I heard some shocking news at Wei Yuan's villa.
Lu Dayong is dead?!
Aunt Li said that if he were still alive, he'd be at least eighty this year.
He had already passed away before Uncle Li came to Lu Village.
Lu Dayong was indeed a carpenter in Lu Village, but he had been a bad egg since he was young. He hung out with some "tomb raiders" and "robbed tombs." In common folks' words, he was a grave robber.
The mountains around the capital were full of dragon energy. Even wealthy and powerful officials would choose a place with good feng shui here to be buried and soak up some of that dragon energy.
Lu Dayong had been in this line of work on and off for about twenty years.
When he was forty, he went into a tomb with some others and was betrayed by his so - called colleagues. Fortunately, he was smart and ruthless. He killed those who tried to harm him right in the tomb passage and buried them there. But he was also seriously injured and died just a couple of days after getting home.
"That can't be..."
Wei Yuan couldn't help but glance at me.
By now, twilight had fallen.
The night in the mountains was pitch - black. Although the lights in front of the villa were bright, they couldn't penetrate the tangible darkness. Just two meters away, you couldn't even see your own hand.
In the distance, some unknown night birds shrieked as they flew out of the forest.
Wei Yuan had been haunted by a ghost for several days, so his yang energy was weak.
He shivered a few times, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
"Miss Du, are you sure your information is correct?"
He never expected that we would encounter such a strange thing just while trying to repair a compass.
I took out my phone and showed Aunt Li the address left by Si Jiangchen. Aunt Li's face immediately changed after taking a look. She nodded vigorously and said, "This is indeed Lu Dayong's place, but no one has lived there for years. It's been deserted for ages."
"..."
I put my phone away and thought for a moment. No wonder the divination that day said, "Hard to find. Finding is of no use!"
It really was hard to find!!
I sighed inwardly. Looking at the anxious Wei Yuan, I smiled and said, "Where there's a will, there's a way. We'll know more when we go and check it out tomorrow!"
"Okay!"
Wei Yuan seemed a bit distracted, probably shocked by the news.
"Master."
Aunt Li noticed that he wasn't feeling well and said, "It's rare for you to come on vacation with your girlfriend. Don't keep thinking about these old things. Have a good sleep tonight and go hunting for pheasants in the mountains tomorrow to relax!"
"Pfft!"
Aunt Li's words made me spit out a mouthful of water. I choked and coughed, unable to speak.
Seeing my strong reaction, Wei Yuan couldn't help but laugh. He waved his hand at Aunt Li and said, "This is the master I invited to help me with something."
"Master?! Are you joking, Master? How could there be such a young and beautiful master?!"
Aunt Li looked at me with a surprised and curious expression. After sizing me up several times, she said, "I really thought she was your girlfriend... None of the previous ones were as good - looking as this young mistress!"
"Hehe, whoever becomes Miss Du's boyfriend will be really lucky."
Wei Yuan gradually stopped smiling, and his face turned solemn again...
After dinner, it was just a little past eight.
Uncle and Aunt Li cleaned up and went back to their own home.
In the huge villa, only Wei Yuan and I were left.
The bedrooms were on the second floor. There were six rooms in total, and we were staying in the first two rooms facing each other at the front of the corridor.
I put my backpack on the small round table beside the bed and lay down on the soft mattress.
The pillows and quilts were brand - new, smelling of laundry detergent and sunshine.
It was a bit cold at night in the mountains, so I pulled the quilt over myself.
"Ding ding ding..."
My phone rang.
It was Si Jiangchen calling.
The moment I saw the call, my relaxed mood tightened up like a wet towel being wrung out. I felt so uncomfortable.
I muted my phone, planning to reply to him on WeChat after the call went unanswered.
Unexpectedly, the call hung up after just two rings.
Then a WeChat message popped up.
[Why didn't you answer the call?]
[No!! I didn't see it!!]
[Oh.]
After that single "Oh" from Si Jiangchen, there was no more message.
I stared at the phone screen for a while. Realizing that he really wasn't going to talk to me anymore, I quickly typed another message.
[I didn't wait for your assistant on purpose! There were customers in the shop, and since my home is in Lu Village, I came here on the way.]
...
Si Jiangchen remained silent.
[I really didn't run away. All my stuff is at home, and my grandpa is still in the hospital!]
I had to continue explaining: [I also want to repair the compass as soon as possible so that I can find Si Tong's three souls and seven spirits.]
...
As time ticked by, Si Jiangchen's WeChat showed no sign of activity.
"That jerk!"
I cursed under my breath, but my fingers were still typing humbly.
[I'll go back right after I repair the compass. Please wait for me for a couple of days, Mr. Si. Please don't do anything to my grandpa TAT]
...
Si Jiangchen really just ignored me.
After waiting for a while and seeing no reply, I had to close the WeChat interface.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind. It was he who needed my help now, right?!
He needed me to find his son's soul. Why was I being so submissive?!
I almost cried at my own stupidity, but I really didn't dare to say anything tough.
Just as I was berating myself, I heard a soft knock on the bedroom door.
"Who?!"
I quickly sat up on the bed and reached into my bag to take out a small jar.
Inside was A Jian.
That white - clothed male ghost.
He couldn't leave the magic formation I set up in the yard without permission, but I could carry him with me.
This soul - storing jar was exactly the same as the soul bottles and urns used in past burial customs. They were all homes for the souls of the dead.
A Jian might be discovered by the ghost messengers from the underworld if he showed up randomly.
Putting him in the soul - storing jar was like sealing him in a tomb.
A Jian had been cultivating for hundreds of years. He could touch real objects and help me investigate. Since the divination result was not good this time, I brought him out as my bodyguard!
"Miss Du, it's me..."
It was Wei Yuan's voice outside the door: "Can... you open the door?"
"That's not appropriate!"
I flatly refused.
It was late at night, and we were in the wilderness. He was a man!
How could I let him into my room?!
"Wei Yuan, we'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm already in bed!"
I had my hand on the yellow talisman sealing the jar. If Wei Yuan really tried anything, I wouldn't mind scaring him half to death again!
"Miss Du, I just got a call..."
Wei Yuan's voice outside the door was low and subdued, "Zhao Donglin is dead!"
"Who's dead?!"
I jumped out of bed and rushed to the door in two steps.
"Do you mean Brother Dong?!"
"Yes!"
Outside the door, Wei Yuan's face was full of dark qi. He was a typical example of being haunted by bad luck.
"Miss Du, I'm afraid that ghost will come after me soon!!"