Chapter 56

Chapter 56

◎Feudal Superstition Must Be Rejected◎

Once anomalies were spotted, the investigation became much easier. She was just an ordinary person without much knowledge of counter-surveillance, so the police quickly located the apartment Mao Lu's aunt had rented.

Upon entering the apartment, everyone felt like they had stepped into a horrifying scene of superstition.

The windows were tightly shut, and the blackout curtains completely blocked any outside light. The one-bedroom apartment was dimly lit only by the candles placed before the idols. The burnt candles on the altar table resembled two small mountains, connecting the ground and the table closely.

Although the room wasn't filled with smoke, the strong, choking scent of incense was overwhelming. Standing there for just a short while would leave one's clothes reeking of the smell.

On the altar table, besides a stone statue of an unknown deity, there were rows of talismans neatly arranged. Under the table, there were boxes of milk. The police also found syringes in the room, which served as conclusive evidence of the crime.

As they were about to confiscate the items in the room, Zhou Hongying, who had been brought to confirm the scene, suddenly went berserk and rushed forward: "No! You can't take these away! If you take them, my son will die! You're going to kill my son! Put them down, all of them! You're going to kill my son, you really are going to kill my son!"

Zhou Hongying's outburst stunned the officers who were inventorying the scene. Hearing her words, they initially thought there might be more to the case, even suspecting something like kidnapping or threats.

It wasn't until they discovered that Zhou Hongying's son had died in a car accident three years ago that they realized she was mentally unstable.

When they learned what Zhou Hongying had done, Mao Lu's parents lost control and tried to attack her. The police and Zhou Hongying's husband quickly intervened to stop them.

Mao Lu's mother was especially furious, her eyes red with hatred: "He's your nephew! How could you do this? You already killed Yangyang, and now you want to kill my son too! Yangyang died because of you! How dare you try to bring him back!"

Zhou Hongying, in a frenzied state, retorted: "No! I didn't kill Yangyang! It was a car accident! He can come back, as long as Lulu drinks the talisman water, as long as the reincarnation spell works, Yangyang can come back, he can possess a body and return!"

Zhou Hongying even tearfully pleaded with Mao Lu's mother: "Please help me, sister, I'm your sister. Help me, Yangyang can come back. Lulu has been drinking the talisman water for three years, and now the reincarnation spell is almost complete. He's not sick, Yangyang is about to return, but he needs a host. Lulu is his cousin, they are the closest, it will definitely work, the reincarnation spell will definitely work!"

Mao Lu's mother suddenly broke free from those restraining her and rushed forward, slapping Zhou Hongying several times. Her long nails scratched Zhou Hongying's face, and one slap nearly hit her eye. The furious struggle seemed as if she wanted to kill Zhou Hongying on the spot.

Everyone was shocked, fearing she might accidentally kill Zhou Hongying, and quickly pulled her away again.

After finally detaining and arresting those who needed to be, some of the veteran officers couldn't help but sigh: "Feudal superstition kills people."

They discovered that the child named Yangyang had died in a car accident three years ago. Before the accident, he had a big fight with his mother, Zhou Hongying, and ran away from home. The argument was about suffocating academic pressure, as Zhou Hongying did nothing but hover over her son, monitoring his studies.

After the child's death, Zhou Hongying's world collapsed. She couldn't accept reality. Her husband had to work and couldn't stay with her every day. He also blamed Zhou Hongying, believing she had driven their son to his death, and gradually stopped coming home.

Later, Zhou Hongying turned to supernatural beliefs, placing her hopes in a shaman who worshipped the god of reincarnation. It was this shaman who told her that as long as she found a suitable host, her son could possess the body and return.

Zhou Hongying believed it and set her sights on her nephew, Mao Lu. She wanted her son to reincarnate through Mao Lu's body, so for the past few years, she had been giving Mao Lu milk laced with talisman water.

The added ingredient was water soaked with talismans.

