Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Mother-in-law took out her phone and called Zhang Fengyi. The call connected quickly, and she switched to speaker mode.
"Hello?" A woman's voice came from the other end.
"Is this Master Zhang? I'm encountering some strange occurrences at home and would like your help."
"What kind of strange occurrences?" Zhang Fengyi asked.
"Well..." Mother-in-law glanced at me, "it's..."
"It's okay, just tell her," I encouraged.
"Well, my in-law just passed away recently."
"But he keeps appearing at home these days, gathering souls, trying to take away his son and my daughter."
Mother-in-law spoke in one breath and then continued, "Uh, by the way, my in-law is actually quite well-known in your field. It's Wu Yuanshan; you must have heard of him, right?"
"What? Wu Yuanshan? He’s dead?" Zhang Fengyi's tone suddenly turned sharp.
"When did he die?"
Mother-in-law had intended to build rapport for easier assistance but was taken aback by the intense reaction on the other end. "Uh... he passed away a couple of days ago."
There was a sudden silence.
"Master Zhang, Master Zhang, are you still there?" Mother-in-law asked after a long pause without a response.
"Uh..." Zhang Fengyi's voice came back, sounding somewhat flustered. "Gathering souls can only be done with someone who has just died. Are you sure about this?"
"I'm certain," Mother-in-law replied firmly. "It happened the day he died, but then he came back and has been bothering us ever since."
"I see..."
"Uh, I think I’ll look for someone else instead."
"Master Zhang, you... hello? Hello?" Before Mother-in-law could say more, the call was abruptly disconnected.
"Sigh, why did she hang up before I finished? Some people are just impossible," Mother-in-law complained.
"It's okay, Mom. I'll call back home and see if we can find someone from the village," I reassured her.
I dialed Uncle Li from the village to ask if he could recommend a capable master.
"Zhang Fengyi, ah, she is the most capable person in the whole area," Uncle Li said.
I was taken aback. "Isn't she done with that?"
"Who said that? Just the day before yesterday, she was called for something in the village."
"Still, this woman can be a bit eccentric; she doesn't seem quite normal, but she does have real skills, and everyone respects her."
"By the way, I remember Zhang Fengyi even went to your family's Ancestral Grave, didn't she?"
"What? Zhang Fengyi went to my family's Ancestral Grave?" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, didn't you know? Your dad probably didn't tell you."
"When did she go?"
"Oh! That was a long time ago, at least over ten years."
"At that time, everyone in the village was talking about it. Mr. Wu is so capable himself, yet he still asked Zhang Fengyi for help. It seems she really has some skills."
Uncle Li fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Ahua, don't be too upset about your dad's situation. Everyone has their day; just take care of yourself."
"Yes, thank you, Uncle Li," I replied.
"Ahua, are you looking for someone to handle your dad's affairs? I have Zhang Fengyi's number."
I pretended to take the number and thanked Uncle Li again before hanging up.
I pondered over everything that had been said, trying to piece together some clues. Suddenly, I recalled what Uncle Li mentioned about Zhang Fengyi visiting my family's Ancestral Grave. What could she have gone there for?
It couldn't have been for tomb sweeping; she's not part of our family or a relative!
Grave robbing? That's even more absurd; our ancestors weren't nobles or wealthy merchants!
So why did she go there?
My head throbbed! No, I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. My dad's Seventh Day was approaching fast. If I didn't uncover the truth soon, his spirit might not be able to enter reincarnation.
I decided to return to my hometown to search for clues.
---
I bought a lot of things and went back, visiting every neighbor one by one before settling down in the old house.
I told Uncle Li that after Dad was cremated, we would bury his ashes in the Ancestral Grave. I came back to check on the cemetery and plan things out. Every day, I wandered around the graveyard, searching for any clues. But after two days, I hadn’t found anything.
With just two days left until Dad's Seventh Day, I worried about something happening at home, feeling increasingly anxious. The more anxious I became, the less progress I made.
