Chapter 36
However, Xie didn't like to keep things in his heart. After today, he didn't know when he would see Jing Xiebai again, so he could only take this opportunity to ask clearly.
"How do you know about this?" Jing Xiebai did not answer directly.
"I saw someone asking about this on the forum, and I looked it up, but there's no record of it."
Jing Xiebai sighed, as if he didn't want to mention this topic.
"Why are you asking about this? Is there something wrong? I don't care about these things. If you want to know why there is no record, I can ask for you."
"You know it," Xie Que said firmly, glancing at Jing Xiebai. Over this period of time, he had gotten to know Jing Xiebai much better.
"I really want to know?" Jing Xiebai glanced at Xie Que through the rearview mirror. "This matter involves quite a lot."
"Go ahead."
"Alas." Jing Xiebai sighed, "Do you remember the Lin family I told you about last time?"
"Hmm? I remember. What's wrong?"
"There's a genius in their family. He started fortune-telling at the age of eight and continued until he was eighteen, a full ten years, without a single mistake."
Divination places great value on talent. The young master of the Lin family is a self-taught talent. At the age of nine, he deciphered a strange hexagram that had remained unsolved for a hundred years, causing a sensation in the martial arts world.
"The southwest region used to be even more chaotic, with many people leaving and never returning. When Lin Zixu was eighteen years old, he traveled around the world. When he passed through that area, he disturbed the ghost soldiers and unfortunately died."
"Strangely, the southwest region has become much more stable since then, and the Gate of Life and Death hasn't opened on its own initiative in the past ten years."
Exorcists can control the living world, but not the underworld. Once the gates of life and death are opened, hundreds of ghosts will roam the night, and that is the true hell on earth.
"You mean, his death stabilized the southwest region?" Xie frowned, somewhat puzzled. "Can one person's death have such an effect?"
He only knew that some people did become ghost messengers after entering the underworld, but being able to control the opening and closing of the gates of life and death meant that they had become the King of Hell, didn't they?
"It's strange that a genius like Lin Zixu died at the hands of the evil soldiers. The Lin family didn't even investigate the matter afterwards."
Lin Zixu's death was not made public. Even now, few people know about his death. Even Jing Xiebai learned about it by chance.
He and Lin Zixu were good friends, and geniuses always admired each other. Before his travels, Lin Zixu gave Jing Xiebai a diary, in which he had recorded his experiences in cultivation over the past few years.
Jing Xiebai didn't believe that Lin Zixu would die at the hands of the evil soldiers, but everyone around him who knew the truth insisted that this was the truth. It was only half a year later that he found out the truth from the diary.
"Lin Zixu sought death on his own initiative. He used his death to close the Gate of Life and Death."
"Is it still possible?"
"You don't believe it either?"
"If that were the case, you would have told me the truth from the beginning."
Jing Xiebai smiled helplessly: "Only a very small number of people know about Lin Zixu's death. I asked my mother several times, both openly and secretly, but she always brushed me off."
"Lu Jueqiu and I have been investigating for so many years, and we only got some information when he founded the forum."
In the early days of the forum, there were many gaps in information. Lu Jueqiu was busy running around and using many connections. Since no one was responsible for the southwest region, he had to investigate personally.
"He discovered that the place looked messy, but it wasn't."
There haven't been any major incidents in the southwest region for many years, and the number of evil spirits has remained stable. There must be someone behind the scenes manipulating things.
"Is the Lin family in charge?"
"No." Jing Xiebai shook his head. He knew the strength of the four major families very well. The Lin family mainly relied on fortune-telling and their ability to exorcise ghosts was not strong. It was impossible for them to have the strength to take charge of that place.
"If I'm not mistaken, there should be a family responsible for guarding the gate of life and death, constantly monitoring the movements of the underworld."
Lin Zixu was chosen by the four great families to be sacrificed, and the Gate of Life and Death was closed. The people hiding in the dark were responsible for supervising the Gate of Life and Death, and together with the four great families, they maintained the entire world.
"So that's why Auntie didn't let you take charge of gathering the four families?"
"You'll know soon." Jing Xiebai didn't continue the topic.
After chatting for such a long time, Xie Que's sleepiness had long gone. He closed his eyes and kept repeating Jing Xiebai's words in his mind.
The truth about some things is finally coming to light.
…
The four families chose an antique restaurant as the gathering place.
There weren't many people in the box, as only those in power could attend the gathering. Jing Xiebai and his group arrived late, and everyone stood up to greet him when they saw him arrive.
