Chapter 118: Lady Li Reveals the Truth, the Old Beggar Shares His Past

Madam Li, usually only daring to be domineering toward the servants, was terrified when the steward angrily struck the warning wooden block. Her face turned pale as she hurriedly shook her head and said, “Sir, you misunderstand. Everything I said is true.”

The steward, Tan Chuxiao, suspected that Madam Li would not dare to lie, but after glancing again at the ugly-faced Li Shuji, he still sensed something suspicious and pressed further.

Only after this questioning did Tan Chuxiao piece together the whole story.

Three days ago, the Zhou family on Fourth Weaving Street had broken the evil curse of the One-Eyed Snake. True to his word, Zhou Daxin set up charitable food stations for three consecutive days, where beggars and vagrants could come for a warm meal.

Although Master Li was not particularly handsome, his mind was quite shrewd. Upon hearing of the Zhou family’s charity, he was moved to also provide three days’ worth of porridge and food.

Yet, from that very day, Li Shuji’s luck with women inexplicably surged.

Naturally, Madam Li grew anxious, but once this romantic luck opened, even the usually well-behaved maids at home began casting seductive glances at Li Shuji, despite his seldom leaving the house.

Madam Li was furious and scolded the maids harshly, but she still felt something was amiss.

In her agitation, she decided to help with the charity meals herself.

As night fell and the food station was about to close, an old beggar staggered over.

The old man wore a sheepskin jacket so faded its color was indiscernible. He had no shoes, and his feet were caked with a thick layer of mud.

Since closing time was near, the servants planned not to serve him any more food.

The beggar’s face fell in disappointment but he did not cause a scene; he prepared to leave.

Although harsh, Madam Li had a moment of compassion. She called the old man back and personally ladled him a full bowl of porridge.

The beggar accepted gratefully and devoured it hungrily.

Before long, the large bowl was empty.

Madam Li thought, “If I’m going to help, I might as well do it thoroughly,” and filled another bowl to the brim.

This time, however, the beggar did not rush to drink. Instead, he looked at Madam Li meaningfully and asked, “Master, has something strange been happening in your household lately?”

The old man’s words were strange—beggars usually address their benefactors as “sir,” but he said “master.”

Normally, Madam Li would have dismissed him as a con artist, but on this day, for some unexplainable reason, she confided in the beggar about Li Shuji’s sudden romantic fortune.

The old man pondered for a moment after hearing the story, then said gravely, “Very well. When one eats from another’s hand, one must repay the favor. Since I have eaten your porridge today, I ought to do something for you.”

He then proceeded to recount an old tale.

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Twenty years ago, in Qingyang County, there lived a carpenter named Jia Teng.

His ancestors had been carpenters for generations, renowned throughout Shuzhou Prefecture for their exquisite craftsmanship.

But Jia Teng himself was a different man—though skilled, he was vicious, treacherous, and lecherous.

At that time, a wealthy landowner was building a new house and hired Jia Teng as supervisor.

This landowner was miserly and, once the house was finished, used some excuse to withhold half of Jia Teng’s wages.

Jia Teng was angered but dared not confront the powerful landowner openly. Instead, he secretly placed a kitchen knife on the lintel above the main gate, along with a talisman.

The next day, the landowner’s son, involved in a brawl, accidentally killed someone. Ultimately, the landowner lost everything to save his son’s life.

Jia Teng, when working, enjoyed having female company. At banquets, feigning drunkenness, he would take advantage of the women.

Usually, the masters turned a blind eye, hoping only that Jia Teng would complete the work well. After all, a little misconduct wouldn’t cost much, and offending him might bring retribution.

However, Jia Teng did meet his match once. While building a new bed for the daughter of a local notable, Miss Zhi Ruo, he attempted to act inappropriately.

Unknown to him, Zhi Ruo had just returned from studying martial arts at Mount Emei. With a single kick, she sent Jia Teng sprawling.

Jia Teng apologized profusely, but when no one was looking, he secretly nailed seven iron spikes under the bed and left without collecting his wages.

These spikes were no ordinary nails: they were coffin nails pried from actual coffins.

People have three souls and seven spirits; by driving seven coffin nails beneath the bed, Jia Teng’s curse, known as the “Nail Soul Technique,” would cause the victim’s soul to scatter and blood to flow from seven orifices at midnight.

Coincidentally, after Jia Teng left, a cat slipped under the bed.

Searching for the cat, Miss Zhi Ruo discovered the seven coffin nails and flew into a rage, intending to confront Jia Teng.

Her father advised her to let go of the grudge, saying enemies should be reconciled rather than made.

Zhi Ruo carried a treasured sword capable of cutting iron as if it were mud. She drew it and sliced the seven nails in half, her anger somewhat abated.

After leaving the Zhou household, Jia Teng bought a piece of beef and was eating it on the go when a pack of mad dogs attacked, snatching the meat and biting off seven of his fingers.

When he learned the Zhou lady was unharmed, he knew his curse had been broken and that the injury was a backlash of his own magic.

From then on, Jia Teng was known as the “Three-Fingered Carpenter.”

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Jia Teng’s ill reputation spread far and wide. Neighbors preferred to hire expensive carpenters from other regions rather than him.

Left with no choice, Jia Teng packed his tools and drifted to Shuntang County.

Situated at a major transportation hub, Shuntang was a bustling crossroads with merchants passing through constantly.

Jia Teng rented a humble home on the outskirts of the city and waited daily near the South Gate for work.

One day, just after heavy rain ceased, a young woman approached him and asked, “Master, can you repair a roof?”

Jia Teng, struck by the woman’s beauty, readily agreed, saying, “A piece of cake.”

The woman then noticed Jia Teng had only three fingers and asked suspiciously, “But how can you work well with only three fingers?”

Jia Teng smiled, “You don’t know my skills. Even with one finger, I can do a perfect job.”

The woman led Jia Teng through several alleys to a paper-cutting shop.

Her name was Fan Ai, wife of the paper craftsman Wu Dalang.

Not long before, Wu Dalang had gone out to buy paper, leaving Fan Ai alone at home. The heavy rain had collapsed the roof.

Fearing the rain would ruin the paper crafts inside, Fan Ai urgently sought a carpenter to fix the roof.

Jia Teng quickly climbed to the roof while Fan Ai assisted below, soon sweating profusely from the heat.

After some time, Fan Ai disappeared from view.

Suddenly, water splashed loudly from the neighboring house. Jia Teng lifted a tile and glimpsed Fan Ai bathing inside.

She hated heat and had run to the neighbor’s house, closing the doors and windows tightly, forgetting that Jia Teng was still on the roof.

Jia Teng was stirred with desire, his blood boiling. He hurriedly restored the tile and silently inscribed a talisman on the beam.

When the roof was repaired, Fan Ai emerged from her bath. Jia Teng took his payment and hurried home.

Unbeknownst to her, Jia Teng had cast a soul-capturing curse on the beam. He bit his own finger to empower the charm, which would activate at midnight, compelling Fan Ai to come to him like a puppet on strings.

At midnight, a cold wind blew fiercely, and Jia Teng’s door swung open. Fan Ai stood before him.

Jia Teng eagerly embraced her but noticed her body was unnaturally light, as if she could be lifted with one hand. Her skin was chillingly cold.

He asked, “My lady, why are you so cold?”