Chapter 143: Lighting the Soul Lamp

I must admit that although I could not understand what the Fatty was saying, I could sense that his logic was clear and well-reasoned. Since Han Xuelu, Han Xue's father, believed in these things and undoubtedly had studied them himself, he could certainly comprehend every word the Fatty uttered. He stood up, looked at the Fatty, and asked, "So, what do you mean by this?"

"My meaning? Do you have any idea how much the knowledge Fatty here just shared is worth?" the Fatty retorted.

"Fatty, that's not playing fair. Given our relationship, isn't it a bit vulgar to talk about money?" I quickly pulled at the Fatty's sleeve and said.

"What? Feeling a pang of distress for your future father-in-law?" The Fatty gave me a sidelong glance.

Han Xuelu looked at the Fatty with a smile, then turned his gaze to me. "Yezi, you have good fortune to be able to make a friend like the Fatty."

"Isn't that the truth? It's just a pity this kid doesn't know when he's well off. But enough about him. Uncle, Fatty was just joking with you just now. How could I possibly talk to you about money? I also understand what you're after. In official circles, who doesn't want to climb higher? That's entirely natural. To be honest, though, I see a trace of blue-purple aura between your eyebrows. That's the protection of immense ancestral virtue. Even if there are minor flaws in your feng shui, your career shouldn't stall here. Fate comes first, luck second, feng shui third, accumulated virtue fourth, and study fifth. Therefore, we cannot rely solely on feng shui. Once I have some free time, I'll take a systematic look at it for you. But if you take Fatty's word for it, accepting Yezi as your son-in-law matters more than anything else combined," the Fatty declared.

"Oh?" Han Xuelu asked with a faint smile.

"Of course. I'll be honest with you as well: Yezi's relatives on that side are a rather awkward lot and might not be of much help to you. Neither Yezi nor you have the disposition to lower yourselves and beg favors for the sake of an official career. What Fatty is pointing to is the personal destiny of your future son-in-law. Do you have any candles?" The Fatty shifted the topic mid-sentence.

The Fatty's lavish praise of me made me feel rather embarrassed. What kind of relatives did my maternal grandparents' family have? If my cousin had helped me today, it would have been quite unexpected; whether they even acknowledged me was questionable, to say nothing of the fact that our previous encounter with that old matriarch hadn't been pleasant at all. However, the Fatty's sudden request for a candle sparked my curiosity. Not only I, but Han Xuelu as well, showed great interest. He made a call to Han Xue's mother, and shortly after, she brought up a red candle—clearly one kept in the home for venerating deities. Han Xuelu took it and asked, "Will this do?"

The Fatty accepted it and said, "Yes, why wouldn't it? Auntie, you don't need to go back downstairs. Come, little Fatty is going to show you a magic trick."

Han Xue's mother had been about to head back down, but at the Fatty's words, she paused. It was clear that she was a woman of great refinement and breeding, knowing at least to afford her husband the utmost dignity in front of outsiders. She glanced at Han Xuelu, and seeing him nod, she smiled and said, "I wouldn't have guessed you knew any magic tricks. In that case, Auntie will have to take a good look."

The Fatty beckoned to us, calling us over to Han Xuelu's desk. Behind the desk stood a backing stone, and on his right was a fish tank containing a few koi fish. Although they were common koi, their conformation and appearance were exceptionally fine.

"What are you trying to do?" Seeing the Fatty act so mysteriously, I asked him.

"Fatty certainly wouldn't dare light that genuine soul-lamp for you right now. If I actually lit it, not only would your big brother tear me apart, but your grandfather would crawl out of the Twelve Ghost Caves and slap me to death with one hand, and it might even bring disaster upon you. However, I can use this candle to act as a temporary substitute for a soul-lamp. While it certainly cannot compare to a real soul-lamp, having even a shadow of it will suffice," the Fatty explained.

"Will this actually work?" I asked in astonishment, looking at a mere candle meant to replace the soul-lamp that had been extinguished on my left shoulder.

"It'll be fine. Don't you trust Fatty in these matters?" He gave me a sidelong look and tugged at my clothes. "Take off your top. Strip to the waist."

I glanced at Han Xue's mother, my face flushing slightly, and said to the Fatty, "Auntie is right here. What are you playing at?"

"What does it matter if your future mother-in-law is here? Besides, what's wrong with a grown man going shirtless? How many people walk around shirtless on the street?" the Fatty argued.

