Something Happened

Zhao Yuan did not understand. She had merely asked nicely why Monk Jishi beside her had suddenly flushed, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. You said yourself you could handle it, so why are you being so polite with me? [Burning^Literary^Bookstore]

She had reduced the great monk's standing to that of a rustic ruffian. Zhao Qian laughed so hard her whole body trembled, a sight of breathtaking beauty.

Yu Xiaoxue did not understand either. In any case, she was only there to watch the excitement.

"Then let's deal with the third daughter's side first." Zhao Family's old madam coughed, only to realize that she had corrupted her own third daughter as well and started using vulgar terms.

Back then, the third daughter had been willful. She had dropped out before high school and followed a man who ran with the underworld. Because of that, Zhao Family had nearly severed ties with her several times. Yet the ways of the world were full of marvels. By some strange twist of fate, her husband had built quite a successful business over the course of more than a decade, leaving everyone in Zhao Family dumbfounded. At the same time, however, it had created the arrogant and overbearing Zhao Yuan of today. She believed money could move even the gods, had little affection for her family, and did nothing but show off and order people around.

"Mom, you really know your stuff." Zhao Yuan immediately lit up with delight.

"Zhao Xi, Zhao Zhou, you two brothers take the other masters to the estate to rest first. Then bring your children to the old man's house." Zhao Family's old madam spoke as she prepared to have someone push her to the lodgings.

Zhao Yuan hurried over and took hold of the wheelchair, chatting with Zhao Family's old madam. The group of monks followed the two of them.

A trace of anger surfaced on Zhao Xi's pale face. He had never held a good opinion of his third sister, who had refused to mend her ways despite repeated admonitions in her youth. With a cold snort, he took several Daoist priests away to rest.

After all, the masters were competitors. When one side performed a ritual, the others could not openly watch, much less point and criticize. Only relatives and friends were allowed to go over and observe.

Zhao Family's estate had everything one could want. A mahjong room and a sports room were standard features. Most of the people who had come along saw that the hosts had spoken and did not follow. After all, rituals were not a matter of only two or three days, and they were tired of watching. Many went off to gamble or play mahjong, while others went straight to the guest rooms to sleep and rest.

Since Yu Xiaoxue and I were friends, we followed Zhao Qian along with Zhao Xi's group. More than thirty relatives and friends headed to the old man's residence.

Zhao Xi did not understand why Yu Xiaoxue and I had come along, but since we were Zhao Qian's friends, he said nothing. After all, his daughter generally knew her limits, unlike his son, who spent all day drinking and fighting with a bunch of no-good friends.

The old man's residence was extremely luxurious. All the furniture in the living room was Vietnamese rosewood, and even the various ornaments had clearly been chosen with great care. Numerous miniature bonsai stood to the side. The moment I entered, it felt as though a fresh vitality surged toward me.

"Excellent feng shui." Even I could sense how formidable it was. For such a feng shui arrangement to still attract ghosts was truly frightening.

Zhao Qian nodded and smiled at me.

The dozen or so great monks seemed highly experienced with rituals. Once the incense table was set up, the coiled incense lit, and all the ritual implements, meditation cushions, and wooden fish arranged, everything was complete.

By the time everything was ready, it was already past noon. The group of great monks did not seem hungry at all. They sat there striking the wooden fish together and chanting incantations.

I asked Zhao Qian whether she knew what incantation it was. Furrowing her crescent-shaped brows, she said it seemed to be something called the "Shurangama Mantra." She had heard that it was a merit mantra. Once recited, merit would spread far and wide, and the direct and indirect victims of the sins committed by the Zhao Family old man would come to demand that merit. Once they had claimed it, the matter would be settled.

After hearing that, I felt that the several hundred thousand yuan had not been thrown into the water after all. These monks did have some skill.

How could anyone become a monk without strong self-control? Soon, two hours had passed without anything happening, and Yu Xiaoxue had fallen asleep leaning against me.

"It seems there won't be any effect for a while. I can't make heads or tails of what they're doing, either. Let's go eat first." I gave a bitter smile. In truth, I had not understood what this group of monks was doing at all. If it had been Daoist magic, I had read some of my grandmother's books before and could have recognized a few clues. But I was completely ignorant of the great monk's ritual.

Besides, the sky was still bright. Given the current situation, either the monks were still warming up, or Monk Jishi's abilities were insufficient. The yin energy in the hall had not risen enough to summon the vengeful ghosts who had come to collect their debts.

We were all sitting on meditation cushions behind Zhao Xi. When I spoke, Zhao Xi turned to look at me, his gaze somewhat stern and seemingly displeased. He did not show it too clearly, but when he looked at Zhao Qian, his eyes unmistakably carried blame. The meaning was probably: What sort of friends have you brought here?

Zhao Qian looked awkward and was just about to say something to smooth things over when I spoke first. "Uncle Zhao, I can't really understand what's going on, so I'll head out first. If you're hungry, Zhao Qian and I can bring you some vegetarian food or something."

The moment Zhao Xi heard that, veins bulged on his forehead. Even so, he was still quite polite. "Mm, thank you in advance. I'm not hungry yet. If you're hungry, go eat first."

How could Zhao Qian not understand her father's temperament? Her father hated it most when people failed to stick with something or could not see it through properly. This time, she had not brought Zhou Xian, and even the friends she had made were already throwing in the towel. Her father's opinion of her had probably plummeted to rock bottom.

"Brother Tian, why don't we sit a little longer?" Zhao Qian was actually trying to salvage the relationship between me and her father.

But her brother Zhao He was unhappy. He said softly, "Brother Tian already said he's leaving. What are you standing there for, little sis? Aren't you a student of Daoism? Why sit here listening to those monks make all that racket? Let's go."

