Seeing Sun Chuang faint, Zhang Dabiao and I exchanged glances. Why did he pass out upon hearing Fang Huixin's name? Could she carry bad luck?
After a moment's thought, I concluded he was trying to shirk responsibility.
He had taken on the job of a ghost marriage, likely receiving a considerable sum from Fang Huixin. With the task unfulfilled, he was probably worried about her repercussions.
Convinced Sun Chuang was faking, I slapped him twice.
"You fainted, huh? You ran, you..."
I put all my strength into those slaps, venting my anger and frustration at his impulsive actions. If we had left after examining Sui Wan'er's remains, we wouldn't be in this mess.
He didn't wake after two slaps, so I hit him a few more times. Yet, Sun Chuang remained motionless, only his face slightly flushed, his eyes still tightly shut.
"This fatso, his skin is really thick. He hasn't woken up after so many hits," I muttered, seeing Sun Chuang genuinely "fainted."
"He must have suffered a lot. Perhaps he has some unspeakable secret," Zhang Dabiao advised, winking at me as if to convey something.
"Brother Zhang, did you get something in your eye? Why are you blinking?" I asked, looking at Zhang Dabiao curiously.
"Cough... cough..."
"No, I just want to go out for a smoke. Do you want one?"
Zhang Dabiao gave me another look and turned to leave.
"Alright, let's carry him back to his room first."
"Okay!"
After carrying Sun Chuang back to his room, Zhang Dabiao glanced at him and then gave me a look to discuss it outside before leaving.
As I followed Zhang Dabiao out, I watched Sun Chuang, who was "sound asleep." When I closed the door, I caught a glimpse of Sun Chuang's finger moving.
I initially thought it was my imagination, but upon closer inspection, he appeared unchanged.
Standing in the courtyard, Zhang Dabiao lit a cigarette and offered me one. I shook my head, declining. "Brother Zhang, why did you call me out?"
Zhang Dabiao took a drag and exhaled a smoke ring. "Don't you find something suspicious about your intermediary?"
His words surprised me.
Sun Chuang was suspicious?
How could that be?
Aside from being timid and prone to fleeing when faced with trouble, what else could be suspicious about him?
Moreover, he was a distant relative of my master. If my master introduced Sun Chuang to me, it meant he was trustworthy.
Even if you, Zhang Dabiao, harbored ill intentions towards me, my master wouldn't.
Otherwise, my father, lying in bed, and I wouldn't have survived this long.
Perhaps sensing the change in my expression, Zhang Dabiao gave a wry smile. "You think I would harm you?"
Zhang Dabiao's words left me unsure how to respond.
If he had wanted to harm me, he could have simply not saved me then. I wouldn't have been able to defeat Sui Wan'er, and my death would have been a matter of time.
"How could Brother Zhang harm me? It's just that I can't agree with your suspicion about Sun Chuang. Since he was introduced to me by my master, if I were to doubt him, then..."
I didn't finish my sentence. Sun Chuang was timid and would run from danger, but that was human nature. Even if I encountered a zombie, my first instinct would be to flee, let alone an ordinary person.
But to say that Sun Chuang intentionally wanted to harm me was nonsensical. For one thing, he wouldn't even get past my master. Given my master's temperament, it would be a miracle if he didn't skin him alive and light his head.
Zhang Dabiao merely curled his lips at my words. "Didn't you smell a scent on him?"
His question startled me. Sun Chuang had returned like a wild man; what scent could he possibly have?
If anything, it would be a foul odor.
However, I feigned a "confused" expression. "What scent?"
"A fragrance."
"Fragrance?"
What kind of explanation was that?
Who doesn't use shampoo, body wash, or soap when bathing? What's special about having a fragrance on?
Besides, Sun Chuang was a "decent" and face-conscious person. After encountering distressing events, taking a longer bath and having a fragrance on wasn't unusual. Was this an attempt to sow discord?
Zhang Dabiao looked at me with a hint of strangeness in his eyes. "Are you really a feng shui master?"
His words rendered me speechless. He was actually doubting my abilities?
What a joke! I had never slacked off in the past ten years. Firstly, I didn't want to be punished by my master, and secondly, I wanted to earn some pocket money from him.
"Why doubt it? I've studied under my master for ten years. I've learned ten-tenths of his skills. Is that false? In ten years, my thirty-seven hundred and sixty-two divinations have never been wrong." Su Dan Fiction Network.
Facing my "anger," Zhang Dabiao remained calm. After taking a puff of his cigarette, he said, "Then your household should be burning incense to the ancestors, right? How could you not even smell the scent of incense?"
Zhang Dabiao's words made me pause.
Incense?
Reminded by him, I frowned and thought back carefully. There was indeed a faint "fragrance."
The scent was akin to burning mugwort, mixed with sandalwood. It was very subtle, with a slightly pungent odor, which was why I hadn't paid much attention.
"I did smell it. It's not just me who knows feng shui in Molu Village; there are many more accomplished feng shui masters. It's not impossible that I picked up some incense scent when passing by."
"Fragrance isn't easily picked up. Only by staying in a place for a long time will one's body carry such a scent. Perhaps Sun Chuang himself is not problematic, but the fact that he has carried that fragrance for these three days is problematic."
Seeing my thoughtful expression, Zhang Dabiao continued, "Don't forget, he fainted immediately upon hearing Fang Huixin's name."
Zhang Dabiao emphasized the word "fainted," as if he was certain Sun Chuang was faking it.
"You mean he's faking it?"
When I left the room, I saw Sun Chuang's finger move. He did seem to be faking his unconsciousness.
"It's highly possible. Perhaps he has some unspeakable secret."
"Unspeakable secret? What unspeakable secret could he have? Could he be under surveillance?"
"He's missing a soul."
I looked at Zhang Dabiao in surprise. "Missing a soul? How did I not notice?"
As soon as I said it, I felt as stupid as a pig.
I specialized in Yin divination, which only dealt with Yin entities and Yin matters. I had no expertise in what was present or missing in living people, nor did I dare to study it.
Before learning Yin divination, my master had warned me countless times that the Yin divination I learned could not be used for divination on living people. If I were to break this rule, he would expel me from the sect, and he would no longer care about my father's life or death. Therefore, I truly couldn't tell what was missing from Sun Chuang.
"That woman must have taken one of his souls."