I rented half a shop on the most famous feng shui street in Shengtian City—Bagua Street—and named it "Half Shop Hall." According to the rules of the underworld, if you want to establish a hall on Bagua Street, you can't just open the door and start making a name for yourself; you either have to pay tribute to the local gang or make a name for yourself through your own achievements. Old Han wanted me to "pay my respects" to the gang, but I flatly refused. Having a big brother to guide me would indeed save a lot of detours, but the idea of "others eating meat while I drink soup" is something I don't even want to consider.Even if I lower my head, how long will it take for me to make a name for myself? I wanted to solve my problems in a short time, so I had to make a name for myself. On the second day of my opening, I issued a "Fame Notice" to the gentlemen on Gossip Street, which was equivalent to blowing up Gossip Street. A fame notice, to put it simply, is to tell everyone: the things you can't do, bring them to me.If I succeed, you will all avoid me in the future; if I fail, I will pack up and leave immediately, and before I go, I will have to apologize to each and every one of you. In the martial arts world of Shengtian City, there hasn't been a "Famous Post" in eighty years. As soon as my post came out, it was like setting a fire in Shengtian City, and everyone said I was "completely out of control." The next day, someone brought me a petition with the words, "As long as I can solve one of the four major mysteries of 'Three Wonders and One Evil' in Shengtian City, the sorcerers of Shengtian City will honor me as the 'Greatest Master.'""The 'Three Wonders and One Doom' four major mysteries have been causing a stir in Shengtian City for decades. How many sorcerers have died in these four major cases? More than a hundred?" There are even legends that the Liao Dong sorcery has always been at the bottom of the Northeast because too many masters died in those four major cases, leaving the Liao Dong sorcery in a state of decline. After reading the post, Old Ghost Han said to me, "I've already inquired about it. Although the four major mystery cases have been quiet for decades."However, a few days ago, the issue of the ghost merchant's gold coupons resurfaced."I suddenly became interested: 'Please tell me more.'"Han Laogui said slowly: Before the founding of the country, when this side of Liaodong was still doing business with the old Russians, a group of people suddenly appeared in Shengtian City, handing out vouchers all over the streets. Such things, in today's context, are just normal marketing tactics, but back then they were a novelty. Many people, after receiving the vouchers, wanted to take advantage of the Daitong Department Store mentioned on them.
Anyone who has been to Datonghao comes back as if they've had their tongues cut out; when asked about the Datong shop, they don't say a word. If pressed, they simply respond, "Good, good!" A few days later, the funeral directors in Shengtian City became busy—over ten people had died on the street where Datong Department Store had issued vouchers. One funeral director, while preparing a body for burial and placing the burial money in the deceased's mouth, was startled to see that the corpse had two tongues. He was so frightened that his face changed color. After he ran out of that house, he saw a fellow funeral director from the neighborhood who was also terrified and had run out into the street. As they spoke, they realized that another funeral director, while dressing a different corpse, had seen a child's hand growing from the deceased's armpit. The person was dead, yet the hand was still moving, as if trying to reach into the chest of the corpse. These two funeral directors had spent their whole lives in this profession and had never encountered anything like this. They knew they couldn't ignore it. However, there were taboos in the funeral business—once a job was taken, the deceased had to be sent off; if the deceased couldn't be sent off, the person who took the job would be the first to die. Who would dare to send off that corpse casually? After discussing it, they decided to seek help from the most renowned funeral director, Mr. Cao. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to send off the corpse at all! When Mr. Cao arrived and took a look, his face also turned pale with fear. Upon questioning, he learned that all those deceased had been to Datong Department Store when they were alive. Mr. Cao was dumbfounded, muttering to himself for a long time: logically, it seemed those people had encountered a ghost merchant who specialized in selling underworld items to the living. However, ghost merchants usually charged a high price for their goods; where would you find one that let you use vouchers to buy things for free? Moreover, the things sold by ghost merchants had to be useful to the living; how could they take lives? Mr. Cao could only advise those who had received the vouchers to quickly throw away the items and not to go to Datong Department Store. Who would have thought that those items couldn't be discarded at all! If you threw them away today, they would be back in your pocket tomorrow. Even if you burned them, the ashes would stick to your body and wouldn't leave. Those who had received the vouchers dared not go out anymore, but the staff from Datong Department Store were still lurking at the door! Unless you didn't want to buy anything, as soon as you thought about wanting to buy something, the staff from Datong Department Store would pop out from the side, holding a ledger and asking you, "What do you want?" In just half a month, dozens of people had died on that street, causing panic among the residents of Shengtian City. While the practitioners in Shengtian City were discussing countermeasures, the Datong Department Store vouchers suddenly went silent, as if they had never appeared at all.