Chapter Six: Violent Slaughtering

  Manager Liu didn't know what this thing was for, but Qin Feng figured it out at a glance. This box was actually made of nanmu wood and was a burial object.

  Nanmu has always been the main material for making coffins in our country's history, because Nanmu is resistant to corrosion, has good wood quality, and has a elegant color with a fragrant aroma. It has always been the first choice for making coffins for royalty and nobility. At this time, Qin Feng saw such a coffin and couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. He looked at it carefully and found that there were a few words carved on the opening of the coffin.

  "Fang Yu, you're an archaeology major, can you take a look at the characters engraved on this?" Fang Yu took the box and carefully examined the tiny characters, no larger than fingernails, on its surface. She furrowed her brow, seemingly having discovered something, but then looked puzzled again. "This...the characters engraved here should be in the Lishu style!"

  " Clerical script? That's the writing style formed in the late Qin and early Han dynasties. Take another look, what is this clerical script engraved with." Qin Feng firmly believed that as long as he figured out this point, things might have taken a significant turn for the better. As for this mysterious box, Qin Feng suspected it was probably something from a tomb.

  After looking at it for a while, Fang Yu also couldn't figure out what it was, so he handed the box back to Qin Feng and said: "I don't quite understand this either, but the bottom character of the two characters on it looks like an 'Yin' character."

  "What's the matter?" Qin Feng was perplexed, thinking about what the word "seal" represented, but he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought. Just then, Manager Liu asked Qin Feng, "Master Qin, is there a problem with this thing?"

  Qin Feng didn't answer Manager Liu's question, but instead asked him back: "Manager Liu, tell the truth, where did this thing come from?"

  Manager Liu's face turned slightly pale, but he quickly replied to Qin Feng: "This is really something I picked up from the construction site. It was dug up by that foreman Da Hei when he was excavating, and he thought it looked good, so he gave it to me."

  It seems that things are really developing in the direction Qin Feng guessed, this thing is indeed something from the tomb, and it's been a long time since then. Fang Yu identified it as an object from the late Ming to early Qing dynasty.

  "What's wrong, is it because of this thing?" Manager Liu seemed to understand a bit of the meaning, and immediately asked Qin Feng to ask for clarification.

  "Yes, it's very likely that this is the thing!" Qin Feng told his thoughts to Manager Liu and his wife, then picked up the compass and started measuring against the box. At first, Qin Feng was just suspicious because the nanmu wood was a yin wood, used for making coffins and some burial objects. Now this room was inexplicably filled with resentful energy, it must be related to this ancient box that had been buried in the tomb for so long.

  If all these guesses are confirmed, then Qin Feng has figured out the reason for the matter and it will no longer be so troublesome to deal with. Manager Liu dug up the tomb owner's things without any reason, so the tomb owner's vengeful spirit must come to take revenge. Unfortunately, Manager Liu and his family members have no knowledge of fate and lack insight, which is why the tragedy of Old Man Liu and Manager Liu's son occurred.

  As expected, when the compass approached this box, the needle spun violently and didn't stop. When it was moved away, the needle returned to its original stillness. "As expected, this box indeed has a ghost!"

  "My goodness! Master Qin, are you sure?" Mrs. Liu asked Qin Feng in a fluster.

  Qin Feng nodded, his eyes fixed on Manager Liu: "Manager Liu, this thing is probably the source of the evil spirit in your home, and its evil spirit is very strong, that's why your home was invaded by the vengeful spirit!"

  It's unbelievable that Mr. Liu and his wife, as successful business people in the 21st century, would actually hear such absurd-sounding words, which was a first for them. Although technology is advancing day by day and culture is flourishing more than ever, what happened recently made the couple start to believe in the authenticity of yin-yang mysticism.

  "Have you guys noticed anything unusual in this house at night?" Qin Feng inferred that since this thing was the culprit, it would definitely make some noise every night when the yin energy was strongest.

