Chapter 26 - Soul-Capturing Yin House (Part II)

Zhuo Junfan sighed and continued, “The terrifying part is yet to come. My family decided to stay at a hotel for a few days. However, when we arrived at the hotel during the day, we all woke up the next morning to find ourselves back at home, in our own beds.

When we asked the hotel staff, they said that we had left in the middle of the night, led by a woman. But when we checked the surveillance footage, there was no woman.”

“Later, my family decided to move away. But every time we reached the airport, everyone would inexplicably lose consciousness and wake up back at home. We tried several times, always with the same result.

My father hired someone to take us to the airport, but unexpectedly, not only did we end up back home, but the person my father hired disappeared as well.”

“The most horrifying part followed. My father installed many cameras around the house.

The next day, when we reviewed the footage, we saw that every midnight, all of us would gather around the dining table, seemingly eating something, and only return to our rooms just before dawn.

People in my house started to avoid sleeping, but somehow, everyone would fall asleep unknowingly every midnight.”

“Later, my father invited many Taoist priests and monks to our house, but no matter what they tried, they couldn’t solve the issue.

Two of the braver ones decided to stay overnight, but after that night, they ended up just like my family members, and since then, no one dares to visit our house anymore. Moreover, the mental state of my family members has been deteriorating.” By this point, Zhuo Junfan was sobbing.

Zheng Tianpeng had not expected the situation to be this severe. Initially, he thought the Zhuo Family was just experiencing some supernatural events. Now, understanding the full extent of the situation, he regretted involving Chen Shaoxian. It wasn’t that Chen Shaoxian lacked abilities, but rather, Zheng Tianpeng feared for his safety-not just out of friendship with the Chen family, but also because he noticed his daughter’s feelings for Chen Shaoxian.

Zheng Ruirui looked at Chen Shaoxian with concern, fearful that he might agree to help. It wasn’t that her commitment to the Zhuo Family was insincere, but the circumstances were too eerie, and she didn’t want Chen Shaoxian to get involved.

Overall, the Zheng Family was troubled, their expressions complex as they looked at both Chen Shaoxian and Zhuo Junfan.

Zhuo Junfan stopped crying and said to Chen Shaoxian, “Mr. Chen, Uncle Zheng told me that you have ways to deal with these things. Please save our family.”

Seeing that Mr. Chen remained silent, she continued, “Regardless of the outcome, we will pay you five million as a deposit upfront.”

Chen Shaoxian finally spoke, “It’s not about the money. In our profession, there is a rule that if a task is accepted but not successfully completed, one must pay with their life. Therefore, without at least 90% certainty, I dare not easily agree to take on any task. Even with 90%, the remaining 10% is uncertain, and we must be fully prepared to face it. Your family’s situation is somewhat peculiar, and I’m not confident, so I’m very sorry.”

After hearing Chen Shaoxian’s words, Zhuo Junfan’s face turned pale and stiff, tears continuously streaming from her eyes, but this time she did not cry out. Everyone present knew that Zhuo Junfan’s grief was beyond consolation.

Chen Shaoxian felt uneasy but knew that rash actions wouldn’t solve the problem. Looking at Zhuo Junfan, he sighed and said, “I can think of some solutions, but that doesn’t mean I’ll take on the case.”

Zhuo Junfan, hearing this, regained some composure and quickly nodded, but she was speechless.

Chen Shaoxian thought about what Zhuo Junfan had just mentioned and then said, “Have your family prepare the Three Purity Bells and a consecrated talisman seal. Also, go to a Taoist Temple or temple to collect as much incense ash and Peace Water as possible. Hang the Three Purity Bells at the entrance of every room in the house-remember, every room. Wear the talisman seal around your neck at all times and never take it off. Use a new broom to evenly spread the collected incense ash and Peace Water on the ground. Do not throw away the used broom; if someone still experiences disturbances at night, use these brooms to strike them.”

Chen Shaoxian took a deep breath and finally said to Zhuo Junfan, “These are the only solutions I can think of right now. I’m not entirely sure if they will work on your family.” After saying this, he stood up and bid farewell to the Zheng Family.

Zheng Ruirui and her brother, Zheng Lei, escorted Mr. Chen out. Knowing his sister had something to say to Mr. Chen, Zheng Lei went to get the car, leaving the two alone together.

Zheng Ruirui looked at Chen Shaoxian, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said, “Thank you for the gift today, I really like it.” She then took Chen Shaoxian’s hand and held it tightly, earnestly saying, “Promise me, don’t go through with this, it’s too dangerous.” After speaking, she kissed Chen Shaoxian on the cheek and ran into the room.