After nearly three years of consumption, it naturally led to chronic poisoning.

When Mao Lu was hospitalized, Zhou Hongying was ecstatic. She believed this was the moment the shaman had spoken of. Previously, Mao Lu had been too healthy, and the shaman said that a strong yang energy would prevent the lingering ghost from possessing him. Now that he was sick, as long as he was on the brink of death, her son would have the chance to reincarnate through his body!

Even after being arrested, Zhou Hongying remained deeply convinced of the shaman's teachings, even harboring resentment toward her own sister: "Why did you stop me? Wouldn't it be great for us sisters to share a son? And Yangyang was so talented, he would have had a bright future, much brighter than Mao Lu's. Yangyang would have taken care of you in your old age. Wouldn't that have been perfect for everyone?"

"We were so close, so close to having Yangyang back..."

The officer taking Zhou Hongying's statement almost clenched his fist in anger upon hearing her mutter these words.

Why would someone want another person's son to take care of them in old age when they have their own healthy son? If it were him, he would want to kill someone too.

The officers handling the case truly felt that the longer you live, the more you see. How could anyone believe such things, nearly causing someone's death? Feudal superstition is truly harmful!

Soon, the shaman of the reincarnation cult was also arrested. Even though she had fled to the countryside upon hearing about the incident, in this age of advanced technology and widespread surveillance, a superstitious, uneducated old woman had no chance of escaping.

No one expected the truth of the matter to be like this. It is said that Mao Lu's aunt had prepared a new batch of tainted products, aiming to worsen Mao Lu's illness further, who was already sick, to give her son a chance to possess and revive.

Unfortunately, that box of milk had not been sent out. If it hadn't been for the sudden drop in temperature recently, which caused many people to catch a cold, Mao Lu unfortunately got infected, fainted, and was hospitalized. If he had drunk that box of milk, he might have been completely gone.

This incident quickly led to a police notification, mainly about arresting a spiritual medium and cracking down on a superstitious stronghold. Thus, the incident was reported under a pseudonym to warn the public not to believe in such nonsense superstitions.

If reincarnation and revival were real, Qin Shi Huang would have achieved immortality.

Before Zhou Hongying's case was even adjudicated, her husband submitted a divorce application.

Looking at the man she had been with for almost twenty years, Zhou Hongying suddenly glared at him with a madwoman's fury: "It's all your fault, it's all your fault! If you hadn't been away from home all day, if you hadn't come back and complained about our son's shortcomings, how could I have pushed him to study! All these years you have never taken care of this family, from the time I was in postpartum confinement you were always busy outside, you never changed a diaper for our son, you never fed him once! You only complained why he couldn't call dad at one year old, why he still fell when walking at two, when he had a cold and fever, how did I, as his mother, take care of him, why couldn't he get a hundred in elementary school, why couldn't he be in the top ten in junior high!"

Zhou Hongying had never hated so much as now, hating this man and also hating herself: "You think divorce can get rid of it? I tell you, I don't agree, divorce me and find another woman to have another child for you? Ding Tong'an, I curse you to a life of loneliness and despair! Our son was killed by you! I was also driven to death by you!"

After saying this, Zhou Hongying suddenly banged her head on the table. Why should all the mistakes be hers, why should it be her alone to bear the burden of a marriage of two people, parents of a child!

Why should she have nothing, but some people can start over with just a divorce application!

The jail guard nearby quickly came to stop her, but Zhou Hongying used all her strength, repeatedly banging her head until it was a bloody mess, the blood even splashing onto Ding Tong'an's face across the table.

Ding Tong'an remained in shock until Zhou Hongying was dragged away, cursing the madwoman, "She's truly insane!"

But the mad look of Zhou Hongying banging her head on the table, and the warm blood splashing onto him, he probably will never forget in his lifetime.

Mao Lu has taken a leave of absence from school, whether he will return to school in the future depends on his physical condition. Looking at Xiao Ye and Ji Nanxing who came to visit him, Mao Lu, with a pale face but a sincere smile, said: "Thank you, if it hadn't been for your warning, I don't know how this matter would have turned out."

