People worship their ancestors: I'm just burning some paper money, how did I become a Taoist ma

This is a large, open space, which used to be a common area for offices or dormitories. The room is so big that a flashlight beam can't reach every corner.

There was a strange smell in the room—not a musty smell, but a smell like something that had been burned and then damp.

Li Mu swept the room around with his flashlight, his gaze landing on a crossbeam in the center of the room.

A broken rope was hanging from the crossbeam.

The rope was thick, with one end tied to a hook on the crossbeam and the other end hanging down. The end looked charred and black.

Li Mu glanced at the rope and already understood about 70-80% of what was going on.

This is where the textile factory director hanged himself back then.

Was the rope broken? Or was it cut? Li Mu didn't know.

But one thing he was clear about was that the soul of the factory director who died here might not have left.

Li Mu took out three incense sticks from his bag, lit them, and stuck them in the ground.

The smoke sinks.

It's the first incense offering again.

The departed souls lingered, unwilling to leave.

"Director Zhou," Li Mu said to the empty room, "Are you still here? I need to talk to you."

There was no response from inside the room.

Only the wind howled and wailed.

Li Mu waited a while, then said, "Have you been to that building across the street lately? Did you go and scare an old lady? Do you know who she is?"

Still no response.

But Li Mu sensed that the temperature in the room had dropped somewhat.

That thing is here.

It could hear him, but it just didn't want to come out.

Li Mu took out a memorial from his bag and began to write.

This time, the petition is not for salvation, but for "inquiry".

After he finished writing the memorial, he lit it and placed it on the ground to burn.

The paper burned very slowly, as if something was pressing down on the flames.

When the paper was halfway burned, a gust of cold wind blew in from the corner of the room, swirling the ashes in the air before scattering them on the ground.

After the ashes of the paper scattered, Li Mu saw several lines of writing on the ground.

It wasn't written by him; it was arranged by the ashes of the paper themselves.

The handwriting is crooked, but still legible:

"She lives in my old house."

When Li Mu saw these words, his heart skipped a beat.

He immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Lin Wanqing.

"Ms. Lin, whose house did your mother live in before?"

A few minutes later, Lin Wanqing replied.

"That house was a foreclosed property that I bought a little over a month ago. My mom's original house had structural safety issues, so we needed to buy her a new place to live. She said this house was cheap, so we bought it."

After reading the message, Li Mu looked at the words on the ground.

Li Mu took a deep breath and said to the empty room, "Director Zhou, that's the house you used to live in?"

A gust of wind blew from the corner, stirring up the ashes on the ground and rearranging them into new characters.

"Yes. After I died, the bank foreclosed on the house and sold it. She bought it."

"So you've started going to that house recently? To scare her?" Li Mu's voice was somewhat cold.

The ashes of the paper moved again.

"I'm not trying to scare her. I want to go home. That's my home."

Li Mu remained silent for a few seconds.

He could understand the feelings of this departed soul. He had been dead for seven or eight years, his spirit trapped in this empty building, unable to return home. Finally, someone bought his house, and he went back to check on it, only to find he couldn't enter. Someone else was living there; the life force of the living was too strong for him to get in.

He could only watch from outside the window.

But when the old lady saw him, she thought he was trying to scare her.

"Director Zhou, you can't go back," Li Mu said slowly. "You're already dead. That house has nothing to do with you anymore. You've been trapped here for seven or eight years, and Yangshang isn't a place for you. What do you plan to do?"

Announcement: Update coming soon, please stay tuned!

The room remained quiet for a long time.

Then the ashes moved again.

"I want to leave. But I can't go far."

"Why can't we leave?"

"rope."

Li Mu's gaze fell on the broken rope on the crossbeam.

"Was that rope the one you used to hang yourself?"

"Yes. As long as the rope doesn't break, my soul will remain bound here, and I won't be able to go far."

Li Mu understood.

If a person dies by hanging, and the rope used to kill them remains in the same spot, their soul will be "tethered" to the rope and unable to leave. This is known as "material bondage" in Taoism, and the rope must be burned or disposed of for the soul to be freed.

"I've taken care of the rope for you, and you're just going to leave?"

"If you can walk, then walk."

"You're not lying to me?"

"I'm not lying."

Li Mu thought for a moment, took out a piece of yellow paper from his bag, wrote a "Binding Talisman" on it, and then used his peach wood sword to carry the talisman to the underside of the beam.

He looked up at the rope.

The rope was thick, made of hemp, and had broken; only one section was still tied to the crossbeam, the end of which was charred black.

Li Mu lit the talisman under the rope and chanted:

"By the Supreme Lord's decree, release the bonds and let the underworld be opened. The ropes are severed, the soul departs. So be it!"

The moment the talisman burned out, the rope suddenly broke on its own, fell off the beam, and landed on the ground, turning into a clump of grayish-black debris.

