Through the conversation with Sun Chuang, I learned that the place I needed to handle was a construction site in the neighboring Tianhua City. Everything was going well at the start of construction, but a tomb was unearthed while digging the foundation.
Tombs are rare in the north, and at first, they thought it was someone's ancestor buried there. However, after inquiring around, no one claimed ownership, so they didn't pay much attention to it. But the next day after the tomb was dug up, people started dying on the construction site one after another.
The first to die were the workers who dug up the coffin, followed by the night watchman, and then the supervisor. After more than a dozen people died, the site supervisor finally realized that the matter was not simple and that they had likely encountered an evil spirit.
They hired a few local shamanistic practitioners to resolve the issue, but as soon as these disciples arrived at the construction site and saw the coffin, they all fainted without exception. When they woke up, they immediately fled, not saying a word, like mute individuals.
The construction site supervisor was even more distressed. He searched all the shamanistic practitioners in Tianhua City, but upon hearing about his construction site, everyone shook their heads faster than a wind-up toy and refused to go. In the end, through someone, he found Sun Chuang.
After returning to Tianhua City, Sun Chuang had been lying low, honestly staying at home and trying to have a child. If the real estate developer hadn't been a powerful figure he couldn't afford to offend, he probably wouldn't have called me in his life.
During dinner that evening, I mentioned to Zhang Dabiao that I was going to Tianhua City to make some money and asked him to stay home and keep his sister-in-law company so they could have a nephew for me soon.
In response, Sister-in-law Zhang gave him a big roll of her eyes. Zhang Dabiao downed his glass of white wine and said, "Do you think having a baby is like popping popcorn? You put it in the pot and it turns into popcorn in a while? It's not something you can force. Besides, that scoundrel Sun Chuang hasn't contacted you since he got back. Who knows what schemes he has now that he's suddenly contacted you? I'm going with you."
Seeing that I remained silent, he continued, "The money I have is barely enough to buy a decent house, let alone enough for baby formula. Going with you could earn some milk money, right?"
For this, Sister-in-law Zhang pinched Zhang Dabiao a couple more times, indicating that he shouldn't say such things to his younger brother, as it was embarrassing.
Bai Ling'er, who had been avoiding me all day, also appeared at the dinner table. She highly praised Sister-in-law Zhang's cooking and repeatedly stated that following me was a loss, and if she couldn't occasionally roast some lamb, she would have starved to death.
I was speechless at Bai Ling'er's complaint. Didn't I buy the lamb you ate? You didn't starve to death without roasted lamb in Molu Village. Now your mouth has become picky and you're starting to find fault.
I don't know if it was an illusion or if it really happened for a moment, but I suddenly noticed that Bai Ling'er, coiled on the table, seemed to have transformed into a three or four-year-old little girl. Sister-in-law Zhang wasn't scared by Bai Ling'er's childish voice. Instead, she complained to me, saying how could I let such a well-behaved little girl eat raw meat outside, and wasn't I afraid she'd get a stomachache?
I was speechless. What kind of snake eats cooked food every day? Perhaps only Bai Ling'er does that. Now there's also Huang San lying in the ancestral hall. Don't all other wild spirits eat raw food?
The next morning, as we were eating, we heard someone knocking at the door. When I opened it, I saw a young man in a black suit, who introduced himself as the driver sent to pick us up, and that our car was an Audi with four rings.
Upon arriving in Tianhua City, the car didn't drive directly to the construction site but stopped in front of a hotel.
A plump middle-aged man stood at the entrance, pacing back and forth nervously. Upon seeing the car arrive, he opened the car door before I could even get out.
"Mr. Song, you've had a long journey..."
Faced with this sudden high-level reception, I was still a bit unaccustomed. I quickly got out of the car and said that I was just a humble Yin-Yang master and didn't deserve the title of Mr. Song. He was too kind to say that.
To be courteous in advance means there will be trouble. This is the experience gained from casting fortunes for ten years, and my master also said never to be arrogant in anything, or you'll be the one to suffer.
"You're too kind. It's already embarrassing enough that you arranged a car to pick us up..."
"That's not what I mean. I've long heard of Mr. Song's heroic deeds in the south. Let's go up and talk while we eat..."
The plump middle-aged man's words made me frown. In the south, I only looked at a tomb and an ancient corpse, and didn't do anything significant. How could his tone suggest that I had already become famous?
In the private room, Sun Chuang sat in the main seat, acting like the host. The baby fat that used to be on his face had disappeared, his short hair had grown long, and his complexion looked somewhat pale. If the lights were off at night, one might mistake him for a vampire.
"Haha... My dear brother, we meet again. I've really missed you."
Sun Chuang stood up and gave me a hug. I wanted to dodge, but after considering that he had secured such a big job for me, I gritted my teeth and patted his shoulder. After we separated, he tried to hug Zhang Dabiao, but Zhang Dabiao dodged him and turned to find a chair to sit down, leaving Sun Chuang somewhat awkward.
Sun Chuang gave an embarrassed laugh and then asked the plump middle-aged man to serve the dishes.
At the dinner table, Zhang Dabiao, who usually enjoyed drinking, refused Sun Chuang's toast. I also refused, citing my young age and dislike for alcohol. Sun Chuang didn't try to persuade us further and drank by himself. The plump middle-aged man sighed with every sip, appearing very troubled.
Through conversation, I learned that the plump middle-aged man's name was Xue, and he was the head of the real estate development company. The incident was slightly different from what Sun Chuang had said on the phone; it happened half a month ago... When the workers were digging the foundation, they first unearthed a coffin. This was a common occurrence on construction sites. With hundreds of years of change in China, no one knew where people were buried or where tombs were located. It was normal to unearth a coffin.
According to proper procedures, the coffin should be set aside, the police notified, and then work would resume after the matter was handled.
However, because the construction period was tight and they couldn't stop for a single coffin, they continued digging. This digging led to a great commotion, as seven coffins were unearthed in succession. This immediately unsettled the workers.
Since some of the coffins had decayed, when the excavator dug them up, black lumps fell out. Some curious workers quickly hid the items. When they were alone, they secretly cleaned them and discovered that these black lumps were actually gold ingots.
As soon as this news spread, it was like wildfire. All the workers went mad. They ignored the site supervisor's request not to damage the coffins and started smashing them in groups of three or five.
In every case, all the workers who found gold ingots died tragically. Before they died, they had gold ingots in their mouths, their eyes wide open as if they had died of fright. It was from that day on that people started dying one after another on the construction site...