Chapter 30.1 Ye Family House No. 444 03
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Chen Yang: “Did he die last night?”
“Yes,” Hu Yingnan nodde, “He called the police last night. According to the description, he was seeking help and shouting about ghosts. The strange thing is that his family was there, but they didn’t hear a thing.”
“Did he go with Yang Xiao to explore the Ye Family House No. 444?”
Hu Yingnan sighed, “He went there twice. But I’m not sure if he really caused any trouble or got involved with the Ye Family House No. 444. After all, he died in his own house, and there were no strange incidents when he visited the Ye Family House No. 444. You know, a dead body cannot leave the place of its death.”
The idea that a dead body could not leave the place of its death meant that a ghost could not move away from the location where its body died, unless there was some kind of medium involved. The deceased died in his own home, far away from the Ye Family House No. 444. In theory, it shouldn’t be because of the Ye Family House No. 444.
Chen Yang pondered over what Du Shuo had said about not meddling in the affairs of mortal realm. Could it be that the Ye Family House No. 444 had nothing to do with evil spirits and demons, but was instead orchestrated by humans? However, the fact that the wooden stake was found in the victim’s eye, and the absence of any noise or signs of a break-in during the midnight murder, didn’t seem like the work of humans.
“Didn’t the Daoist Association investigate?”
“Since the situation is still unclear, we’re not sure if it was a human act or the work of supernatural entities. The Daoist Association couldn’t intervene directly, but they have requested investigations by the Ziyang Palace and Baiyun Temple. I’m taking charge of the Ziyang Palace’s side, while Baiyun Temple is cooperating with the police.”
Celestial masters collaborating with the police? Chen Yang found it intriguing. Perhaps sensing his curiosity, Hu Yingnan explained, “Baiyun Temple has a talented lay disciple who works with the criminal investigation unit.”
Baiyun Temple, like Ziyang Palace, belonged to the Quanzhen Sect of Daoism.
“Do you have any leads on this case?”
“Where would the leads come from? All we know is that he visited the Ye Family House No. 444. We have no idea what he might have stirred up. If it turns out that the incident is related to the Ye Family House No. 444, then things are going to get messy.” Hu Yingnan sighed, waving her hand. “My cousin had already been to the Ye Family House No. 444 for an adventure livestream. I thought she hadn’t been there, but it turns out she had secretly gone. She was afraid to tell me because she didn’t want me to inform her parents. Only when things went wrong did she come to me in fear.”
If the incident was indeed caused by the Ye Family House No. 444, then Hu Xiang wouldn’t be able to escape from it either. That was why Hu Yingnan reluctantly took on this troublesome task, as a duty she couldn’t shirk. Besides taking on assignments, exorcising and upholding justice was also an unshakable responsibility of a celestial master.
Mao Xiaoli: “Sister Hu, maybe we can bring Yang Xiao here to ask about the situation. She’s the president of the Paranormal Investigation Society, right? Regardless of whether she directly planned the adventure livestreams or not, she should have records. Perhaps we can find out what the deceased had encountered from her.”
Hu Yingnan pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll inform Hu Xiang and ask her to bring Yang Xiao here.”
However, it wasn’t until the afternoon that Yang Xiao arrived, two hours after Hu Xiang. She wore an embarrassed expression and said to everyone, “Yang Xiao was at the police station. She firmly believes that this is a brutal murder case, so she has been fully cooperating with the police investigation.”
Hu Xiang had expected that the people present would have some concerns or reservations. She knew that her cousin, Hu Yingnan, was a lay disciple of Ziyang Palace. Her friends were also celestial masters, but she herself didn’t believe in such things. However, to her surprise, the people present merely nodded without saying much.
Hu Yingnan: “Can she spare some time after giving her statement?”
Hu Xiang nodded and whispered to Hu Yingnan, “She said she can.” Then she leaned closer to him and asked, “Sis, don’t you all mind?”
“Mind what?”
“Yang Xiao ignored all of you and went to the police station.”
“Isn’t that a rational and sensible thing to do?” Hu Yingnan looked at her cousin, who seemed conflicted, and chuckled. She ruffled her hair and said, “Believing in ghosts and gods doesn’t necessarily make you superstitious, and not believing in them doesn’t make you arrogant.”
Hu Xiang didn’t quite understand, but Hu Yingnan didn’t elaborate. She only asked her about the Ye Family House No. 444. Hu Xiang scratched her head, pondered for a while, and finally said, “Actually, I don’t remember much about Ye Family House No. 444. I don’t know why, but my memories of the adventure livestream are quite vague. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about it. It felt like there was a veil covering my perception. Even though I know I’ve been there, it felt more like I was just an observer. That’s why I had decided to go there again tonight with Yang Xiao, but now I’m too afraid.”
