Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
On June 11th, around three in the afternoon, I was reading on the balcony when I received a call from an unfamiliar number. For some reason, I have a bit of an aversion to unknown numbers and usually don’t answer unless the caller sends a message to identify themselves. If it’s someone I know, I would return the call, but for some reason, I answered this time, feeling that the number seemed somewhat familiar.
Once the call connected, the person on the other end called me by my childhood nickname. After a brief exchange, I confirmed his identity; he was an older guy from my village, also named Liu but from a different family. His family is known as Zhongshan Liu, while mine is Wencheng Liu. We weren’t close and he was about six or seven years older than me, so we didn’t really hang out together. While we were still playing pretend games as kids, he had already started living life for real. So even though we were from the same village, I didn’t know him well and it took me a while to remember him; his existence was merely a faint memory from my childhood.
As the saying goes, "No one visits the temple of the Three Treasures without reason." It had been so long since we last communicated and since we weren’t familiar with each other, I could only pray that he wasn’t calling to ask for money. When I asked him what was going on, he paused for a moment and said, “Are you still doing what we call ‘Killing Master’ over there?”
I replied, “Occasionally. What’s up?”
He said, “There’s been an issue at our factory. The boss suspects that there might be some spirit causing trouble. So he asked if we could find someone who does this kind of thing. I thought of you and managed to get your number after calling back home.”
I said, “Brother, first tell me what happened so I can analyze it.”
He has been working for over ten years at an electronics factory as a team leader, doing fairly average work. Most of our fellow villagers who went to work in factories gathered there in the well-known Shenzhen Bao'an District. Of course, it’s not at Foxconn—don’t get any ideas; the name of the factory is confidential.
From his description, here’s what happened: they had recently built a new factory building and had just moved in some equipment that wasn’t fully installed yet. They arranged for night watchmen to guard the equipment, but for three consecutive nights, different guards reported strange noises coming from inside the building as if someone was there. However, the building was locked up tight and all the windows were intact; it seemed unlikely that anyone could have entered from outside.
On the first night, they thought they might have been robbed and organized a few people to go check inside, but found nothing. By the second night, not only were there noises but also voices coming from within. This scared the night watchman so much that he quickly called more people over to open the factory door again, but still found nothing inside. Since nothing unusual was discovered and no one had encountered any accidents, management didn’t take it seriously; they just thought maybe the night shift workers were seeing things or mishearing sounds.
However, on the third night—when my acquaintance was on duty—he decided to bring someone along with him due to what had happened previously. They stayed in a temporary container house next to the entrance of the new factory building. At midnight, strange noises began again inside the factory—loud banging sounds and clattering pieces accompanied by cries as if there were extraordinary fighters dueling inside.
I don’t know if they were really brave or just trying to show off; they took a flashlight and cautiously approached one of the windows to see what was happening inside. As they shone their flashlight through the window and leaned in closer, they saw a figure appear by the window—specifically just a head. The face was pale and blood trickled from its eyes. When illuminated by their flashlight, it opened its mouth and let out several terrifying screams.
At this point in his story, I couldn’t help but imagine how frightening that must have been. If it were me in that situation, I would definitely be scared too. I’ve heard of scary spirits before and encountered some that tried to frighten me, but rarely have I heard of one that could terrify both visually and audibly like this—it seemed intent on scaring people to death.
He spoke with a trembling voice as if still shaken by the experience. I quickly made a joke: “Wow! Hahaha! Didn’t you guys wet yourselves from fear?”
Hearing my comment lightened his mood somewhat. He chuckled wryly and continued, “When we saw that head, we were indeed scared out of our wits; we ran out of there as fast as we could back to our dormitory without even daring to check on the factory.”
The next morning after returning to the dormitory, I called my boss early to discuss the matter. At first, he didn't believe me and thought I was just talking nonsense. Later, he called in two other people, and when they all recounted the same story, he began to take it seriously. Since my boss had a belief in the supernatural, it seemed that some wealthy individuals were more inclined to believe in such things. He also trusted that his subordinates had no reason to lie. Given that nothing had been stolen recently, he ruled out the possibility of a thief and considered that it might be a haunting.
