Chapter 36

I and Pangzi naturally turned to feng shui as soon as we arrived at Boss Liu's house, overlooking that antiques could also be haunted.

Yes, it's not strange for antiques to be haunted. If an antique is a burial object from an ancient tomb, and the tomb, due to some special reasons, has nurtured a spirit, once the antique is unearthed, the tomb's spirit will attach to it and leave the tomb with the antique. If an antique has been offered sacrifices, exists in a temple, or is an ancient soldier's weapon, it's not surprising for the owner to dream of ghostly apparitions or soldier silhouettes. Even if carved with god or Buddha statues, human-shaped wood or stone, or even wood or stone resembling animals, sometimes a spirit may reside within; if someone obtains it, they will experience hauntings of varying degrees.

But what was this jar used for before? To know what is haunting it, the best way is to clarify the jar's origin and what it was previously used for.

I had Yuan Qiu summon Boss Liu, pointed at the jar, and asked: "Where did this ancient jar come from?"

Boss Liu replied without hesitation: "You mean this jar? I bought it from a friend for several tens of thousands."

When further questioned about the jar's source, Boss Liu said it came from a Guizhou Miao village; his friend brought it back, and Boss Liu, liking it, resold it at double the price.

Hearing this, I suddenly realized the problem indeed lay in this ancient jar.

Boss Liu, Yuan Qiu, and Pangzi were all puzzled, unable to see what was extraordinary about the jar.

I had Boss Liu take down the ancient jar, then asked Pangzi to smell it to see what odor was inside.

Pangzi put his nose inside and inhaled a few breaths, muttering: "There's the smell of snakes, of herbs, and a lingering centipede-like aura."

"Miao Frontier gu practitioners..." Pangzi seemed to also grasp the mystery, and exclaimed aloud.

I nodded. It's indeed gu. This jar comes from a Miao ethnic region; the Miao have always been mysterious for their gu practitioners. If I'm not mistaken, the jar's former owner was a Miao gu master. Inside were kept various gu such as snakes, insects, rats, and ants. After the gu master died, the gu went through many twists and ended up in Boss Liu's hands.

Although the owner is gone, years of countless poisonous insects fighting inside have already formed insect spirit energy. Moreover, the jar is placed in the house's Five Ghosts direction. Boss Liu's family nightly suffers nightmares of being torn by snakes and insects, which must be the insect spirit in the jar causing trouble.

This is an unknown aspect of geomancy; though unrelated to feng shui, its threat exceeds that of ordinary feng shui sha.

"So it's this thing stirring up gu trouble—no wonder we searched so long and found no source; it basically has nothing to do with feng shui." Pangzi muttered with a grin.

Upon hearing the jar was so dangerous, Boss Liu immediately opened the cabinet, took out the jar, and smashed it.

"No!" Pangzi and I shouted in unison to stop him.

"What's the point? This jar isn't worth much. Smashing it is better than leaving it here to harm people." Boss Liu thought we were reluctant to lose its value.

"It's not about the money; smashing it like that won't work." Pangzi picked his nose and said: "If you smash the jar this way, the insect spirit won't just disappear—it may attach to other places in your house and lie in wait to take revenge."

Boss Liu hesitated for a moment, then asked Pangzi: "Master Pang, what do you suggest we do?"

Pangzi said: "The best way is to use talisman methods to seal the insect spirit inside, then wash it with pomelo leaves and suppress it with emperor coins, gradually eliminating the residual toxic insect aura in the jar."

An ordinary person might suggest using dog's or chicken's blood, or leaving it in the sun to bake. But that approach—frankly speaking—is something only a half‑educated person would think of. Some spirits attached to antiques don't fear blood; instead, they become fiercer when they smell it. Take this jar: it once raised gu, and if you pour blood in, you won't subdue the poisonous insects—you'll only provoke their ferocity. As for leaving it in the sun to let yang energy dispel yin, that's not a bad method, but it would damage the artifact's value, and you can't control the weather—sunshine brings rain. Placing a spirit‑infused object outdoors can also attract other spirits to inhabit it; once the wolf leaves, an even fiercer tiger might be drawn in.

The best approach is what Pangzi suggested: first use talismans to seal the insect spirit so it can't cause harm, then wash it with pomelo leaves, and finally suppress it with Five Emperor Coins.

As everyone knows, pomelo leaves inherently repel evil and cleanse impurity. Even we Daoist priests must wash our hands with pomelo leaves before drawing talismans or worshipping gods. The Five Emperor Coins were minted during the prosperous reigns of the Qing emperors Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing. The round shape represents heaven, the square hole earth. They gather the power of the Three Powers—heaven, earth, and man—relying on the august might of the Five Emperors to ward off sha, counteract villains, and serve as the utmost yang object that dispels yin. With the supreme yang authority of the Five Emperor Coins, dispelling this trifling insect aura is naturally effortless.

Pangzi drew a talisman, burned it inside the jar to seal the insect qi, and instructed Boss Liu to place Five Emperor Coins in the jar to purify the spirit.

But after hearing this, Boss Liu waved his hands repeatedly, saying: "I dare not keep this thing; if you want it, just take it."

