Miao Qi Miao

Chapter 988 Narrating the Past 3

Shi Jianhao took a sip of tea at this point, a flash of hatred flickering in his eyes.

I asked without any change in expression, "That gentleman who built the temple was your ancestor?"

"That's right! My grandfather," Shi Jianhao said. "A geomancer can't have a soft heart. That's what my grandfather always told me."

The massacre of Ma Ti Village actually had nothing to do with my ancestor. He just built a temple for a ghost without knowing the full story.

But those ghosts in the village wouldn't let it go! They insisted that my grandfather pay for their lives.

My grandfather was just a run-of-the-mill practitioner. He could deal with wandering spirits, but he was powerless against vengeful ghosts, especially an entire village full of them.

My grandfather pleaded with them and cursed them, making it clear: grievances have their source, debts have their debtor. They should find whoever killed them. But the ghosts in the village wouldn't listen to reason! They refused to let my grandfather leave.

In the end, my grandfather had no choice but to trick them, saying that he had to go up to the mine to take a look first. Otherwise, the people from the mine would eventually come down and cleanse the ghosts again.

The ghosts agreed. My grandfather went to the mine, only to find that everyone inside was dead and the mine had been sealed. However, he picked up a Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren's waist牌 (pai, badge) outside the cave.

Only then did my grandfather realize that the Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren had attacked Ma Ti Village.

But what could he do knowing who the murderer was?

The Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren were all experts in the mystic arts. My grandfather was no match for them!

With the people on the mountain dead, the ghosts in the village became even more unrestrained. My grandfather was forced to agree to build a temple for each of them and stay on the mountain to look after them.

Only then were the ghosts on the mountain appeased.

Shi Jianhao couldn't help but sigh. "Our family has been on that mountain for three generations!"

I lit a cigarette. "What about this Sun fellow?"

Shi Jianhao said, "He's a distant relative of our family. His family has always been in the funeral business. If he hadn't been supporting my family, we would have starved to death on the mountain long ago."

I turned to ask, "Do you still have that Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren's waist牌 (pai, badge)?"

"Wait, I'll find it for you!" Shi Jianhao took out a waist牌 (pai, badge) from the cabinet and handed it to me.

It was just a low-level Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren's token, without even the words "阴间巡抚使" (Yin Jian Xun Fu Shi, Underworld Patrol Envoy). Only a person's name was on the back of the waist牌 (pai, badge). It had long lost its spiritual power and was no different from scrap iron.

Nie Xiaochun had told me before that my and Ye Yang's starting point was relatively high. Tokens with the words "阴间巡抚使" (Yin Jian Xun Fu Shi, Underworld Patrol Envoy) must be at least fifth-grade Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren. Such tokens could summon Yin soldiers.

Any lower grade, and the token would only have the Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren's name on it.

I threw the token to Lin Zhao, "Let Xiaochun check who this person is."

Shi Jianhao asked in surprise, "You can contact the Underworld directly? What grade of Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren are you?"

"True Third Grade!" I looked at Shi Jianhao with a half-smile. "You even know about the grades of Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren?"

Shi Jianhao responded vaguely, "I heard my grandfather mention it!"

I said with a smile, "Continue with your story!"

Shi Jianhao said, "After my grandfather settled down on the mountain, our family stayed in Ma Ti Village to resolve the villagers' resentment. It wasn't until more than two years ago that something happened in Ma Ti Village again."

"A boss named Fan Fang heard a rumor from somewhere that there was an iron mine on the top of Ma Ti Village Mountain and brought people to investigate."

"Not long after, he bought the mine."

"At that time, I went to Fan Fang and told him not to touch the iron mine easily, that it wasn't a good place. But he wouldn't listen to anything I said and insisted on buying the mine at a high price."

"After Fan Fang bought the mine, I never saw him bring anyone to mine, nor did I see him repair the road. He just took people to the mine every now and then, and came down not long after. I didn't see them doing anything."

I couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you curious about what Fan Fang was doing?"

Shi Jianhao waved his hand. "I'm old, and I'm not as curious as I used to be. Besides, I knew it wasn't a good place. How could I just casually inquire about things there?"

"The last time Fan Fang came to the mine, he brought four people with him, but only Fan Fang himself came down the mountain. At that time, Fan Fang must have been frightened by something, and he ran down the mountain in a panic."

"Not long after he left, Sun Yu asked someone to come up the mountain to find me, saying that Fan Fang's corpse had too much resentment and he couldn't handle it. He told me to go down the mountain quickly to save his life."

"I went down the mountain that night and used the stone temple to suppress and take away Fan Fang's corpse."

I stared at Shi Jianhao intently. "Where did you take Fan Fang's body?"

"I threw it into the mine," Shi Jianhao said. "Master Li, you also know that there must be a reason why vengeful souls don't leave. If a practitioner can't resolve the resentment or send the soul away, it's best to send the vengeful soul to the place where he was wronged and let him wait for an opportunity there."

"I couldn't handle Fan Fang, so I could only send him to the mine."

My gaze sank slightly. "As far as I know, Fan Fang died at the three-way intersection. Why do you say his grievance is in the iron mine?"

Shi Jianhao said, "That's what Fan Fang himself said."