On the way home, my mind was in turmoil. I felt as if I had overlooked something. Ever since I was tricked into going to the "Public Security Bureau," I had the feeling that invisible hands were manipulating everything.
Why did my master insist I go to Molu Village to earn money? Fortune-telling and divination don't require a specific location, and people usually prefer to seek services closer to home. It's difficult to build a reputation far away, especially for a novice Yin-Guashi like myself.
Furthermore, when my master asked me for money, he was unusually firm. I wouldn't believe he was broke even if you killed me. While he had money at home, it was merely for his hobby of counting it. He had been in the Yin-Yang business for so many years; the wealth he had accumulated was immeasurable.
Even I could earn seven million in a month. Considering my master's years in the business, the money he earned could be astronomical. Fifty million was nothing more than a drop in the ocean to him!
Most importantly, my master's tone of voice carried a sense of helplessness, as if he were trying to escape something.
Was my master being coerced?
Lost in thought, I arrived at my doorstep. I saw a dark figure standing before the entrance, holding a white candle lantern that flickered ominously, threatening to extinguish at any moment. I knew it was a visitor.
Although my master was not home, the barrier he had set up was still in place. Unless the homeowner consented, no malevolent spirits could enter. As for Bai Ling'er bringing the weasels into the house, that was for a different reason.
Bai Ling'er might have been disrespectful in her words, but it was my spirit pet nonetheless. It carried my scent, and its actions represented my will. If I hadn't brought it in earlier, it would have been impossible for it to bring a pack of weasels inside.
A person without integrity cannot stand. However, it was asking too much to go out and buy the food and drink it wanted so late at night. Fortunately, Aunt Zhang had two sheep, which I bought at a high price of two thousand yuan.
"Huh? Didn't you say your master was incredibly powerful? How did a Yin soul end up at your doorstep?" Bai Ling'er danced in front of me, its tone tinged with mockery.
I rolled my eyes at it and said irritably, "You know nothing. I have a client."
"You, handle the sheep yourself. Don't cause trouble for me."
Bai Ling'er glanced at me, then at the two sheep. Ultimately, it deemed the sheep more important, gave me a contemptuous "tsk," and coiled its body, dragging the two sheep into the yard.
"Seeking divination, fortune-telling, or to resolve doubts?"
As soon as I finished speaking, both white lanterns flickered, their candles appearing as if they could extinguish at any moment. The unique resentment of a Yin soul rose before the dark figure.
Hmph! Su Dan Novel Network
With a cold snort from Bai Ling'er, the Yin clouds were repelled, and the two nearly extinguished lanterns reignited, though they appeared somewhat dim.
This startled me. Such immense resentment! My master had performed Yin-Guas before when he was home, but this was the first time I had encountered a Yin soul whose resentment could form Yin clouds.
"I've been waiting for a month, and the lanterns have finally been lit again. I just don't know if you possess your master's abilities."
The voice was exceptionally hoarse, sounding like someone grinding sand against glass – grating and filled with an unspeakable sense of hatred.
Although his words were unpleasant, they sounded familiar to my ears, as if I had heard them somewhere before, but I couldn't recall where.
"All guests are welcome. Come inside and we'll talk..."
I stepped past it, pushed open the courtyard gate first, and then made a gesture to invite it in. This was the custom for Yin-Guashi. However, when I looked up at it, I nearly fell onto the doorstep.
Generally, the Yin souls who sought divination at my master's house would appear in their ghost forms, primarily to make themselves look pitiable and achieve their goals with minimal cost. I was accustomed to this.
But I never expected to see an "acquaintance" here. It was none other than Wang Mazi, the boss who sold frozen pork in the village.
A hook, the kind his family used for hanging pork, dangled from his chin. Blood flowed down like a waterfall, staining his chest a deep crimson. His eyes, filled with unwillingness, stared fixedly ahead, as if trying to imprint the killer's image in his mind.
"Wang... Uncle Wang..."
I never imagined that the first visitor seeking divination would be him. This was beyond my expectations.
"Um, Uncle Wang... please retract your ghost form. We're neighbors, and we know each other. No need to put on a show for me..." I composed myself and said in a deep voice.
If a Yin-Guashi were to be scared out of his wits by a Yin soul, I would lose all face if word got out.
Upon hearing my words, Wang Mazi retracted his ghost form, reverting to his usual honest and simple appearance.
Entering the courtyard, Bai Ling'er was already roasting the sheep. I didn't know where it found charcoal, and what was even more infuriating was that the weasels I had chased away were now helping to turn the meat. It had completely disregarded my words.
I led Wang Mazi to the meditation hall where my master received Yin entities, and we sat opposite each other.
"Uncle Wang... would you like a cup of Yin tea?"
Although Yin-Guas were sought by Yin entities, Wang Mazi was a fellow villager, so I politely offered. To my surprise, he didn't stand on ceremony and nodded, saying thank you.
"Uncle Wang... your family's situation..."
Before I could finish speaking, Wang Mazi once again revealed his ghost form, and an endless wave of resentment surged from him like dark clouds...
"Hmph!"
Wang Mazi's ghostly aura appeared and vanished quickly. It wasn't that he didn't want to vent his resentment, but rather because the meditation hall set up by my master had its own rules. If the visiting Yin souls spoke politely, everything would be fine. However, if they resorted to violence, the outcome would be annihilation.
The ancestral masters enshrined in the meditation hall were not merely for decoration. This was why I brought him into the meditation hall. Primarily, I lacked my master's strength, and Wang Mazi's resentment was heavier than that of ordinary Yin souls. Not wanting to harm him, I could only bring him into the meditation hall to suppress him with the ancestral masters.
Under the divine radiance of the ancestral masters, Wang Mazi felt as if struck by lightning. The cloud-like resentment dissipated, and even his ghostly form became somewhat faint.
"Uncle Wang, take your time to speak. Once you're in the meditation hall, please refrain from using your ghost form."
*Thump—*
Wang Mazi suddenly knelt before me, repeatedly kowtowing. He kept saying, "Qingyun, you must avenge Uncle Wang. Your Aunt Wang and your two younger sisters died tragically!"
Wang Mazi had returned to his honest demeanor, tears streaming down his face, only to dissipate into mist when they hit the ground.
"Uncle Wang, take your time to speak..."
After I helped Wang Mazi up, he took a sip of Yin tea, and his agitated emotions subsided slightly.
"What exactly happened? Why did you all..." I didn't finish my sentence, fearing it might stir up Wang Mazi's resentment again.
Wang Mazi glanced at the Yin-Guashi ancestral masters enshrined in the meditation hall and sighed.
"My family died so unjustly..."
As Wang Mazi slowly recounted the events, I learned what had happened. However, the story was quite chilling...