Chapter 13

 #Temple Keeper Qi Wu#

#Qi Wu’s Comfort#

In just one short day, Little Qi Wu had frequently trended on social media due to various buzzwords. Many passersby who weren’t interested in child-rearing variety shows couldn’t help but click to see what had happened. As a result, they were introduced to how Qi Wu had discerned the passing of someone’s father and how she had comforted others.

【Is this for real? Isn’t this just a script arranged by the production team?】

【I’m skeptical about the authenticity of this Temple Keeper, but I have to admit, the words Little Qi Wu used to comfort others really struck a chord with me.】

【Is she really only three years old? She’s so articulate. If this show has a script, it’s no fun.】

【For those who’ve been watching all day, I can tell you there’s no script. If there were, Su wouldn’t have been sitting on the meditation cushion meditating for two hours.】

【You have no idea how much I needed a comforting word when I was overwhelmed with stress.】

【Working overtime until now, sitting on the subway surrounded by people just like me, all of us squeezed together and utterly exhausted, not knowing when this will end. Hearing Little Qi Wu’s words, I couldn’t help but feel like crying.】

【Line 1 subway, also just got off work. These endless cycles of days—I really need something to hold onto.】

【Is this a child-rearing variety show? I’ll check it out.】

However, as a large number of viewers flooded into the live stream from Weibo, they found that the broadcast was nearing its end. The filming crew had already left, and now only the indoor cameras were recording.

Little Qi Wu was sitting on a tacky bright red cotton quilt, having changed out of the little dress she wore during the day. She was holding a big dog in her arms, and the two of them were watching intently as Dad did the laundry.

Su Wen had no idea how to do laundry. The little dress was crumpled in his hands, but he seemed quite satisfied with his work.

Not just him—even if Kong Lin and Jin Wen were here, they wouldn’t have known how to do it either, and they might not have done as well as he did.

Little Qi Wu watched closely as he picked up the dress, wrung it out forcefully, and was about to go hang it outside. She asked curiously, “Dad, why does the dress look different from the one I was wearing?”

Su Wen froze. “How is it different?”

Little Qi Wu gestured with her hands, tracing curves. “There are so many more… lines.”

【Hahaha, so many lines! I’ve never seen someone do laundry so violently before.】

【I was really worried he was going to scrub the dress to shreds. Better check it quickly.】

【I can already imagine what the dress will look like when it’s dry.】

Su Wen looked at the wrinkles, expressionlessly patted them, and tried to smooth them out, but to no avail. Finally, he said in a stiff tone, “It’ll be fine tomorrow.”

He walked out, hung the dress on a tree branch in the yard, and tugged at it one last time before giving up and walking back inside. “Qi Wu, tell everyone we’ll see them tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Little Qi Wu obediently looked at the camera and held Di Ting’s paw. “Di Ting, come say goodbye to everyone.”

“And also, say thank you.” She waved her hand. “Thank you, everyone, for praying for Liangliang.”

Di Ting waved his paw along with her, and the live stream was filled with lamentations.

【Ah, my little one, why are you saying goodbye already? It’s only 8:30!】

【I just got here, and it’s already ending!】

【Kids need to rest early. Let’s all disperse. Make sure to tune in to Little Qi Wu’s live stream tomorrow at 8 a.m.】

【Goodbye! I must find the address of this Temple of the King of Hell!!】

At exactly 8:30, the live broadcast ended.

Li Ke and Huang Peng immediately called Su Wen’s phone.

Su Wen was still following Wang Yang’s instructions on how to search for recipes, so he quickly answered the call.

Li Ke blurted out, “Mr. Su, does your Temple of the King of Hell really have something special?”

Su Wen wasn’t familiar with some modern slang: “What do you mean?”

Li Ke clarified, “I mean, can you really see things that others can’t? Do you have special abilities? Are you Daoists?”

The profession of Daoists is quite common in the Netherworld, as the Human Realm has always had people involved in this. Some are naturally gifted, and those with greater abilities can indeed communicate with the Netherworld. Those with even greater powers can even borrow Ghostly Divine Power.

However, in recent years, the Ten Kings of Hell have declined, so most Daoists in the Human Realm are only dealing with trivial matters.

Su Wen neither confirmed nor denied, simply asking, “What are you trying to say?”

“I don’t mean anything else,” Li Ke explained. “It’s just that our show didn’t report these things beforehand. If you do have such abilities, we should report it now to make things easier for your work.”

Li Ke and Huang Peng hadn’t expected that while recording a child-rearing reality show, they would stumble upon such a treasure. This could mean a hit in both mysticism and child-rearing reality shows!

A sure win!

Now Su Wen understood. It seemed that the Human Realm wasn’t as resistant to these things as before, unlike the past when people feared Ghosts and Gods and dared not speak of them.

