Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 990: Chapter 34: Haunted House (2)

There are mountains, water, gods, and ghosts. It seems to be the rustic customs of a remote place, or perhaps an ancient superstition passed down through generations.

Although Song Family Village can’t be described as remote and desolate, it is indeed a secluded place. Back then, the ancestors of the Song Family chose this place far from the mundane world to escape the ravages of war.

“Hauntings?” Song Haoran glanced at his family members, raised an eyebrow, and looked into Song Bo’s eyes, asking, “How are they haunting?”

Song Bo quickly said, “Initially, it started with Wang Family Village by the neighboring ditch, and gradually, the hauntings spread over to our side.”

“Neighboring ditch?” Song Haoran was momentarily stunned and instinctively glanced at his father.

Song Tianyou nodded and said, “I remember there used to be a few Wang families living there.”

Song Haoran nodded.

At this moment, Song Bo nervously said, “That day, I saw my hair was long and planned to go to the village head of Wang Family Village, Master Wang, to get a haircut. I passed by a household that was holding a mourning ceremony, and out of curiosity, I inquired and found out the entire family met an untimely death. A whole family of six, young and old, died overnight. The way they died was said to be horrific! Isn’t that eerie?”

“Died overnight…” Song Haoran immediately frowned.

“Yes, it was terribly tragic,” Song Bo sighed. “Speaking of which, I had seen the head of that deceased household several times; he was a blacksmith, quite skilled in repairing iron pots and such, named Wang Dashun. Alas, he was quite young, in his forties. What a pity.”

“Since there were deaths, didn’t anyone from the local township come down to investigate?” Song Tianyou asked in a deep voice.

“They came, but found nothing,” Song Bo revealed the information he had gathered, “However, I heard Wang Dashun picked up two men from somewhere not long ago—one was injured, and the other was in a coma. Not long after, Wang Dashun’s entire family perished, and the two he took in disappeared. The police from the township suggested these two might be the killers, and they were wanted, but I don’t know if they were found.”

“What happened later? How did it relate to hauntings?”

Song Bo said, “A few days after they died, on the seventh night of Wang Dashun’s death, an old man went to the toilet at midnight and saw a white apparition float out of Wang Dashun’s house. He was so frightened that he fainted. When he came back to his senses the next day, he claimed to have seen a ghost. After that, more and more people reported seeing things at night, and some even heard crying sounds from Wang Dashun’s house at midnight. A brave soul, skeptical of the supernatural, went to investigate by himself one night and was found unconscious outside the house the next day. He couldn’t even recall how he fell asleep. Since then, the man has been jumpy and nervous, causing panic and anxiety in the entire ditch area.”

After a pause, Song Bo continued, “Then the ditch somehow invited a Taoist to come and perform rituals. The rituals worked, and they drove away Wang Dashun’s vengeful ghost, but it fled to our Song Family Village!”

“Uncle Song Bo, are you saying Wang Dashun’s spirit has come here… has anyone seen it?” Song Haoran suddenly asked.

Song Bo nodded vigorously, “Of course! Many people have seen it, including me… It was probably last week. Someone else in the ditch was having a wedding and invited me over to set up a stove for cooking. Because I returned late, I passed by the Song Ancestral Mansion at midnight and heard some strange noises from inside… I had had a bit to drink and felt brave, so I quietly walked up to the door to listen. I heard some very strange sounds, like laughter. Then, while leaning against the wall, I took a peek inside! Oh my God, it almost scared me to death!”

“What did you see?” Song Ying swallowed, instinctively asking.

At this moment, Song Bo’s face turned a bit pale. He swallowed and said, “I saw a figure with disheveled hair whose face I couldn’t see, crawling on the ground at a terrifying speed! It didn’t seem human at all!”

“Someone?” Song Haoran caught the key point.

“It was a ghost!” Song Bo exclaimed in terror, “I saw it with my own eyes! That ghost suddenly pounced, caught a rat, and stuffed it into its mouth. My word! The rat’s tail was still wriggling in the ghost’s mouth before it was swallowed whole! Then it turned towards me and laughed, frightening me so much I ran straight home. I kept my lights on all night, too scared to close my eyes! Since then, our poultry and livestock go missing often… People say it’s this starving ghost stealing them at night. Now, no one dares go out at night, fearing the ghost might latch onto them. Just today, we had a meeting at the ancestral hall, discussing inviting another Taoist to drive away Wang Dashun’s ghost because life like this is unlivable!”

