Chapter 78: Retirement Day 78 It’s all talent, just talent…

Sang Qiqi Funeral Service has encountered the biggest problem since its opening.

Zhang Lin huddled behind the cashier counter, only half his head visible. His gaze fell on the large, black-skinned wild boar, which moved but looked a bit foolish. Confused, he asked Sang Qiqi, "What was the idea behind turning the coffee table into a wild boar?"

Even a small fragrant pig is better than a wild boar that weighs hundreds of pounds and is dark and ugly!

Sang Qiqi circled the wild boar three times, left and right. In her left hand, she held a phone containing a photo of a wild boar she'd found online. She compared the photo with the boar before her, taking in various details. The fur was a dark brown, almost black. The bristles on the top layer were thick and hard, pricking her fingers. But the softer fur underneath felt quite comfortable. When Sang Qiqi's fingers followed the bristles and touched the boar's head, it actually twisted its neck, pressing its nose into her palm, and gasped for air.

Sang Qiqi: “!”

She sighed inwardly, her almond-shaped eyes widening with wonder. After she'd had her fill of touching, she finally remembered to answer Zhang Lin's question: "Forget your thoughts for now. I'm just asking, is this pig real?"

Zhang Lin wiped his face and said, "Really, I've scared away three guests."

Sang Qiqi: “…”

This was indeed an accident.

Sang Qiqi touched the tip of her nose and turned her gaze to the box beside her containing the talisman paper donated by Taiwei Sanren. Duan Sui, guessing her intention, reminded her with a look of regret: "Taiwei Sanren didn't prepare any transformation talismans for you."

In other words.

In order to turn this exaggerated wild boar back into a coffee table, Sang Qiqi had to spend an entire night making a new transformation talisman.

Or, wait for this transformation symbol to expire.

But this was Sang Qiqi's first time drawing a transformation talisman, and she had no other experience. No one knew how long the effect of the talisman paper would last, perhaps thirty minutes, perhaps six hours, or perhaps three days or ten days.

Hmm... thirty minutes have passed, so this possibility can be ruled out.

Sang Qiqi touched her nose again, gave Duan Sui an awkward smile, and said, "I'll contact Mingxin for help." However, twelve seconds after the call was connected, Sang Qiqi's voice, rising uncontrollably, was heard: "You said you're in Yuantie Province now?!"

Mingxin wondered if Sang Qiqi was too narrow-minded.

He yelled at her yesterday, and now he wants to yell back at her today?

Rubbing his ears, he hummed, "Yeah, after reading the post you sent me, I knew the situation in Yuantie Province was most likely caused by evil spirits. But the Taoist priests at Huanlongtai don't know shit, so it must be us from Liuyun Temple, so I bought a ticket and came here."

Sang Qiqi: “…”

She struggled for a moment. "Is it possible that although you went to Yuantie Province, the transformation talisman you once made was left in the small Western-style building in Beijing North?"

Mingxin: "Should I leave the talisman paper at home and wait for the thief to come?"

What a joke! He must always carry the talisman paper he painstakingly drew with him. He even sleeps with the bag slung over his shoulder, determined not to let the talisman paper out of his sight, even for a second!

Sang Qiqi: “…”

Well, now she can draw talismans, and can deeply appreciate the Taoist's love and care for the talisman paper he made with his own hands.

She hung up the call and sighed regretfully.

Forget it, she should take the pig to the back of the house first, and then transform the coffee table back after she finished drawing the new transformation symbol. But just as Sang Qiqi was about to leave with the pig, Jingyu pushed open the glass door, and his voice followed closely: "Don't go, let me see this pig."

Sang Qiqi paused and looked at him: "How did you know there's a pig in my shop?"

Jing Yu stepped aside, revealing Bai Yingxin's small face. Bai Yingxin raised her hand, lit up her phone, and explained, "It's not just us who know. Now the entire internet knows there's a wild boar in your store."

Sang Qiqi: “…”

She threw the leash to Jingyu, took out her phone and logged into Weibo, immediately seeing the hot topics recommended by the system:

#Sang Qiqi Wild Boar#

Click on it, it’s a marketing account.