I looked at Han Xue's mother, then at Han Xuelu. Han Xuelu nodded at me, and Han Xue's mother smiled as well, saying, "It's fine, Yezi. I'd also like to see what kind of magic trick this little Fatty is going to perform."

Hesitantly, I took off my short-sleeved shirt. Han Xue's mother took it from me, neatly folded it, and placed it on the sofa nearby. Meanwhile, the Fatty placed the red candle directly onto my left shoulder and affixed a yellow talisman paper atop the candle. I watched the Fatty with intense concentration; to say I wasn't excited would be a lie. What I looked forward to most right now was the day my soul-lamp would be relit. Only once it was lit could I undergo a true transformation, so I was eager to see what would be different about me once this soul-lamp was ignited.

The Fatty rubbed his hands together and announced, "Watch closely!"

With that, he whipped out a piece of talisman paper, scribbled ghost-like symbols upon it, and flicked the paper in the air. Miraculously, the yellow talisman burst into flames. Holding the burning talisman, the Fatty brought it to the candle. The candle wick caught instantly, its flame beginning to sway gently.

"Is it working?" I asked the Fatty. To be honest, after the candle was lit, I couldn't feel a single thing.

"Quiet!" The Fatty glared at me.

No sooner had the word left the Fatty's mouth than I felt a wave of heat surge from my left shoulder, spreading rapidly throughout my entire body. Finally, the thermal current flowed from my left shoulder to my right shoulder, and then straight up to the crown of my head. In an instant, my whole body felt wonderfully warm.

At that exact moment, Han Xue's mother suddenly covered her mouth and let out a gasp of surprise. Han Xuelu, too, stared fixedly at my back with a heavy frown. Curious about what was happening to my back, I tried to turn around, but the Fatty slapped me on the head and scolded, "Don't look!"

Simultaneously, the koi fish in Han Xuelu's tank suddenly grew agitated. The nine koi aligned themselves into a straight, flawless line, moving in near-uniform synchronization as if dancing beneath the tank's cover.

"Can we take the lid off?" the Fatty asked.

Han Xuelu nodded, stepped forward, and removed the lid of the fish tank. The moment the cover was taken off, the koi once again formed a horizontal straight line. Then, with a sudden, unified surge, they leaped almost simultaneously out of the water, clearing the rim of the tank and landing squarely on my body.

"Koi leaping over the dragon gate?!" Han Xuelu blurted out in wide-eyed disbelief.

At that moment, the Fatty blew out the candle on my left shoulder and asked, "Auntie, was that magic trick a good show?"

Han Xue's mother looked somewhat dazed, but she still nodded and smiled unnaturally, "Brilliant, truly amazing."

"Uncle, what do you think?" the Fatty asked.

Han Xuelu looked at me and stooped down to pick up the koi that had fallen onto the floor. I could see that his entire body was trembling slightly. I hurriedly put my shirt back on and rushed over to help him place the fish back into the tank.

By this time, the three of them were looking at me with the most peculiar expressions, making me feel quite self-conscious. I grabbed the Fatty and demanded, "What on earth is going on? What is this about 'koi leaping over the dragon gate'? What was on my back just now?"

"There was a golden dragon tattoo," the Fatty said, frowning as he looked at me. He patted his head and muttered, "Remember what Chen Dongfang told us about Shennongjia? Inside that stone, there was the shadow of a dragon, and your father brought you out from that very place. The Ghost Path respects no deities save for the divine dragon. You are definitely connected to whatever was inside there."

"And the fish? What about that?" I was utterly shocked. After lighting the candle, I had actually developed a golden dragon tattoo on my back?

"Since ancient times, there has been the legend of carp leaping over the dragon gate to transform into dragons. What's on your back is certainly more than just a simple golden dragon tattoo; the koi sensed the dragon aura, which is why they came to pay homage. This is just as Fatty suspected: your connection to the Ghost Path is extraordinary," the Fatty said.

"You guessed it?" I stared at him.

"How else do you think Fatty would know? Your future father-in-law's koi are no ordinary fish. Nine koi, and among them are dragon-patterned koi that exist only in legends—they are exceptionally sensitive to feng shui and destiny. Yezi, even Fatty is getting a bit excited now. If that soul-lamp of yours is truly lit one day, what kind of monster are you going to turn into?" the Fatty said with an excited expression.