Chapter 288
Chapter 288
The words of Song Xiaotian’s grandfather made us even more certain that Daoist Song had been a great expert.
Song Qingshan had actually predicted events several decades into the future. That was beyond the ability of an ordinary expert.
Seventh Master had been right. The great masters of that era possessed abilities approaching the divine.
“What did your father mean by Heaven’s timing, the advantage of the terrain, and human harmony?”
After recovering from his astonishment, Seventh Master immediately pressed for an answer.
The old man searched his memory. “Heaven’s timing referred to the era. By then, the Thunder Ancestor Temple had been destroyed for a long time, while the wronged spirits of the Luo Mansion had grown for nearly a century. My father was also alone. Although he possessed some ability, he couldn’t defeat so many wronged spirits.”
“The advantage of the terrain referred to the fact that the area was densely populated at the time. Many ordinary people lived nearby. To eliminate those wronged spirits completely, every resident would have needed to be evacuated, and no one could predict how many days resolving the problem would take.”
“There were countless obstacles to doing that back then. With so many residents, there would have been nowhere to put them after an evacuation. And such a major disturbance would inevitably have attracted the attention of the authorities. My father might have been arrested for promoting feudal superstition and disrupting public order.”
“That was connected to Heaven’s timing as well. The environment of the time simply made a solution impossible.”
“As for human harmony, I can’t explain it clearly. According to my father, the wronged spirits of the Luo Mansion had existed for nearly a century. If someone was destined to resolve the problem, then only that person could do it. If my father tried instead, he would fail and might even cause another disaster. So he could only follow the natural course of events.”
After listening to the old man, I felt more than ever that Song Xiaotian’s great-grandfather had been practically divine.
If Heaven’s timing, terrain, and human harmony were the deciding factors, then the timing favored us now. Restrictions were far looser than before. No matter how great a disturbance we caused at the construction site, the authorities would never know.
The terrain favored us even more. The area had been demolished, no one lived there, and all that remained was an unfinished construction site.
As for human harmony, according to Daoist Song, Seventh Master was the man destined to resolve the matter. Now that all three conditions were fulfilled, surely the time to solve it had arrived.
“Did your father mean that the problem at the Luo Mansion could be solved as long as I appeared?” Seventh Master asked eagerly.
But the old man shook his head. “My father never said that.”
What?
We all crowded closer. Seventh Master looked especially confused. “But your honored father… mentioned me, didn’t he?”
The old man was silent for a moment. “It happened so long ago, and I wasn’t listening very carefully when he spoke. What he meant… was probably that the matter would be difficult to resolve, much like the human heart is difficult to fathom. You would struggle to find a point of entry. In other words… I’m not sure how to put it. You must have reached an impasse and don’t know where to begin, correct?”
His words were vague, but they described our present circumstances perfectly.
I could not resist interjecting. “Sir, you’re right. We already know what is controlling that place, but none of us knows what the thing actually is. It’s a monster, one so strange we can’t even describe it.”
The old man nodded thoughtfully. “Resolve…”
We did not understand and hurriedly asked what he had said.
“I only remember that when my father spoke of this matter, he used the word ‘resolve.'”
The old man continued, “Everything in existence has a beginning and an end, which is to say a cause and an effect. That monster of yours couldn’t have appeared in the Luo Mansion from nowhere. There must be a reason it has remained entrenched there. If you want to deal with the monster, you must trace its cause and effect, then resolve them. Perhaps that will resolve the entire matter.”
“Brother Zhao, you appear to be badly injured, and that place must be extremely dangerous. If you intend to return, you should make every possible preparation.”
The old man clearly possessed genuine ability. It was obvious from the way he spoke.
When I first met Song Xiaotian, I remembered him saying that both his father and grandfather had served in the military.
But I suspected the old man had been far more than a soldier. His face alone was no ordinary face. He must have experiences unknown to everyone else.
Seventh Master had naturally noticed as well and hurriedly asked, “Brother, do you have any advice you might offer us?”
The old man chuckled. “I wouldn’t call it advice. I don’t know that much myself. But there are two objects you could seek. The first is a butcher’s knife passed down through a family. Such knives are difficult to find because the material must meet very exacting requirements, and it needs to have been passed down for several generations before its murderous aura becomes sufficiently powerful.”
Seventh Master nodded. “A butcher’s knife like that can inflict tremendous harm on those entities. But against the wronged spirits of the Luo Mansion, I doubt it would be powerful enough. They’ve been entrenched there for a century.”
The old man agreed. “Exactly. That leaves the second object: a military blade that has seen battle. Such a weapon is more useful than any so-called ritual implement.”
“Whether an implement belongs to Daoism or Buddhism, it places requirements on the person using it. Brother, you’re injured. Even with an excellent ritual implement, you might not be able to draw out its power. A military blade that has seen battle is different. Even in the hands of an ordinary person, it will keep a hundred ghosts at bay.”
Seventh Master nodded again. “Something like that is certainly more powerful than any ritual implement, but it won’t be easy to find. Especially one that has seen battle. We’d have to borrow it from one of the old veterans.”
The old man smiled. “I’ll contact someone for you. I’ll send you an address shortly. You can go there and collect it. The weapon belongs to a hundred-year-old veteran who killed at least a hundred enemy soldiers with it.”
A hundred enemies…
The man was a god of war!
Seventh Master quickly gave him a cupped-fist salute. “Many thanks. Once I’ve dealt with the matter here, I’ll come and visit you in person.”
“You’re too polite, far too polite.” The old man waved a hand, then called for his grandson.
Song Xiaotian took back the phone. The old man asked whether he planned to enter that place as well.
“Honestly, I really don’t want to…” Song Xiaotian lowered his voice.
I expected the old man to worry and issue a long stream of warnings, but he said only four words.
“Be careful in there.”
Then the video call ended.
Not long afterward, the old man really did send us an address and contact details, telling us to collect the weapon.
“Brother Tian, your grandfather is incredible. What did he used to do?”
“I don’t know either…” Song Xiaotian had yet to recover. “He never told me. All I know is that he served in the military…”
As we spoke, my phone began to ring. Boss Lin was calling.
I quickly looked at Seventh Master and told him who it was.
Seventh Master’s smile vanished. “Answer it. Don’t mention that you were attacked last night.”