Chapter 26

First, let the child light the firecrackers to announce the death. Wu Zhenghua nodded and had someone go find the firecrackers. Then he walked in, waved his hand, and everyone moved aside.

Even if he didn't say anything, the relatives of Old Zhao were already trembling. Old Zhao was dead, and now his body was possessed by a malevolent spirit. Who would dare to hold him down?

The only reason everyone hadn't run away was because Old Lady Wu was still there.

After Old Zhao was released, he kept his head down, muttering to himself, and then suddenly lunged at Wu Zhenghua!

Wu Zhenghua remained calm, took a step forward, and his brows furrowed with a commanding presence. He shouted, "Go!"

Old Zhao was hit as if by something and fell backward!

"Yanggangzhengqi (positive and righteous energy)!" Someone suddenly exclaimed, and everyone around him suddenly understood, showing immense respect for Master Wu Zhenghua.

I glanced at the blood-brown tortoiseshell he was playing with and didn't think much of his move to drive away the malevolent spirit, guessing it was all thanks to this thing.

However, whether it was to draw attention or to put on a show, the malevolent spirit was indeed driven out of Old Zhao's body. Wu Zhenghua seemed to be able to see the spirit, and he extended his hand, sweeping through the air. A gust of wind mixed with white mist flew out, and the malevolent spirit immediately disappeared.

I frowned, not seeing where the white mist had gone. Could it be that Wu Zhenghua really had the powerful magic to disperse spirits with a shout and a wave of his hand?

"Alright, the ghost has been driven away." Wu Zhenghua said calmly, then looked at me with a smile that an elder might give to a junior.

I remained expressionless. No matter how strong he was, as long as he didn't bother me, it was none of my business. And if the ghost was gone without my intervention, it was a good thing for me.

"Brother Zhenghua, thanks to you. If you had used your ghost-driving skills earlier, it would have been even better." Old Lady Wu quickly thanked him, then had the relatives change Old Zhao's clothes and others go to order a coffin.

"Mom, leave these small matters to me. I'll handle them properly. You should go rest. You've been busy all day and must be tired." Zhao Zhou immediately stepped forward to take charge.

Only now did Old Lady Wu look at her second son with approval and nod. "Yes, Zhou, you must handle everything well. Your father passed away in distress, so make sure Master Wu does a good job."

"Understood, Mom." Zhao Zhou's expression was solemn, but it was clear that he was now the next head of the Zhao family. After all, Old Lady Wu hadn't instructed his elder brother Zhao Xi or his younger sister at all.

Zhao Yi had appeared outside at some point. He hadn't gone to the hospital but was bouncing around outside, directing people as if he wanted everyone to see him.

Old Lady Wu felt even more relieved. "Zhou, your son Yi is very sensible. I used to listen to those people's gossip and thought he was wild, but he seems fine to me."

"Mom, the child is a bit mischievous, but he's like me when it comes to important matters, reliable." Zhao Zhou saw an opportunity and quickly supported his mother out of the hall. As he passed by me and Zhao Qian, he glanced at Zhao Qian. "Where's your brother?"

Under the mosquito net, the relatives of the Zhao family were changing Old Zhao's clothes and cleaning his body. Zhao Qian, to avoid suspicion, stood at the door.

Her eyes were red from crying, and she sobbed, "Brother went back to the county."

"Probably to drink again. Just now, Zhao He's friend called Yi, asking him to go. It was someone's birthday, humph. Zhao Yi still knew to be filial and firmly refused, even asking your brother to come back, but he didn't want to." Zhao Zhou said coldly.

"Right, the eldest family is no good. Drinking at a time like this?" Old Lady Wu glared at Zhao Qian. She wasn't fond of Zhao Qian, and hearing that Zhao He was still drinking made her angry. "Xi! Aren't you going to call your son back? Are you letting him celebrate your father's death?"

Zhao Xi, who was directing things inside, heard his mother calling and ran out. His face turned pale when he heard what had happened. He pointed at Zhao Qian. "You! You! Why don't you call your brother back right now! How can you be so irresponsible at a time like this?!"

Zhao Qian's tears fell like rain as she nodded. I stood aside, saying nothing.

Wu Zhenghua came over and said to Old Lady Wu, "Sister, don't take it too hard about Brother Zhao. Birth, aging, illness, and death are all part of life. Now that Brother Zhao is gone, with Zhou handling things, I'm at ease. I'm here to say goodbye. I'm going back to the city tonight, as I have some matters to attend to."

"So soon? I wanted to keep you for a couple more days." Old Lady Wu said, looking at Zhao Zhou.

