu Weihong instructed his son Yu Xiaoqi before rushing back to check on his wife. Yu Xiaoqi did not dare to delay and quickly went to retrieve the Cao Yanbing figurine given by Zhang Wei.
Soon.
The hotel room where Yu Weihong and his wife were staying.
When Yu Xiaoqi opened the door and entered:
"Dad, I brought the artifact Brother Wei gave me. Mom, how are you feeling?"
As soon as he entered, he walked towards the bedroom and saw his mother, Tao Wanping, half-reclining on the edge of the bed. His expression changed. His mother Tao Wanping was coughing, appearing to have a cold at first glance, but upon closer inspection, her expression seemed somewhat dazed, and her lips were a little pale.
"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy. Weihong, could you turn down the air conditioning? I feel a little cold."
Tao Wanping pulled the blanket over herself, feeling as if she were freezing.
But it was summer.
Outside, the scorching sun made the ground temperature reach forty to fifty degrees Celsius. Moreover, when Yu Xiaoqi entered, he didn't feel cold at all. On the contrary, it felt very hot, and the moment the door opened, he felt hot air blowing in.
Regarding this.
Yu Weihong frowned and covered Tao Wanping with a blanket, saying:
"Wife, I didn't turn on the air conditioning. I turned it off as soon as you said you were cold. Look, I'm even sweating."
Yu Weihong exchanged a look with Yu Xiaoqi, and both saw the gloom in each other's eyes.
"Son, do you feel cold?"
"Cold? I don't feel anything. I feel hot. Dad, it's at least thirty degrees Celsius in here. Something's wrong. How could it be cold?"
Yu Xiaoqi quickly reached out to touch his mother Tao Wanping's forehead, only to be shocked to find that his mother's body temperature was very low, ice-cold, already below normal human body temperature.
As he spoke.
Yu Weihong, who was about to say something, heard a sweet voice from the doorway.
"Xiaoqi, what's wrong with Uncle? What's wrong with Auntie?"
A sweet-looking girl entered, dressed in classic Sakura country attire of red pants and a white top. Anime fans would recognize this type of clothing, similar to the shrine maiden's attire worn by Kikyo in "Inuyasha."
It was Fenghe Meizi. While Yu Xiaoqi was getting the artifact from Zhang Wei, Fenghe Meizi had come looking for him. Upon learning that Yu Xiaoqi's mother was possibly ill, she rushed to accompany him to check.
Following that.
Fenghe Meizi entered and looked around, her pretty face changing slightly:
"Xiaoqi, Auntie isn't sick."
As she said this.
She quickly walked over to examine Tao Wanping closely. Yu Weihong and his son knew that Fenghe Meizi's identity was similar to Zhang Wei's; she was also an exorcist. They were more experienced in dealing with such strange matters.
"Meizi, what's wrong with my mother? Is there a problem?"
Seeing Meizi frowning and making gestures with her index and middle fingers together on Tao Wanping's forehead, Yu Xiaoqi asked anxiously.
The next moment.
After finishing her gestures, Fenghe Meizi turned around with a frown:
"Xiaoqi, Auntie doesn't have a cold. She's been cursed."
"Cursed?!"
Yu Weihong and his son were both shocked:
"Meizi, can you cure my wife? Xiaoqi, quickly tell Meizi, I don't speak Japanese. You translate quickly, and ask what's going on, who cursed my wife, and what happened."
As Yu Xiaoqi explained to Fenghe Meizi, Fenghe Meizi said directly:
"Auntie has been cursed. This kind of curse should be Onmyōjutsu. My grandmother mentioned it to me before. A cursed person will lose one of their three souls and seven spirits. If one is missing, the person becomes like an idiot."
"Xiaoqi, do you have any enemies in Sakura country? How could Auntie be cursed? From the looks of it, it seems to have happened yesterday."
"Fortunately, Auntie has that protective amulet. Although I don't know what that amulet is, I can feel that it possesses powerful curse energy, which helped Auntie block the curse energy and prevent her three souls and seven spirits from being taken away."
Fenghe Meizi pointed to the protective amulet that Yu Weihong had obtained from a spirit medium.
Then she continued:
"But after all, it's in Sakura country. The protective curse's effect is still limited. It can only resist for a while. Now Auntie appears to be sick, which is the influence of the curse."
"Do you have a way to break it, Meizi?"
"I'm sorry, my strength is insufficient to break this. Curses that target the soul are not something ordinary Onmyōji can handle. Only very powerful Onmyōji or shrine maidens can solve them."
As the safety of her future mother-in-law was at stake, Fenghe Meizi dared not be negligent and prepared to call friends:
"Xiaoqi, think about whether you've offended anyone in Sakura country. There aren't many Onmyōji or shrine maidens who can use this kind of curse. I'll call some friends I know to see if they can help Auntie break the curse."
"Wait."
Yu Xiaoqi stopped Fenghe Meizi. He remembered the message Zhang Wei had left him:
"Meizi, don't call yet. My family has never had enmity with anyone from Sakura country, nor with anyone else. Although my father is a businessman, he always prioritizes harmony in his business dealings, leaving a way out for others, and doesn't offend people."
"Then Auntie how..."
Fenghe Meizi stopped mid-sentence, vaguely thinking of a possibility. Although her appearance was sweet, it didn't mean she was naive. To become a shrine maiden requires purity, but not foolishness.
At this moment.