A gust of cold wind swept through the room, stirring up the ashes on the ground. The ashes swirled around the room before drifting out of the broken window and disappearing into the night.

Li Mu closed his eyes and sensed something.

Something has left.

This time, it's a complete departure.

He let out a long breath, put away the peach wood sword, packed his things, and climbed out the window.

Back on the street, he glanced at the empty building.

Moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds and shone on the building. Whether it was his imagination or not, Li Mu felt the building didn't look as gloomy as before.

……

After leaving the empty house, Li Mu went to Lin Wanqing's mother's house again.

The old lady was noticeably better; her face wasn't as pale, and she even glanced at Li Mu as he entered, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

Lin Wanqing approached, her face full of anticipation, and asked, "Mr. Li, um... has it been resolved?"

Although she didn't know what Li Mu had done, she could feel that the room was no longer cool!

"It's resolved." Li Mu briefly explained the situation, without going into too much detail, so as not to cause them any anxiety or make them afraid to stay there!

Then, Lin Wanqing took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Li Mu with both hands.

"Mr. Li, this is the compensation you deserve."

Li Mu took it, but didn't open it in front of him; he put it directly into his bag.

"Thank you, Ms. Lin."

"I should be thanking you," Lin Wanqing said sincerely. "If it weren't for you, my mother would have been suffering greatly forever!"

"It won't happen again. That thing is gone, and I've dealt with that empty building. There won't be any problems!" Li Mu said with a smile.

"Mr. Li, I'd like to ask, if my mother encounters a similar situation again in the future, can she still contact you?"

"Of course. You know my phone number; you can contact me about anything related to the deceased, even some inexplicable and bizarre situations."

"That's troublesome!"

……

After leaving Lin Wanqing's house, Li Mu got on his electric scooter and left!

Lin Wanqing's reward should be tens of thousands of yuan, which was beyond Li Mu's expectations. After all, not everyone is as wealthy as the Wang family, who can casually give millions!

Earning tens of thousands of yuan with a single transaction already fits Li Mu's tone, but tens of thousands of yuan is far beyond his expectations!

He let out a long breath, put away the peach wood sword, packed his things, and climbed out the window.

Back on the street, he glanced at the empty building.

Moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds and shone on the building. Whether it was his imagination or not, Li Mu felt the building didn't look as gloomy as before.

……

After leaving the empty house, Li Mu went to Lin Wanqing's mother's house again.

The old lady was noticeably better; her face wasn't as pale, and she even glanced at Li Mu as he entered, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

Lin Wanqing approached, her face full of anticipation, and asked, "Mr. Li, um... has it been resolved?"

Although she didn't know what Li Mu had done, she could feel that the room was no longer cool!

"It's resolved." Li Mu briefly explained the situation, without going into too much detail, so as not to cause them any anxiety or make them afraid to stay there!

Then, Lin Wanqing took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Li Mu with both hands.

"Mr. Li, this is the compensation you deserve."

Li Mu took it, but didn't open it in front of him; he put it directly into his bag.

"Thank you, Ms. Lin."

"I should be thanking you," Lin Wanqing said sincerely. "If it weren't for you, my mother would have been suffering greatly forever!"

"It won't happen again. That thing is gone, and I've dealt with that empty building. There won't be any problems!" Li Mu said with a smile.

"Mr. Li, I'd like to ask, if my mother encounters a similar situation again in the future, can she still contact you?"

"Of course. You know my phone number; you can contact me about anything related to the deceased, even some inexplicable and bizarre situations."

"That's troublesome!"

……

After leaving Lin Wanqing's house, Li Mu got on his electric scooter and left!

Lin Wanqing's reward should be tens of thousands of yuan, which was beyond Li Mu's expectations. After all, not everyone is as wealthy as the Wang family, who can casually give millions!

Earning tens of thousands of yuan with a single transaction already fits Li Mu's tone, but tens of thousands of yuan is far beyond his expectations!

Something has left.

This time, it's a complete departure.

He let out a long breath, put away the peach wood sword, packed his things, and climbed out the window.

Back on the street, he glanced at the empty building.

Moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds and shone on the building. Whether it was his imagination or not, Li Mu felt the building didn't look as gloomy as before.

……

After leaving the empty house, Li Mu went to Lin Wanqing's mother's house again.

The old lady was noticeably better; her face wasn't as pale, and she even glanced at Li Mu as he entered, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

Lin Wanqing approached, her face full of anticipation, and asked, "Mr. Li, um... has it been resolved?"

Although she didn't know what Li Mu had done, she could feel that the room was no longer cool!

"It's resolved." Li Mu briefly explained the situation, without going into too much detail, so as not to cause them any anxiety or make them afraid to stay there!

Then, Lin Wanqing took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Li Mu with both hands.

