"Sir… It's old Tang here."
"You've been sleeping for a day, the phone rang several times. I saw it was getting dark, so I called you to wake you up. I'll go heat up the food."
Tang uncle's voice sounds in my ears.
The twitching of my eyelids has slightly calmed down, and my tone has become much more composed.
"Uncle Tang, I'm fine, I'll be out in a bit."
Tang Quan's footsteps are getting further away.
Getting up from the bed, I twist my suit pants and walk to the front.
There was fine, thin sweat on my forehead, and my heartbeat was still very fast.
There was a faint gray mist spreading on the suit, as if it were a thin, delicate hand trying to grab me.
My fingers, which were holding the frame of the glasses, were also covered with gray mist that looked like thin hands. These gray hands kept pulling at my skin and muscles, making me want to put on my glasses…
I could only feel a series of tingles on the back of my scalp.
I quickly put my glasses in the pocket of the suit and took out several talismans from the cabinet in the room. I quickly pasted them around the suit.
The talismans adhered tightly to the wall, and the gray mist on the suit disappeared. I took a slight breath of relief.
My eyebrows were tightly furrowed. This thing indeed needed to be handled properly and not discarded casually. Once someone picked it up, a similar incident to Zhao Kang might happen. The ghostly aura of this dead man's clothing is so heavy that it will certainly guide people to places with thick resentment. Worst-case scenario, it may even form an inferno.
This time, the glasses and the dead man's clothing are a set, which means it won't be so easy to resolve...
The mobile phone rang with a buzzing vibration.
I answered the call. Ju Ying's voice came through, asking me what was happening. She had almost called me to distraction before I answered, but why hadn't I arrived at the Imperial Temple yet?
I let out a sigh of relief and said, "No accidents were foreseen, just a little trouble. I'll be there shortly."
"A little trouble? Is it serious?" She asked nervously.
"No harm." After saying that, I ended the call.
Staring at the suit for a long time, I still felt uneasy, so I took a string of cinnabar and wrapped it around it. Then, I took out a handful of copper coins and arranged them in a circle around the lower ground beneath it.
Only after completing these arrangements did I put on all my belongings and step out of the room.
Tang Quan happened to have just heated up the food, bringing it into the main hall.
"Uncle Tang, I have something urgent to attend to and need to go out right away. Don't go into my room, please," I said solemnly to Tang Quan.
The heavy yin energy on the suit is too much for me to handle right now. I can't touch it without a flashlight. I'll have to wait until daytime.
I have to deal with the eight parrots that have followed me and the information to be handed over to my family at the Imperial Temple. I can't afford to delay this either.
Tang Quan nodded repeatedly in agreement and then called out for me to eat something before leaving, as one can't do business on an empty stomach.
So, I stepped into the main hall and picked up the chopsticks, quickly finishing my meal like a whirlwind.
Unexpectedly, I heard a faint muttering sound, as if someone was murmuring "it's over, it's over."
Tang Quan stood beside me, as if he hadn't noticed anything at all.
My eyebrows furrowed, and I put down the chopsticks.
I walked to the threshold and directly lifted up that floor tile.
A cement hole that was about 40-50 cm deep, with red string wound around the urinal, and Lao Gong's wrinkled head, covered in burns.
He had widened his big round eyes, and his mouth was still moving.
"It's over... It's over..."
The two words were repeated non-stop.
On the side, Tang Quan's expression was tense, obviously having just seen Lao Gong.
"What's over?" I asked with a furrowed brow.
Suddenly, Lao Gong staring straight at me, saying: "Man wants to kill people, ghosts want to kill people, you're going to be finished! You're going to be finished!"
My heart sank.
With a jolt, I realized the taboo.
The reason I sealed Lao Gong earlier was because he said it twice correctly. I knew that the third time, the ghost would definitely deceive me!
Why did I waver at this moment?
"Master... He's laughing... Rather hear the ghost's cries, than see the ghost's smile..."
Tang Quan's voice was trembling.