Chen Yang: “Did anything significant happen that left a lasting impression on you?”
Hu Xiang racked her brain, then suddenly slapped her thigh and said, “There’s one thing. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but now that I recall it, it feels terrifying.”
Hu Yingnan: “Tell us about it.”
Hu Xiang: “During that visit, I went with Yang Xiao and two other guys from the club. One of them was Zhou Chengjun… the deceased. We split up that time. I went upstairs with Yang Xiao and another guy to investigate. We heard that the murder at the Ye Family House happened on the second floor, and the first-ever livestream of an exploration ended abruptly at the staircase on the second floor, so we went up. There was also a room on the ground floor where someone was said to have died. Zhou Chengjun was very brave. He went alone to the ground floor where the supposed death occurred. Just as we reached the staircase on the second floor, we heard Zhou Chengjun screaming in terror. We were so frightened that our phones fell to the ground, and when we picked them up, they were black screens.”
Chen Yang handed her a glass of water, and Hu Xiang smiled gratefully. She glanced at the handsome man sitting beside Chen Yang. She had a hunch that their relationship was extraordinary, but it didn’t concern her much. So, Hu Xiang finished drinking the water and continued her story.
“We rushed to the ground floor and saw Zhou Chengjun crawling out of the Ye Family House No. 444 in a panic. We chased after him until we reached the road far away from the mansion. Zhou Chengjun finally stopped. We went over and asked him angrily what had gotten into him. Zhou Chengjun turned around, remained silent for a long time, and finally said it was nothing. But we all knew he must have encountered something because his face was pale, his eyes filled were with fear—intense fear. It was as if he had seen something incredibly horrifying, and it had scared him to the core.”
Chen Yang: “Did he not mention what he had encountered?”
Hu Xiang hesitated for a moment before saying, “I don’t know if he was lying… Several days later, when he returned to school, he told us about that night. He said he entered the room, turned on the flashlight on his phone, but hadn’t started the livestream yet. He usually liked to survey the area first and then plan a series of scary actions to frighten the viewers. He placed some snacks on an abandoned table and walked around the room. When he came back, he noticed some of the snacks were missing. He didn’t think much of it and assumed it was rats taking them away. He ate some of the snacks, but when he turned around again, he found that more were missing.”
Hu Xiang paused, swallowed hard, as if the situation was incredibly terrifying. Mao Xiaoli hugged her pillow tightly, staring intently at Hu Xiang, her expression tense. It seemed like she was treating it as a ghost story. Zhang Qiudao, noticing this, rolled his eyes and flicked Mao Xiaoli’s forehead, urging her to maintain a serious attitude.
Mao Xiaoli pursed her lips and straightened her posture to demonstrate that she had corrected her attitude. Zhang Qiudao had nothing to say in response.
“Zhou Chengjun thought it was because the old house had been vacant for a long time, so the rats were rampant. But when he turned on the flashlight on his phone, he saw a snack wrapper float down in front of him, and from above, he heard the scurrying sounds of rats nibbling. He looked up and simultaneously directed the flashlight toward the source, only to meet the eyes of a humanoid figure.”
Chen Yang: “By humanoid figure, do you mean it isn’t human?”
Hu Xiang nodded. “A person couldn’t have three eyes.”
“Three eyes?”
“Zhou Chengjun said the creature had three eyes. ɪᴛ ʀᴇꜱᴇᴍʙʟᴇᴅ ᴀ ɴᴀᴋᴇᴅ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙʀᴇᴀꜱᴛꜱ. Her hair was long and disheveled, and she was completely ɴᴀᴋᴇᴅ. Her face… it was strange. At first glance, it appeared blank, but upon closer inspection, you could see her facial features. And on her forehead, there was an additional eye.”
Mao Xiaoli: “A three-eyed monster? Like Erlang Shen?”
Zhang Qiudao slapped the back of Mao Xiaoli’s head, causing her to swiftly move next to Hu Yingnan while sticking her tongue out at Zhang Qiudao. “Can’t hit me!”
Chen Yang turned to Du Shuo and asked, “Are there any ghosts with three eyes?”
“None,” Du Shuo firmly replied.
Chen Yang pondered for a moment and changed the direction of his question, “Are there any people with three eyes?”
“None,” Du Shuo reiterated his negative response and grasped Chen Yang’s hand as a subtle hint. “There are no naturally born beings with three eyes, but in the mortal realm, there once existed a kingdom entirely populated by three-eyed individuals. They had an extraordinary obsession and reverence for the third eye, worshiping the deity associated with the three eyes.”
“What kingdom is this?”
“The Ghost Kingdom.”
