Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 22: Haunted Hotel (Part 5)

Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 22: Haunted Hotel (Part 5)

“Even the police said it was an accident.” Zhao Fusheng’s tone carried some grievance. He leaned against the wall, paused for a moment, then slowly stood up: “Master Chen, what does this have to do with what we’re dealing with now?”

“Of course it does.” Chen Jiu appeared very patient, explaining to him carefully: “We need to find a way to resolve their resentment.”

“Hmm… there is a way, but if we forcefully expel them, they’ll be scattered and destroyed, never to reincarnate again.” Chen Jiu asked: “Can you bear that?”

Zhao Fusheng was startled, realizing this was a trap. If he agreed without hesitation, his charitable image would crumble.

But there were other methods. Back then, Qingxu hadn’t used any resentment-resolution technique either, hadn’t he handled things cleanly? He hadn’t seen that old man ask so many questions. This woman was just too troublesome.

“Sigh.” He felt impatient inside but didn’t show it, merely sighing and saying: “Master Chen, you’ve worked hard. I’ve been thinking we should still invite the master who performed the ritual for them back then. He understands the situation better than either of us. However, I also need to trouble you to help investigate and save us some preliminary work.”

Fine, the seventh floor would have to remain closed for a few more days. Even if he lost a few days’ profit, he’d accept it. This young woman had some skills but liked to dig to the bottom of things not an easy one to deal with. Better to wait for that old Qingxu.

With a knowledgeable practitioner coming to help resolve things, naturally he wouldn’t need this clueless newcomer who might leak information.

Chen Jiu responded with an “oh”: “That’s fine too. What about the fees for these two days—”

“You can rest assured about that. Leave your account number, and someone will settle the payment with you shortly.” Zhao Fusheng said respectfully, silently letting out a sigh of relief.

Chen Jiu could read auras at night, taking in all his reactions and expressions, becoming even more certain that Zhao Fusheng had done something wrong.

Someone with such reactions was either the perpetrator or an accomplice, or at least knew but didn’t report it. Regardless of which identity, he was not someone easy to deal with, and definitely not as approachable as he appeared on the surface.

However, up to now, after circling the seventh floor, she could only sense heavy yin energy. Yet with such heavy yin energy, she couldn’t see the true forms of the seventeen ghosts. This was inherently contradictory.

Were they hiding on their own initiative, or had someone deliberately hidden them somewhere?

This cunning old fox Zhao Fusheng refused to tell the truth, making things truly difficult.

Ding the elevator descended again.

The trip could only be considered a small gain. Zhao Fusheng exchanged some hypocritical pleasantries with Chen Jiu before hurriedly returning to his room to wash up.

Chen Jiu watched his retreating figure with an unpleasant expression, thinking that the previous practitioner who performed the ritual must also have been someone who aided and abetted evil.

…

“What’s wrong? What happened? Why do you look so unhappy?” Xu Xin was working overtime on her laptop. Seeing Chen Jiu enter, she asked: “Have you had dinner?”

“Yes.” Chen Jiu put her things away and sat down beside her, continuing to ponder.

Su Xiaoyu occupied a small corner of the table, holding a pen and saying to Xu Xin: “We’ve eaten, we ate together. It was delicious. That uncle from the hotel treated us.”

Chen Jiu came back to her senses, frowning: “Right, I forgot to pack some for you.”

Xu Xin laughed: “I thought something serious happened.”

“But that uncle is really strange.” Su Xiaoyu said with some concern, repeating herself.

“Just now I didn’t let you speak because I was afraid you’d scare the uncle.” Chen Jiu lied without changing her expression: “Now that the uncle isn’t here, you can tell me what did you see on his back just now?”

“So many, so many, so many people…” Su Xiaoyu exaggeratedly drew a circle with her arms: “All squeezed on his back, almost couldn’t fit, could only see heads and a little bit of necks.”

Chen Jiu asked: “What expressions did they have?”

“Like they were sleeping?” Su Xiaoyu recalled: “Eyes closed.”

“How many heads?”

“More than ten… no, more than twenty, or maybe more? Anyway, there were so, so many.”

Xu Xin felt a chill down her spine and couldn’t help rubbing her arms: “My goodness, Xiaoyu, have you been watching too many short videos? Spend less time on your phone, okay? You’re starting to talk nonsense.”

Su Xiaoyu muttered: “My phone can only make calls, it can’t watch videos.”

Chen Jiu leaned close to Xu Xin’s ear: “Her grandmother finally saved up to buy her an elderly person’s phone. Don’t hurt the child’s self-esteem.”

“Cough.” Xu Xin cleared her throat and said: “Oh my, being able to use a phone at your young age is already very good. When your sister was your age, she could only play with mud and paper airplanes.”

Su Xiaoyu nodded as if she half-understood.

Chen Jiu got up to wash up, her evaluation of Zhao Fusheng reduced to just two words: “utter scum.”

