The Three Pure Ones' Secret: Expressing Spirit

Peng Guoqiang took out another cigarette from the pack, lit it, and then chuckled at me, "See, it's that simple. When you go over there, just do it the same way you did last time. That slightly stuttering young man who'll be working with you is pretty good too; ask him if he's interested, he can join in."

Uh, buddy, I'm speechless. I thought to myself, given Lao Fan's personality, he would disdain doing this kind of thing.

The rain gradually stopped, and the sun slowly peeked out from behind the clouds. Peng Guoqiang and I waited idly for Boss Huang, whom he had mentioned.

Peng Guoqiang, a heavy smoker, lit another cigarette and slowly and carefully explained to me the details of our acting together later, when to speak, when to act profound, and when to pretend to be serious, he explained everything to me clearly.

I sat quietly to the side, listening intently and silently taking notes, feeling both nervous and somewhat uneasy.

The rain gradually stopped, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the damp and cold warehouse. With nothing to do, we leaned against the pile of scrap metal, waiting quietly. Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was around eleven o'clock in the morning.

A deep, steady car engine sound came from the warehouse entrance, and a brand-new black Mercedes slowly pulled up. The clean and stylish luxury car stood out starkly against the dilapidated and messy environment of the surrounding waste.

The car door opened, and a lean, bespectacled middle-aged man stepped out, dressed in a neat and smart dark executive jacket, his attire impeccable and formal.

Upon seeing this, Peng Guoqiang immediately stood up, dusted himself off, and quickly went to greet him, politely and respectfully asking, "Excuse me, are you Boss Huang?"

The middle-aged man quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said in a very humble manner, "Yes, yes, I am Huang. Master Peng, I'm sorry I'm a little late and have kept you both waiting."

"It's alright, it's alright, we've only been waiting for a short while." Peng Guoqiang replied with a smile, and then pulled me forward to introduce me, "This is my cousin, he's still in college. He has a family heirloom skill, and he came with me to help you with your case."

Boss Huang quickly looked at me, nodded slightly, his eyes full of expectation and unease: "Young master, you are promising and have an extraordinary demeanor."

I simply nodded slightly, said nothing, and, as agreed beforehand, adopted a cool and aloof demeanor.

I discreetly observed him. He was thin with unusually pale skin, but his complexion was exceptionally haggard and sallow. It wasn't the weariness from staying up all night, but rather the strange appearance that others described as a dark complexion, mental exhaustion, and constant anxiety. His eyes were dark and deep, and his gaze was always shifty. It was clear that he had been tormented by strange things for too long.

Peng Guoqiang casually asked, "Are those strange things still happening at Boss Huang's house lately?"

Mr. Huang sighed, his brows furrowed tightly, his tone helpless and panicked: "It hasn't gotten better. I can't sleep well at night, and there are strange noises coming from the house all the time. I really don't know what to do. I've looked everywhere for help, but it's no use. I finally managed to ask you two for help."

"It's alright, we've seen plenty of these strange incidents. We'll know the reason as soon as we get to the scene," Peng Guoqiang said, feigning profundity.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Boss Huang checked the time and said politely, "It's almost noon, you two masters must not have eaten yet, right? There's a clean and decent restaurant nearby. I'd like you two to have something to eat first, and then we can slowly come over to do our business."

Peng Guoqiang feigned reluctance, saying, "No need for that. Things are more important. We can just grab a bite."

"How could that be!" Boss Huang quickly waved his hand, his attitude very sincere. "You've come all this way to help, a simple meal is only right. Please don't be shy. We can go over right after we finish eating; the timing will be perfect."

He spoke slowly and politely, and was gentle and humble, completely lacking the domineering arrogance of a construction site boss. However, the fear and anxiety hidden behind his politeness could not be concealed.

The guy and Peng Guoqiang exchanged a glance, readily agreed, and followed Boss Huang toward the Mercedes.

After a simple lunch, Boss Huang smiled throughout and said in a humble tone, "Gentlemen, let's go straight to your homes. It'll be easier to discuss things at home in detail. It's not convenient to do this outside."

Peng Guoqiang and I naturally nodded in agreement, and followed him back into the Mercedes. The car drove smoothly all the way, eventually entering a quiet villa community. The community was lush with greenery, the stone-paved roads were winding and clean, and the detached villas all had small courtyards, looking very elegant. Security was also exceptionally strict.

