After listening to the little boy's story, Xu Zifan deliberately touched him several times, seeing many scenes from the past. He then used these scenes to create a composite image. The bronze mirror was not very clear to begin with, so one could only make out general features. It was obvious that the woman in the mirror was Yu Cailan, while the others were slightly blurry.
So Chengfu saw a woman who had fallen into depravity, who was vain, foolish, petty, and constantly entertaining clients. She then learned to package herself, pretending to be a dignified and elegant woman, and deliberately entered his room to cling to him, this sucker!
Yu Cailan screamed and frantically lunged at the mirror. Cheng's father shoved her away and ordered Cheng Zhuang to hold her down, forcing her to watch the images. He was so angry his eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging, and his fists clenched so tightly he looked like he wanted to kill someone! He was furious! How dare this woman deceive him?! He felt as if he had been cuckolded countless times; the thought of the men in the images made him want to vomit. He had married such a shameless woman—it was disgusting!
Cheng's father gagged a few times. Seeing this, Yu Cailan turned ashen-faced and cried out, "This isn't me! This isn't me, Lao Cheng! Master Qingfeng has harmed me! He's been targeting me all along! I haven't done anything like this! You have to believe me..."
Cheng Zhuang was also shocked. He suddenly released his grip on her hand and grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands repeatedly. This kind of person was actually his stepmother! If people knew, would the Cheng family still have any face? And he had actually been driven to run away from home by this kind of woman—it was utterly disgusting!
Xu Zifan said calmly, "Whether it's true or false, Mr. Cheng can hire a private investigator to check. I'm sure there are still people in the area who remember Mrs. Cheng. I hope Mr. Cheng can understand why our Taoist temple doesn't accept Mrs. Cheng. As for why Young Master Cheng hates Mrs. Cheng so much, that's understandable."
As he spoke, he wiped his face in front of the mirror again. Chengfu instinctively didn't want to look anymore, but his eyes seemed glued to the mirror, subconsciously trying to understand the whole truth.
Then he saw Yu Cailan discover she was pregnant and repeatedly trying to abort her pregnancy using various methods, even punching her own stomach, acting like a madwoman. In the end, a medical abortion didn't work; she also had instruments used at an unlicensed clinic…
Cheng's father felt a chill run down his spine and his scalp tingle. He realized that the child had always been conscious, meaning that the child had watched helplessly as his mother abused and destroyed him, and then became a spirit that stayed by Yu Cailan's side.
Just thinking about it made his hands and feet turn cold and he felt terrified. At this moment, he finally understood why that child hated Yu Cailan so much. If it were him, he probably would have wanted to eat her flesh and drink her blood!
Cheng's father suddenly stood up, afraid that Xu Zifan would show him more things, and said, "I'll leave Xiao An in your care, Daoist. I'll come back to get him once I find a way." Then he quickly left.
Cheng Zhuang felt a chill run down his spine and touched his arm. He wanted to say a few words to Jiang Tianxin, but he saw that Jiang Tianxin was pouring tea for Xu Zifan and didn't even glance at him. Feeling a lump in his throat, he followed her away.
Yu Cailan scrambled to her feet and chased after Chengfu out the door in a panic; her cries for Chengfu could be heard from afar.
Jiang Tianxin closed the door, sat opposite Xu Zifan, and looked at him. "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Xu Zifan took a sip of tea and smiled. "How could that be? Seeing how upset she is, I'm happy for the old me and that little guy. How could such an irresponsible mother use her son to live a good life? If she could live well on her own without relying on her son, that would be her real skill. I'm just taking away the bargaining chips she used. What happens next is up to her own fate."
Jiang Tianxin looked at him carefully and finally felt relieved, but also felt a pang of heartache. Having a mother like that was more than just heartbreaking; it was a disgrace. Fortunately, he had moved on from the past and would no longer be saddened by it.
She thought of the little boy and felt another pang of heartache. "Will my brother stay here from now on? I wonder how the Cheng family will handle this."
Xu Zifan asked, "Did Uncle Liao give you a reward for dismantling the human trafficking organization this time?"
Jiang Tianxin felt frustrated when this was mentioned, "No, he's getting stingier and stingier, he's been putting it off and hasn't given it to me yet."
"Then why not let him help resolve this matter? It's within his jurisdiction anyway, so consider it a reward for him. He should be happy to do so."
Jiang Tianxin's eyes lit up. "It'll definitely work. Cheng Bijun is arrogant and conceited. If he goes back, he might just take his brother away and send him to a sanatorium abroad to keep him in order to protect his reputation. If Uncle Liao intervenes, he won't be able to pull any tricks. We can legitimately let our brother stay here. By the way, what's our brother's name?"
"He probably doesn't like his old name. Let's ask him first. I'll go check if he's awake." Xu Zifan stood up, and the black cat in the corner suddenly meowed and jumped onto his shoulder.
Xu Zifan asked in surprise, "You want to play with him? That's fine. He has ghostly energy on him, so he won't be affected by you. Let's go then."
Jiang Tianxin laughed and said, "Master, I can now vaguely sense a wisp of yin energy, and I can roughly pinpoint the kitten's location."
