Chapter 14 - Thousand Souls (Part I)

Chen Shaoxian told Zheng Ruirui to head back first, and then the three of them drove to Liu Iron Mouth’s house. Liu Baodong opened the door and the three walked in. Liu Baodong called out, “We’re back.”

Hearing Liu Baodong’s voice, Grandma Liu and Liu Baodong’s wife came out from the rooms, pulling the three of them into a flurry of questions. They all assured there was nothing to worry about, which relieved the two women. Liu Baodong then said to Grandma Liu, “We’re back to ask dad some questions. Is he up yet?”

“He’s up, just finished breakfast. Have you guys eaten?” asked Grandma Liu.

The three exchanged odd looks and unanimously declared they had already eaten. Grandma Liu nodded and ushered them into Liu Iron Mouth’s room.

Liu Iron Mouth, hearing the conversation outside, waited a bit before seeing the three walk into his room. He scrutinized Liu Baodong and the others, relieved to see they were unharmed, and breathed a sigh of relief. Smiling, he asked, “How are things progressing?”

Seeing that Liu Iron Mouth could speak, all three were visibly delighted. Liu Baodong asked, “Are you feeling better?”

“Besides some difficulty moving, I’m mostly recovered,” Liu Iron Mouth replied with a smile.

The three sat beside the bed, and Liu Baodong detailed the events of the previous night to Liu Iron Mouth.

Frowning after hearing the story, Liu Iron Mouth said, “At first, when they found me, I thought these kids had just gone somewhere they shouldn’t have. But after seeing Su Jingya, I realized it’s much more complicated than I thought. Except for He Xin, each of these kids had been visited, and each had lost a different Soul and Spirit. Later, I went to the place where the incidents occurred. To prevent accidents, I used Yin-Yang Coins to protect my seven major chakras, but still, something went wrong. Luckily, I had made these preparations, or I might have ended up like those kids, losing my Soul and Spirit.”

After hearing Liu Iron Mouth, Chen Shaoxian suddenly remembered something and said to him, “That day, I incidentally found this soul-binding talisman on Su Jingya’s neck.” Chen Shaoxian handed the soul-binding talisman to Liu Iron Mouth.

Liu Iron Mouth took the soul-binding talisman and said, “It seems that other children will also have these. Using the soul-binding talisman to extract one spirit from each person, and doing this in Qianniao Garden, a place known for its ominous nature, makes one wonder what the person behind this is up to.”

“By the way, Grandpa Liu, I thought Qianniao Garden was just a park. How come it’s considered an ominous place?” Chen Shaoxian asked.

Liu Iron Mouth replied, “Talking about Qianniao Garden would take us back to the era of the Beiyang Government. Back then, the site was a grand theater called the Qiandao Grand Theater, opened by someone named Qiandao.

The theater was among the largest in China at the time, boasting a capacity to accommodate a thousand people. On its opening day, it was swamped with high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Attending a show there was considered very fashionable and prestigious.

One day, a major play was scheduled, which had been heavily promoted and featured many famous actors. That evening, the theater was packed without a single empty seat. However, during the performance, a massive fire broke out, and everyone inside perished as no one could escape.

The cries of agony were so loud that they could be heard from miles away from the theater. It is said that even many days after the fire was extinguished, a thick black fog lingered over the site, and at night, the wails of people could still be heard. Neighbors reported being woken up by knocks on their doors by people asking for water, but when they opened the doors, there was no one there-only the smell of charred flesh lingered, scaring many into moving away, creating a general sense of panic.

Later, to calm the public, the government decided to erect a stele at the site. It is rumored that the officials at the time didn’t take the construction of the stele seriously, embezzling a lot of money and cutting corners on the work.

During the construction of the stele, many accidents occurred. Some workers heard their names being called at night; those who went out never returned, and were found the next day hanged at the base of the stele.

Others simply disappeared and were never found. Frightened, the workers reported these incidents to the foreman overseeing the project, but he colluded with the government officials to cover up these events, claiming that the missing workers had just run away, all the way until the project neared completion.”

The foreman and the government official went to inspect the site and, upon reaching the base of the stele, the foreman suddenly went mad. He grabbed the official by the head and smashed his head against the stele, killing him instantly. In the confusion that followed, the foreman disappeared without a trace. That very night, the stele was mysteriously toppled by the wind.

This incident caused the Beiyang Government not only to fail in calming the public but actually made the populace even more terrified. The Beiyang Government finally took the matter seriously. Initially, a government official announced that the murder was the result of a dispute between the foreman and the official over unevenly divided loot, which led to the foreman killing his accomplice and fleeing out of guilt. The government then decided to capture the fugitive and have the speaking official rebuild the stele to commemorate the fallen comrades.

On the day he spoke, the official personally led a team to clear the debris and dig the foundation. However, what they found beneath the stele’s foundation shocked everyone: the bodies of the missing workers and the runaway foreman were discovered, with their bodies gruesomely torn apart except for their heads. The torn parts appeared charred by some unknown force.

The official fainted from shock and upon waking, went mad. The incident reached President Yuan Shikai, who was deeply disturbed by these ominous events and thus ordered the local government to resolve the situation promptly.

Following Yuan Shikai’s directive, the local government, not daring to delay, dispatched a person to handle the matter. This person sought out well-known Feng Shui masters and physiognomists, among others, including monks and Taoist priests, drawing many to the site. However, after examining the area, all shook their heads, indicating their helplessness; they claimed the site was overwhelmed with resentful energy, beyond the help of rites or Feng Shui.

With no other choice and unwilling to hastily dismiss the matter, the local official offered a substantial reward.