Chapter 009: The Haunted Money

Zhong Youshou looked at the middle-aged man with difficulty, and the middle-aged man said, "Of course not, please come this way, sir. But, do these two adults have no relationship with our clan leader?"

He gave Wang Qilin a secret signal and whispered, "Xiaoqi, get a copper coin."

Zhong Youshou was so frightened that he trembled and knelt down, and the middle-aged man also knelt down when he saw this.

At this moment, three people were walking into the farmland at the foot of the mountain, with people around them driving oxen to plow the land.

A strong man who was herding cattle was in a hurry and wanted to chase after them. Xu Dachong quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, pressing him down to the ground...

I have one too. Other mischievous children also pulled open their collars, revealing a copper coin hanging on a red string around their necks.

Wang Qilin glanced at him with admiration, saying "I didn't expect Xu Lishi to have hidden depths."

Du Cao gave him a kick when he heard the words: "Pretending to understand without understanding! This is Su Qian, not Ya Sui Qian, but there is some connection between the two. You guys take a look, what is so special about these copper coins?"

Zhong Youshou immediately became anxious: "I dare not speak recklessly, I dare not speak recklessly. The clan leader passed away due to a sudden illness. It is our ancestral tradition to mourn in a low-key manner when the clan leader passes away. We cannot make a fuss."

According to local customs, it is appropriate to welcome others to offer condolences when someone passes away in the family.

Du Cao chuckled and said, "Yes, it is true that the amulet can ward off evil spirits when hung on a deceased person, but if it is hung on a living person, hehe, then it would be the opposite - the evil spirits would press down on the person instead of being warded off."

Wang Qilin has already seen it. He said, "This is not a copper coin circulated in any dynasty. There is no year number on it. It is written with the four characters 'Ping An Ya Sui'."

The reporter cannot be found.

Du Caodao: "You're not stupid. You know Zhong Erniu has been hidden. So, where has he been hidden?"

Xu Dali shouted, "Nonsense!"

Since Zhong Er Niu has gone missing, we won't investigate the case anymore," Du Cao said, reaching out to grab his shoulder. "Zhong Youshou, take me to your ancestral temple. Zhong Youfu and I go way back, and since I'm here, there's no reason not to pay our respects."

Does this clock suddenly drive them away, perhaps because it reveals copper coins?

Xu Dayi stared with bull's eyes, wanting to show off, but Wang Qilin stopped him and said with a smile, "Let's wait here."

A mischievous child with a hairstyle resembling a teapot lid pulled open his collar and said, "I have money, I'll use it to buy."

What Xu Dado can understand, why does he still need to say anything?

Xu Dawen asked, "Sir, what is this copper coin?"

Finally, Du Cao was annoyed. His face darkened as he said, "Are you all so afraid of me going to see the deceased? Is it because the deceased died in a disgraceful manner?"

Once there was a wealthy landowner who played a big trick. He actually hired someone to impersonate a member of the imperial family to offer condolences to his deceased father. As a result, the truth was soon revealed, and not long after, the real relatives came to offer condolences to his entire family.

Soon, a satisfied smile appeared on his face again: "As expected, Zhong Er Niu did not escape into the mountains, he was locked up in Zhong's underground prison."

The money is to be hung on the user's forehead. It has two effects: first, to prevent the deceased from turning into evil spirits or zombies and causing trouble; second, to serve as a bribe for the deceased, allowing them to pass through the underworld.

Because each charm coin has dealt with evil spirits and demons, the Yin energy is extremely strong. Placing it on a child can suppress their Yang energy, making them appear like a Yin spirit. This way, the ghosts and evil spirits will see them as their own kind and will no longer persecute them.

At this point, a look of dissatisfaction appeared on his face as he said, "What the hell is the Zhong family up to? The strange circumstances surrounding the chief's death and the secrecy surrounding it are suspicious enough, but appointing a clueless idiot as the new chief in such a large family is even more suspicious!"

Du Cao raised his hand to stop him, then stared at Zhong Youshou with a gloomy expression.

Du Cao led them out of the field and found a clean stone to sit down. He said, "Not only that, there are many strange things here, the strangest of which is the thing hanging on the neck of the child in the inner courtyard. Xiao Qi, did you get the copper coins they were wearing?"

Du Cao gave him an approving glance.

He snatched the candy chestnuts from Xu Dahua and went to play with some children, which made Xu Dahua angry: "How dare you snatch food from a tiger's mouth?"

