A single divination predicts life and death; the entire internet begs me to start a live stream.

Inside the ancestral hall, no one dared to speak.

All the Qin family members stared at the black pottery jar under the floor tiles.

The earthenware jar is not large.

It is completely black.

The mouth of the jar was sealed with yellow mud, and a red rope was wrapped around the outside.

Seven rusted, blackened copper coins were pressed down on the red rope.

On the front of the can, a blood-red character for "debt" is so striking it hurts the eyes.

Qin Ruoxue stood behind Chen Bufan.

Even after experiencing so much these past two days, she still believed that the Qin family's old debts were just an abstract, empty phrase.

But now, this pottery jar is buried under the Qin Family Ancestral Hall.

Buried in front of Old Master Qin's coffin.

Buried at the feet of the Qin family ancestors.

This is not speculation.

It was something that someone buried by hand.

Third Grandfather's face was ashen, and he could barely hold his cane.

"What...what is this?"

Who buried it?

"How could something like this be found underground in the ancestral hall?"

A middle-aged man from the Qin family standing nearby swallowed hard.

"Could someone have secretly buried it recently?"

Chen Bufan glanced at him.

"recent?"

He pointed to the yellow mud on the outside of the pottery jar.

"This layer of sealant has become completely soaked in."

"The red rope and copper coins were absorbed by the earth's energy."

"At least twenty years."

The middle-aged man immediately fell silent.

Twenty years.

This time coincides with the year the Qin family rose to power.

Qin Ruoxue's voice trembled slightly.

"Mr. Chen."

"Can you open it?"

Chen Bufan simply looked down at the pottery jar.

The black soil around the jar was still emitting cold air.

The chill lingered, like wisps of thin snakes coiling around the jar.

Ordinary people cannot see it.

But Chen Bufan could see it very clearly.

This pottery jar didn't just bury things.

The contract is still in effect.

If you disturb it, the debt inside will backfire.

It can range from mild to severe.

In severe cases, it can lead to violent death.

Chen Bufan looked up at the Qin family members.

"Everyone, take three steps back."

Nobody moved.

Many people are still hesitant.

Chen Bufan raised his voice a few decibels.

"If you want to die, then don't back down."

Upon hearing this, the Qin family members retreated with grim expressions.

Third Grandfather said with dissatisfaction:

"Young man, stop talking about death so easily."

"This is the Qin Family Ancestral Hall, not a place for you to scare people."

Chen Bufan looked at him.

"If you're not afraid, you can stand closer."

Third Grandfather's face looked very grim.

In the end, he took a half step back while cursing.

Qin Ruoxue did not back down.

Chen Bufan glanced at her.

"You should leave too."

Qin Ruoxue pursed her lips.

"This is a matter for the Qin family."

Chen Bufan said calmly:

"Therefore you should not stand close."

Qin Ruoxue remained silent for two seconds, then took three steps back.

Chen Bufan squatted down and took out a piece of yellow paper from his cloth bag.

The vermilion pen fell.

One stroke.

Two strokes.

Three strokes.

The candlelight in the ancestral hall began to flicker.

Everyone held their breath.

Chen Bufan placed the talisman directly above the pottery jar.

Then he reached out and gently untied the red string around the mouth of the jar.

The moment the red rope was moved, the entire ancestral hall seemed to tremble slightly.

The cracks in the coffin widened a little further to both sides.

Click.

The sound wasn't loud.

This startled the women of the Qin family, who screamed in terror.

"The coffin has cracked again!"

"Did the old man appear as a spirit?"

"Don't move! Really, don't move!"

Third Grandfather also got anxious.

"Chen Bufan!"

"Do you even know what you're doing? The coffin's cracked!"

Chen Bufan didn't even look up.

"Shut up."

The third grandfather was so angry that his face turned pale, and he raised his cane as if to smash it.

"you--"

Qin Ruoxue stopped him.

"Third Grandfather".

"Now let Mr. Chen speak."

Third Grandfather swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Chen Bufan ignored everyone.

He took out a small knife and gently pried at the edge of the sealant.

