Chapter 7

After Xiang Li left, I felt very depressed. Originally, Ning Haoyu and I were there to help her, but in the end, I ended up losing five months' rent.

Now, only Ning Haoyu and I were left at home. When Xiang Li left, the ghost had already left her body.

In other words, the ghost was still hiding somewhere in my house. Thinking about this, I glanced at Ning Haoyu, and he also looked at me with understanding.

Before I could speak, Ning Haoyu said, "Chuyi, let's not wait at your place anymore. It's too eerie. Let's wait outside. The Taoist will call us when he arrives."

I nodded and followed Ning Haoyu out to wait.

First, we had something to eat, then we walked around the Minxin River a few times, and half a day passed.

On the way, a few fortune-tellers asked if I wanted to have my fortune told. I gave each of them a free reading, leaving them speechless.

After I finished, I felt much better. Ning Haoyu kept nagging, "Chuyi, you were so convincing just now. Tell me, what level are you at? Those fortune-tellers left with their tails between their legs."

I myself didn't know what level I was at.

According to what my grandfather used to say, the fortune-tellers in our school are divided into four ranks: Tian, Xuan, Di, and Huang. Each rank wears different fortune-telling attire. Those of the Huang rank wear light yellow attire, similar to Taoist robes.

Those of the Di rank wear golden yellow attire, also similar to Taoist robes.

The attire of the Xuan and Tian ranks is very different from Taoist robes, and the colors are also different from the Di and Huang ranks, but my grandfather didn't explain the specifics.

I was so engrossed in thought that I forgot to respond to Ning Haoyu. He nudged me and asked what I was thinking about. I casually replied, "Thinking about my grandfather..."

Before I could finish, Ning Haoyu's phone rang. He immediately made a shushing gesture and said excitedly, "It's Daoist Wang."

I nodded and gestured for him to answer quickly.

Ning Haoyu put the call on speaker and said, "Daoist Wang, have you arrived?"

Daoist Wang's voice, like a bell, replied, "Yes, but the door is locked. You're not at home, are you?"

I grabbed Ning Haoyu's phone and said, "We're on our way back. We'll be at the door soon. Please wait for us, Daoist Wang."

Daoist Wang responded with a "yes" and told us to hurry, then hung up.

Ning Haoyu and I quickly ran back.

Soon, we arrived at the closed door of my funeral parlor. At the door, we saw a man in a black casual outfit, carrying an old-fashioned brown briefcase that didn't match his clothes.

Even though he was facing away from us, I could still sense his extraordinary presence. He must be Daoist Wang.

"Daoist Wang?" I asked tentatively.

He turned and looked at me, then glanced at Ning Haoyu and nodded, saying, "Yes, which one of you is the client?"

I quickly said, "It's me, this is my place."

Daoist Wang nodded and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, I am Daoist Wang, my full name is Wang Junhui. You can just call me Daoist Wang. I've already checked around, and the ghost is in this house. It's very quiet, so it doesn't seem to be a malevolent spirit."

I shook hands with Daoist Wang and introduced myself and Ning Haoyu.

While he was speaking, I quickly examined his face. His features were well-proportioned, and except for the indication that he was an only child, all other aspects were excellent. The "Mountain Forest" marks on his forehead were radiant, like a divine light.

According to the age indicated by his face, he should be around 29 or 30. The area that shows the fortune for this age is the "Mountain Forest" marks on both sides.

In other words, Wang Junhui will have good fortune at 29 and 30.

I was so focused on examining him that I forgot to answer his question. Ning Haoyu nudged me and said, "Daoist Wang, what should we do? How long will it take to deal with the ghost?"

Wang Junhui didn't answer Ning Haoyu's question but looked at me and said, "Your ability to read people is very much like someone who understands 'face reading.' Do you know how to read faces?"

When he spoke to me, I felt a sense of authority, so I cautiously nodded and said, "I know a bit, learned from my grandfather."

Wang Junhui looked at me but didn't ask further. Instead, he suddenly turned to Ning Haoyu and said, "You asked what to do, right? First, go find the family of the ghost. You said on the phone that the desk inside was something you collected for your friend, so you should know which family it belongs to. Go and bring their family here."

Ning Haoyu looked at Daoist Wang with confusion and then at me.

I shrugged and said, "Just do it."

Ning Haoyu said, "It's almost dark. Will they come with me?"