In truth, Zhao He thought I was far more capable than this group of masters. Since I had said that, he felt his sister was being a little adorably slow.

Zhao Xi immediately flew into a rage and rebuked him in a low voice. "Zhao He! Listen if you want, but don't drag your sister into it. Get lost!"

Zhao He frowned. You could even hear that? But his father had always been like this, and there was nothing he could do, so he stood up.

"Brother Tian, let's go. If those great monks and Daoists can't handle it later, we'll come back." Zhao He was sensible enough not to argue with Zhao Xi. He simply planned to return with me and clean up the mess if the monks and Daoists failed.

Zhao Xi, however, had no idea what was really going on. He thought Zhao He was deliberately opposing him and planning to come back and watch the fun once the monks and Daoists failed. He shot to his feet. If there had not been so many people around, he might have slapped Zhao He across the face.

Zhao He was terrified and hurried out of the hall.

How could I not know Zhao Xi's attitude by then? I gave a bitter smile and took Yu Xiaoxue outside. When Zhao Qian saw me leave, she stood up as well. Zhao Xi's face immediately turned black with anger. His fingers trembled as he pointed at Zhao Qian and Zhao He, his expression practically spelling out his thoughts: I used to think you, Zhao Qian, had some sense. I never expected you to be just the same!

Zhao Qian felt deeply wronged. She regretted coming the moment she realized it would leave her father with a bad impression of her.

Still, she firmly believed that I had real ability. Compared with listening to the great monks chant sutras, she would rather strengthen her relationship with me.

We went together to the dining area and ate a little. Zhao He was doing fine and even drank more than half a bottle of Jinliufu liquor with me.

Zhao Qian, however, could not eat. She only forced down a few bites, her face filled with misery.

Seeing that Zhao Qian was unhappy, I decided to visit the surrounding area and look at the scenery. Zhao He immediately agreed and even took the initiative to lead the way to Liancheng Mountain, which was very famous nearby.

Liancheng Mountain had once been a fortification mountain built by the Qing army when the southern gateway resisted French colonial rule. The mountain was high and the waters deep, with beautiful scenery. From the summit, one could look down upon rivers winding all around it. The feng shui was excellent.

Zhao Qian also said that this place was a treasured land of feng shui. But once she finished speaking, she frowned and stared at an open area.

I looked over as well and sensed gloomy yin energy gathering below, forming a strange aura. I could not help asking why that area was so thick with yin energy.

Zhao Qian explained that, around the time before and after the founding of the nation, this place had served as an execution ground for criminals. From the warlord conflicts and the civil war to the Cultural Revolution and the "Strike Hard" campaigns, countless people had died unjustly there. As a result, the feng shui formation had been ruined. Once night fell, ordinary people generally did not dare approach it.

The moment I heard that, I committed it to memory.

By the time we descended the mountain, three or four hours had passed. The sky had begun to darken, and Yu Xiaoxue was starting to tire. She did not want to return to the estate because it was too boring.

When Zhao He heard that Yu Xiaoxue wanted to go home, he immediately pretended to yawn nonstop. In reality, he had gotten up too early that morning, and several close friends had called him to drink with them. On top of that, he was afraid of seeing his father, Zhao Xi, so he found an excuse to leave.

Zhao Qian and I had no choice but to drive back to the city. Zhao He asked us to drop him at Ronghe Bar in the county along the way, while Yu Xiaoxue was taken back to her residential compound.

I had promised Zhao Qian, so I had no reason not to return to the estate. She genuinely cared about her grandfather and was certainly going back. Thus, the two of us drove out with the same understanding.

On the way back, I had been drinking and could not drive under the influence. Zhao Qian was in a poor mood, so she drove seriously without saying much. Besides, with Zhao Qian's driving skills, talking to her was simply asking for discomfort, so the time we spent alone was wasted.

The little fierce ghost, on the other hand, was in high spirits. She looked like a little girl of seven or eight. After being cooped up in the Soul Urn all day, she was finally able to come out, and she excitedly wrapped her arms around my neck, chattering nonstop.

I did not understand ghost speech and could not make out a word she said. All I felt was an itchy sensation beside my ears. It was terrifying.

Zhao Qian still became tense whenever she saw the little fierce ghost. She leaned against the driver's-side window without daring to speak and continued driving. As a result, the two of us had even less to say to each other.

When we arrived at the estate, I called the little fierce ghost back into the Soul Urn. I noticed that most of the cars in the parking lot had already left. After counting, only a few remained, probably belonging to the direct relatives and the masters conducting the ritual.

Only a few banquet tables remained at the estate. Zhao Yi was drinking with two drivers, and it seemed they would not be leaving that night.

When he saw Zhao Qian and me return as a pair, but did not see Yu Xiaoxue or Zhao He, Zhao Yi merely shot us a cold look before continuing to play drinking games and drink.

There were only a few people left in the entire estate, leaving it cold and deserted. I felt that the yin energy had indeed grown much thicker, but when I looked toward the hall, nothing seemed to have changed. The great monks still occupied the hall, chanting sutras and performing rites to guide the dead onward.

I told Zhao Qian to sit and wait for me, then entered the kitchen without ceremony. Seeing a full plate of sweet-and-sour ribs and dried sauced fish, I prepared to take them out for Zhao Qian to eat.

I picked up the plates and suddenly saw Zhao Yi enter with a dark expression, glaring at me. My heart gave a jolt. Could this guy have drunk too much and decided to hit someone?

Zhao Yi reeked of alcohol. Without saying a word, he picked up a sharp knife from the kitchen and stared at me with a vacant smile.