"Master, open and take a look," Tang Quan whispered.
I immediately opened the lid of the wooden box, and although the sensation was ice-cold, my pupils contracted all at once.
It was full to the brim with gold jewelry, necklaces, rings, bracelets. Roughly estimated, there were at least several tens of pounds in weight!
I had previously inferred that the old man went crazy because he had seen a ghost, and the gold and money were also lost because of a poor ghost.
Lao Gong, he also mentioned that the gold was under a peach tree.
But I really didn't expect there to be so much!
This poor ghost, plus the sick ghost, are hollowing out this city village more and more...
"Poor ghosts steal money because all their inheritances have been divided among the people here, even their houses have been leveled. For Lao Gong, this is compensation he earned. We cannot go to every household to return it. Once we mention the gold is here, all kinds of strange creatures will come, causing us great trouble."
I paused for a moment before saying, "All of these gold pieces, you keep them, in case of emergencies. Additionally, if anyone in the city village is in urgent need of money for medical treatment, you should donate some."
Tang Quan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his eyes shining with delight.
"By the way, take out ten percent of it and give it to that woman. Money can make even ghosts work. From her talking to Lao Gong before, it seems she's a sick ghost working for Lao Gong, getting paid according to the time. Although she's not a good person, money can silence her."
Tang Quan said seriously, "I understand the master."
I grunted, and then, overwhelmed by sleepiness, I yawned halfway, even though I quickly covered my mouth.
Tang Quan urgently said, "You should rest quickly. You've been traveling all night, and he will go do some things now."
After speaking, Tang Quan added another incense stick to Tang Qianqian and began distributing the gold jewelry.
I didn't immediately return to the room. Looking at Tang Qianqian's portrait, my heart was unusually complicated.
Since the decline of the Lu family and Tang Quan's leg injury, hardship has been overshadowing their whole family. Even now, Tang Qianqian is unable to properly go for reincarnation.
I stood for a long time.
Tang Quan put away the wooden box and then went out with a small bundle.
The darkest period has passed, and the sky is starting to brighten. Chickens are crowing one after another.
Only then did I shift my gaze to the tiles beneath the inner threshold.
I had previously instructed Tang Quan that if Lao Gong were to pop out, he should not believe anything he says.
Tang Quan didn't mention anything, it seems that Lao Gong didn't come out. Now that the sky is brightening, the yang is ascending and the yin is entering the ground, making it difficult to see ghosts during the day. I cannot ask any questions.
I went back to the east room, placing the ashes and soil I brought from the City God Temple at the foot of my bed, and only after removing all my clothes did I lie down on the bed.
Sleepiness surged even more quickly, and my consciousness soon plunged into darkness. I fell into a deep sleep.
Just then, this sleep was very uneasy, and I had a lot of dreams.
It was first about dragging my luggage and walking along the village road, it was after old Qin's funeral that I had to leave the village, but I was always followed by the footsteps that penetrated to the bone and marrow. After hearing old Qin head calling me, I turned around.
Then, a pair of delicate hands held my head, and my body and head immediately separated...
Later on, I dreamt of being chased by a group of people. Some of them wore cloaks and had no facial features, their faces were blurry. The ones led by Huang Si's huāyíng and Yang's supervisor were especially fierce, they all seemed to want to kill me!
Suddenly, I opened my eyes, sat up abruptly, and the dizziness hit me. I covered my forehead with force.
The sunlight was blinding, and it was very warm on my face through the window. It took a while before I recovered.
I reached into the clothes next to my pillow and pulled out the small paper figure.
The miniature paper figure, with paper skin that feels more like human skin, allows sunlight to pass through it, revealing even its pores.
The blood-red eyes did not move. Even at daytime, this vengeful ghost is confined by the yang energy.
My heartbeat has calmed down, but my intuition tells me that this paper figure should not be used unless absolutely necessary.
I have no idea if there's any land energy in it?
