Today was the day Lin Kai'an would take Ji Nanshu to sign the home purchase contract. Ji Nanshu got up bright and early, ate breakfast, and went straight to the sales center to meet Lin Kai'an.
Lin Kai'an waved excitedly. "Nanshu~ Over here!"
Ji Nanshu had only just gotten out of the car when he heard Lin Kai'an calling him. "Kai'an, you're here so early?"
"Of course! I'm a punctual person! Come on, come on, the contract's all drawn up. Let's take a look, and if everything's fine, we'll sign, transfer the money, and transfer the title~" Lin Kai'an was as delighted as if he were buying the place himself. "You brought all your documents, right?"
"Yes."
"Great, then we're all set!"
Sure enough, the whole process, from signing the contract to receiving the property deed, took less than two hours. It was extremely fast.
Ji Nanshu had just received the deed when his phone rang. The screen showed Liang You.
" Youyou?"
Liang You was excited too. "Nanshu!!!! Holy shit, what kind of dogshit luck is this?! Director Liang Ziqian has a flower vase role he wants you to audition for!!!"
?
A flower vase role?!
What was there to be happy about? Just because he was an ancient man on the inside didn't mean he didn't know what "flower vase" meant!
Wasn't that an insult!!
"Don't look down on it!! Even for the sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth male role in Director Liang's films, people fight tooth and nail to get in!! What's wrong with a flower vase role?? It proves your face is stunning!"
Ji Nanshu wanted to refuse. He didn't like acting, and he didn't know how to act either.
"Nanshu...?" Lin Kai'an was puzzled. Why did Ji Nanshu look constipated? Was there a pile of shit on the other end?!
Ji Nanshu held his index finger to his lips and shushed him. Just as he was racking his brains for an excuse to turn it down, Liang You seemed to sense Ji Nanqiu's intentions and ordered through gritted teeth, "You! Are! Not! Refusing!"
Ji Nanshu looked regretful. "...Fine. Address."
Ugh, why had he reacted so slowly!
"Hmph, I already sent it to you on WeChat! Hurry up and go! The audition's at two!" Liang You sounded smug. "All right, I've got other things to do. Don't you dare flake, understand!"
"I know, I know..."
She really was like Tang Sanzang!
After hanging up, Ji Nanshu told Lin Kai'an, "Kai'an, Youyou wants me to audition... for some film by Liang Ziqian..."
"Holy shit?! Liang Ziqian?? Why do you look like it's such a hassle? Do you know how many people fight tooth and nail and still can't get in?! Get going, right now! This instant! Go!!"
Great. Tang Sanzang number two was born.
Ji Nanshu sighed. "There's still almost four hours until the audition... It's early."
"Then... what do you want to do? Shopping?"
Shopping? That... wasn't out of the question!
Half an hour later, the two arrived at Hai City's feng shui street.
Lin Kai'an was speechless. "This is what you meant by shopping?"
"Yep. I might as well buy some talisman paper, cinnabar, and things..." With both hands in his pockets, Ji Nanshu surveyed this so-called feng shui street.
It actually looked fairly convincing.
After giving seven or eight shops a cursory look, Ji Nanshu stopped at an unnamed shop. Out of all these stores, only this one sold anything up to standard.
There was only one attendant inside, an old man with a white beard.
"Are you looking to buy incense, young man?"
Ji Nanshu happened to have taken some incense off a shelf to examine. Without turning around, he answered, "No. I want high-grade talisman paper and top-grade cinnabar."
The old man froze, looking troubled. "Top-grade cinnabar? Well... I don't have much stock left here..."
Ji Nanshu put down the incense and faced the old man. Folding his arms, he raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Didn't a batch of top-grade cinnabar just arrive?"
"How did you...?!" The old man's pupils contracted, and he abruptly stopped, seemingly realizing his slip.
"Young man, we're truly out of top-grade cinnabar. Why don't you take a look at the high-grade cinnabar instead?"
Ji Nanshu smiled without answering and found a seat.
