Chapter 23

Zhao Yuan was confused. She had just asked a simple question, but why was the monk Jishi now blushing and glaring at her? "You said you could handle it, so why are you being so polite with me?"

The monk's demeanor made Zhao Yuan seem like a wild and unruly villager, and Zhao Qian was laughing uncontrollably, her beauty radiating.

Yu Xiaoxue didn't understand what was going on, but she was just there for the spectacle.

"Then, let's start with the third daughter," the old lady of the Zhao family coughed, realizing that she had been influenced by her third daughter to use crude language.

Back in the day, the third daughter was so headstrong that she dropped out of high school to follow a man involved in the underworld. This caused the Zhao family to almost sever ties with her several times. However, life is full of surprises, and her husband, by chance, managed to build a successful business over a decade, which left the Zhao family amazed. This also led to Zhao Yuan's current arrogance and domineering attitude, always believing that money could solve everything and showing little affection for her family, only boasting and giving orders.

"Mom, you really know your stuff," Zhao Yuan said, suddenly feeling very happy.

"Then, Zhao Xi and Zhao Zhou, you two brothers take the other masters to the estate to rest, and then each bring your children to the old man's house," the old lady of the Zhao family said, preparing to be pushed to the accommodation.

Zhao Yuan quickly ran over to take the wheelchair and started chatting with the old lady, while the monks followed them.

Zhao Xi's pale face turned angry. He had never had a good impression of his third sister, who had been incorrigible since her youth. He coldly snorted and led a few Taoist masters to rest.

After all, the masters were in competition, and you couldn't openly watch or comment on their rituals. Only close friends and family could observe.

The Zhao family's estate was fully equipped with standard facilities like a chess room and a gym. Most of the guests, seeing the host's instructions, didn't follow, as the rituals had been going on for days and they were already tired of it. Many went to gamble or play mahjong, while others went to their rooms to rest.

Since Yu Xiaoxue and I were friends, we followed Zhao Qian and Zhao Xi's group, along with over thirty relatives and friends, to the old man's residence.

Although Zhao Xi didn't understand why Yu Xiaoxue and I were there, since we were Zhao Qian's friends, he didn't say anything. After all, this daughter was more sensible than his son, who spent his days drinking and fighting with his friends.

The old man's residence was quite luxurious, with furniture made of Vietnamese rosewood and carefully arranged decorations. There were also many small potted plants. As soon as we entered, a fresh and invigorating atmosphere greeted us.

"Good feng shui," I could feel the power of it. For such a feng shui layout to still attract ghosts was indeed terrifying.

Zhao Qian nodded and smiled at me.

The dozen or so monks seemed very experienced. They set up the altar, lit incense, and prepared various ritual items, including cushions, wooden fish, and all the necessary tools.

After everything was ready, it was already past noon. The monks didn't seem hungry and continued to strike the wooden fish and chant.

I asked Zhao Qian if she understood the chants. She frowned and said it was something called the "Lingyan Mantra," which was said to spread merit. When chanted, it would attract the direct and indirect victims of the old man's past misdeeds to claim their share of merit, thus resolving the matter.

After hearing this, I felt that the hundred thousand or so spent wasn't wasted, as these monks seemed to have some skills.

"Who can be a monk without strong willpower?" After two hours, nothing had happened, and Yu Xiaoxue had fallen asleep next to me.

"It seems nothing will happen soon. I can't tell what they're doing. Let's go eat first," I said with a bitter smile. I didn't understand what the monks were doing. If it were Taoist rituals, I might have understood a bit from my grandmother's books, but I had no clue about the monks' rituals.

Moreover, it was still early, and either the monks were just warming up, or their skills weren't strong enough to raise the negative energy and attract the vengeful spirits.

We were sitting on the cushions behind Zhao Xi. When I spoke, he looked over with a stern gaze, seemingly displeased, though not too obviously. However, when he looked at Zhao Qian, his eyes clearly showed blame, as if to say, "What kind of friends did you bring?"

Zhao Qian was embarrassed and was about to say something to make amends when I spoke up: "Uncle Zhao, I don't understand much, so I'll go out first. If you're hungry, I can bring you some vegetarian food with Zhao Qian."

Zhao Xi's forehead immediately turned red, but he was polite and said, "Thank you, but I'm not hungry. If you're hungry, go eat."

Zhao Qian understood her father's character. He hated it when people didn't persist or didn't do things properly. This time, she hadn't brought Zhou Xian, and the friends she brought were already backing out, which probably lowered his opinion of her.

