Stand-in for 741

n front of me!This is a shriveled corpse, its eye sockets are just two black holes. Its skin is a dark brown color, emanating an indescribable stench!"Ahhh!!!" The bunch of trash were actually scared...Without the restless spirits, this place was eerily silent, as if even the wind avoided it.

My disciples from the Shen family were still standing diligently outside the gate, they were also a bit frightened. Seeing me, they immediately came up and asked, "Patriarch, the energy field was in chaos just now, but now it has returned to calm. Is it already resolved"

I shook my head. "Not yet. You two go back to the guesthouse first. Don't argue with those people, just say I have some business to attend to and will be back later."

"Hey, where are you going" Little Kun said a little scared: "The young people here are so trendy, I'm a bit afraid..."

"Where the head of the household is going, can I tell you! You didn't see that gate to hell just now! Just be obedient and listen! Let's go... Head of the Household, please be careful." The male disciple said to me.

Well, this young man is quite sensible. In fact, if the Shen family's Taoist priest had more opportunities to perform, the Shen family wouldn't be seen as a matriarchal family by insiders.

Jiang Qiyun opened a secret passage behind the security room and led me to a construction site at the back of the temple.

Because I didn't know what was under the shed, I didn't go in rashly.

I stood behind a pile of building materials, and from afar, I could see a simple tent with two men guarding it.

They had hurricane lanterns at their feet, and were smoking and boasting.

A gentle night breeze carried their voices to him.

"Today, Little Thirteen is having a seizure, she must have been tampered with by that woman from the Shen family."

"What do you mean I wasn't there, just heard a bit of gossip. The woman looked very young, and pretty! I took a quick glance, she had a great figure too, big chest, hehe..."

“Young…hmph, young and beautiful women are the ones who attract trouble. When choosing a wife, it's better to find an ordinary one, whose looks and figure are decent. The most important thing is that she is virtuous~~ Women like this who are young, pretty, and have hot bodies, are just for playing around with; don't bring them home. They'll give you a green hat ten or eight times over, and you'll be unable to hold your head high for the rest of your life!”

"How could it be so serious... Eh, what kind of seizure is this, the whole village is talking about it."

"Who knows! He suddenly became like he was possessed, rubbing against the wall and even pulling back the person who was holding him. He looked as if he'd been bewitched."

"You said...since the head of the Shen family is so powerful...why do we still need to ask the Shen family to come What if they find out something—..."

“You don't know a thing! If you don't get the best people to handle this, how can you block the regulatory scrutiny from the authorities Do you think the government doesn't believe in these mystical things Besides, without the most skilled… how will Uncle manage everyone else’s mouths!”

"...I don't even know what's down there, just Old Uncle went straight down to have a look..."

"Don't worry about anything, and ask less questions. These mystical things are best left unknown."

I listened for a while, this guard was actually quite clever, knowing not to be curious.

There are too many things beyond human capability. Being overly curious will only invite unnecessary trouble.

Jiang Qiyun whispered, "That old man who recruited people must have discovered something underneath that he found profitable. To keep his mouth shut, he claimed the gods were angry and needed to appease them. He also wanted to silence the officials, so he dug up some bones and secretly showed them to the officials. The officials, naturally, remained silent, allowing him to handle these matters and develop the tourist area."

Mr. Lao was truly multifaceted and charming.

"Then how do we look Do we open a portal and go in" I asked.

Jiang Qiyun shook his head and said, "It's unnecessary."

He raised his hand and flicked it, the wind lamp in the distance suddenly went out. One of the men cried out in fright.

Another yelled, "Idiot, you're scared to death! What are you yelling about!"

"Oh, I'm not afraid of angering the gods... Guilty, guilty, indeed one should not speak recklessly about ghosts and spirits. Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, may the Bodhisattvas protect me, may the Bodhisattvas protect me..."

"You idiot, which Bodhisattva would bless you Did you even charge this wind lamp"

"No..."

"Idiot!"

One person scolded, the other smiled and carried a lantern toward the temple.

"Should we stay here and guard it What if someone comes"

"Ten thousand what, you keep guarding it, I'll go charge my phone and use the restroom."

"Huh" He hesitated, left to right, feeling a bit uneasy being alone in this place. He immediately followed and ran through a gap in the temple wall.

A timid person will be suspicious and wary. This place is a sacred space for deities, so the person didn't dare stay alone. They shouted to the person ahead, inviting them to go to the restroom together inside the wall.

"Come on, these people are nothing to worry about." Jiang Qiyun took my hand and walked straight to the edge of the shed.

This shed is a simple, makeshift one. The opening is just big enough for a person to squeeze through, like a pot lid covering a hole in the ground.

The sinister energy inside had dissipated quite a bit. It had been blasted into a spiral staircase leading down into the earth, looking like a pit over ten meters deep. The small lotus flower in my hand couldn't reach that far.

I stepped on a round stick with my foot and almost slipped. Jiang Qiyun grabbed my arm and frowned, "Be careful, if you can't, walk on the lotus flowers."

"...My lotus has only seven steps," I whispered.

"Then take seven steps back, and then seven steps forward again, so you don't fall." His tone was somewhat stern, leaving no room for argument.

Though only two numbers apart, the difference between seven and nine steps is significant.

Nine is the Yang pole to its greatest number, symbolizing infinity. I estimate that there's still room for cultivation.

I invoked a small lotus blossom and crouched down to take a closer look. What I had stepped on wasn't a stick, but a human bone.

I inwardly sighed, there should be reverence where there are bones. To have them unearthed and treated so carelessly... how can those souls find peace

Jiang Qiyun raised his hand, conjuring crimson palace lanterns. They floated along the spiral staircase leading downwards, illuminating the cavern.

Everywhere were white bones, and coffins scattered haphazardly. The coffins were strange, standing upright, and at this moment their lids were open, revealing a mess of bones inside the coffins below.

"Vertical burial…" Jiang Qiyun narrowed his eyes slightly.

He reached out and touched the soil of the hole, gently twisting it between his fingers, and whispered in a low voice: "This was deliberately set up..."

"What kind of burial is this I've only heard of vertical burial, but ancient texts rarely mention it."

Jiang Qiyund nodded. “You’re only a few years old, it’s good that you know about legal burial.”

Some say it's a case of corpse decay, others claim it's a ritual burial, and some even suggest it's an inverted burial. It all depends on the motive... There are many skeletons here, but relatively few coffins. It seems most were simply discarded.

"Drop it"

"There are stone bricks on the ground, and the soil is damp. This must be a dry well or a cellar or something like that."

That...this kind of place others would avoid, why did you bring the old gentleman here like a precious jewel and hold him so carefully

Well, baby...

Jiang Qiyun chuckled softly, "Probably, it's for what ordinary people would consider treasures... A woman who was executed for breaking the rules and still has a coffin to bury her in must have been from a wealthy family before. Perhaps she had many burial goods. Over time, with so many people wanting to get rich by looting treasure, they probably all took them home as their treasures."

"Are you visiting Mr. Lao's house"

No wonder that old man didn't let us into his house. and asked, “Are all the female disciples of the Shen family this proud”I pointed at myself: "I'm also half a Shen family member. What do you think of my temperament"Master Zong nodded and said, "That...