Yu Xiaoqi and Yu Weihong exchanged a look and revealed Zhang Wei's message:
"Meizi, do any of your suitors know this kind of curse? I remember you said before that after you started dating me, to deter others and to put my mind at ease, you told everyone that you were my girlfriend and asked them to stop bothering you."
Fenghe Meizi nodded, her pretty face showing displeasure, not at Yu Xiaoqi's words, but because his words confirmed her guess. She had already thought of this.
For a moment.
Fenghe Meizi was on the verge of tears and bowed apologetically to Yu Weihong:
"Uncle, I'm sorry. It's my fault, and Auntie was harmed. Meizi will definitely cure Auntie."
Hearing Yu Xiaoqi translate for him, Yu Weihong smiled and patted Fenghe Meizi:
"Meizi, it's okay, it's not your fault. Don't worry too much. Although I'm an ordinary person, it doesn't mean I can't deal with these things. And no matter if the other party did it because of you or someone else, if they dare to harm my family, no one will get away with it."
In his words.
Yu Weihong's usual amiability vanished, revealing his ruthless merchant side for the first time. He decided to spare no expense, even if it meant spending all his money, to ask Zhang Wei for help in killing the person who dared to harm his family.
It was one thing for them to covet his daughter-in-law, but now they were harming his wife through his daughter-in-law. It didn't matter if this was happening abroad.
Thinking of this.
Yu Weihong was about to call Zhang Wei, but just as he finished speaking, a voice came:
"Haha, Uncle Yu said it well. We people of Great Xia cannot tolerate being bullied outside! Let alone being bullied on our own family."
Huh?
Yu Weihong was stunned by the voice and instinctively looked for the source.
The voice was too familiar; he recognized who it was. Wasn't it Zhang Wei? He then looked towards Yu Xiaoqi's phone and saw that at some point, Zhang Wei was on Yu Xiaoqi's phone screen, communicating with them via video.
That was Yu Xiaoqi calling Zhang Wei. When he went to get the Cao Yanbing figurine, he was uneasy and specifically called Zhang Wei. Since it involved a life, Zhang Wei dared not be negligent and connected with Yu Xiaoqi via video.
Because of this.
He had heard the entire conversation between Yu Xiaoqi and the others and understood the situation.
Regarding this.
Through the phone video, Zhang Wei said slowly:
"Uncle Yu, Xue Wei, tell Meizi not to look for anyone else. I have a way to resolve that curse."
"Really?!"
Yu Weihong and his son were delighted. Yu Weihong even quickly said:
"Zhang Wei, you have a way? That's great. I'll book you a plane ticket if you can break the curse."
"No need to book a plane ticket, Uncle Yu. I don't need to go there to help resolve it. The figurine I gave Xue Wei earlier can resolve it."
"But, Zhang Wei, after you resolve the curse, I still want to find the person who cast it. I want to ask for your help. Don't worry, name your price."
"Uncle Yu, you're being too formal. Can't you see I'm helping you right now? The reason I'm not going is not that I'm not helping, but that the figurine I gave Xue Wei can resolve these matters."
"Ah?"
Yu Weihong was stunned:
"Isn't that artifact for self-defense? Can it also help us deal with the curse?"
Facing the question, Zhang Wei said with a smile:
"Of course. What I, Zhang Wei, produce is always top-notch. That figurine not only can protect you, Uncle Yu, rest assured, the figurine I provided can complete all of this perfectly. You must believe in Cao Yanbing, he is a descendant of Cao Cao."
As he spoke.
Yu Weihong was at a loss for words, a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Fenghe Meizi, who was listening to Yu Xiaoqi translate Zhang Wei's words, stood frozen.
It could be seen.
Fenghe Meizi's pretty face was almost covered with question marks. She tilted her head and said in surprise:
"Huh? An artifact can resolve it? That's impossible, right? Xiaoqi, quickly tell your friend, the Onmyōji who can cast this curse is very powerful. It's not something that can be resolved with just an artifact, let alone dealing with an Onmyōji."
As a shrine maiden, she knew very well the power of such curses and the strength of the caster. How could a casually obtained artifact from a friend deal with it?
She knew very well.
To deal with such a cursed Onmyōji, the artifact required would have to be extremely powerful. How could a friend casually give it away? That would be a treasure of at least sect-level, and artifacts of that caliber would be enshrined in shrines and Onmyōji bureaus.
Regarding Fenghe Meizi's words.
Yu Xiaoqi smiled, firmly believing in Zhang Wei's strength:
"Sis, my buddy is very powerful. You have to believe in Brother Wei. Am I right, Brother Wei?"
Zhang Wei smiled and nodded, speaking fluent Japanese:
"Miss Meizi, don't let my age fool you. My strength is very strong, and my artifacts are also very strong."
As an anime fan, coupled with his Japanese major in university, Zhang Wei's Japanese proficiency was high, allowing him to communicate normally with people from Sakura country.
Following that.
As Fenghe Meizi looked at Yu Xiaoqi taking out the Cao Yanbing figurine with suspicion:
"Nani??? This is... an artifact???"
"Yeah, isn't it cool, this artifact."
Yu Xiaoqi and Yu Weihong exchanged a smile. They had seen this expression before.
Then.
Following Zhang Wei's instructions, they threw out the Cao Yanbing figurine and simultaneously recited:
"We implore Cao Yanbing for help!"
...