I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

Time passed by, bit by bit.

Lu Bingkun was buried in the rice jar, looking pained.

The rice container has a specially designed professional-grade silent ventilation pipe on its side wall, which can also be connected to a medical non-invasive ventilator to ensure that he will not suffocate before being discovered by the underworld officials.

But as anyone who has been buried alive knows, rice will continuously compress the space, making it hard to breathe.

It's comparable to torture.

Midnight.

The grandfather clock in the main hall downstairs struck twelve times in a row.

The fire outside the window never went out, and the ashes of the paper money that floated up fell from the sky, making it look like snow.

It was just black snow.

The arrival of the underworld messengers came without any warning.

The first thing to change is temperature.

The mansion was equipped with a fresh air system that maintained a constant temperature of 24 degrees Celsius, but as soon as the clock struck midnight, the room temperature plummeted at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

That chill that seeps deep into your bones feels like it can freeze your blood.

The people present instantly got goosebumps and their scalps tightened.

"Master..."

Lu Jianmin stammered as she looked at Master Zhang, who remained seated with his eyes closed in meditation. The other man gave her a nonchalant glance:

"Shut up, I'm coming."

Those four short words were enough to make everyone still breathing in the room cover their mouths.

—To avoid any mistakes, the four agents from the Special Investigation Bureau were kicked out of the room by Lu Bingkun and left outside the door.

At this moment, they only felt a little cold and didn't know exactly what had happened.

……

……

"The underworld messengers have arrived. Keep your mouths shut. If you disturb them, we will all lose our lives."

Master Zhang listened intently, then lowered his voice and gave the instructions again:

"Chairman Lu, you're here."

Lu Bingkun nodded, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Lu Jianmin, Lu Jianye, and Lu Jiancheng exchanged a glance and held their breath.

Everything seemed too calm; there were no shadowy figures or ghosts as they had imagined.

After a few seconds of tension.

Lu Jianmin relaxed slightly, a hint of undisguised sarcasm and disdain appearing on his face.

She never believed in this so-called Master Zhang, thinking he was just making a fuss.

The idea of ​​spirits arriving at one's door or ghosts entering one's house is probably just a bunch of deceptive gimmicks.

This is indeed a common tactic used by charlatans.

A mere gust of wind can cause the temperature to drop a few degrees, and people immediately claim it's the arrival of an unseen force.

Who can know how long a person will live?

As soon as it was light, the other party made an excuse that the ceremony had failed, and her father couldn't see anything wrong with it.

Lu Jianmin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and even felt a little amused.

This grand and costly longevity-extending ceremony was, in the end, nothing more than the father's self-consolation before his death.

She had even begun to plan how to extract resources from Lu Bingkun after the ceremony to completely solidify her power within the Lu family.

Lu Jianye and Lu Jiancheng, who were standing nearby, also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The atmosphere in the room was relaxed, but doubts began to arise.

Master Zhang, however, seemed oblivious, simply closing his eyes and remaining silent.

Just as everyone's tense nerves were slowly relaxing, the next second—

Downstairs, the VIP audio-visual room was deserted and in standby mode when suddenly faint singing could be heard.

"Sizzle—"

"Sizzle sizzle—"

A faint, hoarse, old-fashioned magnetic tape static suddenly rang out.

The noise was fragmented, dry, and had a slightly old and distorted feel.

The group of people froze instantly.

Lu Jianye's pupils contracted sharply, and a dense layer of white sweat instantly broke out on his back.

This audio-visual system cost a lot of money back then, and its level and performance are top-notch.

There was no one downstairs at the moment, so it was impossible for the music to play automatically; in fact, there was the static noise that only old cassette tapes produce.

Who is playing music?

next second.

As the noise subsided, a plaintive female voice slowly echoed through the empty building.

It's an old Cantonese love song that's long been taken off the shelves and almost no one remembers it.

The singing came from near and far, but those hiding on the second floor could hear it clearly.

An empty house echoes with its own sounds, a mournful sound lingers around the beams.

Something really did get in.

……

……

The three of them frantically wiped away their sweat, large beads of sweat rolling down their faces, but they still remembered to give their instructions and remained silent.

Lu Bingkun remained motionless, eyes closed, lying dormant in the rice jar.

After an unknown amount of time, the singing suddenly stopped without warning.

Immediately following this was a commotion emanating from the basement recreation room:

"Splash—splash—splash—"

"Bang! Click! Crash..."