The yellow mud cracked.

A foul, fishy smell wafted out from the cracks in the jar.

That tasted weird.

It doesn't resemble rotten flesh.

It doesn't smell musty.

It's more like burnt paper money soaked in blood for many years.

Those members of the Qin family who were standing far away couldn't help but cover their noses.

Chen Bufan peeled off the seal little by little.

Finally, he pinched the talisman between two fingers and pressed it against the mouth of the jar.

"open."

Snapped.

The sealing clay has cracked open.

The mouth of the jar was exposed.

The candlelight in the ancestral hall suddenly dimmed.

It seemed as if a breath of cold air was exhaled from the black earthenware jar.

Uncle Fu stood to the side, his face pale and his voice trembling:

"Mr. Chen, what's inside...?"

Chen Bufan remained silent.

He reached out and picked up the first item from the earthenware jar.

A tuft of hair.

Her hair was tied up with a red thread.

It has turned gray.

But it did not rot.

Qin Ruoxue looked at that tuft of hair; the way it looked was very familiar, and she felt a tightness in her throat.

"This is……"

Chen Bufan said:

"Qin Chengde's hair."

Qin Chengde.

The name of the Qin family patriarch.

The ancestral hall erupted in chaos.

"The old man's hair?"

"How did you get here?"

"Who would dare do such a thing with the old man's hair?"

Did the old man know about this back then?

Chen Bufan then took out a second item from the jar.

A yellowed piece of paper.

The paper contained Qin Chengde's birth date and time.

The handwriting is old.

But the ink was dark, as if it had been mixed with blood.

Qin Ruoxue's breath hitched.

The old man's hair.

The old man's birth date and time.

This is no longer as simple as outsiders harming the Qin family.

This suggests that Qin Chengde himself may have been involved in this matter back then.

Chen Bufan continued taking things out.

The third item was three black copper coins.

Copper coins do not have reign titles.

The back is engraved with fine lines.

Like a snake.

Like an eye.

Black life mark.

Qin Ruoxue noticed the pattern at first glance.

"This pattern..."

Chen Bufan nodded.

"Black Fate Mark".

The Qin family members looked at each other in bewilderment.

They don't understand what the black mark means.

But Qin Ruoxue understood.

This is the mark left by the Gate of Fate.

This is also the most dangerous thing that Chen Bufan has been investigating all this time.

Finally, Chen Bufan took out a folded piece of yellow paper from the bottom of the pottery jar.

The yellow paper is very thin.

The edges are blackened.

It looked like it had been scorched by fire.

Chen Bufan unfolded the yellow paper.

Qin Ruoxue froze after just one glance.

The paper was covered with names.

Qin Yuanshan.

Qin Ruoxue.

Qin Mingli.

Qin Ya.

Qin Zian.

The names of almost all of Qin's descendants, both this generation and the next, are on it.

Some names have been crossed out with a black line.

Some names have red dots next to them.

Those who were crossed out are the people who died violently, fell seriously ill, or had accidents in the past twenty years.

Qin Ruoxue's throat was dry, and she could barely speak.

"Is this a list of Qin family descendants?"

Chen Bufan said:

"Not a list."

Qin Ruoxue looked up.

Chen Bufan stared at the yellow paper, his voice chillingly cold.

"It's a debt settlement agreement."

The expressions of all the Qin family members in the ancestral hall changed instantly.

"To pay off debts?"

"What kind of debt settlement?"

"What do you mean?"

Third Grandfather slammed his cane down heavily.

"Stop playing tricks, kid! Explain yourself!"

Chen Bufan placed the yellow paper in front of the coffin, paying no attention to him.

"Twenty years ago, the Qin family borrowed a sum of money."

"It wasn't borrowed from a bank."

"It wasn't borrowed from a friend."

"It's borrowed from fate."

"Qin Chengde used his own hair and birth date to set up a money-borrowing jar."

"Using the lives of Qin family descendants as collateral."

"So from then on, the Qin family's business went smoothly, their wealth increased, and their power grew."

The Qin family members all turned pale.

Someone murmured:

"impossible……"

"The old man wouldn't do such a thing."