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "Even if we hadn't warned, the hospital would have alerted the police after the test results."

Mao Lu shook his head: "If you hadn't warned, my mother wouldn't have kept suspecting I was poisoned. If the police couldn't find mercury, they might have just closed the case as an accident. Of course, I don't know what would have happened in this unoccurred scenario, but I still want to thank you."

Xiao Ye: "Is the cure rate higher once the cause is identified?"

Mao Lu: "They said to start with detoxification, but it's been too prolonged. If I'm fortunate enough to receive a kidney transplant, I might live a few more years."

After saying this, Mao Lu hesitated and looked at Ji Nanxing: "Hey, academic god, can you do face readings?"

Ji Nanxing nodded: "Yes, but you can't see it now. Face reading and fortune-telling are forms of energy expenditure, a kind of advance on the future. You are currently sick and have low luck, it's better not to delve into it. Just concentrate on your recovery. Life is not unchangeable, maybe if you relax your mindset, things will turn around."

Mao Lu's mother hurried out to get some money, wrapped a thick red envelope and handed it to Ji Nanxing: "Thank you so much for this matter, I had no idea his aunt could do such a crazy thing. This money is not much, but it's our small way of saying thank you."

Suddenly handed a thick red envelope, Ji Nanxing directly refused: "It was just a warning, you don't need to do this. I appreciate the sentiment, but you should keep the money for his treatment."

Mao Lu's mother still wanted to stuff the red envelope into Ji Nanxing's hand, Xiao Ye smiled and blocked it: "Auntie, we just happened to encounter this and gave a warning. Xiao Mao is also our classmate. If you are so polite, we will feel embarrassed to visit Xiao Mao in the future. Xiao Mao's body needs to be nurtured slowly, there will be many places to spend money in the future, you should keep this money."

Mao Lu's mother still wiped her tears and kept thanking, making Ji Nanxing pull Xiao Ye's sleeve.

Xiao Ye smiled, comforted a few more words, then said they had an after-school tutoring session to attend, so they wouldn't stay longer, and pulled Ji Nanxing out of the ward.

Looking at Ji Nanxing's relieved expression, Xiao Ye laughed: "Shouldn't the Young Celestial Master often help people, why are you so uncomfortable being thanked?"

Ji Nanxing corrected: "Primarily, I assist ghosts."

Ghosts either curse with hatred, or let go of their obsessions and reincarnate. The karmic feedback after reincarnation is the most direct thanks. Ji Nanxing rarely encounters such intense emotional outbursts from family members.

Xiao Ye was curious: "Then what are ghosts like? Are they all black like what I saw last time, or are they as eerie and terrifying as in TV dramas?"

Ji Nanxing: "It depends on the degree of resentment. Generally, ghosts look like dead people, not very scary, but not like living people either."

Xiao Ye: "Then can I see ghosts in the future?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "Most likely, you won't be able to see them."

With such strong yang energy, ghosts steer clear of him. Even if they appeared beside him, without yin-yang vision, he wouldn't be able to see them.

Xiao Ye asked, puzzled: "Then why did I see one last time?"

Ji Nanxing: "Because that ghost last time was reckless. You first interacted through a living person's body, and then he appeared and rushed towards you, trying to possess you. Plus, at that time, I threw a talisman, which created a separate field. All these factors combined made it possible for you to see a ghost. To explain it more scientifically, various reasons caused your magnetic fields to align, so you saw a ghost."

Xiao Ye let out an "oh," sounding somewhat regretful. He thought that after the last incident, he had also gained the ability to see ghosts. He also really wanted to see the world through Ji Nanxing's eyes.

Hearing his sigh, Ji Nanxing looked puzzled: "Seeing ghosts isn't exactly a good thing, so why the regret?"

