The next morning, a BMW X5 was parked outside Yu Daohen's shop. Zhao Hai walked in and saw Yu Daohen packing his things.
A simple backpack, and a long, meter-and-a-half object wrapped in black cloth. This was all of Yu Daohen's worldly possessions.
Yu Daohen locked the shop door and got into the car. Zhao Hai stepped on the gas, and the car sped away.
Yu Daohen directed the way and instructed on what needed to be prepared for the day. The car passed through several streets and alleys, stopping in front of a paper figurine shop.
As soon as the car door opened, they saw an old woman in her fifties waiting at the shop entrance. Yu Daohen walked over.
The old woman, seeing Yu Daohen arrive, said in an aged voice, "Master Yu is here."
"Grandma Liu, didn't we agree not to call me that?" Yu Daohen waved his hand.
Granny Liu spread her bony, skeletal hand. "Rules are rules. I understand that much."
"What era is this?" Yu Daohen shook his head helplessly.
"When it comes to calling back souls, Master Yu is the expert," Granny Liu said, glancing at Zhao Hai standing by the car, and smiling.
Yu Daohen touched the object wrapped in black cloth slung across his back and paused. "Ah, Grandma Liu, rules are rules."
Granny Liu chuckled. "Then I'll respectfully accept."
Following Yu Daohen into the car, Zhao Hai explained the situation in detail, while Granny Liu told Zhao Hai what preparations were needed.
Yu Daohen looked at the busy pedestrians outside the window, stretched, and closed his eyes to sleep, as his work was essentially done here.
Suddenly, his right eye twitched three times. Yu Daohen felt something was wrong, pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, typed three lines, sent them, and then closed his eyes to sleep again.
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Daohen was pulled back to reality by a voice from his dream. He slowly opened his eyes and looked out the window, realizing he had slept until the afternoon.
He opened the car door and was greeted by a high-end villa. Yu Daohen shook his still groggy head.
Zhao Hai, standing beside him with his hands clasped, smiled. "I didn't dare disturb Master while he was sleeping. It's almost mealtime, would Master do us the honor of joining us for a meal at my humble abode?"
Yu Daohen nodded. Zhao Hai led the way, and as soon as they entered the living room, they saw a table full of dishes.
Zhao Yiyi glanced at Yu Daohen and said grumpily, "Our Master is finally awake." She then picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
Yu Daohen sat down, looked at the table full of food, and asked, "Why don't I see Grandma Liu?"
Zhao Hai pointed upstairs. "Master Liu said she needs to prepare some things for the ritual tonight."
Looking at the table full of food, with Granny Liu and Yang Fanglan upstairs, there were only three people at the dining table. To be honest, Yu Daohen was quite hungry after not eating all day, so he picked up his chopsticks and ate without hesitation.
Zhao Yiyi ate only a couple of bites, then slammed her chopsticks down and stood up, heading upstairs. She threw over her shoulder, "I'm full."
Zhao Hai shook his head helplessly at Zhao Yiyi's behavior, picked up the already poured sorghum wine, and said with shame, "I apologize to Master for this. She's my only daughter, and I've spoiled her."
Yu Daohen looked at Zhao Yiyi, who had already gone upstairs, with confusion. He hadn't provoked her. He picked up the sorghum wine Zhao Hai had poured and clinked glasses.
He took a big gulp, finishing the cup of wine in one go. A moment later, a dizzying sensation rushed to his brain.
Yu Daohen, who had rarely drunk alcohol since childhood, found it a bit overwhelming to down eighty-proof sorghum wine in one go.
Just then, a voice from outside the door sounded, "Wine isn't drunk like that."
Zhao Hai looked towards the door and saw a man in his fifties, with a stubble, a face full of wrinkles, and clothes and pants that had likely been patched countless times. His hair looked as if it hadn't been groomed in three hundred years, making him resemble a beggar.
Yu Daohen supported his forehead with one hand, holding an unopened bottle of sorghum wine in the other, and cursed, "I really don't know what's so good about this stuff."
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved the hand holding the wine bottle, throwing it directly at the beggar. The beggar, seeing this, raised his hand and caught the flying bottle.
Zhao Hai was about to go out to greet him when Yu Daohen suddenly said, "Don't let him in."
The beggar at the door waved his hand, sat down on the threshold, with one foot inside and one foot outside.
Zhao Hai couldn't understand what was happening. The beggar opened the bottle cap, took a large swig of half the bottle, let out a burp, and mumbled, "The rule of the gatekeeper: people don't enter, ghosts don't pass."
Yu Daohen took a deep breath and, after a while, felt his head was less dizzy. He asked Zhao Hai to serve some food, then burn three sticks of incense, place them on the food, and put it in the center of the living room.
Yu Daohen picked up the four unopened bottles of sorghum wine from the table and offered them to the beggar. "Old Xu, you can drink to your heart's content here. The food is ready."
Old Xu's eyes lit up when he saw the wine. He took another swig and waved his hand, "No problem, you go ahead and do your thing."
Yu Daohen looked at the setting sun, stretched, and glanced upstairs. "It's about time, shouldn't it start?"
Summer nights are short, and it wasn't until nearly nine o'clock that it was completely dark. By then, Old Xu was dead drunk, lying on the threshold and snoring loudly.
Granny Liu finished her preparations, while Yang Fanglan carried half a jin of rice in one hand and a pot of tea in the other.
Looking at the two large bags of white paper and yellow money, gold and silver treasures, Yu Daohen shook his head helplessly. Yang Fanglan had probably bought them out of worry.
When it comes to calling spirits, men with strong Yang energy can frighten the souls, so they cannot go. Only women, born with weaker Yang energy, can.
Zhao Yiyi had wanted to go along but was scolded by Zhao Hai. She was now in her room taking care of Zhao Yicheng, while Zhao Hai, as instructed by Granny Liu, was to stay in his room and not leave.
As they stepped out the door, Granny Liu took out a stack of yellow paper from the two large bags of paper money she was carrying and scattered it into the air, chanting, "Please make way, everyone, please make way."
The rockery was not far from Zhao Hai's villa, only about a twenty-minute walk. Due to it being a development area, there were very few people.
Yu Daohen watched Granny Liu and Yang Fanglan walk away, feeling inexplicably nervous. He wanted to follow them, but under the current circumstances, Zhao Hai couldn't leave his room, and if something happened to Zhao Yiyi alone at home.
At that moment, Old Xu, who had been snoring loudly, mumbled as if in a dream, "If you want to go... just go... I'll... guard... here."
Yu Daohen didn't hesitate. He picked up the object wrapped in black cloth from the table and followed them.
The moment he stepped out the door, a strong gust of wind blew. Yu Daohen frowned, felt the weight of the object slung across his back, and quickened his pace to follow.