Chapter 96 Eating the first incense is bad luck

Xie Xun frowned.

This is more than just bizarre; it's downright terrifying.

"Hmm, it looks like it's been worshipped for a long time."

Zhou Wei's expression turned serious, and he continued, "What's even stranger is that we found out the housekeeper's itinerary for this week. He originally booked a flight to Bangkok today, saying he was going back to his hometown to visit relatives."

"Was it the family who called the police?" Xie Xun looked up at Zhou Wei.

“Yes. The housekeeper said last night that he was going to the ancestral hall for a final inspection, and then he went missing. His daughter in Thailand couldn’t reach him, and this morning she asked a neighbor to go to the ancestral hall to look for him. That’s when they found the offering table and the paper figures, and immediately called the police.”

Zhou Wei rubbed his temples: "After receiving the report, the police in Gangcheng arrived at the scene and found that the temperature around the altar was abnormal, and the paint on the paper figure's face seemed to be flowing... They judged that it involved a special event and contacted us for assistance through emergency channels."

Fu Qinghuai, who had been casually gazing out the window with his arm around the person, suddenly asked, "Is the exact location of the Liu Clan Ancestral Hall in the Lion Mountain area of ​​the southern district of Gangcheng?"

Zhou Wei was somewhat surprised to hear this.

"How did Mr. Fu know? The Liu Clan Ancestral Hall is indeed located on the southern slope of Lion Mountain. I heard that when the Liu family moved from the mainland to Hong Kong in the last century, they specifically chose that place to build the ancestral hall."

Xie Xun understood and asked, "Captain Zhou, what else do you know about Lion Mountain?"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Wei's expression turned enigmatic. "That place was once a mass grave during the Republic of China era. After the Liu family prospered, they expanded their ancestral hall three times its original size. Local elders say that the Liu family became wealthy by suppressing things in the mountains."

The air inside the car seemed to freeze for a moment.

Fu Qinghuai tapped his fingers lightly on the car seat armrest, his eyes filled with an inscrutable expression.

Lion Hill, a mass grave.

If he remembered correctly, one of the remnants of resentment was sealed there.

That old bastard from the Liu family is truly audacious; not only did his descendants dare to devour his remnant soul, but even his ancestors...

Xie Xun noticed the change in the aura of the person next to him. He had just placed his hand on the back of Fu Qinghuai's hand when the latter turned it over and interlocked their fingers.

"how?"

Fu Qinghuai suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Xunxun is being so proactive because you're afraid I'll run away?"

A warm breath brushed past his ear, carrying its usual irreverent tone.

Xie Xun glared at him, but didn't pull his hand away.

"Let's go check out the ancestral hall first."

He gently squeezed the hand and said to Zhou Wei, "That paper figure is likely more than just an object of worship."

Zhou Wei glanced at their clasped hands in the rearview mirror and tactfully looked away.

“We have cordoned off the area. However…”

He paused, then added, "There are still two members of the Liu family in the ancestral hall. They say they want to protect the family business and refuse to leave no matter how much we try to persuade them."

Fu Qinghuai chuckled and gently stroked the back of the man's hand. "Perfect, I need someone to guide me."

As the car entered the winding mountain road, the shadows of the trees on both sides gradually became denser.

In the distance, you can see a cluster of gray-tiled buildings halfway up the mountain, and sure enough, there are two black cars parked in front of them.

"Look, those two are it."

Zhou Wei pointed to the middle-aged man in a Tang suit next to the car, looking very troubled. "He's been making a scene here since morning, saying we've disturbed their ancestors."

The noise outside was still going on, and one of the fat men was wiping his sweat and yelling, "You're going to ruin the feng shui! Our Liu family pays so much tax every year, and this is how you guys do things? Believe me or not, I'll call your bureau chief and complain!"

Fu Qinghuai caught a glimpse of Xie Xun frowning, then raised his hand to lower the car window and glanced at him casually.

Suddenly, a gust of mountain wind swept in, carrying sand and dust. The fat man cried out and covered his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he was shocked to find that the lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses were cracked into a spiderweb pattern.

"What the hell..." The fat man stared at the distorted reflection in the crack, his face turning pale.

Fu Qinghuai then closed the car window with satisfaction, put his arm around the person, leaned in close, and whispered with a smile, "To deal with this kind of person, you have to use their logic."

Xie Xun glanced at him with annoyance at his expression that seemed to be praising him, and said, "Childish. Can't you be a little more civilized?"

"Wasn't I being very civilized?"

Fu Qinghuai looked completely innocent. "I didn't lay a hand on them."

Xie Xun ignored him, but did not push away the thousand-year-old evil spirit's increasingly close body, and even let the other person put his arm around his shoulder to get out of the car.

