Let It Go

"Brother Tian, let's go back. I think we should give them the Star-Fixing Compass. Qian can't take any more of this. Grandpa is gone—I can't lose Grandma too..." Zhao Qian sobbed.

"Yeah. One Star-Fixing Compass isn't worth a human life." I nodded and drove the car back to the residential complex.

"Brother Tian, don't go to the estate either. Second Uncle gave the order. With Master Wu handling the funeral rites, there's no need for any other crooked practitioners to cause trouble. He had Father call me and tell me not to let you come." Tears streamed down Zhao Qian's face as she looked at me awkwardly.

"Fine, but you have to tell me what happened." I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible.

It turned out that Zhao Qian had gone to the hospital, Zhao He had been taken to the station, and the successive disasters had left the Zhao Family's old matriarch utterly exhausted. Everyone in the household was on edge. Since they were afraid the earlier accident might happen again, they had called doctors and nurses to stand guard at the estate. That way, there would be medical help if anything happened, and the old matriarch could also be cared for.

But somehow, when the Zhao Family's old matriarch woke up that morning, she found Old Zhao lying beside her in bed. He even opened his mouth to ask where the Star-Fixing Compass and the Compass Manual were.

The old matriarch was so terrified that she rolled out of bed and scrambled outside, crying for help.

After Second Uncle Zhao Zhou brought Wu Zhenghua over yesterday and asked about the circumstances, he decided that he was practically the head of the family now. He busied himself running here and there, hoping the old matriarch would hand those two items over to him for safekeeping so that the old man could rest easy too.

But the old matriarch couldn't produce either item. She had always left them hidden for the old man—how could she possibly know where they were?

Zhao Zhou was a ruthless man as well. He insisted that his mother was only overthinking things and that was why she kept having nightmares, then simply washed his hands of it.

The old matriarch also thought that now that Master Wu Zhenghua had come, the old man's ghost probably wouldn't come demanding those items anymore. Besides, she didn't sleep at all. She crowded into places full of people. Surely the old man couldn't appear in broad daylight before everyone and scare her, could he?

It had been drizzling yesterday, and the old matriarch didn't dare stay indoors, so she went to chat with a few old kitchen workers to ease her boredom. As she was talking, Old Zhao waved to her from the woods. She was so frightened that she plunged headfirst into a basin of vegetables.

Wu Zhenghua came over to examine the old woman's complexion and said that someone had put a curse on her. If things continued, she would certainly be dragged to the underworld by the old man.

Terrified, the old matriarch asked how to break the curse. Wu Zhenghua went around in circles before eventually bringing up Zhao Qian. He claimed that some evil practitioner Zhao Qian had brought in had set the whole thing up, preventing the old man's ghost from entering the underworld and leaving it wandering around the estate.

To resolve the matter, they still had to bring over the Star-Fixing Compass. Otherwise, there was no way to break the curse.

After all that circling, they had still come back to the Star-Fixing Compass. The old matriarch had once been a Red Guard; any ghosts and monsters had fled far away at the mere sight of her. Even when Old Zhao was alive, he had been deathly afraid of her. How could he dare come demanding her life now?

The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that someone had set a trap.

The old matriarch remembered that Old Zhao had always doted on his granddaughter Zhao Qian, so the Star-Fixing Compass must be in her hands. It was merely a dead object. Surely it couldn't be exchanged for her life and everyone else's, could it?

She sent someone to fetch Zhao Xi and had Zhao Xi call Zhao Qian over. He was also told to make sure she brought the Star-Fixing Compass and the Compass Manual.

"Give him the Star-Fixing Compass, but what about the Compass Manual?" I looked at Zhao Qian with some sympathy. A dead object was still a dead object. Compared with human life, it was worth nothing. Even without the Star-Fixing Compass, Zhao Qian was still a beautiful feng shui master. A capable person wouldn't rely on a few objects.

"Qian will write it for him." Zhao Qian's resolve was firm.

"Will he let it go after you write it for him?" I shook my head.

"He will. Dad said that as long as we return the things to the head of the family, he won't make things difficult for me." Zhao Qian had already lost all sense of direction. Whatever her father said, she would do.

"All right." This was the Zhao Family's affair, and there was nothing I could do to interfere.

I drove the car into the house. Zhao Qian went inside, while I called Han Shanshan from the doorway. "Hello, Han Shanshan, where are you?"

"Nowhere in particular. What? We've only been apart for half a day, and you already miss me? Want to know where I am right now?" Han Shanshan sounded extremely excited. Heavy metal music blared all around her.

"Where else would you be? Don't tell me you're at a bar?" I frowned. Places like that were smoky and chaotic, full of all kinds of people.

"That's right! How did you know? Want to come? I'm dancing cheek to cheek with a guy right now. He even took the chance to cop a feel. I'm so excited! Are you coming? I'll buy you a drink!" Han Shanshan said slyly.

"Xiao Han, what are you doing? We're working a case. Hang up quickly." A voice came from Han Shanshan's end of the call.

"Not coming. You're working a case, then? Call me when you're done. It's urgent, so don't forget." I recognized Captain Huo's voice immediately. It seemed Han Shanshan was on duty, so I let the matter drop.

"Oh, all right. Hmph, I wanted to trick you into coming over. I didn't expect you to be so calm." Han Shanshan snorted unhappily and hung up.

I let out a sigh of relief. What kind of person was she? She had been scared half to death in the morgue that afternoon, slept for most of the day, and then gone out to work a case that night? She had even tried to fool me by saying someone had groped her. And after being groped, she claimed she was excited. Good grief, she had everything except a hole in her imagination!

