"If there are door gods guarding the house, unless you actively open the door for those malevolent entities and invite them in, even if they want to enter and harm you, they won't be able to."
The tradition of pasting door gods in many homes in China has this as one of its reasons. While it's generally difficult for malevolent entities to break into a house without the owner's invitation, the presence of door gods significantly enhances the effect.
At the very least, it guarantees that with door gods guarding the entrance, any malevolent entity that sees this household will actively detour, as long as they don't have a grudge against the family. They certainly wouldn't seek trouble and invite a beating.
Malevolent entities also have survival instincts. Even those without sentience know to avoid things that threaten them, and door gods are definitely among them.
Ou Xiaoxue is different now. She didn't believe in such things before, but can she still maintain that disbelief?
Since the little fox said so, Ou Xiaoxue naturally kept it in mind and quickly agreed, saying, "I've got it. Paste door gods, right? Where's a reliable place to buy them?"
The little fox looked up at Ou Xiaoxue and replied, "Anywhere. As long as it's not those gaudy ones that are obviously fake. Things like couplets, the character 'Fu,' and door gods sold in supermarkets are all fine. If you're worried, you can specifically buy them from shops that sell incense and offerings."
Ou Xiaoxue took note and also asked about the taboos for pasting door gods, clearly taking the matter seriously.
The little fox was very pleased with Ou Xiaoxue's behavior. Her high level of trust in them was a good thing, making it easier for him to extract information and deceive her.
After this topic reached a temporary conclusion, the little fox steered the conversation back to the amulets.
"Since you have amulets, can you show me all the ones you're currently carrying?"
Ou Xiaoxue naturally had no objections. When the little fox asked to see them, she rummaged through her belongings and found a small red cloth bag. The red cloth bag was embroidered with patterns, a typical style for amulets commonly found in temples and Taoist monasteries.
As she handed the amulet to the little fox, she said, "Of course, you can see it. Here, this is the only amulet I'm carrying right now. My parents gave it to me before, so I wear it every day. This is the only one I absolutely carry, and it's not something I wear for adornment."
The little fox knew at a glance that this wasn't what he was looking for. However, to be cautious, he still took the small red cloth bag, held it for a while, and then opened it to examine the contents.
Unfortunately, not only was this not the item the little fox was supposed to help Ye Tiancheng find, but this amulet was also completely useless.
The little fox's mouth twitched. He returned the small red cloth bag to Ou Xiaoxue. Seeing the little fox's expression, Ou Xiaoxue became a little curious and hesitated before asking, "What's wrong? Is there a problem? Is it not this one?"
"Uh... it's indeed not this amulet. Keep it well, after all, it was left to you by your parents."
The little fox paused, wanting to say something but stopping himself. After a long moment, he continued, "However, there's some bad news. Your parents might have been scammed back then. That temple was unreliable, and this amulet has been useless from the start; it's completely fake."
Ou Xiaoxue didn't seem particularly disappointed when the little fox told her this. She wore this amulet not because she believed it would protect her, but because it was something her parents had given her. After all, she didn't believe in such supernatural matters before.
So, even though the little fox confirmed that the amulet was useless, it was still very important and meaningful to Ou Xiaoxue.
She still very carefully put away the small red cloth bag and wore it. "It's okay. Its greatest significance to me is that my parents gave it to me. It has nothing to do with whether it's a real amulet or not."
The little fox nodded and said nothing more, directly returning to the main topic. "What about the other amulets? Although some things look fake, they might actually be real. It's like how some things look real but are actually fake."
Ou Xiaoxue placed a finger to her lips and thought carefully. "There are too many. Lots of miscellaneous things, like pendants, necklaces, and bracelets that are said to have amulet functions. I have a whole pile of them."
"They are all at my home. I only wear them as accessories when I dress up. Normally, I don't carry them with me. In that case, would they still be effective, and could they save my life?"
The little fox replied, "It's hard to say. Some things might not be amulets, but are marketed as such, yet they can protect your life. Perhaps they have a protective range and don't need to be carried with you; that's also possible."
"Is that so? Then I can only tell you where I store those things, or perhaps I can accompany you back to find them? The villa shouldn't be as dangerous as it was before, right? It should be fine if I go with you." Ou Xiaoxue said after thinking.
The little fox refuted, "It's not like that. Because my elder brother and I cannot be certain if all the things in your villa have been completely cleared. At this time, if there are still any stragglers, it's precisely the most dangerous moment."
