Chapter 24: The Sequence of Events

Ma Wenwen frowned as he stepped out of the car, standing in front of the villa for a long, silent moment.

Seeing the rare gravity on his face, Le Dong asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

Ma Wenwen turned toward Le Dong, his porcelain-white eyes appearing even more eerie in the sunlight. "When I left that night, the yin energy in this villa wasn't this intense. Why has it become like this today?"

Le Dong glanced at the villa. Under the sun, the building looked quiet and peaceful. The white bricks and tiles, nestled among the green trees, appeared elegant; there was nothing unusual to be seen. The only thing that seemed off was the garden in front of the villa—the flowers, which should have been in full bloom, were all drooping as if their life force had been drained away.

"Yin energy?" Le Dong lowered his voice. "Why can't I see anything?"

Ma Wenwen didn't reply. He instinctively reached into his messenger bag, but was interrupted by Butler Ma, who had hurried over after parking the car.

"Master Ma? Please, come in." Seeing Ma Wenwen lingering at the entrance, a flicker of something strange crossed the butler's eyes.

Noticing someone was watching, Ma Wenwen abandoned his search. Just as he was about to pull his suitcase forward, the villa's front door suddenly swung open. Boss Hu, accompanied by Cai Kun and his group, hurried out to greet them.

The moment Boss Hu saw Ma Wenwen, his expectant expression froze. He looked the tall, thin young man up and down—sweatpants, rubber-soled shoes, an oversized sun-protective jacket, and those obviously sightless eyes—he didn't look like a master of any kind.

"This is...?" Boss Hu turned to Butler Ma, his voice filled with doubt.

"The expert Mr. Le recommended, Master Ma Wenwen," Butler Ma introduced, a subtle, unreadable smile playing on his lips.

Boss Hu forced a smile and extended his hand. "Master Ma, I’ve heard much about you."

Ma Wenwen ignored the offered hand and gave a slight nod. Boss Hu awkwardly withdrew his hand and gestured toward the door. "Master, please come in. Let us discuss the details inside."

As the group entered the villa, Le Dong noticed that the body of the Taoist Master Zhao was gone, and the bloodstains on the floor had been cleaned away. Cai Kun leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "They moved Master Zhao's body to the garage."

Le Dong nodded, his gaze shifting to Ma Wenwen. Ma Wenwen stood in the center of the living room, his brows tightly knitted, his porcelain-white eyes fixed intently on the top of the staircase, as if he were looking at something invisible to ordinary people.

Boss Hu and Butler Ma exchanged a look and deliberately fell a few steps behind to whisper to each other.

***

A moment later, Boss Hu stepped forward and pointed to the altar. "Master Ma, the main reason I’ve invited you here is to help me relocate my father’s grave. As long as it goes smoothly, money is no object."

As he spoke, he opened a wooden box, revealing five gold bars neatly arranged inside, gleaming under the lights. Le Dong recognized it as the same box Master Zhao had been holding that day.

Ma Wenwen didn't look at the gold. Instead, he walked toward the staircase, his voice low. "Relocating a grave is no small matter. Unless there were compelling circumstances, you wouldn't be doing something so taboo. Our profession values karma; if we move a grave without understanding the underlying causes, we risk inviting disaster."

He paused, then turned to Boss Hu. "So, Boss Hu, why not start by explaining the reason?"

At these words, Boss Hu’s expression changed instantly. His eyes darted between Butler Ma and Le Dong’s group before he forced a smile. "Master Ma, could we speak in private?"

"This matter is grave. Everyone involved in this relocation needs to know the truth. Otherwise, if something goes wrong and leads to an innocent death, it will inevitably haunt you, Boss Hu. So, let’s be direct."

Ma Wenwen’s tone was resolute, causing Boss Hu to hang his head in thought. A few minutes later, he caught a glimpse of Butler Ma, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Fine." Boss Hu took a deep breath and looked at the four of them. "Since Master Ma insists, I will be direct. But please, don’t be afraid after hearing this. I am willing to pay ten times the original fee."

He walked to the altar, lit three incense sticks, and began to speak through the swirling smoke.

"A few months after my father passed away, I returned home from a business trip to find the teapot and bracelet buried with him sitting on the table. At the time, I assumed I had simply forgotten to bury them, so I didn't think much of it."

As he spoke, Boss Hu seemed to recall something, and his voice began to tremble. "But in the days that followed, I kept hearing my father’s voice at the door—crying, laughing, raving like a madman. Once, I summoned the courage to open the door and saw my father standing there in his burial shroud, staring straight at me..."