"Xie Bai has grown up so much." A middle-aged man in a Tang suit greeted with a smile: "The last time I saw you was when you were eighteen, right?"
"Hello, Uncle Wang." Jing Xiebai smiled and shook hands lightly. "I'll come play chess with you when I have time."
"That person next to you is Xiao Que, right? It's our first meeting, so don't be shy."
Xie raised his head and smiled shyly, and was about to speak.
"Old Wang, don't scare me." Mother Jing retorted with a smile and pulled Xie Que to sit next to her.
The people in the box changed their expressions slightly when they saw what Jing's mother did. Jing Xiebai saw it but said nothing.
“Everyone is…”
"I'm late, sorry everyone." A clear voice interrupted Jing Xiebai's words.
Xie turned back.
Two beautiful figures walked out from behind the screen.
"Miss Yin." Mother Jing stood up and stepped forward to greet the newcomer. "It's not too late. We just arrived."
A hint of surprise flashed in Xie Que's eyes. He looked up at Jing Xiebai, who smiled at him knowingly.
"Mrs. Jing, you are too polite. It's my younger sister and I who have wasted everyone's time." While speaking, Miss Yin glanced at Xie Que who was standing beside her, her eyes thoughtful.
"No, please take a seat."
The two walked over and sat down next to the head of the Lin family.
Xie raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. These two women didn't have much masculine energy. They had pretty faces, and wore matching pink cheongsams. They had impressive temperaments, but their overly pale complexions gave them a ghostly air. Xie noticed that their shadows were a bit lighter than his.
Is this a dead person or a living person?
Xie was unsure of the situation. The phone in his hand vibrated and he looked down.
Lu: Did Jing Xiebai tell you?
All is fine: Yes.
Lu Jueqiu didn't reply, but Xie noticed that he had been looking at the two people.
"It seems that you haven't told the younger generations in your family about my existence." Miss Yin stood up and said with a smile: "The head of the Yin family is Yin Yuanshu, and the person next to you is my younger sister, Yin Ruowei."
Yin Ruowei stood up and nodded to everyone without saying anything.
"I know the rules of the four great families. While the former head of the family is still alive, no one is allowed to know about the existence of our Yin family. This happened suddenly, so I hope everyone will forgive me."
Yin Yuanshu offered a cup of tea from a distance.
"No, Miss Yin, you're too polite."
"Everyone already knows the whole story. I invited everyone here today to discuss how to solve this problem." Mother Jing looked at Yin Yuanshu. "I wonder if there have been any unusual events in the underworld recently?"
"No, there is no unusual movement at the Gate of Life and Death."
In the face of the great catastrophe, the underworld will definitely take action, and the four major families are very concerned about the developments of the Gate of Life and Death.
"The most important thing right now is to quickly capture Chen Shan and prevent the tragedy of a hundred years ago from happening again."
"Uncle Wang is right. Many people don't know about Chen Shan's existence yet. We have to come up with a solution quickly." Jing Xiebai glanced at Lu Jueqiu and motioned him to speak.
"After this period of effort, the evil spirits in most areas have been brought under control, but there are still many evil spirits that were dealt with before we sent people there."
"Did Chen Shan do it?"
"That's right." Lu Jueqiu paused and continued, "I originally wanted to infer Chen Shan's whereabouts, but I made no progress."
They still don't know what Chen Shan looks like. He is so elusive that finding him is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"How's the situation in West City?"
"That's what I wanted to say. The number of evil spirits in other cities has been controlled, but in West City, there are more and more. I think it must be because of Chen Shan." There have been no cases of evil spirits being solved by non-exorcists recently, so it is certain that Chen Shan is in West City.
"The ghost marriage incident made Chen Shan aware of our existence. He will definitely want to know why Xie didn't die there."
A person who was destined to die was unharmed. Chen Shan was bound to become suspicious of Xie Que.
"That's what I wanted to ask as well." Yin Yuanshu put down her teacup. "Last time you opened the Gate of Life and Death, there was only the Punishment Department behind it. That's not right."
The Yin family is responsible for guarding the Gate of Life and Death, and Jing Xiebai’s incident cannot be hidden from them.
The people from the four families only knew that Xie Que's parents were killed by Chen Shan, and they did not know that Xie Que was the reincarnation of a ghost exorcist.
"this……"
"I'm curious about this as well. The movements of the underworld are vague and uncertain. I hope Miss Yin can investigate."
Jing Xiebai interrupted Xie before he could finish his words and shook his head slightly at him.
