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墨書 Inktalez
I was a bit surprised when I saw the number of Azure Cloud Taoist. I answered the call and smiled, "Azure Cloud Daoist, you really are a bother."
On the other end of the line, Azure Cloud Taoist sounded quite pleased with himself. "You! I told you long ago, it's not my Talisman's fault!"
"Huh?" I was confused.
Azure Cloud Taoist continued, "Last night, didn't you say my Corpse Fixing Talisman was useless and let that ghost escape? I'm telling you now, it's not my Corpse Fixing Talisman's problem. That Male Ghost has merged with another woman. Their Yin Marriage this time isn't the same as the folk customs Yin Marriage; the folk custom Yin Marriage is just a formality. However, what they have is a Same Fate Yin Marriage!"
"Same Fate Yin Marriage?" I had never heard of such a distinction in Yin Marriages.
Azure Cloud Taoist went on, "Yes, Same Fate Yin Marriage. In Taoism, we also call it Minghun. The term 'same fate' means life and death are intertwined. That Male Ghost can siphon off a woman's Lifespan to keep his body from decaying and his soul from perishing. When the woman dies, they will merge into one entity, becoming a Ghost Corpse that is neither alive nor dead! This is a method of nurturing ghosts. Those who can mediate and form a Minghun are quite powerful. Moreover, Minghun goes against Taoist principles; those involved in Minghun will likely face misfortune. You should stay out of this case; give me a million and let me handle it."
"Pfft!" I almost spat out blood. "A million! Daoist, you're really asking for too much."
Azure Cloud Taoist scoffed, "This is still a discount for you. For ordinary people, I start at five million. Alright, alright, I'll make an exception for you. While it's still light out, let's dig up the Minghun grave and burn that corpse; then this Minghun will be severed. But remember to keep an eye on the ghost nurturer—tch tch—remember, humans are always scarier than ghosts." With that, Azure Cloud Taoist hung up.
I stood there holding my phone in a daze. Thankfully, this Taoist didn't ask me for a consultation fee; with his starting price of five million, I'd be left broke.
Zhao Yin looked a bit anxious and asked me, "What happened?"
I turned to Zhao Yin and said, "Do you remember that night when you felt pain in your chest and your ankle felt like it was cut by a sword?"
Zhao Yin nodded.
I continued, "Actually, that night I stabbed Zhao Min's ankle with my Peach Wood Sword and poured Black Dog Blood on his chest. As a result, the pain transferred to you!"
Zhao Yin covered her mouth, "You mean, Brother Zhao and I... we are almost living and dying together?"
I nodded, "It shouldn't be that serious yet. That Old Taoist said if your Yin Marriage lasts a bit longer, it might really come to that. At that point, you would be Zhao Min, and Zhao Min would be you. The two of you would merge into one, becoming a Ghost Corpse!"
"What should we do now?" Zhao Yin asked.
I glanced at Wen Yan and then at Fourth Uncle. "The solution is simple: we need to dig up the grave and break the Minghun. This way, you can sever ties with Zhao Min's ghost. I will burn his body and force his soul to scatter. However, this method requires the help of a few people."
Upon hearing this, Fourth Uncle and the others exchanged glances and shrank back slightly. They were ordinary people and dared not confront a ghost.
I looked at Wen Yan, "Wen Yan, I need your assistance with this matter."
Wen Yan nodded expressionlessly, "I'm willing to help. I'm quite interested in this case, but as a private detective, I have principles. I need compensation."
Zhao Yin immediately replied, "Compensation is fine! I... I'm willing to pay whatever it takes to resolve this issue. Mr. Wen, how much do you charge?"
Wen Yan held up one finger.
"Ten thousand?" Zhao Yin asked.
Wen Yan shook his head.
Zhao Yin looked troubled, "If it's a hundred thousand, then... I might not have that much money."
Wen Yan spoke calmly, "One dollar will do. I'm interested in this case and want to take it on. This dollar will serve as my fee; payment can be made after the job is done."
Zhao Yin nodded vigorously, her nose feeling a bit sour.
I looked at Fourth Uncle and the two others, "Fourth Uncle, Lock Brother, Teetering Brother, you all need to help too."
Lockzi and Seesaw shook their heads repeatedly, clearly terrified.
Fourth Uncle also wore a troubled expression and said, "Well... this is about dealing with ghosts. We're just ordinary folks; we only know how to farm and dig holes. Let's skip the ghost hunting."
I rubbed my nose and said to the three of them, "Here's the thing: you three are currently in trouble with the law. If you come with me to dig up a grave this time, it would be a chance for redemption. You probably won't even face detention. Also, as Old Taoist mentioned earlier, Minghun is against morality, and everyone involved in matchmaking will face retribution. You three were witnesses at a wedding back then, right?"
Upon hearing this, Fourth Uncle and the others were instantly dumbfounded. After a while, Fourth Uncle sighed, "Alright then, we'll help. Helping Zhao Yin is like helping ourselves."
