Chapter 277

Chapter 277

The elderly man had nearly finished his story.

Although he had told us some details we did not know, I still had not obtained the clues I needed.

I wanted to know how the Ninth Concubine took revenge and how she escaped after the Luo Mansion Massacre.

I also wanted to know why she failed to resurrect her sister, the Seventh Concubine.

The man knew none of those things.

He did not even know how Xiuzhu had died.

I called Seventh Master and first relayed everything the man had told us.

He was also shocked to hear that the Ninth Concubine had only passed away three nights ago.

Neither of us could understand it. Living past a hundred was plausible, but why had her death occurred under such suspicious circumstances?

The Ninth Concubine died the same night Seventh Master and I entered the construction site. The moment we entered the Ghost Wall was the exact time of her death.

No coincidence in the world could be this perfect.

“I suspect the Ninth Concubine didn’t die naturally.”

Seventh Master said over the phone, “The timing is too exact. I don’t think it was a coincidence.”

I frowned. “Then how do you think she died?”

Seventh Master said, “I don’t know. Since you’re already in the village, stay for the night and find a way to summon her Ghost.”

Soul Summoning?

That certainly was an option.

But the Ninth Concubine had been dead for less than seven days. Her soul had not yet returned on the seventh night.

A newly dead Ghost was still in a primordial, unopened state, with little awareness. Summoning it was extremely difficult.

Even if I succeeded, she would be like a witless fool, and I could ask her nothing.

“Don’t forget that she practiced the Red Lotus Arts.”

Seventh Master said, “Practitioners are different from ordinary people. Their awareness opens immediately after death. If you can speak with her, everything that happened back then will become clear.”

“She witnessed the events herself. With her guidance, we can solve this faster.”

Since Seventh Master put it that way, I could only stay overnight in the village.

After I ended the call, it was time to eat. The elderly man invited us to the banquet.

On the way, he pulled me aside and asked, “Why are you investigating Luo Mansion?”

I did not hide anything. “The original site of Luo Mansion is only sixty or seventy kilometers from this village. It took us just two hours to drive here.”

“Strange things are happening there. We suspect they’re connected to Luo Mansion, so we came to ask around.”

The man nodded thoughtfully. “I see. Then I may have more clues for you. When my father died, he left some belongings behind. I stored all of them together. I don’t know whether they’ll help.”

I was delighted and thanked him.

While eating at the banquet, I also asked about staying in the village.

The man was hospitable and said we could stay at his home. His children worked elsewhere, and he lived alone. The house was large, so there was plenty of room.

After the meal, we followed him home.

His house stood near the middle of the village, a three-story rectangular home.

“Second Grandaunt actually paid to build this house for me.”
The elderly man led us inside. “After returning from Luo Mansion, she spent the rest of her life investigating supernatural matters for people in the area and saved a considerable amount of money. Second Grandaunt treated me like her own son. When I married, this was the finest house in the village.”

“When the tourist site was developed a few years ago, every household renovated its home.”

The elderly man clearly had deep affection for the Ninth Concubine.

His mother had died young, and the Ninth Concubine raised him from childhood. Their relationship must have resembled that of mother and son, which was why her passing grieved him more than anyone.

He led us to the third floor. One room was piled with belongings. The man brought out a medium-sized cardboard box and said it contained his father’s possessions.

Several letters were inside, but he had never attended school and could not read them.

“I don’t know if any of this will help. Look through it while I go feed the pigs.”

“All right. Thank you, sir.”

After he left, I opened the box.

It contained objects used by folk practitioners, including cinnabar, a cinnabar brush, and Yellow Talismans.

The man’s story had already confirmed that Xu Changming belonged to The Organization devoted to the Evil Buddha. Something later happened, and he lost one hand. From then on, he had no further connection with The Organization.

Since Xu Changming had belonged to it, he must have possessed some ability.

After all, he was the one who told the Ninth Concubine about Seven Deaths for Life Exchange.

There were indeed several letters in the box.

The instant I took one out and saw the three large characters spelling “Song Qingshan” on the envelope, I jumped.

Song Qingshan!

Wasn’t he the second expert invited by the villagers after the Thunder Ancestor Temple was destroyed?

The first expert was Li Tushan, and the second was Song Qingshan.

When I read the file, I had thought Daoist Song was extremely capable. He established the Three Powers Formation and told every household to hang an image of Thunder Ancestor again, successfully suppressing the dead spirits of Luo Mansion.

Why had Daoist Song been in contact with Xu Changming?

Xu Changming had belonged to The Organization, which was no better than an evil cult. I did not believe he could have been a good person.

Why would a good person frequently exchange letters with someone evil?

I hurriedly opened the letters and began reading.

After finishing all of them, I understood.

They contained no important information, only ordinary greetings and expressions of concern.

Taken together, the letters explained why the two men had remained in contact.

Xu Changming had tried to betray The Organization and was hunted. Its people cut off his hand, leaving him at death’s door. Fortunately, he encountered Daoist Song, who saved his life.

Daoist Song then urged him to reform and stop following an evil path. Xu Changming naturally listened to the man who saved him. He withdrew to his home village and never left again, both to live in seclusion and evade The Organization’s pursuit. He only exchanged occasional letters with Daoist Song.

Staring at the name Song Qingshan on the envelope, I suddenly felt it sounded familiar.

Anning asked what was wrong.

I said, “Do you know Song Xiaotian’s father’s name? His father is Song Qing.”