The Distillery is Haunted

Mother Zhou had a gentle temperament and generally didn't fuss over trifles, leaving most household matters to Zhou Yan to decide.

However, when it came to Zhou Yan's marriage, her attitude became unyielding.

Let alone Zhou Chuan, even Zhou Yan could only act meek and submissive, opening his mouth several times to speak but stopping himself.

Watching Mother Zhou grow increasingly animated, Zhou Yan felt his scalp tingle.

Yet, looking at her, he didn't know how to interrupt, and in his heart, he felt a faint reluctance to do so.

Fortunately, at this moment, Ma Yan and Zhou Li arrived.

"Big Sister, Brother-in-law, you're here..."

Zhou Yan immediately stepped forward to greet them, secretly wiping away a cold sweat.

As soon as Ma Yan approached, he heard Zhou Yan's plea for help.

"Brother-in-law, save me."

Before he could fully process the situation, he heard Mother Zhou and Zhou Li discussing Zhou Yan's marriage, and he understood immediately.

When Ma Yan heard Mother Zhou expressing interest in Tailor Wang's daughter, he nearly spat out his tea.

At that moment, he finally understood the meaning behind Zhou Yan's words.

He immediately cast a look of pity toward Zhou Yan.

Beyond that, an irrepressible smile appeared on Ma Yan's face.

As Zhou Yan's cultivation deepened, the aura of authority he exuded grew heavier, something even Ma Yan, who spent much time with him, could feel.

Sometimes, facing Zhou Yan's indifferent expression, Ma Yan felt a slight tremor of fear in his heart.

Ma Yan found it quite strange; he noticed that even the senior inspectors and commissioners at the Police Bureau didn't possess such a formidable presence, as if Zhou Yan were a natural-born superior.

This made Ma Yan increasingly reserved and cautious when facing Zhou Yan.

Now, seeing Zhou Yan's awkwardness before Mother Zhou, his heart relaxed slightly.

Although that caution remained, he felt less constrained.

After all, they were relatives, and his wife was Zhou Yan's eldest sister.

This gave Ma Yan a sense of security when dealing with Zhou Yan.

Even if some might say he was relying on his wife's family, so what?

Just like those in the Police Bureau who envied him, whispering behind his back that he was a kept man living off his wife's family, using his brother-in-law to climb the ladder and throw his weight around.

Truth be told, if they had such an opportunity, they would have knelt faster than him and eaten more of that "soft rice" than he ever did...

However, watching was one thing, but he still needed to offer some persuasion.

After all, it would be one thing if she were a good match.

But a two-hundred-pound woman? Ma Yan worried that if she kept pushing, Zhou Yan might just explode.

"Mother, Ah Yan is still young. He is currently in his prime for career advancement, so please don't be too anxious. You can take your time choosing. In a few years, when Ah Yan is even more successful, he might be able to bring home a young lady from a prestigious family," Ma Yan advised.

This wasn't just empty talk; given the current trend, Zhou Yan's future was limitless.

Because of Zhou Yan, Ma Yan had carefully investigated the various spirit mediums and sorcerers in Shen City and found that few could compare to him.

Not only was his strength increasing rapidly, but his network of connections was also constantly expanding.

In the world of sorcery, social graces and background were secondary; the most important thing was one's own strength.

And in this regard, it seemed to be Zhou Yan's forte.

In Ma Yan's heart, he held great expectations for his brother-in-law, who was also his greatest pillar of support!

Mother Zhou still held some regard for her son-in-law's words and was willing to listen to him.

Back when the Zhou family was at its lowest, it was the Ma family's help that had kept them afloat.

Even though Zhou Yan was now far stronger than Ma Yan, perhaps due to a mental block, Mother Zhou still felt that Ma Yan's words carried more weight.

"I don't expect a lady from a prestigious family, as long as Erlang can properly marry and have children. But you're right, Erlang is still a bit young, so we can wait another two years," Mother Zhou said.

Seeing Mother Zhou drop the subject, Zhou Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

While Mother Zhou and Zhou Li were chatting, Ma Yan came to Zhou Yan's side and whispered, "A new job has come in. It's Old Hu's Distillery on Qimen Street. Things haven't been peaceful there lately."

Hearing that it was business, Zhou Yan's expression turned serious.

"Are there spirits causing trouble? Has anyone died?"

This wasn't because he was cold-blooded, but because when spirit-related matters escalated, it usually meant someone had died.

"No deaths yet, but it's quite a commotion. Many of the distillery workers claim to have seen ghosts with their own eyes, and they're terrified. The distillery has temporarily shut down, and no one dares to go near it, but sounds have been coming from inside at night," Ma Yan explained in detail.

Zhou Yan nodded to himself after hearing this.

"It seems highly likely that there are spirits involved. By the way, what is Old Hu's reputation like, and what price are they offering?"

He didn't charge low prices for exorcising evil spirits, but he did have a fair amount of flexibility.

He asked for more from wealthy families and less from those of modest means.

For those with a poor reputation, charge a high price; for those with a good reputation, reduce it at your discretion.

Ma Yan was well aware of Zhou Yan's rules and nodded, saying, "Old Hu's Distillery has been around for decades and has a decent reputation. While you couldn't call them saints, they understand the rules; they don't engage in swindling or harmful schemes, and they treat their staff neither particularly well nor particularly poorly. Given their decades of accumulation, they have a substantial estate, so offering three hundred silver dollars shows they are truly desperate..."

Zhou Yan nodded.

Three hundred silver dollars was a significant sum, especially for a mid-sized merchant family like the Hus.

Their total assets might be considerable, but their liquid capital was limited.

"Take the job," Zhou Yan said.

Ma Yan nodded. "Alright, when will you go to handle it?"

"Tomorrow night."

The next day, Zhou Yan arrived at Old Hu's Distillery.

The area was deathly silent. Though the sky had only just darkened, there wasn't a single light to be seen, making it stand out sharply against the bustle of other places.

This was hardly surprising; while there were few residences nearby, once word of the haunting spread, no one would dare come near the place after dark.

Zhou Yan reached the distillery, pulled out the key, and unlocked the door.

Though it was called a distillery, it was actually just a brewing workshop that had been expanded a bit.

It still fell short compared to a proper distillery.

But since foreign monks chant better scriptures, the Hu family had rebranded their workshop as a distillery without making many internal changes.

Zhou Yan merely swept his gaze across the room before focusing on a wine vat not far away...