"That's natural."
"Chen Shan is hiding in the dark, and we are in the light. We have to find a way to drag him out." The head of the Lin family, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
"What Lao Lin said is true. Chen Shan is extremely suspicious and ruthless. He will never leave any handle for me."
"What Old Wang means is..."
"Haha, it depends on your opinion, Madam Jing. I've been targeted by Chen Shan. If I don't deal with it soon, I'm afraid my life will be in danger."
"Uncle Wang, don't worry. Xie Que lives with me, and I'm the one who checks on his commissions. He also has Qin Jing by his side, so ordinary people can't touch him." Jing Xiebai took a sip of tea, "Since I accepted his commission, I naturally have to be responsible for his safety."
When Wang Guocheng heard what Jing Xiebai said, his expression changed, but he didn't ask any more questions.
"We also have to give an explanation to our subordinates, otherwise people will be unstable."
"A hundred years ago, the four great families failed to handle this properly, and we cannot afford to make the same mistake again."
"We absolutely cannot make this sorcery public," the Lin family patriarch said. "I had a divination last night. Although this matter is difficult, it doesn't mean it will fail. If people knew about the existence of this sorcery, it would cast doubt on the prestige of the four great families, which would be very difficult to deal with."
Back then, the four major families kept saying that the evil magic had been destroyed, but now that something like this has happened, if someone with ulterior motives were to question them, things would become much more troublesome.
"The murderer hasn't been found yet. This is a major mystery. We need to know how Chen Shan learned about the evil technique."
"Lu Jueqiu and I are responsible for finding out what happened to Chen Shan. The stability of West City depends on everyone." Jing Xiebai stood up and offered tea. "As for the matter of the evil magic, only by capturing Chen Shan can we get to the bottom of it."
"Xie Bai is right. He is responsible for this matter. We are old now, so let's hand it over to the young people."
"Mrs. Jing is absolutely right. The head of the Jing family has profound cultivation and is no ordinary person. The Yin family will do its utmost to support him." Yin Yuanshu also expressed his attitude.
"I watched Xie Bai grow up, so I naturally support his decision. It's a blessing for our Jue Qiu to have such a friend."
Wang Guocheng didn't know what to say, so he just responded, "Then I'll trouble you, Xie Bai. Uncle Wang is old, so it's up to you young people to take care of things."
After the party, they talked about some of the next plans, but Xie didn't listen carefully. Ever since he discovered the problem with the shadows of the two Yin family members, he had been wondering what was going on.
□□ has a shadow, but Yin objects have no shadow, so what are they?
There was a vibration in the palm of his hand, but Xie lowered his head.
Fubao: Don’t leave later, I have something to talk to you about.
All right: OK, I'll go to the bathroom later.
After the discussion, no one stayed for dinner, but Xie followed them out.
The bathroom was located in a remote area, but Xie washed his face and went to the balcony to get some fresh air.
He finally understood clearly from today's gathering that the Wang family didn't care about his life or death at all. If it weren't for the protection of the Jing and Lu families, he would have no say in front of the four major families. He just didn't know what secrets were behind the Yin family.
Xie sighed and tried to walk back.
"Did you understand today's banquet?" It was Yin Yuanshu's voice.
Xie's face turned stern, he stopped and hid in the dark to eavesdrop.
"I understand, sister." Yin Ruowei's voice was a little unclear. "This Xie Que is really lucky. Both the Jing family and the Lu family are protecting him."
"It was Jing Xiebai who protected him. The four families have been in constant conflict, fighting openly and covertly for decades. Wang Guocheng's child is still gaining experience. He must be jealous that the Jing family has such a child."
"Tsk, I don't think Jing Xiebai is any good. And that Lu Jueqiu, he keeps staring at you, sister. I don't know what evil thoughts he has in mind."
"You." Yin Yuanshu laughed. "The younger generation didn't know about the Yin family's existence. They must be curious when they see it for the first time today. I just didn't expect the children of the Jing family and the Lu family to be so well-born. Judging from their appearance, they are blessed people."
"Humph, you can't stare at me, my beauty is the most stunning in the world. Many people praise me for being a bit of a sweet girl!"
"Don't joke. You'll have a lot of homework to do when you get back." The two of them walked farther and farther away, and Xie Que came out from the darkness until he could no longer hear his voice.
It seems that the relationship between the Yin family and the four major families is not very good.
Xie turned off the recording and returned to the private room.
There were only Jing's mother, Jing Xiebai and Lu Jueqiu in the private room. When they saw Xie Que come in, the three of them looked at him.