This kid can make things happen, he can achieve great things!

Weird!

Zhong Youshou looked unconsciously at the middle-aged man beside him. The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Is Mr. Du here for Erniu? It's really unfortunate. Erniu went somewhere yesterday and came back behaving foolishly. In the evening, he even ran into the mountains and hasn't returned until now..."

Xu Da disdainfully looked at him and said, "You don't even know what New Year's money is? It's red envelope money!"

Xu stared and looked over. The old yellow cow happened to turn his head and glanced at him, then they locked eyes - one person and one cow. The old yellow cow turned around and ran away.

Du Cao was playing with this copper coin and said, "What copper coin? This is a talisman coin!"

Du Cao took the copper coins and nodded in satisfaction at him. "Very good, hehe, there will be an exciting show tonight."

Wang Qilin looked at the old people squatting by the wall, basking in the sun. Their faces were full of wrinkles and their expressions were wooden.

Wang Qilin handed him a copper coin and said, "Take this. I deceived a child with chestnuts to pick it for me, and then I switched it with a copper zhu."

Some people are so concerned about saving face that they even pretend to be high-ranking officials or successful businessmen when someone visits their home, just to impress them with a few words.

There is a kind of indescribable peculiarity.

He said, "No matter what kind of ghost it is, everything will be revealed tonight. The child who lost the ghost money will encounter ghosts tonight. He is the child of the inner chamber, precious and valuable. At that time, the Zhong family will surely be in chaos. We will take advantage of the situation and go to the prison to confront Zhong Erniu and the others."

So, why does Zhong Mingming clearly know that there are ghosts but dare not let us at the Tianjian Temple know?

Especially in large families, emphasis is placed on the grandeur. The more people come to offer condolences, the more grand it is. The higher the status of the people who come to offer condolences, the more grand it is.

Wang Qilin nodded in silence.

The atmosphere was a bit stagnant for a while.

Xu Da waved his hand in a bad mood and said, "This candy and chestnut were bought by my boss. Why should I give them to you?"

Wang Qilin was taken aback. Is there an issue with the copper coins worn by the children?

However, Zhong Shi is different. Du Cao said he wanted to go and pay respects to Zhong Youfu, but Zhong Youfu and Zhong Youshou were not only unhappy, but also laughed and declined.

After seeing it, Du Cao knew that what Zhong Erniu said about the haunting of the Zhong family was true. Zhong Youshou must have known the inside story. He just saw the children revealing the money for the offering and was worried that Du Cao would find it strange, so he wanted to drive away these children.

But the children didn't understand. They thought the copper coins they were wearing were currency, so they willingly showed them to buy chestnuts to eat.

Money for the afterlife is a rare item. It is a coin privately minted by Taoist priests, not used for market circulation, but for burying the dead. It is specifically used for those who died unjustly or tragically, not for ordinary deceased individuals.

The mischievous children giggled and ran away, gathering together to share and eat chestnuts.

They are up to mischief, doing things that are not to be seen. Xu Dali immediately replied.

Du Cao Dao: "I had a close relationship with your clan leader. When he passed away, I went to pay my respects. Is this considered causing trouble?"

Upon seeing this clock, I became anxious. I quickly got up and drove away a few mischievous children, saying, "Go home, all of you, and don't disturb the honorable gentleman who is handling a case here!"

Xu Dayi is furious: "We traveled all this way, and the person who reported the case has been hidden, and the chestnuts have been taken by those little rascals. What kind of situation is this?"

Wang Qilin asked in confusion, "What is Suìqián?"

Xu lifted his belt and hummed, "I've got both thick and thin parts!"

The ancestral hall is located at the highest point of the inner courtyard. Du Cao left for a short while and then returned, taking two people with him as he left.

The only normal ones are the naughty children, who, after finishing their candy and chestnuts, come up again making a fuss and demanding more.

However, regarding the whereabouts of Zhong Erniu, they insisted that he went missing in the mountains last night.

Seeing Xu embarrassed, the middle-aged man rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "Go play on the side, kids."

Wang Qilin was about to make a conjecture when Xu Da signaled him to stop talking.

Xu Dalian's face showed a look of horror: "Is this the New Year's money?"

Du Cao brushed his sleeves and displayed his official authority, saying in a deep voice, "Zhong, the patriarch of the Zhong family, listen carefully. I, Du Cao, the junior official of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, am here today to investigate a mysterious case in your clan. There is a tenant farmer in your clan named Zhong Erniu. Where is he at the moment?"