In the otherwise empty recreation room, the sound of mahjong tiles being rubbed suddenly became extremely loud.

It's like someone turned on the TV.

The sounds of drawing, playing, and ponging cards echoed downstairs, creating a lively atmosphere as if a dozen or so people were sitting around a table together.

The voices of men and women seemed to come through a layer of water, muffled and loud.

The loud clatter of shuffling mahjong tiles, the crisp sound of slamming tiles on the table, the clatter of knocking over winning tiles, the rapid sounds of ponging and konging tiles—

Layer upon layer, densely packed, interwoven into a vast expanse.

The once empty and desolate recreation room was instantly filled with lively and bustling voices.

[Chirp chirp... chirp chirp...]

[Chirp chirp... chirp chirp...]

[Chirp chirp...]

Men's laughter, women's whispers, elders' reflections, young people's jokes, cheers of victory, complaints of defeat, casual conversations among acquaintances, and agreement from strangers...

Men and women, young and old, near and far, high and low.

The room was bustling with noise and filled with jubilation.

But if you listen carefully, you'll find that no matter how hard you try, you can't make out what a single syllable is being said.

In the visible reality, the ground is covered in white dust, houses are empty and deserted, and lights are still on.

But what he heard was a hall full of guests, a gathering of ghosts, and a deafening clamor.

The sense of disconnect created by the interweaving of reality and illusion makes one feel slightly dizzy.

The surveillance footage showed that the first floor remained quiet and empty.

The Special Investigations Bureau agents standing guard outside the door were leaning against the wall with their arms crossed, seemingly chatting idly.

But the sounds they heard were unmistakably real.

……

……

Lu Jianmin's teeth chattered, his voice trembled, and he made gestures towards Master Zhang:

[Master, can we negotiate with the ghost messengers now?]

She just wanted to end this bizarre ritual as soon as possible.

Master Zhang glanced at her indifferently, his tone calm and unperturbed:

"What's the rush?"

"If you were in that situation, and you had just sat down to start the game, ready to enjoy the lively and joyful atmosphere you'd never experienced before, and someone abruptly interrupted you, wouldn't you feel annoyed?"

"The underworld messengers, indulging in worldly pleasures and enjoying the riches of the human world, are currently in a good mood and are receiving offerings from Lord Lu."

"This moment is a disturbance, an offense against the underworld officials—"

"Not only was the transaction voided, but the underworld officials were also enraged on the spot and immediately began to take away souls and lives. Not only Director Yu, but everyone in the house was implicated and suffered calamity."

"If you want to die, then go down there yourself."

Lu Jianmin remained silent.

The others didn't dare to urge them any further.

and so on.

We can only wait.

A hint of anxiety finally appeared on Lu Bingkun's face.

……

……

Time passed slowly, and after who knows how much time had gone by, the sounds of mahjong and card games downstairs still hadn't stopped.

It was as if there really was a group of unseen guests playing cards all night in this mansion.

In the courtyard, incense continued to burn, paper ash flew, and flames flickered.

Inside, the aroma of food wafted through the air.

Everything that belongs to the living is now open to the dead, for them to enjoy.

It's 3 a.m.

At this time, the night was at its darkest, and the sounds of ghosts frolicking downstairs continued unabated.

Lu Bingkun, who was inside the rice bin, was already getting impatient.

Even with a ventilator, the feeling of being buried alive by the pressure of the grains on my chest was still unbearable.

He could barely feel the area below his chest anymore.

His gaze swept over his three children sitting in the corner, then he looked at Master Zhang, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, and almost forced out a few breaths from his chest:

"Master..."

The moment he spoke, the laughter and noise that had never stopped downstairs instantly fell silent.

One second ago, the room was buzzing with excitement; the next second, everything was deathly silent.

There wasn't even the slightest change in direction; the surroundings were deathly silent.

Master Zhang did not answer. Instead, he walked to the window, glanced at the firelight outside, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

"It's done."

"If the underworld messengers linger all night, reluctant to leave, it means they have tacitly agreed to the deal and agreed to the negotiation."

"Chairman Lu, it's your turn to show yourself."

"To avoid any mishaps, I need to remain hidden here and keep watch, so please, Miss and the two gentlemen, accompany Chairman Lu."

Two sharp glints flashed in Lu Bingkun's eyes, and he repeatedly praised it.