After a small interlude occurred.
Chen Yun, Zhang Qian, and Li Si arrived at a mansion accompanied by Lin Chen.
After the doorman announced, the four were welcomed inside.
The mansion, extensive in area, was well-arranged and orderly.
Pavilions, terraces, towers, and buildings with upturned eaves and green tiles interlock and crisscross, winding and spiraling.
Chen Yun experienced an ancient mansion for the first time and constantly admired it during his stroll.
He, along with Lin Chen and others, followed the doorman through the second gate's small passage, up the handrail corridor, and his eyes suddenly opened up. Every corner was adorned with carved beams and painted eaves, vying in beauty. Additionally, canals meandered under the corridors, flowing into a small pond surrounded by strange stones from the depths of flowering trees and shrubs. It was as if a fairyland.
Subsequently, the doorman respectfully welcomed the four into the guest hall.
Two or three servant girls brought up pastries and served good tea, demonstrating great manners.
Chen Yun never spoke a word.
Li Si, on the other hand, was unusually talkative, asking questions left and right, "Brother Lin, what kind of ghost are we going to face this time?"
Lin Chen shook his head and said, "Master Wu did not tell me. I will ask him when he arrives."
The term "gentleman" generally refers to a rural scholar.
"Sshen" refers to a sash worn by scholars and officials around their waists.
The term "sshen" originally referred to someone who wore a sash, which was a common accessory among scholars and officials. This led to the term being used more broadly to refer to these individuals.
Later, as the term evolved, it came to refer to influential, well-placed, and respected individuals in a particular region.
From the title, Chen Yun could tell that the Mr. Wu, who invited Lin Chen to exorcise the ghost, held some status in Xigou City.
About half a cup of tea had passed.
Two sets of footsteps sounded outside the door.
Following that, two elderly men entered.
The elderly man in front was dressed in a gorgeous robe, with a gentle appearance, reminiscent of a scholar.
The other elderly man was also dressed in fine clothing, yet he kept his eyes lowered and had a demeanor more like that of a servant.
Lin Chen stood up immediately upon seeing the two men enter and nodded with a bow, saying, "Greetings, Mr. Wu."
Chen Yun, Zhang Qian, and Li Si also stood up.
The elderly man in front was none other than Mr. Wu.
He smiled warmly and returned the bow, "Mr. Lin, it's polite of you."
Both sides introduced themselves to each other.
Chen Yun only then found out that the elderly man following Mr. Wu was the household manager of the Wu family, known as Fang Guan Shi.
Although Fang Guan Shi was a lowly servant, having grown up with Mr. Wu, he held a high position in the Wu family.
After everyone had introduced themselves, they sat down.
Only Fang Guan Shi stood behind Mr. Wu's chair on the left side.
Mr. Wu first thanked Lin Chen for bringing his fellow brothers and sisters to exorcise the ghost, followed by expressing his profound respect for the three "immortals": Zhongli Quan, Zheng Wen Shu, and Wang Lao Zhi.
Chen Yun could guess that, Lin Chen had been using the reputation of Ningyang Cave and its transmission hall to take private jobs outside, which was why he was able to associate with nobility.
The conversation probably went on for about five minutes.
Finally, Mr. Wu got to the point, "Mr. Lin, if you and your immortal masters can help me expel the ghost from my villa in the western city, I will offer ten ounces of gold as a token of my gratitude."
Lin Chen didn't immediately agree and instead said, "Mr. Wu, could you first tell us and our brothers about the condition of the villa? That way, we can make a decision."
Chen Yun was also curious about what the ghost activity was like and listened intently when Lin Chen inquired.
Zhang Qian and Li Si were equally attentive.
Upon mentioning this, Mr. Wu furrowed his brow and sighed while putting down the green celadon teacup, "Alas, my family misfortune. The villa was originally my second son's dwelling. He had been sickly since childhood and that particular disease was easily transmitted to others. Therefore, I spent a lot of money to buy a piece of land and built him a small villa."