聊天GPT-4o miniAnyone who went to the Datong Department Store came back as if they had their tongues cut out; when asked about the store, they wouldn't say a word. If pressed, they would only respond with, "Good, good!" A few days later, the funeral directors in Shengtian City got busy—on the street where Datong Department Store had issued vouchers, over ten people had died. One funeral director, while preparing a body for burial and placing ritual money in the deceased's mouth, was startled to find that the corpse had two tongues. He turned pale in shock and ran out of that house, only to see another colleague from the neighborhood who had also been frightened and was running into the street. After they talked, they discovered that another funeral director, while dressing a different corpse, had seen a child's hand growing from under the deceased's armpit. The person had died, but the hand was still moving, as if trying to reach into the deceased's chest. These two funeral directors had spent half their lives in this profession and had never encountered anything like this before. What could they do? But there were taboos in the funeral business—once you took on a body, you had to send the deceased away. If you couldn't send them off, the person who took the job would be the first to die. Who would dare to send that corpse away casually? After discussing it, they decided to seek out Mr. Cao, the most renowned figure in the funeral business. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to send the body away! When Mr. Cao arrived and took a look, his face also turned grave. After asking around, he found out that all those deceased had been to the Datong Department Store while they were alive. Mr. Cao was bewildered, muttering to himself for a long time: logically speaking, it seemed those people had encountered a ghostly merchant specializing in selling items from the underworld to the living. However, ghost merchants always sold their goods for a high price; there was no such thing as giving away items in exchange for vouchers. Moreover, the things sold by ghost merchants had to be useful to the living; how could they take lives instead? Mr. Cao could only advise those who had received vouchers to quickly throw them away and not to go to the Datong Department Store. To his surprise, those items simply wouldn't leave! If you threw them away today, they would be back in your pocket tomorrow. Even if you burned them, the ashes would stick to your body and wouldn't go away. Those who had received vouchers dared not go out anymore, but the staff from Datong Department Store were truly waiting by the door! Unless you didn't buy anything, as soon as you thought about purchasing something, the staff would pop out from the side, holding a ledger, and ask you, "What do you want?" In just half a month, dozens of people had died on that street, causing panic in Shengtian City. While the practitioners in Shengtian City were discussing countermeasures, the Datong Department Store vouchers suddenly vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed at all.
The Datong Gold Voucher has become a mystery in Shengtian City. Old Han said at this point, "However, I heard that the Datong Gold Voucher reappeared a few days ago. People on Bagua Street say that those who received the voucher are coming to Bagua Street looking for help. They'll accept anyone and lead them to our place." "When the time comes, whether we can handle this business will depend entirely on Banjiantang." I chuckled, "Alright, then we'll just wait for business to come knocking." Early the next morning, Old Han called me up, "Xiao Jiu, those two people have arrived." "They were originally looking for Wang Lei from Fenghua Residence, but the people on Bagua Street insisted on introducing them here. According to the rules, you have to pretend you know nothing and rely on your skills to take the business." "Otherwise, we'll be at a disadvantage right from the start." While Old Han was advising me, I heard someone at the door ask, "Excuse me, is the boss in?" When I turned to look outside, two girls had already walked into Banjiantang. As my gaze fell on the delicate face of the girl in front, I couldn't help but pause slightly—her eyes held an extraordinary spirit. Not to mention her captivating appearance, even if she looked ordinary, just those eyes could evoke feelings of closeness, even admiration. But I could see that she was someone with a celestial aura; she just hadn't made her move yet. Such people often encounter significant troubles. When my gaze shifted to the girl behind her, my previously furrowed brows tightened even more. The deathly aura surrounding her was almost visible to the naked eye; anything she touched could take her life at any moment. The fact that she managed to walk into my Banjiantang unscathed meant she had exhausted her last bit of luck. If I didn't step in to save her, she wouldn't survive the night. "Interesting, to encounter such a situation right upon arrival," I thought to myself, then raised my head and replied calmly, "I am Chen Jiu, the owner of Banjiantang. What business do you two wish to discuss?" The girl who entered first timidly asked, "Boss, are there others in this room?" Can she sense Old Han's presence? Old Han also said to me, "You need to be cautious with this business; those two girls have stumbled into something significant. Moreover, the girl speaking is likely someone of importance; her ancestors were either spirit mediums or great scholars. Otherwise, she wouldn't naturally possess such insight." I could see it too, without Old Han needing to say it. If it were any other master, they would definitely not take on this business lightly.
