It had become very clear by now: the three members of the Xie family did not die by accident. But their deaths were so bizarre that not only Sun Fatty and I, but even Xiao Heshang and Hugo—two rare talents from East and West—couldn't detect anything suspicious. The only hope was Yang Jun. Whether he noticed something or not was unclear. At first, he squinted at the three corpses, then got up and started pacing through the crowd as if searching for something. Luckily, people knew he was Director Sun's bodyguard, so no one stopped him as he wandered around the hall.
Finally, Xiao Heshang could no longer hold back and pulled out the half-burnt incense stick again. He no longer cared about drawing attention. But before he could proceed further, Sun Fatty suddenly coughed exaggeratedly. When Xiao Heshang looked at him, Sun Fatty's eyes glanced toward the head table. Following Sun Fatty's gaze, I saw Hao Zhengyi also pull out a half-burnt incense stick exactly like Xiao Heshang's. His movements were almost identical, just a little faster.
When I looked again, Hao Zhengyi's incense stick was already lit, and a wisp of white smoke rose straight up. However, the smoke showed no unusual changes; it dissipated into the air about half a meter above. No sign of anything strange—if anything, Hao Zhengyi frowned even more. After hesitating, he slid one empty hand inside his sleeve. When he pulled it out again, there was an old coin in his palm. The coin looked ancient, its edges worn shiny, and the characters on it were illegible; it was impossible to identify what type of cash it was.
Hao Zhengyi held the coin, his thumb rubbing along its sharp edge. Only then did I realize how sharp it was; as he rubbed, the skin on his thumb was cut and fresh blood flowed out immediately. He didn't waste the blood, smearing it along the edge of the coin. Then, he slid the blood-stained coin onto the incense stick's exterior.
The moment the coin slipped onto the incense stick, the normally straight-rising white smoke suddenly scattered erratically in all directions. But this lasted only an instant—within a blink, the smoke returned to normal and floated straight upward again. Hao Zhengyi was clearly puzzled, staring blankly at the incense in his hand, obviously bewildered by what had just happened. At that moment, the Xie District Chief, whom Hao had met the night before, called out to him, bringing him back: "Mr. Hao, what are you doing?"
Hao finally turned around, extinguished the incense, and after putting it away, explained to the District Chief: "This is a soul-calming method popular in the Nanyang region. Seeing these Mr. Xie gentlemen died so horribly, I can't help with major matters, so I'm just performing a small ritual to comfort the spirits of the recently deceased."
Perhaps worried that this strange incident might scare off the investor God of Wealth present, the District Chief cleared his throat and spoke seriously to Hao Zhengyi: "Mr. Hao, I don't agree with your way of thinking. There is no such thing as ghosts or gods in this world. This is just a tragic accident; we must face reality. I'm right here at the scene—if there were ghosts or gods, why wouldn't they come to me? Three Xies are dead already; it wouldn't matter if I died too..."
No sooner had the District Chief finished speaking than there was a loud "crash." The decorative ceiling fan suddenly fell down, and one of its blades sliced directly along the District Chief's neck. Blood sprayed up in a crimson arc. His head rolled on the table and then fell to the floor. Blood spewed from his throat over a meter away, splattering Hao Zhengyi standing beside him from head to face.
But this shocking moment snapped Hao Zhengyi out of his daze. He wiped the blood off his face in a mess, jumped up from his chair, and shouted to the terrified crowd, "All those surnamed Xie, gather together! Stand together…"
His voice was immediately followed by Sun Fatty's shout, "Scatter! Everyone scatter, don't gather!"
Sun Fatty's warning was just a moment too late. The two voices confused the crowd. Several people named Xie had already gathered closely after hearing Hao Zhengyi's call. Before they could react, Sun Fatty's order to disperse came. Most people's minds didn't catch up, and inadvertently they moved even closer together.
At that moment, a "gagagaga" cracking sound came from above the ceiling. Some quick responders ran down from the stage, but it was already too late upon hearing the noise. Then, another huge "crash" sounded as a large chunk of ceiling with concrete pillars collapsed onto the stage. Except for those near the edge who escaped, most on stage were crushed beneath the falling debris.
Fortunately, after Old Five's incident, some of the Xie family—including Xie Ai—had already left the stage. Xie Ai stood below the stage explaining the previous accident to the vice mayor. Within those few seconds, first the District Chief was decapitated, then several of his relatives on stage were crushed by falling ceiling slabs. Blood flowed from the stage in several streams. The concrete blocks smashing their heads meant they were definitely beyond survival. Xie Pang could no longer bear it; his legs gave way, and he fainted on the spot.
A deathly silence followed. Then someone shouted from the back, "This place is cursed! We can't stay here! Run!" That shout jolted the remaining people, who then surged toward the exit like receding tides. Even the vice mayor and the deputy police chief dared not remain in the hall; they left with the crowd. In the chaos, only the hotel general manager and a few nephews helped carry Mr. Xie out. No one paid attention anymore to Director Sun Fatty or the Thai-Chinese Hao Zhengyi.
My grandfather was helped out by my father and third uncle. He wanted to take Xiao Heshang with him, but Xiao insisted the aura here was too strong and insisted on staying to perform rites for the departed. My father and third uncle ignored him and helped my grandfather out directly. My second uncle and aunt wanted to find my younger brother backstage, which meant passing over the stage where things still occasionally fell. Worried for their safety, I went instead to find my younger brother, his wife, and the bridesmaids. After Sun Fatty helped persuade my second uncle and aunt to leave, only a few of us from the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation remained inside, along with Hao Zhengyi and Crow.