I narrowed my eyes slightly and stared fixedly at Lao Gong.
Indeed, a moment ago he had a wilted expression, but now it turned into a sinister smile.
"Come back, I will take care of you!" I closed the floor tile tightly.
"Man wants to kill people!"
"Ghost wants to kill people!"
"Over!"
"Over!"
Lao Gong's voice was shrill and piercing.
Even though I sealed the floor tile, his head suddenly popped out, laughing maliciously at me non-stop.
I drew out the mourning staff hidden in my clothes and delivered a heavy blow to the top of Lao Gong's head. With a puff, he disintegrated into gray mist.
There seemed to be some echoes in the courtyard, gradually dissipating...
"Master... Are you okay? Do you still need to go out?" Tang Quan's original composure disappeared, and he became timid and nervous.
The old saying goes that it's better to hear the ghosts cry than to see them laugh.
That's because, when ghosts cry, it means that compared to humans, they are weak and even have complaints or requests for help. But when ghosts laugh, it means that they are taking pleasure in someone else's misfortune and trouble, indicating that the person they are targeting may be in for a bad time.
This ghost, Lao Gong, is too cunning.
I have a furrowed brow. Right now, should I believe him or not?
For a moment, I didn't answer Tang Quan.
After a while, I finally composed myself.
I don't deal with Lao Gong, he can't deceive me or outwit me.
Since he said that people want to kill and ghosts want to kill, and also said I was finished, it must be true.
That means that both humans and ghosts will pose a threat to me?
I have indeed incurred the wrath of ghosts and have enemies.
I can't just stay at home and close the door and ignore everything, can I?
The saying goes, "Careful driving brings safety for a lifetime."
"Uncle Tang, I'll go first. You rest early and don't pay him any attention." I looked at the floor indifferently.
When I left the main hall, I subconsciously glanced at the east room.
However, when I looked over at the east room, I saw someone peeking through the window!
It's not... just one person, it's a suit standing empty and lifeless, as if it were a person.
But the sleeves are empty, and so is the neck area...
In an instant, I broke into a cold sweat all over and took a step forward.
But as I approached, I realized there was nothing behind the window, only the bed I slept in.
Through the glass, I could see the suit neatly hanging on the wall, and the talismans showed no change. All the other arrangements were still in place.
Closing my eyes for a moment was because of the psychological pressure, causing me to have hallucinations.
As I left the Tang family, I felt a gaze on me from the distance to my right.
I turned to look back, but saw nothing at all.
I exhaled a long breath.
I'm not sure if this is also hallucination... However, I have reminded Uncle Tang, and he is already very alert, so it should be okay.
Leaving the city village, I took a taxi, detoured, and arrived at the parking lot of the high-rise residential area where the Imperial Temple is located.
As soon as I got out of the car, I saw Ju Ying.
She stood by the side of the road, and there was another person beside her.
That was an elderly woman, at least in her 70s or 80s, whose hair was woven into a matted braid and neatly combed into one strand.
Her cheeks were thin, but her chin was slightly rounded. Her eyes were half-closed, and the flesh on either side of her face sagged.
She wore clean red cotton clothing and red cloth shoes. Usually, this would be a very festive attire for the living. But on her, it seemed exceptionally ominous.
"You finally came. If you hadn't come, I would have had to go looking for you."
The worry in Ju Ying's eyes was lessened somewhat. She was still wearing the plain white long dress from last night, without makeup, giving her a touch more softness than her usual allure.
"Let me introduce you. This is the Book Grandma, arranged by Mr. Yang."
After saying that, Ju Ying looked up at the night sky, as if searching for the trace of the parrot.
As I looked at the Book Grandma, she slightly raised her eyelids and inspected me from top to bottom, making my skin feel a bit prickly on my face.
My instinct told me she was dangerous, but I couldn't tell what sort of practitioner she was from the nine schools.
"Yes, not big in stature but quite a temper. He likes to cut people's hair just on sight. The old woman has seen some things," the Book Grandma said in a gruff voice.