He then asked if my fellow villager could find someone who worked in this field. My friend mentioned that there was someone from their village who was in Guangzhou, referring to me. My boss said, "Contact him and see if he can come help us out; we can discuss payment later."
Upon hearing this, I quickly asked if payment was really negotiable. Brother Liu confirmed that it was indeed what my boss had said. I then inquired if the three of them were experiencing any unusual symptoms. He replied that aside from being quite scared, they were otherwise fine. I asked how many spirits they had seen, and he said they only saw one and were too frightened to look further; they weren't sure how many there actually were. I told him to send me an address first; if I decided to go, I would call him back within five minutes.
After finishing the call with Brother Liu, I analyzed the situation. Regardless of whether it was a human or supernatural cause, the way the spirit appeared sounded quite violent. I felt uncertain; if it was indeed a spirit causing trouble, I wasn't sure I could handle it. If it was human-related, that would be even more challenging since fighting wasn't my strong suit or interest. However, what troubled me most was Brother Liu's boss saying that payment was negotiable.
Please don't think I'm materialistic; regardless of the profession, we all need to make a living, which requires money. Compared to most people, I don't have a stable income or other job options. Although this line of work pays well, it's not always consistent. As the saying goes, "A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it through righteous means." I believe in earning what you deserve.
In fact, most people in urban areas also operate based on profit rather than offering free labor because everyone needs to survive. Of course, those living in rural villages tend to prioritize different values; some reclusive masters no longer care about profit. But that's a topic for another time—I fear backlash from industry insiders for saying so. Nevertheless, it's true, and I'm no exception either. After thinking for a while, I decided to go check it out; regardless of whether I took the job or not, I needed to see for myself. What if it turned out to be just a regular spirit incident? It could still be profitable, and besides, Shenzhen isn't far from Guangzhou.
Once I made up my mind, I called Brother Liu again and told him I'd come take a look first; he should send me the address as I was on my way over. He readily agreed as if relieved. It was already past three in the afternoon, so I hurried along. Whether driving or taking the high-speed rail, I could arrive before dinner and perhaps find something good to eat locally afterward. After hanging up, I packed my things and headed out. Initially planning to take the high-speed rail, I reconsidered due to the exorbitant parking fees at South Station and decided to drive instead; having a car would also be more convenient once there.
When I arrived at Bao'an around six or seven o'clock, I realized how hungry I was but didn't contact Brother Liu right away. Instead, I searched for a small restaurant nearby. I'm not one to choose dining places based on ambiance because I believe authentic cuisine is often hidden away in alleys. I prefer popular spots within farm stays or urban villages where crowds gather—more people usually mean better food. However, I couldn't find anything satisfying within my time constraints. After hastily eating some of my favorite bamboo rice as a quick fix, I called Brother Liu for the factory's address. Once he sent it over, I headed straight there.
Upon arriving at their factory entrance, Brother Liu was already waiting with another villager outside. The factory appeared relatively new and clean. The other villager was from my town as well, though I didn't know him personally. After exchanging pleasantries for a few moments, he led me directly to his boss's office where two people were seated behind a desk—a middle-aged man in his forties with an oily complexion who gave off a nouveau riche vibe. I couldn't help but want to analyze his face but knew that would be impolite.
After Brother Liu introduced me briefly, we became somewhat familiar with each other. The boss's surname was Zhang; his accent suggested he was from Fujian province. Without probing further into his background, I noted that one of them was a worker who had been on vigil at the new factory that first night.
After chatting for a bit longer, I got straight to the point and asked Boss Zhang if they had encountered any coffins or bones while digging the foundation.
He replied that they hadn't found anything like that; if they had, he would definitely know about it.
