Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 705 - 689: Raving on the Tombstone
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
......
The three of them were lounging on the sofa, racking their brains while considering how to redecorate and arrange the new house. Yang Hongye’s cell phone kept vibrating. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Is it work-related? I haven’t been to the office these past couple of days, is business really that good for Lao Zhang?" Chuci noticed she would glance at her phone and put it down, only to check it again a moment later. Figuring it must be pressing matters, he thought about leaving to let her attend to her business.
But Yang Hongye shook her head and said, "It’s nothing, just my family changing tactics to ask me for money again.
Being in a family like this, there’s no way out. They want to use me to exchange for a bride price for my brother to buy a house and get married.
But first, there’s been no concrete action; and second, they did support me a bit through my studies. Moreover, growing up, even though they were biased, they didn’t beat me to death or give me a deliberately awful name like ’Zhaodi.’
How should I put it—it’s that sort of complex feeling.
Since we haven’t reached the final breaking point, I can’t sever ties completely; I also dare not get too close, afraid of being forcibly locked up and sold, making one wrong move leading to losing everything.
So sometimes I’ll give them some money, at least acknowledging they raised me.
My brother is spoiled and doesn’t try hard; he doesn’t study well, doesn’t work properly. He’s always idling and switches jobs often, spends a lot but doesn’t have the patience to stick to a job.
Now, he spends his days making short videos and live streaming, buying traffic, tipping other streamers, not earning a dime and spending a lot.
This time, he’s probably out of money again, and using this as a trick to ask the family for more. My parents too readily believe him, even buying the excuse of needing two hundred thousand to hire a master to exorcise a ghost, isn’t it ridiculous?"
The more she spoke, the more irritated she got, while Chuci perked up at the mention of "ghost," "If I’m not mistaken, your hometown is a mountain village, right? With a background like that, your parents must find it easy to believe in possessions and spending money to exorcise ghosts."
He nudged Jiang Yuan with his elbow and exchanged a glance, suggesting, "What kind of master is worth two hundred thousand? Hongye, just tell your family you know a master who only charges a hundred thousand.
Then say that the hundred thousand is what you borrowed on your credit card, and if they ask for more money in the future, you’ll have the perfect reason to plead poverty.
Besides, you haven’t been home in years, have you?
Once you settle down here, you need never go back. This time, we’ll go with you and cut ties once and for all. With us there, you don’t need to worry about being locked up, right?"
"Are you really excited whenever you hear about ghosts and want to check out the real thing?" Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but laugh, "It’s very likely fake, where are there so many ghosts causing trouble everywhere?"
"But what if? Isn’t there still that master someone has?" Chuci wiggled his eyebrows, "Maybe he has siblings and colleagues. If we could catch another one, it’d be a great good deed!"
Having had a meal with the Yellow Immortal, he remembered those four most important words.
Anyway, if trouble really arises, with Jiang Yuan, the master, taking the lead, he could tag along and benefit a little, accumulating bit by bit, someday he might gain some skill too.
Right, Jiang Yuan thought it made sense and sought Yang Hongye’s opinion, "What do you think of Chuci’s suggestion?"
"You can really catch ghosts?" Yang Hongye couldn’t help but lower her voice, "Last time at Xiyu’s place... could you explain to me in detail when you have time? I wouldn’t mind trekking to my old mountain home. With you guys there, I won’t worry.
But be prepared, my brother is a loafer, always on his phone, just like those wannabe influencers you hear about online. His words are unreliable; if out of ten statements, half of one is true, that’d be good enough. Be ready for a wasted trip."
She paused for a moment, then added, "If by chance he is genuinely haunted, after handling it, we’ll give as much money as necessary, which would be perfect to sever ties with the family for good."
After some initial decisions, Yang Hongye promptly made a call to inquire about the full situation.
The inquiry revealed it was a "group crime" after all.
As the saying goes, similar people group together, and Yang Hongye’s brother Yang Yaozong was idling in the village and made friends with seven or eight similar wannabe influencers from their village and neighboring villages.
They usually ate and drank together, followed trends to shoot videos, dreaming big of getting rich overnight as famous internet celebrities.
About a week ago, online traffic around Qingming Festival topics began rising. They decided to do something eye-catching, hoping to go viral; consequently, they snuck into the graveyard in the middle of the night to live-stream themselves dancing on graves.
Then, they all got haunted.
Most of the time, they were dazed and didn’t eat or drink, and when they got agitated, they jumped around uncontrollably, so much that several strong men couldn’t pin them down!
There was a village shaman who did consultations, but after evaluating the situation, she stated that the entity haunting them was so powerful she couldn’t handle it, advising them to seek a higher practitioner.
No one knows whose family stumbled upon a master, who demanded two hundred thousand right off the bat.
After all, they’re all young men in their twenties, with their families having long prepared marriage funds. Due to their love for their sons, two families managed to pool together 200,000 each for the master, and indeed, the problem was resolved immediately.
The Yangs only had this one son to carry on the family line. Seeing other families’ children recovering while their own son refused to eat or drink, going insane and losing weight rapidly, they could only find ways to gather money. Yang Hongye wouldn’t answer calls, so they continuously messaged her for money.
"Surely it’s not acting. If your brother had such acting skills, he’d already be famous for his short videos." Chuci, watching the newly received video, clicked his tongue and said, "Dancing on the grave? Whose bad idea was that? Bet they learned their lesson now?"
