I paused for a moment, my fists clenched tight as a rock!
"Old man... You're saying... I can... " I said tremblingly.
"It's me... Time is running out..."
"Old Qin's words felt like a bowl of ice water that plunged me to the bone!"
"Bullshit! You say pessimistic things every day, and you haven't yet brought Mrs. Liu home. I'm taking you to the hospital!" I was about to lift Old Qin on my back.
He coughed violently, his throat sounding like a windbox, and his face turned even more pale.
I froze in my actions, my lips trembling slightly.
Over the years, I have dug many graves and handled numerous corpses.
Old Qin's appearance and that of a fresh corpse have no difference whatsoever!
"Hehe... I won't go to the hospital today. The sky is clear, and I still need to say a few words to you." Old Qin stopped coughing.
I feel very upset, and I want to cry.
"A man bleeds, but he doesn't cry." Old Qin's tone carried a slight weight.
I bowed my head and knelt in front of him.
Old Qin's hand landed on my head.
A heavy sense of covering, just like in the past.
He whispered in a low voice, "There are some things I haven't said too clearly." "The day you were deprived of your destiny, happened to be a great triple defeat on the year of Jia Zi. On this day, ghosts are out and the earth energy carried the plague of Jia Zi. Your viscera was pierced thoroughly and absorbed enough plague. I said you looked like a plague god, actually it was more than that. That day happened to be your birthday, you became a plague god's fate! This kind of fate is detested by both humans and ghosts, if seen will be killed. I used every means possible to cover up your destiny number, you could only survive by cheating."
"The method to break the curse is with the Xu family. After I die, no one will protect you, you must immediately leave the village and find them! Otherwise, something bad will happen!"
"Years ago, your parents saved the Xu family, and the Xu family insisted on a match in gratitude. After your parents agreed, they offered a great dowry! The girl from the Xu family had a good bazi. After you shared a bed with her, borrowing her yin essence, you could regenerate a sliver of yang spirit. By then, you could learn divination skills. When your destiny grows strong, you will be able to reclaim everything of yours!"
"This information is too much."
After a brief confusion, my thoughts were turbulent!
Old Qin mocked himself, "Do you know why I don't let you call me master?"
"Yes, as a diviner and someone who teaches disciples, it's a ninth-tier technique that has nothing to do with being called a master. Why should he be called one?"
"One day, when you inherit my robe, you can offer sacrifices at my grave and call me a master."
I felt even more upset, about to explain that it wasn't like that.
Old Qin, however, changed the subject abruptly, his tone suddenly serious!
"But if the Xu family regretted their engagement, you would no longer have a chance to return to your life number!"
"Double happiness does not arrive, and misfortune does not come alone! You will still have concerns about your life!"
"I prepared two methods for you. Open them and take a look."
Old Qin handed me a bundle.
I felt a chill in my heart and opened the bundle.
There was a wedding certificate envelope, a book, and two small packages inside.
I opened the small packages.
What lay inside was a delicate finger, smooth and lustrous as jade, with long, slender nails.
This finger must be from a woman, and she must be a very beautiful woman!
The other item was a slightly worn-out embroidered shoe.
"When in danger, bite this finger or wear the embroidered shoe, and you will be able to escape."
"It's best to change your place and live incognito before facing danger." Old Qin's voice became a faint murmur: "You child, having lost your destiny and the spirit-eye that accompanies you, it's hard to distinguish between humans, gods, spirits, and ghosts."
"I will die, but I won't be able to close my eyes!"
Old Qin's voice suddenly grew louder!
It was filled with sadness, anger, and an unwillingness to accept.
Then, everything returned to peace.
The rustling sound was the gentle whisper of the wind to the paper doll, the sound of falling leaves in the courtyard.
The night sky was filled with twinkling stars, and the moonlight was cold and pale.
Old Qin's eyes were wide open, protruding, and his mouth slightly open, showing his yellowed teeth under his lip. His skin was tanned with a hint of yellow.
He had been dead for a long time!
My tears couldn't hold back, and I sobbed uncontrollably!
The cries were too loud, drawing the attention of many villagers who peeked in. After glancing, they hurriedly ran away.
I cried for half the night before carrying the coffin to the front yard.
I washed Old Qin's body and changed him into another new set of funeral clothing.
Old Qin wanted to reduce my trouble by dressing himself in the funeral clothes.
But he was still a fortune teller; it wasn't professional!
After someone dies, the large orifices on their body lose control, causing urine and feces to flow everywhere. Nothing you wear before death can make a difference except paper diapers.
