I refused to go to the haunted building, and the chaotic scene immediately quieted down.
A successful man in his early fifties said, "Master Li, if you're willing to go, I'll personally add five million!"
I wanted to say something, but after opening my mouth, I gritted my teeth and said, "Please calm down, everyone. I'll try calling my second uncle again."
Chen Kai knew I hadn't brought my new phone, so he quickly ran over from the crowd and handed me his phone.
I dialed, but it still prompted that the phone was off.
With so many bosses around, Chen Kai was eager to prove himself. He stepped forward and said, "Master Li, just tell me the general area where your second uncle lives. Even if I have to knock on every door tonight, I'll find him!"
I glanced at his chubby face and thought, by the time you knock on every door, it'll be dawn. Is it really necessary to go through all that trouble?
The key issue is whether these wealthy individuals' promises will still hold by then.
After all, if it has to be done, the higher the reward, the better.
So I was a bit anxious and remembered that Su Yimei's aunt seemed to come from a prominent family. I wondered if she had any connections with these wealthy circles.
I interrupted the crowd's clamor and said, "Everyone, please be quiet!"
At my shout, everyone fell silent. However, Zhang Ying, who was surrounded by the incense burners, also heard it. She stiffly turned her head, her eyes entirely showing the whites, and laughed at me eerily.
Her laughter sent chills down my spine.
Although she wasn't the same person, her expression and laughter were identical to the face I saw under the car.
I was terrified, and the people around me were even more so, remaining silent.
Tang Quan noticed this and quickly bit his middle finger, chanting an incantation. He flicked his finger, and precisely eight drops of blood flew out, landing on the eight incense burners.
This move alone was enough to earn him the title of master.
As Tang Quan's blood landed on the incense burners, Zhang Ying immediately showed a pained expression. Her face contorted, and the veins on her face writhed like black worms under her skin.
Her once delicate face instantly became hideous and terrifying.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were heartbroken, especially Zhang Ying's mother, who knelt before me and Tang Quan with a thud.
Tang Quan reacted faster than I did, immediately stepping aside.
I was a bit slower but still prevented Mrs. Zhang from fully kneeling.
As the saying goes, one should only kneel to heaven, earth, and parents. Accepting such a gesture without being able to reciprocate appropriately would mean bearing a karmic burden.
Especially for practitioners like us, we bear more than ordinary people.
As for the consequences, just look at He Xiaoyun in a few days.
After Tang Quan and I stepped aside, he helped Mrs. Zhang up.
I knew we couldn't delay any longer and told them Su Yimei's aunt's name.
True to their wealth, they indeed had connections.
A few bosses made some calls and soon reached Su Yimei's father, Su Dazhuang. Shortly after, my second uncle called me back.
I didn't waste words and directly gave him the address.
Seeing that I had found my second uncle, Tang Quan turned and instructed Xu Wanrong to prepare the equipment.
Earlier, Mr. Zhang had mentioned that my fee would be the same as Tang Quan's. Since Tang Quan had demonstrated his skills, I couldn't just do nothing. So I asked Chen Kai to bring me some green incense.
Holding the green incense with both hands, I pressed the eight sticks together in my palm. Channeling my Dao energy, I forced it into the incense. With the assistance of the Dao energy, I rubbed the incense heads together, and they ignited automatically, much like lighting a talisman.
Tang Quan watched the entire process and exclaimed in surprise, "Lighting incense to honor ghosts—this is the long-lost Soul Calming Technique?"
I replied, "Master Tang, the world is vast, and just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it's lost."
The Soul Calming Technique is a secret method from the lower scroll. I had considered hiding my skills, but if I concealed everything, I'd appear useless.
It's essential to use the right skills when needed.
Huang Jiu, being cunning, knew that speaking too much could lead to mistakes, so he chose to remain silent.
Tang Quan either believed me or was patient. Seeing that I had nothing more to say, he said, "Young friend, I've examined Miss Zhang and her friends. The evil energy invading them seems to be a parasitic spirit."
Parasitic spirit?
I frowned.
A parasitic spirit isn't as simple as an evil spirit possession; it's a powerful evil spirit's avatar.
The evil spirit uses this avatar to occupy a living person's body. Once the avatar matures, the main body fully returns. This process is somewhat similar to the demon descents commonly seen abroad.
They share a common trait: the descending demon is exceptionally powerful. Abroad, they are often ancient notorious evil spirits, while domestically, they are formidable and feared ghosts.
Such entities are often regional overlords, kings among ghosts.
This is why I was anxious to leave after just glancing at that haunted building.
At that time, it was merely a ground-bound spirit. If the hearse hadn't left, it wouldn't have remained just a ground-bound spirit.
Now, hearing Tang Quan say that Zhang Ying has a parasitic spirit inside her means we must go to the haunted building to deal with its overlord.
I secretly took a deep breath. Just as I was about to say I didn't want to get involved, the group of men and women downstairs came up.
With their daughters in trouble, the most anxious were naturally these parents.
They rushed in, disregarding the cold atmosphere upstairs.
Fortunately, they were all wealthy and superstitious. Seeing the setup in the living room, they didn't dare to touch anything.
Some might argue that not all wealthy people are superstitious.
To them, I say: you've been blinded by science. If you haven't encountered it, you can search online.
I won't elaborate here.
Of course, I'm not saying that the poor are poor because they don't believe in Feng Shui.
It's a matter of perspective; everyone has their own beliefs.
My only advice is: fate is determined by heaven, but actions are up to us.
Even with a good fate, one needs the ability to act.
Otherwise, no matter how good your fate is, lying flat achieves nothing.
Conversely, having ability without good fate also leads to emptiness.
The wealthy have simple ways to solve problems: connections and money.
So, as soon as they came up, they surrounded me and Tang Quan, addressing us as masters. Some even directly offered monetary figures.
Real, substantial amounts.
This left me, witnessing the ways of the wealthy for the first time, dumbfounded and thinking: I quite like this.
But liking it depends on having the life to enjoy it. So when Tang Quan suggested going to the haunted building immediately, I flatly refused, saying we'd wait for my second uncle.
As the saying goes, father and son fight together, brothers hunt tigers together.
Tang Quan and I had only met once.