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墨書 Inktalez
"Of course," Sister Li said as she got out of the car and walked toward the trunk. I followed her to the back, opened it, and saw several large black plastic bags inside, clearly filled with Joss Paper.
I casually pulled out a bag, opened it, and took a look. Sure enough, on top of all the Joss Paper was a small stack of Joss Paper adorned with red runes. Holding it in my hand and examining it closely, anger surged within me; this so-called expert clearly had ulterior motives.
The symbols drawn on that small stack of red Joss Paper were all too familiar to me. Some masters would hang three of them on a Soul Banner when performing rituals to summon spirits. Those were soul summoning talismans.
In simple terms, soul summoning talismans are meant to be burned along with a large amount of Joss Paper, easily blinding the Spirit Gods. Under the influence of these talismans, wandering souls would follow the person burning the Joss Paper instead of continuing on their own path.
However, this method is not absolute. For ordinary wandering souls hastily heading toward Yellow Springs Road, it holds little allure. But for those who refuse to close their eyes in death and do not wish to go to the Underworld, the attraction is immense. They would use this as an excuse to follow the person burning paper. To put it bluntly, regardless of the type of wandering soul, if they want to linger in the human realm, they must have a legitimate reason; otherwise, they would be violating Underworld regulations and face severe punishment. With a valid reason, they could remain without fear. Even if they were later captured by Yin Chai or sent back to the Underworld by a Taoist priest, they would have justification for their presence. The presence of soul summoning talismans among the Joss Paper provides just such a reason.
Thus, this expert's intentions were far from simple. When Sister Li and her companions burned paper, they did not call out any names, likely because that expert had specifically instructed them not to. Calling out names would indicate that the Joss Paper had an owner, preventing other wandering souls from partaking. Moreover, since the soul summoning talismans were placed on top, they would be burned first; no wonder I hadn’t noticed anything unusual while helping with the burning earlier.
Seeing me clutching those pieces of Joss Paper with an angry expression, Sister Li quickly asked what was wrong.
I didn’t answer her directly but instead asked, "Sister Li, what is the name of that expert your friend introduced you to?" Although Guangzhou is large, I still knew a few people in the industry. Some individuals take advantage of their knowledge of Daoist Techniques to engage in unethical practices—all for fame and profit.
Many might wonder why there are still so many people in this field who knowingly engage in wrongdoing despite knowing there will be consequences.
This question is quite easy to explain: it's all for money. Many live in the moment—enjoying today’s pleasures without thought for tomorrow—and many who have even a slight understanding of Daoist Techniques do not take Karma seriously. Some lack deep understanding while others knowingly transgress. It's like how everyone knows drug use is harmful yet many still indulge. Similarly, many understand that altering fate involves borrowing from one's luck and must repay interest—sometimes high and sometimes low—but still choose to raise little ghosts or invite Guman Children for short-term gain. They are solely focused on immediate benefits.
Clearly, the expert Sister Li mentioned falls into this category.
When Sister Li heard me ask for that expert's name, she thought for a moment before saying, "He didn't tell me his name; I only know he goes by Wang. Why? Is there something wrong with him?"
At that moment, I couldn't recall anyone by that name.
I raised the Joss Paper in my hand and nodded, saying, "Did he specifically instruct you to burn these Joss Papers with symbols first, and also remind you not to call your husband by his title while burning the Joss Paper? Your daughter shouldn't call him 'dad' either."
Sister Li looked surprised and replied, "Yes, how did you know? I told my daughter not to speak while we burn the money; I was afraid she might say something wrong."
"Well, you mentioned that this expert was introduced by a friend of yours. Does this friend have any grievances against your family?" I continued to inquire.
Upon hearing my question, Sister Li's expression darkened. "My friend has a good relationship with our family; he's the doctor who treated my husband. He's a really nice person. Xiao Liu, don't say anything reckless. Moreover, that expert is also very close friends with my doctor. They shouldn't harm us."
I shook my head and thought carefully. A sense of foreboding crept into my mind regarding the doctor. Could it be that he and the expert were in cahoots? If that were the case, it would be terrifying. Perhaps Mr. Huang's death was orchestrated by this doctor. But what could he gain from it? Mr. Huang's wealth? Or perhaps he had his eyes on Sister Li's daughter? Shaking my head vigorously, I dismissed that last thought; my mind was becoming increasingly twisted.
After discarding the third disturbing idea, I felt the first one was more plausible. If it was about money, then why would the expert want Sister Li to be haunted by a ghost? Was he planning to take advantage of her vulnerability to win her heart and seize Mr. Huang's estate? Considering how he strongly recommended conservative treatment to Mr. Huang to save costs, could it be premeditated? If Mr. Huang missed his chance for treatment and ultimately succumbed due to inaction, then this doctor would be truly terrifying.
With that thought in mind, I quickly asked, "Sister Li, tell me honestly—did that doctor ever say he liked you?"
Sister Li looked incredulous at my question and replied, "How did you know? He never explicitly said he liked me, but after my husband was diagnosed with cancer, he started being very attentive towards me. He even made some confessions because he is a good friend of my husband and is single. He helped us a lot during my husband's illness and after his passing; however, I only feel gratitude towards him—nothing more."
I nodded thoughtfully and continued asking, "Did your husband only see one hospital or multiple ones?"
Sister Li answered, "Not just one; we visited many hospitals. The diagnosis was always late-stage cancer with little time left. In the end, we decided on conservative treatment based on that doctor's advice."
I felt slightly relieved; at least this doctor hadn't let Mr. Huang die unjustly due to missed treatment opportunities. That was a small mercy amid misfortune.
Regardless of whether this doctor was the mastermind behind everything or not, my impression of him was extremely poor. According to Sister Li, this doctor was a close friend of Wang's, who had done such terrible things to Sister Li. This indicated that the doctor had poor judgment in choosing friends; like attracts like. Being close friends with someone like Wang suggested that this doctor wasn't a good person either—at least not someone who could distinguish right from wrong.
Of course, if it were some Wang trying to take advantage of this opportunity to squeeze Sister Li for some money, it would make sense. However, my intuition told me that these two were definitely in cahoots.
I glanced at Sister Li beside me, closed the trunk, and took out the compass I always carried to see if they had attracted any unwanted Wandering Souls while burning paper earlier. The compass indicated that the magnetic field around us was chaotic, suggesting that there were quite a few Wandering Souls passing by. This made it impossible for me to discern the specific situation around us.
I then pulled out the bottle of Cow Tears from the Cloth Bag and checked its remaining contents; there was very little left, and I was reluctant to use it. I could only say to Sister Li, "Sister Li, you've burned all your paper now. Are you planning to head back to Guangzhou?"
Sister Li replied, "Yes, our hometown is in Zengcheng. We originally planned to stay in Zengcheng tonight, but suddenly there's something important I need to do tomorrow, so we decided to head back to Guangzhou."
I said, "That's fine; I'm also going back to Guangzhou. You can follow my car. When I stop by the roadside, you should stop too. I suspect you've stirred up something you shouldn't have. But since we're in a cemetery, I'm not sure if it's real or not."
Sister Li thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but you follow my car; I'll find a place to park."
"That works," I replied as I walked toward my car. Sister Li was quite cautious, but that was a good thing. It was a form of self-protection, which was understandable.
The six o'clock update is here; there will be another one later tonight around ten o'clock.
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