I took out the compass from my Qing Nang and said helplessly, "I'm here to check the feng shui. Do you believe me? If I don't intervene, your whole family will die within seven days. Do you believe that?"
"Bullshit!" Zhao Na's father was about to charge at me again. But at that moment, Zhao Na's stepmother suddenly clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground, looking extremely painful.
At the same time, the dog next door started barking furiously. Just three feet outside the villa's main gate, more than a dozen wild cats were howling at the door. I hastily took out the compass, and a faint smell of decay filled the air. Staring at the rapidly spinning needle on the compass, I swallowed hard—this was clearly a sign that the curse was activating!
A sentence from feng shui theory flashed through my mind: "Chickens fly, dogs bark, cats cry in mourning." It seemed this family was about to meet misfortune. The gathering of wild cats was to wait for the stepmother to miscarry and then rush in to snatch the baby!
"Call an ambulance now!" her father roared.
"Stay away if you don't want trouble!" I said.
"No time for your nonsense!" Her father turned to carry his wife. To save them, I didn't think twice and kicked him down. When Mr. Zhao got up and tried to fight me, I had already quickly lifted his wife's clothes. A palm-sized black spot had appeared on her bulging belly. I took out a cinnabar pen and drew a circle around it, and immediately his wife stopped moaning in pain.
"What was that!" Mr. Zhao asked in surprise. Seeing the strange phenomenon, he no longer argued with me. I took a breath and said, "You can carry her to the bedroom now."
"Master, what just happened?" Zhao Na asked me in astonishment.
I asked Mr. Zhao to help me carry the full-length mirror from their home to the yard, placing it right in front of the main gate facing the Reverse Bow Sha. Then we went back inside. Zhao Na pestered me to ask what I was doing. I told her that the mirror could reflect the evil energy, temporarily keeping them safe.
Mr. Zhao's real name was Zhao Zhiyong. He owned several shops in Spring Department Store and was considered a multi-millionaire. Lately, he'd been out of luck: first, a supplier ran off with his money, then the payment slips were chewed up by rats. He was so worried every day, and with Zhao Na dating recklessly, no wonder he got so agitated when he saw me.
After settling his wife, Zhao Zhiyong and I sat in the living room. He sighed, "Little brother, to be honest, I have seen some strange things lately. One night when I came home, I turned on the light and saw three children sitting on the sofa. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was mistaken. At night, I often hear children playing inside. I found it strange and asked a mage to check, but they said it was nothing serious. With my business going bad and poor rest, I thought I was hallucinating."
"Mr. Zhao, think again—have you offended anyone recently?" I asked.
Zhao Zhiyong thought for a moment and said, "I've always been kind to others, often helped orphans, and donated a lot to temples. I've never made enemies." He looked at Zhao Na and sighed, "I don't know what's wrong with Nana. She's suddenly like a different person—she wasn't like this before."
I understood that the Rat Resentment was confusing their minds, which explained Zhao Zhiyong's situation. Zhao Na kept her head down, muttering about her father cutting off her allowance.
Suddenly, Zhao Zhiyong knelt before me, crying, "Please help me! When I carried Li Qian to the bed, I saw the cinnabar mark—it was like an eye that could blink. I'll pay any price."
For a moment, I was tempted. I could ask for 80,000 to 100,000 yuan for this job, but I really wasn't sure. Then a scream came from upstairs again. Zhao Zhiyong was the first to rush up. We followed closely and found Zhao Na screaming in fright. I also gasped—Li Qian had scratched herself bloody in front of the mirror, chanting, "You betrayed me! You betrayed me! I'll kill you! Kill your whole family!"
Zhao Zhiyong tried to hold his wife, but Li Qian somehow threw him to the ground, shouting, "I'll make you regret it! Make you kneel and beg me!" She kept scratching herself. I noticed her pupils were dilated—she was clearly possessed.