Chapter 13: Born Bad Seed

"You told me yourselves." Following this charming voice, the cloth curtain to the side was lifted, and Zhong Kui appeared before them.

"If you don't eat it now, it'll get cold. I spent a long time cooking it!" Zhong Kui wore a kind smile, completely unlike the way the people in town looked at her with a mix of reverence and fear.

Clearly, both of them had already forgotten that they had ever said such a thing to Zhong Kui.

This gave Qi Fei a great sense of insecurity; it meant that when he chatted with Zhong Kui alone, he might have said things he didn't remember himself.

The design of this meal was intentional on Zhong Kui's part; she was demonstrating her power to him, as the two of them were in a position of extreme information asymmetry.

Despite this, Qi Fei could not deny that the meal was quite delicious, almost perfectly replicating the flavors of his childhood. This feeling of being so deeply manipulated made him feel both love and hate.

"Are you satisfied with dinner?" Zhong Kui did not pick up her chopsticks herself, just sitting at the edge of the table watching them finish everything, then asking with a beaming smile.

"It's delicious." Wu Shanqiu was more generous than Qi Fei, and didn't forget to emphasize to him, "Didn't I tell you Zhong Kui's cooking is great?"

Qi Fei was noncommittal. He set his chopsticks down and said to Zhong Kui, "I've finished the meal. Now it's time to talk business. You should know why we came to Sanwu Town."

Unexpectedly, Zhong Kui rested her chin on her hand, looking innocent: "I am only a half-immortal, not a god; I am not omniscient or omnipotent. I'm just happy you've returned. However, when I left Nancheng, I heard that Zhu Ming'en was dead."

"You're so well-informed?" Qi Fei looked at Zhong Kui with a wary gaze and said coldly.

"Zhu Ming'en told me after he died." Zhong Kui smirked. Seeing Qi Fei's speechless expression, she immediately changed the subject:

"It's all over the internet; there's no way not to know. Plus, Xiao Qiu was in such a rush to go out early this morning—I think it's not hard to guess." Zhong Kui smiled, showing not a hint of guilt.

"Fine. Since you know something about Zhu Ming'en, are there any suspicious targets?" Qi Fei didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

Zhong Kui gave a faint smile and pointed to a dish on the table: "You can't buy such good sea cucumber in this town. I've been soaking it for several days. Try it, rich man."

This woman—even her thoughtfulness was enough to make one's hair stand on end. These words were meant for Qi Fei. Qi Fei did indeed like to eat this, but he never mentioned it to anyone. This food was deeply tied to his family, something he wanted to bundle up and discard. This was one of Zhong Kui's tricks for playing with people's hearts. Qi Fei was not led by the nose because of it; despite the discomfort in his heart, he firmly continued to ask about Zhu Ming'en: "You promised Chen Youwei he would get his wish, and Zhu Ming'en really died. Such a coincidence—I'm sorry, I have to suspect you."

"Since you're both here, you must have compared notes. The night Zhu Ming'en died, I was with Xiao Qiu." Zhong Kui said, winking playfully at Wu Shanqiu, which left Wu Shanqiu completely at a loss.

"Xiao Qiu?" Qi Fei said irritably, "Since when did you two get so close? We've checked; the Chen family is all in Sanwu Town and has no suspicion. You, a half-immortal who took money from Chen Youwei, what kind of black magic did you use to kill Zhu Ming'en?" He said this half-truthfully, trying to bait Zhong Kui. It was just that saying this inside the Huang Daxian Temple felt all too fitting; the sky outside was already dark, and the cold wind blew in on cue, giving everyone goosebumps.

"I was also very surprised when I learned Zhu Ming'en died." Zhong Kui said she was surprised, but her tone was very calm, making it impossible to tell the truth from the lies, "In fact, he was meant to die."

Zhong Kui's bluntness made both Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu open their mouths in shock.

"This is a curse," Zhong Kui continued.

"Tch, there really isn't a single reliable word out of you," Qi Fei said irritably.

"I'm being serious." Unexpectedly, Zhong Kui was exceptionally solemn, "The second day of the tenth lunar month, ice melts and tiles crumble—a great omen of disaster. That was the exact moment of his death," Zhong Kui said with a grave air.

"So, I told Chen Youwei that his wish would certainly be fulfilled. Making a bit more money off that piece of trash Zhu Ming'en isn't excessive, is it?" In her flickering eyes was a greed that felt alien; she truly was a person of a thousand faces, impossible to fathom.

Qi Fei set down his chopsticks and looked at Zhong Kui sternly: "So you sought me out on purpose, with the goal of fulfilling this so-called curse? You had a premonition last night that Zhu Ming'en would die?"

"It wasn't a premonition; he was definitely going to die. I just didn't expect it to be in this way," Zhong Kui said suddenly.

A flash of wariness crossed Qi Fei's eyes: "What way?" He had never let slip any details about the scene.

Zhong Kui saw his suspicion and immediately said: "The internet says a strong aroma of alcohol came from the hospital's underground garage. That explains everything. He was executed in the same way as Chen Xiaojing, right?"

"Besides you and the Chen family, I can't think of anyone else who could do such a thing to Zhu Ming'en," Qi Fei said with a furrowed brow.

"Everyone has their own fate; his time was simply up," Zhong Kui said indifferently, picking up her chopsticks to place a piece of sea cucumber into Qi Fei's bowl, as if the more he refused, the more she wanted to make him comply.

"This was caught by water ghosts in Liaodong who risked their lives to dive for it. You have to try it," Zhong Kui said.

"This kind of sea cucumber takes at least a week to soak. You knew we were coming a long time ago," Qi Fei said guardedly.

"Zhu Ming'en died, so of course you would come," Zhong Kui said nonchalantly, "Though it's interesting, you went to that family surnamed Gu."

"Heh, nothing in this town really escapes your sight. It's a pity not to have you as the town mayor."

"I am a Great Immortal; I must protect them, so I have to be well-informed."

Qi Fei looked at her with disbelief, but there was nothing he could do about her. He gave a bitter smile and said, "Fine. Then let me ask you, do you have any impression of a man named Yang Jinhan?"

"That domestic abuser?" Zhong Kui blurted out without a moment's hesitation.

"You're quick to react," Qi Fei said with a hint of mockery, implying that Zhong Kui's question just now was clearly asking something she already knew.

"Of course, I remember everyone who has sought me out. This person is also quite interesting. Unfortunately, he is a born bad seed; I couldn't save him."

"No one is a born bad seed, right?" Wu Shanqiu couldn't help but say.

Zhong Kui smiled lightly: "Yang Jinhan's day pillar in his Bazi is full of fire, and the Ox and Dog signs clash, making his personality violent. He seizes wealth whenever he sees it. This is innate; it has nothing to do with being possessed. There was originally a way to resolve it, but when I saw his hands, I knew it was already too late."