Chen Yun and Lin Chen and the others listened attentively.
Mr. Wu continued, "As you all know, the establishment and worship of any shrine must be approved by the emperor of the ruling dynasty, otherwise it will be considered as an evil spirit. When I bought that piece of land, someone once told me that it used to be a shrine for an evil spirit. After violating the laws of the court, it was burned to ashes by the officials."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yun felt puzzled.
He knew that monks and Taoists were under the jurisdiction of the court in ancient times.
For example, during the Ming Dynasty, the institutions that managed monks and Taoists were called the Monastic Council and the Taoist Canon Office respectively.
In cases where monks or Taoists had disputes with ordinary people, not only the local government but also the officials of the Monastic Council or the Taoist Canon Office would be involved in the case.
But about who establishes a shrine in the folk belief, Chen Yun has never heard that it requires the emperor's personal consent.
Let alone that this is the Qin state, and yet it requires the approval of the Tang Dynasty emperor?
Although he was somewhat confused about the situation, the important thing now was to drive away the ghost, so he didn't dwell on it and continued listening.
Mr. Wu was still chattering, "One year ago, my second son died of illness at a young age. I missed him very much, so I would occasionally stay at the villa for one or two days. At first, there was no big deal going on. However, six months ago, I suddenly heard faint crying sounds of a man in the middle of the night. The sounds were coming from the room where my second son used to live when he was alive. I sent someone to investigate and they came back saying that they saw my second son sitting on the bedside crying."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yun couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
According to Mr. Wu's account, his second son had passed away a year ago but appeared in the room half a year later?
On the contrary, Lin Chen, Zhang Qian, and Li Si didn't seem to take it seriously at all and were instead avidly listening.
Mr. Wu continued, "I went to investigate as well, but unfortunately, I didn't see my second son. Initially, I thought the servants had seen a mirage, but who would have thought that three months ago..."
Lin Chen asked follow-up questions, "What happened three months ago?"
The Fang Guan Shi, who had been silent behind Mr. Wu, spoke up and continued the story, "Three months ago, the master wanted to stay at the villa, so I and some of the servants went to prepare his belongings. I and some of the servants went to set things up in the evening, but as soon as we opened the door, we saw many deceased servant men from my Wu family. These servants and my second son were enjoying themselves as if they were alive. At that moment, I and all of my fellow servants were scared out of our wits. What was even stranger was that they disappeared during the day."
Chen Yun heard some key information and asked, "Six months ago, it was only about your second son, but three months ago, there were so many deceased servants in the room?"
Fang Guan Shi nodded in agreement, "Yes."
Chen Yun felt surprised. Initially, there was only one ghost of Mr. Wu's second son, but later on, there were numerous ghosts. Could it be that the number of ghosts was constantly increasing? Or perhaps the malevolent ghost's ability to create illusions was improving?
He decided to ask about it thoroughly.
He didn't expect Lin Chen to interrupt directly and confidently say, "I have a hunch about what kind of ghost it is. As I previously judged, it should be a malevolent ghost."
Mr. Wu hurriedly asked, "Mr. Lin, are you sure you can exorcise the ghost?"
Lin Chen calmly took out a yellow talisman from the small bag hanging at his waist, held it between his fingers, and smiled slightly, "I have the Zhong Kui talisman. If that malevolent ghost dares to appear, I can dispel it with the talisman. Alright, Mr. Wu, please have someone guide me and my fellow brothers and sisters there. I will exorcise the ghost for you tonight."
Mr. Wu was overjoyed and stood up to bow respectfully, "Thank you, Mr. Lin, and thank you and your immortal masters for your great help."
Chen Yun felt that Lin Chen was being reckless. Although he didn't know exactly what special functions the Zhong Kui talisman had, it was no small matter to face a malevolent ghost. Shouldn't they ask more questions before proceeding?