Lin Kai'an discreetly poked Ji Nanshu. "Nanshu... why don't you just buy some high-grade cinnabar to use?"
"A tiny discrepancy can lead to an enormous error. Naturally, I want to use the best."
After saying that, Ji Nanshu fell silent.
The old man, on the other hand, grew anxious. "Young man, even if you wait here, I don't have any top-grade cinnabar! Aren't you... aren't you asking the impossible?"
"I said there will be some." Ji Nanshu's eyes held a smile, his tone certain.
"Why are you so...!"
The old man was about to try persuading him again when a woman's voice interrupted. "Elder Zhang, why are you still out here?"
"Young miss, someone here wants to buy top-grade cinnabar... I..."
Ji Nanshu and Lin Kai'an looked toward the voice and nodded to the woman in greeting.
Si Dai looked at them too. She recognized the seated Ji Nanshu at once, then told Elder Zhang, "Elder Zhang, give him the top-grade cinnabar."
"But... young miss! That's for you to use...!"
Before Si Dai could speak, Ji Nanshu said, "Your young miss has no use for top-grade cinnabar yet. Using it would only be a waste!"
Elder Zhang was displeased at that. Hah, this youngster certainly talked big! She had the greatest talent for mystic arts in the Si Clan's younger generation!
"What do you know, youngster?! The young miss is the most gifted of the Si Clan's younger generation!"
Ji Nanshu acknowledged that she was gifted.
So he agreed. "Her talent is indeed quite good."
Then he changed tack. "But with your young miss's current cultivation, using top-grade cinnabar really would be a waste."
"You...!"
"Enough! Elder Zhang, sorry for the trouble, but please get him everything he wants." Si Dai interrupted their pointless argument with her instructions. Once Elder Zhang went off muttering curses to fetch the items, she turned to Ji Nanshu again. "Mr. Ji, I hear you can tell fortunes?"
Ji Nanshu stared straight at Si Dai without blinking and didn't immediately respond.
Lin Kai'an elbowed Ji Nanshu. "Hey! Are you so dazzled by a pretty woman that you've gone dumb?!"
Ji Nanshu rolled his eyes at Lin Kai'an. Just then, Elder Zhang came out carrying high-grade talisman paper and top-grade cinnabar.
"Here!" His tone was decidedly displeased.
Ji Nanshu wasn't angry. Smiling, he said, "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble, Elder Zhang, but could you also give me a writing brush?"
Still fuming, Elder Zhang handed him a writing brush.
He lifted the brush, drew a talisman, and finished it.
The entire process took less than five minutes.
Si Dai and Elder Zhang watched, dumbstruck. Wait, what? Who didn't have to send everyone away and calm their mind before drawing a talisman, taking at least the better part of an hour to complete one?
How many minutes had that taken?!
Si Dai stepped forward to examine it stroke by stroke. "Is this... a peace talisman?"
"No, that's not right. It's different from a peace talisman! Just what kind of talisman is this?!"
Si Dai muttered to herself, her eyes filled with shock and confusion. The power contained in the talisman Ji Nanshu had drawn... even her grandfather had never managed to draw one like it.
"Just... what kind of talisman is this?!"
"Miss Si... I've named it..." Ji Nanshu paused mischievously. "Rebound (˵¯͒〰¯͒˵)."
What kind of lousy name was that?!
That was Si Dai's first reaction. Then she asked Ji Nanshu, "Mr. Ji, could you sell me this talisman?"
By then, Ji Nanshu and Lin Kai'an had already reached the shop entrance. He waved without looking back. "Miss Si, since you're giving me high-grade talisman paper and top-grade cinnabar, I'll give you this Rebound! You should have a use for it in five days!"
Si Dai was inwardly stunned. She had indeed accepted a mission from the "relevant authorities" and would be setting off in four days! Could it be... that he had divined this too?!
That was terrifying!
No, she had to report this! Immediately!
If Ji Nanshu had known that this one talisman would bring him so much "big trouble," he certainly wouldn't have let his hands get so busy!!
Miss Si Dai! Icy on the outside, a goofball on the inside! (*^▽^*)