Chapter 30

Chapter 30

United Righteousness's smooth talking failed to convince Qiu Guokai to sign up for the membership card.

This was because Qiu Guokai found the company increasingly suspicious. To be honest, he hadn't fully trusted Lin Hanyang's recommendation from the beginning. After all, he had never heard of Taicang Sect before, and it seemed to have suddenly appeared in the capital recently. It looked like a group of fraudsters trying to make a quick buck, pretending to be spiritual gurus. If not for the monks at the temples he had visited earlier, who said he didn't appear to be haunted by ghosts or spirits, he wouldn't have resorted to seeking help from them.

Putting varicose veins aside, the fact that he was beaten up was indeed strange. Wei Xi couldn't pinpoint the issue, but he decided to accompany Qiu Guokai back home for a closer look.

As they were about to depart, Qiu Guokai, seeing that they were empty-handed, couldn't suppress his doubts any longer and asked, "M-Master, don't you need to bring anything?"

Wei Xi was taken aback by the question, but United Righteousness reacted swiftly, hastily explaining that he had forgotten something and pulling his master aside. "Master, the books that Junior Brother gave me mentioned that many experts bring magical artifacts with them during their rituals, like peach wood swords or yin-yang coins. Does our sect have any?"

Wei Xi replied, "We don't need those."

"I think we should still prepare some," United Righteousness suggested. "Master, you might not know this, but the Startup Tips mentioned that during promotional events, it's crucial to have proper equipment to show professionalism and credibility. The sense of ritual is also significant at times."

Wei Xi pondered and agreed. He led his disciples upstairs to find a suitable backpack. Seeing it was empty, he added a few packs of tissues and a couple of chocolate bars.

Shuo Zong: "..."

To his surprise, Qiu Guokai genuinely seemed relieved upon seeing the bulging backpack. Wei Xi couldn't help but become even more puzzled. What kind of clients did this group consist of?

When they left, the noble ladies in the courtyard warmly greeted Wei Xi and inquired, "Little Xi, where are you going?"

Unity Right answered with a grin, "Master has taken on a ritual for Mr. Qiu here, so he's going to perform it at his residence."

A ritual...

The group had mixed reactions upon hearing that. After Wei Xi left, they couldn't help but ask Shu Wanrong, "I thought the services listed on Taicang Sect's business card were just jokes, but your eldest son is actually performing rituals?"

Shu Wanrong: "..."

She picked up her cup and sipped water, her expression blank. She didn't feel like saying anything anymore.

***

On their way, they found out that Mr. Qiu was an investor in the film and television industry. His family had been prosperous for generations, making him a wealthy heir.

Perhaps due to nervousness, he kept rambling on, "Ah, everyone around me envies me, saying I have inherited wealth and don't need to start from scratch. But with how quickly the market economy is developing, preserving that wealth isn't easy. Investing in film and television is also challenging. A recent project our company invested in has made my hair fall out from stress. If not for my wife's unwavering support, I wouldn't have been able to persevere until now."

United Righteousness recently had the chance to practice what he learned from his junior, and he looked at Qiu Guokai's features, speculating, "Mr. Qiu, have you been married before?"

Qiu Guokai let out an "oh," finally feeling that the expert he'd hired seemed competent. "Yes, my first marriage was a business arrangement. About seven or eight years ago, my ex-wife wanted to pursue her career abroad, so we got divorced. Then I met my current wife when I invested in a project. She's more than ten years younger than me, and we're very much in love."

As he spoke, he even took out his wife's photo to show off to United Righteousness, clearly proud of her. United Righteousness glanced at the picture of the young and slender beauty, then back at Qiu Guokai. Envy immediately filled his eyes.

However, something still didn't sit right with him, so he examined the photo closely and uncertainly said, "Your wife seems to have quite a bit of romantic interest around her, doesn't she?"

Qiu Guokai laughed triumphantly, "Yes, ha ha ha! So many people envy me because she's so beautiful!"

Shuo Zong glanced at the photo, then at Qiu Guokai, left speechless.

Upon arriving at the Qiu family's old residence, Qiu Guokai still had some lingering trauma and hesitated to step inside. "I haven't been home for days. Whenever I do, I hear strange sounds. After the TV mysteriously turned on a few times, I moved my wife and kids to live at the company. I didn't expect to feel attacked even during yesterday's meeting."

Lin Hanyang was worried. "If it's that persistent, it might be after your life."

Qiu Guokai became even more frightened. Shuo Zong said coldly, "Moving to the company won't help. Hiding outside solves nothing."

Lin Hanyang realized the logic and instructed the driver to send his wife back first. He stayed behind to encourage Qiu Guokai to open the door.

