Chapter Four: Once Again on the Brink of Trouble

Zhong Kui said, "This auction is rather special—it's being held jointly by several big players. The currencies, from Yin-Yang coins to others, are all different, so they issued flying notes as a common medium. You deposit your money at the designated bank, and they convert it into flying notes at the set rate. Only those with flying notes may enter the auction. There are truly some remarkable items up for grabs this time."

Wang Zixuan grinned wickedly, "Hand me both flying notes!"

Zhong Kui replied, "And what about me?"

Wang Zixuan shot back, "Who wants to go with you? I want to go with the little heartthrob."

Zhong Kui, sourly, retorted, "Say that again?"

Wang Zixuan laughed, "Just kidding. You can wait for me at the door when the time comes! I’ll go in, and if I need money, I’ll transfer it to you."

…

After hanging up, she went back to her Korean drama. Her thoughts drifted to the other day when Wang Zixuan had worn a cheongsam, carried a donkey-brand bag, and dashed through the mall on a shopping spree, before driving straight to the black market. Passing through a small village, she noticed a crowd had gathered. Curious, she went over to see what was happening. She found people surrounding a collapsed house, pointing and gossiping.

An elderly man lamented, "Oh, what terrible karma must this Sun Dog have accumulated? To die so miserably, his whole family crushed to death. It's dreadful, they've all been flattened to a pulp. Even his two-year-old child didn't survive. The whole family wiped out, just like that."

Wang Zixuan looked at the wreckage—blood everywhere, severed limbs protruding from under the bricks and tiles—and found it all very strange. She made a quick calculation with her fingers. Yes, something was definitely off. According to the Book of Life and Death, Sun Dog's family was not fated to die like this. In fact, Sun Dog’s child was destined for wealth, rank, and longevity. That night, Wang Zixuan performed a ritual to summon the spirits of Sun Dog’s family.

She asked, "What happened to you all? How did you die?"

The family replied, "Uh, we... we don't really know."

"What on earth is going on?" Wang Zixuan muttered, even more perplexed. Nonetheless, she sent the spirits on their way and stomped her foot three times on the spot.

She shouted three times, "Where is the local earth god? Earth god, come out, now!"

She summoned the local deity.

"Do you know why Sun Dog’s family was wiped out?" Wang Zixuan asked.

The earth god hesitated, and Wang Zixuan shot him a fierce glare.

"Speak quickly, or else," she warned. "You know what I’m capable of. If you don’t talk, don’t blame me for being ruthless. And if I have to deal with you, I’ll charge you with being an accomplice as well."

At that, the earth god was terrified. He knew he couldn’t afford to offend this lady—she was notorious for her lack of mercy when provoked. Left with no choice, he began to recount the events.

It turned out that the day before, Sun Dog’s cow had sneaked into a neighbor’s field and eaten some of their crops. In anger, Sun Dog had whipped the cow several times. Unbeknownst to him, the cow had recently eaten a thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom and gained spiritual awareness. Harboring a grudge from the beating, the cow went to the Bull Demon King to lodge a complaint. The Bull Demon King, recognizing the cow’s newfound sentience and its kinship as a fellow bovine, took the matter to heart.