Chapter 090: Purple Star Astrology for Ten Yuan

He still had something else he needed my help with, which was to say he still had business to do with me.

And if there was business, I had no reason to turn it down.

Only what he wanted me to do left me in a very awkward position.

At first, I had meant to refuse. But the terms he offered left me at a loss for how I could possibly say no to such a devoted father’s request.

What he wanted was not for me to officiate a funeral, and even less for me to catch a ghost.

He wanted me, for his sake, to take on an employee.

And he promised that not only would I not have to pay that person a salary, he would give me ten thousand yuan every month as compensation.

On top of that, he would also give me another two thousand to pass along as the worker’s wages.

Wasn’t that just a windfall from the heavens?

Curious, I asked what sort of person had moved him so deeply.

With a face full of helplessness, Song Baoguo told me that the person in question was his useless eldest son.

A man in his thirties who did nothing all day but loaf around.

According to Song Baoguo, his eldest son spent every waking hour dreaming of becoming someone like Lin Zhengying, crossing between yin and yang, upholding righteousness and driving away evil.

When he said that, Song Baoguo’s face went red, so embarrassed he looked ready to dig a hole in the ground with his toes.

He said that if not for what had happened this time, he would have surely thought his eldest son was beyond saving.

But now it seemed that perhaps his own perspective had simply been too narrow before.

Because of his eldest son’s peculiar dream, and because he had always disliked him for it, he had decided to make amends and help him realize that dream.

“Uncle Song, you don’t mean you want me to take him on as a disciple, do you?”

Song Baoguo waved his hands repeatedly and said that wasn’t necessary. They could take it slowly and let things develop naturally. In the end, it would all depend on fate. Of course, if the apprenticeship succeeded, there would be a generous red envelope as well.

A solitary school of ritual arts can be passed down through one lineage at a time, and Song Baoguo’s eldest son was already well past his youth.

Still, the man had a heart that leaned toward justice. If it were possible, teaching him a little spellcraft would not be out of the question.

Let me make one thing clear: I was absolutely not doing it for the money.

“Then, Uncle Song, where is your son? What’s his name?”

“Where is he? What’s his name?” Song Baoguo gave a rueful, self-mocking smile and shook his head. “He works as a security guard at the cemetery. His name is Song Zhong.”

Who would have thought that Song Baoguo’s son would be working security at a cemetery?

And who would have thought that the middle-aged man in front of me, wearing glasses, dressed in a security uniform, with a close-cropped crew cut and a somewhat slight frame, was actually Song Baoguo’s eldest son?

“Boss! Some kid is looking for you.”

After leading me into the cemetery guardroom, the old man called out to the man inside. Then he smiled at me and turned to leave.

But I did not understand why he had called Song Zhong “Boss.”

Song Zhong set down the book of Purple Star Numerology in his hands and turned to look at me with a strange expression.

“You’re looking for me?”

Smiling, I walked up to him and picked up the book on the table, glancing at it. The price printed on the back was ten yuan a copy.

“You expect to learn real skills from a book that costs only ten yuan?”

I shook my head and set the book back down. “My name is Jiang Huai. I work at Jianghuai Funeral Services. Are you interested in coming to work for us?”

Song Zhong had just opened his mouth when I cut him off first.

“No need to rush your answer. I heard you want to learn some real abilities. I came to find you at someone’s request.”

“Kid... are you sure there’s nothing seriously wrong with you?”

I thought there was nothing wrong with what I said, yet Song Zhong actually reached out with a face full of concern and touched my forehead to check my temperature.

“Don’t make trouble. You’re only this tall. Go back and study properly. This isn’t a place for you. The yin energy here is heavy. Be careful you don’t end up haunted by ghosts.”

Whether I’d be haunted by ghosts or not, I didn’t know. But Song Zhong already looked as though something had latched onto him.

His cheekbones jutted high, the dark circles under his eyes were severe, his eyeballs seemed slightly rolled outward, and they were covered in bloodshot veins. More importantly, I could see a trace of black energy in his eyes.

I thought about it for a moment, then took a pen from his table and wrote my contact number on the Purple Star Numerology book.

“Whether I get haunted or not, I can’t say. But you should be careful yourself. If anything feels off, remember to call me.”

The two Song brothers were both in trouble. One had been targeted as soon as he was born and nearly turned into a living grievance, while the other worked as a cemetery guard and was being haunted by ghosts.

Song Zhong still did not believe me. No matter how much I said, it would be useless. What I needed to do now was wait for him to come to me on his own.

Back at the shop, I received a call from Wang Zihao. He told me that someone had phoned the police after discovering bodies in a filthy drainage ditch, men and women both.

One of the corpses, after being identified by Chen Hu, was indeed Hong Liang.

That cut off every lead Wang Zihao had managed to obtain.

Still, hearing the news did not surprise me all that much. For the Golden Cicada Society to have survived until now, they must have had their own methods.

This attempt to create a living grievance had failed, the corpse-hound man had been eliminated, and this whole line of inquiry had also fallen into the police’s view.

The best way to stop the bleeding in time was to wipe out everyone who knew about it.

Originally, I had wanted to tell Wang Zihao that if this time did not work, there would always be another chance. But in the end, I never said it.

Every appearance of the Golden Cicada Society was accompanied by a storm of blood and gore. Those were all living human lives.

“Brother Hao, my phone is on twenty-four hours a day. If you run into any unusual case, don’t hesitate. Call me first thing.”