Hearing Chen Hao mentioning his desire to seek the Old Man of the Moon's blessing for their marriage, the driver anxiously turned to look at Chen Hao, his brows tightly furrowed as he said, "Young man, didn't I just tell you? Once you make that vow, you can't go back on it in the future! Why do you still want to go?"
Chen Hao turned to look at Ye Yuqiao, who looked as beautiful as if she'd stepped right out of a painting, and smiled, "With such a pretty girl, how could I ever regret it in the future? It's her I don't trust. I'm afraid she might find me ugly or too poor and back out."
"You're such a tease!" Ye Yuqiao's soft rebuke immediately rang in Chen Hao's mind.
Seeing through the rearview mirror that Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao were making eyes at each other, each wearing a light smile, the driver finally realized Chen Hao was joking and complained, "Young man, so you were just pulling my leg. And here I was, worried about you two."
"What's there to worry about?" Chen Hao asked, "Even if we do decide to go, don't worry, we'll never go back on it in the future."
"Ha!" the driver let out a disbelieving laugh, "When I went with her to seek the Old Man of the Moon's blessing, I also went with a heart free of regrets. But look at us now. We can't even separate if we want to!"
"Do you really want to divorce your wife that badly?" Chen Hao questioned, "That's not impossible."
"And you can help me with that?" the driver asked, his tone carrying a sneer of mockery.
"Actually, I can!" Chen Hao said, deadpan, "I'm actually an Onmyoji."
The driver glanced back at Chen Hao and snorted with laughter, "Young man, stop kidding around. Aren't all Onmyojis aged people? How old are you! Besides, even if you truly are an Onmyoji, it's useless. The Old Man of the Moon is a god of the highest heavens, and you're just a ghost hunter. You're not thinking about taking him on, are you?"
After the driver finished speaking, Chen Hao couldn't help but feel helpless, thinking to himself that according to you, every Onmyoji has been born old, without having had a childhood or youth; or they all turn into Onmyojis halfway through life, only starting to learn the Yin Yang Arts at an advanced age. How reliable could such Onmyojis be?
"Since you've said your piece, I won't interfere any further." Chen Hao said, feeling a bit annoyed. After a pause, he couldn't help adding, "In this world, there are no great gods, only a lot of creatures that like to play tricks. The Old Man of the Moon you're talking about is no exception."
Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes, causing both Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao, unprepared for such action, to lunge forward due to the momentum.
Chen Hao quickly caught Yuqiao in his arms to protect her while he himself banged his head against the back of the driver's seat.
"Ow, that hurt like hell!"
"Boyfriend, are you okay?" Ye Yuqiao asked anxiously.
Chen Hao immediately sat up and let go of Ye Yuqiao in his arms. After shaking his head at her, he turned to the driver with a tone full of grievance, "Bro, why did you suddenly hit the brakes like that?"
The driver turned back, his expression grave, and asked, "Was what you said just now true? Can you really help me and my wife annul our marriage vow?"
"It shouldn't be a big problem!" Chen Hao said, while rubbing the small bump forming on his forehead.
"You have to be sure it's not a problem before I can trust you! I can't joke about my son's life," the driver said, eyes wide open, "Just a short distance ahead is Old Man of the Moon Mountain. My wife and I made our vows to the Old Man of the Moon there."
Suddenly, a spark of light flickered in Chen Hao's eyes, then he turned to Ye Yuqiao and said, "Since we're here, let's go meet that Old Man of the Moon and see for ourselves who he really is."
"Mm!" Ye Yuqiao nodded slightly, "If it works, we'll also make a vow and seal our fate."
"Sure thing!" Chen Hao smiled cheerfully, then turned his gaze to the driver who now looked solemn, "I can assure you, there definitely won't be a problem, but first, you have to tell us the details of how you and your wife sought marital blessings on Old Man of the Moon Mountain."
The driver's face lit up with surprise, and he nodded repeatedly, "Okay!"
After starting the car, the driver then began to recount the story from ten years ago:
The driver and his wife were both from Jia Yu Town nearby. At the time, the driver's family was poor while his wife's family was well-off. After their relationship hadn't been going on for long, it faced opposition from her parents.
Furthermore, as the driver was once a member of the town's social organizations and had been imprisoned for half a year due to being suspected of participating in a group fight, he had a bad influence locally. After her parents heard about this, they tried to forcibly separate the two.
When they were at a loss what to do, the driver learned from a neighbor, who was an Onmyoji master, that some forty kilometers away from Jia Yu Town stood Old Man of the Moon Mountain, with a temple dedicated to the Old Man of the Moon on it. Couples deeply in love could go there and make a vow in front of his statue; the Old Man of the Moon would then tie their red threads together, enabling them to become husband and wife.
After hearing what the Onmyoji master had said, the very next day, the driver and his wife went to Old Man of the Moon Mountain with offerings of paper money, pomelos, roast chicken, liquor, and incense.
Having reached the mountain and entered the temple, they were greeted by an old man who claimed to be the Old Man of the Moon's assistant.