Xiao Ye didn't say anything, just playfully rubbed Ji Nanxing's head through his hood.

Ji Nanxing, who had been smiling warmly moments before, suddenly looked murderous: "Keep it up, and you might lose that hand."

While they were fooling around, Xiao Ye saw a man coming out of the hospital: "Is that Mao Lu's uncle?"

Ji Nanxing turned to look. It was a middle-aged man, looking utterly haggard. Although he was neatly dressed and not sloppy, his demeanor was listless, yawning as he walked, clearly lacking energy.

Xiao Ye clicked his tongue: "I can't believe he didn't know what his wife was up to for three whole years. Maybe he was aware but chose to turn a blind eye and not get involved. If it succeeded, he could get his son back; if it failed, he could probably get rid of that crazy woman."

Doing nothing but reaping all the benefits, if something went wrong, he could remain completely uninvolved. Everyone was cursing Zhou Hongying, even the Mao family hated Zhou Hongying, but they seemed to forget that a marriage isn't made by one person, and a child isn't born by one person.

Ji Nanxing: "How could such a thing succeed? If it were possible to possess a body and return to life, the world's richest would have already found ten or eight bodies to possess and return to life."

Xiao Ye: "Naonao, will this man remarry and have children?"

Zhou Hongying is definitely going to be sentenced, and this man will surely divorce her. Once divorced, he might find someone new. At over forty, he's not too old to remarry and have another child.

But Xiao Ye couldn't shake off a feeling of unease. His son is dead, his wife is insane, but this man walks away unscathed.

Ji Nanxing glanced at his face and nodded: "He will."

Hearing this, Xiao Ye couldn't help but pout: "Forget it, everyone has their own fate, it's none of my business."

Ji Nanxing didn't say anything. He would have another child, but whether it's a blessing or a curse, who's to say?

The man he observed would father a child in his later years. When he was young, he focused on his career and neglected his family. In his later years, no longer surrounded by the vigor of youth but by the burdens of family life, his focus gradually shifted.

Then, luckily, he had a child in his later years. Compared to his indifferent and early-deceased eldest son, he clearly devoted more energy to his younger son. Unfortunately, the younger son was there to collect debts, inherently selfish and abusive. Later, his remarried wife also left him, leaving behind the son who had shown signs of personality defects from a young age.

This man spent half his life in selfish pursuits and the other half in sheer misery.

After observing Mao Lu, Ji Nanxing declined Xiao Ye's invitation to eat at his house: "It's almost the Cold Clothing Festival; I've got things to handle. You head back on your own."

Xiao Ye's eyes lit up: "Are you going to catch ghosts?"

Ji Nanxing: "Catch ghosts on the Cold Clothing Festival? No, it's about sending them off."

Xiao Ye immediately took out his phone to look it up online. He had vaguely heard of it before but didn't know what it was for. After being informed, he couldn't help but ask Ji Nanxing: "So if I prepare cold clothing and offerings on this day, can my ancestors below receive them?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "If they have already reincarnated, then naturally they can't receive them. If they haven't reincarnated yet, they can."

Xiao Ye: "Then maybe I should burn some offerings, in case there are ancestors who haven't reincarnated yet. How should I burn them? Are there any specifics?"

Ji Nanxing: "There aren't many rules; it's all about sincerity. But it's best to find a professional paper craftsman. If not professional, it might be like the shoddy ones sold on the streets during Qingming, which are useless when burned."

Xiao Ye didn't understand this aspect, but fortunately, there was a professional nearby: "Do you know any good paper craftsmen? Hook me up with one. Next Saturday is the Cold Clothing Festival, do you have time then? Come with me."

Ji Nanxing: "I need to go to Yuchun Taoist Temple to send off ghosts during the Cold Clothes Festival."

Xiao Ye: "Then make some time to accompany me, and I'll accompany you to Yuchun Taoist Temple. I've never seen it before. Can ordinary people watch, or is it only for Taoists?"