Gossip master V: A netizen submitted a post saying they were just going to Sang Qiqi's funeral service to buy paper figurines for their child's deceased grandmother, but upon entering, they discovered Sang Qiqi had ingeniously raised a massive, black-skinned wild boar weighing several hundred kilograms! The wild boar frightened the child, who then had no choice but to take the child to another funeral home and spend 300 yuan. [Photos][Photos][Photos]

[I understand the logic, but who came up with this trending topic?]

[The topic name is funnier than the content]

[Before clicking: What? A wild boar? You must be kidding! After clicking: Holy crap, that's a huge wild boar!]

[Bad news! 377 lost 300!]

[There were more than 300 guests, two more came running out as well.]

[Hahahahahaha]

[Wild boar as a pet? Woman, you really catch my attention / Overlord's evil smile @桑柒柒]

[Hey, you said you wanted to raise a dog or a cat, I didn’t think it was strange, but if you raised a wild boar in the store, I would come over immediately to join in the fun, baby, wait for me/blow a kiss]

Sang Qiqi: “…”

An hour later, Zhang Lin's eyelids twitched violently as he looked at the customers of all ages who were almost crowding the funeral service.

"Wow, it's a real wild boar! I thought it was a hoax!"

"So this is what a wild boar feels like. Doesn't it bite?"

"No, I just poked its butt and it didn't bite me."

"Aren't wild boars said to be ferocious? Why is this one so docile and stupid? I went to the market to buy it some food, but why isn't it eating?"

Sang Qiqi stood aside, trying hard to put on a smile on her pretty face, but her almond-shaped eyes showed a hint of guilt.

How can you expect to eat at a coffee table?

Duan Sui saw this scene, tilted his head, and a smile curled up his lips, letting out an uncontrollable laugh. But soon, his expression froze. He lowered his head and saw Sang Qiqi standing behind him. Through the thin shirt, two slender fingers grasped his firm flesh and gently twisted it.

He hissed.

Sang Qiqi: “…”

If it weren't for the fact that they were all ghosts, she would have really thought that she had hurt Duan Sui.

Pushing someone's shoulder towards the store in a bad mood, she muttered, "Zhang Lin is almost too busy to handle everything. Go help him quickly."

Zhang Lin, who was at the cashier counter, had already started typing away on his calculator. Upon hearing this, he immediately looked at Duan Sui with hope. Duan Sui raised his eyebrows, but ultimately stopped watching the joke and stepped forward to help.

As the clock struck off, more and more people came to the funeral service to see the wild boars. These customers were quite interesting; even if they came empty-handed, they never left empty-handed. The staff at the funeral service were so busy that Jing Yu and Bai Ying Xin from the haunted house next door saw what was happening and hurried over to help pack up. They toiled until almost midnight, when the netizens who had come to see the wild boars went home, and the entire funeral service finally became empty.

"The people of northern Beijing are truly famous for their love of joining in the fun." Bai Yingxin collapsed on the sofa, her eyes dull. Seeing that Sang Qiqi still had the energy to walk around and sort out the clutter, she hugged her legs and wailed, "Don't leave, let's go eat hot pot."

Sang Qiqi patted her head and said, "That's what I planned. I thought you'd take a rest first since you're tired."

Aside from Bai Yingxin, the other four were all ghosts, working all night without a break. The little girl had volunteered to stay and help out so late at night, so Sang Qiqi definitely couldn't treat her badly.

However, before leaving the funeral service, the wild boar that was originally planned to be led to the alley behind the store was tied in front of the door by Sang Qiqi and was given the title of mascot.

It will be used to guard the gate in the future.

"Let's go eat." Sang Qiqi patted her pocket, "Let's go to the Western-style hot pot."

-

Yulan Town, Xizhou City, Yuantie Province.

Mingxin stood in Yulan Town, looking at the empty streets before him, and couldn't help but frown. He had taken a flight, a high-speed train, a two-hour bus ride, and an hour on a rickshaw before finally reaching Yulan Town. When he arrived in town, he tried to get a taxi to Beiqing Village, but the townspeople dissuaded him, saying, "You can't go to Beiqing Village right now. Everyone says it's haunted."

After reading the post from Luming Society, Mingxin also suspected that an evil spirit was haunting Beiqing Village. He asked, "Didn't a Taoist priest come here the day before yesterday? Did you see him?"