"He doted on the descendants of the Qin family the most."

"How could you possibly use your descendants to pay off a debt?"

Chen Bufan looked at the man.

"When the money came, you didn't ask why."

"Now that the debt has been incurred, you're saying it's impossible?"

The man was choked so badly his face turned red, but he couldn't say a word.

Qin Ruoxue stared at the names on the yellow paper.

She saw her father's name.

Next to the name, a black line was crossed out.

Her father died of a sudden heart attack before he was fifty.

She used to think it was from overwork, stress, or bad luck.

Only now do I realize that it might just be a debt that the Qin family is paying off.

Her voice was a little hoarse.

"Was it because of this that my father too?"

Chen Bufan remained silent for a moment.

"Eighty percent."

Qin Ruoxue's eyes immediately reddened.

But she didn't let the tears fall.

His fingers were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Does my grandfather know?"

Chen Bufan glanced at the coffin.

"The first time I knew."

"It might not be able to be controlled later."

Qin Ruoxue understood.

Old Master Qin probably thought it was just a stroke of luck.

Perhaps they thought they could handle it.

Perhaps they thought that the Qin family could pay off their debts once they became wealthy.

Once the door is opened for borrowing a life, it's not something the borrower can simply stop at will.

The Qin family was completely panicked.

"What should we do then?"

"Are our names all on it?"

"I just saw my son's name!"

"My daughter is here too!"

"Can this thing be destroyed?"

"Burn it! Burn it right now!"

A middle-aged man suddenly rushed out.

His face was pale, and his eyes were filled with panic.

"What's the point of keeping this damn thing?"

"Wouldn't burning it solve the problem?"

Chen Bufan looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Don't touch it if you don't want to die."

The man paused.

But soon, he gritted his teeth and said:

"Stop trying to scare me!"

"All that you said just now, wasn't it just to make the Qin family afraid of you?"

"I think you might have buried this pottery jar beforehand!"

Qin Ruoxue wanted to stop him.

"Fourth Uncle".

Do you know what you're saying?

The man who was called Fourth Uncle got anxious.

"Ruoxue, you've been deceived by him!"

"The old man has been dead for three years."

"What 'loan jar' and 'debt settlement agreement'? He just made them up!"

"If this jar isn't destroyed, how will the Qin family ever have peace again?"

Chen Bufan stood up and made a "please" gesture.

"Of course you can try."

Qin Ruoxue whispered.

"Mr. Chen."

Chen Bufan shrugged:

"You can't stop someone who wants to die."

Uncle Qin's face turned red with anger at those words.

"You really think I'm afraid of you?"

As he spoke, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the black pottery jar when no one was paying attention.

Qin Ruoxue said sternly:

"Don't touch it!"

late.

Uncle Qin's fourth hand was already on the pottery jar.

next second.

All the candles in the ancestral hall turned a ghostly green at the same time.

Uncle Qin froze.

His eyes were wide open.

His mouth was open, but no sound came out.

My hand felt like it was stuck to a clay pot; I couldn't pull it back no matter what I did.

"what……"

He managed a broken scream from his throat.

Immediately afterwards, blood began to seep from his nose, mouth, corners of his eyes, and ears at the same time.

At first, it was just a thin line of blood.

Then more and more appeared.

Blood streamed down his face, quickly staining his collar red.

Screams erupted instantly inside the ancestral hall.

"what!"

"She's bleeding!"

"Fourth Uncle!"

"Quickly pull him away!"

Someone wanted to step forward.

Chen Bufan said sternly:

"Whoever touches this dies!"

Everyone stopped abruptly.

Uncle Qin's fourth body convulsed violently.

His eyes were fixed on the pottery jar.

It was as if they had seen something extremely terrifying.

His lips trembled, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and his voice was indistinct.

"No...it wasn't me..."

"Debt... creditor..."

"They're here..."

The voice just fell.

His body jerked backward and he crashed heavily to the ground.

The black ceramic jar remained quietly placed in front of the coffin.

The blood-red character for "debt" on the jar has become even darker.