"Where is this master from?"
Steward Huang fell a few steps behind, grabbed Ma Yan by the arm, and asked curiously.
Ma Yan lowered his voice. "I don't know either, but he's definitely an impressive master."
Steward Huang looked at Ma Yan, clearly unconvinced.
Ma Yan walked a couple of steps, then realized Steward Huang was still clutching his clothes. With a helpless expression, he put on a mysterious air and said, "Actually, I really don't know. But this master is my brother-in-law's teacher, and he's someone we can trust, so I brought him over to take a look."
"Your brother-in-law's teacher? I never imagined your brother-in-law would be so lucky," Steward Huang exclaimed.
Ma Yan looked thoroughly unimpressed. "Lucky? It's hard to say whether he's lucky or not. How many of those spirit mediums and masters are normal? My brother-in-law is also..."
He trailed off with a slight sigh and said no more.
He wasn't entirely making it up.
After seeing what had happened to Zhou Yan following his cultivation, Ma Yan felt a pang of unease.
Masters, supernatural powers—weren't they all just a means of survival for people like them?
Thinking of the two masters who had come to the mansion before, Steward Huang nodded.
Those masters had seemed not only eccentric but also extremely dangerous.
Two masters had already met with a cruel end during this time.
But Steward Huang wouldn't dare say that out loud. He was afraid this master might leave too.
Then they'd be the ones to suffer.
With Steward Huang leading the way, Zhou Yan arrived at the main hall and finally met the master of the Dong family.
Unexpectedly, Boss Dong had a rather appealing appearance. He looked like a refined scholar, with an elegant bearing. There was none of the sinister, sharp-featured landlord look seen in period dramas.
Yet his reputation was appalling.
It just went to show that appearances could be deceiving.
Steward Huang whispered an explanation into Dong Lei's ear, and a smile soon spread across Dong Lei's face.
"May I ask the master's esteemed name?" Dong Lei asked politely.
Zhou Yan was shrouded from head to toe in a black robe. His slightly hoarse voice came from beneath the hood. "Just call me Corpse Daoist."
"Corpse Daoist."
A glint flashed in Dong Lei's eyes as he looked at Zhuang Hua and the zombie behind him, seeming to guess something.
He said nothing more, only inviting, "Then please come to the back courtyard, Master."
Zhou Yan nodded and followed him to the back courtyard.
Dong Lei's wife's coffin was set up in the main hall. Zhou Yan stepped forward to examine it and sensed a dense aura of ghostly energy coming from her corpse.
"Indeed, she was killed by a vengeful ghost. Where is the other body?" After finishing his examination, Zhou Yan looked at Dong Lei.
Dong Lei promptly ordered Steward Huang to take Zhou Yan to a secluded room.
"Master, this is where Cuier's body is," Steward Huang said respectfully.
Zhou Yan glanced inside. Though the maid's body had been placed in a secluded room, there were plenty of incense sticks and joss paper, as well as a coffin for her to lie in. Two maids were also there, burning joss paper for her.
"Does Cuier have any family?" Zhou Yan suddenly asked.
Steward Huang shook his head slightly. "Cuier's hometown was struck by disaster when she was little. She was later sold to the household, and her family is long gone."
Zhou Yan frowned at first, then nodded slightly.
He glanced around before stepping forward to examine the body.
Sure enough, just like the madam's, the corpse was shrouded in a dense aura of ghostly energy. She had clearly been killed by a vengeful ghost.
Before leaving the room, Zhou Yan took another look around. Then he said, "Wasn't the concubine injured as well? I'll go see her."
"Yes, Master. This way, please."
Steward Huang seemed to have received orders from Dong Lei beforehand, and he complied with everything Zhou Yan said.
Before leaving, Zhou Yan called Ma Yan over and whispered a few words in his ear.
Ma Yan looked a little surprised, but nodded promptly.
Steward Huang led Zhou Yan to another courtyard. As soon as they entered, a man rushed out and shouted at Steward Huang, "My cousin is already in this state, and you're still messing around with all this mumbo jumbo..."
"Those two masters before you made all sorts of big claims, but in the end, they failed just like the rest..."
"I told you long ago that my cousin is seriously ill and needs a doctor, not this supernatural nonsense..."
"..."
Steward Huang looked embarrassed, but he acted meek and submissive in front of the man, not daring to answer back.
At last, a few servants came and half persuaded, half dragged the man away.
Only then did Steward Huang let out a breath of relief. He explained to Zhou Yan, "That's the concubine's cousin. He studied overseas and doesn't believe in many things here at home. Please don't take offense, Master."
"The concubine's cousin? When did he arrive?" Zhou Yan asked.
Steward Huang thought for a moment. "Just in the past couple of days. It seems he heard about the concubine's condition and hurried over. Master, you may not know this, but our concubine comes from a distinguished family. She took one look at our master and came to join his household..."
Zhou Yan listened, but he could only believe half of it—perhaps even less.
A pampered young lady from a distinguished family agreeing to become a merchant's concubine, especially one with such a poor reputation, seemed suspicious no matter how he looked at it.
And given what had happened to Cuier, the situation seemed quite at odds with Dong Lei's reputation.
Zhou Yan couldn't help wondering if, for all the lives vengeful ghosts took, human hearts were even more poisonous.
Then there was the mysterious cousin who had appeared out of nowhere. It made Zhou Yan feel less like he was hunting ghosts and more like he was solving a case.
His thoughts raced, but he calmly said, "Take me to see the concubine."
Dong Lei's concubine had been bedridden for some time. As Zhou Yan approached, he could clearly sense the ghostly energy around her, though it was much fainter.
That was only natural. If the aura around the concubine were as strong as the one around the madam and Cuier, her fate would likely be grim too.
But...
Zhou Yan took a few more steps closer. As he looked at her delicate features, his brows drew together slightly.
When he tried to approach even closer, Steward Huang stopped him.
"Master, the concubine has been badly shaken and needs to rest. It would be best not to disturb her."
Zhou Yan looked at Steward Huang, who stood there humbly but without backing down.
"Heh. This is getting interesting."
Zhou Yan muttered inwardly, feeling that things were growing more complicated by the moment.
Ever since he had entered Dong Mansion, everything had been developing in an unknown direction.
It wasn't just Dong Lei and his wife, Cuier, the concubine, and her cousin—even Steward Huang seemed to be more than he appeared.
But he was here to deal with evil spirits, not get caught up in their mess.
For a moment, Zhou Yan felt the urge to turn around and leave at once...
Before you continue