Chapter 119: Confirmed: Gluttonous Ghost Employs Child Labor!
Min City, Vegetable Market.
A fish vendor waved to a young man who looked like a college student:
“A Sheng, you’re here. Come help me watch the stall.”
A Sheng seemed a bit helpless, “Brother, are you going again?”
“Yes, the Master said I can turn my luck around this year, so of course I have to continue my worship.”
The vendor casually washed his hands in a fish box, wiped them on himself, and instructed, “Don’t wait for me for dinner.”
A Sheng nodded, wanting to speak but hesitating. In the end, he just watched his Big Brother’s retreating back and sighed.
“Could it really be a cult?”
On the outskirts of Min City, inside a Manor, many people were already gathered, queuing up.
Some had worried expressions, others looked nervous; they all seemed to have encountered a major problem.
When the vendor arrived, he saw that the Manor’s gate had already opened, and he immediately felt some regret.
“If I had known, I shouldn’t have waited for A Sheng to come home. I should have come earlier.”
Just as he was about to enter, he spotted a young man at the entrance with a curious expression. Out of kindness, he warned him, “Why aren’t you going in? There are already many people inside. If you don’t hurry, we might not get a turn today.”
The young man heard the Voice and looked over, then turned back to look around.
“Stop looking, I’m talking to you.”
“Me?” The young man pointed to himself. “What do you mean ‘might not get a turn’? Is business that good inside?”
“What do you mean ‘business’? This isn’t called business; we’re asking the Master to resolve our troubles,” the vendor corrected him.
The young man thought for a moment, “Does it cost money?”
“Uh, yes, it costs a little, but it’s to express our sincerity.”
“Then it’s business.”
The vendor waved his hand, “Forget it, I can’t explain it to you. I’m going in.”
With that, he walked into the Manor.
Before long, the sound of footsteps could be heard. The vendor turned around and found that the young man had actually followed him.
The other person, with a smile, casually slung an arm around him, “Brother, can you tell me more? My family has encountered some issues too, and a friend recommended me, but it’s my first time here, so I don’t know the Rules.”
The vendor was startled, then quickly pushed the young man away. Seeing the other person’s confused expression, he explained awkwardly, “I sell fish and just came from the Vegetable Market. I’m not clean; don’t get dirty.”
The young man smiled indifferently, “It’s fine. I don’t mind these things; we’re all workers. What’s dirty about it? Just don’t you mind me.”
The vendor was a little surprised by his reaction and straightened his back slightly. Then, he curiously asked, “What do you do?”
“I make money from dead people.”
“Ah?” The vendor froze and instinctively took a step back.
The young man chuckled freely, “Don’t misunderstand. I work at the Funeral Home.”
“I see. I thought…” The vendor was again a bit embarrassed.
“My name is Jiang Ce,” the young man extended his hand. The vendor paused, then also extended his hand and shook the other’s, nodding, “Gao Qiang. You can call me A Qiang.”
“Okay, A Qiang. Can you introduce me to the situation here and any Taboos I should be aware of? It’s my first time, and I’m afraid of offending anyone.”
Jiang Ce looked at the long queue, feeling a bit puzzled.
Is this really the Gluttonous Ghost’s territory? How can it be so blatant?
A Qiang, assuming Jiang Ce was just another person seeking help, didn’t have many reservations.
“There aren’t really any Taboos, unlike those places like Daoist temples or monasteries with many Rules. Just go in, tell the Master your troubles, and do whatever the Master says.”
Jiang Ce said “Oh” and asked again, “How much does it cost each time?”
“There are no specific Rules for that; it’s all voluntary. But I’ve heard from people whose dreams came true that the more money you spend, the better the outcome will definitely be.”
Jiang Ce nodded thoughtfully, “That’s actually quite good.”
“What’s wrong? Are you comfortable telling me?” After a brief conversation, A Qiang didn’t feel the usual contempt from Jiang Ce, but instead felt rare respect, so he treated Jiang Ce as a friend.
“It’s nothing serious, just ordinary trivial matters that affect family harmony.”
“Good thing it’s not serious.”
A Qiang then said with relief.
“It’s not serious,” Jiang Ce shrugged. “Every family encounters these things, but they have to be faced. That’s how it is.”
As they were speaking, a bald man in a coarse cloth robe came over and beckoned to A Qiang, “A Qiang, why are you only arriving now? The Master has been waiting for you for a long time.”