I asked if there had been any accidents involving workers during the construction process, but I received a firm denial in response.
I pressed on, asking if he had offended anyone or if it could be a prank by someone. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Well... not really."
His answer left me feeling puzzled. Logically speaking, it was impossible to run a factory of this scale without having crossed someone at some point. Moreover, many matters were best kept hidden, and he wouldn't share those with me. All I wanted was a reaction from him, but his response indicated that there was something he could tell me, yet he hesitated. My intuition suggested that this matter was likely related to the new factory building.
Since he wouldn’t speak up, I decided not to press further. It was my responsibility to seek the answers myself. "Alright then," I said, "I'll go check out the vigil tonight if you’re worried about the equipment inside."
"You can find someone to accompany me to the vigil," he suggested, clearly a bit uneasy. He asked the three others present, but in the end, Brother Liu chose to join me since I was introduced by him. I didn’t hold any ill feelings toward his doubts; if I were in his position, I wouldn’t believe that such a young and handsome master could exist in this world either.
By the time we finished our conversation, it was nearly nine o'clock at night. The factory had lost its daytime hustle and bustle; aside from a few people wandering around, only dimly lit street lamps remained. Brother Liu and I walked into the temporary container house of the new factory building. After finding a seat on a stool, Brother Liu asked when we would start ghost hunting. I replied that whether it was a person or a ghost, we should wait until after eleven o'clock or until something stirred inside.
After chatting aimlessly for a while and realizing we had no common topics of interest, I asked Brother Liu if there were any good late-night snack stalls nearby where we could grab some barbecue skewers.
He confirmed there was one nearby. "Let’s go fill our stomachs first," I said, as I hadn’t eaten much throughout the day.
He said to wait a moment while he went to get his motorcycle.
I asked him if he had the key to the new factory building.
He replied that a supervisor had it but had already gone home for the day. However, Boss had a spare key somewhere. "Then go find your boss and get the key," I suggested.
While he went off to retrieve his motorcycle, I took my flashlight and approached the new factory building. After circling around it, I found nothing unusual aside from its dark surroundings due to the lack of lights. Peering through the window with my flashlight revealed some equipment inside—new but perhaps still incomplete—making the interior appear quite spacious and cluttered. However, I didn’t notice any of the disturbances they mentioned nor anything frightening. Just as I was about to take out my compass for another look around, Brother Liu rode up on his motorcycle. I quickly stowed away my compass and hopped onto his bike.
He took me along, bringing money with him. We headed to a Late-Night Snack Stall, where we had skewers and a pot of congee. Brother Liu also managed to get half a bottle of white liquor and two bottles of beer, which I knew he was doing to bolster his courage. After we were full and satisfied, it was already close to ten-thirty.
I said it was time to go; I had work to do. I led him, who was feeling tipsy, back on his motorcycle to the Container House. Once we arrived, he started shouting about wanting to catch ghosts, and I realized he was drunk. Like many who can't hold their liquor but love to boast: one bottle's worth but a whole box of bravado.
Watching him ramble on, I felt somewhat speechless. He sat on a stool, smoking and complaining about various things. I'm sure everyone has experienced how exhausting it is to talk to someone who's drunk. I didn’t engage him; I let him talk to himself while I prepared the things I might need for the night. A few minutes later, he actually slumped over the table and fell asleep. I thought about moving him to bed for some rest, but I was afraid of waking him up and causing more trouble, so I left him be; this way was fine.
I glanced at the time; it was almost midnight. Yet there was still no sign of the commotion they had mentioned. Had they sensed something? Still, I wasn't in a hurry to grab the compass because what they described sounded mystical—noises from inside and cries that I wanted to verify myself. I wanted to see just how serious it was. So I resolved that if there was no noise by twelve o'clock, I'd go take a look.
I pulled out Brother Liu's key for the New Factory Building and began waiting. Time ticked by slowly as I considered how to deal with a potentially malevolent Spirit God if I encountered one. After contemplating various possibilities and responses, the time crept closer to midnight, yet there was still no sound.