Jiang Yuan looked closely at the young man in the video. His face was contorted, emitting animal-like whimpers from his throat, bound to the bed with towels and ropes, with a faint black aura lingering around his neck.
"It’s definitely not an act. Let me call Brother Li to see if he’s available to come with us." Right now, he wasn’t short on cash and wanted to introduce Li Tiezhu so he could earn something, and at the same time, see firsthand how the Yellow Immortal would resolve the issue.
Coincidentally, Li Tiezhu’s reputation suffered greatly when a female ghost pushed him off a building during his last job. Clients who planned to hire him were now hesitant. These days, he hadn’t closed a single deal and was quite worried about it.
When he heard about Jiang Yuan’s invitation to capture a ghost, Li Tiezhu immediately agreed. Even if it was just following along for some thousands in hard-earned money, it was enough for a month’s living expenses.
Given the subtle relationship between Yang Hongye and her original family, they decided for safety’s sake to drive all the way there.
In addition to Jiang Yuan, Yang Hongye, Li Tiezhu, and the concealed Huang San, Chuci also brought along a driver and a bodyguard. With more people and a long journey, a seven-seater van was chosen.
The Yang Family heard that their daughter had hired a professional master from outside, at a much cheaper rate, and gladly agreed to let them handle the situation when they returned.
It was Jiang Yuan’s first time sitting in such a spacious and comfortable van, where he could even play cards inside! While he clicked his tongue in wonder, he noticed others seemed quite used to it.
Chuci and the two companions were used to it, as it was their car to begin with;
Li Tiezhu, though he took jobs of all sizes, usually dealt with wealthy clients, so he was accustomed to being driven around;
Yang Hongye probably had gained some experience tagging along with her boss;
Only Jiang Yuan, newly wealthy, had seen and experienced too little. He mused about needing to get out more in the future to see the world.
"From the video, it seems like they didn’t take special days seriously, and ended up clashing with them. While it looks frightening, it’s usually nothing major. Usually, just burning some paper money will resolve it. If it really angered something fierce, it wouldn’t be making such a big fuss.
As the saying goes, a barking dog doesn’t bite. The quieter they are, the harder they are to deal with. The scarier ones that scream and howl don’t usually have much fight in them and won’t harm the body too much."
Li Tiezhu, rich with experience, made this judgment without summoning a spirit, after watching the video, "Such things are commonplace in the village.
Some don’t know and treat it as a mental illness; some places call it a curse breakdown, and the usual shamans can manage it. Even some barefoot doctors know a bit of the Thirteen Ghost Needle techniques and can treat it with acupuncture. Charging 200,000 for this kind of thing..."
He smirked, thinking how these fellow practitioners really know how to make money!
Even a charlatan can trick tens of thousands, even millions, living in luxury, while he was living so miserably.
Having grown up in a rural mountain area, Yang Hongye had heard all sorts of bizarre stories, and after indirectly witnessing Jiang Yuan’s extraordinary skills, she held great respect for the master he had specially invited. Carefully, she asked, "How much do these usually charge?"
"It depends on the situation. The simple ones can be scared off with some thousands, which mainly goes to offering to the Immortal Families, leaving me with pocket money; if it’s more difficult, it ranges from 10,000 to 30,000. If it’s unresolved, we don’t charge.
Do you know the situation at that mass burial site your brother went to? Tell me first, so I can have an idea of how to handle it."
"My grandpa said that when he was young, there was a mass burial site behind the village. The village had a rule where some unattended elderly, those who died untimely deaths, or unmarried girls couldn’t be buried in the ancestral grave, so they’d dig a spot there and bury them, without even a gravestone, just a burial mound, and no one would visit them. Growing up, I often heard it was haunted, but after leaving for school, I didn’t hear much about it anymore..."
Seeing Yang Hongye narrate the situation at the mass burial site, the others listened intently, while Huang San skillfully hopped onto Jiang Yuan’s shoulder, whispering, "Little companion, this rich kid listens to you completely. Why don’t you have him worship you?
Buy the very best incense from you, set up a Longevity Altar dedicated to you. If you start receiving incense worship at a young age, you might truly cultivate success in the future!"
Jiang Yuan was startled upon hearing this, "Worship?"
"What else?" The other pushed his small glasses and patiently explained, "Why do Immortals set up schools? Why do Buddhas preach? Religion, as it’s called, is about spreading one’s understanding of the Great Way, gathering believers to gain the Power of Faith.
Don’t underestimate the Power of Faith. The more sincere believers are, the greater the telekinesis, the easier it is for those being worshiped to achieve cultivation success. Otherwise, why would I bother having people worship me?
Why do we insist on being called ’Immortal Family’? Because only when people sincerely believe we are Immortals can true cultivation success be achieved.
Go and ask around, which of the famous masters in our field doesn’t have believers scattered everywhere? They receive extensive incense worship!
You don’t think the masters’ preaching is just to enlighten the masses, do you? They are showcasing their abilities, trying to gather more believers who agree with them, the higher their recognition, the stronger the Power of Faith, there’s a rationale behind this.
Little companion, you currently have a unique advantage. Let me tell you, a rich kid’s influence is far greater than you imagine. If he worships you, and you genuinely help him avoid disaster and gain wealth, your reputation will spread, attracting ten, twenty, or even a hundred wealthy worshipers!"
It paused, adding another sentence, "Of course, many wealthy people have scattered beliefs and worship multiple entities, so their sincerity in worshiping you may not be high. But having some is better than none, take your time."