The Qiu family residence didn't seem ominous at all. The house was well-lit and ventilated, and one could even feel the warmth of sunlight when entering during the day. The interior decorations hinted at the influence of affluent elders.

After Qiu Guokai entered, he first lit incense for his parents' portraits on the wall and bowed several times. "Sigh, if it weren't for the protection of our ancestors in the spirit world, I might have already fallen victim to that ghost."

Lin Hanyang comforted him with a few words. Wei Xi led his apprentices on a tour around the house. They noticed many portraits hanging on the walls, some photographs, others painted oil renditions.

With the domestic staff given the day off, Qiu Guokai personally brewed a pot of tea for everyone and introduced them to the family lineage. "This is my grandfather, this is my great-grandmother, and this is her father… Our family is a large clan, with our earliest ancestor engaging in overseas trade since the late Qing dynasty."

Seeing no immediate issues, he explained, "Normally, there wouldn't be any problems during the day. That thing… It only starts causing trouble after the sun sets."

Wei Xi acknowledged with an "Mm-hmm." "No problem, let's wait until dusk then. I have something to attend to as well."

Qiu Guokai, somewhat familiar with the rules, asked doubtfully, "Are you going to consecrate the altar and perform a ritual during this lull?"

Many folk magicians would conduct a pre-routine offering to heaven and earth before commencing their rituals, a rather common practice.

"Who has time for that?" Wei Xi pulled out his phone. "My 'Fight the Landlord' online friends should be online at this hour."

Qiu Guokai: "…???"

To his surprise, Wei Xi actually sat down on the sofa and ignored him, with the sounds of mahjong tiles clashing and firing cannons echoing in the room.

Qiu Guokai looked puzzled, and Lin Hanyang consoled him, "Don't mind it. The Master seems much more reliable now. When he performed exorcism at my place, he was dressed like a beggar and only cared about eating. He's not bothered by trivial matters; what matters is his ability to handle the job. Maybe he's playing games to help you relax."

...Is that so? Although Qiu Guokai didn't feel the slightest bit comforted or relaxed, he had no other choice at this point.

He could only wait nervously, avoiding the TV that would inexplicably turn on by itself. As twilight approached, he couldn't sit still anymore and pulled out his phone.

Lin Hanyang asked, "What are you doing?"

Qiu Guokai said, "I don't want my wife to worry. I'll give her a call and let her know I'll be back at the company later."

Lin Hanyang was also a devoted husband, and he approved of his old classmate's approach. However, just as Qiu Guokai was about to flip through the contacts, his expression suddenly changed, and he stopped in his tracks. "I think I heard that voice again!"

All eyes turned to him. Wei Xi, who had been playing games on his phone the entire afternoon, also put it down and exchanged glances with his second disciple sitting beside him. Neither of them had heard anything.

Qiu Guokai's face turned deathly pale as he froze for a moment, his finger hovering over the call button. After a moment of hesitation, he thought he might be hallucinating. Considering it, he decided to go ahead and make the call he'd almost hung up on.

In virtually the same instant, an eerie gust of wind suddenly swept through the room with its windows and doors tightly shut.

Wei Xi and Shuo Zong abruptly stood up, this time they had heard it – a furious "Dare you!!" came faintly from the direction of the stairs.

However, apart from them, only Qiu Guokai seemed to have heard it, but his hearing wasn't clear enough. He merely caught the sound, yet that was enough to terrify him half to death. The phone he had been holding dropped to the floor as he exclaimed, "It's happening again!!!"

A moment later, the phone on the ground was answered, and a young woman's voice emerged, "Hello? Husband?"

A fleeting shadow suddenly drifted over from the direction of the stairs, cursing at the woman on the phone, "Shameless %￥#&*￥#@!"

Shuo Zong fell silent upon hearing this, while Wei Xi finally saw the ghost's appearance, furrowing his brow in confusion – it was a plump old lady who had died of natural causes.

But with her hands on her hips and brows raised, she didn't look at all amiable. After scolding Mrs. Qiu on the phone, she began to berate Qiu Guokai, "You idiotic %%#@&@…"

Those who had passed away naturally without any lingering attachments were usually undetectable to ordinary people, unless they had an excessive amount of yin energy. Qiu Guokai, having caught a faint glimpse of the voice, hurriedly hung up the call and looked around in horror, "This is the voice! This is the voice! It usually curses at night and sings, scaring and annoying people!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old lady ghost flew into a rage, swinging her arm to deliver a slap.