The black cat curled up in a ball, not wanting to get close to her at all. Xu Zifan chuckled and said, "Don't go playing with them. They're all afraid of the yang energy on you. It's the same with your brother; he prefers yin energy and probably won't be close to you. You should focus on your cultivation. When your cultivation level is higher, you'll be able to see ghosts."
"Really? Then I won't go to my brother's place. I'll tidy up the room next to yours for him, and then I'll go cultivate." Jiang Tianxin became happy, feeling that being able to see ghosts brought her closer to her master.
Xu Zifan went to find the little boy, while Jiang Dong and Luo Chen surrounded Jiang Tianxin, asking her what had happened.
Jiang Tianxin didn't tell them about Xu Zifan's privacy, only saying that Cheng Jia's youngest son would belong to their Taoist temple from now on, and that they should all keep an eye on him. However, she added that Cheng Jia was still very annoying, and that they didn't need to pay attention to the rest of Cheng Jia.
Jiang Dong and Luo Chen didn't get any information from her, but they helped her tidy up the room. Jiang Dong even had the maid deliver a batch of new toys. Seeing this, Luo Chen also had the maid deliver various childlike items, and the two grown men worked together to decorate a children's room.
Jiang Tianxin had already gone to cultivate and ignored their childlike exuberance. There was only one child in the Taoist temple, and she had a feeling that the little boy was about to become the group's darling!
She found some time to call Liao Cheng and only mentioned the little boy's resentment towards Yu Cailan. Liao Cheng was already quite angry and promised to handle the matter properly. Although this was a family matter, it was related to the karmic imp, so the Special Affairs Bureau couldn't ignore it.
Besides, if they don't take any action, Cheng's father might lock the child up far away. It would be better for the Special Affairs Bureau to step in and find a suitable reason to resolve the issue, which would make everyone happy.
A few days later, Liao Cheng brought news that the Cheng family's youngest son had passed away, and the child had no further connection with the Cheng family while staying at the Taoist temple. Cheng's father had no intention of acknowledging his youngest son. If it weren't for the fact that it would be too embarrassing to divorce right after his youngest son's "death," he probably wouldn't have been able to tolerate Yu Cailan's presence.
Even if Yu Cailan hadn't been kicked out, she now had no standing in the Cheng family. She didn't need to attend any banquets; she just needed to stay quietly in the guest room. If she dared to cause any more trouble, they wouldn't let her off the hook.
Xu Zifan had Shao Hua record the scene of Yu Cailan crying and screaming that day, and showed it to the little boy. The little boy clapped his hands as he watched, feeling both angry and happy. He let down his guard against Xu Zifan and said, "Big brother, you are so amazing! How did you make her suffer? Can you teach me? I want to make her suffer even more."
Xu Zifan laughed and picked him up. "Sure, how about you stay here and learn from me? Once you're as good as me, you can go and take care of her."
The little boy's eyes sparkled, and his little hands gripped his clothes tightly. "Can I stay? Will you really teach me? Why are you helping me?"
Xu Zifan patted the top of his head and smiled, "Because I'm your brother. Do you still remember that little brother who was abandoned by that woman?"
"I remember, my brother was in the hospital, crying and crying. She was afraid of him, she scolded him, and then she ran away!" The little boy stared at him without blinking. "Are you really my brother? I feel so comfortable around you, is it because you're my brother?"
"Yes, so you can stay here without worry. There's no rush to get revenge. You can wait until you grow up and learn real skills before seeking revenge. Right? From now on, your brother will take care of you and protect you. No one will be able to hurt you anymore. Do you want to stay?"
The little boy thought about it seriously for a long time, then nodded emphatically, "I'm willing! My brother is also pitiful, I want to stay with him. I'll settle the score with her when I grow up!" He carefully nestled against Xu Zifan's chest and whispered, "I love my brother."
"Brother likes you too." Xu Zifan was full of yin energy, so the little boy naturally felt most comfortable around him, just like a black cat loves to snuggle in his arms.
Xu Zifan used his spiritual energy to unblock the little boy's meridians, and his body began to automatically absorb the surrounding yin energy. After all, he was different from ordinary people; he was essentially born with a vengeful spirit possessing an infant body, so he was born with the ability to cultivate, making him a ghost cultivator with a human form!
The little boy absorbed the yin energy for about an hour, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw the black cat!
He exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, there's a kitten here! Can you see it?"
Xu Zifan beckoned, and the black cat jumped over. He smiled and stroked the cat's fur. "Brother can see, but others can't, so don't play with the kitten in front of strangers."
The little boy temporarily set aside his hatred and transformed into the demeanor of a six-year-old child. Curious, he reached out and touched the black cat. The cat rubbed its head against his palm and meowed a few times. The little boy exclaimed with delight, "Brother, it likes me! I like it too! What's its name?"
"Its name is Xiao Hei. What about you? What name do you want?" Xu Zifan put the cat and the person on the bed and watched them tentatively snuggle together.
The little boy hugged the black cat and laughed, "My name is Cheng Pei-an. I don't like this name, but I like the nickname Xiao-an, which means peace and safety. Brother, I like peace and safety."
"Then from now on, you'll use your brother's name. Your brother's name is Xu Zifan, and you'll be called Xu Zian, okay?"
"Okay! My name is Xu Zi'an, and this will be my home from now on! It's so great to have an older brother!"
Xiao An cheered excitedly, rolled around with the black cat, and let out his first sunny, childlike laughter.