Chapter 23: “Listen to Your Sister-in-Law.”

Back in her bedroom, Tu Shanju opened the suitcase.

Inside, the jewelry boxes were neatly arranged in rows.

Along the edges were five large wooden crates, which were probably filled with whole jade stones.

Even before opening them, she could feel the dense spiritual energy. Once opened, the energy surged out.

Tu Shanju twitched her nose and instantly felt refreshed in both body and soul.

She felt reluctant to close the boxes—so what if she didn’t?

Might as well leave them open. Surrounded by spiritual energy, she’d surely have a great dream.

Little did she know, some people were waiting for her to fall asleep.

After her shower and blow-drying her hair, Tu Shanju had just laid her head on the pillow when she was suddenly pulled away.

Without warning, a few old faces appeared before her.

Startled, she shrank back with a jerk. “Grandpa! Grandma! Second Uncle! You scared me!”

Tu Shantu reached out and knocked her lightly on the head. “So, you finally got off your lazy butt, huh? I told you long ago to start collecting debts. You only act when it’s down to the wire!”

Tu Shanju clutched her head. “Grandpa! That really hurt!”

Her grandmother, Luan Yunhua, seeing that Tu Shantu hadn’t held back, gave him a knock of her own. “You have the nerve to talk? All because of your cursed fate! Otherwise, our family wouldn’t have struggled for three generations!”

Tu Shantu rubbed his head, aggrieved, and mumbled, “It’s not like I had a choice!”

Tu Shanju’s dark eyes rolled as a smile snuck onto her face. Tu Shantu noticed and pointed at her, complaining to his wife, “Look at her! This brat’s teasing us—she’s acting!”

On the side, her Second Uncle stroked his small tuft of beard, face beaming. “Still, your family’s lively. It’s fun. I love it. Xiaojiu, your Second Uncle supports you. Keep mocking that old fogey!”

Tu Shanju looked helpless. These old troublemakers together could star in a full-blown family drama.

But only in front of family could she be this relaxed—like a kid again.

“Alright, back to business. You didn’t come up here just to scold me, right?”

Tu Shantu snorted, “You should be ashamed. We came up to inform you—you’ve been docked three points again. But—”

“You did great!” her Second Uncle chimed in cheerfully.

Tu Shanju raised an eyebrow, not surprised at all.

That incident with Cheng Xiujuan—those guys from the Nancheng office probably lost more points than she did.

In the realm of Yin and Yang, order must be upheld, whether by humans or ghosts.

But Tu Shanju always followed her heart.

Three points? Big deal. Just catch a few fierce ghosts and earn them back. No problem.

She always believed in not overdoing things. If the passing score was 60 out of 100, she’d just hit 60 and be done with it. No need to strive harder—it was just a civil servant assessment, after all.

But in the next second, Tu Shantu dropped a bombshell—and she broke down.

Starting next year, the Underworld’s assessment system was changing!

The old system allowed early registration at 18, and formal exams at 22.

During this period, candidates were assessed annually—100 points total, 60 to pass.

This was like a qualification to take the official civil servant exam for the Underworld. Fail it, and you couldn’t even sit for the test.

Now, the rules had changed.

Beginning next year, the passing score would be 95.

And only the top 30 scorers would be selected.

That meant she’d have to rise above hundreds of candidates each year, so the higher her score, the safer she’d be.

Otherwise, she’d have to wait another year to try again!

Tu Shanju tilted her head back, face blank with despair. “Does this mean… I can’t live like a salted fish anymore?”

Tu Shantu clenched his fist. “Come on, Tu Shan Xiaojiu, you can do it!”

Tu Shan Xiaojiu: “…”

She was a master at controlled scores. Every time she reached the passing line, she stopped trying.

That incident with Cheng Xiujuan cost her 3 points. Now she only had 57.

She needed 38 more just to barely pass the new 95-point threshold.

And that was only to be eligible.

Tu Shanju jolted upright from her nightmare.

“That posture’s wrong. Get back down and do it again!”

Tu Shantu and the others, forcefully booted out of the Underworld realm: “???”

Maybe it was the shock of the news—Tu Shanju didn’t sleep well that night.

The next morning, she skipped meditation and went straight to the garden to practice Tai Chi.

Old Master Xie stood nearby watching for a while, then clapped enthusiastically.

“Xiaojiu, your Tai Chi is so precise! I’ve practiced for years and still can’t get some of the postures right.”

Tu Shanju dabbed the light sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. “That’s normal, Grandpa. For ordinary people, it takes ten years to just get started. But once you grasp the techniques, you’ll quickly understand its essence. Regular practice also prolongs life. If you’d like, I can teach you.”

Old Master Xie’s face lit up. “Really?”

Tu Shanju nodded. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll call you to join when I practice.”

She thought for a moment and added, “Let’s have Second and Third Brother join too. I’ve checked their physical constitutions.” She shook her head. “Too weak. Their future girlfriends won’t be satisfied.”

Cough cough cough— Old Master Xie was nearly choked by her blunt words.

Tu Shanju, however, didn’t think she’d said anything wrong.

“Their weakness isn’t the kind you’re thinking of—it’s qi deficiency. Don’t be fooled by all their daily workouts. They’re doing it wrong, so it’s basically useless.”

With her training, within half a year, they could have the physique of a proper novel male lead!

Old Master Xie sort of understood, sort of didn’t. “Train. We must train. Starting tomorrow, every Xie family member will train with you!”

So, before breakfast, Old Master Xie held a family meeting at the table.

Including Xie Shiyu, everyone was required to get up early for Tai Chi.

Even Xie Wenmo, currently on a business trip overseas, wasn’t off the hook. Old Master Xie would supervise him via video call before bed!

When this news broke, Xie Shiyu remained calm. Morning exercise was morning exercise—it didn’t matter what form it took.

But Xie Jingzhou and Xie Jingting, the two champions of not-wanting-to-get-up, wore bitter expressions.

Tu Shanju saw their reluctance and added, “Second Brother’s okay—he’s the abstinent type. But Third Brother, you really need to commit. You don’t want to disappoint the girl you’ve secretly liked for years, do you?”

Xie Jingting: “Let me just say—thank you.”

Xie Jingzhou: “Thank you too, Sister-in-law.”

Tu Shanju grinned and waved them off. “No need to thank me. This is what a sister-in-law should do.”

Xie Jingting: “Big Brother, look at her!”

Xie Shiyu, who had been quietly enjoying the drama, was suddenly pulled in.

Tu Shanju, halfway through sipping porridge, paused and turned to him. Her tone was serious: “I’m doing it for their own good.”

Xie Shiyu couldn’t help but chuckle. Then he looked at his two younger brothers and said slowly:

“Listen to your sister-in-law.”

Tu Shanju glanced at Xie Shiyu, who looked particularly handsome while smiling, and took an extra look.

Xie Shiyu sensed her gaze and turned to her. “What is it?”

Tu Shanju shook her head and said honestly, “Nothing. You just looked a little handsome.”

Xie Shiyu was slightly taken aback, then let out a soft laugh.

No rush—there was still time. Since there was no emotional foundation yet, everything had to be built slowly.