Chapter 4: The Impressive Hu Laosan

At this moment, the little chubby boy is chatting on WeChat with his phone. Upon seeing us enter, he suddenly jumped up.

This middle-aged man appears to be in his forties, tall in stature, with a square face and slicked-back hair. He exudes a calm and composed demeanor, presenting himself as very capable, clearly a leader who has held a high position in this organization for many years

However, upon meeting the little fatty, Hu Laosan did not exhibit the imposing demeanor one would expect in front of a high-ranking leader. Instead, he chuckled and reverted to his lewd appearance, saying, "Young chubby kid, just a little bit of a big deal, let’s have a spring festival feast another day, and I’ll do some calculations for you."

Here he comes, here he comes, the shameless uncle is right at the door

I can't believe it, even at this time, this old man still has the mind to trick me into treating him to a meal. However, in this moment of chaos, I no longer have the urge to curse. Therefore, I once again respectfully invited Old Hu San into the same dumpling restaurant as last time, and treated him to three plates of dumplings filled with donkey meat.

I voiced my doubts, but Hu Laosan merely called me a country bumpkin. He mentioned that the Criminal Investigation Division is divided into many departments, one of which is a paranormal special case group that ordinary people cannot know about, specifically responsible for certain extraordinary paranormal events in the country, though most people are unaware of it.

When Old Hu San saw me arrive, he proudly tucked away the large bills and then revealed his signature lewd smile, looking quite pleased. However, I wore a grim expression and uttered a statement that broke the mood, saying, "The situation has gone awry"

My heart has once again become chaotic, and I do not understand what is happening. Why is it that I can see things that others cannot? ... Could it be ...

I spoke anxiously, but this time Hu Laosan was surprisingly calm and simply said, "Normal"

The little girl politely asked me and Hu Laosan, and upon hearing this, Hu Laosan jumped up and exclaimed, "I am only thirty!"

Old Hu San still finds it hard to believe what I said, thinking it might be a bit far-fetched

Uncle Master, when did you come to Beijing? Why didn't you give me a heads-up? I could have sent someone to pick you up

I said: "Brother Hu San, let us not discuss the matter of my seeing blood anymore. I am almost going crazy right now. Ever since last night, I have been able to see those things. A faceless man has been staring at me all night, and it nearly scared me to death."

After finishing this plate of dumplings, Hu Laosan felt satisfied and generously told me that he had helped me with this matter. However, he truly could not exorcise spirits and would take me to find a master for assistance

I can only smile wryly at this. Not to mention Old Hu, even I feel a bit ridiculous saying everything out loud. After all, the events have coincidentally reached a certain extent. If I hadn't made such a loud noise in the room at that time, Aunt Zhao and the others wouldn't have come. If Li Yao hadn't screamed while escaping, which left me unable to hear anything, I wouldn't have foolishly rushed to the door. If that small wooden sword hadn't been thrown so high, I wouldn't have been injured and bled. In short, I have been unfortunate to an utterly incomprehensible degree in this matter.

I whispered quietly, continuously signaling Nurse Xiao Li with my eyes. Seeing my serious expression, Nurse Xiao Li actually began to believe me and turned her head towards the door. However, it seemed that this lady couldn't see the shameless uncle at all; after just a glance, she looked at me with dissatisfaction and said, "I say, are you being serious? Making such jokes for no reason? If you keep this up, I'll have to change your caregiver."

As I recounted the entire sequence of events, Hu Laosan looked at me with an expression of disbelief, saying, "You little brat, are you not possessed by a broom star? If I were to draw that white sword, would I stab you then?"

Young one, have you finished the matter?

I kept speculating in my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt that this matter was related to Hu Laosan's small wooden sword. So, I stayed up all night at the hospital, and the next morning, regardless of what the doctor said, I stubbornly insisted on completing the discharge procedures with my body wrapped in bandages. I took a taxi and went back to my residential community to find Hu Laosan

At this moment, the young policewoman felt embarrassed. However, it is not entirely her fault; indeed, Hu Laosan's appearance is somewhat too mature. I had always thought he was in his forties.

This is an office space for ten people, which is quite large; however, the number of people inside is rather pitiful. Apart from the senior leader, Team Leader Zhang, who brought us in, there is only a chubby boy around seventeen or eighteen years old.

Excuse me, sir, may I ask if you have any matters to discuss

I am looking for Team Leader Zhang from the Special Cases Department; I am a distant relative of his and have an urgent matter to discuss

At this moment, my thoughts suddenly froze on the scene when Hu Laosan gave me the small wooden sword. At that time, he told me that this small sword must never see blood, otherwise it would bring about unforeseen disasters. Could it be that I am able to see things that others cannot because of that small wooden sword

As soon as I arrived at the community, I saw Hu Laosan, who was still setting up his stall in the alley beneath my building. At that moment, he was reading the fortune of a middle-aged woman in her forties, who had a thick layer of makeup on her face. He was charmingly persuading her, saying that her marriage line was long, and that she was destined to have a continuous stream of romantic luck in this life, a fate that others could only envy. The woman was so delighted by his words that she left with a broad smile, handing Hu Laosan a twenty-yuan bill, which made him beam with joy, unable to close his wide mouth.

