While my uncle and the old curator were discussing money, I overheard that the curator didn't have that much cash on hand and suggested my uncle come back tomorrow to the museum to collect it.
The officials wouldn't default on their payment, and since I still had 50,000 yuan with me, I wasn't in a rush.
I walked to the back of the small truck and noticed that the four men wearing glasses seemed a bit pale, probably because they had seen something unsettling when leaving the haunted building earlier. Luckily, they were well-seasoned and not paralyzed by fear.
I said, "I don't know how you plan to handle the stone coffin, but I have a suggestion. There are two stone sculptures at Chen Kai's construction site. You should ask him about them and maybe bring them along. You should know better than I do how to use them."
People who work in archaeology would definitely know about the Moguoxiang and Fangxiangshi.
The four men quickly nodded.
I was worried the old curator might be eyeing the Buddhist relic, so after saying that, I hurried back to the car and shut all the windows.
My uncle quickly came to an agreement with the old curator and returned to the car, starting it up to leave.
Once the small truck was out of sight, Huang Jiu and I finally relaxed.
I leaned over and asked my uncle, "There's such a huge haunted building in the city, and so many people have died there. How come the people from Longhu Mountain or Laoshan haven't done anything about it?"
My uncle replied, "Those people think highly of themselves and believe they're above others. Not only would they not manage it, but they probably don't even know about this haunted building."
I thought about it—could it be that the higher-ups are just too detached?
I was confused though. It's fine to report fraudulent activities, but something like this should've been raised to the higher authorities, right?
My uncle asked, "Have you heard the saying, 'When the birds are gone, the bow is put away, and when the rabbit dies, the hounds are cooked'?"
I had heard of this saying and understood the meaning, but what did it have to do with the haunted building?
He said, "This haunted building has kept many people like us alive. Who would want to deal with it all at once?"
Suddenly, everything made sense.
But I still felt uncomfortable.
I leaned back in the seat, watching the neon lights outside. For some reason, the world seemed more scenic under the night sky than in the harsh daylight, which seemed to reveal all the filth.
It was a pity that my capabilities were limited, and there was so little I could do.
Thankfully, today was a profitable day. We made 100,000 yuan in total, which lifted my spirits considerably.
The 50,000 yuan I earned from selling the talismans was for me to keep, as my uncle said, "Just in case the female corpse comes again, you'll have something to fall back on." The other 50,000 yuan from the museum would be collected by him tomorrow and kept for the time being.
Listening to my uncle's arrangements, I suddenly realized the pressure of life was growing. After all, I now had a wife to support.
As for the dowry from the female corpse, it was similar to what Huang Jiu had given me. I wasn't planning to trade it in easily. Secondly, it was a dowry, the bride's belongings.
I couldn't bring myself to sell my wife's dowry.
My uncle wanted to send me home, but Huang Jiu insisted on going to the shop.
I couldn't sleep either, so I decided to accompany him.
My uncle sat at the shop for a while, then said he needed to head back to check on Aunt Su and Tingting. Before leaving, he told me he'd come earlier tomorrow to discuss the division of the earnings.
When it came to dividing the earnings, I wasn't embarrassed at all. As the saying goes, "Even brothers should make clear agreements," so it was better to discuss everything openly now to avoid potential conflicts later.
I immediately told my uncle that after deducting all expenses, including Huang Jiu's chicken money, we would split the earnings 50-50 between us. Of course, I would repay him for the money for the house.
My uncle didn't say anything, only that we'd discuss the details tomorrow.
After sending my uncle off, Huang Jiu rushed into the back room to continue drawing circles and cursing He Xiao Yun.
I stayed at the shop until around 10 p.m. and was too lazy to go home, so I locked the door and started reading the second part of the book.
Huang Jiu stayed in the back room, occasionally muttering curses.
I was a bit speechless. Even if He Xiao Yun had spit blood at it, he didn't actually hurt it. Was it really necessary to keep going after him so relentlessly?
Earlier, I had speculated that He Xiao Yun might last for ten days or more. Now, I realized I had overestimated him and underestimated Huang Jiu.
Given the current situation, if He Xiao Yun could last a week, I'd consider myself wrong.
Around 3 a.m., I circulated my inner energy through a full cycle and then set up two chairs in the shop to curl up and try to get some sleep.
Just as I was about to lie down, someone suddenly started knocking loudly on the door.
Although it wasn't glass smashing, I still sprang up quickly, grabbing the blood spike on the tea table and yelling, "Who's there?"
Huang Jiu also came out, cautious but immediately shouting, "Who the hell has no public morals, knocking on the door in the middle of the night? Can't you let people sleep?"
We both asked from behind the door, but there was only silence outside. The sudden silence made my heart tighten.
Could it be that something from the haunted building had followed us here?
That thing had created so many restless spirits on the street; it was entirely possible it had tracked us down.
Just as I grabbed my weapon, a familiar voice called out from outside, "Master Li, you're here in the shop, that's great."
Chen Kai?
Why wasn't this guy at the construction site causing trouble? Why was he here at this hour?
Was he here to give money?
I thought to myself and then opened the shop door slightly, lifting the shutter about a meter.
Chen Kai was wearing a white safety helmet and bent down, sticking his head in.
I squatted down to look at him and asked, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
Chen Kai seemed a bit anxious, taking a second to organize his words before answering, "Master Li, it's bad. Miss Zhang and her classmates have run into trouble. Just now, Mr. Zhang called me and asked me to bring you to his house."
My heart skipped a beat. Could it be that trouble had found its way to us?
"What exactly happened?" I asked cautiously.
I wasn't going anywhere until I had more details.
Chen Kai replied, "Mr. Zhang didn't say much on the phone, but he asked me to bring you to his house. Miss Zhang and her classmates are already there, and a master from the Harbor District is also there."
Mr. Zhang and Mr. Wang are friends, so it made sense for a master from Harbor District to come over.
Huang Jiu asked, "If there's already a master, why are they looking for us?"
I wanted to ask the same thing.
I wasn't afraid of meeting other masters, but if they couldn't handle the situation, would it be even more dangerous if I went?
My grandfather often told me, "A gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall."
Right now, this wall felt very dangerous.
Chen Kai thought I was worried about losing out on commission and quickly said, "Mr. Zhang promised that if you go, your reward will be the same as the master from the Harbor District."
That made me interested.
I had heard that the masters from the Harbor District charged astronomical fees.
And I knew they liked to perform rituals for female clients. I wasn't sure how they did it, but I was curious to learn. Maybe I could perform such rituals for clients too.