There is no wall that is impenetrable.
The news that the Ling family had carved a wooden plaque out of precious dark wood and engraved a name on it spread like wildfire within the circle, sparking all sorts of speculations.
"I heard they were raising a little ghost. Didn't Director Ling go on a business trip to Southeast Asia some time ago and meet a certain Nanyang master? It was that master who gave the advice personally!"
"The Ling family is at the peak of its power. Is it necessary to resort to such shady tactics?"
“Who can have too much money?”
"I heard that Director Ling had an illegitimate daughter, but she died some time ago! The name on the wooden sign is the name of that little daughter!"
"Haha, if it was an illegitimate daughter, would Madam Ling be so generous as to contribute her own collection of dark wood?"
"That's true."
"I heard a story that the name engraved on the wooden plaque belonged to the Ling family's benefactor, but he passed away not long ago. The Ling family hired a master to perform a ritual to bring great wealth to his descendants! The dark wood is used for ritual instruments!"
"If it's true, then the Ling family is indeed affectionate and righteous."
"The Ling family has always had a good reputation."
…
There are many different versions of the rumors, including suspenseful and horror, melodramatic and wealthy, and warm and touching.
In fact, to sum up, no one believes that there is no meaning behind the Ling family's action of using rare golden nanmu sunken wood to make wooden plaques!
How could this be possible? There was something fishy going on. Absolutely! They had to find out!
only.
As the rumor spread more and more widely, it became increasingly distorted and unrecognizable after being passed down through several hands.
Until this rumor blew into the metaphysical world and reached the ears of the hemp-clothed diviner Cen Guang'an.
The person who told Cen Guangan about this matter was a junior of his in the metaphysics community.
Young people, only in their thirties, are always more lively and like to pay attention to all kinds of gossip.
However, as a person in the field of metaphysics, this young man has his own expertise and is more aware of how much exaggeration there is in the rumors.
So when I spoke to Cen Guangan, I used a sarcastic and critical tone:
"...These days, all kinds of monsters and demons are coming out. Using dark wood to make a wooden plaque with a name engraved on it? Aren't you afraid that the person won't be able to handle it and get into trouble! Oh, Uncle Master, I remember you have a good relationship with the two elders of the Ling family? Why didn't you warn them about this? Such good dark wood is being wasted like this!"
The younger generation shook their heads in regret.
Cen Guangan listened thoughtfully.
He is an old hand with rich experience. He knows that this kind of news that has been handled eight hundred times must be squeezed out of the excess water before listening.
Among all the rumors, Cen Guangan extracted several unchanging keywords:
Sunken wood, wooden plaques, carved names...
Is this an offering to the gods?
Cen Guangan calmed down for a moment, but when he thought of his friendship with the Ling family over the years, he suddenly couldn't sit still.
He quickly stood up, said hello to his juniors, and hurried out.
The first thing he did was to call his good friend, Mr. Ling.
Mr. Ling was very surprised by the call:
"What? Is that true? I didn't know that!"
Cen Guangan became more and more anxious and quickly explained the interests involved to Mr. Ling.
Mr. Ling, who had been retired for several years and had no interest in worldly affairs, became anxious and immediately said that he would contact his son Ling Zhicheng to ask about the matter in detail.
Cen Guangan calmly said:
"Don't worry, this happened just two days ago, it won't cause any serious trouble."
Mr. Ling sighed:
"Hey, I'll have to ask you for this."
Cen Guangan didn't care:
"No problem. We're old friends now, so it's just a small favor. I'm in the next city right now and will be at your house in two hours!"
After hanging up the phone, Cen Guangan immediately rushed to the Ling family's old house!
The old man and old lady of the Ling family live in a courtyard house in Yanjing, which is quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle and is also extremely expensive.
Cen Guangan had been here many times and was familiar with the route.
When he arrived, Ling Zhicheng had been there for almost ten minutes.
Ten minutes was enough time for Mr. Ling to bring up the matter of the Yinchen Wood Immortal Card and question him.
It was obvious that the father and son were not having a pleasant conversation.
When Cen Guangan stepped into the main room, the two men sat facing each other, but neither looked at the other.
When Mr. Ling saw Cen Guangan, he stood up excitedly and angrily scolded:
"Master Cen, you're finally here! Come and help me scold this rebellious son! You actually told me, an old man, to stay out of my business!"
"Dad, please don't talk nonsense, okay? Who told you not to meddle in other people's business? I mean, I know what's going on."
Ling Zhicheng expressed helplessness at his father's behavior of twisting the meaning of his words.
Then, he also stood up and nodded to Cen Guangan:
"Master Cen, you are here."
His attitude was respectful as always.
But that look... Cen Guangan seemed to see a hint of resentment?
Cen Guang'an practiced physiognomy and often dealt with all kinds of people. He was very sensitive to certain emotions, like a shrewd person.
He immediately realized that he was meddling.
Cen Guangan was a little annoyed.
As the famous hemp-clothed divine figure in the martial arts world, he is treated as a distinguished guest wherever he goes...
This was the first time that Cen Guangan was accused of meddling in other people’s affairs!
To be honest, Cen Guangan also had his own pride, and he immediately wanted to leave and don't care about anything.
But I could see my old friend's body trembling with anger, and the inexplicable curiosity in his heart.
Cen Guangan suppressed his impulse and asked in a calm tone:
"Am I wrong? The dark wood you took isn't for offering to the immortal tablets? Or is there a reason your father and I don't know about?"
Ling Zhicheng also noticed the subtle irony in Cen Guangan's attitude and sighed:
"Master Cen is right. We are here to offer sacrifices to the immortal tablets."
Cen Guangan frowned.
In his impression, Ling Zhicheng is a person who acts very steadily and cautiously, and his old friend has always been proud of his son's temperament.
Therefore, Ling Zhicheng would never joke about the fate and future of his family!
Cen Guangan said meaningfully:
"It seems there really is something we don't know about here."
But Mr. Ling was so anxious that he slammed the table:
"What could it be? Master Cen, I've heard you mention this before: offering immortal tablets only brings more disadvantages than advantages, and requires the younger generations of our family to pay an incredible price! People only offer immortal tablets when they are desperate. What else do we in the Ling family lack? Zhicheng, Zhicheng, I've warned you before to stay true to your heart and not be driven by desire! But what did you do? I'm so disappointed!"
Cen Guangan repeatedly comforted his old friend:
"Don't be impatient, listen to what Zhicheng says."
Ling Zhicheng nodded slightly and said slowly:
"I've also heard about the price of offering sacrifices to immortals. It's very easy for family descendants to be plagued by karma and have a bad end. But what if the one we're offering is a real immortal?"
Mr. Ling didn't believe it at all:
"What real gods? Where in the world do real gods come from? You've been deceived!"
Cen Guangan's eyes suddenly flashed, and he leaned forward:
"Wait! Tell me in detail!"
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