"I fainted on the spot. When I woke up in the hospital, even there, every midnight, I could see my father in his shroud lurking outside the door. One time, he burst into my room and cursed me for being an unfilial son, saying his grave was being eaten away and demanding I move it."

Boss Hu wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "This went on for days. I couldn't tell what was a dream and what was reality. Later, I was discharged and took my family to visit my father’s grave. When we arrived, the site was covered in dead rats... That was when I realized what he meant by 'eaten away'."

"I immediately had Butler Ma find a prime location to relocate the grave. But the day we started digging, we unearthed even more dead rats, and the workers were so terrified they fled. Only Cai Kun was willing to continue." Boss Hu looked at Cai Kun with gratitude. "We moved the coffin back to the villa overnight, waiting for an auspicious day to bury it."

"But that night, my father appeared at my door again. This time he pushed his way in and said he wanted me to be buried with him..." Boss Hu’s voice grew faint. "The next night, my son and daughter-in-law... they were both found hanged. Even worse, my daughter-in-law’s face had been flayed..."

The chilling nature of the story made everyone present pale. Le Dong, who had been closely watching Boss Hu’s expression, noticed that the man looked uncomfortable when mentioning his daughter-in-law.

"I was terrified, so I called in Master Zhao. He said my father’s yin energy was too strong and that the body needed to be kept here for a while; he would set up an altar to cleanse the energy before burial, otherwise the yin would breed and continue to harm my family," Boss Hu said, trembling. "Now that my son and daughter-in-law are dead, the next might be me... or my wife... But this morning, Master Zhao died suddenly. Could it be my father... causing... causing this?"

The living room fell into a deathly silence, punctuated only by the harsh ticking of the wall clock. Everyone in the villa wore a different expression. Le Dong leaned against the window, smoking, and began to piece together the sequence of events.

However, he still had doubts about the ghost of Old Man Hu. If it were truly the old man’s spirit causing trouble, why did Butler Ma suggest the old man had died a natural death without lingering resentment, and instead suspect the son and his wife?

***

This old fox, he's truly hard to read...

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Cai Kun suddenly broke the silence. "Boss Hu, what about the ghost wedding you held for your son and daughter-in-law?"

The question turned Boss Hu’s face deathly pale. He stammered, unable to give a clear answer, until Butler Ma stepped forward to explain: "Young Master Dawei and his wife were supposed to be married this October, but fate had other plans... The boss couldn't bear it, so he held the wedding for them..."

"Enough!"

Boss Hu cut Butler Ma off halfway through, covering his face in agony. "At this point, I won't hide it anymore. Since my son and daughter-in-law died, strange things have happened every night. Once, Butler Ma and I almost strangled ourselves; if it hadn't been for Master Zhao’s magical artifacts, we would have been dead long ago."

Lowering his hands, Boss Hu revealed bloodshot eyes. "Later, Master Zhao said we should hold a ghost wedding to resolve their resentment... so..." His gaze flickered toward Le Dong and Cai Kun, then quickly shifted away.

A chill ran through Le Dong—it was clear Boss Hu was hiding the fact that he had transferred the resentment onto them.

But what puzzled him more was this: if Butler Ma was an expert capable of transferring resentment, why was he still trapped by the spirits and nearly strangled himself?

Could it be that this old fox... was just a fraud as well?

While Le Dong was deep in thought, Ma Wenwen had already walked around the living room and began his analysis, gesturing with his hands. "Tsk... having heard your story, I’ve noticed that your father’s spirit has never actually harmed you; it seems more like he’s intentionally trying to scare you. Yet, the spirits of your son and daughter-in-law have nearly cost you your life..." He paused. "By comparison, your father’s spirit seems like it might be a human in disguise."

Ma Wenwen’s words made Boss Hu look up sharply, his expression pensive. Nearby, Butler Ma’s eyes flickered upon hearing this, but he remained silent.

"However, Master Zhao was right about one thing: the yin energy here is indeed very strong," Ma Wenwen continued, looking at the ceiling. "And... he did die from yin energy, but it might not have been your father’s..."

"Then it was Young Master Dawei and his wife?"

It was Butler Ma who spoke. He stared at Ma Wenwen with a look that said, "I’ve seen through you," his tone bordering on an interrogation.

After hearing the tone, a playful smile appeared on the corner of Ma Wenwen’s mouth.

"Tonight... we shall know."

Boss Hu was startled. "How do you know that?"

"I am going to summon their spirits..."