I decided not to wait any longer. Grabbing my things and the key, I prepared to head inside. Just as I stepped out of the Container House, I heard the noise they had described, though it wasn't as exaggerated as I'd expected—just a metallic clanging sound. It wasn't loud but sharp enough that it could be clearly heard. As for the cries, I didn't hear any at all. My heart raced with excitement as I hurried toward the New Factory Building's entrance.
After hearing the noise, I slowly approached the door. My intention was simple: to discern whether the sounds came from one person or multiple entities or perhaps a Spirit God. The door of the New Factory Building was a large iron gate made of stainless steel. I turned off my flashlight and crept closer until I stopped about ten centimeters from the door. I didn't press my ear against it because if he or it suddenly banged on the door, I'd be afraid my ears couldn't handle it.
I steadied myself, but strangely enough, the closer I got to the door, the quieter the sounds inside became—always at a volume that was audible yet unclear. After listening for two minutes, my patience wore thin; I slowly leaned my head against the door because metal is an excellent medium for sound transmission. When I did so, the sounds became much clearer—it sounded like movement accompanied by faint lamentations; not cries per se but more like sighs of despair.
Just as I confirmed the source of the sound and prepared to move my ear away to check through a window, there was a loud "bang" from the door. It startled me so much that snacks nearly went up my nose; it wasn't like someone knocking but rather like something heavy being thrown against the door from afar—sharp and jarring. Even though I'd mentally prepared myself for this moment, I couldn't withstand such high-decibel chaos; instinctively, I backed away from the door and ran back into the Container House.
I saw Brother Liu still sleeping peacefully without being disturbed by the noise. Rubbing my ears while pondering what had just happened, I was ninety percent sure it was a Spirit God causing trouble.
As far as I knew, Spirit Gods didn't typically behave this way; this would be my first encounter with one that threw things at doors. Quietly muttering to myself about how urban Spirit Gods really knew how to play around, an old saying came to mind: you must walk your chosen path even if you have to kneel along the way. The only reasons this Spirit God could act out like this were two possibilities:
First, its Resentment had reached a certain level after spending an extended period in a place of extreme yin.
Second, this Spirit God was being controlled by someone—essentially manipulated by another person.
I quickly ruled out the first possibility in my agile mind; firstly, this area was open with flat surroundings—no rivers or bridges—not even plants like Sophora Trees that gather yin energy were present here. There were crossroads nearby but given that this area had high foot traffic, it didn’t accumulate yin energy either. If an ancient Vengeful Spirit appeared here, I'd find that hard to believe; thus considering all this led me only to conclude that there must be some truth in the second possibility.
As I thought about it, I increasingly felt that I had taken a big risk this time. First of all, if the Spirit God was controlled, it would have no subjective consciousness, meaning it couldn't be sent away even if I wanted to. If I had to deal with it, the only option would be to disperse it, but that was something I could only do as a last resort. Secondly, the person controlling the soul to commit evil—regardless of their character—was at least more skilled than I was; they were likely a senior figure whom I might not be able to confront. Furthermore, this Spirit God seemed to sense that I was different from them. The commotion wasn't as intense as it had been a few days ago, which suggested that this Spirit God was not simple either.
The more I thought about it, the more unreal it felt. I initially considered abandoning this task and rushing back to Guangzhou, but then I felt that would be inappropriate. Since fate had brought me here and I was involved in this line of work, it was my trial. Having chosen to come here, I had no choice now; evasion was useless. I could only face it head-on. After all, who knows if misfortune could turn into fortune?
Having come to this realization, I took the package and headed toward the New Factory Building. This time, I held a compass in my left hand and a Strong Flashlight in my right. Instead of using the door, I went straight to a nearby window to see inside. My only goal was to find out if it wanted me to see it. The Spirit God's thinking was quite simple: if it wanted to scare me, it wouldn't hide; if it didn't want to scare me, no matter how hard I looked, I wouldn't find it.
