Chapter 11: Calamity from the Tongue

Ye Wushuang was incredibly shrewish; she made a move to strike even as she spoke, causing Li Chengfeng to jump back in alarm.

"You foul-mouthed woman, don't you dare go too far!"

"You—you dare call me a foul-mouthed woman? I’ll fight you to the death!"

Ye Wushuang was thirty-five or thirty-six years old and quite beautiful. She had never had a boyfriend and was still a maiden; being called a "foul-mouthed woman" by Li Chengfeng was more than she could bear. She lunged at Li Chengfeng in a desperate rage, but was fortunately held back by Ye Mengyao, who stood beside her.

"Aunt, stop it. My father is still lying in the hospital."

Ye Wushuang had no choice but to suppress her burning anger. She glared at Li Chengfeng and spat viciously, "You foul man, just you wait. We will settle this score another day."

This woman was truly unreasonable, with a sharp tongue and not a shred of feminine grace. If she were ever to get married, it would be as likely as the sun rising in the west.

Ye Mengyao walked up to Li Chengfeng, her face filled with remorse. "Mr. Li, I am sorry. Everything that happened that day was my fault. I shouldn't have driven you out of the Ye family, I shouldn't have looked down on you, and I shouldn't have mocked you. Please, forgive me."

Li Chengfeng let out a cold snort. This woman wouldn't have come to apologize for no reason. He replied with an air of annoyance, "If you've come to apologize, there is no need. I never took that matter to heart. Please go back; I don't want to see you."

Li Chengfeng took out his keys, opened the door, and stepped directly into Suiyuan Hall, ignoring the two women outside.

Refusing to leave, Ye Mengyao stood at the doorway and continued, "Mr. Li, I beg you, please spare my father. I was the one who offended you that day; it had nothing to do with him. Please lift the curse and don't harm my father."

Li Chengfeng poured a glass of water, listening to Ye Mengyao's incessant rambling outside the door, his heart filled with confusion. What curse? What harm to her father? Was this woman insane, babbling such nonsense?

Li Chengfeng did not yet know that everything he had said before leaving the Ye estate had come to pass. In less than three days, Ye Gucheng’s right leg had suddenly become crippled, and his lungs had developed issues; he coughed incessantly day and night, and his throat had gone hoarse, rendering him mute.

Ye Wushuang had hastily summoned a master named Hu Yansong to examine Ye Gucheng’s condition. After inspecting him, Hu Yansong assumed a profound expression and told Ye Wushuang that Ye Gucheng had been cursed. Under Hu Yansong’s deliberate guidance, Ye Mengyao and Ye Wushuang immediately thought of Li Chengfeng. They realized with a start that Ye Gucheng’s current state must be the result of Li Chengfeng’s curse.

Hu Yansong then feigned helplessness, telling them he could not cure Ye Gucheng. To break the curse, they had to find the person who cast it, beg for his forgiveness, and have him lift the spell so that Ye Gucheng could recover. That was why Ye Mengyao and Ye Wushuang had come to Suiyuan Hall to find Li Chengfeng.

After listening for a while, Li Chengfeng finally understood what Ye Mengyao meant. It was truly a case of "trouble caused by the tongue." Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have said those words. He explained impatiently, "Miss Ye, I think you have misunderstood. I never placed a curse on your father. His condition has nothing to do with me. I am nothing but a fraud; I don't know how to cast curses. Please, stop pestering me, will you?"

Ye Mengyao didn't speak, but the tightly shut door was suddenly kicked hard, and Ye Wushuang’s shrill voice rang out. "You wretched thing, have you forgotten the words you spoke when you left our house? You said my brother’s leg, lungs, and throat would fail within three days, and now it has all come true! My brother has become a cripple, a mute, and has contracted consumption. Do you expect us to believe you didn't cast a curse? Isn't it just money you want? Name your price! As long as you lift the curse on my brother, our family will pay whatever you demand."

Li Chengfeng shook his head helplessly. He had truly jumped into the Yellow River and couldn't wash himself clean; he never imagined a single remark would bring such trouble. Ye Mengyao and Ye Wushuang took turns at the door—one pleading bitterly, the other alternating between threats and bribery—both convinced he had cursed Ye Gucheng.

Unable to endure the endless chatter any longer, Li Chengfeng threw the door open and roared in anger, "Are you two finished yet? I told you, I don't know how to cast curses! I am a fraud!"

"If you can't cast curses, how did my father end up like this?" Ye Mengyao stared at him with hateful eyes. Ye Wushuang added aggressively, "Just tell us how much money you want to lift the curse!"

Li Chengfeng sighed. There was simply no reasoning with these women who were convinced he was the source of the curse. He said impatiently, "To be honest with you, the reason your father is in this state is not a matter of fate, but likely an issue with the feng shui of your home. It has nothing to do with me."

Li Chengfeng turned his gaze toward Ye Wushuang. Upon closer inspection, he noticed her eyes and neck were entwined with a wisp of black mist, and he gave a faint, chilling smile. "You foul-mouthed woman, aren't you very fierce? Let me tell you, in less than three days, you too will go blind and mute."

As soon as he said it, Li Chengfeng instantly regretted it.