The bound ginseng plummeted straight to the ground, creating a pit in the vegetable patch while emitting a muffled groan.
He Zhiping, still in a state of shock and disbelief, pushed his hair back and stepped forward to take a look.
Suddenly, the ginseng began to speak. Its voice was high - pitched and childlike, sounding exactly like that of a seven - or eight - year - old kid: "Bold peasants! Release me at once!"
A dazzling golden light flashed, and a cute little boy with rosy lips and white teeth appeared in front of everyone.
The ginseng stared coldly at the crowd. Despite his small stature, he exuded an imposing aura.
He Zhiping mustered up his courage and stammered, "Y - you... Why did you turn our hair like this?"
The ginseng glanced at He Zhiping and Ming Mingzhong, seemingly quite satisfied with his masterpiece. A mocking smile played on his lips as he said, "You deserve it! Who told you ignorant brats to throw me into the trash can like a weed!"
He Zhiping never expected the ginseng to be so vengeful. But the extremely eye - catching multicolored long hair was really an eyesore. He grimaced and said, "Grandpa Ginseng, please be kind and change our hair back!"
The ginseng's big black eyes darted around. "I can change it back. But first, let this woman release me. Then set up a memorial tablet for me in the temple and offer incense to me every day. Then we'll call it even!"
Ming Mingzhong immediately frowned in disapproval. "We're a proper Taoist temple. How can we offer sacrifices to a heretical immortal herb like you?"
The ginseng sneered sinisterly. "Then I'll just stay in the Taoist temple and make your lives miserable!"
A low laugh rang out. Everyone turned around and saw Feng Chengyuan leaning against the vegetable garden gate. It was unclear how long he had been watching.
He walked up to Yu Nian and said softly, "A ginseng that has transformed after a thousand years must be quite rare in the world, right?"
The ginseng snorted and tilted his head up arrogantly. "Needless to say. I'm the only one in the world!"
Feng Chengyuan suddenly picked it up and said thoughtfully, "So, you should be worth at least a million or so, right?"
Ginseng: ???
Yu Nian chimed in, "Ginseng can replenish qi and detoxify. Since you're sick, it would be perfect to make soup with it."
As they played off each other, the ginseng finally sensed something was wrong. It struggled violently and shrieked, "You're going to sell me? And you want to stew me for soup?!"
Seeing the ginseng kicking and thrashing in Feng Chengyuan's arms, Yu Nian was worried it might hurt Feng Chengyuan. She casually slapped a talisman on it, turning the ginseng back to its original form.
Unexpectedly, the ginseng became even more aggrieved. It pouted and burst into loud sobs. Its shrill cries were like ear - piercing magic sounds, giving everyone a splitting headache.
Yu Nian took it from Feng Chengyuan's hands and walked to a deserted corner.
The ginseng sniffled and asked warily, "What are you going to do?"
Yu Nian looked at it leisurely and suddenly said, "Hong Xi, after all these years, why are you still so prone to crying?"
The ginseng was shocked. "How do you know my name?!"
It had lived for a thousand years, and most of its old friends had passed away. There were very few people who knew its name. Looking at the young girl in her early twenties in front of it, although her face was unfamiliar, her mannerisms were very familiar.
Recalling how skillfully Yu Nian had beaten it up just now, how many people in the Xuanmen world could do that?
The ginseng said in disbelief, "You're... Xuande?!"
When Yu Nian nodded, the ginseng cried with joy. "Great! You've been reborn! Back then, you died from the thunderbolt. I went to collect your body, but I couldn't even find your bones..."
The ginseng rambled on, crying and laughing for a long time. Only then did Yu Nian get a chance to ask, "Why aren't you cultivating in peace on the mountain? What are you doing in my Qingxin Taoist Temple?"
