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

"Master Li, which line of inquiry do you plan to start with?"

"Zhou Maolin," Li Mu said, "is the weakest link. He's an antique dealer, a businessman, not a desperate criminal. It's much easier to pry things out of him than from Sun Zhiming or Zhou Lingsu."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Don't do anything. Don't go back to your brother's villa for now. The bronze tree is still in the study; I've set up an array, so there won't be any problems for the time being. I'll deal with the tree after I've dealt with Zhou Maolin."

"it is good."

Li Mu stood up, preparing to leave.

……

After leaving, Li Mu did not go directly to Zhou Maolin, but went home first to prepare some things.

He took out three talismans from the iron box and drew three "heart-questioning talismans" with cinnabar. These talismans, when pasted on a person, can make that person involuntarily tell the truth under certain conditions.

Li Mu folded the three talismans and put them into three envelopes, writing three names on each envelope: Zhou Maolin, Sun Zhiming, and Zhou Lingsu.

Then he took out the token given to him by the City God from the iron box and stuffed it into the innermost compartment of his backpack.

With this token, the underworld officials will not stop him from performing rituals and handling supernatural events in the Tianhai region.

But if his opponent is a living person, the token is of little use.

……

At 2 p.m., Li Mu reappeared at the entrance of Maolin Antique Shop.

Li Mu pushed open the door and went in. Zhou Maolin was standing behind the counter, looking at a piece of porcelain with a magnifying glass.

Hearing the door open, he looked up and saw Li Mu. His smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

"Mr. Li, you're here again? Did you buy what you wanted?"

"I got it!" Li Mu walked to the counter, took out the small copper bell he brought back from Shen Yi's villa from his bag—the exact same one he had seen in the display case before—and placed it on the counter.

When Zhou Maolin saw the copper bell, his hand visibly paused.

"Is this bell something from your shop?" Li Mu asked.

Zhou Maolin put down the magnifying glass, picked up the copper bell, examined it from all angles, and then put it down.

"Yes. It's an antique-style trinkets, not worth much."

"Boss Zhou, I'm not here to buy anything." Li Mu sat down in the chair in front of the counter, took a photo out of his pocket, and placed it on the counter.

The photo shows a large rock with runes carved on it in the Dongshan mass grave ditch.

When Zhou Maolin saw the photo, his expression changed completely.

"Boss Zhou, do you recognize this stone?" Li Mu asked, his tone unhurried.

Zhou Maolin didn't speak, but tapped his fingers lightly twice on the counter.

Li Mu noticed that the rhythm he was tapping was different from the subconscious movements of ordinary people when they are nervous; it was like some kind of code.

Slight footsteps came from behind the shop.

Li Mu didn't turn around; his left hand had already reached into his bag and found a Thunderfire Talisman.

The footsteps stopped at the door.

A young man, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, stood in the doorway of the back door. He was wearing a black jacket, had a sinister face, and stared at Li Mu with eyes like a snake.

"This is Zhou, one of the shop's employees," Zhou Maolin introduced, his voice a little strained. "Mr. Li, please don't mind."

Li Mu glanced at the young man.

The title "Little Zhou" doesn't quite match his age. Moreover, the young man's demeanor doesn't seem like that of an antique shop assistant.

Cold and sharp, like a knife hidden in its sheath.

"Boss Zhou, I'd like to talk to you alone," Li Mu said.

Zhou Maolin hesitated for a moment, then waved to the young man.

The young man did not move.

"Go ahead," Zhou Maolin said, emphasizing his words.

The young man then turned around and disappeared behind the back door.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Li Mu took the envelope out of his bag, placed it on the counter, and pushed it in front of Zhou Maolin.

"Boss Zhou, there's a talisman inside. Keep it in your pocket. I have a few questions for you, then I'll leave."

Zhou Maolin looked at the envelope but didn't reach for it. He tapped his fingers on the counter twice.

This time, Li Mu saw it clearly—it wasn't a nervous, subconscious action, but a regular, repetitive rhythm.

Three short, two long, three short.

Morse code?

No, it's not standard Morse code, but some kind of simplified signal.

Zhou Maolin was passing a message to the people behind him.

"Boss Zhou," Li Mu's voice turned cold, "I'm asking you one last time, are you going to release this talisman or not?"

Zhou Maolin raised his head and looked into Li Mu's eyes.

His eyes changed; they were no longer those of a smooth and worldly antique dealer, but became wary, calculating, and even carried a hint of murderous intent.

"Mr. Li, I don't know what you're talking about. If you have nothing else, please leave. I still have business to do."

Li Mu looked into his eyes and remained silent for three seconds.

Then he reached out and picked up the envelope, tore it open, took out the talisman inside, stood up, walked around the counter, and went to Zhou Maolin.

Zhou Maolin subconsciously took half a step back and reached for the drawer under the counter.

Li Mu was one step ahead of him; in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are sometimes necessary.

He placed his left hand on Zhou Maolin's shoulder and his right hand on Zhou Maolin's chest with the Heart-Questioning Talisman.

The moment the talisman was affixed, Zhou Maolin froze, as if he had been immobilized by something.

"Sit down," Li Mu said.

Zhou Maolin sat down, his eyes becoming vacant, but still retaining a last shred of clarity.

Li Mu knew that the Heart-Questioning Talisman had worked. However, Zhou Maolin's willpower was stronger than he had expected; the talisman could only weaken his resistance, not completely control him.

"Zhou Maolin," Li Mu sat down opposite him, looking into his eyes, "I'll ask you a few questions. Answer them truthfully. After you've answered, the talisman will become ineffective, and you won't be harmed."

Zhou Maolin didn't speak, but nodded slightly.

"Where did the bronze tree come from?"

Zhou Maolin's lips moved slightly.

"Dongshan... Liu Laogen... dug out of the ground."

"Who told you to collect it?"

"President Zhou... President Zhou."

"Zhou Lingsu?"

Zhou Maolin nodded.

"What was Zhou Lingsu's purpose in having you collect the bronze tree?"

Zhou Maolin's expression became conflicted, as if he were fighting against something. Veins bulged on his forehead, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his face.

"Speak," Li Mu's voice carried an irresistible force.

"To...to fill the bells on the big tree." Zhou Maolin finally uttered these words, and after saying them, he slumped into the chair as if he had collapsed, panting heavily.

Li Mu stood up and removed the Heart-Questioning Talisman from Zhou Maolin's chest.

The cinnabar on the talisman paper had faded considerably, leaving only faint pink traces.

Zhou Maolin slumped in the chair, trembling all over, his face drained of all color.

"Boss Zhou, I'm sorry to offend you!" Li Mu said frankly.

At this moment, a trace of fear appeared on Zhou Maolin's face. He still felt a little scared about what had just happened!