Chapter 29

Chapter 29
At noon after school, Wang Ping took Xie Yubo to the massage parlor. The last time Xie Yubo visited the parlor to change clothes, Wang Fuyang happened to be cooking and insisted on treating Xie Yubo to a meal.
The building housing the massage parlor had been purchased by the Wang family long ago. Its kitchen still featured an old-fashioned wood-fired stove; however, burning firewood produced excessive smoke and posed significant fire hazards. Recently, with Wang Fuyang’s massage business thriving and substantial daily revenues pouring in, he suddenly conceived the idea of installing a smoke extraction and fire prevention system for the wood-fired stove. Since then, he has become enamored with cooking using it.
Helplessly, seeing the young master so often made Wang Fuyang feel as though he had returned to his roots. He bought bundles of dried bamboo from the countryside for fuel, managed a large stove, and lived with an simplicity that was almost unbelievable.
The dishes Wang Fuyang cooked were equally rustic, showing no trace of modern culinary enhancements; in short, they tasted rather ordinary. Yet Xie Yubo happened to love their original flavor. After having the first meal, he came back for a second, and gradually began staying at the massage parlor for lunch.
Delighted that his home-cooked meals pleased the young master, Wang Fuyang grew ever more immersed in cooking over firewood. The staff watched helplessly as he transformed from a masseur into a chef. Not only did he stop teaching them massage techniques, but he even considered apprenticing himself at a restaurant. Everyone seethed inwardly but dared not speak out.
Wang Fuyang knew Xie Yubo’s tastes perfectly, ensuring meat appeared in every meal. “Come, come, young master, eat more,” he urged.
He had a custom chair made that would display Xie Yubo’s weight the moment he sat down; his goal was to help the young master gain ten jin.
Mr. Shang thought the same, but he wasn’t as bold in putting ideas into practice as Wang Fuyang, who actually went ahead and created such a chair.
Xie Yubo found this chair utterly ridiculous. Deliberately, every time he sat down, the displayed weight remained completely unchanged—not even the last digit after the decimal point would budge.
Wang Fuyang observed for two days without any results. He assumed that since Xie Yubo couldn’t see, he could get away with little tricks, but in reality, Xie saw everything crystal clear.
As he removed the chair, Wang Fuyang felt both regret and admiration; this young master was truly extraordinary, capable even of controlling instruments!
During dinner, the television broadcast an interview with award-winning actor Ao Jingshan, focusing on his new film “Tiangong.”
“I’ve read the original novel for ‘Tiangong’; I even cried back then. It tells the story of a group of people building a road,” Wang Fuyang remarked emotionally. “Ao Jingshan played a migrant worker in it, and he looked so much like one—his fingers were rough, his skin tanned, completely unrecognizable as himself. He also starred in wuxia dramas, performing all his own fight scenes without stunt doubles. Tsk, I watched his dramas as he aged. When I was young and naive, I actually believed rumors that he had been kept by someone. Now looking back, how could that possibly be true!”
Wang Fuyang, seemingly wanting to share more amusing anecdotes verbally with Xie Yubo, turned and patted Wang Ping’s shoulder. “Have you ever heard of this?”
Wang Ping paused, glanced at Ao Jingshan’s unkempt face and burly frame, swallowed a mouthful of soup, and said calmly, “I’ve never heard of him.”
Wang Fuyang tried his best to prove he and Wang Ping were from the same era. Tapping the table as he recalled, he said, “I remember rumors about him being involved with someone named…”
Wang Ping stepped on his foot under the table. “What nonsense are you spouting in front of high schoolers?”
“Ah, Young Master, my mistake.”
Xie Yubo replied, “It’s fine. Quite interesting, actually.”
At the dining table, Xie Yubo’s work phone rang; the caller ID showed Duan Wenyao.
“Hey, young master, I’ve got a reliable patient on my end.”
Xie Yubo glanced at the TV: “Ao Jingshan?”
