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Chapter 196: The Will

  Cha Wenbin didn't send He Lao to the crematorium, he just waited at home to complete the final ritual of sending him up the mountain. After all the commotion for so many days, he was also tired and wanted to take a nap in the small hut where He Lao used to live.

  But soon someone came knocking on the door and shouted: "Mr. Zha, Mr. Zha, you'd better get up quickly to take a look."

  Zha Wenbin, with red eyes, put on his clothes and followed, being led to Hu Changzi's home. An elderly villager saw him coming and pushed open the slightly ajar door, gesturing for Zha Wenbin to take a look.

  All he saw was a person on the bed convulsing all over, foaming at the mouth, and muttering something unclear. Za Wenbin rushed in immediately, pinched Hu Changzi's people, and shouted: "Quickly, go grab a chopstick!"

  Hú Zhǎngzi's daughter-in-law was completely at a loss, fortunately there were several onlookers who were kind-hearted and soon the chopsticks were delivered.

  Zha Wenbin inserted the chopsticks into Hu Zhangzi's mouth and then released his pinched fingers, and Hu Zhangzi bit down on the chopsticks with a fierce force that seemed to want to snap them in two.

  "Everyone, get back! Let the people inside come out!" The village chief roared. This Wang Zhuang Village Chief had always admired Cha Wenbin, and it was all thanks to him that Wang Weiguo's family was able to return home safely in the first place. In his eyes, Cha Wenbin was their great benefactor.

  The crowd dispersed, and the village chief walked over to ask: "That Cha Mr., he just returned from sending a letter to Anhui, as soon as he got home, he became like this, was he frightened by He Lao?"

  Cha Wenbin lifted the eyelid of Hu Zhangzi and took a closer look, shaking his head: "No, I've seen it for your village. Since that incident, our Wangzhuang won't have any more deaths in the next few years. He Lao isn't considered a person from Wangzhuang, although he was young here, but these years he's been eating food and drinking water elsewhere, just holding a funeral here, can only be considered as fallen leaves returning to their roots. Although this root has returned to Wangzhuang, the leaf fell in the provincial city. Xianqiao also passed by last night, I sent him on his way, his death won't affect people."

  "What's wrong with him? Is he having an epileptic fit?" The village chief was in a hurry, these years Wang Zhuang had not been peaceful for a while, either this family was unlucky or that family had something happen to them, being the village chief was not easy.

  Zha Wenbin himself knew some medical skills and could usually solve minor problems with traditional Chinese medicine. At first glance, he also thought it was epilepsy, but when he opened his eyes and took a closer look, he realized it wasn't that simple.

  The lamp in the house is still lit, and under normal circumstances, a person's eyeballs will reflect some light. Even if they are ill, there should be some reflection. But Hu Zhangzi's eyes don't show any reflection at all, his dull gray eyes have no spark, this is a typical sign of being possessed by an evil spirit, when a person loses their soul, they lose their luster.

  "My soul is gone." Cha Wenbin said calmly.

  "What can be done, Mr. Cha? You have to save him! This child has had a hard life since he was young, his parents are gone, and you've seen the situation at home - this light bulb is the only electrical appliance they have... The village head hadn't even finished speaking when Cha Wenbin interrupted him, saying:"

  "Don't worry, I have a way, but it can't be done now. Later, you send someone to the Wang family to fetch three dishes of meat, three dishes of vegetables, three fruits, and three staple foods, plus three cups of wine, and bring them here on a tray. This task cannot be done during the day, after sending Old He up the mountain, I will come over at night. Also, help me find the butcher in the village and make sure he brings the sharp knife used for killing pigs."

  The village chief hastily called out to a young man outside and instructed him to find someone. Before long, a burly man with a strong body odor arrived.

  The butcher in the village was not considered a person of any status, at that time every household in the countryside raised pigs, and during the New Year's festival, villagers would invite the butcher to come and slaughter the pigs, after which they would invite him to drink a meal of wine, and then let the butcher choose a piece of meat to take away as compensation. Because slaughtering pigs was a physically demanding job, and also a dirty and tiring one, most people who did this work were rough men.

  The butcher rushed into Hu Zhangzi's house and shouted: "Village chief, you called me?"

  Zha Wenbin looked up and saw that this person's physique was indeed comparable to Heng Roulian. The butcher saw Hu Zhangzi twitching on the bed, so he thought of going over to take a look, saying: "Hey, what's wrong with Brother Zhangzi?" Originally lying on the bed, Hu Zhangzi immediately shrunk his body back and curled up into a ball.

  "Hey, young man, don't be in a rush. I called you over because I need your help with something."

