Midnight Offering: Hades's Little Pet Chapter 41

Merry Christmas!! Enjoy!!

My heartbeat quickened hearing his sweet talk. I got restless and glared at him. I didn't dare to see Grandpa An and AnNing's expression.

Flirting depends on the situation!

Looking at my neck wrapped in a dark colored scarf AnNing smiled impishly. I had seen that expression before but I was too lazy to care about it now.

"Grandpa An, AnNing must have explained to you the matter with the Yue Family, right?"

Grandpa An moved away from the coffin, took the measuring tape from around his neck and hung it on a peg.

"Ning yatou[1] has roughly told me about it. I've decided to go there in person first with some of the young ones from the family."

I remembered what Pervert had told me before we left. I looked at him and gestured him to share his concerns.

"The matter with Yue family's former site is rather complicated. Ben wang[2] will come along with you."

Pervert told Grandpa An about the evil spirit that was missing from the Underworld. Grandpa An's brows wrinkled so tight they could kill a fly sandwiched between them. His astute eyes became a little gloomy.

"If the matter[3] is really like what Yanwang daren[4] says then it's going to be very tricky." 

He rubbed his rough palms together, deep in thought. It looked like he was contemplating a solution to deal with the situation.

He picked a book from the wooden table, moistened the paper with his saliva and flipped through it, then took a pen and drew a circle on the paper. After that, he turned around to face Pervert, nodded towards him and asked: "When does Yanwang daren intend to come with us?"

Without betraying his emotions, in a calm, unhurried voice Pervert said: "As soon as possible."

Grandpa An looked at the book again and said: "I changed the array, added some manpower otherwise I suppose with just us few people exorcising it won't be possible."

I opened my mouth to ask Grandpa An: "Grandpa why do you want to help them?"

Both the parties involved don't know that exorcising the spirit is not a low risk task. Grandpa An agreeing to help aroused my curiosity.

With a gentle smile, Grandpa An replied: "Xiao Hua ah, exorcising spirits is the An family's original job. Moreover, I heard from AnNing that the relationship between you and that young man Yang Yi is quite good, so I'm happy to help."

Suddenly I felt a gust of cold air from my side and my heart was alarmed! I turned my head to see Pervert's ashen complexion and dangerously cold eyes.

Just as I was wondering what had gotten into him, AnNing grabbed my hand and whispered in my ear.

"Hurry, go appease your husband. He is jealous."

I stared blankly and wasn't able to react for a minute until I remembered what Grandpa An had just said. Only then did I realize what AnNing meant.

He had only said 'relationship is good', Pervert got jealous over this!

Really!

I looked at him. His face covered with the mask showed no expression but the air emanating from his body revealed everything.

"The other person just asked for my help, a relationship is just preposterous. What are you being angry for?"

Pervert saw me explain seriously and the anger in his heart dissipated. The killing intent surging from his body was very scary. Fortunately, I was able to stop him in time.

AnNing turned her head to look at the book Grandpa An had written in. What she saw made her jump in fright.

"Grandpa!"

She screamed and had a terrified look on her face. She looked at her grandpa in disbelief and said: "You cannot use this array!"

What happened?

I was baffled as I looked at the grandparent and grandchild staring at each other.

All of a sudden AnNing became very agitated. She must have seen something in that book.

Grandpa An looked embarrassed.

He coughed twice in embarrassment. He was about to appease AnNing but who knew that the little girl wasn't ready to listen to anything.

"Grandpa, if you are you going to use this array to help Yang Yi's family then I have no other choice but to stop you."

What array?

Just as I tried to glance at the book AnNing was holding, Pervert stopped me and shook his head. Worried I looked at the two people in front of me.

"AnNing, we can only use this array, it's the strongest…."

AnNing threw the book on the floor. Her tone was harsh but I could see that her eyes looked distressed.

"Grandpa, I know that our An family specializes in the field of rituals and arrays. Yue family used a forbidden ritual to extend life but do we also have to use a forbidden ritual to save them?"

Eh?

I was startled by AnNing's reckless words.

Grandpa An saw that I was frightened by what she said so he hurriedly tried to calm AnNing: "You don't talk nonsense, what forbidden ritual!"

"You still won't admit? Grandpa, you think that I usually laze around and am not eager to learn the skills. But today I am grateful that you were strict with me and forced me to learn otherwise I would have been in the dark."

AnNing picked up the book from the floor and walked towards me, she spread out the book and pointed at a 6-star array. Her voice trembled a little.

"Xiao Hua, we have decided not to help Yang Yi."

"Ning yatou!"

Grandpa An thundered. Surprisingly his beloved granddaughter screamed back. With tears in her eyes AnNing shouted: "Grandpa I won't let you throw away your life! I won't let you and my cousins take this risk."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and explained the array drawn in the book.

I could understand a little from their conversation a minute ago.

"This is a great exorcism array. It requires an exorcist to stand at all the 6 points of the star and one in the middle. Total 7 people are needed. The exorcist at the center of the array is the most crucial and also the one in most danger."

AnNing took a deep breath and continued: "This array might be unsophisticated in name but it is a forbidden ritual. In case the exorcism fails all 7 people will lose their life without exception and become the food of that evil spirit."

Although I knew it in my heart but still, I was a little shocked when I heard AnNing say it out loud.

Grandpa An's face had a desolate expression. He looked at AnNing, sighed and said: "Silly girl, how can it be as serious as you say."

"Isn't it serious? Isn't that what the book says? Grandpa, there are so many spirits in the world and so many exorcist families, why must we destroy our family for a family we have no relation with? If it was the earlier ritual then I have no problem at all but this ritual, I absolutely won't agree to it!"

