I had a strong intuition that it was Sui Wan'er's remains that had controlled me just now.
A powerful obsession washed over me, making me "speak" words against my will with ease.
What was Sui Wan'er's purpose?
Why was she so eager to sell her remains, and only within a twenty-mile radius of Qingfeng Mountain?
Though I harbored doubts, I didn't wish to delve deeper.
In the bizarre illusion, Sui Wan'er wanted to kill me. But when she spoke through me, she quietly left a message in my mind: "Let this matter end here. If I press further, she will kill me with all her might."
The warning was clear: if I continued to probe without knowing my limits, I would face certain death.
I carefully examined my injuries. Apart from a nosebleed and some disordered qi, I was otherwise unharmed.
However, the protective jade amulet on my body was already cracked into fine pieces.
It seemed Sui Wan'er had protected me once in the illusion, and the crisp "crack" I heard was the sound of the amulet shattering.
After some thought, I ultimately decided not to call my master to report the situation. Firstly, it was rather embarrassing; my first business deal had gone so poorly. Secondly, I had inherited my master's full legacy in the art of Luoyin Gua, so calling him would have no practical significance.
But I truly couldn't understand.
My master had arranged for me to earn money, and my first deal involved such great risk.
Was he intentionally trying to harm me?
How could that be possible?
...
The next morning, after a stroll around the vicinity and listening to Sun Chuang's introduction, I learned that the village I was in was no ordinary place.
This village had a very peculiar name—Molù Village.
Whether day or night, Molù Village was shrouded in a misty veil of half-yin and half-yang.
There was only one local family in the village; all other residents were outsiders.
These outsiders included tomb raiders, dealers of funerary items, and skilled feng shui masters...
Not a single one was an ordinary person of upright conduct.
It had become a major trading hub for feng shui items. Old artifacts were never hard to sell. As for Sui Wan'er's thousand-year-old corpse, it was likely to be resold in the blink of an eye.
"Qingyun, I've already arranged the second big deal for tonight. It's a ghost marriage matching."
Sun Chuang exhaled a smoke ring, a smug grin on his face. "If it goes smoothly, another million will be in the bank tonight."
"Two deals, two million earned. This is truly worth it!"
My expression changed instantly. "Brother Chuang, are you kidding me? Didn't we agree yesterday that if I successfully earned a million, you would buy me a plane ticket to go back home?"
I still felt lingering fear regarding Sui Wan'er. Last night, I had even performed another divination on her.
The卦象 (guàxiàng - divination result) indicated: Sui Wan'er would cause chaos in the yin and yang nearby, stirring up immense trouble.
If I continued to linger in Molù Village, I would inevitably encounter her again, and my life might be forfeit.
Furthermore, for the ghost marriage matching tonight, Sun Chuang wanted me to directly face the "principal" again, which was a repeated violation of my principles.
If I didn't adhere to the rules in this profession, even without Sui Wan'er, I would die sooner or later.
Hearing me clamoring to return home, Sun Chuang's expression immediately soured. He snapped, "Go back home right now? Are you out of your mind? Not making money when it's available is the act of a lunatic, you understand?"
"If you really want to go, you can sort out your own travel expenses. Your legs are your own; go wherever you please."
I truly didn't know how my master could have assigned this scoundrel to look after me.
His words were like flatulence; he immediately went back on his word.
Just as I was about to call my master for justice, Sun Chuang suddenly added, "By the way, Qingyun, there are countless feng shui trading hubs in the world. Why did your master specifically send you here? Do you know the reason?"
I shook my head instinctively. "No, I don't! What reason?"
Sun Chuang paused as if to build suspense before continuing, "Your master's last known location for your father was in Molù Village. In other words, if you stay here a few more days, you're bound to find clues."
"What, your father was harmed to that extent, and you don't want to avenge him?"
Actually, if I simply took the million back to my master, he would then find an expert in the field to help my father regain consciousness, and he would naturally tell me the truth of what happened back then.
However, my father had been in a coma for ten years. Would he really wake up as easily as my master said? What if he didn't wake up?
Moreover, Sun Chuang's last sentence successfully ignited my hatred.
For the past ten years, I had been an unfortunate soul born of a mother but raised without a father, all thanks to this "enemy."
If I could truly find him, I would gladly eat his flesh and grind his bones to dust!
"Alright, then I'll stay one more night. Regardless of whether the business is finalized or clues are found tonight, I must leave first thing tomorrow morning. Don't try to keep me then," I said after weighing my options.
...
The location for matching the ghost marriage was a house on the east side of Molù Village.
Two coffins were placed side-by-side in the center of the room. On each coffin lid lay a piece of paper, inscribed with the birthdates of the deceased within.
Under the dim light of white candles, the parents of the young man and woman, both deceased, wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down their faces.
After a brief inquiry, I learned that the young couple in the coffins had been lovers. However, the woman's mother, disliking the man's ordinary family background, adamantly refused to consent to the marriage.
The young couple, trapped in a dead end, didn't consider eloping but instead chose to commit suicide by burning charcoal as a殉情 (xùn qíng - dying for love).
The woman's mother finally relented, agreeing to the ghost marriage. But since the dead could not be brought back to life, settling the deceased was merely to appease the living.
I sighed inwardly, but could only do my best and leave the rest to fate. I took out the ancient coins, intending to see if any anomalies would arise from burying these two together.
*Clink, clink—*
After a series of crisp sounds, I first obtained the hexagram for the male deceased.
My heart suddenly leaped in shock.
How could this be?
The hexagram indicated: the male deceased could be buried alone, but absolutely must not be buried with a female in the same grave. Otherwise, there was a high probability of reanimation, endangering his family.
The hexagram was thus; it only sought results, not reasons.
The male's father appeared to be a simple, honest farmer. He seemed to sense something from my expression and fidgeted nervously, unsure where to place his hands. "Young man, how did your calculation turn out? Is there any major issue with burying them together?"
The woman's mother was dressed luxuriously, and the Maserati parked outside likely belonged to her. "Hey, calculate for my daughter! Sigh, this silly girl, why did she have such a lapse in judgment to insist on marrying this bumpkin?"
"Never mind, never mind. They're both dead now, what's the point of me rambling on?" The woman's mother elegantly wiped away her tears.
I nodded, not rushing to reveal the results. I then performed another divination based on the female deceased's birthdates.
The hexagram appeared.
I was utterly stunned.
In the past ten years, I had performed 3,762 Luoyin Gua divinations.
Yet, I had never encountered such a bizarre hexagram!