“How did you know? That’s strange; there’s been no media coverage about his illness.” Duan Wenyao was shocked internally but finished speaking first, “He’s recently come down with a bizarre sickness; he feels unwell all over, yet hospitals can’t find anything wrong.”
Originally a rough-and-tumble figure in the entertainment industry, he had literally been bedridden until he resembled Daiyu. His new film had just wrapped up, and he originally had numerous scheduled appearances, but now all confirmed engagements have been canceled.
Duan Wenyao: “He’s a friend of mine, a good person who knows how to keep secrets. Young Master, would you be willing to treat him?”
Xie Yubo: “Certainly. Wait for me at your doorstep at two o’clock this afternoon.”
Wang Fuyang clicked his tongue in surprise: “Speak of the devil and he appears. Young Master, do you think Actor Ao will be alright?”
“I don’t know; I’ll have to go and see. Boss Wang, please gather some production materials for ‘Tiangong’ for me.”
“Got it!”
Xie Yubo called Su Changfen again: “Principal, take me to skip class at 2 p.m.”
Su Changfen, on the other end of the phone, suddenly found the pig trotter in his hand no longer appetizing.
Once you’re on a pirate ship, don’t even think about getting off.
Wang Ping understood this all too well; like Principal Su, he was a loyal comrade who had betrayed Xie Chenbo.
..
Wang Ping arrived early at Duan Wenyao’s home to wait with him for Su Changfen to bring Xie Yubo over, after which he would drive the two of them to the movie star’s residence.
The movie star’s home was located in Jiaoyuan Villa, a heavily secured community where many celebrities owned properties. Since Duan Wenyao’s family worked in media and was well-connected within the film industry, they had also purchased a villa there.
“Young Master, this way please.” Duan Wenyao rang the doorbell, and after a moment, the main gate opened automatically.
All four windows in Ao Jingshan’s home were tightly shuttered; only a small lamp glowed in the entryway, while the bedroom remained pitch-black and silent. Ao Jingshan felt his way out of the bedroom along the doorframe, moving sluggishly.
“You’ve arrived; forgive my poor hospitality.” Ao Jingshan drew open the living room curtains. “I haven’t been well lately and feared being photographed by reporters.”
Xie Yubo observed his complexion; there were no signs of illness, yet because Ao Jingshan wore a furrowed brow and neglected his appearance, he looked like a vagrant.
He shifted his gaze down to Ao Jingshan’s legs. Through the Heavenly Eye, he saw wisps of black qi emanating from the soles of Ao Jingshan’s feet, resembling an invisible chain binding them together, weighing him down and making movement difficult.
The doctor said it might be because I overexerted myself while filming ‘Tiangong’ and injured my back,” Ao Jingshan explained. “The protagonist in the novel is a road worker who has to carry stone blocks up the mountain several times a day. For the sake of the film’s effect, I never used a stunt double.
The reason “Tiangong” bears this title is that the mountain road was incredibly difficult to construct, with steps laid one by one, and its winding turns were even more perilous than Mount Hua.
Xie Yubo scrolled through the information on his phone: “Did you ever injure your foot while filming?”
“Uh… once. I was carrying stones barefoot, and just before reaching the summit, I slipped accidentally and tumbled into the woods beside the path. The sole of my foot got cut by a jagged rock nearby.”
“Try to recall that stone.”
Ao Jingshan, puzzled, replied: “It was just an ordinary rock, seemingly weathered off the cliff face. It was pointed at the top and wider at the base, about twenty centimeters tall, somewhat resembling a pagoda.”
Xie Yubo took a set of silver needles out of his schoolbag; they were a gift from Qian Kaikang and unavailable on the market.
“Lift your leg onto the sofa.”
Ao Jingshan froze. “You’re inserting the needle already?”
Xie Yubo replied, “That’s just the beginning. This single needle costs one hundred thousand; make sure you count it correctly.”