Pangzi and I stared, thinking: "What use would giving us this thing be? We're not collectors, we don't raise gu—giving it to us would just be wasteful."

"I'll take it, please give it to me." At that moment, Yuan Qiu reached out with both hands, took the jar, and gave us a light smile.

I also gave a light smile and nodded; Yuan Qiu doing this carries deep meaning. If it were me and Pangzi, we certainly wouldn't accept this jar; after all, taking something that isn't ours would make us feel guilty. But if we don't accept it, Boss Liu, being a businessman, would inevitably become suspicious.

You keep saying everything's fine, but when I offer you something, you refuse, claiming there's no ghost—who would believe that, right?

So, Yuan Qiu stepping in at this moment was just right—it relieved our embarrassment and simultaneously won Boss Liu's favor, letting him get rid of this hot potato; truly a case of killing two birds with one stone.

Indeed, after Yuan Qiu took the hot potato, Boss Liu's attitude toward him improved greatly; what followed were just some pleasantries typical in business dealings.

Pangzi and I couldn't stand all that business talk, so we went outside, leaving the two inside to laugh and chat as they pleased.

Not long after, Boss Liu came out with a beaming face, and as soon as he appeared, he pulled out a check from his pocket and handed it to Pangzi and me.

"Boss Liu, why don't you wait a while, make sure you're not having nightmares again, and then give it to us?" I didn't take the check from Boss Liu's hand. Let him make sure everything's fine, then give it to Yuan Qiu, and have Yuan Qiu pass it to us.

After settling the matter, the three of us turned down Boss Liu's dinner invitation and left his house.

On the way, I dubiously asked Yuan Qiu, "Do you really dare to take that jar back? Aren't you afraid we were just spouting nonsense to fool Boss Liu earlier?"

Yuan Qiu laughed heartily, patted his chest, and said only five words: "I believe you."

"Hey, Weiqiang Ge, this is for you," Yuan Qiu pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to Pangzi.

Pangzi stared at the card for a long time and asked Yuan Qiu, "What the heck is this?"

Yuan Qiu scratched his head and said, "This is a flower shop card; I got one using my father's name there. From now on, with this card you can pick any flowers you like in the shop for free, but there's a limit: only ten bouquets a month, no more."

Upon hearing Yuan Qiu's words, I instantly raised my opinion of him in my mind. To be precise, I admired his skill in handling matters. Pangzi's fondness for Silijing is common knowledge throughout the school, and he often complains about not having money to buy flowers for Silijing. Now Yuan Qiu giving this card is undoubtedly catering to his taste and meeting his needs, and moreover it avoids the cliché of directly giving money.

"Haha, buddy, kind of interesting." Pangzi laughed happily.

Yuan Qiu, in a Myanmar way, said: "Actually, there's not much meaning."

"If there's no meaning, then next time remember to give me something sufficiently meaningful," Pangzi raised his eyebrows and said lecherously.

"Um," Yuan Qiu's face flushed from Pangzi's words: "'Um, I just remembered my mom made soup and is waiting for me to come home and drink it, so I'll go ahead first and not see you off.'" He fled in embarrassment.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight of Yuan Qiu fleeing in embarrassment.

In the past, when Pangzi and I followed QingSongShu to run errands for wealthy households, the flatterers and those who collected gifts would always come out with this spiel.

The gift collector frowned: "What do you mean by this?"

The gift giver, frightened, hurriedly waved his hands: "Please don't misunderstand; I actually don't mean anything by it."

"You're really not thoughtful."

"Oh, oh, it's just a small token."

"How am I supposed to feel good about this?"

"Please don't disdain it; this is just a tiny, insignificant token."

"Then I'll just feel embarrassed."

"It's only proper, it's only proper."

A single phrase 'meaning' can be explained in a thousand ways, fully elucidating the profound obscurity of classical Chinese culture, making this scholar of mine feel inadequate to the point of wanting to go out and buy a block of tofu to kill myself.

Every time Pangzi and I hear such a conversation, goosebumps rise on our skin, our stomachs churn—it's as if our five viscera and six bowels are in turmoil, making us feel nauseated to the point of being unable to bear it.

Afterward, whenever someone gave a gift to QingSongShu or something to Pangzi, and if someone said to Pangzi, "Actually, this is just a small token, it means nothing," Pangzi would always take it and then, instead of following the usual routine, add the line: "Remember to bring something sufficiently meaningful next time." His thick-skinnedness makes people sweat with embarrassment; usually the gift giver ends up flushed red-faced and fleeing in shame.

So, just now Pangzi definitely didn't unintentionally let Yuan Qiu suffer embarrassment; he did it on purpose. It's because he ended up with Pangzi, this unconventional livewire, who, moreover, dislikes business-as-usual tactics and loves to disgust people.

When I and Pangzi were about to return to Chan Yi Hall, I saw the entrance crowded with a bustling throng of people, everyone gathered there, pointing and commenting at Chan Yi Hall.

We pushed through the crowd of onlookers and saw another person who wasn't very familiar; instantly, my and Pangzi's expressions turned into a mixture of laughter and tears.

Big brother, what are you doing? Is it necessary to be like this?