False evidence

Chapter 50 Curse
"It's really not a tattoo?" Meng Chao asked.

"Definitely not!" Tattoos are no small matter. Even if I did have one, how could I not know?

"That's strange. It couldn't have grown on its own, could it?"

I shook my head, unconsciously recalling my experience in the charcoal kiln.

That kiln was truly eerie. Putting aside who built it, the sight of those big yellow weasels and human corpses was enough to send chills down one's spine.

Meng Chao examined it more closely. "Looking at it this way, it really doesn't look like a tattoo. It looks like a birthmark growing out of the flesh. But how did you suddenly grow something like this?"

A thought flashed through my mind: "Take off your clothes and turn your back."

Meng Chao did as instructed, but his shoulders and back remained completely bare.

While I was wondering what was going on, I noticed something tucked into his waistband. I pulled it out and was secretly surprised.

Meng Chao turned around and said, "This thing was found at the bottom of that well... no, in that charcoal kiln. I really regret my impulsive actions back then, otherwise I wouldn't be in such a mess."

"Found in the charcoal kiln..."

Looking back, he realized that before the timber collapsed, he had reached his hand into the crevice to retrieve this object.

Meng Chao took the object, examined it in his hand, and said, "Look at this, it has so many patterns carved on it. Do you think it might be an antique?"

"This could very well be an antique, but you'd better not try to sell it."

I took the object, which was less than a foot long and square like a wooden ruler, from my hand, weighed it in my hand, and pointed to the pattern on one end for him to look at carefully.

Meng Chao said, "I recognize this; it's the character '生' (shēng). Hey, do you know what this is? What's it used for?"

I nodded. “The two ends are engraved with the characters ‘life’ and ‘death’ respectively, and the other four sides are engraved with the Heavenly Generals and the Twenty-Eight Mansions. This is a Taoist ritual implement called the Tianpeng Ruler.”

"Tianpeng? Isn't that Zhu Bajie?"

"Don't talk nonsense. The idea that Zhu Bajie is the reincarnation of Tianpeng is a fictional creation in novels. The real Marshal Tianpeng, in Taoism, is one of the Four Guardian Deities of the North Pole, a general under the Great Emperor of the North Pole Ziwei, and a divine general who commands the Big Dipper and Fengdu."

I brought the Heavenly Ruler to my nose and smelled it, then handed it back to Meng Chao. "I can't say for sure if this is an antique, but it's very likely made of wood struck by lightning. For ordinary people, there's nothing more suitable than this for warding off evil spirits and protecting their homes."

Meng Chao paused for a moment, then handed over the Heavenly Ruler. "Then you can have it. You've learned physiognomy, right? Carry this with you. Even if it doesn't ward off evil spirits, it can help you hold off the city management officers for a while when you're setting up a fortune-telling stall."

"Get lost!" I told him to put his things down and go take a shower.

I haven't taken the Heavenly Ruler since. I don't know if it's just psychological, but holding the ruler in my hand makes me feel very uncomfortable and irritable.

What I care about most is, of course, the wolf head mark on my back.

The fact that so many weasels hanged in the charcoal kiln is certainly very eerie, but weasels, despite being called "wolves," have absolutely nothing to do with wolves.

The mark on my back is clearly a wolf's head!
Gu Haitao brought over gauze and iodine, and I bandaged Meng Chao's wound. The three of us then went to the dining room together.

The woman who called herself Pearl was already in the dining room, sitting in the same spot she had been in during the day.

As if she heard the noise, she turned around and beckoned us to come over.

She tilted her head and looked at Meng Chao: "Is your head alright?"

"It's nothing, a piece of cake!" Meng Chaoqiang said, trying to sound tough.

Pearl turned to me again, stared at me with a strange look for a while, and then suddenly laughed.

Her smile stunned even Gu Haitao. He then nudged me, saying, "You two came back together? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

I pointed at Pearl and said vaguely, "She said her name is Pearl."

Gu Haitao reacted surprisingly strongly, suddenly standing up: "You're Pearl?"

This time it was Meng Chao and my turn to be curious.

Pearl glanced at Gu Haitao, nodded slightly, picked up her wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

Meng Chao and I were both speechless with surprise. This woman's alcohol tolerance was extraordinary; she downed two ounces of liquor in one gulp. Gu Haitao sat down again, took out his phone and placed it on the table, saying to Pearl, "So you were here a while ago. Why didn't you reply when I sent you a QQ message?"

"I didn't log in to QQ."

Pearl said casually, then turned to me and asked, "Did you find your phone?"

My face flushed. "Found it."

I was really confused at noon; I realized I left my phone on the bed and hadn't brought it with me at all.

Pearl gave a soft hum: "What's the number?"

I gave her the number, and she didn't bother to write it down; she just casually said she knew.

I have so many questions about this woman, but considering the purpose of my visit, I decided to ask Gu Haitao first:

"Have you known each other before?"

Gu Haitao nodded repeatedly: "I met her online, and I invited her here."

"You invited her?" Meng Chao looked at me.

I said, "Haitao, are you hiding something from us?"

Gu Haitao shook his head quickly, but then reluctantly nodded.

Pearl said coldly, "So they were tricked by you. No wonder they didn't know anything."

Meng Chao couldn't take it anymore and glared at Gu Haitao: "If you don't tell the truth, we can forget about this meal. We're leaving right now!"

"No, no... don't go, I'll tell you the truth!" Gu Haitao hurriedly wiped away his sweat.

Seeing that he was still hesitant, I gave Meng Chao a wink, and we both stood up.

Just then, Pearl said, "He asked you to come because his girlfriend has gone missing. Ha, actually, I should be the one who asked you to come."

"What do you want with us? Is it about that charcoal kiln?" I asked.

“Even so.” Pearl turned her gaze to Gu Haitao, her eyes filled with disdain. “I promised to help him find a girlfriend, and in return, I asked him to find someone born in the seventh month of the lunar calendar for me. I’ve already stated beforehand that if I find someone born in the seventh month, I have a 90% chance of finding him a girlfriend, but this person born in the seventh month will not only have a shorter lifespan, but may also be in mortal danger.”

Meng Chao slammed his fist on the table: "You bastard surnamed Gu, you dare to scheme against us!"

He had reason to be angry.

Because he was born in the seventh month of the lunar calendar.

As for me, I don't know my real birthday, but my grandfather said with certainty that my birth chart is weak and my destiny is Yin, so I should have been born on the fifteenth of July.

Meng Chao and I were both furious, feeling like we'd been made fools of. Meng Chao got angry and wanted to punch someone, but I stopped him.

I suppressed my anger and asked Pearl, "What exactly are you? What is the purpose of sending us here?"

Pearl maintained her calm expression. "If you now possess something you didn't have before, then half of the purpose of bringing you here has already been accomplished."

I froze for a moment, then immediately wanted to take off my shirt.

Unexpectedly, Pearl grabbed my wrist and shook her head slightly at me, "No need to show me, I know what that is."

She released me, took a business card from her purse, and handed it to me: "That thing not only appeared on your body, but it will also slowly grow. When it becomes fully formed, you will die. But don't worry, since I brought you here, I have a way to save you. However, that will have to wait until the thing has shown about 80% of its form. In the meantime, if you feel unwell or encounter any difficulties, call me."

Although I find it absurd, the wolf head mark on my back is a fact.

In a state of shock and anger, he still accepted the business card.

I was stunned after just one glance.

"Your real name is Bai Jing? Are you a lawyer?"

(End of this chapter)