After three rounds of wine, the relatives had all been acknowledged and the ancestors worshiped. I glanced at Old Hu, whose mind was still clear, and discreetly hinted to Zhu Zihao, who understood my intention and respectfully raised his cup of wine, saying: "Uncle Hu, there's something I'd like to ask you about. When my grandmother got married, did you ever see a certain object? It was a painting of a general." As he spoke, he pulled out a photograph from his pocket, which showed the very same painting.

  Hu Genglin took the photo, his eyes not being good, he adjusted it back and forth for a while, then smacked his lips and said: "This isn't from Master's house? It was actually made as a dowry for Miss."

  I saw a play and hurriedly asked: "Old man, do you know the origin of this painting?"

  "At that time I was still young, just a shepherd boy in the Jiang family, but I also knew that there was such a painting at home, because every year during the big festivals, the Jiang family would make a fuss about it."

  "What's 'zuo xiang'?" I didn't understand its meaning. Wen Bin explained beside me: "It means the priest."

  "It was very lively when the bell rang, killing chickens and sheep. The masters had to worship the people in the painting first, and we servants also had to worship them. The master never said who it was, we all thought it was the ancestor of the Jiang family."

  I asked: "Don't you know him?"

  "I don't know." The old man shook his head and said, "As a servant, who dares to ask about the master's family affairs? All I've heard is that this has been passed down from the ancestors of the Jiang family for many years. That's all I know."

  This answer is a disappointment to me, and also to Cha Wenbin. It's all unclear about the origin of this painting, it's as if nothing has been achieved. However, the old man suddenly changed his tone and said: "Before the old master passed away, he did mention one thing to me, saying that if I met Miss in the future, I should tell her that since she left, don't come back again. He said he had already removed Miss's name from the family tree, and this injustice should be ended."

  "What injustice?" On the way back, this word kept appearing in Cha Wenbin's mouth. Just now, that old man Hu didn't even know what this so-called "injustice" was talking about. Looking at his honest appearance, he indeed didn't seem to be hiding anything. The clue seemed to have ended here, and everything was interrupted again.

  Back at the lodge, Cha Wenbin sat in his room deep in thought, what was this injustice? He always felt that these few things were interconnected, could it be? A terrifying idea suddenly popped into his mind...

  On the second day, early in the morning, Wen Bin took us to the countryside again. This time he wanted to ask about some other things. He analyzed: "The Jiang family is a big household and has been rooted here for a long time. There should be a genealogy and an ancestral hall or a ancestral tomb. Since we can't ask living people, let's go ask the dead."

  "Jiang family tomb?" County Head Xu was also at a loss when he received this inquiry. "During the land reform, many ownerless tombs were leveled. Although this generation is said to be in a barren and desolate area, there are still many tombs, with large ones stacked on top of small ones, layer upon layer. Most of them are in the Longshou Mountain area. The data from back then has long been lost, so it's indeed difficult to find the Jiang family ancestral tomb."

  "I have an unpleasant request to make of Director Xu." Cha Wenbin said: "This fallen leaf will eventually return to its roots. When Old Master Zhu's father passed away, the family was already in decline, and he died without any fanfare, just buried somewhere casually. Our Master Zhu is a filial son, wanting to renovate his father's grave, move it to Ancestral Hill, but this place is also known as Antique Beach, what if I accidentally damage an ancient tomb? Wouldn't that be against the law? So we want to ask Director Xu to bear witness for us, we're not here to rob graves."

  "This is natural, I'm here." Xu Xiangzhang patted his chest and said: "At least on this one mu three fen land in Nanhu Township, we can still be the master, do you want me to find someone to help you?"

  "We don't need this, we'll do it ourselves."

  How to find it? Where to look for it? The vast Gobi Desert with no grass growing, stretching endlessly with rocks everywhere, only the Dragon Head Mountain is like an old man who has been weathered by the wind for years. According to the Chinese custom of burying mountains and relying on water, determining the approximate location is not difficult. As long as you follow the method of finding dragon points, considering the feng shui direction of the Jiang family's ancestral tomb, it must have been taken into account.

  This question is just like asking Zhang Wenbin to find a good cave for someone in this area, where would he look, and the ancient people wouldn't be much different.

  At night, the old place, but with an added altar, a simple office desk covered with yellow silk, a censer with three long incense sticks rising in swirling smoke, a whole pig's head, half a roasted chicken, two bowls of inverted rice, two candles, a plate of fruit, a plate of dried fruit, and a plate of small baked goods.

  I haven't seen such a scene for a long time. In my childhood village, there were times when someone passed away and asked Taoist priests to perform rituals, but at that time, adults didn't allow children to participate, and various intimidating reasons made me fearful of this "sacred" scene. However, tonight, I am one of them. At this moment, I and Zhu Zihao are standing on both sides of the altar, and tonight we two are the guardians.

