Chapter 7 Human Skin Painting 07
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As soon as Chen Yang finished chanting, everyone’s mobile phones in the room went dark. Amidst the blackness, faint sounds of clinking iron chains seemed to draw near.
After a few moments, the phone lights flickered back on, restoring the illumination. All eyes turned towards Chen Yang, and the vengeful spirit beneath his feet had already been captured by the ghost envoy of Luofeng. The Han family breathed a sigh of relief, while Master Luo and Master Lv’s expressions towards Chen Yang transformed, now filled with awe.
The person capable of summoning Luofeng’s ghost envoys undoubtedly possessed abilities beyond their own.
Even jealousy was rendered powerless, leaving only a deep sense of reverence.
Mao Xiaoli stood there, her mouth agape, staring at Chen Yang as if seeing him in a whole new light.
Chen Yang put away the red string, securing it back around his wrist, and raised his head. “Should we turn on the lights?”
Han Jiashan helped Mrs. Han to the sofa and promptly called out to the maid, “Please turn on the lights.”
The maid saw that the vengeful spirit had been taken away and went to switch on the lights. The room was flooded with bright illumination, dispersing the dark clouds outside the villa and revealing the moonlight. In that moment, the sound of insects chirping in the grass broke the silence that had hung in the air.
Mao Xiaoli assisted Han Ke in sitting on the sofa, and all the members of the Han family directed their attention towards Chen Yang. Mrs. Han, who had never believed in ghosts before, now regarded Chen Yang as a respected celestial master. The feeling of being briefly possessed had been too vivid, and even now, the memory sent shivers down her spine.
Mrs. Han: “Celestial Master, has the vengeful spirit truly disappeared?”
“It hasn’t vanished,” Chen Yang replied, lifting his gaze. “It has merely been escorted back to the underworld by the ghost envoy, but it won’t trouble Miss Han anymore.”
The Han family let out a sigh of relief, and Han Jiashan inquired, “After being haunted for such a long time, will Keke’s well-being be affected? Will her vital energy be harmed?”
“Her vital energy won’t be harmed, but her health will certainly be influenced,” Chen Yang remarked, casting a glance at Han Ke. He noticed a lingering trace of death energy in her face, but it would dissipate once her body fully recovered its vitality.
“What should we do then? Do we need any special talisman? Celestial Master Chen, please advise us. The price is not a concern. Oh, you mentioned earlier about lost souls and wandering spirits trying to intrude. Could there be other vengeful spirits attempting to steal Keke’s vitality? Is there any magical item—”
Mao Xiaoli couldn’t hold back and interjected, “Mr. Han, vengeful spirits aren’t that plentiful. Miss Han has a natural resilience against evil influences. If she hadn’t disrespected supernatural beings and spoken nonsense at someone’s grave, how could vengeful spirits have taken advantage of her?”
Han Ke forced a bitter smile. “After going through this ordeal, how could I dare to disrespect supernatural beings anymore?”
Chen Yang spoke in a warm tone, “Don’t worry. Your home is protected by door gods and ancestral spirits, along with the statue of Guan Yu. Most ghosts and malicious spirits cannot enter. It would be best for Miss Han to visit a hospital for a check-up regarding the lingering effects of the encounter. Afterward, she should engage in regular exercise, bask in sunlight, and avoid places with heavy Yin energy for the next month. I will also have Xiaoli draw two protective talismans for you… free of charge. It’s part of the package. Our goal at the Dafu Office is to ensure our clients have peace of mind.”
Han Jiashan, also a merchant, felt a sense of familiarity but refrained from being overly familiar. With a blend of reverence and admiration, he said, “Celestial Master, your dedication is truly admirable.”
Mao Xiaoli had an expression as if she wanted to kneel down before Chen Yang, but he simply smiled and continued to promote the services of the Dafu Office without revealing any signs of it. They had a pleasant and friendly conversation with Han Jiashan, exchanging contact information along the way.
Han Jiashan was directly developed as a sustainable business line, bringing in numerous significant clients for the future of the Dafu Office. However, that was a story for another time and would not be mentioned for now.
After the battle, everyone felt a bit worn out. After resting for two to three hours, the sky gradually brightened. Chen Yang and the others bid their farewells. The four hundred thousand offered by Han Jiashan, along with the additional one hundred thousand contributed by Han Ke, were naturally paid in full to Chen Yang.