Everyone exchanged bewildered looks. If someone is this strange at midnight, there might be other explanations, but no ordinary person would swallow a rat whole.

“Are you saying this ghost is still at our ancestral mansion?” Song Haoran asked again.

Song Bo said, “Well… Young Master Song, you’re not planning to go check it out, are you? Please don’t! Late at night, it’s dangerous… How about going tomorrow? If you don’t mind tonight, you can stay at my place. I’ll clear out a room for you. It’s just me and my wife; our son and daughter-in-law work in the city, so you can sleep anywhere.”

Song Haoran looked at Song Tianyou, clearly waiting for him to speak.

“No need, Song Bo.” Song Tianyou said calmly, “I, Song Tianyou, am returning home; neither ghosts nor gods can stop me. Besides, as the saying goes, people fear ghosts three parts, ghosts fear people seven parts. We are many, full of ‘yang’ energy, so we’re not afraid of any ghosts.”

“Oh dear, Old Master Song, don’t tempt fate, just wait a night… Old Master Song!” Song Bo called out, but Song Tianyou was already leading the group towards the Song Ancestral Mansion, ignoring his pleas.

Song Bo watched them for a few moments, then, seeing there was no stopping them, dejectedly ran back to his own home.

…

The Song Family’s ancestral mansion in Song Family Village was not small.

Though the large residence had been empty for a long time, the two stone lions placed in front of the gate retained some semblance of its former grandeur.

However, the signboard above the main gate had sagged. Song Tianyou glanced at it and slowly exhaled. Seeing this, Uncle Wu hurriedly instructed people to fix the signboard back up.

Only then did the group push open the large doors and enter.

The entrance of the mansion had a vestibule. More than a decade ago, when Song Tianyou returned and renovated the ancestral mansion, he had electricity installed, along with a lighting system. The circuit breaker was also installed in the vestibule. However, even after flipping the switch, there was no power—the connection had likely been automatically canceled due to long-term disuse.

“It seems the person we hired to look after the house didn’t do their job properly,” Song Tianyou shook his head.

In fact, he had left money for someone to mind the house, but he hadn’t returned in recent years. It wouldn’t be surprising if that person took the money and ran without doing the work.

“Uncle Wu, take two people inside and see if you can find some candles or something,” Song Tianyou thought for a moment and said, “I remember there’s a storage room in the backyard. See if there’s anything useful. Let’s stay in this front yard for now… Come, let’s sit for a while over in that pavilion.”

Song Tianyou pointed, and although it was now nighttime and the evening was hazy, a four-cornered pavilion could still be vaguely seen.

Uncle Wu quickly took two bodyguards over, while the other bodyguards surrounded the pavilion, standing guard.

Mr. Aqi chuckled at this moment, “Old Master Song’s people truly are elite among elites. Just looking at the demeanor of these bodyguards, many elite units in the country might not even find a match.”

Song Tianyou merely smiled slightly and did not say much about his personnel but instead asked, “Aqi. Just now, Song Bo mentioned that this house is haunted. What do you think?”

This Mr. Aqi was not from the Zhang Family but from Zhang Li Lanfang’s family. However, the two families now were both solely overseen by Zhang Li Lanfang. Despite this, the Zhang and Li Family businesses were mostly separated—except in antiques.

The Zhang Family, although a secretive tycoon, was still known to quite a number within the country. The Li Family, however, operated in relative secrecy, conducting activities under the radar.

After all, the Li Family’s fortune started with tomb raiding, so they have always kept a low profile, quietly accumulating wealth. Since the country opened up, the Li Family’s business shifted more abroad—after all, domestic artifact protection had become increasingly stringent, and most tombs had been raided over the centuries.

Even so, the Li Family occasionally brought back some stolen artifacts from wartime abroad, using various channels to return them to the country.

Zhang Li Lanfang maintained good relationships between the Zhang and Li families and the country through these means while continuing to operate the Li Family’s business… And thus, those in high places chose to turn a blind eye.

After all, Zhang Li Lanfang lived through that era, and her husband made many contributions during that turbulent time, even losing his life for it…

Bringing his thoughts back, Song Tianyou continued to watch Aqi, the expert long dealing with all sorts of strange entities.

