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During the evening New Year’s Eve dinner, in order to ease her fear of ghosts, Mother Chen took the initiative to pick up the topic.
“Elder Wu, I heard Shishi say that you used to go out to exorcise ghosts during the New Year’s Eve. Is there a special reason for this? Why do you have to go out to exorcise on New Year’s Day?” Mother Chen asked.
“Because there are more ghosts on New Year’s Eve than on ordinary days,” Elder Wu replied.
“There are more ghosts today… than on ordinary days?” Mother Chen leaned toward her husband without a trace.
“Yes. The ghosts wandering around outside tonight are about two or three times as many as on ordinary days, and most of them are malevolent ghosts,” Elder Wu said while giving himself another chopstick of stir-fried meat.
Mother Chen shuddered again and almost dropped her chopsticks in fright. Mayor Chen couldn’t bear it any longer. He was just about to change the subject when his wife asked out loud again.
“Why is that?” Mother Chen was both scared and curious.
“Because…” Elder Wu was thinking of how to explain to show his profound image when a sudden sharp pain stung his foot.
Elder Wu gritted his teeth in pain, turned his head and glared at his granddaughter. He asked wordlessly: Why did you step on me?
Chen Yu just ignored him. She turned her head to soothe her mother, saying, “Mom, don’t listen to Grandpa’s nonsense. He’s deliberately scaring you. New Year’s Eve is actually a very good day because the Nian Beast will appear at midnight.”
“Is there indeed a Nian Beast?” Mother Chen was in shock.
“There is,” Chen Yu explained, “The legends say that the Nian Beast is a fierce beast, but in fact, it isn’t. At this time of year, the Nian Beast will come to the world and devour all the bad things in the world. For example, evil tendencies, evil qi, murderous aura and so on… all evil stuff. It’s said that because it swallowed lots of bad, the aura around it is more frightening. It also looks fierce and evil, so it’s easily misunderstood, but in fact, it is purifying the earth.”
“Then, not only is he not a fierce beast, but he is also an auspicious one.” It was the first time that Mother Chen heard such an explanation.
“That’s right.” Chen Yu nodded. “The Nian Beast is actually great.”
“You know a lot. Why don’t you eat quickly and then rush out the door?” Elder Wu ‘remembered’ Chen Yu stomping on his foot and took the opportunity to knock Chen Yu’s head fiercely.
Chen Yu grimaced in pain and used her hand to block her head, glaring back indignantly.
But Elder Wu had already turned his head and was amiably answering Mother Chen’s question.
“Go out? Where is she going?” Mother Chen asked.
“To exorcise,” Elder Wu said.
After listening for a long time,  Father Chen vaguely figured out the logical relationship within: “Are these bad things that the Nian Beast wants to devour useful things for malevolent ghosts? Is that why there are more malevolent ghosts today than usual? So when Shishi goes out to exorcise, she is, in fact, doing the Nian Beast a favor?”
“I finally know where this girl inherited her IQ from. Mayor Chen, you’re not involved in Metaphysics, yet you worked out the link with just a word or two. Awesome.” Elder Wu couldn’t help but nod in approval.
“You flatter me, Elder Wu,” Mayor Chen returned modestly.
“Will that be dangerous?” Mother Chen couldn’t help but worry when she heard her daughter was going out to exorcise ghosts.
“Don’t worry. When she was eight years old, I let her go alone to exorcise on New Year’s Eve. She will be fine.”
It was just that right after Elder Wu spoke, Mother and Father Chen looked at him with entangled faces.
“Don’t just watch me eat ah. Eat too. These glutinous rice ribs are really delicious,” Elder Wu said and went to clip a serving.
Although reason told the couple to respect the elderly, they really wanted to hit someone. What to do?
Because of the talk about the Nian Beast at the New Year’s Eve dinner, Chen Yu could finally go out to catch ghosts at night and return through the front door openly. However, she did not rush to the direction where the Nian Beast might appear this year. Instead, she first went to the small Lou courtyard.
“Third Brother.” Chen Yu rushed all the way to the study on the second floor at a trot.
When Lou Ming heard Chen Yu’s footsteps, he put down the book he was holding in advance and waited until the door was pushed open with a bang before he smiled and asked, “Today is New Year’s Eve. Why aren’t you at home?”
“I’m going out to exorcise ghosts today,” Chen Yu replied.