“The Master is waiting for me?” A Qiang was flattered.
The man smiled and said, “The Master just figured out your luck this morning. He knows you come every day to help with chores and knows your sincerity, so he specifically let you cut the line. Thank him properly when you see him later.”
“Definitely, thank you, Dharma Master Ji Feng.”
Jiang Ce raised his eyebrows, “Oh, a monk?”
Just as Ji Feng was about to lead A Qiang to see the Master, A Qiang suddenly said, “Dharma Master Ji Feng, my friend is in some trouble. I didn’t expect so many people today. Since you’re here, could you possibly…”
Ji Feng looked at Jiang Ce, examined him from head to toe, and then nodded. “Since he’s your friend, you can both come in with me.”
“Thank you, Dharma Master Ji Feng,” A Qiang was overjoyed and looked at Jiang Ce with a grin, as if to say, “How about that? I’ve got some face, right?”
Jiang Ce, imitating A Qiang’s manner, said, “Thank you, Dharma Master Ji Feng.”
Led by Ji Feng, the two entered the inner hall through a side door.
As soon as they entered the villa, Jiang Ce frowned.
Because all the windows in the entire house were tightly shut, and not only that, the curtains were also drawn. The dim light combined with the scent of burning wood made the room feel unspeakably gloomy and oppressive.
As soon as the two arrived, the person who had come to seek help from the Master just before them left with a face full of joy and gratitude.
Jiang Ce observed curiously and found that the person’s emotions did not seem feigned, and the fluctuation of his mental energy was normal, indicating he had not been hypnotized. He had indeed obtained the satisfactory result he desired here.
Inside the room, there were several cushions, and in front of the cushions was a sheer curtain. Through the curtain, they could see someone sitting cross-legged behind it, but they couldn’t see exactly what the person looked like, only a vague outline.
Jiang Ce understood. This must be the so-called Master.
He concentrated and looked, but he couldn’t see any light clusters from the other party, which meant the person was just an ordinary person.
However, this result surprised him greatly.
If he could truly make wishes come true and help people solve their problems, he wouldn’t be an ordinary person.
There were only two possibilities: either he was a Jianghu con artist, but a very skilled one, perhaps even knowing some genuine tricks, or he was just a figurehead to conceal the real person in charge who didn’t show themselves.
While he was contemplating, a voice came from behind the sheer curtain. It didn’t sound as old as Jiang Ce had imagined, but rather quite young.
“A Qiang has arrived, sit.”
A Qiang looked at Jiang Ce, then knelt on the cushion. “Master, I heard you let me cut the line and calculated what I asked for. I really don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, thank your own sincerity. I’ve always said it’s better to rely on yourself than to beg others. Haven’t you helped yourself with your actions?”
“Yes, thank you for your trouble, Master. Then, about my…”
“A Qiang, I remember I told you that your luck would turn this year, and your life would undergo a major turning point, possibly leading to soaring success, right?”
“Yes,” A Qiang asked nervously, “Is there a problem?”
There was a moment of silence, then a sigh. “I only calculated it roughly at the time and didn’t look closely. After careful divination, I found that your destiny is not as simple as I thought.
Although your luck is turning, the Greedy Wolf enters your fate palace, yet it’s met with misfortune. Your progress will not be through legitimate means. Although you will soar to success, your future will not be peaceful. You might lose everything at any moment, and you might even face imprisonment, or even lose your head.
You might encounter this major turning point soon. If you want to try, then do your best to find a way to break the situation. Amidst the subsequent tribulations, you will rise step by step. If you just want to live a peaceful life, then endure silently, remain silent no matter what happens, and everything will be peaceful after this year.”
A Qiang’s expression turned grim, and he hesitated, “What if I miss this year…”
“You will never have another chance like this again.”
Hearing this calm voice, A Qiang’s expression showed some struggle.
He stood up and stepped aside. Jiang Ce patted his shoulder and comforted him, “Losing your head isn’t a big deal. At most, your wife runs off with someone else, your child takes another surname, and when you visit home for holidays, they’re eating your food, living in your house, beating your child during the day, and sleeping with your wife at night. It’s no big deal.”
A Qiang’s expression changed, and he suddenly deflated, “I’ll think about it again…”
Jiang Ce took A Qiang’s place on the cushion. The difference was that A Qiang knelt, while he sat on the cushion, his two outstretched legs almost touching the gauze curtain.