"A Taoist priest? Are you talking about the young man who came back with that kid Liu Chen? I remember he was dressed quite like a Taoist priest." The man who spoke to Mingxin was an old man in his seventies. Although he looked thin and withered, he was very energetic and seemed like a know-it-all. "There was no car in town to take them to the village, so Liu Chen's family came to pick them up. They should still be in the village now."

Then he turned his gaze to Mingxin and said, "Young man, if you want to enter the village, you either have to pay enough money or walk there yourself."

Mingxin chose to go alone.

Avoiding the old man's sight, he stuck two pieces of talisman paper on his feet and followed the route on the map towards Beiqing Village.

Beiqing Village is about a thirty-minute drive from Yulan Town. Despite its name, the mountains here are mostly gray, thanks to Xizhou's abundant coal mines. Mingxin's face was covered in dust after just a short walk. Arriving at Beiqing Village with his face barely visible, the sun was high in the sky. The village entrance was bustling with activity, and quite a few leisurely souls sat beneath trees, playing chess and chatting.

Mingxin: “……?”

He had originally thought that even the people of Yulan Town had speculated that the explosions at the crematorium and urn at the Beiqing Village funeral home were the result of ghosts, and he had probably assumed the people of Beiqing Village shared the same view. However, the leisurely and lively atmosphere of the Beiqing villagers before him was completely different from the lifeless atmosphere he had imagined.

Could it be that... the matter is resolved?

Why are the disciples of Huanlongtai so fast? Could it be that besides curses, they really have other magic skills?

Just as he was thinking, the auntie chatting at the village entrance also noticed Mingxin. Beiqing Village was remote, and the occasional strangers who came to do business were accompanied by village leaders. Coming alone like Mingxin was very rare. Furthermore, Mingxin's face was so black from being smoked that it was particularly eye-catching. He stood still, his eyes rolling and looking a little confused, which immediately piqued the auntie's curiosity.

"Hey young man, what are you standing there for? Are you looking for someone?"

The aunt's voice was rough, but it was loud, attracting not only Mingxin's attention, but also the attention of others. Being stared at by these people, Mingxin's mouth twitched, and he could only accept his fate and walked over, first smiling and shouting a few times: "Hello, uncles and aunts."

Then he got straight to the point: "I'm a blogger, and I like to shoot videos and post them online. I saw someone post about something strange happening in Beiqing Village, so I thought I'd come and take a look. And when I just came from Yulan Town, an old man said—"

"You're saying we've been haunted, right?" Auntie snorted coldly, crossing her arms and raising her voice even higher. "Nonsense! Our feng shui is excellent and we've produced many big bosses here. How could we be haunted by a ghost?"

As soon as she started to refute, the other villagers who were playing chess, cards, or chatting all put down what they were doing and nodded in agreement: "That's right, what era is it in? There are still ghosts. Isn't that nonsense?"

"They keep talking nonsense. I think we should arrest these idiots who spread rumors and superstitions!"

"Isn't it? It's hot now, so isn't it normal for people to die in the village? I heard that three old men died in Xinwen Village next door. The chef I know who prepares funeral banquets can't even lift a spatula!"

"Young man, since you're filming this video, you have to help promote our village. What do you call it? Rumor-busting, right? There's nothing supernatural or spooky about our village!"

A group of elderly men and women surrounded Mingxin, chattering so eloquently that his eardrums vibrated and his head pounded. He rubbed his swollen temples, feeling a slight headache, and asked, "Didn't someone say the crematorium and urns at your village funeral home were blown up?"

"If the quality is not up to standard, it will be blown up!"

"That's right. Didn't the urn that the Liu family kid brought back not explode?"

"The new crematorium didn't explode!"

Mingxin: “…”

The old man who said the crematorium didn't explode looked thin and short, but he was surprisingly full of energy and even spit in his face. Ming Xinxin was a little tired, but she had learned her lesson. She nodded and coaxed the others, "You're right. There are no gods or ghosts in this world. It's all nonsense. So, uncles and aunts, can you tell me where the funeral home in your village is? I'll go interview the staff there, take a video and post it online, and everyone will know that the ghost stories are false."

Mingxin didn't wear his Taoist robes when he went out today. All his stuff was stuffed into his backpack, and he was holding a GoPro. When he said this, the uncles and aunties immediately pointed in a certain direction and said, "Here, follow this road straight south. When you reach a slope, there will be a sign for the funeral home. Just follow that road and go in."