Aqi was pondering, and suddenly he took out a palm-sized compass from his clothes, placing it on the stone table underneath the pavilion, muttering incantations.

It was the first time for Song Haoran and Song Ying to witness such an operation, and they were very intrigued. However, Zhang Qingrui seemed indifferent when Aqi took out the compass, somewhat absent-minded, as if lost in thought.

Luo Qiu was gazing into the depths of the Song Ancestral Mansion, with a look of contemplation.

After a while, Mr. Aqi slowly said, “Song Lao, in our field, there is the so-called ‘Seeking the Dragon, Spotting the Dragon’s Den.’ In this, the dragon generally refers to mountain ranges and Spirit Veins. There is the notion of true dragons and false dragons. In ancient times, many emperors and noble lords had more than one tomb; this is what is called real and fake tombs, to prevent future generations from disturbing the real tomb and destroying the true dragon’s energy.”

Saying this, Aqi stood up, pointing at the hills beyond the mansion’s outer walls, he continued, “Look at this, the bending, undulating mountains out there hold plenty of prosperous energies. Hence, the land here is fertile, the mountains are green, and waters flow, naturally a true dragon. Once you’ve found the true dragon, you must find its resting place. The resting place is far from the dragon’s head, and this type of dragon is a wealthy dragon. Burying tombs or placing residences on a wealthy dragon brings prosperity, ensuring future generations’ fortunes and good fortune. It is evident that this Song Ancestral Mansion sits on such a wealthy dragon. Looking at the mansion’s structure and its positioning, it’s apparent the original builder was a master of metaphysics.”

“Oh?” Song Tianyou said, “Listening to you, this isn’t a haunted house at all but indeed a Utopia?”

Mr. Aqi nodded, “The Song Family has experienced some decline in past years, but good fortune continues. After Old Master Song returned to China and had the mansion renovated, the family’s luck was restored, and everything went smoothly.”

“Oh? So, if someone wants to deal with my Song Family, there’s no need to act directly, just destroy this ancestral mansion, and the Song Family is in danger?” Song Tianyou looked at Aqi, suddenly letting out a cold laugh.

Aqi’s heart skipped a beat, and sweat broke out on his forehead, thinking that Song Tianyou, despite his age, still carried such an intimidating aura. He couldn’t help but open his mouth, unsure how to respond for a moment.

He clearly felt multiple murderous gazes from outside the pavilion directed at him.

He had heard of the ‘Iris’ legend… That was a terrifying guy who had overthrown a small country directly!

However, Zhang Qingrui at this time smiled slightly, saying, “Old Master Song, it’s just feng shui talk; it can’t be taken seriously. Moreover, no matter how good the feng shui may be, it’s ultimately about people. If the one in charge is incompetent, no amount of wealth can stop it from dissipating. Only a shrewd and capable person can sustain it in the long run. The blessings of the ancestors are great, but it’s up to descendants to use their true abilities. Under Old Master Song’s management, the Song Family has been thriving, unmatched domestically, showing that Old Master Song himself is immensely blessed and talented. Besides, there’s a saying: man can conquer nature; haven’t you walked this path to get here today?”

“Ah, what a wise lady indeed,” Song Tianyou smiled at this moment, sighing, “Sister Li is truly blessed to have you, young girl, speak so that these old bones don’t know what else to say?”

“Old Master is still in excellent health,” Zhang Qingrui softly said.

At this moment, a sudden flame appeared not far away, illuminating everyone; it was Uncle Wu returning with others, holding a torch in hand.

“Master, we found some kerosene and a few candles, which should get us through the night,” Uncle Wu returned with the torch, saying, “Tomorrow, I’ll have someone buy more supplies and see if we can reconnect the electricity.”

Song Tianyou nodded, stood up, and said, “Alright, let’s go inside the house. It’s cold outside, and these old bones can’t stand it any longer.”

“Grandpa, let me help you,” Song Ying quickly stepped forward.

Everyone started following Uncle Wu into the mansion.

Luo Qiu suddenly looked toward a large tree in the front yard, seeing something flash by swiftly.

Crawling, gigantic, disheveled, like a startled rat… And Song Haoran also cast his gaze.

But Song Haoran did not mention it aloud, simply patting Luo Qiu on the chest, making a gesture to stay silent, then turned and chased after, suddenly laughing, “Little Ying~ How about Uncle tells you a ghost story before bed tonight?”

“Get lost!!”