The dust stirred by the fallen ceiling scattered throughout the hall. Nobody knew what was still precariously hanging above the stage, or if more debris would come crashing down. I hadn't stepped onto the stage yet when the bloodied Hao Zhengyi arrived with Crow, heading toward us. He directly addressed Xiao Heshang: "Consultant Xiao, don't you think it's time for us to have a talk?" Then he glanced briefly at Sun Fatty behind Xiao Heshang. Hao Zhengyi made three quick moves in succession—blocking my path, speaking to Xiao Heshang, then looking at Sun Fatty.
Xiao Heshang returned Hao's gaze. In this situation, there was no room for posturing. "What do you want? Say it straight," he said. Hao hesitated, then took a deep breath and explained, "We've never encountered anything like this before. The yin-yang and five elements are in perfect balance, yet one after another, people are dying mysteriously. Even a Great Dao Immortal would struggle with this."
He paused, then scanned our faces before continuing, "There seem to be only two possibilities: first, today is just a terrible day for the Xie family—an unlucky coincidence, and this string of deaths might not end anytime soon..." He was interrupted by Sun Fatty: "Cut the long introduction. Just say the second possibility."
Hao Zhengyi didn't seem offended at all; he nodded and continued, "The other possibility is that we are dealing with a type of sorcery unlike any we've encountered before. It's not recorded in any classic texts. It's completely different from known spells, even overturning our understanding of magic. It might not be stronger than known sorcery, but the problem is we know nothing about it. We can't sense it—it can kill anyone right under our noses, and we only realize it after the victims are dead."
While Hao spoke, Xiao Heshang's brow furrowed deeply; it was clear he was starting to lean toward the second theory, though he didn't blindly accept it. Hao was discussing Chinese sorcery, and Hugo was silent, but occasionally nodded in agreement. Yang Jun remained expressionless, listening without comment.
Hao added, "One thing is certain so far: everything is targeting the Xie family. Those of us uninvolved seem relatively safe. Maybe this detail will help us find out who holds such a grudge against the Xies."
No sooner had he finished than Sun Fatty said, "I'm just afraid that by the time you find that person, the whole Xie family will be dead, and the curse will start to hit the rest of us."
Hao smiled slightly at Sun Fatty's words. "If it's the second scenario, maybe the two groups—ours and yours—can cooperate. It might not be so hard to unmask the mastermind."
Xiao Heshang looked up at Hao. "Cooperate? How exactly?"
Hao explained, "Just because we can't sense this sorcery doesn't mean it can bypass our formations. If we gather all the Xies together and surround them with our formations, there's more than a seventy percent chance we can suppress or counter this magic."
I immediately thought of a concern: "But what if the magic does bypass your formations? Then the Xies won't die one by one—they'll all go to the Yellow Springs at once."
Hao glanced at me, and his tone toward me was noticeably sterner than with Sun Fatty. "If our formations can't stop it, then it's only a matter of time before the entire Xie family dies."
I felt uneasy and was about to voice another dissenting opinion when someone shouted from the stage, "Brother, come help! Your sister-in-law fainted!"
My brother's voice startled me. Looking over, I saw him and the bridesmaid carrying Xie Mochou out. Sun Fatty and I jumped on stage to help bring her down. After a quick check, it seemed Xie Mochou wasn't in critical condition—just a head injury that caused her to faint. Aside from a scraped spot on her head already bandaged, she had no other injuries.
Compared to my panicked brother, the bridesmaid Guo Xiaoni was much steadier. She was a nurse at the local hospital. After confirming Xie Mochou's condition wasn't life-threatening, she tore a corner from her dress to wrap the wound and helped my brother carry her out. Xiao Heshang took her pulse, confirmed she was okay, then pressed firmly on her philtrum. Xie Mochou made a faint sound and slowly regained consciousness.
At that moment, the main hall's door was suddenly flung open. Xie Pang stumbled in, followed by my second uncle. Xie Pang had just passed out from a sudden burst of anger and age; after being taken outside and exposed to the cold sea breeze, he had regained consciousness and rushed back, desperate to find his daughter. No one dared follow him back into the hotel due to the dangerous situation inside. My second uncle worried about his son's safety and went in with Xie Pang.
Seeing his daughter safe, Xie Yi's face showed a hint of color; the tension in his body finally eased. Looking at the corpse of District Chief Xie lying on the table and the half-exposed bodies on the stage, Xie Pang sank to the ground, breaking into bitter sobs. "What sins have I committed... marrying my daughter into such disaster... how can I ever face these relatives again... I wish I could just go with them..."
My second uncle and brother tried to comfort him, but Xie Yi's crying grew only more intense. At over seventy years old, his sobs were intermittent, as if each breath was a struggle.
Eventually, Xiao Heshang instructed my second uncle and brother to take Xie Mochou and the bridesmaid out first. The rest of us stayed behind to calm Xie Yi. Before Xiao could speak, Hao stepped forward: "Mr. Xie, the dead are gone. Now is the time to think about how to survive this disaster."
Strictly speaking, Xie Yi and Hao Zhengyi were not close. Two months ago, Hao had appeared as a Thai investor interested in Xie Pang's sea cucumber farm. After signing a rough profit-sharing agreement, Hao had invested around three to four million RMB (≈ USD 420,000–560,000). To Xie Pang, Hao was a bit of a sucker.