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墨書 Inktalez
The Master said, "Nature goes where it needs to go." After saying this, he hung up the phone. I had already completed my training; I could consult, but there were other unrelated things that the Master would not tell me. However, I already knew without him saying it. I learned it from Liu Bi, who came from the Underworld. But that's a story for later; I will introduce it in Liu Bi's tale.
After Second Master hung up, I was about ninety percent sure it was related to the relocation of a grave.
The next morning, as soon as I got up, I called Liu Jian. The first thing I asked him was whether his grandfather had been relocated two years ago. Liu Jian was silent for a long time before finally responding, "Why are you asking this?"
"Didn't you tell me last night that your grandfather gave you a dream saying you hadn't paid respects? Didn't you blame your grandfather for not protecting you, which is why your life has been so difficult? Now tell me, did your grandfather relocate the grave two years ago? If so, I can explain why he gave your family that dream." I spoke all at once because I felt Liu Jian was being disrespectful to his deceased grandfather, and it made me quite indignant.
Hearing my urgency, Liu Jian softened his tone and said, "What's wrong, brother? Speak slowly. What did I say last night?"
This guy had actually forgotten what he had said. After my reminder, he recalled his words—truths spoken in anger after drinking. Normally, he wouldn't have used so many curse words.
He expressed his apologies and then told me that after his grandfather's burial, the area needed to be excavated for electrical grid renovations to install poles and transformers. So they relocated the grave to another spot.
Originally, they didn't intend to disturb his grandfather's tomb, but it was very close by. The villagers said the tomb was too near the transformer and would bring bad luck to future generations. Therefore, his father's brothers found another piece of land, dug a grave hastily, and buried his grandfather again.
According to tradition, graves cannot be disturbed within three years of death due to numerous memorial rituals that need to be performed during this period. A fixed Yin House address is required. Even if they needed to move it, a ritual should have been conducted to change the location. Clearly, they hadn't invited an Onmyoji Master to oversee the relocation ritual. Thus, his grandfather wouldn't receive the Joss Paper they burned for him.
I shared what I understood with Liu Jian. He asked how I knew all this because, in his eyes, although I was mischievous, my good academic performance meant I must have been brainwashed by science. How could I know about such superstitious matters?
I replied, "Don't worry about how I know. If your family wants your grandfather to receive the Joss Paper down there, you should find an Onmyoji Master to help relocate him properly."
On the phone, Liu Jian hesitated and said if it was just a dream, then forget it; he didn't want to bother with it.
Hearing him say that made me furious. I shouted at him, "Oh, Liu Jian! You only care about living people and ignore the consequences for your grandfather! What did he say in your dream? You're running out of money and might starve! Is your grandfather no longer family just because he's passed away? Also, with such a hasty relocation of his grave, there's no way it's good feng shui! You should know about ancestral grave feng shui! Even though your misfortunes aren't directly related to your grandfather's spirit, they are connected to his remains. Poor feng shui will still bring trouble to your family! If you don't take this seriously, prepare for generations of misfortune!"
In my desperation, my words were quite severe—half warning and half scaring him. After listening to me, Liu Jian asked anxiously, "So what should we do? I don't even know any Yin Yang Masters!"
I said, "Let me introduce you to a reliable Onmyoji Master. Just have him take a look; he's from our town." Then I gave him the phone number of the Second Master. After receiving it, he agreed and said he would inform his father to handle the matter. He casually asked how much I was paying that master. To avoid making him think I was trying to drum up business for someone else, I quoted a very low price—just eighteen yuan, which was a wage from the nineties.
He happily accepted and thanked me before hanging up.
Once the call ended, I immediately called the Second Master to explain the situation. I inquired about his fee for conducting a relocation of graves. The Second Master mentioned that for wealthier families, he charged five hundred, while for those less well-off, it was three hundred. I acknowledged this and told him I was only paying Liu Jian's family eighteen yuan but would give him an extra five hundred as a reward when I returned home for the New Year. The Second Master nodded in agreement without hesitation; he understood my character well enough that pushing back would be futile.
Liu Jian was quick too; two days later, he called to say everything had been taken care of and even offered to treat me to dinner. I declined, suggesting he give a little more Joss Paper to his grandfather instead, to make up for the past two years. He eagerly agreed and thanked me before hanging up.
Putting down the phone, I couldn't help but smile wryly. Once upon a time, we were so close that we never felt the need for pleasantries. But somewhere along the line, a barrier had formed between us, growing thicker until now our relationship felt almost like that of strangers.
...
I thought this matter had passed until about a month later when I suddenly received a call from the Second Master. He informed me, "The family you asked me to help last time has contacted me again. They've run into some trouble."
I asked what had happened, and he replied, "They're experiencing hauntings. This is beyond my expertise; since you're classmates, you should handle it. They specifically asked me to recommend someone, and since your master is away on business, I suggested you. If you have time, come back."
I quickly inquired if this was related to the grave relocation issue, but the Second Master firmly denied it. He insisted it was impossible; I had chosen the new location myself and opened the grave site according to my own calculations for both the opening and burial times. There couldn't have been any issues with that. If they burned Joss Paper, their old man would definitely receive it, and this haunting had nothing to do with him.
With such certainty from the Second Master, I stopped doubting the situation. I knew his skills well; he had dealt with matters like this for most of his life and would not make mistakes. Therefore, Liu Jian's family's haunting must have other underlying causes.
After chatting with the Second Master for a while longer, we hung up.
I quickly called Liu Jian again. When he answered, his tone was calm as if nothing unusual had happened. I immediately asked, "Your family is being haunted; don't you know?"
He responded with surprise and asked what I meant. I explained that his father had spoken with the master who helped them relocate graves and confirmed that they were indeed experiencing hauntings.
He expressed astonishment at not knowing anything about it since no one in his family had mentioned it to him.
At that time, he was still working in Guangzhou. His family probably didn't mention such matters to him; it wasn't something ordinary. Even if they had told him, there would have been nothing he could do about it, so it was normal for them not to say anything.
After about ten minutes, Liu Jian called me, urgently telling me that he had asked his family, and indeed, there were disturbances at home—quite severe ones. He mentioned that they had already contacted a Taoist priest to deal with the haunting, and he was preparing to go back home to check it out.
I said, "Don't worry. I'm free during this time and was actually planning to go home as well. I'll go back with you."
He agreed, and we arranged a meeting place. After packing our things, we got ready to wait for the bus.
In our county, there were no trains, and since many people came out here to work, there were plenty of bus services available. It was convenient to go home, although it took a long time—over ten hours.
By the time we arrived home, it was already deep into the night. There were no more buses running from the town to the village, and his family didn't have a car either. I had no choice but to call my dad and ask him to come pick me up in his van. My dad was very happy to see me return and arrived shortly after. He first went to my house; by then it was already past one in the morning. My mom had started cooking as soon as my dad left to pick me up. When we got home, a steaming meal was already on the table.
Liu Jian and I hadn't eaten much all day, so after having dinner at home, I asked my dad to take us to Liu Jian's house. My mom advised me to wait until tomorrow for any matters; otherwise, I would wear myself out. I chuckled and said that it was something that needed to be done tonight. My mom knew what I did for a living; she just nodded and sighed softly, clearly worried about me.
Chapter Two is updated; good night everyone.
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