Chapter 8: Hard to Save a Damned Spirit with Kind Words

They talked from afternoon until evening, and both Chen Fan and Fu Ankang were satisfied with the contract.

"The conditions remain the same. If there is any important situation regarding Xueyue, you must report it to me."

"Director Fu, the Ya'an Iron Finger Ring is missing, and it is likely somewhere in Qingcheng. I need information on its whereabouts."

The two men shook hands, marking the beginning of their partnership. Fu Ankang needed Chen Fan to keep him informed about his daughter's situation, while Chen Fan needed Fu Ankang to help him locate his sect’s treasures. The Ya'an Iron Finger Ring, the Hundred-Bird Fuxi Zither, and the Immortal Bone Token were all treasures of his sect.

During the great turmoil of the previous Great Xia era, the Daoist sects could not remain uninvolved. The Ya'an Iron Finger Ring went missing, and the Hundred-Bird Fuxi Zither ended up in the Capital Museum. Of the three sect treasures, only the Immortal Bone Token, passed down through his lineage, remained with him.

"The Immortal Bone Token..."

Chen Fan had to make one more trip to the Jiang family. He had used the token as a stabilizing object to improve the feng shui of the Jiang household. Now that he was divorced from Jiang Xiao, without his maintenance of the feng shui, the Jiang family's luck would not be good, even with the token still in place.

"Director Fu, I’ll be leaving now."

"Where are you going? I’ll have Xiao Li drive you."

Chen Fan did not refuse. He greeted Fu Ankang, patted Xiao Li on the shoulder, and walked outside. Xiao Li offered a bitter smile, bowed to Fu Ankang, and followed Chen Fan. They traveled in silence until they arrived at the entrance of the residential complex where the Jiang villa was located.

"Just drop me off at the gate; I’ll be out in a moment."

"Yes, sir."

Chen Fan walked into the complex, and as he reached the door, he heard voices from inside. He reflexively moved to unlock it with his fingerprint, but it was clear the Jiang family had deleted his access from their security system. Chen Fan raised his hand and knocked.

"Who is it?"

A moment later, the door opened. Standing there was a beautiful woman in furs. She was older, with fine lines around her eyes, but years of meticulous care made her skin look that of a woman in her thirties, despite her being near fifty. It was his former mother-in-law, Su Juan. Her expression shifted the moment she saw Chen Fan.

"What are you doing back here? Are you still trying to pester the Jiang family?"

"No, do you think you’re worth it?" Chen Fan replied with an indifferent expression. "I’m just here to retrieve my own belongings."

"Tsk, what could you possibly have here?" Su Juan sneered with disdain.

Chen Fan couldn't be bothered to explain and simply stepped inside.

"What do you think you're doing!" Su Juan shouted immediately. The people in the living room turned to look at the intruder, their conversation coming to an abrupt halt. Jiang Yueshan, Jiang Xiao, and a young man in Daoist robes were present.

The man in the robes glanced at Chen Fan and said coolly, "The feng shui here has changed drastically. It is hemorrhaging wealth and shedding luck; there is great misfortune and no prosperity. However..."

"There is hope to reverse the feng shui, provided there are no 'foreign entanglements' in the household. If so, it can be resolved easily."

Jiang Yueshan and Jiang Xiao, who were just about to reprimand Chen Fan, asked excitedly, "Young Master Zhang, what do you mean by 'foreign entanglements'?"

The man in the robes adopted a mysterious air. "What I mean is that there should only be members of the bloodline... to put it bluntly, as long as Jiang Xiao is not pregnant, then once the divorce is finalized and all ties with her ex-husband—an outsider—are severed, the Jiang family's feng shui will naturally improve."

What kind of nonsense was this? If it weren't for him, would the Jiang family even be able to live in this old villa anymore? Chen Fan couldn't help but shake his head as he headed toward the bedroom.

"Chen Fan! What are you doing!" Jiang Xiao frowned, rising quickly. "That’s my room! You aren't a member of the Jiang family anymore, get out!"

Jiang Yueshan looked at Chen Fan, trembling with rage. Because of Chen Fan, the Jiang family had lost their contract with the Fu Group! Afterward, other companies that had approached them to curry favor with the Fu Group had all refused to cooperate with the Jiang family. A conservative estimate was that the Jiang family would lose a million this month.

"I’ll leave as soon as I take what belongs to me," Chen Fan said calmly.

Jiang Xiao bit her lip, ran forward, and blocked the door with her arms. "You are not allowed to take it!"

"It’s my property. Why shouldn't I be allowed to take it?"

"You just aren't!"

The man in the robes chuckled. "Miss Jiang, as I said, you must sever those foreign entanglements now."

Jiang Yueshan and Su Juan, who were about to throw Chen Fan out, frowned and said, "Xiao, let him take his things and get him out of here immediately!"

"Chen Fan, I’m warning you for the last time: stay away from Jiang Xiao! Stay away from the Jiang family! If I see you again, I’ll break your legs!"

Jiang Xiao stared up at Chen Fan, her eyes filled with complex emotions. Chen Fan smiled faintly; it seemed Jiang Xiao hadn't told Jiang Yueshan about his involvement with Fu Xueyue.

"Move."

"You wouldn't have done this before..."

"Move."

"You’ll regret this!"

Jiang Xiao bit her lip, lowered her arms, and stepped aside in frustration. Chen Fan, having no desire to engage with the Jiang family members who lacked any sense of integrity, walked into the bedroom and opened the wardrobe.

On the bottom shelf, beneath his neatly folded clothes, lay a wooden box hidden by a small feng shui formation. Even if someone had rummaged through his clothes, the formation would have caused them to subconsciously ignore the box. He opened it to reveal a palm-sized token, crafted from gold and jade. A single character was carved into the gold: 'Immortal'.

The Immortal Bone Token. Legend had it that when the last Immortal appeared in the world, countless practitioners of various sects murdered the Immortal to seize his divine essence. The Immortal's bones were then smelted into this token.

Tucking the Immortal Bone Token into his pocket, Chen Fan walked out of the bedroom. He didn't spare the Jiang family a glance, but he did look at the man in the robes.

"A friendly warning: it’s not too late to leave now. Once you mess with the Jiang family's feng shui, there is no turning back."

"Heh..." The man in the robes just chuckled. "I see, a fellow practitioner. But don't worry about it; once you leave, I can handle this feng shui myself."

Chen Fan shook his head slightly. *Sigh, why am I so kind-hearted?* He knew that good words couldn't persuade a ghost determined to die, but he couldn't help but try.