Early in the morning, while Hu Yuan was eating breakfast, his phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed President Yuan from Baifan Company. On the other end of the line, President Yuan's voice sounded somewhat nervous and urgent, expressing a desire to meet with him immediately. This prompted Hu Yuan to recall his master's divination from the day before, and an inexplicable surge of excitement welled up in his heart. Without hesitation, he agreed to President Yuan's request.
Soon, Hu Yuan arrived at the hotel lobby they had agreed upon. He recognized President Yuan at a glance—the procurement director of Baifan Company, who had a slightly slender figure but an extraordinary demeanor. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, President Yuan cut straight to the point and asked, "Mr. Hu, how did you know yesterday that my mother had fallen ill?"
Hu Yuan was slightly taken aback, his mind quickly replaying the phone call he had shared with President Yuan the day before. Originally, he had only mustered the courage to make that call under his master's guidance. Standing here now, however, he knew he could not reveal the truth directly. He began searching his mind for appropriate phrasing, looking for an explanation that would make sense without crossing any boundaries.
Looking at President Yuan, Hu Yuan explained, "President Yuan, yesterday I sensed something was amiss from your words, and right then I had a premonition that your mother's health was in trouble. I hope you don't mind."
Hearing this explanation, President Yuan furrowed his brow, seemingly struggling to search his memory for those scattered details. He cast a skeptical gaze at Hu Yuan and asked softly, "Is that really how it was?"
Then, President Yuan spoke to Hu Yuan in a deep voice, "My mother had a checkup at the hospital yesterday, and all her vitals came back normal, but the doctors simply can't find the cause of the illness. It's driving me crazy. Earlier, when you said those things, I thought Zhang Han had told you, but when I asked him, he didn't know anything at all. With no other options left, I invited you here to see if you could help me find the expert you mentioned."
Upon hearing President Yuan's account, Hu Yuan already had a vague guess forming in his mind. Filled with concern, he asked, "President Yuan, what is your mother's condition actually like right now? Could you please tell me in detail?"
President Yuan sighed, his expression grave as he said, "Over the past few days, I've noticed my mother's body doesn't seem quite right. She has lost a lot of weight, and sometimes she rambles incoherently, making no sense at all. Even stranger is that while her health wasn't great to begin with, she now seems to have gained a lot of strength. On top of that, her complexion is terribly pale, which really breaks my heart."
"I tried talking to her, but sometimes it feels like she doesn't understand what I'm saying, and other times she suddenly flies into a rage. Alas, I really don't know what's wrong with her."
"I'm extremely worried about my mother's health right now. I took her to several hospitals for examinations, but they couldn't find the cause or make a diagnosis."
A sudden thought struck Hu Yuan, and he said softly to President Yuan, "President Yuan, I feel that some of these situations might not actually be caused by physical illnesses; there are other possibilities as well. If it's convenient, I'd like to go take a look at where your mother lives. We might just find some clues."
Upon hearing this, President Yuan's eyes instantly lit up, and he asked curiously, "Mr. Hu, what do you mean by this? Do you think there is more to my mother's illness than meets the eye?"
Hu Yuan nodded and explained, "It's not necessarily that there's a hidden story, I just want to understand the situation more thoroughly. Sometimes factors like environment and lifestyle habits can affect a person's physical condition. I want to go take a look in person first, and then discuss it with the expert I mentioned—which is to say, my master."
Hu Yuan continued, "I know a bit about this field, having studied some spells from my master to deal with these kinds of issues. If I can find the root of the problem, perhaps your mother's condition can be improved."
President Yuan fell silent for a moment. Given his long-term dealings with the antique market, he was somewhat familiar with phenomena that defied conventional reason. After deep contemplation and weighing all the factors, he finally agreed and said gently to Hu Yuan, "Very well, then I must trouble Mr. Hu to take this on."
Hu Yuan followed President Yuan to an upscale residential compound. Among towering buildings and shaded by green trees, the area exuded elegance and tranquility everywhere.
Stepping into President Yuan's mother's home, Hu Yuan glanced around. The living room was spacious and bright, furnished with classical yet tasteful decor. He closed his eyes and quietly sensed the surrounding aura. A moment later, he opened his eyes and directly proposed to check the mother's bedroom.
President Yuan was somewhat surprised, but still led Hu Yuan to his mother's bedroom. The bedroom's arrangement was equally exquisite, with some photographs and small trinkets placed on the bedside table. Hu Yuan walked over to the bedside table and carefully observed each item. At that very moment, the voice of Hu Yuan's master, Tianshan Ancestor, echoed in his mind: "Yuan'er, check the jewelry box." A stir went through Hu Yuan's heart; he knew his master must have noticed something unusual.
His gaze landing on the jewelry box on the bedside table, Hu Yuan pointed at it with his finger and asked President Yuan, "President Yuan, may I open this jewelry box and take a look?"
President Yuan glanced at Hu Yuan, nodded slightly, and gave an affirmative reply, "Of course."
At this time, Hu Yuan parted his lips slightly without making a sound. He reached out to pick up the exquisite little box, opened it with utmost care, and saw a jade pendant exuding an ancient charm resting quietly inside.
Hu Yuan turned his gaze to President Yuan and asked, "President Yuan, does this red jadeite pendant have some history to it?"
Hearing this, President Yuan looked at the pendant in Hu Yuan's hand. He was not unfamiliar with this piece; it was a treasure he had picked up in the antique market a short time ago. At the time, feeling only that the pendant had an archaic style, a warm and delicate texture, and exquisite carving, he had bought it. When he brought it back and showed it to his mother, she liked it just as much, so he had given the pendant to her.
"I picked this up in the antique market a while ago, and when my mother saw it, she liked it very much, so I gave it to her," President Yuan answered truthfully.
Hu Yuan smiled faintly. Using the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability to inspect the pendant, he said, "This pendant is indeed no ordinary object; it is a ghost piece, and it hasn't been properly cleansed."
Hearing this, President Yuan was startled. He had some understanding of the trade slang in the antique world—such as wilderness goods, ghost goods, stolen goods, new goods, blind goods, and so on. A "ghost piece" generally referred to antiques unearthed from tombs. He asked curiously, "How did you manage to see that?"
After a brief moment of thought, Hu Yuan decided not to tell President Yuan that he had already opened his heavenly eye, nor would he reveal the true situation he had witnessed. After all, such supernatural events could not be explained to an ordinary person in just a few words.
Hu Yuan smiled faintly and said, "I cultivate under my master, so I naturally have a keen perception of these supernatural objects. This pendant still retains the yin energy from the tomb."
Upon hearing this, President Yuan felt a tight knot in his chest. He asked anxiously, "Then is my mother's physical condition related to this pendant?"
Taking a deep breath, Hu Yuan slowly explained, "I'm afraid that is indeed the case. The yin energy emitted by this pendant will affect anyone who comes into contact with it, especially those with weaker constitutions. I suspect that because your mother frequently handled the pendant and kept it by her bedside, she was affected even more significantly, particularly while resting at night."
These words stirred a strong sense of anxiety in President Yuan's heart. Because of his fondness for antiques, he had also heard rumors about such matters. Urgently, he pressed Hu Yuan, "What should be done then? How can we save my mother?" His voice carried an unmaskable tension and worry.