  My left hand is holding something like a mourning stick, a wooden stick wrapped with white paper strips. My right hand is holding a white lantern with the word "奠" written on it. At this moment, I feel very strange and don't know what Zhu Zihao is thinking.

  Cha Wenbin then changed into a bright yellow Taoist robe, which was borrowed from the county's cultural and artistic troupe. The clothes were quite fitting, usually used for theatrical costumes, and on his head he wore a square scarf, at first glance it really looked like the real thing.

  Today's commotion is all for one purpose: searching for relatives!

  Cha Wenbin told us that: In ancient times, the emperors of the Mongol Empire were buried in deep pits after death, unlike the Han people who built earth mounds. After being filled with soil again, it was flat and would be re-sown with grass seeds. The guards responsible for the mausoleum would camp outside the new tomb for a whole year, until the next spring, when the newly grown grass had completely covered the soil, they would withdraw their troops. Someone would bring two camels, one large and one small, and kill the small camel in front of its mother. Later, when it was time to offer sacrifices to ancestors, they only needed to lead the female camel, which would find the place where the small camel was killed, kneel down and shed tears, and that's where the burial site was.

  This Zhu Zihao is naturally not that little camel, but Cha Wenbin has a way to do it. Since ancient times, there has been the saying of "ancestral shade". The Chinese believe that after their ancestors die, they will have a protective and blessed effect on their descendants. As for whether it really exists or not, it's another matter. However, Taoists believe that the relationship between ancestors and later generations is one of inheritance, emphasizing blood lineage and having a common spirit. What is called "spirit" is considered by Cha Wenbin to be "based on the mother, shielded by the father, losing the spirit means death, gaining the spirit means life". In other words, it is based on the mother's yin blood as the foundation, with the father's yang essence as protection. Losing the spirit will result in death, while gaining the spirit will lead to survival.

  According to this reasoning, every person has the aura of their ancestors, which is the foundation of their destiny. Therefore, if we can use Zhu Zi Hao as a medium and apply some special methods within this general scope, it may be possible to summon him successfully.

  On the altar, there is a roll of red cloth. Inside the red cloth are a few strands of hair from Zhu Zihao. There is a small wine cup with clear water inside, which will later be filled with Zhu Zihao's blood. As it is said: "The body's skin and hair come from one's parents." On the altar, there is also a cage containing a pair of moles, a male and a female, which were caught by many people at the request of County Magistrate Xu.

  Tonight's night sky has clouds, Cha Wenbin calculated the time, and soon there will be northwest wind. After the clouds disperse, we can ask Tianyan to determine the position of the hole. As soon as the altar is opened, it will easily attract some dirty things to join in the fun. Incense, candles, and paper money are enough to make the lonely souls and wild ghosts who have been sleeping here come out. This is also an opportunity. If we happen to meet the ancestors of the Jiang family whose souls have not dispersed, we can use Tianyan to see one or two things. This method is still on Zhu Zihao's body.

  He hung a small bell on Zhu Zihao's waist, slightly larger than a fingernail, tied to his waist. This bell also has another name: Longing Bell, this person will always make some movements unintentionally, even if you don't feel it yourself, science calls this feeling the subconscious. The Longing Bell uses this method, just like when we occasionally feel that someone familiar has passed in front of us, and we inadvertently glance back to find no one there.

  It was actually him, you didn't see it wrong, people's eyes can deceive themselves, what they see is often not true, and what they can't see will be felt by the heart, but this feeling only lasts for a moment, fleeting. Master Cha Wenbin told him: This is enlightenment.

  A cultivator's life is spent in enlightenment, trying to grasp that feeling, but few succeed. It's because you actively seek enlightenment, not passively. Only those truly unforgettable loves, familial bonds, and friendships will involuntarily make your heart take control of itself. That's the origin of the longing bell:

  If you can't distinguish who the person you truly love is, then wear this bell to calm yourself completely. If that person is your beloved, the bell on your body will ring because you will move involuntarily, your heart will drive your body, and this is involuntary.

  With a "whoosh", the paper money in his hand was scattered into the air, and a sudden gust of wind blew them everywhere. Zhang Wenbin held up the exorcising bell and gave it a light shake, its clear ring piercing through the stillness of the night sky.

  "Heaven is long, earth is long, metal is long, three waters combined as one! Water calls the great ghost, invites the second ghost, four small ghosts push the mill! Pushing and turning, reversing and turning, if it doesn't turn, press down under Yin Mountain, bones will be trapped for a thousand years without being allowed to reincarnate! Southern Dipper Six Lang Northern Dipper Seven Stars, Taishang Laojun's urgent decree!"

  "With a loud 'hiss', he took a mouthful of wine and spat it at the candles on the altar, suddenly a large flame burst forth. Only then did I realize that this was the Yang Fire, its purpose being to raise the yang energy flames of our group. Because what he had just recited was none other than the infamous 'Ghost Summoning Curse'! This curse absolutely must not be learned or recited, otherwise those with slightly weak yang energy will inevitably attract unwanted things..."