Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 88 The Wronged Soul at the Bottom of the Well, City God Temple (4k)

"what happened?"

When Chunyan saw Chen Ye pause and his expression change, she couldn't help but ask him a question out of curiosity.

Chen Ye didn't answer, but stared at the dark well opening. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "It seems like the bottom of my bucket is cracked. Come back with me and get a new one."

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Chunyan's wrist and started walking back.

Chunyan was taken aback by his sudden action. She looked down at the wooden bucket in Chen Ye's hand and found that it was intact and not cracked at all.

Seeing Chen Ye's serious expression, she swallowed back the words she was about to say, her face slightly flushed as she let him pull her away from the ancient well.

When they returned to the opera troupe's courtyard, Tie Dan and the others who were waiting for water saw that the two had returned empty-handed and immediately surrounded them.

"Chen Ye, what's wrong? Where's the water?" Tie Dan asked in a muffled voice.

“There’s something wrong with that well,” Chen Ye said in a deep voice, releasing Chunyan’s hand.

"What's wrong?" another apprentice asked, somewhat puzzled. "I just went to fetch water yesterday, and nothing happened."

Several girls nearby echoed this, saying they hadn't noticed anything unusual when they were fetching water yesterday.

Chen Ye shook his head. "Just because nothing happened yesterday doesn't mean nothing will happen today."

After saying that, he ignored the crowd's discussion and went straight across the courtyard to find Guan Sihai, who was drinking tea in the house, and told him the whole story.

Guan Sihai stopped holding his teacup, then narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Ye: "Did you really feel a chilling aura?"

Chen Ye nodded.

A strange light flashed in Guan Sihai's eyes.

Besides performing for the living, their most important skill in the Peking Opera world is to soothe the spirits of the dead and help wronged souls find peace.

Therefore, for a performer who can take the stage, singing, reciting, acting and fighting are just the basic skills. What is more precious is that spirituality, the ability to keenly perceive the existence of those "things".

However, this skill often requires years of immersion and the gradual refinement of one's mind and spirit in the opera.

It's truly amazing that this kid has developed such a sensitivity after only two months here.

Despite his inner joy, Guan Sihai remained outwardly calm.

He stood up and said in a deep voice, "Let's go take a look."

Not only Chen Ye went with them this time, but Tie Dan and others also came along.

The group arrived at the entrance of the alley, but before they could even get close to the old well, Guan Sihai suddenly stopped, and his expression turned serious.

The resentment emanating from the well might not be noticeable to ordinary people, but it was quite obvious to this seasoned veteran.

Sure enough there is a problem.

Guan Sihai ordered in a deep voice, "Immediately inform the neighbors that the water in this well is undrinkable, and no one should go near it for the time being!"

The apprentices were startled by his appearance and dared not delay. They immediately scattered and went door to door to inform him.

Most of the residents in this alley are long-time locals and naturally know the rules.

Upon hearing what the leader of the Qingchun Troupe had said, no one dared to be careless. They all closed the doors and windows tightly, and no one dared to approach the ancient well.

But there are always those who don't know.

That evening, a drunk man staggered in from outside the alley.

He lives not far from the well. Today he went to a relative's wedding and got completely drunk, so he only just returned and has no idea what happened during the day.

At that moment, the drunkard felt parched and had no water at home, so he picked up a wooden bucket, humming a little tune, and headed straight for the old well.

As soon as he reached the well, in the dim moonlight, he saw a woman sitting on the edge of the well, head down, motionless.

"Hey..." The drunkard burped, not thinking much of it, assuming it was just some young wife who had quarreled with her husband and came out to sulk.

He hung the bucket on the well rope, and while turning the windlass, he mumbled, "Sister, what's bothering you? It's normal for couples to have disagreements... It's getting dark, hurry home."

He said a few words, but the woman by the well did not react.

The drunkard found it strange, so he moved closer and squinted his drunken eyes to take a closer look.

Upon seeing this, the effects of the alcohol in his head instantly vanished, and he was mostly sobered up.

The woman's hair and clothes were completely wet, and water was dripping down her face.

The drunkard's hair stood on end, and his legs trembled uncontrollably.

Just then, the woman slowly raised her head.

It was a face swollen and pale from being soaked in water, with crimson tears of blood flowing from its seven orifices, and then it murmured as if weeping.

"My neck hurts so much... Please don't cut it anymore."

