I was chatting with my uncle when Wei Laosan, grinning, approached.
He politely asked me, "Daoist Master Qin, uh, uh, can you really summon my father out tonight?"
I calmly replied with an "Mm."
Wei Laosan gasped, glancing around nervously. Then, he pulled an envelope from his clothes and, right in front of my uncle, handed it to me.
"Daoist Master Qin, please accept this. Our family matters are a bit complicated. Could you directly send my father away? Don't let my eldest brother worry too much. After this is done, the three of us brothers will offer you an extra reward."
Hearing this, I inwardly chuckled. They wanted to bribe me, to keep their father's unfulfilled wishes from Wei Laoda.
I took the envelope and squeezed it. It contained at least four to five thousand in cash, and likely more. That was a considerable sum where I came from. A typical funeral team of three to four people, performing a three-day "Opening the Way" ritual, would cost only two to three thousand. The fact that Wei Laosan was shoving so much money at me, and this was just a deposit, showed how afraid he was of seeing his father again.
But I just smiled. My master taught me on my first day in this profession to have a righteous heart. Moreover, my own life depended on continuously accumulating ghost lifespan and merits to sustain it. How could I accept money like this?
I handed it back to him directly. "Take this back. I will only do what I am supposed to do. As for whether your eldest brother worries or not, I can't manage that."
Seeing that I wouldn't accept the money, Wei Laosan tried to persuade me further, "Daoist Master Qin, we can discuss it. We can add more..."
"Stop right there. If you've done anything wrong to your father, you should repent and seek forgiveness, not offer me these things. Even if I can help your father's coffin be properly sealed, if your father cannot rest easy, he will eventually return to find you." I spoke unhurriedly.
Wei Laosan looked troubled. Seeing that he couldn't convince me, he could only sigh, take the money, and turn to leave.
After Wei Laosan left, my uncle stared at me with wide eyes. "Zewa, that envelope had at least five to six thousand in it. You didn't even accept it?"
I gave a cold smile. "Some money can be accepted, some cannot. It's best to be honest. Don't be blinded by money. Otherwise, you'll go to the eighteen levels of hell after death."
As I said this, I looked into my uncle's eyes. I was actually speaking to him, as this distant relative of mine was indeed easily swayed by money. My uncle, catching my unspoken meaning, looked a bit awkward.
"Uh, uh, I understand, I understand..."
I ignored him, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and began to smoke, lost in my own thoughts.
About half an hour later, Wei Laoda returned. The items I had requested were mostly ready: tools for setting up the altar and summoning souls, yellow cloth, white rice, cinnabar, and a peach wood sword. I checked them and, finding no issues, found a table and set up a ritual altar in the small courtyard outside the mourning hall. I also used Grandpa Wei's old clothes to fashion a small cloth doll. This was the simplest soul-summoning technique taught by my master. Using the deceased's belongings, their birth date and time, along with incense, paper offerings, and a soul banner, one could generally achieve soul summoning. Moreover, this was Grandpa Wei's mourning hall, and his body was still inside, making the soul summoning even easier.
However, it was still early, and after preparing everything, it was only a little past seven in the evening. The sky had just begun to darken. So, for the remaining time, I stayed in the mourning hall, primarily to guard the coffin and keep an eye on the condensation of corpse energy. I wasn't afraid of Grandpa Wei's ghost, but I was wary of his bloated corpse. Grandpa Wei had a lingering obsession, causing his eyes and mouth to open, but he lacked malevolent energy and hadn't transformed into a fierce ghoul. Summoning his soul tonight and understanding the reason would allow him to be sent away. However, when Grandpa Wei died, he had a breath stuck in his throat, which remained trapped in his corpse. This caused his body to exhibit abnormalities. Corpse energy could condense quickly, and if he were to reanimate, it would be genuinely difficult to handle. Better safe than sorry. So, I had to keep watch...
Wei Laoda also graciously hosted me, having his family prepare plenty of food and wine. But I hadn't had much appetite since returning last night, so I only ate a little to fill my stomach.
As tomorrow was the fifteenth, the moon was already very full and bright tonight. I stood by the doorway, looking at the moon, waiting for the appointed time.
At that moment, my phone in my pocket rang. Someone had sent me a message. I took out my phone and saw it was that kid Lao Mo, asking if I wanted to play games. I sent him a voice message, saying I was in my hometown helping someone with a spiritual matter. As soon as I sent the message, Lao Mo excitedly sent a video call request. When I answered, I saw him staring at me with excitement.
"Brother Qin, you're causing trouble again?"
"Causing trouble my foot, I'm watching a mourning hall!" I replied, exasperated.
"That's interesting! Too bad I'm not there, or I would have come to keep you company."
"..."
Out of boredom, I chatted with him via video for a while and mentioned the group of yellow weasels I encountered last night. Although I only spoke briefly, he listened with surging excitement, exclaiming "Holy cow!" repeatedly, his adolescent spirit fully ignited. He complained about not being able to participate in such an event. Seeing his shocked expression made me laugh.
However, as he listened, he became more and more excited, saying he would come to my village first thing tomorrow morning to find me. I was taken aback and asked him why he wasn't celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival at home. It turned out Lao Mo was rather pitiable; his parents were busy with work. They had only returned today, had lunch, and then flew out of town in the afternoon, leaving him alone at home. He said since he had nothing to do, he would come tomorrow to hang out and asked me to take him to see the "Carefree Pavilion" of the yellow weasels. Then, the day after tomorrow, we would return to work together.
I didn't refuse and gave him directions and the address. Since I was in the mourning hall, I only chatted for about ten minutes before hanging up the video call. Afterward, I sat in the mourning hall and waited.
Eventually, my uncle rushed over and told me, "Zewa, it's ten o'clock. Everything is ready."
Hearing that the time had come, I nodded. "Alright, let's begin the ritual now!"