Chapter 002: Ancient Bell (II)

The night was already deep, and snow began to fall from the sky at an unknown time. Everyone was exhausted. In this situation, there was no ability to retrieve the clock, so they had to wait until dawn, gathering more people to think of other solutions, fortunately, the clock had already broken free from the ice. Someone brought wheat straw to cover the clock. They spread the remaining wheat straw in an abandoned warehouse, lit a bonfire, and everyone sat around it. Boss Wang said he would go buy some food, and then drove away.

Upon waking, I realized that I was the only person in the warehouse; the few workers had mysteriously disappeared, and Boss Wang had not returned. The fire was nearly extinguished, and outside, the wind and snow were raging. I glanced at the time; it was still not yet two o'clock.

The master nodded and told me that yesterday morning, upon returning home from the market, he sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat off. After checking, the master discovered that the talisman nailed behind the front door had fallen down.

Five ... ... workers? I murmured.

Everyone's heart was in their throat, and with the clanking sound of the iron chains, the bell slowly rose up.

Those people are still discussing it endlessly. I want to say that I saw Boss Wang yesterday and I managed to hold back, as I would be considered insane if I scared them.

It was taken to the boss's house. The police said the scene needs to be cleared. Anyway, no one lives there, and with the weather being so cold, the body won't smell. Those workers are all from out of town. They will notify their families to identify the bodies only after thoroughly investigating the cause of the accident and responsibility. The current methods and efficiency of the police, sigh, are beyond words

Without a second thought, I chased after them, as if I were in a dream, running a great distance in one breath, only to realize that there wasn't even a shadow to be seen, just the north wind howling.

I initiated the session twice in succession, and the results obtained from the divination were remarkably accurate. I immediately felt a sense of accomplishment and was filled with confidence in myself

This little Master Leng possesses great skills. Boss Wang said, "With him around, everyone has nothing to fear..."

There is no doubt that the loud noise I heard earlier came from it, but what is that thing I saw

Upon further inspection, it was observed that digging deeper revealed that the area surrounding the bell was filled with a white, hard, and cold substance, which turned out to be ice. This bell was actually frozen within the ice! The thickness of the ice layer and the extent of its area remained unknown.

The workers began to feel afraid as they unearthed a peculiar bell from beneath the ruins, even more bizarre was the fact that the bell was frozen within a layer of ice; anyone who witnessed that scene at the time would have been terrified

In a daze, as I walked outside, I suddenly heard a loud "bang," and all my fatigue was instantly startled away. I rushed out in a few steps, and my eyes blurred; I felt something fly out of the courtyard at lightning speed.

After the game was finished, the master stared at the situation, lost in thought and silent

The snow continued to fall, obscuring the sky and the earth, with visibility limited to just a few meters. When I returned to that courtyard, I noticed that the clock had actually moved from the pit to the ground!

"Leng Er, set up the game you arranged for Boss Wang yesterday for me to see again," the master said

Do not be afraid, everyone. I cleared my throat and said, Since the ground has already been broken, we must find a way to dig it out today. Let's all work hard!

Upon inquiry, it was revealed that an incident had occurred. Two days ago, a brick kiln collapsed, resulting in the deaths of five workers. It is said that those individuals were using a pulley to maneuver a brick-making machine into the kiln when, due to excessive force, it either struck the kiln wall or some other mishap occurred. The entire brick kiln suddenly collapsed, burying everyone inside.

I was awakened by the cold, or rather, I heard a strange sound and then felt the chill, which caused me to wake up

At that moment, I finally saw the text message from Chenxing. Chenxing is my girlfriend, who was studying in the United Kingdom at the time. The content of the message was nothing more than asking what I was doing and whether I was thinking of her

What is this thing

However, the ice layer was too hard; they had been digging until nearly nine o'clock in the evening and had only managed to dig a little over half a foot deep, while the ice layer seemed endless. Boss Wang somehow brought in a vehicle, along with a tripod and a pulley system.

I stood there in a daze when I heard someone say: "Not just five people, the boss has also died. He just rushed back from the hospital and was buried shortly after. Alas, what a fate! He used to be the richest man in this area. I really don't know what sins he committed. His mother just passed away recently, and now he has died too. I heard that his wife has gone mad and returned to her family, while the child is still in the hospital, being taken care of by a relative..." Alas, what a fate! He used to be the richest man in this area. I really don't know what sins he committed. His mother just passed away recently, and now he has died too. I heard that his wife has gone mad and returned to her family, while the child is still in the hospital, being taken care of by a relative...

Seeing so many of my questions, those people began to feel puzzled

Where have their bodies been taken after being dug up? I asked

What does a "huoya zi" look like? I stepped forward and grabbed the man's arm, startling him.

Indeed, I have heard about it as well. Another person said, "Things have been quite strange at his home lately. On the day he died, he had just returned to the factory and told someone that after finishing his work at the factory, he was going to invite a certain master to check the feng shui of his home. Unexpectedly..."

It turns out that this is the case. In the context of residential feng shui, an ancient bell is considered an inauspicious object. It is often said that bells are associated with funerals, and such items are typically found only in public places with strong yang energy, like schools and temples. The location of this bell, along with the position of the diagram and book, happens to be at a critical energy point of this residence. The earth energy of a residence is closely linked to the fate of the family living there. Having such an inauspicious object blocking the residential energy point will naturally lead to poor fortune and unfavorable fate. The location of this bell, along with the position of the diagram and book, happens to be at a critical energy point of this residence. The earth energy of a residence is closely linked to the fate of the family living there. Having such an inauspicious object blocking the residential energy point will naturally lead to poor fortune and unfavorable fate

What is this!