"Waaaaah... How cruel you are!"

The drunkard was silent for a moment, then burst into a scream that sounded inhuman, "A ghost!!"

After saying that, he didn't care about anything else and scrambled home, then collapsed onto the bed and couldn't get up again.

The next day, the news of the haunted well spread like wildfire throughout the entire neighborhood.

The residents were filled with fear and dared not even leave their homes.

But things couldn't go on like this forever, so everyone put their heads together and decided to pool their money to go to the City God Temple in the east of the city to invite a skilled Taoist priest to take a look.

Since their own safety was at stake, people acted quickly, and by the afternoon, a young Taoist priest had been invited over.

The Taoist priest was in his early twenties, wearing a faded blue Taoist robe and carrying a peach wood sword. Although young, he had an otherworldly air about him.

He came to the well, walked around it twice, and then sighed softly, "He was a pitiful man too."

After saying this, he instructed everyone to prepare incense, candles, paper money, and other items, and then sent someone to invite the yamen runner in charge of this area.

Soon, a portly, middle-aged fat man dressed in police uniform arrived with two henchmen.

The fat man was Qiao Le, a constable in charge of maintaining order in the area.

Upon seeing the young Taoist priest, his face immediately lit up with a smile, and his attitude became extremely respectful.

There's no way around it these days; nobody dares to say they don't need to ask for favors, especially monks and Taoist priests who can deal with ghosts and spirits—nobody dares to offend them easily.

"Master Ge, please feel free to give me any instructions."

Ge Kun nodded. "Master Qiao, we don't need your help right now, but we'll probably have to trouble you after the ceremony tonight."

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

As night fell and all was quiet, the surrounding residents had long since retreated into their homes, not even daring to turn on their lights.

Chen Ye, however, was so curious about the Taoist methods of this world that he secretly slipped out and hid in a corner not far away to watch.

But as soon as he hid, the Taoist priest named Ge Kun seemed to sense something and looked straight in his direction.

"Friends over there, now that you're here, why not show yourself?"

Chen Ye felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had been discovered. But he remained unfazed and walked out from the corner without flinching.

After seeing his face clearly, Ge Kun's eyes flashed with surprise, then he smiled and said, "You must be the new apprentice in Qingchun Class. Were you the first to notice that something was wrong with this well?" "That's me," Chen Ye nodded.

"Master Guan has indeed taken in a good prospect," Ge Kun praised, then asked with interest, "Aren't you afraid?"

Chen Ye shook his head.

"Why aren't you afraid?"

“Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor.” Chen Ye looked at the well and said calmly, “I can sense that she doesn’t want to harm anyone; she just wants justice.”

Ge Kun's surprise deepened. He gave Chen Ye a deep look, then clapped his hands and laughed: "Well said. This is why I chose to perform a ritual to help the deceased transcend, rather than directly suppress him."

For such vengeful spirits, most Taoist priests would choose to destroy them directly or seal them with talismans to save trouble, but Ge Kun, filled with compassion, could not bear to do so.

He took out a yellow talisman from his pocket and handed it to Chen Ye: "Since you are not afraid, just watch from the side. Carry this talisman with you, and it will protect you from the invasion of yin energy."

"Thank you, Daoist Master." Chen Ye took the talisman, expressed his gratitude, and then obediently stepped aside.

The time has come.

Ge Kun's expression turned solemn. He walked to the altar, pointed his fingers like a sword, and pointed at the incense and candles on the altar.

call!
The incense sticks ignited without a flame, producing three straight plumes of blue smoke that drifted towards the well opening and disappeared inside.

Everyone present held their breath in awe.

A moment later, wisps of white mist suddenly drifted out of the ancient well, and the surrounding air instantly dropped to freezing point, becoming bitterly cold.

Qiao Le, standing to the side, struggled to keep his legs from giving way, but the cold sweat constantly pouring down his forehead betrayed him.

Just then, Ge Kun's voice boomed like thunder, and he shouted, "Why don't you show yourself now? When are you going to do it again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the mist at the wellhead suddenly surged, and then the figure of a woman dressed in white, whose features were indistinct, slowly took shape in the mist.

Qiao Le was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she almost fell to the ground.

Chen Ye remained calm, quietly watching the figure.

Immediately afterwards, Ge Kun began to recite a strange syllable, which was neither Mandarin nor a local accent, and sounded obscure and difficult to understand.