Zhao Fusheng, Zhao Fusheng—on the surface he played the role of a great philanthropist, but behind the scenes, who knew how many lives he had ruined. She couldn’t accept this commission even if he begged her. Let this matter of harming yin virtue be left to that half-dead old man who was already one foot in the coffin.

She didn’t know if it was Chen Jiu’s silent curse taking effect, but when Zhao Fusheng contacted Qingxu that night, he was met with a straightforward refusal.

Qingxu: Boss Zhao, I warned you back then not to commit any more killings in those rooms. Why didn’t you listen?

Zhao Fusheng: Master, I’m wronged. These past two years I’ve been law-abiding. How would I dare do such outrageous things in these rooms?

Qingxu was silent for a moment, then replied: Send me a photo of your palms.

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then quickly took photos of both his left and right hands and sent them over.

Qingxu quickly sent back a response, circling the palm lines in red: The children line is sunken—this is the island pattern. Did you have a miscarriage or failed to deliver this month?

Zhao Fusheng froze, immediately breaking out in a cold sweat. He knew Qingxu’s abilities, so there was no point in denying it.

A few days ago, he had indeed brought a young lover here. The woman was five months pregnant. Logically, she should have been in the safe period, but after they finished, there was a pool of blood on the bed. She clutched her stomach, sweating profusely, her face pale, crying out in pain. Zhao Fusheng was terrified out of his wits and quickly sent her to the hospital.

He didn’t hide anything, telling Qingxu everything truthfully.

Qingxu sighed deeply on the other end: How dare you? Have you forgotten what day it is these days?

Zhao Fusheng: Nothing happened for two years, I forgot long ago! But what does this have to do with what happened today?

Qingxu: A dead fetus hasn’t taken form, but it still has a trace of soul. Its resentment is the resentment of the unborn. Its blood remained in the room and wasn’t cleaned in time—wouldn’t that become a good lure for them to awaken? Boss Zhao, I truly cannot save you. I advise you to quickly clean the entire building thoroughly, half for the living and half for the dead, so that their resentment can be pacified.

Have him, Zhao Fusheng, spend his family fortune to worship these dead people? No way!

Zhao Fusheng’s anger flared up. He threw his refined mask aside and asked: Old Qingxu, back then it was you who gave me this idea. How can you deny it now? How much money do you want? Are you afraid I, Zhao Fusheng, can’t afford it?

Qingxu: Boss Zhao, I’m approaching my twilight years and no longer involve myself in these yin matters. You’d better seek another expert.

When Zhao Fusheng impolitely replied, he discovered a red exclamation mark in front of his message this old Taoist had actually blocked him.

Zhao Fusheng was so angry he slammed his phone to the ground. Fortunately, the floor was covered with soft carpet, so the phone wasn’t damaged.

Miaoyin called from outside: “Boss, should we settle the payment with Master Chen as originally discussed?”

“…” Zhao Fusheng said unpleasantly: “Wait a moment, don’t rush. Just stall her for a day. I need to think.”

Miaoyin: “Okay.”

The door closed, and the sound of Miaoyin’s high heels faded into the distance. Zhao Fusheng collapsed weakly into the sofa, feeling as if his entire body had been run over by a truck, aching all over.

He moved his shoulders, turned to look out the window, but saw a strange reflection in the glass. In the blink of an eye, it was gone again.

It was already past ten o’clock at night. He hesitantly turned his head back, looked to his right, then looked behind him.

Nothing. There was truly only him in the room.

Zhao Fusheng slowly swallowed, touched the protective talisman at his chest, feeling the familiar warmth it emitted, and only then slightly calmed down.

Damn it, he had lived for decades. When had he ever feared these ghosts and gods? Money could make the devil turn the millstone. He didn’t believe that under the temptation of huge rewards, that yellow-haired girl wouldn’t obediently do his bidding?

Chen Jiu, right?

He bent down to pick up his phone and called his subordinate: “Help me investigate this Chen Jiu. Yes, the one who checked in these past two days. Look into her background.”

After hanging up, Zhao Fusheng went to the bathroom to splash water on his face to clear his head. Before he even stepped out of the bathroom, the call came back.

“Boss, this Chen Jiu seems to have no background.” The person on the other end was surprised: “She’s really just an orphan, adopted by a Taoist temple. She only came down from the mountain to establish herself these past two years, opening a shop called Wan Shi Zhai.”

Zhao Fusheng asked: “Where is that Taoist temple? What’s it called?”

“Not far from us, seems to be on Qinghua Mountain… Sigh, you know how it is with those adoption procedures back then. It was probably just some unknown small temple. It must have declined by now, which is why she came down the mountain.”

When Zhao Fusheng heard this, he didn’t bother asking further. As long as he knew Chen Jiu had no background, she was easy to handle. He had money, he had connections as long as the price was right, what couldn’t be accomplished?

Thinking of this, he smiled smugly and leisurely lit a cigarette for himself.