Chapter 23: The Forbidden Folk Technique—The Shrinking Yang Curse (Part Two)

Li Chengfeng spoke at length, and Ye Mengyao listened attentively yet still couldn’t grasp his words about the “energy of the five grains” and the “roots of the five grains.” She didn’t even know what the five grains were, let alone understand the concept of their energy or roots, or why the human body would possess this “energy of the five grains.”

The most common root of the five grains was straw. Straw was convenient for making scarecrows, so many practitioners of esoteric arts chose straw for their rituals.

Li Chengfeng fetched some straw and fashioned a scarecrow. He then pinned a yellow paper inscribed with Ye Wuming’s birth date and time, along with his fingernails and hair, into the straw figure.

After completing the scarecrow, Li Chengfeng found a wooden tray filled with water-mixed soil.

He placed the scarecrow on the soil, held a talisman between his middle and index fingers, pointed it at the scarecrow, and began a series of intricate hand gestures, chanting incantations rapidly and oddly.

“Heaven’s curse, Earth’s curse, spirits from the eight directions, curse him! White curse, night curse, wandering spirits of day and night, curse him! Divine curse, ghostly curse, five ghosts and the King of Hell, curse him…”

Because he recited the spell so quickly, Ye Mengyao was utterly confused but sensed the incantation was eerie beyond measure.

When Li Chengfeng finished, he lightly flicked his wrist, and the talisman between his fingers suddenly burst into flames. The ashes fell onto the straw scarecrow.

“Done!”

Just as the talisman burned out and Li Chengfeng declared it finished, Ye Wuming suddenly shivered.

Only then did Ye Mengyao realize how complicated it really was to cast a curse on someone—it wasn’t as simple as just saying a few words.

She asked with a puzzled expression, “Mr. Li, is this really all it takes?”

“There’s one more crucial step...” Li Chengfeng said with a smile, then picked up a coffin nail nearby and hammered it between the scarecrow’s legs.

At the same time, Ye Wuming shivered again, though he paid it no mind, assuming it was just a chill from the cold and continued drinking.

Looking at the wooden tray with the straw figure pierced by a coffin nail, Ye Mengyao felt awkward and dared not ask too much about the curse’s name.

Still, her curiosity was piqued—did Ye Wuming’s manhood truly retract into his abdomen?

There was no way to verify such a thing; she certainly couldn’t ask Ye Wuming to undress for her.

She remained skeptical about whether Li Chengfeng’s shrinking curse actually worked.

Li Chengfeng paid no attention to Ye Mengyao’s doubts. Carrying the wooden tray, he approached the ancestral master’s portrait and grinned.

“Ancestor, I have cast the shrinking curse on him. Are you satisfied?”

Perhaps because Ye Mengyao was present, the ancestral master gave no sign of response.

Watching Li Chengfeng speak to a portrait made Ye Mengyao’s skin crawl—was he mad to talk to a painting?

Just then, Ye Mengyao received a call from Ye Wuming asking her to return to the company. She ended the call.

“Mr. Li, I have some matters to attend to. I’ll leave now.”

“Hmm, no need to see you off!”

Leaving the Fate Hall, Ye Mengyao returned to the company. She had been so focused on her father and aunt that she was unaware of recent happenings at work.

At this moment, Ye Wuming had already taken full control of the Ye family’s enterprises in Qingzhou.

The employees’ strange looks made her uneasy as she entered the general manager’s office, only to find Ye Wuming seated in her father’s chair, eyes leering at her.

Ye Mengyao felt deeply uncomfortable under his gaze. Seeing him sit where her father should have been filled her with anger and helplessness.

“Ye Wuming, what do you want with me?”

“Heh…”

“Miss Ye, it’s been a while since we last met. I just wanted to catch up.”

“We have nothing to catch up on. Don’t bother me again.”

Ye Mengyao’s tone was icy, and she didn’t even glance his way.

Ye Wuming approached her, reeking of alcohol—he had clearly been drinking heavily.

He lifted her hair, inhaled deeply, and said with intoxicated delight, “Miss Ye, I have to say, you’re truly beautiful. From the moment I first saw you, I liked you.”

“Ye Wuming, what are you trying to do?”

Ye Mengyao pushed him away outright. Despite the family hierarchy, she should have called him uncle, yet here he was speaking so brazenly.

Ye Wuming laughed shamelessly, arrogantly.

“You know exactly what I want.”

“I came to Qingzhou on my own initiative, all for you.”

“As long as you satisfy me, you’ll remain Miss Ye. Otherwise, you’ll have nothing.”

Ye Mengyao was shocked to realize he had long coveted her.

He was worse than an animal—how could a member of the Ye family harbor such monstrous thoughts?

Furious, she turned to leave, but Ye Wuming grinned triumphantly.

“Miss Ye, you can leave now, but think carefully.”

“Your father and aunt lie in the hospital, their lives hanging by a thread.”

Ye Mengyao stopped, her gaze burning with hatred.

“What exactly do you want?”

“Miss Ye, only if you fulfill my demands will your father and aunt remain safe.”

“Today, if you dare leave this office, tomorrow you’ll be going to the hospital to collect the bodies of Ye Gucheng or Ye Wushuang.”

Ye Mengyao trembled with rage. She never imagined Ye Wuming could be such a despicable villain.

Her father’s and aunt’s fates rested in his hands. Though she was deeply distressed, she was powerless.

“What... what do you want me to do?”

“Take off your clothes and lie down on the sofa.”