"Mr. Li, this is the compensation you deserve."

Li Mu took it, but didn't open it in front of him; he put it directly into his bag.

"Thank you, Ms. Lin."

"I should be thanking you," Lin Wanqing said sincerely. "If it weren't for you, my mother would have been suffering greatly forever!"

"It won't happen again. That thing is gone, and I've dealt with that empty building. There won't be any problems!" Li Mu said with a smile.

"Mr. Li, I'd like to ask, if my mother encounters a similar situation again in the future, can she still contact you?"

"Of course. You know my phone number; you can contact me about anything related to the deceased, even some inexplicable and bizarre situations."

"That's troublesome!"

……

After leaving Lin Wanqing's house, Li Mu got on his electric scooter and left!

Lin Wanqing's reward should be tens of thousands of yuan, which was beyond Li Mu's expectations. After all, not everyone is as wealthy as the Wang family, who can casually give millions!

Earning tens of thousands of yuan with a single transaction already fits Li Mu's tone, but tens of thousands of yuan is far beyond his expectations!

He let out a long breath, put away the peach wood sword, packed his things, and climbed out the window.

Back on the street, he glanced at the empty building.

Moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds and shone on the building. Whether it was his imagination or not, Li Mu felt the building didn't look as gloomy as before.

……

After leaving the empty house, Li Mu went to Lin Wanqing's mother's house again.

The old lady was noticeably better; her face wasn't as pale, and she even glanced at Li Mu as he entered, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

Lin Wanqing approached, her face full of anticipation, and asked, "Mr. Li, um... has it been resolved?"

Although she didn't know what Li Mu had done, she could feel that the room was no longer cool!

"It's resolved." Li Mu briefly explained the situation, without going into too much detail, so as not to cause them any anxiety or make them afraid to stay there!

Then, Lin Wanqing took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Li Mu with both hands.

"Mr. Li, this is the compensation you deserve."

Li Mu took it, but didn't open it in front of him; he put it directly into his bag.

"Thank you, Ms. Lin."

"I should be thanking you," Lin Wanqing said sincerely. "If it weren't for you, my mother would have been suffering greatly forever!"

"It won't happen again. That thing is gone, and I've dealt with that empty building. There won't be any problems!" Li Mu said with a smile.

"Mr. Li, I'd like to ask, if my mother encounters a similar situation again in the future, can she still contact you?"

"Of course. You know my phone number; you can contact me about anything related to the deceased, even some inexplicable and bizarre situations."

"That's troublesome!"

……

After leaving Lin Wanqing's house, Li Mu got on his electric scooter and left!

Lin Wanqing's reward should be tens of thousands of yuan, which was beyond Li Mu's expectations. After all, not everyone is as wealthy as the Wang family, who can casually give millions!

Earning tens of thousands of yuan with a single transaction already fits Li Mu's tone, but tens of thousands of yuan is far beyond his expectations!

Li Mu closed his eyes and sensed something.

Something has left.

This time, it's a complete departure.

He let out a long breath, put away the peach wood sword, packed his things, and climbed out the window.

Back on the street, he glanced at the empty building.

Moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds and shone on the building. Whether it was his imagination or not, Li Mu felt the building didn't look as gloomy as before.

……

After leaving the empty house, Li Mu went to Lin Wanqing's mother's house again.

The old lady was noticeably better; her face wasn't as pale, and she even glanced at Li Mu as he entered, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

Lin Wanqing approached, her face full of anticipation, and asked, "Mr. Li, um... has it been resolved?"

Although she didn't know what Li Mu had done, she could feel that the room was no longer cool!

"It's resolved." Li Mu briefly explained the situation, without going into too much detail, so as not to cause them any anxiety or make them afraid to stay there!

Then, Lin Wanqing took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Li Mu with both hands.

"Mr. Li, this is the compensation you deserve."

Li Mu took it, but didn't open it in front of him; he put it directly into his bag.

"Thank you, Ms. Lin."

"I should be thanking you," Lin Wanqing said sincerely. "If it weren't for you, my mother would have been suffering greatly forever!"

"It won't happen again. That thing is gone, and I've dealt with that empty building. There won't be any problems!" Li Mu said with a smile.

"Mr. Li, I'd like to ask, if my mother encounters a similar situation again in the future, can she still contact you?"

"Of course. You know my phone number; you can contact me about anything related to the deceased, even some inexplicable and bizarre situations."

"That's troublesome!"

……

After leaving Lin Wanqing's house, Li Mu got on his electric scooter and left!

Lin Wanqing's reward should be tens of thousands of yuan, which was beyond Li Mu's expectations. After all, not everyone is as wealthy as the Wang family, who can casually give millions!

Earning tens of thousands of yuan with a single transaction already fits Li Mu's tone, but tens of thousands of yuan is far beyond his expectations!