Qiu Guokai, covering his face, became even more terrified, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Seeing that he was almost scared to the point of wetting himself, Shuo Zong, though puzzled, managed to catch the old lady. However, considering her age, he was rather polite in his approach. Unexpectedly, the ghost turned out to be quite fierce, turning to glance at him while still muttering curses. At this, Wei Xi lost his temper; how dare she insult his disciple? She wouldn't listen to reason, so she'd get a taste of punishment then!

Lifting his hand, he sealed the old woman's voice with an incantation.

That was like poking a beehive. There was a rumbling noise behind them, and suddenly, a large group of spirits emerged, screaming as they rushed over. Upon closer inspection, they were all weak, elderly, and infirm.

Wei Xi wasn't afraid of a group fight; he immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to jump in. But at that moment, his second disciple seemed to have noticed something and held him back, saying, "Look closely at their appearance."

Wei Xi paused in his action, suddenly realizing that the old woman his disciple was holding looked exactly like Qiu Guokai's portrait, which he had just worshiped.

While he was momentarily stunned, the group of ghosts had floated close. They didn't dare to confront Wei Xi but swarmed around Qiu Guokai, fiercely scolding and hitting him. An old ghost even angrily hit Qiu Guokai's head with his cane while yelling, "Disobedient child! Disobedient child! It's fine if you can't control your wife, but how dare you bring someone here to bully your mother!!"

Qiu Guokai was beaten until he rolled on the ground, feeling the previously buzzing noise suddenly turn into a cacophony. Not knowing why, his terrified expression seemed on the verge of breaking down.

Wei Xi exclaimed, "What the hell is going on???"

Shuo Zong fell silent for a moment, then released the old woman and formed a seal with his hands. Everyone present felt as if a veil had been lifted from their eyes. When their vision cleared, they were all astonished.

Unity Yi jumped in surprise, "Where did all these people come from?!"

Qiu Guokai, covering his head, also recognized who was attacking him. The shock on his face was replaced by confusion, "…Dad?"

The moment the old lady lifted the sealing curse, she plunged into the ghostly crowd to mediate. Seeing her son finally notice her, tears couldn't help but fall from her eyes. "You fool! When will you realize that your head is glowing green?!"

*****

The atmosphere in the Qiu family's living room suddenly turned peculiar.

Qiu Guokai sobbed in his mother's embrace, while Lin Hanyang's expression twitched. "...So, the ghost who's been pestering Old Qiu and talking to him recently, was it actually Uncle and Auntie?"

The elderly ghost leaning on a cane glared fiercely. "Who's pestering him? I don't have the time to bother with him! Only his damn mother chases after him all day, embarrassing us with this idiot. I'd rather have killed him than bear this shame!"

It was clear that he was the one who had hit Qiu Guokai. Unity Yi quietly moved further away from him.

Lin Hanyang fell silent for a moment before raising another question. "Hmm? That's not right. Old Qiu can't see or hear you at all. Yet, he mentioned seeing a black shadow when he returned from a business trip. Wasn't that shadow you two?"

Upon hearing this, an awkward look appeared on the faces of the Qiu ancestors. The elderly ghost gritted his teeth and said, "Who else would come to the house in the middle of the night when he wasn't home? Use your brain!"

"Mom!!!" Qiu Guokai, in the arms of the old lady ghost, burst into tears. "How could Xuanxuan do this to me?!"

"You father was so angry that he chased you to the company to hit you. Your grandparents and I tried our best to remind you as well. How come you didn't notice anything?!" The old lady ghost was both furious and heartbroken. After scolding, she couldn't help but caress her son's chubby cheeks while shedding tears. "Don't cry. Look at your little face. You must have suffered a lot lately. You've become so thin."

Lin Hanyang: "..."

Lin Hanyang tried his best not to look at his old classmate's plump face and still couldn't figure it out. "No, what clues did you give him? I didn't hear him mention anything."

The old ghost slammed his crooked cane on the ground. "Didn't you let him watch TV?"

Lin Hanyang: "???"

The old lady ghost explained, "We showed him 'Daybreak,' every single time."

Lin Hanyang: "Ah..."

Qiu Guokai, by now somewhat calmed down by his mother's soothing, was still crying uncontrollably. Lin Hanyang understood him; honestly, the truth they had uncovered was worse than if there were really a vengeful ghost in his home.

But what should they do next? Adultery was a matter that ultimately lacked evidence. If he asked directly, the other party would surely deny it.

Qiu Guokai wiped away his tears, sniffled, and angrily sat up, turning to Wei Xi, who had been idly playing with his phone since the incident had ended.

"No way, we'll deal with each issue separately. Even if we divorce, I have to fight for custody of our child." Saying this, he continued to sob as he asked Wei Xi, "Master, is the discount for the private detective agency membership you mentioned earlier still valid?"