"Now that everyone is here, can you tell me the truth?" Jing Xiebai crossed his legs, unbuttoned two buttons, and leaned lazily on the chair, looking elegant and unrestrained.
Mother Jing rolled her eyes at him and beckoned Xie Que to sit over.
"Xiao Que, you're not scared, are you?"
"No." Xie was a little restrained, sitting upright in the chair and not daring to move.
"Mom, please tell me quickly. I'm starving." Jing Xiebai pulled Xie Que to his side and put his hand on Xie Que's shoulder, shortening the distance between them.
Xie breathed a sigh of relief and felt a lot more relaxed.
"You're so ignorant!" Mother Jing glared at Jing Xiebai and said, "After today's incident, you can't talk about it, think about it, or miss it, okay?"
"Yeah." Jing Xiebai grabbed a handful of melon seeds and gave them to Xie Que, "Fill your stomach. I'll take you to dinner later."
"The Yin family controls the underworld. You've also noticed that their shadows are lighter than those of ordinary people. This is because they are not considered living people."
"But there's no yin energy on me."
"There is neither yin nor yang in his body. He is a living dead." Lu Jueqiu replied.
"That's right." Mother Jing glanced at Lu Jueqiu approvingly. "The Yin family holds some status in the underworld. Even the judge has to respect them. They can't have prolonged contact with the living. That's why they've secluded themselves for so many years."
The Yin family manages the affairs of the underworld, and the underworld officials, fearing they might abuse their power for personal gain, forbid them from interacting with the living world. Furthermore, the Yin family is blessed with good fortune, and upon their death, they will be reborn into a good family. If the world knew of such a lucrative position, many would likely covet the Yin family.
"According to the rules, you can only know about the existence of the Yin family when we are old. But please do not publicize this matter, otherwise you will suffer even in the underworld in the future."
"What about Lin Zixu? What's his relationship with the Yin family?" The four major families already had many rules, and there were things they couldn't say. Jing Xibai didn't dwell on this issue.
"Do you really think he's from the Lin family?"
"So who is he?"
"The Yin family, Yin Zixu." Mother Jing said frankly, "The Yin family is different from us. They are the ones who have the ability to rise to power. More than ten years ago, Yin Yuanshu was the head of the family."
The members of the Yin family were neither sick nor old, and the way they died was to be kicked out of the Yin family and reincarnated as humans. Yin Yuanshu had made an agreement with the Lin family to send Yin Zixu to the human world for refuge.
"At that time, the Yin family was in turmoil. Although Yin Yuanshu seemed to be weak, she had actually been secretly coveting the position of head of the family for a long time. After Yin Zixu returned, she only added fuel to the fire."
Yin Zixu was very powerful. After he faked his death, many people took Yin Yuanshu lightly. Several factions in the clan were fighting each other, and Yin Yuanshu was able to save his life. While they were fighting to the death, he secretly won over others. After Yin Zixu came back, he took the position of head of the clan in one fell swoop.
"Yin Zixu deceived the judge and sought refuge in the mortal world. The Lin family is weak, and only by establishing a relationship with the Yin family can they secure their current position."
"Divination is only useful in critical moments. If you encounter minor troubles on a daily basis, an exorcist can do it himself. Why would the Lin family be of any use?"
"I only know about this because I have a good relationship with the Lin family. I helped them back then. Even your father doesn't know about this. You must not spread any rumors!"
"I know." Jing Xiebai nodded. If he talked about this matter carelessly, the underworld would definitely blame him, and he didn't have the courage to go against the underworld.
"You and Jue Qiu must handle this matter properly, otherwise your position as the head of the family will be unstable in the future. You have also seen Wang Guocheng's attitude. It is clear that he is waiting to see your show."
"Don't worry, Auntie, I will do my best." Lu Jueqiu behaved very well in front of Jing's mother. He had received a lot of care from Jing's mother during his youth.
"Jueqiu is still sensible." Mother Jing smiled with relief, "I'm leaving first, you guys can have dinner."
"Goodbye." Jing Xiebai waved his hand and stood up to see Jing's mother out.
Xie stayed in the room. He was not interested in the identity of the Yin family. What he wanted to know was how the Yin family deceived the judge and where Chen Shan was.
Lu Jueqiu probably didn't let Jing Xiebai go to the southwest because he was afraid he'd be ambushed and become the next Lin Zixu. Xie rubbed his brow, feeling a headache.
It’s not so decent to see these four families behind the scenes.
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