It's ghost talk.

Most wronged souls are mentally impaired and physically weak after death, forgetting most human language and only remembering a few words they are most attached to.

Therefore, to communicate with it, one must use a language that only ghosts can understand.

After a short while, Ge Kun stopped chanting, and the mist at the wellhead gradually subsided.

He turned around, looked at Qiao Le whose legs were still spinning beside him, and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Qiao, I'll have to trouble you with the rest."

“Taoist Master, please speak!” Qiao Le replied hastily.

"Go to Stinky Ditch Alley and bring me a butcher named Hu San!"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Le perked up. After all, he couldn't do anything about encountering ghosts, but he was good at catching people, so he quickly agreed.

"I know this Hu San. He's a seasoned butcher, tall and strong, and very fierce. Usually, three or five people can't get close to him!"

"But don't worry, with me in charge, I guarantee I'll bring this kid to you."

After saying that, Qiao Le waved his hand and led his two equally frightened followers away.

……

Stinky Ditch Alley.

Hu San's house was located at the very end of the alley, and it was a rather spacious and impressive courtyard.

At this moment, the courtyard was brightly lit, and the aroma of wine and meat filled the air.

Hu San, shirtless and revealing his hairy chest, was holding a large bowl and drinking with seven or eight thugs.

He was originally a butcher with a fierce appearance. Over the years, he had accumulated some wealth, so naturally, a group of idle men gathered around him. They followed him around all day, eating and drinking well, and flattered him so much that he became the undisputed ruler of this area.

"Third Master, your skills are unmatched in the entire Zhenhaiwei!" a weasel-faced man flattered. "Look at this pig's head meat, it's fatty but not greasy, and so fragrant!"

Hu San laughed heartily, downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp, and slammed the bowl heavily on the table: "That's right, your Third Uncle has slaughtered more pigs than you've ever seen a woman!"

The crowd burst into laughter and flattery once again.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Qiao Le walked in with a bottle of wine in hand, accompanied by two followers, and a smile on his face.

Hu San jumped up in surprise, hurriedly stood up, and put on a big smile.

"Oh, brother! What fragrant breeze has brought you here today?"

"I missed you, brother." Qiao Le smiled even more enthusiastically than him, shaking the bottle in his hand. "I just got a good bottle of wine, so I thought I'd come over and have a couple of drinks with you."

"That's wonderful! Brother, please have a seat!" Hu San warmly invited Qiao Le to sit in the main seat. "Thanks to you, we brothers must have a good drink tonight!"

Qiao Le didn't stand on ceremony and personally poured Hu Sanman a glass of wine after sitting down.

The two men went back and forth, clinking glasses and chatting about trivial matters, as if Qiao Le had only come to see Hu San for drinks and to catch up with old friends.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Qiao Le put down her chopsticks, let out a long sigh, and showed a hint of helplessness on her face.

"Brother, the reason I'm here today is because I need to ask you for a favor."

Upon hearing this, Hu San thumped his chest loudly: "Brother, what are you saying? Just tell me what you need. If I even flinch, I'm not human!"

Qiao Le smiled and said, "It's nothing really. I just got a job and I need your help."

"A job? You need my cooperation?" Hu San paused, somewhat stunned, as he held the wine bowl.

Qiao Le's smile remained unchanged as he slowly said, "Brother, do you know about the old well in Old Locust Tree Alley?"

Upon hearing this, Hu San's expression changed instantly.

Despite his best efforts to conceal it, he picked up the wine bowl and took a big gulp, but the panic in his eyes could not be hidden from Qiao Le's eyes, who had spent half his life in the public service.

He immediately felt reassured.

At the same time, Hu Sanqiang laughed, "Of course I know Old Locust Tree Alley, but what does that well have to do with me?"

"Whether it's related or not, we'll only know when we get there." Qiao Le's smile faded. "So, brother, you'll have to come with me."

Hu San's heart skipped a beat; he knew his scheme had been exposed.

He tried to stand up suddenly, but felt his whole body go limp and the world spin. He didn't even have the strength to lift his hand, let alone stand up.

"You...you put it in the wine..."

Qiao Le smiled slightly and gently slammed the empty wine bottle on the table.

"You really think my wine is that good?"

Then he gestured with his chin toward the two silent lackeys at the door.

"Tie him up!"

(End of this chapter)