Wow, my husband werewolf

Struggle for the Brother

"Yes, yes."

As I answered Hu Jiuxiao's question, I began to stutter a bit. Previously, when Old Lady Hu gave me the talisman, she mentioned it could summon her ancestor. At that time, I thought Old Lady Hu was so aged that her ancestor must surely be an ancient, decrepit wolf. Yet, I never expected Hu Jiuxiao to look so youthful.

"Ignorant brother Ma, do you think you can summon an ancestor so casually?!"

Right after I spoke, one of the wolves that accompanied Hu Jiuxiao barked angrily at me, its tone stern.

"Show no disrespect." Hu Jiuxiao chided the wolves lightly, then took a look around us, and said to the following wolves, "You all go back first."

The wolves glanced at each other and then, almost human-like, straightened up from the ground, bowed to Hu Jiuxiao with their front paws, and ran off into the distance, vanishing from our sight.

Perhaps due to Hu Jiuxiao's overwhelming presence, when he was silent, our surroundings were so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Hu Jiuxiao then stepped down from the altar, turned to me, and asked, "You summoned me here to see this matter?"

"No, no, the ancestor's noble body is precious; what affair here is worthy of the ancestor's scrutiny?" Old Dong, frightened, hurriedly explained to Hu Jiuxiao, fearing that he might transfer the blame onto him.

"That's right, we came to have you look into this. This old man's house is encountering strange phenomena, and my brother Ma and this old fellow conspired to invite you over. Once the matter is seen to, this old man will pay us," Hu Fenglou said, enjoying the spectacle without fear of its scale. The more frightened Old Dong was, the more Hu Fenglou revealed everything. I didn't mind; since we invited Hu Fenglou to look into the matter, why fear his knowing?

One said no, the other yes. Hu Jiuxiao glanced at Hu Fenglou, not dwelling on their conflicting statements, but directly said to me, "There's a vein beneath this house, a residual vein from the mountains behind it. Before this house was built, there was already a Beile buried atop this vein, right beneath this house."

Last night, Hu Fenglou guessed that the entity we saw was a former Beile, and it turned out he was right. Now that Hu Jiuxiao had arrived, a single glance was enough for him to know there was indeed a Beile tomb beneath the house.

Now that Hu Jiuxiao had spoken, Old Dong, who had been too scared to speak earlier, now listened to Hu Jiuxiao having opened up about the matter and thus said to him, "I also speculated that beneath my house lies a great figure. Since ancient times, such tombs are laid in auspicious sites, blessing descendants. He occupies his yin house, I my yang house; but why..."

Old Dong hesitated, his words suddenly sticking, while I, having reached an agreement with Old Dong to look into the matter in exchange for payment, asked Hu Jiuxiao, "Last night we stayed here, and encountered a beheaded ghost dragging a greenish head with chains. Hu Fenglou said that entity is the Beile buried here."

As I spoke, Hu Fenglou looked at me with displeasure, apparently not fond of Hu Jiuxiao.

"This mountain range extends from underground, hence this type of vein is called a yin vein, a minor one known as the Jiaolong Vein. Since it's a yin vein, a dead Jiaolong vein, if one wishes to bury dignitaries here, the vein needs to be revitalized. Ten li east from here, there must be a round hill, known as the Pearl. Yin vein and yang pearl, Jiaolong playing with the pearl, the vein instantly revitalized, making it an excellent feng shui site suitable for the burial of royal descendants. Originally, the unique terrain here allowed for building a yang house on this yin vein's land, drawing fortune and prospering descendants. The only reason why the buried Beile could mutate is if this vein turned from a living to a dead one. The deceased cannot rest peacefully, and that Jiaolong pearl, if disturbed, would have disrupted the overall feng shui."

Yesterday, Hu Fenglou and I came from the east, the site of a new industrial park, constructed by demolishing a previous hill. That demolished hill might just be the Jiaolong pearl Hu Jiuxiao spoke of, capable of transforming the dead vein beneath Old Dong's house into a living one!

This was truly miraculous, Hu Jiuxiao, ranked first among the celestial Hus, didn't even need to move; he understood and thoroughly analyzed the entire situation just by standing there.

"Does the ancestor have any method to resolve this?"

"Yes," Hu Jiuxiao answered crisply. But as he replied to Old Dong, he raised his elongated, upturned eyes, glanced at Old Dong, and continued, "Prepare a five-jin iron ball. On the fifth of next month, at five in the morning, go to the center of the former hill ten li away. Once there, you'll see a depression in the ground. Bury the iron ball there, and after that, all will be normal."

When Hu Jiuxiao mentioned the iron ball, Old Dong's brow slightly furrowed, seemingly dissatisfied, thus he asked Hu Jiuxiao, "If I replace it with a five-jin gold ball, would that be better?!"

My goodness, a five-jin gold ball, to bury just like that; that's nearly enough to buy a house, this old man is either flush with cash or his mind's gone bad in his old age!

"Of course that would be better, but you're not fated for it. Only the iron ball is suitable. Overreaching for fortune not your own, in the end, only harms yourself and others."

Although somewhat reluctant, Old Dong had nothing more to say after Hu Jiuxiao had spoken, his attitude toward Hu Jiuxiao no longer as respectful as before, merely thanking him quietly, then falling silent.

Hu Jiuxiao's gaze upon Old Dong carried some depth, yet it did not linger long before he asked me, "I see you are not of my Hu family. Who gave you my talisman?"

Despite sounding accusatory, Hu Jiuxiao's demeanor was quite affable and noble, inspiring my respect but not fear, so I answered, "It was given to me by a grandmother in my hometown."

After saying this, I mentioned Old Lady Hu's name.

Hu Fenglou, standing by my side, watched as Hu Jiuxiao effortlessly resolved Old Dong's issue. Annoyed, he took over the conversation when I earnestly mentioned Old Lady Hu's name, "With so many descendants in the Hu Jiuxiao family, he wouldn't remember who Old Lady Hu is."

"I remember," Hu Jiuxiao suddenly smiled, warming me instantly. That phrase from an ancient poem about being as refreshed as if bathed in spring breeze probably describes just how I felt. No trace of a wolf's charm, nor a hint of any flirty demeanor, I doubted whether he was truly a cultivated wolf; he seemed more human than us.

"She only cultivated for fifty years, was saved by you humans once, and ceased her cultivation. When she left Changbai Mountain, I feared she might be bullied, so I gave her a talisman for protection. I didn't expect she would give it to you."

As I felt deeply grateful to Old Lady Hu in my heart, Hu Jiuxiao then asked Hu Fenglou, "I didn't expect your family to have trouble after you came out."

Hu Fenglou seemed reluctant to engage with Hu Jiuxiao, so he replied rather irritably, "What else could I do if not come out?"

"You've always been proud and lofty, to be an errand celestial really doesn't suit you. If you wish, you could return to Changbai Mountain with me. Alone outside, you're bound to be bullied."

Would Hu Fenglou really be bullied?

When Hu Jiuxiao spoke to Hu Fenglou, I nearly dropped my jaw in astonishment. Hu Fenglou bullying others was already good enough; how could anyone dare to bully him?

"Save your kindness, no need."

Hu Fenglou impatiently said this to Hu Jiuxiao, glanced at me, signaling for me to return with him.

But just as I moved to follow, Hu Jiuxiao suddenly said to Hu Fenglou, "I quite like this brother Ma of yours. I wonder if you'd mind if I took her as my brother Ma. I've cultivated in the mountains for many years, and it's time I also came to the human world."