Mr. Huang skillfully drove the car into his garage, and after parking, he quickly got out and opened the door for us: "Please take your time, this way."

Following him through the small courtyard paved with stone slabs, and pushing open the heavy wooden door, I was stunned as soon as I entered the living room. The interior decoration was exquisite yet grand, with a luxurious leather sofa paired with a solid wood coffee table, a soft carpet on the floor, a crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the living room, and exquisite decorations everywhere. The room was bright and clean, but it exuded a cold and oppressive feeling.

We had just sat down on the sofa when a middle-aged woman emerged from the inner room. She appeared to be in her forties or fifties, wearing an elegant cheongsam jacket and light makeup. She exuded the gentle grace of a noblewoman, but her brows and eyes were filled with worry, and her gaze held a deep weariness. When she saw us, she paused slightly, then quickly realized what we were doing and immediately put on a polite smile.

"This must be Master Peng and his young master, right? We've been waiting for you! Please, have a seat!" Madam Huang walked up quickly, her tone warm and humble, without the slightest airs.

As she spoke, she deftly brought over a pre-cut fruit platter and some delicate pastries, and brewed hot tea for us, placing them one by one in front of us: "You two must be tired from your journey. Have some fruit and a cup of tea to warm yourselves up." After saying that, she sat down next to Boss Huang, her hands slightly clenching the hem of her clothes, her eyes full of trepidation and anticipation.

Peng Guoqiang picked up his teacup, blew on it gently, and said in a pretentious tone, "Boss Huang, Madam Huang, now that we're here, there's no need to hide anything. Tell us the truth about what strange things have happened at home."

Upon hearing this, Boss Huang's face instantly darkened. He let out a long sigh, and his already thin and pale face looked even more haggard. He pushed up his glasses, his eyes filled with helplessness and fear: "Master Peng, to be honest, my wife and I have been living like this for the past two weeks. We had no other choice but to ask around for help to find you."

"Yes, Master," Madam Huang quickly chimed in, her voice trembling slightly and her brows furrowed. "Ever since that incident, there hasn't been a single peaceful day in the house. I'm too afraid to even sleep at night; I'm terrified every night."

Peng Guoqiang nodded slightly, signaling him to continue: "Tell me slowly, and explain the whole story clearly."

Mr. Huang took a deep breath and slowly began to speak: "I work in road and bridge engineering. In the first half of this year, I took over a highway construction project. The route happens to pass through the Zitong River in Xuning City. There is a big mountain by the river, and a tunnel must be built to allow the highway to pass smoothly."

"At the beginning of construction, everything went smoothly and the tunnel was progressing quickly. But when we had dug more than 100 meters, an accident suddenly happened!" He clenched his fist, his face full of self-blame. "Because of the negligence and violation of regulations by the workers on site, the accident was directly caused, resulting in the tragic outcome of one death and three injuries."

Mrs. Huang gently patted his back and comforted him softly. Then she looked at us, her eyes slightly red: "After the accident, our Lao Huang rushed to the scene immediately. He comforted the family members and did his best to compensate them. He did everything he could, and he didn't owe a single penny. He handled all the funeral arrangements perfectly, just so that the deceased could rest in peace and the injured could recover in peace."

"For the first four or five days, the house was indeed quiet, without any strange occurrences. We even thought that this matter was finally over," Mr. Huang continued, his tone becoming increasingly flustered. "But who knew that the peace wouldn't last more than a few days before problems started arising one after another, with all sorts of strange things happening, causing us complete chaos!"

I sat to the side, remaining silent the whole time. As Peng Guoqiang had instructed me beforehand, I put on a calm and composed demeanor, but I was secretly curious about what kind of strange thing had frightened the couple into such a state.

The elegant living room was eerily quiet. The crystal chandelier cast a soft glow, but it couldn't dispel the pervasive atmosphere of anxiety. The occasional rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window seemed particularly jarring. Boss Huang sat on the sofa, his hands unconsciously clenching, his expression tense, his weary face concealing an unshakeable panic.

He first bent down, reached out and lifted the glass cabinet door of the coffee table in the living room, took out a pack of unopened high-end cigarettes, and somewhat awkwardly unwrapped it. He then took out one and respectfully offered it to Peng Guoqiang with both hands, his tone full of earnestness and a hint of undisguised flattery: "Master Peng, please have a cigarette and listen to my explanation slowly. This matter is truly too strange."