As I recalled from memory, I conveyed the results I had derived yesterday to my master

Perhaps it was because I was too tired; after replying to the text message, I quickly fell asleep

At this moment, the sky had turned completely dark, and the world was enveloped in a blanket of white. This residence stood alone in this place, several miles away from the nearest village. As the north wind blew, the trees on the mountain behind the courtyard rustled with a "scratching" sound.

"You are not wrong about the breakage," the master nodded, "but you have overlooked the fate of Boss Wang himself."

Just as it was about to all come out, there was a sudden "bang," followed by a loud "thud." The circular ring at the top of the bell broke, and the bell fell heavily back down.

I jumped down and carefully illuminated the area with a lighter, only to discover an ancient bell. It was covered in rust and appeared to be buried beneath the surface, with only the top exposed. At the top, there was a circular ring intended for hanging, which had long since corroded and fused with the bell.

The workers disappeared without a trace from the moment I woke up that night until the next day, as if they had evaporated into thin air. I waited in that courtyard until nearly noon, but still did not see Boss Wang, which made me feel that something was amiss. I regretted not asking Boss Wang for his phone number.

Dig it, this is the thing!

I bent down and looked into the dark clock chamber. At that moment, I suddenly caught a whiff of a foul odor. Summoning my courage, I reached in and felt around, touching many sticky and gooey substances. When I brought it closer to my eyes, it resembled the amniotic fluid released during the birth of some animal

I suddenly realized that when this clock was buried underground, it contained "things and books"! ... It seems that the Wang family's misfortunes are not merely due to the clock blocking the house's feng shui.

Master, am I correct in my judgment

My head suddenly "buzzed" and exploded; if that's the case, are the Boss Wang I saw and those workers all dead

The tripod was set up above the bell, the pulley was secured, and the iron chain was threaded through the circular ring at the top of the bell. Two laborers pulled with all their might. Suddenly, there was a series of cracking sounds, and the bell finally moved.

Returning home in a daze, it was already evening. In the dimly lit room, the master was sitting by the Eight Immortals table, looking somewhat haggard, and the water in the teacup on the table had long since lost its warmth

I walked to a nearby town, took a motorcycle taxi, and hurried to Boss Wang's house, only to find the front door tightly shut, with no response to my knocking. Although the courtyard wall was high, it would not have been difficult for me to climb over it given my abilities at the time. Despite my strong desire to enter and see if something had happened, I restrained myself.

The inherent destiny?

This is why, after Boss Wang purchased this residence, his family has been plagued by continuous misfortunes. However, the overall feng shui of this residence is quite good, which is why, despite the ongoing calamities, Boss Wang's business has been thriving. I just do not understand who buried a bell here and what their intentions were. From the degree of rust, it is evident that this bell was not buried recently; it has been buried for at least several decades.

From the perspective of the bureau, Boss Wang's fate character "Gui" falls in the sixth palace of Qian. Although it encounters "Tian Chong" and "Jing Men," it is protected by the fate deity "Jiu Tian," which seems to indicate that there is nothing amiss.

Upon hearing his description of that gap-toothed person's appearance, I was instantly frozen in place... Last night, this person was among those who participated in the excavation of the bell, and the number of workers involved in the excavation was exactly five

Boss Wang told me the location of his brick kiln factory, m. hetushucomcom, and I took a taxi to get there. Upon arrival, I saw that the area was cordoned off with police tape, and a police car was parked nearby. There were also several onlookers, each dressed in thick cotton jackets, shivering from the cold

However, as they were digging, the workers suddenly stopped and began to shout and call out.

"How are you? That dead person didn't trouble you, did he?" My master asked with concern upon seeing me return

I was squatting on the ground, smoking while chatting with Boss Wang, when I heard the words and hurriedly got up

I kept digging until dusk, and had only excavated a little over one meter deep. I was so cold that I couldn't stop stamping my feet, showing no regard for the "masterly demeanor." Finally, with a crisp sound of "ding," I had unearthed something.

The master took some ash from the bottom of the stove and scattered it in the courtyard. In the frozen, hard ground, faint footprints were discernible, indicating the presence of a spirit entering the residence. The master quickly performed a divination and discovered that this "spirit" bore no ill intent but had a request. Nevertheless, the master remained concerned for my safety and stayed awake all night, waiting until now

At that moment, I was not afraid at all; in fact, I felt a bit excited, as if the skills I had diligently learned from my master over such a long time could finally be put to use. However, what I discovered the next day still sends shivers down my spine when I think about it now

That night, as time went on, I was filled with excitement and no longer felt the cold. I searched through the nearby fields, riverbanks, and hills, but found nothing. I thought to myself that it would be better to return first. When Boss Wang arrives, I will ask him to send more people. No matter what that thing is, we must dig three feet into the ground to find it.

I was taken aback, "Master, do you... do you know that Boss Wang is a dead man?"

Indeed. A thin, dark-skinned man wiped his nose and said, "Alas, how tragic. That gap-toothed fellow used to drink with me, and now he’s dead. I even took a look at his body when it was dug up the night before last..."