"OK, thanks."

He didn't stay for long, fearing that the old man would spit on his face again, and hurried towards the funeral home.

What a coincidence.

As Mingxin arrived at the funeral home sign, he noticed several hearses parked on one side of the driveway. At the same time, two more vehicles entered the lane one after the other. Mingxin followed the car slowly and heard the driver of a car on the side of the road lower his window and yell at the driver trying to squeeze into the funeral home parking lot, "Don't go any further! It's full, and you won't be able to turn around and get out."

“So many cars again today?”

"That's right. The crematorium was delayed for a long time after the explosion. Moreover, many people died in Beiqing Village in the past two days. Add to that those from other villages, and these waves of bodies piled up together. I heard that the cremator inside was so busy that he almost fainted."

Mingxin listened intently for a moment, then brazenly leaned over. His dark face startled the two drivers. He introduced himself to the elderly men and women as he had done at the beginning, then asked with a smile, "Gentlemen, does this funeral home accept more than just the deceased from Beiqing Village?"

The driver looked him up and down and nodded, "Yes, any deaths in the nearby villages are sent here."

Mingxin said, "I just heard from someone in town that Beiqing Village is haunted recently—"

As soon as the word "haunted" came out of Mingxin's mouth, the driver glared at him and said in a gruff voice, "What nonsense are you talking about? There's no such thing as a haunted place!"

Ming Xin was stunned by the scolding and subconsciously looked at the other driver. The other man was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a simple and honest appearance, but at this moment, there was a clear expression of dissatisfaction in his eyes, obviously repelled by Ming Xin's mention of "haunting".

Was it his imagination? From the elderly people at the village entrance to the two drivers, the people of Beiqing Village seemed to be extremely sensitive to the word "haunted."

So sensitive that it feels a little abnormal.

But if you look closely at the expressions of these two people, you can see that they don't feel guilty at all, which shows that they believe from the bottom of their hearts that the explosion of the crematorium in Beiqing Village and the cracking of the urn have nothing to do with hauntings.

Mingxin's sixth sense told him that there must be something strange going on.

He made an apologetic expression and quickly said, "I heard it from others. There are quite a lot of people spreading it outside. So it's just right for me to go to the funeral home to do an interview and dispel the rumors for Beiqing Village."

Without waiting for the driver's reply, Mingxin quickened his pace and headed for the funeral home. Once inside, the staff were so busy they were practically running out of sight, and Mingxin didn't feel comfortable disturbing them. He first found the restroom to wash his face, then pretended to be a family member wandering around the funeral home. He left no stone unturned, even deliberately passing by the staff carrying the deceased's body, but strangely, he didn't sense the presence or presence of any evil spirits.

He spent the entire afternoon wandering around the funeral home. Late at night, he finally caught up with a funeral home employee. When the employee mentioned the ghost incident, his attitude was the same as everyone else Mingxin had met since entering Beiqing Village.

He firmly believed that ghosts could not exist and thought that the explosions of the crematorium and urns were accidents.

Mingxin: “…”

-

The funeral home was locked, but Mingxin didn't leave. He hid in a corner of the parking lot behind the funeral home, leaning against the flower bed. He frowned and took out his phone to contact the poster of the Luming Club. Clicking on the saved post, Mingxin was surprised to find that the poster had updated the content. He found the poster's floor and saw what the other party said:

Thank you all for your concern for our village. However, I have already taken Taoist Priest Pengqiu to visit my hometown. Taoist Priest Pengqiu confirmed that there is no problem in our village. The crematorium and urn were blown up because of poor quality. / embarrassing

Mingxin: “…”

He scrolled down the post twice and saw the reply from the Taoist priest Pengqiu of Huanlongtai: It was a misunderstanding.

These four concise words made most people who followed this post feel relieved.

Mingxin discovered two days ago that the status of this disciple of Huanlongtai in Luming Society is similar to that of his in Lizi Live. It has been five years since Pengqiu created his account. During these five years, he has appeared in posts about urban ghosts and monsters. He will also rely on his own experience to judge the authenticity of the posts. If he encounters a true one, he will contact the poster and go to the source to solve the puzzlement for the poster. Therefore, Pengqiu is very popular in Luming Society.

Mingxin questioned the talisman skills of the disciples of Huanlongtai, but did not question their sensitivity to evil spirits.