"Because my elder brother and I were clearing things out there before, they know that we have an irreconcilable relationship with them. Once we encounter them, we will absolutely not let them go."
"In such a situation, they are most likely to act desperately. If they risk their lives to drag you down with them, to be buried with them, what would happen then? If they are targeting you with the intention of killing you, no matter the cost, even with my elder brother and me present, we can't guarantee absolute safety."
After careful consideration, Ou Xiaoxue found his reasoning sound and did not insist further. Instead, she thought carefully about where she usually kept those items and where to find them.
The little fox listened to Ou Xiaoxue's recollections and recorded everything she said. He planned to go to the villa with Ye Tiancheng the next day to verify each item.
Of course, it wasn't just about amulets. If there were any other special items, the little fox would also ask Ou Xiaoxue to recall them thoroughly and record them together, so they could all be checked the next day.
After asking about all the circumstances, the little fox bid farewell to Ou Xiaoxue. Before the little fox left, Ou Xiaoxue also told him that if she suddenly remembered any important clues later and confirmed that she hadn't told Ye Tiancheng and the little fox, she would proactively contact them.
The little fox naturally had no objections. It was best if Ou Xiaoxue could proactively provide clues.
When the little fox returned to Ye Tiancheng, he recounted everything he had learned. Ye Tiancheng then reviewed the information the little fox had compiled and found it very useful.
If they had to have a search target, the little fox's preparations were quite comprehensive, and with Ou Xiaoxue's guidance, their search destination would be much clearer.
The only thing they worried about was that both Ye Tiancheng and the little fox sincerely hoped that the fragments of the Fuxi Qin were insignificant items in Ou Xiaoxue's home, at least not something Ou Xiaoxue would remember vividly.
Otherwise, it would take Ye Tiancheng and the little fox more effort to retrieve the Fuxi Qin.
Ye Tiancheng sighed silently, wishing that the trip the next day would be the last one.
To ensure a higher success rate, the little fox also drew a stack of talismans, mostly newly learned ones, mainly for luck transference. Talismans for luck transference, talismans for noble assistance – the more the better. He carried them all, hoping to increase their luck and ensure everything went smoothly the next day. Clearly, the little fox also greatly wished for everything to conclude quickly.
However, the most important thing for Ye Tiancheng and the little fox on this day was to conserve their energy.
For the past two days, due to their inability to find the Fuxi Qin fragments and their constant battles with malevolent spirits, they were truly exhausted. Finally having some time to rest, they would definitely rest more. Only with sufficient energy could they handle matters. In a state of fatigue, they were more prone to mistakes and missing their goals.
On this day, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox slept until the next morning. After having breakfast, Ou Xiaoxue had not fully woken up yet. Ye Tiancheng left a portion of the breakfast for Ou Xiaoxue, reminding her to eat when she woke up, and then he and the little fox set off again for Ou Xiaoxue's villa.
When Ye Tiancheng arrived at Ou Xiaoxue's villa, to be honest, he couldn't bear to see this building anymore and wished he could leave as soon as possible.
This search for the Fuxi Qin fragments was truly troublesome. Thinking about how many more fragments awaited him, and how difficult some might be to find, Ye Tiancheng felt even more troubled.
He could only hope that the experience gained from this search would be helpful for future searches for Fuxi Qin fragments, and that they wouldn't come up with new tricks every time. Ye Tiancheng would be extremely grateful for that.
Once Ye Tiancheng and the little fox entered Ou Xiaoxue's villa again, they acted separately based on the clues provided by Ou Xiaoxue. This was to improve efficiency, with each person searching a different area and then cross-referencing to avoid any oversights due to carelessness.
Ye Tiancheng also taught the little fox how to distinguish and identify the true Fuxi Qin fragments.
After learning the methods taught by Ye Tiancheng, the little fox felt confident enough to set off alone to search for clues. However, he hadn't forgotten the luck transference talismans he had drawn the previous day. He divided half of them with Ye Tiancheng before they truly parted ways, and he picked a direction to search for the fragments.
The little fox was responsible for the residential area, meaning the rooms Ou Xiaoxue frequently entered and used.
Ye Tiancheng, on the other hand, mainly searched the public areas, such as the living room where Ou Xiaoxue often moved around. He truly hoped this would be the last time and that they would find clues.