So he replied succinctly, “Yes.”

Being called a Daoist was fine; otherwise, some things would be hard to explain.

Li Ke and Huang Peng were instantly thrilled: He admitted it! He admitted it!

So perhaps Wang Yang really did see something unclean that day. My goodness, what Little Yan Wang said about protection was true! Thankfully, everyone had offered incense when they visited.

“Alright, alright, we’ll report it as soon as possible to avoid any inconvenience on your end,” Huang Peng said, already in awe of the father and daughter duo. But he still reminded, “Mr. Su, although your profession is special, most of our audience are ordinary people, and our child-rearing show targets all age groups. So please be mindful and try not to scare anyone.”

Su Wen replied, “We won’t.”

After much advice and reminders, the production team finally hung up. Su Wen put down the phone and looked at Little Yan Wang on the bed.

Lord Yama had little experience with the complexities of human society, which was why he often acted unconsciously. But Su Wen didn’t see it as a bad thing.

However, there were still a few things he needed to remind him of.

So he walked over and sat beside Little Yan Wang: “My Lord, may I discuss something with you?”

“Of course.”

Su Wen said, “In the Human Realm, you can’t just fly around.”

Little Qi Wu nodded obediently. Su Wen continued, “Also, don’t…”

His voice trailed off as he looked into Little Yan Wang’s innocent eyes, feeling that imposing so many restrictions might not be right.

So he changed his words: “Many people are afraid of Ghosts, so when we see them in the future, let’s be quiet and not scare them, okay?”

Little Qi Wu nodded, still a bit puzzled: “But Ghostly Souls are transformed from humans. They used to be part of families too. Why should people be afraid of them?”

“Hmm,” Su Wen lowered his gaze. “I don’t know either.”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door: “Is anyone there?”

This familiar voice belongs to Liangliang’s mother!

Little Qi Wu immediately sat up straight.

After Su Wen sent the address to Liangliang’s mother, he anticipated her swift arrival. He stood up, carrying Little Qi Wu, and walked outside.

Sure enough, Liangliang’s mother was standing there, holding a large bag in her hand.

She seemed a bit nervous: “Mr. Su, the doctor said Liangliang is fine now. He’s asleep, and I’ve asked the neighbor to look after him for a while. I came specifically to thank you.”

She handed over the things she had brought: “I watched the live stream today and noticed you were short on some supplies. I bought these, and tomorrow morning I can also steam some snacks for Qi Wu.”

They were basic seasonings and some ingredients, very practical.

Su Wen didn’t refuse. Seeing this, Di Ting automatically took the bag in his mouth and went inside. Su Wen put Qi Wu down: “Qi Wu, say thank you to Auntie.”

Little Qi Wu looked up: “Thank you, Auntie!”

“You’re welcome,” Liangliang’s mother replied, then hesitated as if she wanted to say more.

Su Wen stepped aside: “Aren’t you going to offer incense to Lord Yama?”

Little Qi Wu also remembered this—there was food to eat too!

“Lord Yama will bless Liangliang!”

Liangliang’s mother immediately realized: “Yes, yes, I need to offer incense to the Lord. I even bought incense and candles!”

Her thoughts had been a bit scattered, so she hadn’t remembered earlier.

With that, she took out the incense, candles, and ghost money, knelt on the meditation cushion, and lit them. Su Wen then placed Little Qi Wu on the altar table and said calmly, “If you have any questions, you can ask.”

Liangliang’s mother paused for a moment, then sighed and looked up: “Today, I saw that it was Little Qi Wu who woke Liangliang up. It might have been a coincidence, but I feel it wasn’t. So I wanted to ask, can you and Qi Wu see something?”

This wasn’t Liangliang’s mother being superstitious; she simply had no other options left.

Little Qi Wu really wanted to tell Liangliang’s mother about this, so she looked eagerly at Judge Dad until he nodded at her.

Little Qi Wu then blurted out: “Someone stole Liangliang’s life!”

Liangliang’s mother was stunned: “What?”

“Stealing life means… it means…” Little Qi Wu struggled to find the words, “It means stealing Liangliang’s lifespan.”

“So Liangliang’s soul got lost!”

Liangliang’s mother had considered many possibilities, but never this. She stared blankly at Qi Wu, then at Su Wen, who nodded gently.

The paper burned her hand, snapping her back to reality: “How could this be? Who? Who would harm my child!”

This was a question Little Qi Wu couldn’t answer. She tugged at Judge Dad, and Su Wen finally spoke: “Usually, in such cases, only a blood relative can do this.”

“Among your close relatives, whoever needs to steal a lifespan is the one. Your son’s soul was called back by Qi Wu. From now on, unless his lifespan naturally ends, no one can harm him.”