I first checked the compass's reaction; it was weak, indicating that the Spirit God was present but far away. Quickly, I took out the flashlight and shone it inside. Sure enough, about ten meters away in one corner, I saw a pale-faced Spirit God just as they had described. However, due to the distance, I couldn't see the bloodstains at the corners of its eyes. It stared at me with an expression that seemed displeased yet unable to harm me; it wanted to scare me but knew that I wasn't afraid.
We locked eyes for a moment. As I shone the flashlight on it, it had no flashlight of its own and could only look at me. In terms of momentum, I wasn't losing out. At this point, many might have a misconception: they think that shining a flashlight on a Spirit God's eyes would cause them to glow or reflect light intensely. In reality, Spirit Gods' eyes neither glow nor reflect any light at all. So if you see ghostly images where the ghost's eyes have highlights, those must have been edited.
Returning to the main point: while my momentum matched its own, it had backing behind it. Aside from a few cushions in my car, I had nothing else. Therefore, my stance was quite low. After staring at each other for several minutes and feeling bored—realizing that nothing would come of this—I quickly shouted, "Wait for me!" Then I pulled out the key to the main door and walked over to unlock it before rushing inside. When I reached the corner where it had been standing earlier, however, I found that it had strategically retreated.
I took out the compass again for a closer look; yes, it was still far away from me but hadn't left the factory building. It seemed like we were playing hide-and-seek; however, late at night, I wasn't interested in playing games like that. Since you want to hide from me, I'll just go and overturn your altar.
Though referred to as an altar, it was actually just a small offering array designed to control the Spirit God in one place for evil purposes. To do so effectively required setting up an array near where the evil acts occurred and also having an altar at home; otherwise, controlling it would be difficult if the locations were too far apart—and there were time limits involved as well—typically lasting for one or three incense sticks' worth of time. My understanding of these unconventional Methods of Feng Shui was limited; while I'd heard about them in general terms before, I didn't know how they worked in detail nor did I want to.
After searching around inside the factory without finding anything significant, I began to feel puzzled. Suddenly realizing my oversight—I cursed myself for being foolish—this place had been locked up all along; how could those who set up the array get in? They must have accessed from outside! So I quickly ran back outside and found a pile of wooden boards against the wall where there indeed lay a small array beneath them. The components of this array were simple yet effective.
A small incense burner and several mirrors were among them; inside the burner was a small red Cloth Bag containing Cat Bones and Hell Money among other items... but I'll refrain from revealing more details.
Initially thinking that destroying these items would break the Spirit God's bindings and allow me to use conventional methods to subdue and send it away proved naive. Just as I reached out to touch those items, my compass on the ground began shaking violently. A chill ran down my spine; before I could take out talismans and perform Hand Seals, something pressed down on me from behind as if someone were pushing me down while I was still crouched on the ground. This sudden action knocked me flat.
I had anticipated its aggressive nature but never expected its strength would be so overwhelming. Regret washed over me for having given away the protective talisman personally empowered by my master; perhaps my arrogance had led me astray. Arrogance comes with consequences just like foolishness does eventually. As I lay pinned down on the ground feeling utterly helpless—similar to sleep paralysis—it merely held me down without taking further action; perhaps that was its limit.
After several minutes passed and my mind began to blur with confusion, disregarding everything else in desperation—I recited a powerful Exorcism Spell aloud. This incantation shouldn't be uttered lightly; however desperate times call for desperate measures! As soon as my body regained some mobility, I kicked over that incense burner and shattered one of the mirrors hoping this would break whatever hold this Spirit God had over me.
In fact, it was true. The moment the mirror shattered, it seemed to have stopped pressing down on me. I quickly got up, took out the mixed ash of Cinnabar from the Ink Fight Line, and other items. I began to chant a spell to bind it, then sat down on the ground, panting heavily. I had exhausted too much energy and felt very tired. I had no idea how much Yang Qi it had drained from me while it was pressing down; I just felt utterly weak.