The City God Temple's night guard has smelled me twice and hasn't found anything wrong. What if I get exposed because of this paper figure? It wouldn't be worth it.
The plague god's power can attract great anger from everyone, and if exposed, it won't just be the Sun family targeting me. I'm afraid I will die without a proper burial.
Dressed, I took the ash and earth packages from the bedside and left the room.
Tang Quan was already back, and he didn't even sleep. He was sitting in the front room, staring at the mortuary hall with expectant eyes.
A fresh incense stick had just been lit in front of Tang Qianqian's photograph.
"Uncle Tang, go to sleep, I'll keep watch during the day," I called out.
Tang Quan's reaction was half a beat slower, and he only stood up after responding.
He was already yawning, yet he insisted that he wasn't tired. The meal was still hot for me, and he went to get it.
As I walked to the outside of the hall, I raised my hand to block Tang Quan's movement towards the kitchen.
"Wait a minute, I'll go by myself. Uncle Tang, you go and have a good sleep. I have to leave tonight, and you still need to keep an eye on the mortuary hall." I said in a grave voice.
Tang Quan finally nodded and went back to the west room.
Even with such concerns, he still trusts me without asking any more questions.
After putting down the ash and earth packages, I went back to the room and took out several pieces of yellow paper, spreading them flat on the wooden table.
I went into the kitchen, filled a basin with water, and took two empty bowls with me. I ate something on the way back to the hall.
Mixed the ashes and city god clay evenly, poured it into the water and stirred it to form a thick paste.
I began folding paper figures, and soon five paper figures about half a meter high appeared on the table.
I spread the thick paste evenly over the paper figures, turning the yellow paper figures into a gray-brown color.
During this period, I naturally didn't forget to add more incense for Tang Qianqian.
As the sun set in the west, all five paper figures were painted with the thick paste, releasing a strong wave of negative energy from their bodies.
I then took out a piece of white paper, wrote a long letter on it, folded it into a strip, and tied it with a thin rope around the neck of one of the paper figures.
Lao Qin Head told me that ordinary paper crafters make paper figures to attract and control ghosts, but he taught me differently. I not only can attract lonely ghosts and spirits, but also can invite dead ghosts. They are small ghosts who have been to the underworld and have names and status.
To find Tang Qianqian, I need to first locate where those souls who are about to be reborn are.
A large gathering of ghosts will definitely have a sky-high negative energy. Normally, people can only sense the negative energy when they are very close, but it's different for dead ghosts.
Finally, I went to the kitchen and took five bowls of uncooked rice. I stood each bowl with a pair of chopsticks, broke my index finger with them, and squeezed out ten drops of blood for each bowl.
I placed the bowls of rice beside the well and put the five paper figures next to them.
At this moment, Tang Quan came out of the room. After a nap, his expression was notably better.
Tang Quan looked at me somewhat cautiously, but didn't ask any further questions. He stepped into the hall and changed a new stick of incense for the mortuary hall.
After I finished all the preparations, I returned to the hall as well.
"Uncle Tang, just keep an eye on the incense. When it gets dark, they'll guide me to find Qianqian."
My gaze fell to the well beside it.
Tang Quan nodded continuously and whispered in a low voice: "It's hard on you, Master."
Tang Quan's rules and politeness have become so habitual for me that I didn't say anything more.
The sky grew darker, and the twilight gradually engulfed the setting sun.
At the exact moment when the sky turned completely dark, the paper figures showed no reaction yet. The floor at the threshold made a slight muted sound, as if someone was knocking their head on it.
Suddenly, Lao Gong's wrinkled head appeared on the floor tiles.
Red and black vermilion ropes wrap around his head, and gray mist lingers around him.
Lao Gong's eyes rolled wildly as if he wanted to speak, but the vermilion ropes on his head crackled, as if struck by lightning.
A patch of his head turned black, and then he disappeared suddenly...
