Shattered Idols, Shattered Illusions

“Therefore, Master Bai, I implore you to help me.”

As Deng Shuqi recounted her tale, Bai Wanwan had already thoroughly observed the issues plaguing Jin Baihan.

Bai Wanwan understood the principle of ‘taking money to avert disaster’ perfectly. Thus, even with the inherent dangers before her, she steeled herself to confront them. After all, compared to her own crushing debts, these so-called perils were utterly insignificant.

With that thought, Bai Wanwan extended a single finger.

“One million?” Deng Shuqi instinctively uttered, her gaze fixed on Bai Wanwan’s extended finger.

“Of course, that’s no problem! As long as the issue can be resolved, I’ll bring you the cash right now!”

Deng Shuqi was truly desperate, cornered with no other recourse. If Jin Baihan’s problems weren’t solved soon, even if she managed to keep it afloat, the authorities would forcibly intervene and seal the place. Over two years, six lives had been lost, each a baffling cold case, with the victims found in gruesome states. Two years of accumulating misfortunes: the Deng family’s financial losses, her brother’s tragic accident leaving him a vegetable, and her own unsettling encounters with supernatural phenomena at night… Every single one of these incidents had steadily eroded Deng Shuqi’s spirit. In these past years, not to mention the vast sums she’d poured into maintaining Jin Baihan’s operations, the various masters and divine effigies she’d commissioned alone amounted to nearly ten million yuan. There was simply no other way; Jin Baihan was, after all, the very foundation of the Deng family.

“No, what I meant was, one minute.”

Bai Wanwan gazed at the fanged, green-faced idol before her, then retrieved a delicate small hammer from her bag. She carried no peach wood sword, nor did she employ any talismans. Instead, she produced a hammer… This left both Deng Shuqi and Liu Guochang utterly stunned, momentarily at a loss for words.

“Master Bai, what are you doing?”

No sooner had Deng Shuqi’s words faded than Bai Wanwan raised the hammer in her hand and swung it fiercely towards the idol standing by the entrance. Instantly, a conspicuous crack appeared on the idol. Despite its seemingly massive and weighty appearance, it was hollow inside.

“Master Bai! What in the world are you doing?!”

Bai Wanwan offered no reply, instead swinging the hammer down again with brutal force. This time, the idol shattered completely, its fanged, green face vanishing entirely.

“Alright, half the problem is solved. Now, let’s address the other half.”

Bai Wanwan tossed aside the hammer. At this point, both Liu Guochang and Deng Shuqi were frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded. During this period, Deng Shuqi had certainly sought help from other masters. However, upon their arrival, these so-called experts would either wander about, wielding various ritualistic artifacts and making empty gestures, or simply plaster talismans for warding off evil spirits everywhere. Though their theatrics were certainly mystical, they proved utterly useless…

Bai Wanwan, however, was entirely different. She had directly smashed the idol that Deng Shuqi had considered her most potent safeguard with a hammer.

“This thing… I spent two million to bring it here! This idol even protected me from disaster before…” Deng Shuqi felt as though her entire world was collapsing.

“Liu Guochang! Look at the person you’ve brought back! If anything happens to my Deng family, if anything happens to my brother, neither you nor this little girl will escape blame!”

At this moment, with her sole spiritual anchor shattered, Deng Shuqi was on the verge of collapsing into a frantic frenzy. Her beautiful face flushed crimson as she shrieked almost hysterically, repeatedly recounting the immense difficulty and exorbitant cost of acquiring the idol, and how many calamities it had supposedly averted for her.

“Please, calm down a bit. I still have faith in Master Bai’s abilities.”

Liu Guochang felt a pang of awkwardness. He tried to soothe Deng Shuqi in a low voice, but the woman was utterly enraged and showed no inclination to listen, almost to the point of throwing herself on the ground and demanding Bai Wanwan compensate her. Although Liu Guochang had witnessed Bai Wanwan’s capabilities, with matters escalating to this degree, he truly didn’t know how to proceed.

“Master Bai, what do you think?” He could only turn his pleading gaze towards Bai Wanwan.

“You’ve been sold out and yet you’re helping them count the money? Is your brain as hollow as this thing?”

From the shattered idol, Bai Wanwan extracted several eerie talismans inscribed with Southeast Asian script, tossing them casually before the now-crumbling Deng Shuqi.

“Jin Baihan itself has no issues whatsoever. Its feng shui and location are exceptionally auspicious, which is why it’s considered prosperous for a family. However, such excellent feng shui inevitably draws covetous eyes. Have you ever considered that this idol wasn’t protecting you, but rather harming you? And for your so-called ‘exorcism,’ Jin Baihan is truly filled with everything imaginable. Isn’t this just ‘drawing legs on a snake’? Daoist, Confucian, Buddhist, military… and what is this?” Bai Wanwan casually picked up a woman’s brassiere hanging by the entrance.

“This is… a B-cup bra, representing ‘avoiding bad omens’ [bi mian xiong zhao].”

At this point, even Deng Shuqi was thoroughly subdued by Bai Wanwan’s sharp aura. Bai Wanwan was so exasperated by her explanation that she actually laughed, and even Liu Guochang nearby almost couldn’t maintain his composure. As for Liu Hanzhi, it went without saying; she had to hide her hands behind her back, fiercely pinching her own derrière just to stifle her laughter.

“Eating too much ‘mixed rice’ can lead to poisoning, let alone your collection of ‘mixed good’ items…”

“Um… Miss Bai, may I ask, what is ‘mixed rice’?”

Deng Shuqi’s utterly serious question made a vein throb visibly on Bai Wanwan’s forehead.

“Pfft…” This time, Liu Hanzhi completely lost her battle to hold back her laughter.