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

……

That evening, Zheng Hongyuan sent a document.

When Li Mu opened it, he saw that it was a police report that Zheng Hongyuan's friend at the Tianhai City Public Security Bureau had helped him find.

In the past six months, a total of seventeen families in Tianhai City and surrounding areas have reported paranormal events in their homes.

Nine of these cases were classified by the police as "psychological problems" or "pranks" and were not filed. Five cases were investigated without result and were left unresolved. Three of the complainants later withdrew their reports for unknown reasons.

Li Mu looked through the documents one by one, his gaze suddenly stopping on a file.

Complainant: Chen Guodong, male, 52 years old, resident of Dongcheng District, Tianhai City.

Date of report: Three months ago.

Report details: Strange noises were heard in the home, and dark shadows could be seen moving around the room at night. Family members gradually developed symptoms such as insomnia, nightmares, and lethargy.

Outcome: Police investigated the scene and found nothing unusual. They advised the complainant to seek psychological counseling. The complainant withdrew the report a week later.

Li Mu noticed a detail—Chen Guodong's address was on an old street in the Dongcheng District. And this old street was less than ten kilometers away from Qingxi Ancient Town.

He saved this file separately and continued reading.

After reviewing several more cases, Li Mu discovered a second suspicious case.

Complainant: Sun Lihua, female, 48 years old, resident of Dongcheng District, Tianhai City.

Date of report: Two months ago.

The report stated that the ancestral tablets in her home had inexplicably fallen to the ground, and strange patterns had inexplicably appeared in the incense ash in the incense burner. She also felt someone choking her while she was sleeping at night.

Outcome: After investigation, the police found nothing unusual and did not file a case.

Sun Lihua's address is also in Dongcheng District, not far from Qingxi Ancient Town.

Li Mu flipped through a few more copies and found the third one.

Complainant: Zhao Guoqiang, male, 55 years old, resident of Dongcheng District, Tianhai City.

Date of report: One month ago.

Report details: The family dog ​​barked incessantly at a corner for three consecutive nights, and then suddenly died. Afterwards, strange noises began to appear in the house, and the wife dreamt of a child in red.

Outcome: The police investigation found no abnormalities and advised the complainant to move.

Three cases, three different families, all residing in Dongcheng District, spanning three months, with strikingly similar content.

Li Mu picked up his phone and sent a message to Zheng Hongyuan.

Please help me investigate the backgrounds of these three people: Chen Guodong, Sun Lihua, and Zhao Guoqiang. Their occupations, incomes, and family members should be as detailed as possible.

Not long after, Zheng Hongyuan called.

"Mr. Li, I had someone investigate the three people you sent, and we found they have something in common."

"What do they have in common?"

"They are all in business. Chen Guodong is in building materials, Sun Lihua is in chain supermarkets, and Zhao Guoqiang is in logistics. Their net worth is between tens of millions and hundreds of millions."

Li Mu tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"Anything else?"

"Also... all three families have bought things from the same place within the last six months."

Li Mu's heart jumped.

"Where?"

"Qingxi Ancient Town." Zheng Hongyuan's voice carried a hint of tension. "I had someone check their spending records. All three families had members who bought things in Qingxi Ancient Town, and what they bought were—"

"A jar," Li Mu continued.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, they're all jars." Zheng Hongyuan's voice trembled slightly. "Mr. Li, this is no coincidence."

"Of course it's not a coincidence." Li Mu stood up and walked a few steps in the living room. "Someone in Tianhai City selected people with financial means and used jars as a medium to send the little devils into their homes to create panic."

"But... what is the purpose?"

"Purpose?" Li Mu sneered. "Once they're scared out of their wits, someone will naturally step forward and offer a solution. And that solution will certainly not be cheap."

"You mean... this is extortion?"

"That's pretty much it, but whether they have any other motives is anyone's guess!"

……

The next morning, Li Mu went to the East District.

Instead of going directly to the three people who filed the reports, he walked around the street where they lived.

Dongcheng District is the old city of Tianhai, with narrow alleys, old houses, and power lines tangled overhead like a spider web.

On the outskirts of the old town, there is a sizable building materials market, and the owner of this market is Chen Guodong.

Li Mu walked around the building materials market and his gaze settled on a man inside a luxurious storefront.

Li Mu glanced at the photo on his phone, confirmed that this was the person he was looking for, and then pushed open the door and went inside. A fat man in his fifties was sitting behind the counter, holding a phone in his hand, his brows furrowed.

"I told you, that shipment has to arrive by the end of the month, otherwise I won't be able to explain it to you... Yes, I know, please help me urge them... Okay, that's all."

The fat man hung up the phone, looked up at Li Mu, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Mr. Chen Guodong?" Li Mu asked.

"It's me, and you are...."

"My name is Li Mu. I was introduced by Mr. Zheng Hongyuan." Li Mu took out a business card of Zheng Hongyuan from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

Chen Guodong picked up the business card and glanced at it; the doubt on his face turned into surprise.

"Zheng Hongyuan? He sent you to find me?"

He wasn't familiar with Zheng Hongyuan, but he knew who Zheng Hongyuan was!

"Yes." Li Mu sat down in the chair in front of the counter. "Mr. Chen, I'd like to talk to you about that matter in your family."

Chen Guodong's expression changed instantly.

He put down the business card, glanced subconsciously at the shop entrance, and then lowered his voice to say, "That matter... I've already dropped the case. The police said there's no problem, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Mr. Chen, I'm not with the police," Li Mu said. "I specialize in these kinds of things. Mr. Zheng commissioned me to investigate a series of paranormal events that have recently occurred in Tianhai City, and your case is one of them."

Chen Guodong stared at Li Mu for a long time, seemingly trying to determine whether he was a fraudster.

"You...you can handle this kind of thing?"

"Yes," Li Mu affirmed.

Chen Guodong remained silent for a long time before standing up.

"Let's talk upstairs."

The living room on the second floor was large and very clean, clearly a place for business meetings or similar purposes.

Chen Guodong poured Li Mu a cup of tea, sat on the sofa opposite him, holding the teacup in both hands, his fingers trembling slightly.

"What exactly is that thing?" Chen Guodong finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "I've asked several people to come and see it. Some said it was a feng shui problem, some said it was because the ancestors were uneasy, some said it was because the house was too old and had too much yin energy... None of them could give a definitive answer, and none of them could solve the problem."

"It's a jar," Li Mu said. "Did someone in your family buy a small jar from Qingxi Ancient Town?"

Chen Guodong's hand jerked violently, spilling tea onto his trousers.

"How...how did you know?"