One day, as I was walking toward the cemetery, a noisy pack of stray dogs suddenly passed by me. I couldn’t help but sigh; we city workers were living worse than those rural stray dogs. They roamed freely, without worries about food or drink, living more comfortably than people.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head. I slapped my thigh and exclaimed, “How foolish! I’ve been guarding a treasure without realizing it.” I was just a novice; how could I expect to find anything by searching blindly? Professional matters should be left to professionals—well, in this case, to professional dogs!
I had completely forgotten about Da Hei. I quickly called Yan Yan and asked her to bring Da Hei over. As a result, my in-laws came along too. They said they felt more at ease being near Da Hei.
Da Hei had now become our family’s canine deity; it was only a matter of time before we started worshipping him. Da Hei quickly got to work, sniffing around the cemetery. Before long, he began barking about two meters behind a mound.
I looked over and realized this spot was where offerings were made during tomb-sweeping ceremonies for the Earth God. Da Hei kept digging with his paws. Could there be something buried beneath?
I hurriedly grabbed a shovel and started digging. After about a meter down, I suddenly heard a clink as I hit something hard. When I cleared away the loose dirt and took a look at what I'd unearthed, I found a palm-sized bronze box covered in a patina of copper. Strange patterns intertwined across its surface, wrapping around the box from top to bottom.
It resembled an ancient sealing device. At the intersection of the seal, there was a delicate bronze lock. I stared at the box, feeling an odd sense of familiarity, as if I had seen it somewhere before... Then it hit me; I had seen my father use it. It was specifically designed to hold talismans.
Talismans needed to be stored in special boxes or pouches to maintain their potency over time. Otherwise, they would easily lose their magical power after a while. The truth was likely hidden within this box, and I felt a mix of excitement and anxiety.
With one swift motion, I struck the lock with a shovel, breaking it cleanly. Yet, I hesitated, unsure whether opening it would pose any danger. I needed Da Hei to check it out; sometimes, dogs were more reliable than people!
Da Hei sniffed around but showed no intense reaction, suggesting that everything was likely fine. I gently lifted the lid of the box. Nothing unexpected happened. Inside were only three items.
One was a long object wrapped in oiled paper. As I unwrapped it, I found a bundle of hair tied with red string—long enough to belong to a woman. Next was a piece of jade. Wait a minute, this jade looked all too familiar. My father had an identical piece.
I remembered wanting to play with it when I was little, but he never wanted to part with it. I was certain this wasn’t his because he had given me his jade before he passed away.
Finally, there were three yellow talismans. It seemed my judgment was correct; this box was indeed meant for storing talismans. As I picked up one and examined it closely, my heart tightened.
It was a Life-Cutting Talisman—a tool for siphoning the lifespan of the living to benefit the dead. More precisely, it allowed the deceased to extend their lives in their next reincarnation.
I picked up another one.
Transport Talisman.
Just like the Life-Extending Talisman, one extends life while the other brings wealth and blessings.
But when I picked up the third one, my face instantly darkened.
Corpse Puppet Talisman.
In the family where this Talisman is located, whenever a direct descendant dies, the magic on the Talisman automatically activates.
It binds their soul as a puppet, compelling it to seek out and hunt down other direct relatives.
The controlled cannot reincarnate; it is an extremely sinister Talisman.
I finally understood.
The mastermind behind all this was Zhang Fengyi.
She had controlled my father's soul to harm us.
My dad was probably killed by her Life-Cutting Talisman.
She intended to continue taking my fortune and lifespan to grant blessings and longevity to the owner of that hair in their next life.
The reason it had to be me and not someone else was that this kind of magic required a direct blood relative of the deceased; others would be useless.
That’s why she tampered with our family’s Ancestral Grave.
What deep-seated grudge could our family possibly have against her?
But then again, that didn’t make sense. Why did she want to harm my wife?
My wife isn’t even a direct descendant of the the Wu Family.
My mind was in chaos again.
Comment 0 Comment Count