Duan Wenyao patted Ao Jingshan on the shoulder. “Relax. Look at me—I’m still standing here visiting you. What could possibly be impossible?”
Ao Jingshan is forty this year and has never suffered any illness or misfortune, yet suddenly, as if possessed by some malevolent force, no cause for his condition can be found. These past few days have felt like an eternity to him, pushing him to the brink of mental collapse. He glanced at his friend; before Duan Wenyao’s final chemotherapy session, he had visited him, and at that time, Duan Wenyao had smiled bitterly, saying he might not survive this round.
Now, however, color had returned to Duan Wenyao’s face, his health noticeably improved, and he stood here gracefully, offering comfort—all thanks to this young miraculous doctor.
With difficulty, Ao Jingshan shifted his leg onto the sofa. “Go ahead.”
It sounds somewhat ridiculous, but Ao Jingshan, who projects the image of a tough man, fears nothing more than acupuncture needles. He isn’t afraid of the syringes used in hospitals, only the silver needles held by Xie Yubo, because whenever he caught a cold as a child, his parents would drag him off to have needles inserted into his fingers and toes.
“All done.”
“Hmm?” Ao Jingshan had barely closed his eyes for two seconds when he felt a faint prick on both ankles, as if bitten by mosquitoes. It was so slight that, given his thick skin, he almost failed to notice it.
Xie Yubo watched with satisfaction as two streams of black qi slowly seeped out. “Wait a quarter of an hour.”
In truth, the Grand Imperial Astrologer was employing metaphysical arts; making a small incision to draw out the black qi had little to do with traditional Chinese medicine.
A quarter of an hour later, Ao Jingshan cautiously moved his feet and discovered that with just a slight effort, he could walk freely.
“Damn, I’d almost forgotten how friendly Earth’s gravity is.” Ao Jingshan excitedly grasped Xie Yubo’s hand. “Miracle doctor, truly a miracle doctor! Thank you, little miracle doctor, thank you, Wenyao.”
Duan Wenyao sensed something amiss. “Young Master, you only inserted one needle just now; how could it be so miraculous?”
Duan Wenyao deeply suspected that Xie Yubo had simply and crudely chosen a spot without any leg hair to stick the needle.
“Because he isn’t ill; he’s been entangled by an evil entity,” Xie Yubo said calmly while packing away his silver needles.
His words struck like a heavy stone dropped into water. Ao Jingshan’s face turned pale. Clutching the back of the sofa as he sat down, and recalling the questions Xie Yubo had asked him, he stammered incoherently, “Y-yes, I remember now! It was after my sole was cut by that stone that moving my legs gradually became difficult! My assistant kicked that stone at the time; such a small stone didn’t budge an inch. I thought he just hadn’t used enough force. But thinking about it now, that stone didn’t fall naturally; someone had sealed it there with cement.”
Xie Yubo: “Do you know why the movie was filmed on that mountain?”
Ao Jingshan: “Because that mountain is treacherous. Behind it lies a mountain village where travel is difficult; people must either take a long, rough dirt road detour or climb straight over the peak. The government will invest in building a concrete road there this year. The film’s release can also generate publicity, creating a win-win situation.”
Xie Yubo displayed all the search results regarding that mountain village; there wasn’t much information, with only a few posts mentioning the term “human trafficking.”
Individuals who had left that village exposed online that ten years ago, buying and selling women was a common occurrence there.
Deep within the mountains, many bachelors unable to find wives would spend money to “buy” one. This illegal trade persisted for decades. Women trafficked into the region were either beaten into submission or, if they attempted escape, were captured and brought back. In this manner, detrimental genetic traits were passed down generation after generation.
It was only as the legal system gradually improved that such phenomena slowly diminished. However, by then, the women trapped in those mountains had long been stripped of any spirit of resistance, their lives utterly ruined.
One person buys a wife, and the entire village helps keep watch; if she tries to escape, they capture her and beat her until she accepts her fate.