  Manager Liu raised his right hand and rubbed the back of his head hard, trying to think of what Qin Feng wanted, but no matter how long he thought about it, he couldn't come up with anything. However, Manager Liu's wife seemed to have thought of something, and after a moment of stunned silence, she said to Qin Feng and Fang Yu: "If I'm being honest, these past few nights I've been hearing a strange noise."

  "What kind of strange voice?" Fang Yu asked excitedly after a long time.

  "It was a ticking sound, but it wasn't loud, so it was hard to hear. Because I have the habit of insomnia, I often don't fall asleep until after 2 am, so I could hear it. At first, I thought it was the sound of a clock, but when I thought about it carefully, we didn't even have a clock at home, it's impossible for such a sound to appear." Manager Liu's wife looked puzzled and confused, then she seemed to remember something and exclaimed in surprise: "Oh my, this thing has been placed in the living room all along, how did it end up in the bedroom?!"

  "I didn't take it! It wasn't me who brought it in!" Manager Liu argued strongly.

  "That's strange, who could have taken it?"

  Qin Feng pondered the strange sound she had made, and thought again about what Liu Manager's wife had said about the mysterious movement of the box. This undoubtedly made Qin Feng even more certain that there was something eerie hidden inside the box.

  "Hey, Master Qin, can you help us crack the case? You have to help us!" Manager Liu began begging Qin Feng to help him drive out the evil spirit and resolve the grudge. Qin Feng wasn't unwilling to help them, but things weren't entirely clear yet, and there were still many problems to be solved. The top priority was to figure out the characters on the box, and then have Manager Liu take good care of his son, lest another accident occur, because Qin Feng was worried about what might happen if Cui Cui, who had been possessed by a vengeful spirit, lost control again.

  Manager Liu felt a bit comforted after listening to Qin Feng's explanation and was ready to follow his plan. At the same time, he pulled out a stack of bright red banknotes from his suit pocket and forced them into Qin Feng's hands, saying: "Master Qin, I'll have to trouble you with this. This is just a small token of my appreciation, take it, and after everything is settled, I'll give you three times the amount."

  Someone insisted on giving money to himself, Qin Feng had never encountered it before. Weighing the thick stack of 100-yuan bills in Manager Liu's hand, there were at least two or three thousand yuan, if tripled, that would be nine thousand yuan, almost ten thousand. This made Qin Feng and Fang Yu laugh with joy. However, considering his reputation, Qin Feng didn't dare to take it directly, so he pretended to decline, pushing away Manager Liu's offer.

  Pushing aside the excuses, Manager Liu still forced it onto Qin Feng. Qin Feng, who was delighted, accepted the deal in one mouthful and promised to help Manager Liu drive away evil spirits and cure his son Cong Cong's illness.

  With the box, Qin Feng and Fang Yu left Jinlun Garden. In the taxi, Qin Feng was overjoyed, happily counting the banknotes in his hand. "Wow, 3,000 yuan!" Qin Feng exclaimed excitedly.

  Back to school already at night, with this money, the two of them slipped away to a place called Ronghua Wine House and had a big feast, ordering a bottle of top-notch Xinghuacun wine. In the end, both of them got drunk and red-faced, spending over 500 yuan, which made Qin Feng cry out in pain even when he was sleeping at night.

  The next afternoon, Qin Feng hastily brought Huanhuan to Professor Sun's office, who taught history.

  "Professor, what is written on this?" Qin Feng asked again.

  "What's this?" Professor Sun took the box and examined it carefully, looking at the characters on top, "This should be Clerical Script!"

  "Yes, Professor Sun." Qin Feng had already learned about this problem from Fang Yu, "Do you know what characters are engraved on it?" Qin Feng pinned his hopes on his professor, hoping that Professor Sun could unravel the mystery.

  Professor Sun, as a learned historian at Shizuka Normal University, is not only profound in history but also has a deep understanding of ancient characters. He once represented the entire Shizuka City to attend the National Chinese Character Development Seminar, and his reputation was well-known, so Qin Feng hurriedly came to ask Professor Sun.

  "The one below is the character 'yìn', and the one above is......" Just as Qin Feng's appetite was whetted, Professor Sun took another close look.