The Ghost Kingdom was mentioned in numerous ancient texts. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, it was located to the north of Erfu‘s corpse, and its inhabitants have human faces with a single eye. There were also accounts referring to the Ghost Kingdom as the Ghost Square. Ancient records documented the famous event of Emperor Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty waging a three-year campaign to conquer the Ghost Kingdom. Presently, there were claims that the Ghost Kingdom was located in Shaanxi or Hubei, while others propose it to be a tribal region in the northwest. The exact location of the Ghost Kingdom remained unknown, but undoubtedly, it was a nation that revered ghosts and held an extraordinary fascination with eyes.
“…the third eye is positioned vertically.”
As soon as Hu Xiang finished speaking, Chen Yang immediately grasped the meaning, “Vertical gaze.”
The rest of the group looked at Chen Yang with puzzled expressions, while Du Shuo smiled subtly, his gaze filled with admiration directed at Chen Yang. It was precisely this approving gaze that made Chen Yang more certain of his conjecture.
“The Three-Eyed God of the Vertical Gaze is the deity worshipped by the ancient Kingdom of Shu. You all know about the True Lord Qingyuan, right?”
Everyone present, except for Hu Xiang, was familiar with it. Hu Yingnan explained, “Lord Erlang.”
“In fact, in the ancient Kingdom of Shu, Erlang Shen was their god of hunting. Lord Erlang was the Three-Eyed God of the Vertical Gaze. The ancient Kingdom of Shu also worshipped other deities like the Green Robed God, Lady of the Great Chariot, and the Horse King. All of these gods are gods with vertical eyes, and many of the statues of gods in ancient temples also have three eyes. In the past, the Kingdom of Shu was a thriving center of witchcraft and the Ghost Dao, earning it the title of the Ghost Kingdom.”
The Green Robed God was none other than Can Cong, the founding monarch of the ancient Kingdom of Shu. He was known as the Green Robed God because he often wore green attire. He was revered as the deity of sericulture and silkworms in the ancient Kingdom of Shu. Lady of the Great Chariot, the Mother of the Northern Dipper Stars, possessed three eyes, four heads, and eight arms. She held a prominent position among the gods worshipped in Daoism. As for the Horse King, it was a deity of the Yi ethnic group.
The ancient Shu Kingdom traced its lineage back to the era of deities. Their ancestors worshipped the Earth Goddess, known as “Hou Tu,” and belonged to tribes that had a strong connection with spirits and ghosts. Therefore, the people of the ancient Shu Kingdom were often referred to as the descendants of the Three-Eyed Ghost Tribe. Notably, the archaeological site of Sanxingdui has revealed numerous bronze masks adorned with distinct vertical eye patterns.
Hu Xiang: “So, what does this have to do with Zhou Chengjun’s death?”
Chen Yang handed the search results to everyone present. “These are the bronze masks with vertical gazes. There is a hole on the forehead acting as the third eye, while the other two eyes protrude like two stakes driven in. According to some ancient Shu texts, the ancestors of the Shu Kingdom, including Can Cong, had ‘vertical gazes,’ which explains the reason behind the bronze masks with vertical gazes. However, there are also mentions that the bronze masks with vertical gazes were used as a form of punishment.”
Hu Yingnan: “Are you suggesting that Zhou Chengjun offended the deity with the vertical gaze and was subjected to the punishment of the vertical gaze?”
“It’s just a speculation,” Chen Yang replied. “Currently, we don’t know what exactly Zhou Chengjun offended, nor do we know what he encountered in Ye Family House. By the way, Hu Xiang, when you mentioned earlier that you didn’t know whether Zhou Chengjun was telling the truth or not, what did you mean?”
Surprised by being singled out, Hu Xiang took a moment to gather her thoughts and then answered, “Because Zhou Chengjun went back to the Ye Family House again without any fear. Logically, if someone encounters such terrifying things, they wouldn’t dare to go back, let alone continue live streaming their exploration as if nothing happened. So, we all thought he was lying.”
Chen Yang: “Alright, let’s put aside whether Zhou Chengjun was lying or not for now. Have any of you encountered anything strange?”
“No,” Hu Xiang nodded affirmatively, “There really isn’t.”
Chen Yang turned to Hu Yingnan and asked, “Are you going to the Ye Family House No. 444 tonight?”
Hu Yingnan’s expression turned serious. “I have to go and investigate. Otherwise, I’m afraid more people might die.”
Mao Xiaoli raised her hand and said, “I’ll go too.” Kou Xuanling and Zhang Qiudao, feeling bored with nothing else to do tonight, decided to join them and see what’s going on.
Chen Yan: “Then Du Shuo and I will look into other legends surrounding the Ye Family House No. 444.”
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