Ji Nanxing: "Yuchun Taoist Temple has dedicated sacrificial grounds. You can bring offerings, write your ancestors' names and eight characters, and burn them directly in the sacrificial grounds."

Xiao Ye immediately finalized the plan: "Then it's settled. Let's go find a paper effigy maker. This definitely needs to be booked in advance, right? The Cold Clothes Festival is coming up, and they must be very busy. I also need to figure out how many ancestors I have. The really old ancestors might not need it; they might have already reincarnated. My grandmother passed away just a few years ago, so she's definitely still around. And my grandparents, I know their names but not their eight characters. I'll have to check that."

He used to think of these things as just a way for the living to cope, but after seeing ghosts, he knew that people really do go to another world after death, so he took it seriously.

Ji Nanxing actually knew a paper effigy maker. Every year, the Ji family's three major ghost festivals' offerings were custom-made at that shop.

Looking at the seemingly ordinary shop hidden in a residential area, Xiao Ye whispered to Ji Nanxing: "Is this one of those urban hidden experts, living inconspicuously in the city, not doing business for three years but making enough in one year to last three years?"

TV dramas often portray it this way: the old man playing ping-pong in the park, the aunt dancing in the square downstairs, the mysterious shop in the neighborhood—all with another hidden identity.

Ji Nanxing glanced at Xiao Ye, who always had a vivid imagination: "What are you thinking? They just live here. Renting a storefront elsewhere costs money."

This paper effigy shop was a small three-story house. The first floor was expanded into a storefront, the second floor was a warehouse for goods, and the third floor was where the family lived. Nowadays, you can run a shop online, and it saves a lot of money compared to renting a street-facing storefront.

Seeing Ji Nanxing, a young man who had just woken up and was still holding a toothbrush greeted him with a smile: "Good morning. Your family's order is just missing a paper float. I'll let you know when it's done."

Ji Nanxing: "I brought a friend to order paper offerings for the Cold Clothes Festival."

The young man immediately became enthusiastic: "Please come in, boss. There are some sample products inside for you to look at. I'll be right there."

With that, he went to the backyard with his toothbrush, probably thinking it was impolite to wash up in front of guests.

Ji Nanxing took Xiao Ye into the shop and pointed out some items: "These are all suitable for the Cold Clothes Festival. If you need anything extra, you can also custom order. Their business is usually slow, so custom orders should still be ready in time for the festival."

Xiao Ye: "Business is slow?"

The young man came in from the back door with a wet towel, closed the door, and turned on the air conditioning on the first floor: "We specialize in large paper effigies. Look, even the paper figures are almost life-sized. Nowadays, funerals are becoming more and more formalized, and few people take them seriously. Things like large banners, paper boys and girls, carriages—how many people actually burn these these days? Some villages still retain these traditions, but we can't do business there. Most of our clients come through word of mouth from Taoists, so business is naturally slow."

He occasionally gets some work online, but since it's a service for the dead, many people find it taboo. He couldn't just promote it to anyone like those selling products.

Xiao Ye looked at some paper cars and houses, asked about the prices, and then added the shop owner on WeChat. The prices were indeed not cheap, but since Naonao brought him here, there must be some real expertise involved. If his relatives below could really receive these offerings, it was worth the price.

However, he still needed to confirm which relatives needed offerings, so he decided on the number first and then made purchases accordingly.

After leaving the paper effigy shop, Xiao Ye sighed about his wallet: "Money flows like water."

Ji Nanxing: "Can't you get reimbursed by your family for these?"

Xiao Ye habitually put his arm around him: "My brother doesn't believe in this stuff. I'll just pay out of pocket."

His allowance was running out quickly. Although he had some savings before, it always felt like it wasn't enough. It seemed he needed to find a way to make some money, or else he'd end up having Ji Nanxing pay for meals when they went out. What kind of boss would that make him?

What Xiao Ye didn't expect was that as soon as he thought about making money, an opportunity came his way.