In these ten years, he had secretly placed the box containing his wife and son with the Zhang family to steal their luck.
Although he could see his wife and son every day,
Steward Li's body also underwent significant changes.
Sores grew on his body, and hospitals could not cure them.
He dared not speak of it, fearing the Zhang family would think he had a strange skin disease and fire him.
If that happened, he would have no place to steal the luck of wealthy families.
So he could only hide it carefully, spraying heavy men's cologne on himself.
But later, the sores spread to his face, forcing him to have a "human skin mask" made and use makeup to conceal it.
And for ten years, he endured the torment of his physical ailments every year.
But thinking of his wife and son, he persisted.
Yet, his wife and son, though ghosts, would suffer from headaches periodically, unable to resist the urge to absorb vital energy.
From once every few months, it escalated to once a month.
However, the Zhang family had shown them kindness, so he made sure his wife and son avoided Zhang Youguo and Zhang Chuyue when they absorbed vital energy.
As for those whose vital energy was absorbed, although they did not die,
They would become listless for a long time, lacking energy and feeling drowsy every day. Some even fell gravely ill…
Upon hearing this, Steward Li also confessed that over the past decade,
The true reason why many servants in the Zhang family fell ill without cause and were dismissed by him, the steward,
Zhang Youguo and the two black-clothed bodyguards listened with a sense of dread.
Because several people around them had inexplicably wasted away and become listless.
Now, they realized it must have been Steward Li's family absorbing vital energy…
Apart from this, Steward Li also stated that
Every year, on the tenth of July, on the eve of the Ghost Festival, he would go to a mass grave in the northern part of the city.
There, he would hand the box to the immortal Taoist priest in exchange for his promise regarding his wife and son.
Nine years had passed, and with three days left until the tenth meeting.
After hearing the entire account, I could only shake my head and sigh.
Steward Li's family's misfortune and their misguided understanding of death and reincarnation
Led them to be exploited and manipulated, resulting in their current predicament.
It also caused innocent people to have their vital energy siphoned off by his wife and son, leading to illness and suffering.
Whether one's next life is good indeed has something to do with fate and fortune.
But my master once told me that the primary factor in the quality of one's destiny is the merit one accumulates.
Borrowing life and fortune is only temporary.
It is like the Lu Yong family raising ghost children.
When borrowing fortune and wishes, one must pay a greater price with precious things.
If one committed evil in a past life, even if reborn into this life, they are merely here to repay their debts.
However, Zhang family's fortune is truly astonishing.
Even after having their luck stolen for nearly ten years, the Zhang family remains prosperous.
The Zhang family's fortune is truly substantial…
My master and Taoist Priest Tang received their answers and nodded slightly.
They exchanged a few whispered words.
Then, I heard my master speak:
"Steward Li, I understand your situation.
The illnesses you suffer from are merely due to the contamination of ghost qi.
It can be cured, and it is not difficult.
We can send your wife and son off tonight.
But in three days, you will need to take us to that mass grave to lure that person out."
Steward Li nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
He was so moved that he knelt on the spot, tears of gratitude flowing down his face:
"Thank you, thank you, Great Taoist Priest.
I am willing to be your ox or horse in the next life."
My master helped him up:
"That is not necessary. This is our duty, the profession we have chosen."
With that said, he turned to me:
"Xiao Qin, take me to see Steward Li's wife and son."
"Yes, Master!"
After speaking, I gestured for my master to continue downstairs.
Following that, our group headed directly to the garage.
As the effect of my opened eyes had already faded, upon arriving here,
We only saw two talismans suspended in the air, not touching the ground, and could not see Steward Li's wife and son.
But Steward Li, with his low fortune, ran towards them as soon as he arrived at the garage.
"Wife, Xiao Jun…"
My master raised his hand, and the two talismans attached to the two ghosts instantly detached.
In their eyes, the three were once again embracing each other.
The three embraced and whispered for a while.
Taoist Priest Tang then took out a bag with yin-yang and Bagua symbols drawn on it.
He said in front of everyone:
"Alright, let your wife and son come in!
It will soon be dark, and when it reaches ten o'clock,
We will send your wife and son off…"
Steward Li's wife and son were also shocked to learn that the grey-robed Taoist priest had been exploiting them all along.
At the same time, they were surprised to know that we were here to help them.
Especially when they learned that they would be sent off to reincarnate tonight.
They would no longer have to endure headaches or absorb vital energy, which brought them even more joy.
After saying a few words to Steward Li, they transformed into a wisp of smoke and directly entered the cloth bag in Taoist Priest Tang's hand.
The bag, which had been flat moments ago, now appeared inflated as if filled with air.
Taoist Priest Tang tied the bag securely, and then our group went back upstairs.
Steward Li, under the guard of bodyguards, went to the infirmary to have his sores treated.
After all, they were bloody and looked quite terrifying.
My master and Taoist Priest Tang, along with others, went directly to Chuyue's room.
Zhang Youguo also repeatedly inquired about Chuyue's condition and whether there were any after-effects.
After examining her, my master and Taoist Priest Tang gave a very clear answer.
"The problem is not significant!
They also said that because the Zhang family's fortune is so great, Chuyue would recover quickly.
At the same time, they explained to us about the curse of 'evil horse entwined with snake' that was cast.
They said it was a method of harming people from the Luban Classic.
Many old carpenters understood one or two aspects of it.
For instance, common things like nails on beams, paintings on door panels, and carvings of mice by the bedside,
Are all means of harming people's luck and causing them misfortune.
Although the curse applied to Chuyue was somewhat mutated,
And originated from Japan, incorporating some techniques of Japanese Onmyoji.
However, the main casting originated from our Central Plains.
It is similar to the ghost-raising techniques and sorcery from Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
These are all crooked paths that our Central Plains disdain, yet they have become rampant and highly developed in foreign lands.
But everything returns to its origin.
This 'evil horse entwined with snake' by the Japanese dog, though seemingly hidden and mysterious, harming people invisibly.
To the orthodox Xuanmen of our Central Plains, it is merely a subordinate.
Therefore, after my master learned the general content, he already knew how to break it…"