He casually took a stick of incense from the incense burner: “If you want to know who it is, go back and fill a bowl with clean water, add a drop of your son’s blood, and extinguish the incense in it. That person will naturally suffer the backlash.”

No one can harm the soul Qi Wu called back?

Liangliang’s mother stared blankly at the incense in her hand: “Won’t it burn out before I get back?”

Su Wen: “It won’t.”

Liangliang’s mother whispered, “Our close relatives… how do I find out?”

Su Wen turned around and lit another stick of incense: “Your family ties are thin. You probably already have an answer in your heart.”

These words made Liang Liang’s Mom tremble all over, her hands shaking slightly: “He…”

“Alright,” Su Wen said, regardless of whom she was thinking of. After lighting the incense, he continued, “It’s getting late. You’re alone, so finish offering the incense and head down the mountain as soon as possible. Little Qi Wu is still growing and needs to sleep.”

Liang Liang’s Mom looked at Little Qi Wu sitting on the offering table, nodding absentmindedly: “Okay.”

After finishing the incense offering, she kowtowed three times before standing up: “Thank you, Lord Yama, thank you, Qi Wu, thank you, Mr. Su.”

“I will come again, thank you all!”

Little Qi Wu had absorbed so much incense offering that her belly was bulging. She patted her little tummy with one hand and patted Liang Liang’s Mom’s hand with the other: “Auntie, don’t be afraid. Lord Yama will protect Liang Liang.”

Liang Liang’s Mom couldn’t help but step forward and hug her: “Thank you, Lord Yama’s immeasurable merit.”

The next morning, as soon as the live stream started, many people flooded into the chat.

Little Qi Wu had her little backpack on today, holding a full bottle of milk and two big buns in her hands, ready to go to kindergarten.

【Buns? Where did you get them from!】

【Yesterday you were ordering takeout, and today you have buns to eat. Is this really not scripted?】

Wang Yang was also puzzled. Where did these come from?

Little Qi Wu took a big bite of the bun that was half the size of her face and said in her childish voice: “These are offerings.”

“…”

【Alright, now I know how they survived before.】

【Damn, I want to make offerings too. Has anyone found the address yet?】

After finishing her meal, Little Qi Wu arrived at the kindergarten. While the other children cried as soon as they left their parents, she happily ran inside.

Su Wen stood at the entrance, watching her without hesitation, feeling a bit complicated.

【Dad looks so upset, haha. Little Qi Wu, turn around and look at Dad.】

【Dad is angry: Why doesn’t this kid miss her dad at all?】

At that moment, Little Qi Wu, who had already run off, suddenly remembered something. She turned around and ran back to Su Wen, who crouched down to her level: “What’s wrong?”

Little Qi Wu hugged him: “Dad, don’t worry. Qi Wu will study hard and grow up quickly so everyone can have buns to eat!”

“When Dad needs comfort, come find Qi Wu. Don’t be sad.”

Su Wen’s originally cold expression softened instantly, and he gently held her: “Alright.”

Then, somewhat awkwardly, he added: “Qi Wu, protect yourself well. Don’t worry about Dad.”

【Aww, my baby is so sensible!】

【Who’s the adult here, haha?】

【Totally different from the other kids. The parents are usually the ones giving instructions, but here it’s Qi Wu.】

【Little Qi Wu, don’t worry. Mom will keep an eye on Dad for you.】

Everyone said they would keep an eye on Su Wen, but in reality, there was no need. As soon as Su Wen returned home, he sat down on the meditation cushion and began meditating again.

【…Damn】

【Am I really going to watch him sit here until Little Qi Wu gets out of school?】

【How should I put it? I kind of have that feeling.】

Actually, Su Wen wasn’t just sitting quietly. He had received a mystic seal message from the Underworld.

An evil spirit had emerged from the Netherworld Gate.

When Su Wen’s divine body returned to the Underworld, the Hall of the King of Hell was in chaos, with Ghost Messengers guarding it tightly.

He walked in with a stern face but suddenly heard a woman’s angry shout: “You’re the evil spirit! Your whole family is evil spirits!”

Su Wen’s steps faltered slightly.

The voice sounded furious: “Your brain must have been soaked rotten in the River of Oblivion.”

At that moment, Su Wen walked in and saw a woman sitting in the King of Hell’s seat. Her face was shrouded in Evil Aura, and her clothes were tattered and worn, even missing a sleeve.

She had one foot propped up on a stool, a stick of incense dangling from her mouth—clearly something Little Yan Wang had burned for her last night. She looked even more unruly than an evil spirit.

She glanced up at the Judge who had just entered, her dirty face contrasting with her bright eyes, which were filled with a heavy sense of malice and impatience. “I am the Beiyin Fengdu Emperor!” she declared.

All the Ghosts and Gods: “…”