“How could women who were innocently abducted willingly bear children for such scoundrels? Too many have tried to escape. Some were even quite clever; unable to keep them under watch, the captors hired someone to set up a mystical formation.”
Any woman who managed to flee would find her legs automatically becoming heavy and difficult to move as soon as she entered the mountains, unable to cover even one kilometer in an hour.
Such horrifying events were actually unfolding near the filming location of ‘Tiangong.’ Ao Jingshan turned pale; it was because he had accidentally fallen into this formation that his movements had become so hindered.
Recalling his experiences over the past few days, he couldn’t help but curse, “Bastards! Do they even regard people as human beings?”
Xie Yubo asked, “Do you dare to expose them?”
Exposure could mean negative repercussions for the film “Tiangong.” How many people would blame the filming location’s rugged and inhospitable landscape and decide against watching it in theaters?
Ao Jingshan was left speechless. When ordinary people feel anger, they don’t necessarily consider what actions they themselves can take regarding such phenomena.
He is a Best Actor award winner with considerable influence; precisely because of this status, every gesture and move he makes must be handled with caution.
Ao Jingshan saw Xie Yubo packing his schoolbag; the other seemed to have asked merely offhand, not expecting him to agree.
“I will!” Ao Jingshan blurted out impulsively.
Xie Yubo glanced at him appreciatively. He had originally thought he would have to handle this matter himself. The Heavenly Eye had revealed to him countless women with numb expressions, their silent cries from the depths of their hearts pleading for someone to save them.
“In that case, I won’t charge you a consultation fee.”
“Thank you, divine doctor.” After his initial impulse, Ao Jingshan calmed down to think, clenching his fists. “When one has lived to this age and gained influence, yet still hesitates at the sight of injustice, one might as well go back to playing bit parts.”
Duan Wenyao said, “I will help you.”
Ao Jingshan immediately put words into action, sitting down to compose his message.
“Today, I intend to expose a phenomenon that fills me with anger and sorrow. During the filming of the movie ‘Tiangong,’ I inadvertently learned…”
A single stone stirred a thousand waves; less than a minute after Ao Jingshan sent out his message, his phone was flooded with calls.
“Excuse me, please have a seat while I take this call.”
Duan Wenyao also called his family to help steer public opinion.
Only Xie Yubo and Wang Ping remained in the living room when the doorbell rang again. This person seemed to have the code to Ao Jingshan’s front door, entering directly without hesitation.
“Heard you can’t get up?” The newcomer’s voice naturally carried a smile; just hearing it was enough to imagine a pair of captivating, peach-blossom eyes.
Wang Ping’s scalp tingled with dread. That voice…
He hadn’t even had time to warn Xie Yubo to hide before the newcomer caught sight of him.
“Well, well, my dear nephew is here too.”
Indeed, this man was none other than Xue Jing’s younger brother, Xue Yiming—a refined scoundrel who gave the entire family headaches.
The wealthy businessman who was rumored to have once kept Ao Jingshan as a lover.
Upon seeing Xie Yubo, Xue Yiming straightened up slightly, fastening the top button of his collar and adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, striving to project the image of a dignified uncle meeting his nephew for the first time. Unfortunately, the moment he sat down and crossed his long legs, his shirt wrinkled, and that carefully crafted image vanished instantly.
Oh well, my nephew can’t see anyway.
Xie Yubo met a pair of eyes brimming with amusement, every corner of them whispering of heartlessness, and arched an eyebrow.
While searching for news about “Tiangong,” he accidentally came across negative reports of Ao Jingshan being kept as a lover, with the other party being an uncle he had only ever heard of by name.
Upon seeing the real person, Xie Yubo realized he actually bore some resemblance to his maternal uncle.
Since this Imperial Astrologer is so handsome and elegant, it stands to reason that his uncle must be quite impressive as well.
No matter how you look at it, it should be Ao Jingshan keeping Xue Yiming as his mistress.
Isn’t their appearance completely reversed?