But now that I'm gaining fame, do I really have to patch up this huge hole? I replied, "You don't need to worry about that. If I didn't have some skills, I wouldn't be able to run this 'half in the underworld, half in the mortal realm' establishment." As soon as I finished speaking, the girl behind tugged at her companion's sleeve: "Xiyue, let's find another place! This guy talks too big; he's so young, and I don't see any real ability in him." The other girl shook her head and said, "I trust my instincts. Besides, so many people are recommending this place; the owner must be capable." The girl reached out her hand and said, "I'm Zhou Xiyue, and this is my friend Wang Manman." "Nice to meet you!" I didn't extend my hand but instead cupped my fists in salute: "Do you two want to reconsider?" Zhou Xiyue exclaimed, "No need to reconsider! From your manners, I can tell you're a true sorcerer." Old Han was right; Zhou Xiyue must have ancestors who were skilled in sorcery, which is why she knew the etiquette of sorcerers. When a sorcerer's palm touches that of the employer, it signifies that an invisible sorcerer's contract has formed between them, and the sorcerer has to act accordingly. Thus, a sorcerer won't shake hands with an employer until they are certain they will take on the job. Once the business is settled, they will slap hands to seal the agreement. This seemingly unprotected arrangement is "witnessed by heaven's way and monitored by ghosts and gods"; if a sorcerer goes back on their word, they will pay an unimaginable price. I nodded and said, "Since Miss Zhou knows the rules of sorcery, let's follow the rules: first discuss the business, then talk about the price." Zhou Xiyue sat down and said, "Manman and I are..." Before Zhou Xiyue could finish, Wang Manman beside her worriedly interjected, "Xiyue, can he... can he really handle our issues? He looks so young." I glanced at Wang Manman: "Zhou Xiyue's parents are both merchants, with a fortune of millions; you have an abundance of peach blossoms but lack fortune, so your wealth often passes through the hands of the god of wealth." I looked at the astonished Wang Manman: "If I didn't even have this little ability, would I dare to open a shop on Fengshui Street?" Sorcerers don't inquire about their employers' privacy unless necessary; even if they perceive something, they will leave half of it unspoken. This is not only to preserve the employer's dignity but also to avoid unnecessary trouble for themselves. Zhou Xiyue glanced at me apologetically and continued, "A few days ago, we picked up a flyer at the crossroads, which got us into trouble." I interrupted her, saying, "Miss Zhou, as a descendant of sorcerers, don't you know that you shouldn't pick up things at the crossroads?" The crossroads is where yin and yang intersect; living people burn paper, and ghost officials capture souls, which must pass through the crossroads.
At the same time, crossroads are also places where wandering spirits often appear. If you see someone standing at a dark intersection in the middle of the night, not moving or waving you over, it's best to ignore them. That's likely a wandering spirit looking for you to do something for them. If you really can't avoid them, it's best to keep your head down and walk past quickly, without looking, asking, or responding, and definitely don't take anything from their hands. Otherwise, at the very least, you might bring a ghost home; at worst, you could lose your life. This kind of common knowledge, even ordinary people understand, so Zhou Xiyue couldn't possibly not know it. If Zhou Xiyue knowingly broke this rule, then she has violated the serious taboo in the realm of sorcery about "not startling ghosts or offending the gods." To a sorcerer, the employer encountering evil is completely different from actively summoning a ghost. I need to clarify this point. Zhou Xiyue hurriedly said, "That day, it wasn't that we intentionally wanted to accept the invitation. It was just that I didn't have time to stop it." Zhou Xiyue recalled and continued, "That day, we gathered together because someone in the alumni group sent out a notice for a gathering. The person who sent the notice used the username 'Little Wang' and said it was arranged at Tianhao Hotel, with all expenses covered by him. When I received that notice, I found it strange. We had just graduated for two years, and many people's jobs and lives were still not stable. The day of the gathering wasn't a special day, nor was it a holiday, making it hard for everyone from class to gather. Why did Little Wang want to arrange such a gathering? He said it was to give us a surprise. Although we were all curious about what this surprise would be, there were still too few classmates remaining in the city, and in the end, only seven or eight people showed up. Everything at Tianhao Hotel was indeed arranged, but the person who organized the gathering never appeared. He just sent us a message saying he had something important to do and wished us a good time. When we were enjoying ourselves and preparing to leave, I specifically checked the time, and it was exactly eleven o'clock. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but later I realized something was wrong!" Zhou Xiyue said in terror, "I was the last to leave when the gathering ended, and the time was exactly midnight, not a second off. That's stepping on the ghost gate!" As the saying goes, stepping out exactly at midnight is "stepping on the ghost gate." That's when the door opens, marking the intersection of yin and yang, and opening the door welcomes ghosts. Although the probability of this happening is very low, it is a hidden danger lurking around people.