Chapter 9: Li Ruonan
The world before his eyes was filled with a green light, and in the next moment, it flickered wildly like a television switching channels, snow-like static densely covering the screen. Li Xuan suddenly found himself standing on a street that was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.
The signs were adorned with playful, bold fonts, featuring advertisements mixing Chinese and local dialects, full of Island Bay’s unique charm.
This appeared to be a food street, with numerous vendors on both sides selling fruits and snacks—pineapple, sausage-stuffed intestines, and bowl after bowl of danzai noodles.
Heading out to work, he couldn’t afford to shortchange himself.
Li Xuan searched his pocket and sure enough, found an ID card and a bank card, this time accompanied by a thick stack of cash.
How considerate.
He bought a bowl of danzai noodles from a nearby stall, sat on a small stool, eating while pondering the mission ahead.
The plot of this drama wasn’t complicated: the heroine Li Ruonan’s goal, the exact location of the Great Black Buddha Mother, the method of curse transmission, and the various character relationships were all fairly clear.
Li Xuan gently stirred the noodles with disposable chopsticks, twirling them into a bundle before popping them into his mouth.
Although he had crossed into another world, the mission’s difficulty seemed a bit steep—last time, when he knew nothing, he was tasked with resolving the haunted house incident in Minxiong.
This time, all he had to do was recite the “Tianpeng Curse” and was immediately assigned the task of eliminating an evil deity.
Work was work; there weren’t many choices.
Li Xuan gave a standard smile of “Dark Gardenia,” thinking, who said this mission was bad? It was actually fantastic!
On closer thought, the so-called Great Black Buddha Mother wasn’t that fearsome; the way the curse spread was too obvious, and its true form was sealed in the underground tunnels of Chen’s Village. The ancestors had trapped it for centuries with an array of mirrors and clay child figurines.
The target was clear.
He was in the shadows.
The advantage was his!
Li Xuan reached into his pocket and touched the “Fengdu Bao Yin” seal from the previous mission.
With this artifact, the spells he chanted and the talismans he drew were officially recognized by Fengdu—no inspection needed! This gave him the confidence to outwit all sorts of demons and monsters.
He savored the danzai noodles.
The faces of every character from the film flashed through his mind.
There were still many good people in this drama: the elderly priest couple, Li Ruonan’s adopted father Xie Qiming, and her daughter Chen Letong—all who sacrificed their lives because of this matter.
Li Xuan stared at the noodles in his bowl.
This time, no one needed protection; he only had to eliminate the Great Black Buddha Mother.
He could have sought out the Fengyue Sect, shown the Fengdu Bao Yin seal, registered as a disciple, cultivated diligently, and waited until he was ninety-nine percent confident to crush the Great Black Buddha Mother before completing the mission.
But cultivation was not measured in mere decades. Time passed swiftly; he aged; Xie Qiming and the priest couple were surely dead.
The bustling sounds of vendors shouting, the clatter of pots and chopsticks, and the expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness on people’s faces—all these details told Li Xuan one thing: this was a real world.
Li Xuan took out the Fengdu Bao Yin seal again, rubbing his thumb gently over the characters.
He had made up his mind to give it a try.
Thinking without action never brings success.
He wasn’t sure how far the plot had progressed.
Many locations mentioned in the drama were vague… Although Island Bay wasn’t large, it was divided into many districts—Taipei, Taichung, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, and so on…
Wait!
A sudden inspiration struck Li Xuan—he knew how to find the key person!
The heroine Li Ruonan had been targeted by the Great Black Buddha Mother six years ago. Spiritually drained, she had sent her newborn daughter to a children’s welfare center. During that time, to ease the curse’s torment, she frequently uploaded videos of her daily life online, almost always repeatedly making the Buddha Mother’s hand seal with both hands in each video.
Moreover…
She would clearly recite the curse word by word.
“Huo Fo Xiu Yi, Xin Sa XX!”
Li Xuan understood Li Ruonan’s actions but did not approve.
It was now 2022; technology had advanced rapidly, mobile communication had reached new heights, and people were keen on sharing all sorts of interesting things online.
After finishing his noodles, Li Xuan went to a phone store and bought a phone with a SIM card.
He went online.
Searching major video platforms for “Li Ruonan” or that curse phrase.
Sure enough, he found Li Ruonan’s account on mainstream sites. She uploaded videos almost daily. Each video began with spreading the curse and ended with another repetition. In the comments, many netizens had begun mimicking the hand seals and chanting the curse.
After all, Li Ruonan explained that the phrase was actually a phonetic transcription from the Minnan dialect: “Fortune and misfortune depend on each other; life and death are fated.”
Li Xuan scrolled through the dense videos and noticed that starting last month, a new member appeared in the footage—her daughter Duoduo, officially named Chen Letong, who had been sent to the welfare center six years ago.
He took out a notebook and carefully recorded the exterior features appearing in the videos.
Supermarkets, landmarks, and buildings visible outside Li Ruonan’s window.
Using these, he steadily narrowed the map’s scope, pinpointing a street in Taichung’s North District, the area featuring most frequently in Li Ruonan’s videos.
Let’s go!
Li Xuan hailed a taxi and headed to Taichung North District.
Upon arrival, he played the videos, comparing the street features. Soon, a house appeared in view, almost certainly Li Ruonan’s residence.
Just then—
The door opened, and a woman in casual home clothes emerged, holding a child’s hand.
It was Li Ruonan and her daughter Chen Letong.
Li Ruonan looked worn—dark circles under her eyes, slightly greasy hair. She held Chen Letong’s hand tightly, speaking in a low voice.
Chen Letong spoke in a louder voice, faintly audible: “Mom, there’s a bad presence at home. Duoduo is scared…”
The two drew closer, and Li Ruonan’s voice became clearer: “Duoduo, don’t be afraid. Mom is already trying to solve the bad thing. It will be alright soon.”
They noticed Li Xuan’s presence.
Li Ruonan lifted her tired face and asked, “Who are you? Why are you standing at my doorstep?”
Li Xuan replied, “I’m planning to work in the North District and wanted to rent a place nearby. I’ve been walking around but haven’t seen any rental signs, so I’m a bit discouraged.”
Li Ruonan uttered an “oh” and pointed to a house diagonally ahead. “That one seems to be for rent, though it’s not cheap.”
Li Xuan brightened, thanking her. “Really? I’ve been searching everywhere with no luck. Thanks, sister. My name is Li Chegan. If you ever need help, feel free to reach out.”
Without hesitation, he left; lingering would only arouse suspicion.
…
The house Li Ruonan mentioned was indeed for rent.
He rented the entire third floor, ensuring privacy while allowing him to observe Li Ruonan’s home through the window.
A black notebook jumped out of his pocket, automatically flipping pages to reveal new content: [Contact with key character, world introduction unlocked…]
This introduction was essentially a text version of the movie’s plot, over a thousand words long.
Li Xuan’s mind involuntarily reviewed the film in detail once more.