If a strong elementary school student were to come and try to take advantage of me at that moment, I would probably be powerless to resist. After resting for a few minutes, during which it remained trapped and motionless, I began to recover slightly. As I contemplated whether to send it away directly or communicate with it using the Call of Souls method, it started to struggle and gradually became blurry. I knew that it was trying to return to its spiritual realm. I quickly removed the Binding Formation but still used the Ink Fight Line to guide the spirit; I wanted to see who exactly was controlling it.
When we reached the Spirit God’s summoning place, I followed closely behind. It floated while I ran. It glided as if on roller skates, while I felt my running posture resembled that of a solitary and proud wolf. In terms of momentum, I felt triumphant over it, which made me quite excited. Just like that, while running and admiring myself, we soon arrived at the outskirts of a village. However, instead of entering through the main road, we took a small path by the roadside, passing through an alley between two small buildings before turning towards one of the staircases. I quickly pulled back the Ink Fight Line, recited a spell to collect the spirit, and stored it in my item before turning around and running away.
I didn’t want to recklessly enter that house; after all, in my current state, I couldn’t fight anyone.
Since I had found the place, there was no need to rush. It was already past two in the morning, and feeling extremely sleepy, I returned to the New Factory Building and walked into the Container House. I found Brother Li still fast asleep. The space was small and filled with the smell of alcohol. Although I enjoyed drinking, I didn’t like smelling drunkards’ breath, so I went out to find a small hotel. Before sleeping, I sent Brother Liu an address and asked him to come find me tomorrow at noon.
At noon, Brother Liu knocked on my door right on time. In fact, I hadn’t slept well all night due to being pressed by the Spirit God for those few minutes; it had drained too much from me.
After hastily eating something—my appetite was poor because my body felt unwell—I told Brother Liu about the small building and asked him to bring two people with him when we went over there later. I didn’t mention anything about someone causing trouble; I only said there were some clues and advised him not to make a fuss.
When we arrived at the bottom of that small building, I noticed clear signs of burnt Joss Paper and red candles at the entrance of the stairs outside. This further confirmed that this place was where the person controlling the Spirit God was hiding. Without hesitation, I went upstairs and found the room facing away from the sun. After knocking on the door, it opened shortly after; an old man in his sixties stood there.
Seeing his gaze upon me made me realize that this Soul Controller must be him because my pale face and heavy Yin Qi were obvious signs that someone in his line of work could easily recognize. He showed little surprise at seeing my three companions behind me and didn’t ask what I was doing there; instead, he directly said, “Young man, sorry about this; come in. Let me help you dispel your Yin Qi.”
I carefully looked around inside the room and confirmed that there was no one else present. Moreover, I sensed that the old man meant no harm. Turning to Brother Liu and his companions, I said, “You guys can head back for now; I'll be fine here. I'll call you later,” then stepped into the room and took a seat on a chair. After they left, the old man closed and locked the door before starting to dispel my Yin Qi with unique techniques that didn’t seem like those from Hunan; even the talismans he used were unfamiliar to me. The incantations were in his native dialect—though I couldn’t understand those details—I knew he wasn’t trying to harm me.
During the process of dispelling my Yin Qi, we talked about why he controlled spirits for frightening purposes. The old man sighed deeply before slowly explaining the reasons behind this matter.
The old man's nephew was the captain of a small construction team, and that factory was built by him and another construction team. However, after the project was completed, Boss Zhang withheld their final payment. The nephew had approached him several times, even offering gifts to plead for the payment. He tried every tactic, from being tough to sweet-talking, but Boss Zhang continued to delay the payment. Eventually, he made excuses about quality issues and claimed there was no final payment left, even having security throw the nephew out. Boss Zhang was an acquaintance; in order to secure this project, they hadn't signed any contracts beforehand—just some useless verbal agreements. Thus, feeling helpless, during a meal with Boss Zhang, the nephew brought up the issue.
