Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Professor Zhu gave a “hehe” laugh. His steady, upright face suddenly turned lecherous as he reached a hand out toward me.

My heart ached as I asked, “Five thousand?”

“Are you joking, Sect Master Qiao?”

Professor Zhu’s face hardened. “I know people in your line of work make a lot of money. I heard you once charged eight figures just to look at Liu Xiong’s tomb. Unlike us, who spend our whole lives in academia, my salary is barely over ten thousand.”

Having said that, he pulled me further into the corner. “Five hundred thousand. Not only will I draw the ward for you, but I’ll also give you work permits for the ancient tomb. That place is sealed off now; you won’t get in without them.”

“What?”

I nearly jumped. Five hundred thousand? Damn it, that’s highway robbery!

Seeing his resolute expression, I gnashed my teeth and pulled Jiang Haoyan, Lin Xin, and the others outside to discuss it.

“That damn old man! He looks so dignified, yet he actually asked me for a million!”

I was filled with grief and indignation, but the others looked relieved. Jiang Haoyan, in particular, gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

“I thought it was something serious. I’ll cover the money.”

Once he received the payment, Professor Zhu immediately switched to a beaming smile. He quickly drew the talismans, then pulled a stack of work permits out of a drawer and handed them to us before shooing us away.

After watching us leave, he gave Fang Qian a final instruction.

“Take them there in a bit, but don’t go inside yourself, understood?”

“Also, I have a hundred thousand here. Take it and pay for your sister’s medical bills. Just focus on your studies and don’t worry about all this other mess. Your teacher is here for you, okay?”

Lin Xin and I waited at the entrance. A moment later, we saw Fang Qian emerge with red-rimmed eyes. The area around her heterochromatic eyes was flushed, making her look even more eerie.

Fang Qian led us to our accommodations. Along the way, I kept my head down, studying the symbol in my hand. It looked like several circles layered together without any discernible pattern; I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

As they say, different professions are like different worlds. I sighed and tucked the slip of paper into my robe, pinning all my hopes on the ancient tomb.

“Dr. Fang, what happened to your sister?”

Fang Qian didn’t speak, staring silently out the window. When we reached the hotel, the driver eagerly helped us with our luggage and took the opportunity to tell us that Fang Qian’s sister had become a vegetable.

“They say she took a few steps into a tomb passage and collapsed instantly. She’s been unconscious ever since. Dr. Fang is even stranger; everyone says she-cough, cough, cough-”

Seeing Fang Qian enter, the driver jumped in fright, gave a few tactical coughs, and hurriedly dropped the luggage before fleeing.

“You all should rest first. After lunch, I’ll take you to the burial site.”

After Fang Qian left, Zhao Sisi immediately flopped onto the bed.

“Xiao Yan, pour me a glass of water. I can’t move a muscle.”

Jiang Haoyan snapped, “You useless thing, why did you insist on coming along?”

Zhao Sisi glanced toward Lin Xin and said defiantly, “None of your business! I came to learn some skills from Master Qiao.”

I painfully pulled a small jar of Yin-Yang Water from my bag.

“One sip each. Everyone drink this. You’ll have your strength back once you’ve had some.”

Yin-Yang Water-Yin water refers to groundwater that has never seen the light of day. Yang water, in ancient formulas, refers to rainwater from the heavens that has not touched the ground.

One Yin and one Yang can dispel evil and break the world’s impurities; it could also briefly suppress the curse on our bodies.

“That’s twenty thousand a sip. Transfer it to my Alipay first.”

After drinking the Yin-Yang Water, everyone’s fever indeed broke immediately, and their strength returned. Lin Xin looked at the mineral water bottle in my hand with a bewildered expression.

“This is so unscientific. Is there some kind of stimulant in there?”

I rolled my eyes and ignored him, telling everyone to get their gear ready for the ancient tomb.

The tomb wasn’t far from where we were staying, about a twenty-minute drive. The burial site was located inside a dense forest with a river nearby. The river curved right where it reached the tomb, forming a U-shape.

My brow furrowed instantly.

In Feng Shui, this was known as Heavenly Marsh Land. The river water would saturate the burial ground, causing coffins to rot extremely fast. It was completely unsuitable for a grave.

A tunnel had been excavated at the entrance of the site, and a sentry post had been formally set up. We showed our work permits to the security guard, who waved us through.

Jiang Haoyan took a flashlight and led the way. Fang Qian followed behind him, but I quickly pulled her back.

“I got a call from Professor Zhu at lunch. He doesn’t want you going in. Wait here at the entrance.”

Fang Qian shook her head and gave me a creepy smile.

“My sister is still inside. I’m going to bring her home.”