Peng Guoqiang glanced at him sideways, showing no politeness whatsoever, and took the cigarette from him, casually putting it in his mouth. Seeing this, Boss Huang quickly pulled out a lighter from his pocket, leaned forward slightly, and carefully pressed the lighter, a blue flame leaping up, steadily lighting Peng Guoqiang's cigarette. Peng Guoqiang took a deep drag, slowly exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, leaning back in the comfortable leather sofa, adopting a mysterious and inscrutable expression, before looking up at Boss Huang, his tone calm yet authoritative, and asked, "Stop beating around the bush. After the aftermath was handled, what exactly happened? Tell me everything clearly, down to the last detail."

Boss Huang withdrew his hand and slowly sat back down. He raised his hand and gently removed his black-rimmed glasses from the bridge of his nose, his fingertips rubbing his aching nasal bridge. His brows were tightly furrowed, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. He closed his eyes for several seconds to recover, and when he opened them again, his eyes were bloodshot, and he couldn't hide his fear. His knuckles were slightly white from gripping the sofa armrest tightly.

"Later...later, there was never any peace at home. Every night, our whole family started having strange dreams." Boss Huang began, his voice trembling slightly, his tone full of helplessness. "At first, I just thought it was because I couldn't let go of the construction site. After all, someone had died, and I felt guilty and uneasy, so I had these weird nightmares. I didn't take it to heart and just thought it would get better in a few days."

At this point, he turned to look at his wife, who had been silent beside him. Mrs. Huang's face was deathly pale, her gentle demeanor completely gone, her eyes filled with lingering fear. She gripped Mr. Huang's arm tightly, her fingertips digging deep into his sleeve, and nodded forcefully, her voice soft but trembling as she echoed, "Yes, at first we all thought it was just a coincidence, just scaring ourselves, but who knew it wasn't like that at all."

Boss Huang let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with helplessness and fear. He looked at me and the old man again, his eyes filled with disbelief, and his tone became more serious: "But I never expected that not only me, but also my wife and the children at home, have been having the same strange dream these days! No one can escape it. They are tormented by this dream every night and can't get a good night's sleep at all."

The guy sat to the side, following the old man's prior instructions to speak little, remain calm, and maintain an air of composed superiority. But inwardly, he couldn't help but feel a growing unease and curiosity. Boss Huang, a seasoned construction contractor, had seen his share of storms and was usually a very daring middle-aged man. What kind of bizarre dream could have frightened him like this? Even more strange was that the whole family was having the same dream simultaneously—this was truly bizarre and completely illogical.

Peng Guoqiang remained calm, as if he had long been accustomed to such strange things. He simply took another puff of his cigarette and waited quietly for Boss Huang to continue. He did not urge him at all, but he exuded a reassuring aura.

Boss Huang took a deep breath, as if gathering all his courage, before continuing. His speech gradually quickened, his voice became uncontrollably shaky, and his body trembled slightly: "In my dreams, I always see that worker who died in the tunnel accident. He was wearing old construction site clothes, covered in wounds, his face as pale as paper, without a trace of blood, his eyes empty. He was being held tightly by a grotesque, ferocious-looking thing that looked like a wild beast but was completely indescribable, and he stood motionless in our living room, in the exact same spot where we are sitting now."

He became increasingly panicked as he spoke, his eyes starting to glaze over, as if he were back in that eerie dream. His voice lowered, filled with deep fear: "He just stared straight at our whole family, repeating over and over, word by word, saying we were wrong, that we had all committed a terrible mistake, that he died unjustly, that it was all our fault, and he kept urging us to hurry to the mountains by the Zitong River to kowtow to the Mountain Goddess and admit our mistakes, saying that if we didn't go, she would never let us go..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the living room fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the faint sound of Peng Guoqiang smoking and Madam Huang's suppressed breathing. Madam Huang was already stiff with fear, clinging tightly to her boss's chest, her eyes slightly red, clearly exhausted from the nightmare. After he finished speaking, he also slumped weakly onto the sofa, his face weary, his eyes vacant, completely devoid of the energy and spirit of the construction boss, leaving only the disheveled and terrified state of mind caused by the strange events.