Chen Shaoxian stood there, stunned, unable to articulate his feelings, only feeling his heart pounding intensely.

Chen Shaoxian himself couldn’t clearly define his feelings for Zheng Ruirui. The first time he met Zheng Ruirui, she was always causing trouble for him, making him feel helpless, so he began to avoid her. The second time was on the street, and since then, he had been afraid to face Zheng Ruirui, feeling guilty whenever he saw her. The third time was at Han Yi’s house, where seeing Zheng Ruirui’s haggard appearance inexplicably pained his heart.

At that moment, Zheng Lei drove up and startled Chen Shaoxian. Zheng Lei was acting strangely today; he didn’t speak the entire ride and dropped Chen Shaoxian off at his building. As Chen Shaoxian was getting out of the car, Zheng Lei, with a complex expression, said, “Shaoxian, stay out of this matter.” Then he drove home.

Chen Shaoxian lay on his bed and slowly fell asleep. In his sleep, he felt cold, so he reached for the blanket with his hand. Suddenly, he touched something soft and slightly cold. Half-asleep, he opened his eyes and saw a woman standing next to him, dressed in a white top and a red skirt, but her face was unclear.

Chen Shaoxian was frightened into full alertness, only to realize he wasn’t in his bed but on the rooftop, and the woman, noticing Chen Shaoxian was awake, giggled and suddenly pushed him off the roof.

With a splash, Chen Shaoxian sat up in bed, drenched in cold sweat, and took a few breaths to calm himself. Staring at the night sky outside, he felt completely sleepless.

He lit a cigarette, reflecting on the events at Zhuo Junfan’s house, unable to make sense of anything. Finally, he turned on his computer and started playing video games until the dawn lighted up the sky.

Three days later, Chen Shaoxian, groggily awakened by the doorbell, complained, “Can’t you just let me sleep in for once?”

Having learned from a previous experience, Chen Shaoxian got dressed before heading to the door. Annoyed, he demanded, “Who is it at the door? State your name.”

From outside, a girl’s voice, choked with tears, pleaded, “Shaoxian, please open the door quickly, something terrible has happened to our family.”

Recognizing the voice as Zheng Ruirui’s, Chen Shaoxian hurriedly opened the door. There stood Zheng Ruirui, her anxious face streaked with tears.

As soon as the door opened, Zheng Ruirui, overwhelmed, threw herself into Chen Shaoxian’s arms and burst into tears.

Chen Shaoxian, slightly dazed by her crying, tightened with concern at the sight of Zheng Ruirui sobbing. He gently patted her shoulder and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

After calming down a bit, Zheng Ruirui stopped crying and said, “My brother is going back home with Zhuo Junfan.”

Chen Shaoxian, confused by her abrupt statement, asked, “What exactly is going on? I’m a bit lost.”

Zheng Ruirui then explained the situation in detail to Chen Shaoxian.

It turned out that Zhuo Junfan was Zheng Lei’s fiancée. The Zhuo Family had experienced some trouble that they had not disclosed to the Zheng Family. The Zheng Family only learned of the Zhuo Family’s situation when they were with Chen Shaoxian.

The day after Chen Shaoxian had been dropped off by Zheng Lei, Zheng Lei was supposed to take Zhuo Junfan to the Zhuo Family. However, Zheng Tianpeng stopped them, suggesting they wait to see if Chen Shaoxian’s advice would work. Zheng Lei then decided to stay.

The next morning, the Zhuo Family called to say that they had arranged their home as Chen Shaoxian had instructed and decided to stay up all night together to see if it would resolve their issues. To their delight, it worked-everyone stayed awake until dawn, and the house was buzzing with excitement.

They promptly called the Zheng Family to express their gratitude, telling Zhuo Junfan that the whole family had decided to fly abroad immediately and would call again once they arrived overseas.

Seeing a breakthrough, the Zhuo Family was thrilled, and Zhuo Junfan wanted to personally bring money to thank Chen Shaoxian, but Zheng Lei stopped her, saying, “Let’s confirm everything is okay before we go thank Chen Shaoxian.”

However, what neither the Zheng Family nor Zhuo Junfan expected was that early this morning, they received a call from Zhuo Junfan’s mother, Mrs. Zhuo, who, trembling, said on the phone, “Help.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Junfan collapsed, fainting on the spot.