  This butcher naturally knew Cha Wenbin, who in Wangzhuang didn't know his reputation as a Taoist master, that was a living immortal. The butcher then clasped his fists and said: "I'm called Tie Niu, Master Cha has something to instruct me."

  " Iron Bull?" Cha Wenbin stood up, looked around a few times, and suddenly burst out laughing: "What an iron bull! One Zhang Fei, one Li Kui, today I'll trouble you two to guard this house for me. Before I arrive, don't leave, can you do that?

  "Two? You want me to guard with Old Village Chief? I'm fine, just worried he can't handle it, he's quite old." That Tie Niu is a straightforward person, whatever is in his belly, he'll say.

  "Big Brother, come in!" Zhang Wenbin shouted out of the window.

  Before long, a burly man came in with his head lowered and said, "Brother Wenbin, you called me?"

  This man was a stout fellow with a round face, and if he wasn't compared to Butcher Iron Bull, his build would probably be even bigger. Iron Bull took one look at him and was amazed: "What's your name, brother?"

  "My? I don't have a name, they all call me 'Cross Meat Face'." After saying that, he himself couldn't help but laugh somewhat awkwardly.

  Zha Wenbin suddenly felt that calling him "Lao" wasn't a good idea either, so after thinking about it for a few days, he decided to give him a name. He also awkwardly said: "You two stay here and keep each other company, Tie Niu brothers, put your slaughter knife on the head of the bed and then you can leave."

  Tie Niu pulled out the shiny sharp knife stuck in the wooden box, because it was used to slaughter pigs. Apart from a layer of greasy feeling on the knife, there were also bloodstains that had seeped into the steel.

  He swaggered up to Hu Changzi and with a "thud", the sharp knife stabbed down. Hu Changzi shuddered, curling his body even tighter.

  Zha Wenbin also called for two large stools to be brought over and placed at the head of the bed, letting them sit on either side of Hu Changzi. Only then did they pull out the old village chief and lock the door, saying softly: "When you bring food to these two later, you must find someone born in September who is a dragon; if you really can't find one, come find me again, no one else is allowed in."

  The old village chief immediately said: "Oh, my second son was born in September and belongs to the dragon. What do you think of him?"

  Cha Wenbin patted his shoulder and said: "Alright, you're a lucky son!" Then he quickly walked back to Wangzhuang.

  He couldn't sleep after being stirred up like this, so he simply sat in the now empty mourning hall thinking about the things that had happened recently. Upon careful consideration, there were indeed too many strange occurrences. He had originally wanted to discuss some matters with Old He, but they didn't have enough time.

  He Lao told Cha Wenbin about the things he had seen, heard and gained from an archaeological perspective, and for a moment, he was also trapped in the clouds. However, he gave Cha Wenbin some very important information: In our country, there is indeed a mysterious organization that specializes in collecting unusual things. During his career, many unheard-of things have been unearthed, but they are not preserved in museums, nor can their whereabouts be found, and no archives have been left behind. Moreover, these things are not gold, silver, jade, porcelain or other precious cultural relics, but rather some objects that seem to be used for worship.

  If he was given a little more time, perhaps he could decipher the ancient text from Qiangtang, but heaven had already drawn a full stop for him. The last conversation between He Lao and Cha Wenbin before his death was to entrust Cha Wenbin to decipher the secrets within in his lifetime, this might be his will.

  Just then, the firecrackers outside had already started to sound, and someone rushed in and shouted: "The hearse is approaching the village entrance, can Master Cha move now?"

  Cha Wenbin put away the things on the table, shouted a loud "Zhuo Xiong", and hastily rushed to the village entrance.

  All the younger generations who had a kinship with He Lao Sheng knelt on the ground, wearing mourning clothes and hemp. Various wreaths, white flags, and wailing sounds suddenly plunged the village into a sea of sorrow.

  Chaozi, with a box of his father's ashes in his hands, had been kneeling in front of He Lao's coffin for three whole days without eating or drinking, his eyes red from crying and his throat hoarse from wailing. His cousin Wang Xin held an umbrella over him, while Cha Wenbin brought out the hearse that had been prepared earlier and placed the box inside, shouting: "One kowtow to heaven, two kowtows to earth, three kowtows to He Lao entering the Yellow Springs!" Then he scattered a handful of paper money into the air, and everyone began wailing loudly again. The kneeling crowd knocked their heads against the ground three times in front of the box.

  Then Wen Bin shouted again: "Rise!"

  Amidst a burst of firecrackers, four young and robust men carried the ashes box under the leadership of Cha Wenbin, slowly walking towards the tomb mountain...

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