Chapter 19: The Disappearing Money Ash

Second Uncle is sometimes a person who meddles in many things, and sometimes a person who handles matters cleanly and efficiently.

When the tricycle uncle pulled us to an apartment entrance, Second Uncle said again:

【 Uncle, can you take us to a hotel apartment further away? 】

【 What’s going on with you two? You just said to take you to a place nearby where people can stay. 】

The tricycle uncle frowned, his angry voice saying unhappily.

【 One hundred more. 】

【 This… 】

The uncle hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

After the uncle drove us for some time, we finally settled into a hotel.

After Second Uncle finished all the rental procedures, he took me upstairs. Upon arriving at the room, Second Uncle said earnestly:

【 Little Child, in our line of work, it’s very easy to offend people. Perhaps one day you’ll offend someone without even knowing it. Sometimes, if you can avoid trouble, don’t seek it out. 】

I nodded, somewhat understanding but not fully grasping.

After Second Uncle finished speaking, he began to wash up and then fell asleep.

It was around seven in the morning when we arrived at the hotel, and the sky had already brightened. However, both my Second Uncle and I had stayed up all night guarding the spirit, and neither of us had slept much.

So, this sleep was quite deep, and I slept until past three in the afternoon.

Over the next few days, my Second Uncle and I stayed at this hotel. When Second Uncle had time, he would inquire with Mr. Zhang about the affairs of Mr. Hong’s family.

After we left, Mr. Hong called for a spirit vehicle again and transported the old man to the crematorium for cremation. This time, no weird things happened, and the matter was handled exceptionally smoothly.

As for the payment for our services, if introduced by a snakehead, the snakehead negotiates the fee with the employer. If the job isn’t completed, the employer naturally doesn’t have to pay.

Mr. Zhang asked Second Uncle approximately how much he should charge for this job.

Second Uncle thought for a moment and charged Mr. Hong five thousand.

After experiencing this event, I naively thought it would be a good idea to go along with Second Uncle in this line of work. At that time, I thought that most future jobs would be similar to this one, so I felt it wasn’t difficult and wasn’t dangerous. Although the matter was a bit creepy, with Second Uncle accompanying me, I wasn’t very scared. Perhaps I would get used to it after doing more such jobs, and I could even handle them alone. That’s what I thought.

For the next few days, I read Daoist books whenever I had free time, while Second Uncle went out to explore the surroundings. I had no desire to go out.

Second Uncle generally didn’t disturb me when I was reading Daoist books, giving me the feeling that reading Daoist books was a very important matter in his eyes.

After Mr. Zhang received the money, he came to the rented room. Mr. Zhang took one thousand yuan as an introduction fee. I don’t know if Second Uncle had agreed on this with Mr. Zhang beforehand or if it was a set rule.

The remaining money was split equally between Second Uncle and me, and I received two thousand.

Second Uncle has always split the money he received equally with me, but even if Second Uncle took more, I wouldn’t say anything.

Due to the nature of my work, I’ve never lacked money, so I’ve never really had any concept of money.

In fact, for this era, two thousand yuan is a lot of money.

However, in any era, there will always be a small portion of people who are wealthy, and a small portion who live quite well with no excess money, in other words, the middle class. The remaining majority are basically poor.

And in our line of work, we primarily deal with that segment of wealthy individuals, which is what people refer to as the high-end elite circle.

To be honest, our line of work is very profitable, but also very dangerous. However, in the eyes of some people, it’s like being a swindler. As long as they haven’t encountered these matters or witnessed them firsthand, they will think that way.

As for the majority of poor people, they are more likely to disbelieve such things. They struggle to secure their three meals a day and have no time to think about these matters. In other words, if they’re not afraid of poverty, would they be afraid of ghosts?

This saying is true for some poor people. Many poor people are unrestricted and resort to any means for money. After earning money and then encountering some unclean matters, they become fearful, lacking the boldness they had when doing dirty deeds. However, at this point, these poor people have already moved out of the category of the poor and entered what could be called the elite circle, so they will seek people from our circle to handle these matters.

After Mr. Zhang brought us the money and sat for a while, he left. Second Uncle then returned the room and opened another room nearby.

I have also gradually gotten used to Second Uncle’s way of doing things. I just follow whatever Second Uncle does, and I don’t need to handle anything.

This time, we stayed in this apartment for quite a long time, about half a month. During this half month, Second Uncle did not move to any other place.

After Second Uncle called Mr. Zhang to confirm that nothing had happened at Mr. Hong’s house during this period, he took me back to the old Hong family ancestral hall.

The gate of the ancestral hall was already closed, but Second Uncle’s purpose was not inside the ancestral hall, nor did he intend to go in. Instead, he went to the side of the entrance and opened the box that Mr. Hong had placed there.

This box was the second thing Second Uncle had instructed Mr. Hong to do. Since the box was here, it implies that Mr. Hong somewhat believed what Second Uncle said and didn’t dismiss his words. It’s also possible that he found the wooden puppet left by the old man, because even Mr. Hong didn’t know about the existence of this puppet, let alone Second Uncle. Yet Second Uncle knew, and upon careful consideration, one could figure out what to do.

Seeing Second Uncle open the box, I also walked over and squatted down beside him.

The box was empty, but I saw some traces of ash on the bottom edges of the box. When Mr. Hong took it out, there must have been ash, but it was gone now. These traces were the proof.

Second Uncle took a look and then took me away. I then asked Second Uncle:

【 Was the money inside really taken by an Underworld Official? 】

Second Uncle turned his head and said with a smile:

【 Besides these things, who else would touch the dust inside a box? Normal people see things related to this kind of matter and want to stay as far away as possible. 】

【 Did they really use the paper money we burned over there? 】

【 Who knows about such things, but if you ask me, this matter is probably true. Little Child, you must remember that things that have been passed down from ancient times, and are practiced with basic consensus nationwide, must have some secrets. As for whether the matter you asked about is true, perhaps when you cultivate those three Daoist books to perfection, you might be able to figure it out. Even if it’s not guaranteed, if you can’t figure it out this way, I really can’t think of any other method to understand these things. If you do figure it out, don’t forget to tell your Second Uncle. Actually, Second Uncle is also very curious about these matters sometimes. 】

Second Uncle said with a serious yet seemingly joking tone.

【 I haven’t found any secrets in these three Daoist books yet. 】

I said somewhat speechlessly.

【 Don’t rush. Many things take time. Perhaps one day you’ll suddenly have an epiphany. 】

【 I hope so. 】

I believe these Daoist books have secrets, judging by Second Uncle’s attitude towards them. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to discern any secrets from them, which makes me a bit melancholic.