Chapter 149
Chapter 149
The matter concerned the woman in his heart, and Hua Jiunan clearly lost his composure.
He immediately started for town to check on Xu Fangcao at her home.
Chen Fu had heard bits and pieces from Chen Daji about Hua Jiunan and Xu Fangcao.
The richest man in the region had always been open-minded about relationships between men and women, so he did not consider so-called “young love” a serious problem.
“Don’t panic, Xiao Jiu. How will you get there in the middle of the night?”
“Wait a moment. Uncle will get the keys and drive you.”
Chang Huaiyuan also tried to calm him.
“There is no need to panic, young master physician. Hear me out.”
“I know the relationship between you and that young woman. The instant the reverse scale shattered, I went to her home to investigate.”
Chang Huaiyuan paused and stole a glance at Hu Fei’er.
After sighing inwardly, he continued.
“Strangely, I detected nothing unusual.”
“There was not even the faintest trace of filthy things.”
Hua Jiunan’s anxiety eased somewhat.
“Brother Chang, if no filthy things harmed her, why would your reverse scale shatter for no reason?”
Chang Huaiyuan pondered the question.
“Young master physician, that is precisely what makes the matter so strange.”
“Just as I prepared to inspect the house more carefully, I suddenly sensed an immense yin power descending here, so I hurried back!”
“What happened at home?”
Old Sixth Hui’s brows drew tightly together.
“Nothing happened here.”
“The young master physician used the Secret Summoning Art and invited the Sage Lord Who Bestows Blessings and Guards the Home to destroy the Eight Valiant Generals.”
“His honored self has already returned to the underworld bureaucracy.”
“But Xu Fangcao… Miss Xu-did the Chang Family Head truly notice nothing unusual around her?”
Hearing that Hua Jiunan could summon Zhong Kui made Chang Huaiyuan regard him with even deeper respect.
“Something unusual… If I had to name anything, a faint sandalwood fragrance lingered inside Miss Xu’s home without dispersing.”
“Other than that, I truly found nothing.”
Everyone fell into thought.
Since ancient times, the people of the divine land had called wandering ghosts “filthy things.”
The “Observing Qi” scroll of the *Baopuzi Inner Chapters* stated:
Ghosts and gods are the natural functions of the two energies.
The two energies are yin and yang.
Yin and yang wax and wane in opposition and cannot occupy the same place. Where yang exists, yin does not; where yin exists, yang does not.
It is like shadow, which always lies beyond the reach of light. Where there is light, there can be no shadow.
Thus, a “god” is yang in nature.
A “ghost” is yin in nature.
Yin beings generally dwell in dark, polluted places. That is why they are called “filthy things.”
Since they were filthy things, they could not possibly emit any pleasant fragrance, much less sandalwood!
While everyone pondered, Chen Daji chuckled.
“I know what happened.”
“Xu Fangcao must sleep restlessly. She rolled off the brick bed and broke it in the fall!”
Still frozen in a lump, Eighth Master Chang tilted his enormous head and looked at Chen Daji like an idiot.
“What do you think a reverse scale is?”
“A giant light bulb?”
“You think falling off a brick bed could shatter it?!”
The term “reverse scale” came from the “Difficulties of Persuasion” chapter of the *Han Feizi*:
“As for the dragon as a creature, it may be tamed, approached, and ridden. Yet beneath its throat lies a reverse scale a foot across. Should anyone touch it, the dragon will surely kill them.”
This was the origin of the saying, “The dragon has a reverse scale; touch it and you die. The phoenix has a hollow neck; offend it and you perish.”
Legend held that every dragon possessed a palm-sized white scale beneath its neck, shaped like a crescent moon and commonly known as the reverse scale.
Dragons used it to protect the most vulnerable part of their bodies.
Since it protected their greatest weakness, how could a reverse scale be anything but strong?
A mere fall could do nothing to it. Not even blades and axes, freezing cold, or raging fire could harm a reverse scale in the slightest.
Only when Eighth Master Chang spoke did Chang Huaiyuan notice his younger brother, whose presence was exceptionally easy to overlook.
At the sight of Eighth Master Chang’s miserable condition, Chang Huaiyuan frowned and strode toward him.
“How did you end up like this? Who hurt you?”
As he spoke, Chang Huaiyuan lightly patted Eighth Master Chang’s body.
The solid ice covering him immediately fell away.
Finally free, Eighth Master Chang carefully answered his Big Brother with a fawning smile.
“Big Brother, if I say the Sage Lord Who Bestows Blessings and Guards the Home scared me into this state when he arrived, you won’t beat me, will you?”
Chang Huaiyuan froze and stared at the pitiful Eighth Master Chang for a long while. In the end, he sighed.
“Old Eighth, you must cultivate diligently from now on.”
“When you travel alone, never disgrace the immortals of our Chang Family.”
Seeing that Chang Huaiyuan was not angry and had encouraged him instead, Eighth Master Chang bobbed his head like a chick pecking grain.
“Don’t worry, Big Brother. I will definitely cultivate hard!”
“I’ll work to…”
“I’ll work to run even faster, so I won’t get hurt so easily…”
Chang Huaiyuan’s face twitched beneath his snow-white robes at those spineless words.
Only through a tremendous effort did he barely control his emotions and refrain from beating Eighth Master Chang senseless.
Chang Huaiyuan stared at the sky for a long while, then drew a deep breath.
“Old Eighth, if you have no other business, leave for now!”
“Your Eldest Brother…”
“I fear that if I keep looking at you, I will lose control of myself!”