The amount of the final payment was significant, and the nephew couldn't bear the loss. After drinking a bit too much, he even broke down in tears. The old man had no children of his own, so although the nephew was just that—a nephew—he treated him like a son. He couldn't just stand by; unable to defend himself legally, he chose to protect his child in his own way.
As he spoke, the old man's eyes glistened with moisture. He mentioned that he had spent his entire life in this profession and had never dealt with anyone in such a malicious manner. He felt that despite living an upright life, he had failed to uphold his professional integrity in his old age. He initially planned to stir things up for a few days before discussing it with Boss Zhang, but then I intervened.
Although I didn't fully agree with his methods, I understood his feelings. If I were in his position, I would likely act similarly.
I said, "Senior Master, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have intervened. I'll help you recover the final payment now. Please call your nephew over." Then I took out my phone and called Brother Liu, instructing him to bring Boss Zhang here no matter what.
About twenty minutes later, Brother Liu, Boss Zhang, and the old man's nephew arrived in the room. Upon seeing the situation, Boss Zhang seemed to realize what was happening. The nephew remained silent as if waiting for the old man to speak. However, the old man said nothing and smiled at me as if expecting me to communicate on his behalf—I felt it was my duty.
I looked at Boss Zhang and bluntly asked, "Why are you withholding their final payment? They trusted you by not insisting on a contract, yet you betrayed that trust and turned against them. Can you live with yourself?"
Boss Zhang appeared displeased with my tone and was about to argue back when I quickly interrupted him before he could speak. I knew that someone like him could talk endlessly; if we got into a debate, we would likely lose.
I asked Brother Liu and the old man's nephew to step outside and closed the door behind them while pulling up all the windows. Then I took out my Spirit Binding container. The old man watched me closely; he understood my intentions. I asked him if this was a suitable place.
He hurriedly put away several talismans and nodded that it was fine.
Without further ado, I summoned the Spirit God. When Boss Zhang saw it, he froze in shock and trembled all over. I told him that if he wanted it not to cause trouble in his factory, he should go out immediately and settle the final payment right away. To be fair, Boss Zhang had some guts; perhaps this experience changed his worldview or maybe he had encountered something similar before—at least he wasn't completely terrified and nodded in agreement with us.
At that moment, I borrowed a piece of paper from the old man and wrote down my account number for commission purposes. I told him to give me whatever he thought was appropriate; this wasn’t extortion—whatever amount he gave me would be enough for me not to pursue him again. Some people realize what’s happening after one encounter and never want to see each other again.
After sending the three of them away, I began to help the old man send off the Spirit God. I asked him where this Spirit God came from, and he looked apologetic as he explained that it was originally a Wandering Soul. It had only been found a couple of days ago, and they had initially intended to send it away, but later decided to make use of it instead.
I comforted the old man, saying, "The Wandering Soul's director has also accumulated some Yin De; it won't hold anything against you." He nodded but remained silent. We didn't speak a word until we successfully sent the Wandering Soul away. Afterward, I sat for a while before getting up to take my leave.
The old man said, "The Yin Qi on you has mostly been dispelled, but your body is still quite weak."
I replied, "I know; this isn't my first time dealing with this. I'll go back and get acupuncture at the hospital a couple of times, and after resting for two days, I'll be fine."
He nodded and said, "Thank you for your help this time. Come visit again when you have time; we can chat more." I readily agreed, took down the old man's phone number, and then stood up to leave.
In reality, many people repeatedly betray the trust of friends and family. Some borrow money without repaying it, some exploit verbal agreements, some go to any lengths for personal gain, and others act like beasts behind people's backs while pretending to be friendly in front of them.
When one lives with a heart that frequently does things against their conscience, gradually they become nothing more than a shell. If that's the case, how is it any different from being a walking corpse? Life is short; cherishing those around you is far more important than pursuing trivial benefits.
Comment 0 Comment Count