After the driver explained their purpose, the old man asked him and his wife to kneel in front of the statue of the Old Man of the Moon. He then tied their hands together with the red thread they had brought and asked them to make a vow before the Old Man of the Moon: they would gladly join together in matrimony, seeking the Old Man of the Moon's blessing for lovers, to never leave or forsake each other in life and in death. If they were to break the vow, they would willingly accept any punishment.
After swearing an oath in front of the deity of matchmaking, burning spirit money, the old man released the red string from their hands and told them not to worry, assuring them that it wouldn't be long before they would surely become husband and wife.
A few days later, something incredible happened: the driver's in-laws, who had never done so before, invited the driver to their home for a meal, and their attitude towards him changed dramatically. Not only did they agree to the couple's relationship, but they also gave him part of the family business to manage.
Afterward, the driver and his wife's relationship stabilized over time, and the business handed over to him by the woman's parents prospered. Six months later, they naturally went through the formalities of getting married, and two years after their marriage, their son was born.
Listening to the driver recounting the past, Chen Hao couldn't help but exclaim, "I didn't expect the matchmaking deity to be truly effective."
As he said this, Chen Hao thought to himself: it was very likely that the so-called matchmaking deity had controlled the driver's in-laws' thoughts and behaviors with a spell, which is why there had been such an abrupt one hundred and eighty-degree change in how the parents treated the driver.
"Since it was not easy to end up together in the beginning, why don't you cherish it now and insist on getting a divorce?" Ye Yuqiao suddenly asked the driver, her brows tightly furrowed.
The driver's expression darkened, and his eyes appeared somewhat frantic, as if he had some indescribable secret.
After a long while, the driver's lips quivered slightly, and in a low, trembling voice, he said, "To be honest, my wife cheated on me!"
"Ah!" Chen Hao was startled, and Ye Yuqiao's brows furrowed even tighter.
"Heh!" The driver let out a bitter laugh, and through the rearview mirror, Chen Hao could see the cold sweat on his forehead, along with the tears in the corners of his eyes.
"Could there be some misunderstanding?" Yuqiao asked.
"I caught them in the act with my own eyes; what misunderstanding could there be!" the driver exploded in anger.
"Big brother, don't be angry, we believe you!" Chen Hao hurriedly spoke with a smile, only concerned that the driver, in his rage, would drive the car into a ravine.
Suddenly, Yuqiao's expression turned cold, and an inviolable authority shone in her eyes. As the Nether King, how could she tolerate being spoken to like that by a mere mortal like Chen Hao? Had Chen Hao not promptly grasped her hand to steady her emotions, she would have certainly taught the driver a lesson.
"Big brother, we are Onmyoji, and we just specialize in exorcising evil spirits and demons. As for your family affairs, we prefer not to get involved, nor do we wish to. We only guarantee that the matchmaking deity won't bother your family again, and whether you get a divorce or not is between you and your wife," Chen Hao said.
"Right," the driver nodded, his tone softening slightly, "Young man, how much will it cost?"
Chen Hao was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean how much will it cost?"
"How much do you charge to handle this matter?" the driver queried, "Isn't it standard for Onmyoji to charge a fee?"
"That's true," Chen Hao nodded blankly, "but it depends on the situation. Most of the time there is a fee, but sometimes it's free, like now. Typically, fees are higher in the city and lower in small towns or rural areas, or there might even be no charge."
"Really?" the driver said in disbelief, "Why didn't I encounter an Onmyoji like you sooner? You don't know, ever since I got married, the Onmyoji who introduced me to the matchmaking deity has been charging me a follow-up fee every year."
"Follow-up fee!" Chen Hao gasped, "I've never heard of such a thing; it's usually a one-time payment."
"Exactly, it's too expensive!" the driver lamented, "But I've refused to pay since last year. In total, over the years I've paid nearly one hundred thousand."
"One hundred thousand!" Chen Hao's eyes widened, "Even in big cities, only large real estate projects charge that much; that's ridiculously excessive!"
"No, wait," Ye Yu's voice, filled with doubt, suddenly rang in Chen Hao's mind, "Boyfriend, could it be that this man and his wife are being retaliated against because they didn't pay the Onmyoji last year?"
"It's very possible!" Chen Hao responded immediately, "It seems we need to meet with that Onmyoji and get involved in the driver's family affairs after all."
"Right," Yuqiao nodded slightly, feeling some aversion towards the driver, but despising even more the Onmyoji who exploited the situation for financial gain and malicious revenge.
"Big brother," Chen Hao reached out to pat the driver on the shoulder, "after we deal with the issue at the matchmaking deity's mountain, you should take us to your place to see if we need to perform a ritual to ward off evil spirits, alright?"
"Sure!" the driver nodded, then turned his head back with a look of skepticism and asked, "Is it really free of charge?"
"Not entirely free, you'll have to cover the gas money to drop us off at the Changqing Town train station!"
"Certainly, absolutely!" the driver agreed.
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