I meticulously shaved his head and dressed him properly.
When he was placed in the coffin, his face looked lifelike, as if he were merely sleeping.
"Old man, you never let me use my skills before, so it seems you got to enjoy the full set today first."
"However, I won't let you down. In just a while, I will come to worship you and fulfill your wishes."
I murmured softly to myself as I closed the coffin lid.
Old Qin's face gradually disappeared into the gap, descending into darkness.
The lid of the coffin shook violently once, and it was completely closed!
By the time we had set up the mourning hall, lit incense, burned paper, and everything else was done, it was almost noon.
I went to the village entrance first and found Mrs. Liu.
Mrs. Liu is around forty, still retaining her charm.
She likes to sing opera and twirl the ribbon dance under the old plane tree in the center of the village, which is one level higher than the square dance.
Old Qin had quite a refined taste in women, often saying that Mrs. Liu was just right, with her ample hips swaying beautifully!
I gave Mrs. Liu five thousand yuan and asked her to gather nine young women to come and perform a ribbon dance for Old Qin in the evening, to see him off on his final journey.
Originally, I was going to find a cook to make white rice mats for the ceremony, but as I thought about it, Old Qin had no relatives and he didn't like crowds, so I gave up on it.
As I walked back home, my thoughts were a mess.
Old Qin said I should immediately go to the Xu family, but I definitely had to finish the funeral rites before I could leave.
Moreover, he had taken away a secret!
When my parents retired from their business that night, my mother was horribly skinned alive, and my father disappeared without a trace. Up to this day, neither of them has been seen or found dead.
These years, I've asked Old Qin more than once.
He always avoided the topic and told me not to mention it.
I must reclaim my life.
However, I have to find out the truth about my parents' death!
I suddenly lifted my head while walking.
Several meters away, my house door was wide open.
I am sure I locked the door when I left!
I could vaguely see several people, surrounding the coffin of Old Qin and muttering to each other.
My heart sank, and I quickened my pace significantly.
The clamor of their voices entered my ears.
The shouting voice echoed in my ears. "A thousand years for a turtle, ten thousand years for a tortoise; the old wretch is finally dead, I've been waiting too long!"
"Hurry up, let them find an axe. You're moving too slowly!"
"What kind of broken coffin is this? Without nails, it's so tightly sealed?"
"Hurry up and cut the body to pieces. I still want to have my way with that woman. Damn it, they dared to stop me; I've been holding this anger for years!"
I took a decisive step into the courtyard.
The mourning hall was in disarray, with scattered candles and paper money all over the ground.
Several doors of my house were opened, with a mess all around, and some people were rummaging inside.
A muscular man in his thirties stood in front of Old Qin's coffin, his temples bulging high, with a fierce expression!
I recognize this man, Wang Binian.
Three years ago, he wanted to be with Mrs. Liu and would charm her with words every day.
Old Qin gave Mrs. Liu a divination, saying that if she were to be with Wang Binian, she would be scammed for both money and her person, losing her entire fortune.
After Mrs. Liu checked, she found that Wang Binian was skilled in drinking, gambling, prostitution, and everything else. She immediately gave up on him.
Ever since that day, this scoundrel has held a grudge against Old Qin.
He would often come to my house without any real reason.
But Old Qin was a fortune teller, so he dared not really cause any trouble.
In a moment of thought, I felt blood rushing to my head.
Especially the several large footprints on the coffin, they made me want to kill!
"Oh, has the sick person returned?"
"Give me a hatchet from your house!" Wang Binian shouted at me.
That's why he thought I was a sickly person.
It was because, many years ago, when Old Qin saved me, my body was too weak to even walk steadily, frail and fragile.
After years of late-night activities, my face turned very pale. For a rural area, it really looked like I was a sickly person.
The people rummaging through my house came out.
Several people by the coffin were also mocking me with ridicule.
A girl was curled up on the ground to my right, her patched cloth clothing covered with footprints, looking very disheveled with a dirty and pale face.
She is the village's watchman, called Yu Xiu.
Whoever has a red or white event, the village watchman arrives the fastest, not afraid of dirt or fatigue, and can help a lot.
It seems that Wang Binian destroyed the mourning hall, and Yu Xiu tried to stop him, which is why she was beaten.
Are you deaf? I'm asking you where the axe is? Wang Binian shouted.
Wang Binian walked up to me, poking his finger heavily into my chest, cursing: "Hurry up and take it out. I want to break this old thing. If you're not smart, I'll bury you! Do you believe it?"