Zhou Wei led his team over to negotiate first.

The fat man was still staring at his cracked glasses, his face pale. The tall, thin man next to him, however, was quite sensible and quickly handed over the ancestral hall key. "Officers, please feel free to search. We'll wait outside, but please don't disturb our ancestors."

As Xie Xun passed by the fat man, he suddenly stopped. "Boss, your face looks dark. Have you been having bad dreams lately?"

The fat man suddenly looked up, "How did you know?!"

"Throw away that amulet in your left pocket."

Xie Xun bluntly stated, "That stuff smells good after you've eaten it for a while; it's bad luck."

According to folk beliefs, the first incense stick lit in a temple, also known as the first incense, is considered to have the strongest spiritual energy. However, if it is consumed by evil spirits, it will only increase their malevolent nature.

This is similar to how even if a tonic is good, it can actually accelerate the disease if it is absorbed by cancer cells.

The amulet had clearly been possessed by something unclean, and now it was turning against the wearer.

Upon hearing this, the fat man hurriedly pulled out a blackened triangular talisman and indeed smelled a strange odor. He was so frightened that he threw it directly into the roadside ditch, where the talisman packet began to bubble with fine air.

"Let's go."

Fu Qinghuai raised an eyebrow and glanced at the thin and fat men whose expressions suddenly turned grim. He then hugged Xie Xun tightly and said, "It's a bit sinister inside. Xunxun, don't leave my side. Stay close to me."

Zhou Wei signaled to his team members to stand guard outside the door, while he followed the two into the ancestral hall.

As soon as I stepped across the threshold, the temperature plummeted. Although the sun was shining brightly outside, the courtyard was so gloomy that it gave me goosebumps.

"hiss……"

Zhou Wei rubbed his arms. "The air conditioning is way too strong."

"It's not an air conditioner."

Xie Xun squatted down, his fingertips lightly brushing against the cracks in the bluestone slab. "It's Yin energy spontaneously condensing."

As if he had just thought of something, he raised his hand and pointed to the beams and pillars in the main hall, "Team Leader Zhou, have someone take down those red ribbons."

Dozens of faded red cloths hung from the beam, seemingly for blessings, but each one was actually tied with a small copper bell, which made a clear, piercing sound when the wind blew through them, which was quite eerie.

This is the so-called Soul-Trapping Array, specifically designed to lock up the soul.

Fu Qinghuai had already walked to the altar in the side hall. He stared at the paper figure in the opera costume for a while, then suddenly laughed out loud, "Xunxun, come and see this."

The paper figure's right little finger is missing a section, and the broken end reveals a dark brown color, like dried blood.

"Feeding the demons with blood..."

Xie Xun frowned. "But why cut off the little finger?"

"Because, the little finger is the master of the contract."

Fu Qinghuai lightly traced a line on the paper figure's chest with his fingertip, and the outer layer of colored paper peeled off, revealing dense incantations on the yellow talisman inside, somewhat resembling a product of the Thai jutsu. "What is the Liu family trading with? It's what you saw before: the Liu family using their closest relatives as sacrifices."

"Back then, it was a revival, but now... that's not necessarily the case."

Hearing this, Zhou Wei gasped, "Those missing members of the Liu family..."

"It's all the price of the contract."

Fu Qinghuai lightly tapped the yellow talisman exposed on the paper figure's chest with his fingertip, but his words were clearly sarcastic, "Now that the contract is about to expire, won't we need more sacrifices?"

The fat man outside was already terrified by the amulet incident, and when he heard the conversation inside, his face turned completely pale.

As an elder of the Liu family, he knew all too well the secret behind it.

Although He is not here at this moment, His power is everywhere.

If this century-old family scandal were to be exposed today, with His methods, in order to silence everyone present, not a single one of them would survive!

At that time, he will definitely be the first sacrifice to quell the anger.

The two people inside were definitely not easy to deal with, and they were nothing like Zhou Wei and his group.

One could see through the secret of his amulet at a glance, and the other could easily break the seal on the paper figure. These are no ordinary people.

They're two monsters! Much more dangerous than Zhou Wei and his group!

Run! We have to run right now!

Once the thought crossed his mind, the fat man disregarded everything else. Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on the offering table, he suddenly stood up and scrambled towards the already started car.

Just as Zhou Wei was about to go out to check, he heard the fat man's pig-like screams coming from outside the door: "Help! It's haunted!"

Immediately afterwards, the ancestral hall door creaked open.

A girl with pigtails walked in first, holding a faintly glowing rope in her hand. At the other end of the rope, the two big men, "Fat and Thin Fairy Boys," were pulled in like tied-up rice dumplings.

"Captain Zhou! We've brought him back!"