"Brother Tian, shall we sit a bit longer?" Zhao Qian was trying to mend the relationship between me and her father.

But her brother Zhao He wasn't happy. He whispered, "Brother Tian said he's leaving. What are you waiting for? You're into Taoism, so why listen to the monks' nonsense? Let's go."

Zhao He thought I was more capable than the masters. Since I had spoken, it was silly for his sister to say otherwise.

Zhao Xi got angry and whispered, "Zhao He! Whether you listen or not, don't drag your sister along. Get out!"

Zhao He frowned, thinking, "You can hear that?" But his father had that temper, so he had no choice but to stand up.

"Brother Tian, let's go. If the monks and Taoists fail, we'll come back," Zhao He said, not wanting to argue with Zhao Xi. He thought if the monks and Taoists failed, he could come back with me to clean up the mess.

Zhao Xi, not understanding the situation, thought Zhao He was trying to oppose him and wait for the monks and Taoists to fail before coming back to watch. He stood up, almost slapping Zhao He if there weren't so many people around.

Zhao He was scared and quickly ran out of the hall.

I knew Zhao Xi's attitude and left with Yu Xiaoxue, smiling bitterly. Zhao Qian, seeing me leave, stood up, and Zhao Xi's face turned black, his fingers trembling with anger. His expression clearly showed, "I thought you, Zhao Qian, understood, but you're just the same!"

Zhao Qian felt wronged, regretting coming and leaving a bad impression on her father.

But she believed I had the skills and thought it was better to build a relationship with me than to listen to the monks' chants.

We went to eat, and Zhao He drank half a bottle of Jinliufu with me. Zhao Qian, however, ate only a few bites and looked sad.

Seeing Zhao Qian unhappy, I decided to go sightseeing nearby. Zhao He immediately agreed and led us to the famous Liancheng Mountain.

Liancheng Mountain was a fort built by the Qing army during the resistance against French colonialism. It was high and deep, with beautiful scenery. From the top, you could see the rivers winding around, and the feng shui was excellent.

Zhao Qian said this place was a feng shui treasure, but she frowned and looked at an open area.

I looked in the same direction and felt a heavy and eerie aura gathering there, so I asked why it was so negative.

Zhao Qian explained that this place had been used as an execution ground since the founding of the country, through various conflicts and purges, resulting in countless wrongful deaths. This had damaged the feng shui, and at night, people dared not approach.

I immediately remembered this information.

By the time we came down the mountain, it had been three or four hours, and it was getting dark. Yu Xiaoxue was tired and didn't want to go back to the estate, finding it boring.

When Zhao He heard Yu Xiaoxue wanted to go home, he immediately pretended to be very tired. He had woken up early and his close friends had called him to drink. Plus, he was afraid of his father, so he found an excuse to leave.

Zhao Qian and I had no choice but to drive back to the city. We dropped Zhao He off at the Ronghe Bar in the county and took Yu Xiaoxue back to her neighborhood.

Since I had promised Zhao Qian, I had no reason not to return to the estate. She was genuinely concerned about her grandfather, so we both decided to go back.

On the way back, I couldn't drive after drinking, and Zhao Qian, feeling down, drove silently. Given her driving skills, talking to her would just make things worse, so we wasted our time together.

The little ghost, however, was very excited. She was a little girl, about seven or eight years old, who had been in the soul jar all day. She was now excitedly hugging my neck and chattering nonstop.

I didn't understand ghost language and couldn't make out what she was saying, only feeling itchy and scared.

Zhao Qian, seeing the little ghost, felt tense and didn't speak, focusing on driving. This made it even harder for us to talk.

When we arrived at the estate, I called the little ghost back into the soul jar. Most of the cars in the parking lot were gone, leaving only a few, probably belonging to close relatives and the masters.

There were only a few tables left at the banquet. Zhao Yi was drinking with two drivers, and they were probably staying the night.

Seeing us return together without Yu Xiaoxue and Zhao He, Zhao Yi just gave us a cold look and continued drinking.

The estate was almost empty, and I felt the negative energy was much stronger. However, looking at the main hall, nothing seemed to have changed. The monks were still there, chanting and performing the ritual.

I told Zhao Qian to wait and went to the kitchen. I found a plate of intact sweet and sour ribs and dry-fried fish and prepared to take them to Zhao Qian.

As I picked up the plate, I suddenly saw Zhao Yi walk in with a dark face, staring at me. My heart skipped a beat. Was he drunk and looking for a fight?

Zhao Yi was reeking of alcohol and, without a word, picked up a sharp knife from the kitchen, staring at me with a strange smile.

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