"But what about it?" I quickly asked along with the picture book. Hu Laosan then leered and said, "What about it? I haven't had breakfast yet. I wonder if you would treat me to a big plate of dumplings?"

Oh my goodness, I was wondering why my ears were burning today, it turns out the old immortal has arrived. Old immortal, last time in the Greater Khingan Mountains, you told me I had a romantic fortune. When will that fortune manifest? It's been almost three years, and I haven't found a single girl yet!

After eating the dumplings, Old Hu San no longer beat around the bush with me. He told me that the matter of the evil energy entering my body is both significant and insignificant; as long as I can find something with spiritual essence to suppress and purify the evil energy within me, I will gradually recover. He just happens to have such a treasure imbued with spiritual essence, a precious jade that has been passed down through thirty-eight generations of his family.

I naturally will not say much about this; as long as it can resolve my current issue, I will do whatever he says.

Thus, I respectfully accepted the so-called family heirloom jade from Hu Laosan, immediately bowing to him. At the same time, I seized the moment to say: "Brother Hu San, I will never forget your great kindness in this lifetime. However, when helping others, one must see it through to the end; when sending a Buddha, one must escort him to the West. The vengeful spirit of Li Yao has yet to be pacified, and I have also harmed her. She is likely to come looking for me. Brother Hu San, you must help me resolve this matter as well!"

Do not call me Master Uncle, for I am merely a poor fortune teller and cannot bear the title of a great disciple from Longhu Mountain like you

To be honest, I was a bit bewildered at that time. My home is haunted; what use is it to come to the criminal investigation team? Can the police really catch ghosts?

As soon as this old fellow resumed his lewd demeanor, he began to swindle food and drink everywhere. The chubby guy from Northeast China seemed to be quite familiar with Hu Laosan's antics, and upon hearing the words "dumplings," his face immediately turned pale, as if he had been deceived many times before

Upon hearing this tone, my heart immediately raced. Who exactly is this Hu Laosan? This seemingly impressive high-ranking leader is treating him with such courtesy and even refers to him as 'Shishu'.

"Master Uncle, it has been so many years since this matter occurred, why do you still..." The high-ranking official seemed to feel a sense of guilt, as if he had once owed something to Old Hu San. However, halfway through his words, he realized that this was not the appropriate place for such a conversation, so he quickly added: "Master Uncle, considering the long journey you have made, it hasn't been easy for you. Let's go inside to talk. I will treat you to lamb hot pot for lunch."

At this moment, He Laosan was still acting arrogantly, facing the high-ranking leader with an air of superiority, which left me utterly in awe.

About a minute later, the young female police officer emerged from the office with a middle-aged man.

Xiao Li looked somewhat angry, thinking that I was teasing her again, while I was at a loss for words. How could she not see that the uncle was clearly right at the door

After hearing all this, I was deeply moved. Who says that all fortune tellers are frauds and charlatans? Who says that these people only know how to swindle money? This is not the case; what a righteous fortune teller he is.

Moreover, he also mentioned that within this White Killing Sword, in addition to the overwhelming malevolent energy, there exists a trace of Bai Qi's will. I have been tainted by its aura, and it is possible that in the future I may be disturbed by Bai Qi's will, leading to symptoms of possession and mental fragmentation.

As Hu Laosan spoke, he led me towards the police station, and at that moment, a young female officer in uniform, with particularly fair skin and strikingly bright eyes, approached us.

I admit that I am somewhat shameless, even Hu Laosan, a person who has reached the extreme of being a charlatan, could hardly tolerate my troublesome behavior after hearing my words. Regretfully, he slapped his forehead with his dirty hand, saying, "Goodness, why are there so many trivial matters? Waiter, bring me another plate of dumplings filled with donkey meat, and add more chopped green onions."

"Brother Hu San, no, Master Hu San! Please stop scaring me and help me resolve this quickly." I pleaded with a face full of despair, but Hu Laosan remained silent for a long time, seemingly deep in thought. It took him a full five or six minutes before he continued, "There is a way to resolve this matter, but..."

The senior leader spoke and respectfully invited me, or rather, to be precise, invited Hu Laosan into his office

The chubby boy spoke with a strong northeastern accent, exuding warmth, and it seemed that he was quite familiar with this Hu Laosan.

He said that this White Evil Sword is actually the artifact used by Bai Qi to slaughter 400,000 troops of the Zhao state back in the day. It is heavily infused with malevolent energy, and ordinary people who come into contact with its aura will naturally see things beyond this world. The reason he warned me not to let the small wooden sword touch blood was precisely this.

What surprised me, however, was that this seemingly impressive and imposing leader took the initiative to approach Hu Laosan after meeting him

After hearing all of this, I feel like crying. Who have I offended? How did I end up in such a situation

Old Hu said irritably, clearly indicating that this old man's pride had been severely wounded. In response, the young female police officer smiled apologetically once more, and then went to an office labeled "Special Cases Division" to assist in locating someone

After Hu Laosan and I finished eating dumplings, we first went to my house to retrieve his small wooden sword, and then he took me to a place I had never even dreamed of— the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau

Well, I admit that I am not as ruthless as that Hu Laosan, who, in retaliation for my relentless pursuit, actually went ahead and devoured a plate of dumplings with his round belly.