Hong Xi heaved a long sigh. "I've been a demon for a thousand years. My demon lifespan is long, but it's dull and uninteresting. Now I've decided to plunge into the mortal world and be a short - lived human. Passing by here and seeing so many pilgrims, I thought I'd mooch some incense. " He paused for a moment and glanced warily at Feng Chengyuan in the distance. "But after this incident, I find the human world too scary. I'd better just be a demon honestly!"
Yu Nian smiled. "So you can change their hair back now, right?"
With a wave of Hong Xi's hand, the colorful hair of He Zhiping and Ming Mingzhong disappeared immediately.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, and the starry river was brilliant.
The dining hall was filled with steam. Yu Nian was looking at her phone and adding ginger slices, red dates, cinnamon, and brown sugar to the pot one by one according to the steps on the encyclopedia.
The warm and sweet aroma wafted over. Yu Nian nodded in satisfaction.
The door was slowly pushed open. Yu Nian handed a bowl of steaming ginger soup to Feng Chengyuan. "Drink it while it's hot."
Feng Chengyuan was slightly taken aback. There seemed to be a glint of light in his eyes. "Did you make this especially for me?"
Yu Nian nodded. "The cause of your illness is complicated. The talisman I drew for you can dispel evil spirits, and this bowl of ginger soup can ward off the cold."
A smile played on Feng Chengyuan's lips. He took the ginger soup and took a big gulp. For a moment, his expression was a bit strange.
Yu Nian glanced at him and asked tentatively, "How is it?"
Feng Chengyuan came back to his senses and forced a smile. "It's delicious." Then he tilted his head back and finished the ginger soup in one go.
Yu Nian's eyes lit up. "I've made a big pot. I'll serve you another bowl."
Feng Chengyuan was startled for a moment and let out a low laugh. "Okay."
Before Yu Nian could walk out of the room, they heard a "puke" sound from the door. He Zhiping was holding a bowl of steaming ginger soup and frowning while leaning against the door frame. "Who made this ginger soup? It tastes so bad!"
Yu Nian stopped in her tracks and stared at him half - smiling.
He Zhiping shivered. Just as he was about to slip away, a lazy voice came from behind him. "Making a fuss and seeking attention. It's just a bowl of ginger soup. I don't believe it can be that bad."
Hong Xi took the ginger soup from the distraught He Zhiping with a disdainful look on his face. After taking a sip, he let out an even more distraught cry. "Puke —"
Yu Nian:.....?
Early the next morning, Yu Nian received a call from Song Xiyin. She was fully recovered and was going back to the filming crew today. Yu Nian still had the matter of the love - gu seller on her mind, so she decided to go with Song Xiyin.
The filming crew was located on the outskirts of the capital. By the time they arrived, it was almost noon.
The director, Chen Fang, saw Song Xiyin and stepped forward to greet her. His eyes accidentally fell on Yu Nian beside her, and he was slightly taken aback. "Who is this?"
Chen Fang was a workaholic and didn't often surf the Internet, so he naturally didn't recognize Yu Nian, who had recently become popular because of her knowledge of metaphysics.
Song Xiyin affectionately wrapped her arm around Yu Nian's and explained, "This is Yu Nian. She's one of the top exorcists in the ghost - hunting world. She helped me solve my health problems a while ago. She's really amazing!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Fang's face changed slightly, and his gaze became somewhat unfriendly. He had been severely swindled by a few fraudsters who claimed to be experts in metaphysics in the early years. Since then, he had never believed in the theory of ghosts and gods again.
He stared at Yu Nian sternly. "Little girl, you're so young. You could do so many other good things. Why do you have to imitate others and go around deceiving people?"
Yu Nian wasn't angry. She stared at Chen Fang for a while and then warned, "Director Chen, when you check into the hotel, it's best not to choose the room at the end of the corridor."
Chen Fang: ???
This out - of - the - blue remark left Chen Fang a bit confused. He was about to ask for further clarification, but Yu Nian calmly followed Song Xiyin into the filming site.