I suddenly remembered something my grandfather once said and, inspired, said to Ning Haoyu, "Tell them what's happening here. Their ancestor is restless, which means their family tomb is not at peace. Their family's fortune has been terrible lately. Tell them that if they want to change their fortune, they must come and appease the spirit. Otherwise, they will continue to have bad luck."

Daoist Wang looked at me with a hint of surprise and said, "You know this too?"

I nodded and said I knew a bit, learned from my grandfather.

After Ning Haoyu left, Daoist Wang didn't immediately ask me to open the door. Instead, he started chatting with me at the shop entrance.

He began by asking about my grandfather, and my answers were simple: my grandfather was gone. He probably misunderstood and thought my grandfather had passed away, so he didn't ask further.

Then he asked about my skills and what I had seen from his face.

I thought for a moment and told him everything I had observed. He listened and said, "Oh, your face reading is quite accurate. My luck has been good this year. Although I've taken on many cases, they've all gone smoothly, and I've made a lot of money."

I saw that our conversation was drifting, so I asked Wang Junhui how to deal with the ghost in the house. He looked at the shop door and said, "This ghost is a typical case of unfinished business. It won't leave because its family hasn't fulfilled its wishes. Once the family is brought here and the matter is explained, the ghost will naturally dissipate once its wishes are fulfilled."

I curiously asked how he knew, and he smiled and said, "I already talked to the ghost before you came back. Although it didn't say much, based on my experience, I can guess pretty accurately."

As we talked, it gradually got dark. I asked if he wanted to eat something first, but he shook his head and said, "Let's deal with the main issue first."

Since Ning Haoyu hadn't returned, I called to催促 him. Ning Haoyu said, "It's no use, no one is home. Their neighbors don't know where they are. I've been waiting at their door for a long time. Should I go back?"

Before I could respond, Ning Haoyu added, "By the way, Chuyi, you can read fortunes, right? Can you help me figure out where the family is?"

I said irritably, "Do you think I'm a god? Without any clues, how can I figure it out..."

As I spoke, I suddenly paused, a flash of inspiration hit me, and I said to Ning Haoyu, "Wait there a bit longer. I'll cast a divination and call you back soon."

After hanging up, I immediately said to Daoist Wang, "Daoist Wang, can I see the ghost in this house? I need to use its energy to determine the location of its family."

Wang Junhui was surprised and said, "It's a ghost. Can you really use its energy to find living people?"

My grandfather had mentioned these methods. He said that when a person dies, their life doesn't end. It continues in the "corpse," "soul," or even "ghost." The life energy, whether yin or yang, is intricately connected to people, events, and objects from their life. Understanding this energy can help determine their fate.

I didn't explain this to Daoist Wang in detail, just said, "I have my methods."

Daoist Wang said, "Oh," but didn't ask further.

He seemed uninterested in all questions, always stopping just when they got interesting, as if he didn't care about the answers.

Or perhaps he also knew something about our "face reading" school?

As I was thinking about Daoist Wang, he said to me, "If you want to see the ghost in this house, it's not impossible, but you must follow my instructions. Don't scare it. This ghost is not of high rank, and if you startle it, it will run around and cause unnecessary trouble."

I nodded. Ning Haoyu and I had already scared it to the second floor, costing me five months' rent. I wouldn't scare it again this time.

Daoist Wang nodded and made a strange hand gesture, then muttered some indecipherable incantations. He then waved his finger in front of my eyes and said, "By the power of the law—open!"

I asked what he was doing, and he explained, "I'm opening your spiritual eyes. You saw it by chance yesterday, but if you don't open your spiritual eyes today, you might not see it."

I understood. This must be what my grandfather called "opening the eyes" in Taoism.

However, according to my grandfather, most Taoists need tools like talismans, holy water, or willow leaves to open someone's spiritual eyes. Those who can do it without tools are usually highly skilled in Taoism.

Thinking about my grandfather's words, I felt a deep respect for Daoist Wang. According to my grandfather, Daoist Wang Junhui must be an outstanding figure in Taoism.

Seeing that I was standing still, Daoist Wang urged me, "You'd better hurry. The spiritual eyes I opened for you will only last 15 minutes. If you don't open the door soon, the effect will wear off, and I won't open them again for you. Opening the spiritual eyes too often can damage your yang energy and cause yin cold-related illnesses."

I nodded and quickly fetched the key to open the door.