“Finally, it’s my turn, Master.”
“You’re A Qiang’s friend, aren’t you? What help do you need?”
“I want a divination.”
“What do you want to divine?”
“It’s like this,” Jiang Ce said with a serious face. “My girlfriend finds my body hair too much. I don’t believe it, because her ex-boyfriend and I are like brothers. I used to call my girlfriend ‘sister-in-law,’ so I’ve seen him and I know he definitely has more than me.”
“But Master, as you know, women can’t be reasoned with. I can’t possibly ask her ex-boyfriend, my brother, to come here for a comparison, so I wanted to ask the Master to divine how many hairs I and her ex-boyfriend, my brother, each have, and preferably to issue a report.”
As he spoke, he handed over a note. “Master, this is the birth date and time for me and her ex-boyfriend, my brother. Please divine for me.”
His words left A Qiang, who was not far away, dumbfounded.
So this is the trivial matter that happens in every household you mentioned?
What kind of family even argues over something like this?
Not only was A Qiang stunned, but even the Master seemed to have fallen silent.
Only Jiang Ce was confident.
Among the two birth dates and times provided, one was his own, and the other was Liang Zhi Che’s.
As a devoted fan, Liang Zhi Che had revealed a crucial piece of information to him—
He was a “Dragon Man!”
In other words, he had no hair at all!
He anticipated that this Master might use some excuse, saying he couldn’t calculate it clearly and would just talk about more or less hair. But if he couldn’t calculate that Liang Zhi Che was a Dragon Man, it would mean something was definitely wrong.
Conversely, if he could actually calculate it, it would mean the other person was truly skilled, and then he would consider whether they were a Gluttonous Ghost or a hidden master.
The most brilliant part was that the usual trick of fortune tellers observing expressions was useless, because Jiang Ce had just said he personally saw the other person had more hair, so the Master couldn’t use false information to make excuses.
The Master remained silent for a long time, and finally spoke.
“You don’t need to give me the birth dates and times. My divination methods are a bit different from the usual ones.”
“Oh? What are they?” Jiang Ce put away the note and asked curiously.
The Master didn’t say anything, but had someone bring a delicate doll the size of a baby.
The doll was a big-headed baby, entirely black, but its body was covered with strange talismans drawn with gold powder. There were also traces of red thread stitching on its back.
Jiang Ce recognized it as a Voodoo Doll, a type of extremely evil art.
The question now was whether this was a genuine item or just a prop meant to intimidate.
Just as Jiang Ce was doubting, the Master said, “Drip a drop of your blood onto it.”
Jiang Ce hesitated, he always felt that this thing was not good.
But A Qiang comforted him, “It’ll be fine. Everyone who comes here for help has a doll like this.”
Jiang Ce was still reluctant to do as he was told, because he worried that this thing might leave a hidden danger. Although he had some understanding of Voodoo Dolls and knew their characteristics, when it came to a Gluttonous Ghost, no amount of caution was too much. Who knew if it was truly a Gluttonous Ghost, whether their specially made Voodoo Doll would have any special properties?
Even though he had agreed with Xuan Qing and the others that if he didn’t return by nightfall, it meant there was an emergency requiring backup, honestly, if it really came to that, it would be too humiliating.
After thinking it over, he still came up with a plan that benefited both sides. The other party was just an Ordinary Person, so he would do as he was told first, until it was over, or until the request was impossible to fulfill, and then he would snatch the Voodoo Doll and run.
Having made up his mind, Jiang Ce bit his finger’s skin with his teeth, grinned, and squeezed out a drop of blood, dripping it onto the Voodoo Doll.
He stared intently at the doll in his hand, simultaneously sensing the changes in his body, and only relaxed when he confirmed there were no immediate effects on him.
The Master spoke again, “Then, stuff your birth date and time into its mouth, and silently recite the question you want to ask in your heart. I will then receive divine instructions from heaven and convey the answer to you.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ce looked down and found that the doll’s mouth could indeed be opened.
He rolled the note into a tube and pushed it in. But halfway through, his expression suddenly changed.
He pulled open the Voodoo Doll’s mouth, revealing a dark arm inside, clutching the note.
Jiang Ce exclaimed, “Huh?” and looked up at the Master. “Why do you have staff inside? And a child laborer at that?!”