“Exorcise ghosts?” Lou Ming grew up around Master Mao, so he also learned some common knowledge in the metaphysical world. He only froze for a couple of seconds before responding, “The Nian Beast will appear tonight, so there will be more malevolent ghosts outside. Helping the Nian Beast dispel malevolent ghosts and let it devour more hostile aura is said to let Celestial Masters accumulate merit points.”
“That’s right, so I’m going out soon to get rid of ghosts.” Chen Yu nodded.
“So did you come here to fetch some Evil Repelling Talismans?” Lou Ming asked and turned around to get the box containing Evil Repelling Talismans on the bookshelf.
“No, I came to…” Chen Yu paused. She suddenly walked around the desk and stood in front of Lou Ming, looking at him with desire to speak.
“To do what?” Lou Ming was puzzled.
“Third Brother… You’re so tall, ah.” Because Chen Yu was standing too close, she had to tilt her head high to look at Lou Ming.
Lou Ming smothered a laugh: “Did you just find out how tall I’ve grown?”
“Third Brother, please sit down.” Chen Yu tugged on Lou Ming’s sleeve.
“Hmm?”
“Third Brother, sit down first.” Chen Yu tugged Lou Ming again.
Lou Ming was helpless. He smiled, sat back on the chair behind him and continued to ask, “If you didn’t come here for the Evil Repelling Talismans, then what did you come here for?”
“I…” Chen Yu’s eyes wandered, and then with lightning speed, she captured Lou Ming’s lips.
Lou Ming almost jumped up from the chair in shock. He pushed her away and asked in alarm, “Shishi, what are you doing?”
“Absorbing the evil qi that is spilling out of your body, ah,” Chen Yu replied in all innocence.
“There’s no need. The evil spirit in my body is quite stable now. There’s no need to seal it.” Lou Ming covered his thumping heart and refused.
“I’m not sealing it. I am trying to absorb some of your evil qi before finding the Nian Beast,” Chen Yu said.
“Are you going to bring the evil qi from my body and then let the Nian Beast devour it?” Lou Ming asked.
“En.” Chen Yu nodded.
“It’s useless.” Lou Ming shook his head and said, “The Nian Beast only devours the unowned evil qi floating in the air. It won’t devour mine.”
Master Mao tried to use this method a few years back. Unfortunately, the Nian Beast couldn’t even devour the evil qi from lonely ghosts and malevolent ghosts, so how could it swallow his evil qi?
“When I absorb your evil qi, it will be contained in my body. This is superfluous in me, which is equivalent to being unowned. In this way, the Nian beast may devour it,” Chen Yu argued, “Moreover… The evil spirit in your body is already showing signs of instability. I guess I will need to seal it in another two days, so why don’t I take this opportunity to help you relieve it in advance?”
“Really?” Lou Ming examined himself with uncertainty. Was his evil spirit really unstable?
“En.” Chen Yu nodded with remarkable sincerity.
Lou Ming was so tangled that his eyebrows got wrinkled. He pursed his lips, momentarily indecisive.
“Ahh, the Nian Beast will appear in a while. I must hurry,” Chen Yu didn’t give Lou Ming a chance to react and pounced again.
Lou Ming tightly grasped the armrests of his chair. The back of his hands burst with blue veins,  expressing his inner entanglement and struggle.
After kissing for a while, Chen Yu slowly lifted her head. She opened her eyes and saw Lou Ming’s complicated expression.
Lou Ming averted his gaze guiltily. Just as he was about to get up to go and hide, Chen Yu pressed him back again.
“What’s the matter?” Lou Ming asked in surprise.
“Let me absorb a little more,” Chen Yu immediately lowered her head and kissed him again.
Lou Ming felt torn and guilty. He was moved but at the same time at a loss. He was a jumble of emotions and didn’t know what to do.
Chen Yu is sacrificing so much to save you. How can you repay her, huh?
Chen Yu had already absorbed enough evil qi when she kissed him the first time, but when they just separated, she suddenly remembered that morning in the suburbs, when she faced Lou Ming’s eyes. That… It was Lou Ming who took the initiative to kiss her.
Chen Yu recalled the action of that day and stretched her tongue out without warning.
Huh?? Lou Ming’s eyes instantly opened wide. He was so shocked his soul almost took flight.
The author has something to say:
Father and Mother Chen: Elder Wu, you’ve taught Shishi very well.
Elder Wu was proud: That’s for sure. She can catch ghosts at the age of eight, catch hopping vampires at the age of ten, and go out alone at the age of fifteen to catch ghosts to buy me cigarettes.
Father and Mother Chen: … (I really want to call the police)