I had never seen AnNing look so grave. In the past, no matter what she encountered, she would sort out her mood quickly. In my eyes she had always been a sunshine boy.[5]

I had never seen her look so agitated and flustered.

Seems like this so-called great exorcism ritual is definitely not a good ritual.

Forbidden ritual……if it's really as AnNing says, then I too stand by her side.

As far as I am concerned, I am not very familiar with Yang Yi but AnNing is different. Grandpa An has always looked after me extremely well. Obviously, I will not let the An family suffer because of the matter with the Yue family's former site.

I will absolutely not allow anything bad to happen to them.

Finally, Grandpa An spoke. He was astonished but he started explaining carefully.

"Ning yatou ah, the great exorcism is not a forbidden ritual ah."

"But that's what the book says."

AnNing had her hands folded on her chest. Her expression said that she didn't intend to change her mind even after Grandpa An's explanation.

Grandpa An didn't know whether to laugh or cry. With no other option, he compromised: "Yatou, Grandpa is very happy to see that you studied so rigorously. But this silly girl ah, how could I have let you learn the forbidden rituals? All those books are kept in the library behind your cousin's house. The books you have seen are the ones that have arrays that can be performed."

AnNing heard Grandpa An and was stunned. She looked at him stupidly. Grandpa An stroked her head to comfort her and said: "You are able to think about me and the family, grandpa is very happy ah."

"You are still a little silly ah, if it was really a forbidden ritual then how could Grandpa allow you to learn it?"[6]

AnNing clearly didn't expect the plot to develop like this, still foolishly staring at one side she said: "Then why does the book say forbidden ritual on it ah."

Suddenly Grandpa An burst out laughing and his white beard shook.

"You'll see it yourself pretty soon. Of course, it has been stamped with that symbol to prevent you young ones from using it recklessly, until you learn it properly."

"The Great exorcism ritual requires huge amount of Yin and Yang to be performed. If it fails, at most for a short period of time the people performing the array will be physically weak, they will have insufficient Yang energy[7] but they won't die."

"Grandpa, are you saying it will weaken one's stamina? Cause some physical weakness?"

AnNing was still trying to comprehend Grandpa An's words. He smiled gently and patted her head: "Nothing will happen. Besides, Yanwang daren is coming with us as well. And like you said, that boy named Yang Yi also has a good cultivation, so nothing will happen."

"Grandpa in the future don't put the stamp randomly, I was nervous to death."

AnNing smiled through her tears. Acting like a spoiled child she said to Grandpa An in a reproachful tone.

I was relieved to see the grandparent and grandchild made up.

Sure enough, there is mutual understanding when you share the same flesh and blood. You can interpret the meaning behind their words, even go as far as to understand what they have in their heart or what they might be thinking. It is really marvelous.

This scene, makes people unable to interrupt.

But still there is a spirit that couldn't help but speak out.

"With Ben Wang there, nothing will happen."

Pervert calmly said. Grandpa An looked towards him with a smile: "Yanwang daren's strength, even if I haven't seen it, I am well aware of it."

"It is Ben Wang's responsibility, to have let the matter become this problematic."

AnNing shook her head and said to Pervert: "Yanwang, this is not on your head, if the Yue family had not held that ceremony then that evil spirit would not have been able to escape from the Underworld."

I saw that after the explanation, the matter with the misunderstanding between them (Grandpa An and AnNing) was resolved. Although AnNing was angry and vent out her frustration but it did not affect the end result. This unexpected misunderstanding did not affect their grandparent-grandchild relationship.

"So, when are you all planning to leave?"

Grandpa An rummaged through the stack on his table and looked at a calendar, then he looked at Pervert and me.

"Yanwang daren said as soon as possible, how about leaving first thing in the morning, day after tomorrow? I took up a job today. I have to make clothes for this pitiful man so his family (the deceased's family) can be at ease and then we can leave, what do you say?"

Pervert didn't say anything, Grandpa An took it as tacit approval. When I and Pervert left AnNing's home it was close to evening but the sky was still bright. There were many vehicles coming and going on the road.

Just as we passed the subway entrance my eyes fell on a familiar short and small silhouette standing by the street lights, anxiously looking around in all directions.

TL Corner:

[1] yatou=girl but 'Ning girl' didn't sound good so I am keeping it 'Ning yatou'.

[2] ben wang= royal ‘I'. The king uses 'ben wang' instead of 'I' when talking in the third person.

[3] it says:真如=tathata=true state of things as per Buddhism/ultimate inexpressible nature of all things. I didn't know how to put it in the sentence.

[4] Yanwang daren = King Yama or King of Hell.

[5] sunshine boy=someone who is warm and brightens your life. I googled it and it has been used to refer to someone who brightens your life and I guess someone who you would want to be with everyday, just like sunshine. And it also said it's a Chinese Prince Charming= a perfect catch for any young woman. I don't know if this is a Chinese specific term because this is the first time I've read it. 

[6] it says: 小脑瓜子= Xiǎonǎo guāzǐ= (lit.) cerebellum melon seeds. That doesn't make sense, does it! So I googled and found that  脑瓜子 means brain melon, anyone know what that means? In the context of this sentence I think it means she is silly to not have thought through properly so I am going with that meaning.

[7]Yang energy=positive energy  

I wasn't able to release this chapter on Sunday, sorry about the delay but Thank God I was able to update it in time for Christmas! Translating this chapter was so scary! I thought Grandpa An would be leaving us! Well, at least not yet! 

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