Zhao Zhou said in a low voice, "Mom, you don't know. If it weren't for the eldest and the third meddling, things wouldn't have turned out this way. Do you know how hard it is to invite Master Wu? When I called him yesterday, he was in Qinghai for a meeting. He flew here, and his superiors only gave him one day off. He was supposed to perform the ritual all day, but the eldest and the third messed it up. Now he has to go back to preside over your father's funeral. Do you think someone of his status would do it?"

"You're right, it's all your brother and sister's fault! Sigh, you should personally see Master Wu off to the county, and we'll find another good master." Old Lady Wu thought it made sense. Master Wu's status was too high to preside over a funeral, which would make people laugh. Keeping a master like Wu Zhenghua would be too presumptuous.

So, Zhao Zhou saw Wu Zhenghua off.

Old Lady Wu looked at the pale-faced Zhao Xi and the worried Zhao Yuan, sighed deeply, and said, "Your father is gone, and you still can't let me rest. You have to handle all the family matters. Look at what you did today. Sigh, if you two were as sensible as Zhou, it would be better. Now, quickly decide which master from the county should preside over the funeral. I'm tired."

Zhao Xi looked at Zhao Yuan, who looked back at her brother. Living in the city, she didn't understand these matters and said, "Whatever Brother says, I won't have any objections."

With one sentence, Zhao Yuan washed her hands of the matter.

"Mom, what about Master Wang Heng from the county? He's a descendant of the Wang family and should be good." Zhao Xi, as the eldest brother, had to swallow his frustration. However, the Wang family and the Zhao family had a normal relationship and were one of the four major mystical families in the county. Inviting someone from the Wang family was a good choice.

"You decide, but don't have any more problems." Old Lady Wu thought for a moment and nodded.

"Alright, I'll call him." Zhao Xi took out his phone and called his friend Wang Heng. Old Lady Wu, supported by Zhao Yuan, left.

After Zhao Xi finished his call, he turned to Zhao Qian and said, "I'll go pick up Uncle Wang Heng. Don't just stand there. Go call your brother to come and wear the mourning clothes!"

"I've already called him. He's on his way." Zhao Qian cried.

"Good-for-nothing!" Zhao Xi sighed heavily. Today, everything had gone wrong, and he had lost the position of family head to Zhao Zhou. He had also made a bad impression on his mother. Although his father had been in charge of the family, his mother had always been more decisive. Now that his father was gone, his mother's word was law.

The family's assets were also in his mother's name, and Zhao Zhou was now her favorite. His father's share of the assets would likely be transferred to Zhao Zhou, leaving him with only a small portion. This made him even more frustrated.

After three firecrackers were set off to announce the death, the relatives of the Zhao family arranged the mourning clothes and other items.

Zhao He hurriedly arrived by taxi, still shaken. Zhao Xi had gone to pick up the master, or he would have been scolded by his father.

"Brother, Grandpa has passed away, wu wu." Zhao Qian, seeing Zhao He, immediately burst into tears.

"Qian, it's all my fault. If I had known, I would have stayed." Zhao He regretted it, not knowing what else to say.

Seeing Zhao He, Zhao Qian felt weak and wanted to kneel and cry at the door. I felt sorry for her and went to support her. She wiped her nose and tears on my clothes.

"Brother Tian, what should we do?" Zhao Qian, crying, looked up at me, unsure of what to do.

"Death is irreversible. Grieve and move on. Your grandfather loved you, and he will always protect you, no matter what you say or do. Just follow the master's instructions for the funeral rituals." I could only comfort her. The death of a four-generation family elder was different from my own experience. I hadn't cried when my grandmother passed away, perhaps because I hadn't seen her body.

"Brother Tian, sigh, I'm grateful for your help today. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. I'll do my best to help. Brother Tian, you've been busy all day. Why don't you go back and rest? It's almost midnight." Zhao He sighed, holding my hand.

I smelled the alcohol on his breath, knowing he had been drinking, but he seemed relatively sober. With more and more cars arriving, I felt more at ease.

Thinking of Yu Xiaoxue, who was alone at home, I said, "Alright, things are like this now. If you need anything, just call me. I'll come back tomorrow morning."

Zhao Qian, with tears in her eyes, nodded and handed me the house and car keys.

I didn't stay long, offered incense to Old Zhao, and checked the incense before leaving. The incense was smooth, indicating that the disaster was over and good fortune would follow. It seemed that Old Zhao had been a good person, but had been possessed by a malevolent spirit. After tonight, the Zhao family would be fine.

Moreover, Wu Zhenghua and Zhao Zhou had returned to the county, so the incident on the national road that had targeted Zhao Qian wouldn't happen again.

Additionally, Old Zhao was a well-known figure in the county, and many people would stay to keep watch. With so many people, the positive energy would be strong, and no malevolent spirits would dare to come.

However, I didn't know that my departure would lead to the situation getting out of control.