Chapter 091: The Cemetery’s Unorthodox Watchman

That night, I never got a call from Song Zhong.

Early the next morning, I went in full formal dress to Qin Ruo’s home to conduct the funeral for her and her child.

The death of that corpse-dog creature was, at least, an account given to Qin Ruo and her daughter.

The funeral lasted until two in the afternoon. After it was over, I made a special trip to the security room and asked around. They said Song Zhong was on the night shift and was sleeping in the dormitory during the day.

To be honest, there are times when I truly cannot fathom what goes on in the minds of those young men born with silver spoons in their mouths.

Especially Song Zhong. From the moment he was born, he had more choices than most people could ever dream of, and even if he did nothing at all, he would never lack food or clothing for the rest of his life.

And yet he had chosen a road no one could understand, abandoning a life of comfort to come guard this cemetery?

He was already in his thirties and still had no proper direction. If not for the generous terms Song Baoguo had offered, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with him at all.

Having dreams is a good thing, but a dream cannot be too hazy and unreal.

Since Song Zhong was still asleep, I did not stay long. Just as I was about to leave, the old man who had brought me to find Song Zhong the day before came rushing into the security room.

Panting hard, his face drained white, he cried, “Something’s wrong! Come quick and take a look! The Instructor is coughing up black blood!”

“Instructor” was what the people here called Song Zhong.

The moment I heard that, I followed them straight to the dormitory where Song Zhong was staying.

It was a double room, but there were so few guards here that each person practically had a room to himself.

In Song Zhong’s room, his personal belongings were neatly stacked on one of the beds.

At a glance, most of them were books not much more useful than that ten-yuan manual on Purple Star numerology.

After that came two sets of clothes and some everyday necessities.

Song Zhong was lying on the other bed. Black blood kept pouring from his nostrils, ears, and mouth, and his body trembled without stop.

Several security guards were talking over one another, insisting they take him to the hospital. Just as one of the old men had finished calling, Song Zhong suddenly sat bolt upright without any support at all!

His eyes flew open with a start, and everyone saw at once that both of his pupils had turned pitch black.

He stared at us fixedly, like a vengeful ghost. The old men unconsciously retreated all the way to the doorway.

I pushed past them and went up to Song Zhong. One look was enough to tell me he had been possessed by something evil.

Song Zhong was looking at me, and I was looking at him. Just as he slowly reached out, trying to seize my arm, I yanked the curtain open.

He let out a shriek and collapsed backward again.

The midday sunlight fell full upon him. If you looked closely, you could even see wisps of white smoke rising from his body.

“Gentlemen, do you have a wok here? Could you help me scrape up some soot from it? And if possible, could you also find me some mugwort?”

As I asked, I pulled a pack of Red Square Seal cigarettes from my pocket and handed them out to the old men.

They were all very curious about who I was. It was the first time they had ever seen someone so young working in the funeral trade.

After the cigarettes were distributed, I lit them one by one for each of them. They asked me what had happened to Song Zhong, and I told them it was nothing serious, just a fright, and that there was no need to send him to the hospital.

Guards working in a cemetery are usually bold enough, but if I told them the truth, even the bravest among them would surely be terrified.

“Could he have run into a ghost? I swear his eyes were all black.”

“Uncle, you must have seen wrong. Those were just bloodshot veins.”

At my words, the old men began to doubt their own eyes. But now was not the time to dwell on such things.

A favor returned is a favor owed. In less than ten minutes, the old men brought me everything I had asked for into Song Zhong’s room.

With their help, I undid Song Zhong’s shirt, then smeared the wok soot across his chest.

After laying him flat on the bed, I put a handful of mugwort into an electric kettle and boiled it.

Once the water came to a boil, I poured myself a bowl.

With one hand I formed a sword-finger seal, dipped it into the mugwort water, and drew a curse-breaking talisman over the soot on his chest.

While every one of the old men watched me without blinking, I slapped my palm down on the talisman and shouted, “Break!”

With a wet splash, Song Zhong jerked upright and spat out a mouthful of black blood all over the old men. Fortunately, I had dodged in time.

The black blood stank horribly. The old men all rushed out to retch.

Pinching my nose, I poured another bowl of mugwort water and helped Song Zhong sit up.

After the water had cooled a little, I forced it down him.

He let out a miserable groan, then collapsed back onto the bed as if every bone in his body hurt. He wheezed for breath and writhed in place.

After a short while, he slowly opened his eyes. When he saw me, it seemed he wanted to say something, but he was still far too weak. He only parted his lips slightly, and not a sound came out.

I let out a long sigh. “Just lie still. The yin energy inside you has only just dispersed. You won’t recover that quickly.”

Song Zhong had a hundred questions, but none of them could be spoken aloud. In the end, he could only accept his fate and close his eyes to rest.

I did not leave either. Instead, I sat on the bed beside him and flipped through the books he had bought.

I have to say, these things really do mislead people. If they actually worked, then wouldn’t everyone be a master?

At that moment, Song Zhong, who had been lying there resting, suddenly began to cry.

It was the kind of crying that could make the heart ache at the sound and bring tears to the eyes of anyone who heard it.