Furthermore, Pengqiu does not hide the existence of ghosts. According to his previous habit of replying to posts, if there really is a ghost and it has been solved, he will generally say: It has been successfully solved.

Rather than the word 'oolong'.

Is it true that there are no ghosts?

Mingxin refused to believe this and pulled out a rarely used tortoise shell and copper coins from his backpack. He stuffed the copper coins into the tortoise shell, then held it with both hands, closed his eyes, and silently recited the questions he had been wondering about. After a moment, the tortoise shell shook, and several copper coins jumped out and landed in front of Mingxin's eyes.

He looked down.

Water is dangerous. When water is above and below, and the two waters overlap, the danger is compounded, and the obstacles are numerous.

Mingxin: "...Great evil?!"

As a disciple of Liuyun Temple, even though he specialized in the art of talismans, he also knew a little bit about fortune-telling, but he was not very proficient in it. Moreover, out of three fortune-tellings, he got the wrong answers at least twice.

Therefore, in order to get the correct answer, Mingxin decided to try twice more.

The coin fell, and he leaned over to look. "The upper part is Dui, and the lower part is Kan. Water is below the marsh, but there is no water in the marsh. This is a sign of being trapped. The buttocks are trapped by a tree, and it is like entering a deep valley, and there will be no sight for three years."

It means that he is in trouble now, and hiding temporarily is the right choice.

Mingxin pursed his lips and began to shake the dice for the third time, but the hexagram did not change.

Staring blankly at the hexagrams on the ground, his eyes lit by the dim lights on either side of the funeral home's path, Mingxin felt lost for the first time. After a long pause, he stood up, stuffed the tortoise shell and copper coins back into his backpack, and made a decision—he'd circle the funeral home again. If he didn't find any evil spirits, he'd return to Yulan Town to rest.

He exhaled and walked into the funeral home.

It was late at night, and the entire funeral home was immersed in absolute silence. Mingxin planned to go to the crematorium again, but halfway there, a sudden gust of wind blew. The wind swept through his hair and brushed against his face, carrying a fishy, ​​ghostly aura that made him suddenly widen his eyes and take a step back.

Without any hesitation, he ran in the direction of the wind.

the next day.

Sang Qiqi yawned lazily as she arrived at the funeral service. As she passed the gate, she reached out and patted the still-tied wild boar. She exchanged glances with the boar, then pulled out her phone and asked Mingxin, "When you first successfully made a transformation talisman, how long did it take for the talisman's paper to lose its effectiveness?"

Mingxin seemed to be busy and did not reply.

Sang Qiqi was not in a hurry. She chatted with the wild boar for a while before walking into the store.

About two hours later, Mingxin finally responded. He said: It seems like half a day, what happened?

long time?

Sang Qiqi took a photo of her wild boar and sent it to Mingxin: I used a coffee table to transform it. It’s been a day and a night and the transformation talisman hasn’t lost its effect. Isn’t it amazing?

Mingxin:?

The phone rang, Sang Qiqi answered, and listened to Mingxin's voice, "No, you're a ghost, and you drew talisman paper? And you succeeded? It would be fine if you succeeded, but you even used it? And the effect is so good?! Are you kidding me?!"

Sang Qiqi sighed twice, appearing modest but actually boasting, "It's not that bad. It's all just talent, that's all. I have to thank your master for this. If it weren't for the paper silk and cinnabar that your master donated, I wouldn't be able to successfully draw the transformation talisman."

Mingxin: “…”

After a long break, he finally said, "Hang up."

"Just hung up?" Sang Qiqi was surprised. "Don't you want to chat anymore?"

Mingxin's face was tense, his eyes almost rolled up to the sky, and he asked unhappily, "What are you talking about?"

Sang Qiqi: "Let's talk about your trip to Yuantie Province."

Speaking of this, Mingxin couldn't help but rub his forehead and sigh. He rubbed the dust off his face and said with a pout, "It was a wasted trip."

"Has the disciple from Huanlongtai been dealt with ahead of time?"

"No," Mingxin explained. "There's no evil spirit haunting this place. It's just a quality issue with the crematorium and the urn. I ended up running all this way and eating a mouthful of ash. Now I'm in town and planning to take a bus to the city. I've booked a flight back in the evening."