Page 68

In that instant, Wei Yanlin tried to slip away quietly, but his aunt caught hold of the back of his shirt.

With one hand busy cracking sunflower seeds, she chattered on, "Yanlin, why don't you set up a stall in Temple Street too? How can that Sugar Water Girl compare to you? You've inherited the legacy of Hong Kong's top ten feng shui master, Li Qiming. In terms of status and skills, you'd surely outshine her by a mile."

Hearing this, Wei Yanlin felt somewhat guilty.

While he had learned half of his master's skills, after his master passed away, his peers, due to his master's former fame, had elevated his status. As a result, he couldn't bring himself to humbly seek further learning from his master.

He had been stuck at a mediocre level ever since.

"Dear aunt, please don't say such things," Wei Yanlin protested. Trying to leave again, he was stopped by his aunt's grip on his collar. "Since you're here today, why don't you have your fortune told too later? Let's see whose prediction is more accurate, yours or the Sugar Water Girl's."

At the stall.

The man looked dazed. After taking a seat, he slowly spoke, "Master Chu, I think I'm possessed."

As soon as he said this, the onlookers perked up.

Seldom do people outright mention possession right off the bat!

The neighbors who were about to leave decided to stay. In this age of advocating new sciences, it was rare for someone to openly speak of such supernatural matters.

Chu Yuening glanced at the man's back before looking away. "Please continue."

The man proceeded with his story.

"I run a stone workshop—engrave tombstones for the deceased, to be precise."

"Recently, there was a series of accidents on Jiujiang Road. Ten people lost their lives, and all the orders came to me. Amidst the rush, I made a mistake and engraved the wrong name on one of the tombstones."

He grabbed his hair in frustration, looking dejected. "I truly didn't mean it. I realized the error when I was setting the tombstone and carved a new one that same night."

"I thought that would be the end of it, but lately, things have become increasingly bizarre. First, I got hit by a hammer while making a tombstone, then I almost got hit by a car."

"Even worse, I've started having nightmares every night, where someone hammers at my head repeatedly with an iron tool."

The man grew increasingly agitated and his expression bordered on madness. "I apologized already, and the tombstone was replaced. Why can't he just let me go?"

"I can't sleep every night, and then I have to rush to carve more stones the next day. This life is unbearable."

Seeing the man's torment, the onlooking neighbors couldn't help but feel sympathy.

"It was an honest mistake with the engraving, but you've apologized."

"Relax, he must have forgiven you by now."

"If you still can't sleep, go to the hospital for some sleeping pills."

The man, in a daze, asked, "Master Chu, do you also think that sleeping pills will help me?"

"No use," Chu Yuening shook her head. "If you take them, he'll still haunt you."

"Why?" The man was puzzled. "Is it because he's still angry? Angry about the wrong words I carved?"

But Chu Yuening replied, "He's not actually angry about the mistake you made."

"Really?" The man, thinking he was in the clear, lifted his head in surprise.

"It's not because of you directly."

The man grew puzzled again. "Something else? What else could it be?"

Seeing that the man was still clueless, Chu Yuening shook her head. "He's upset because you not only carved the wrong words but also buried him beneath the grave of his enemy, allowing his foe to receive the offerings and incense from his family. Moreover, his enemy gets to witness his son and wife weeping every day."

"The enemy is mocking him."

"Aren't they just coming to vent their anger on you because they couldn't bear it?"

Chapter 29

"However..."

The man's mind was buzzing, completely short-circuited. "The stele was erected after receiving the message. There's no reason for it to be wrong."

Chu Yuening explained, "The tomb owner and their enemy both perished in the same car accident. Their graves happened to be situated side by side without anyone, neither the families nor you, noticing the coincidence."

Sometimes coincidences can lead to the most absurd outcomes.

"The family didn't notice any issue once the tombstone was erected in its proper spot."

"So... what should we do now?" The man's face was contorted with distress. "Why would they haunt me in my dreams every night just because of a wrong tombstone?"

Chu Yuening continued her explanation.

"In truth, haunting someone in their dreams incurs a significant cost. If that were the only issue, the tomb owner wouldn't bother you incessantly."

The man was taken aback.

She had nearly pounded him into the ground with a hammer, and that wasn't enough?

"I really didn't do anything worse than that."

"Are you sure?" Chu Yuening prompted. "Think again, more carefully this time."

The man smiled wryly. "Master, I truly can't come up with anything."

Chu Yuening continued, "The tomb's owner was an older man with a young wife. Their son was only two years old when the master passed away, leaving the lady widowed at a young age. She was deeply grieved and, for a time, felt that life had lost all meaning."

"You are an upright person, frequently communicating with the family during the engraving process, and more than once offering comfort to the lady when you saw her in distress."

The man hadn't expected such intricate calculations. If not for his exceptional memory, he would've sworn Chu Yuening was right there, nodding in acknowledgment.

The stone workshop was small, and apart from engraving tombstones, I inevitably had to interact with the deceased's family members. Apart from those who had lost their loved ones after a long and full life, the others all suffered greatly. Sudden tragedies were common, with elders bidding farewell to their young, a heart-wrenching sight that occurred far too often.

"I was merely being kind, is comforting the family members a mistake too?"

The neighbors chimed in.

"It's not really his fault that the engraving was wrong; after all, the family didn't notice it either."

"People like him who are so kind-hearted are becoming rare in this world."

Chu Yuening commented, "Comforting the family isn't wrong. The mistake lies in her telling the deceased that her child is still young and she wishes to remarry in two years. She even mentioned that if possible, she thinks you would be a suitable match."