Zhao Yin thanked Fourth Uncle and the others.
I glanced at the sky, "There's still over an hour until it's completely dark. Fourth Uncle, where are Zhao Min and Zhao Yin's graves? Is it far from here?"
Fourth Uncle thought for a moment and replied, "It's not very far. By car, it should take about ten minutes. But maybe we should wait until tomorrow to dig up the grave."
I considered this and shook my head, "We should have gone during the day to dig up the grave, but I'm worried that Zhao Min won't agree. He was hurt by me yesterday; he must know why we're here now. If we don't break Minghun soon enough and he goes crazy trying to possess Zhao Yin, she could become a living dead person in no time. That would be a huge problem."
As I spoke, I grabbed my backpack, "Let's move quickly; bring along the shovels and picks."
Fourth Uncle and the others steeled themselves.
I checked my bag and felt a bit regretful for not bringing a gun. According to Old Taoist's teachings, while that ghost master might be powerful, he was still human. If I had brought a gun, things would have been much easier. However, a dagger should suffice; that ghost master must be the old lady in the coffin—I could handle her with one hand.
I turned to Wen Yan and said, "Alright, let them go for now; we can deal with that after this is over."
Without hesitation, Wen Yan took out the keys and released all three of them before saying, "Get in my car; let's go."
When we reached the ground floor, the burly girl from the Five Great Mountains was still picking her nose, but at least she had finished her instant noodles. I asked her where her farming tools were stored, and she pointed to the backyard, her eyes never leaving the broken computer screen displaying a K-Drama.
I couldn't help but sigh inwardly, wondering when Chinese television dramas would become as captivating as K-Dramas.
In the backyard, we didn't hold back. We grabbed some digging tools and headed toward Wen Yan's vehicle.
Wen Yan's car was a Jeep Wrangler, a true off-road vehicle perfect for navigating these mountain roads. It felt a bit cramped with all of us inside, but we managed.
Wen Yan remained expressionless as he drove, speeding along under Fourth Uncle's guidance. In just over ten minutes, we arrived at a graveyard.
Inside the car, I turned to Fourth Uncle and asked, "Is that Old Witch of yours the old lady with the growths on her face?"
Fourth Uncle nodded and said, "Yes, that Old Witch is Zhao Min's aunt. However, she doesn't have much contact with Zhao Min's family. I heard that due to pollution issues, everyone from her husband's village either died or left. Eventually, only the Old Witch was left. She started helping people from nearby villages with fortune-telling, exorcisms, and rituals. She's quite a famous shaman. For some reason, everyone likes to call her the Old Witch."
After listening to him, I frowned and thought for a moment. I felt that this Old Witch was rather ruthless. She must have known that pairing with Minghun would cause harm and lead to retribution, yet she still went ahead with it. As a result, Zhao Min's parents were among the first to die! This old woman could even harm her own brother; she was truly formidable.
Just then, Wen Yan suddenly slammed on the brakes. "We're here."
I looked up and saw that on the far west side of the graveyard stood a large circular mound. Next to it was a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Grave of Zhao Min and Zhao Yin."
I jumped out of the car and glanced around. "It's getting dark; let’s work quickly and dig up the coffin. We just need to separate them."
Surrounded by graves in the dimming light was somewhat eerie, but with so many of us present, Fourth Uncle and his companions weren't afraid. As for Wen Yan, judging by his demeanor and movements, he seemed like a retired soldier—one of those elite veterans.
We picked up our tools and began to thump away at the grave. The earth had been packed down for quite some time; it was hard and clumped together. We had to start with pickaxes before switching to shovels.
As we worked fervently, I suddenly noticed a group of people approaching from a distance; they were coming from the direction of Shanshui Village.
The graveyard in Shanshui Village was not far from the village itself, and soon enough, that group of people surrounded us.
I took a glance at them; these were the villagers of Shanshui Village. Some had blind eyes, some had crooked mouths, and others were in pain. They all seemed to have suffered greatly. Armed with wooden sticks and sickles, they immediately closed in on us, their bodies radiating a murderous intent.
"Kill them! Our village is already in such dire straits, and you still won't leave us alone! Fourth Brother, have you lost your conscience? How could you team up with these outsiders to dig up our graves? Can we even dig up this grave? If we do, Zhao Min's ghost will come out to cause trouble again. At that point, everyone in our village will be doomed because of you!" an old man wielding a sickle shouted.
Fourth Uncle looked a bit scared. He dropped the iron pickaxe in his hand and glanced at me, then at the crowd outside. "Village Chief, there's been a misunderstanding. This person beside me is a ghost hunter; he can help us subdue Zhao Min's ghost. Really, there’s been a misunderstanding. Look, look, isn’t Zhao Yin still alive?"
When the village chief saw Zhao Yin, he was also startled. He then shouted, "Fourth Brother, come here! You've been deceived by these demons. Villagers, no matter what they are, let’s kill them!"
A group of villagers brandishing weapons charged toward us.
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