After waiting for quite a while, Zhao Qian came out clutching the Star-Fixing Compass, tears shining in her eyes. Yu Xiaoxue was curious about what had happened and stood outside watching us.

"Brother Tian, why haven't you left yet?" Yu Xiaoxue asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, Snow. Go inside and get some sleep. I won't be back tonight. Lock the door and don't wait for me." I motioned for Yu Xiaoxue to go inside.

Yu Xiaoxue could only pout helplessly as she entered the villa.

"Brother Tian, take me to the Zhao Family estate, then go back. If anything happens, I'll call you. You have to answer when I do." Zhao Qian had grown used to having me by her side. Without me there, she would probably be terribly uneasy.

"All right. Do you have enough battery on your phone?" I asked.

"Yes. I have a spare battery." Zhao Qian looked puzzled by the question.

"Set up speed dial. If you notice anything wrong while keeping watch, dial the number first and leave the phone in your pocket. If I sense that something is off, I'll go over immediately. You won't need to say anything. I'll wait by the main road outside the estate." This couldn't deal with an unexpected incident directly, but it was still better than having no preparations at all.

"Oh, I will." Zhao Qian relaxed. As she spoke, she got into the car and fiddled with the speed-dial settings.

I drove her to the Zhao Family estate. Zhao Qian climbed out reluctantly, then looked at me as though she didn't want me to leave.

The estate was packed with people, and the lights were blazing. If I hadn't known there was a funeral inside, I would have thought someone was getting married.

It seemed the Zhao Family's old matriarch had thrown caution to the wind after encountering a ghost that day. Besides summoning relatives and friends, she had also found a great many young people, who sat around the banquet tables in the open courtyard, shouting over drinking games and playing cards. With so many young people, the place was full of yang energy. The old matriarch probably thought nothing else would happen at the estate.

But was it really that simple?

If Wu Zhenghua was going to perform a ritual, these young people wouldn't be able to help in the slightest.

I shook my head inwardly. Old Zhao might well have been killed by Zhao Zhou through Wu Zhenghua's hands. They simply hadn't found the evidence.

Old Zhao really had been a good man. Even after death, he hadn't become a vengeful ghost and come demanding lives. It seemed Wu Zhenghua's tricks had continually drained away his yang energy until Old Zhao had sought death himself. Someone who chose to die wouldn't regard their own death as an injustice afterward.

Now things had become interesting. I had thought Old Zhao's ghost had been taken to the underworld after his death, but it hadn't even managed to leave the estate before being dragged back. Needless to say, this was another trap laid by Wu Zhenghua. I doubted anyone else had the ability.

Would Zhao Zhou let Zhao Qian go after taking the Star-Fixing Compass and the Compass Manual?

Judging by what they were doing now, I thought they wouldn't stop until they had cut down the grass and dug up the roots! If I were handling this, I would definitely bind a strand of Zhao Qian's living soul. That would be the only way to ensure complete peace of mind.

After getting out of the car, I said to Zhao Qian, "Qian, keep the Soul-Calming Talismans and Ghost-Driving Talismans on you. If anything seems wrong, recite the incantation and call me. I'll come right away."

"All right. Brother Tian, be careful outside too." Zhao Qian nodded.

As we spoke, several young men with dyed hair were already watching us in the parking lot. One of them even picked up his phone, though I didn't know whom he called. Soon, more young men with thuggish faces came out one after another.

They were probably people Zhao Zhou or Zhao Yi had hired.

Seven or eight young men glared at me with ugly expressions. The leader said, "Zhao Qian can go in. You'd better leave."

Afraid they might harm Zhao Qian, I planned to stand there and watch her enter the estate.

"Little punk, hurry up and leave. What are you standing there for?" The leader hadn't even spoken harshly when one of the punks with green hair pointed at me, looking as though he wanted to hit me.

"What are you staring at? Afraid I can't beat you to death?" Another hotheaded one came over, grabbed me by the collar, and swung his hand toward my face!

"A-Biao! Wait!" The leader tried to stop him, but the slap from A-Biao had already come down!

My face turned cold. "Are you really that eager to die?"

They couldn't see Xijun sitting on my shoulder, so they acted without the slightest restraint.

Xijun caught A-Biao's incoming slap directly. Yin wind swept up around me, and Xijun squeezed until he dropped straight to his knees.

The strange sight before them terrified the others.

"A-Biao! What happened to you?" The leader ran over to see what was wrong.

A-Biao's face was deathly pale, and he trembled violently from the pain. Five finger marks had already appeared on his hand. They were tiny, as though a child had pinched him.

The leader sucked in a sharp breath. He and Zhao Yi were brothers, so he knew perfectly well that matters involving the Arcane Sect couldn't be measured by ordinary people's standards. That was why, when he told me to leave earlier, he had held back from spouting threats, thinking that one should leave a little leeway so they could meet again in the future.

Who could have expected his subordinate to act so impulsively and strike someone? As the gang leader, he immediately said, "A-Biao was ignorant. I apologize on his behalf. Senior, you're magnanimous—please don't stoop to their level. I'm Lei Qing from the western part of the city. I saw you at the hospital today. Please show mercy and let A-Biao go..."

I glanced at Lei Qing and said coldly, "Keep yourself and your people away from Zhao Zhou. If I find out that you dare make things difficult for Zhao Qian, you can wait for me to go to the Wang Family and make coffins for your entire family!"

Lei Qing's face instantly went deathly pale, and cold sweat broke out all over him. He immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at grain. "I understand. I won't let anything happen to Sister Zhao Qian."