However, both Master Luo and Master Lv had made their own contributions during the capture of the vengeful spirit, so they also received satisfactory compensation.
When Chen Yang departed from the Han residence, he took the piece of parchment made from human skin with him.
When he informed Han Ke that it was a piece of parchment made from human skin, her expression nearly caused her to faint, and she promptly handed the paper over to Chen Yang.
Mao Xiaoli stared at the notification on her phone, where she had just received a staggering sum of five hundred thousand yuan. She remained in a daze for quite some time, unable to gather her thoughts.
“B-brother Chen, you’re incredible.”
Mao Xiaoli became an ardent admirer of Chen Yang, completely infatuated with him.
“Half a million! I’ve never seen such a substantial amount since I entered this industry.”
Hearing this, Chen Yang asked curiously, “How long have you been in this industry?”
“Three years,” Mao Xiaoli replied, deeply moved. “I used to work with my family, but then I ventured out on my own. I joined the Dafu Branch Office a year ago and only received a basic salary. I was so poor that I couldn’t even afford magical tools.”
Chen Yang remained silent.
It truly was a colossal pitfall.
“By the way, Brother Chen, how did you know that this paper is made of human skin?”
“The texture is similar. Regular painting paper doesn’t have this feel.”
Mao Xiaoli touched the piece of paper made from human skin and nodded in agreement. “You’re right. But Brother Chen, how did you figure out that the ghost causing harm to Miss Han was a hundred-year-old vengeful spirit?”
Chen Yang sighed. “Didn’t you find it strange when you saw the portrait of the beautiful woman on this paper?”
Mao Xiaoli shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”
“Even with the heavy presence of Yin energy and a spooky ghostly aura, you didn’t notice anything?”
Mao Xiaoli opened her mouth wide and exclaimed, “Brother Chen, how could I possibly sense Yin energy and ghostly aura?”
Chen Yang frowned. “You are a celestial master.”
“Even celestial masters can’t do that.” Mao Xiaoli wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. “Brother Chen, do you have some misunderstandings about celestial masters? Although celestial masters catch ghosts, they rely on tools to see and sense ghosts. Only when the Yin energy and ghostly aura are very strong can they be clearly felt. Like this painting, I didn’t sense any ghostly aura at all.”
Chen Yang was taken aback. “Is that so? I don’t have much knowledge about celestial masters.”
Mao Xiaoli stared directly at Chen Yang. “Brother Chen, are you really not a celestial master? Then how can you catch ghosts?”
“A grandfather neighbor taught me when I was young. He only taught me for two years, so I can’t be considered a celestial master.”
“I see… Being so skilled after just two years of teaching.” Mao Xiaoli felt quite envious.
It seemed that those who practiced the craft of being a celestial master rely on their natural talent.
Those with mediocre talent could study for over a decade and only achieve the sixth-rank celestial master, capable of basic rituals like her. But those with exceptional talent could summon the ghost envoys of Fengdu after just two years of learning.
Mao Xiaoli shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it any longer.
The more she thought about it, the more jealous and unsettled she became.
In truth, Mao Xiaoli had remarkable talent. One could easily tell from how effortlessly she sensed the gathering of vital energy and the presence of malevolent ghosts. However, when compared to special cases like Chen Yang, she felt unbalanced.
Mao Xiaoli decided to shift the conversation back to the original topic. “What happened next? How did you figure out it was made of human skin after discovering the parchment?”
Chen Yang proceeded to give her a detailed explanation.
It was mainly because Chen Yang had lived in a secluded village in the southern region before attending university. The southern regions, especially Guangdong and Guangxi, still strongly believe in ghosts and deities. Additionally, Chen Yang’s unique constitution often led him to interact with ghosts and supernatural entities.
Hence, upon discovering the parchment made of human skin, he realized the situation was far from simple. At that moment, the malicious spirit attempted to deceive him, speaking in a dialect from Western Guangdong. However, the spirit addressed him with an old-fashioned term, “Mr. Scholar”, not commonly used in modern times.
The painting bore the signature “Xiao Fengyu”, which seemed to be the stage name of a former actress. Curious, he decided to do a quick search online and managed to find information about her life.
Xiao Fengyu, originally named Zhu Xiaoyu, was a talented female performer in the early Republic of China era from Western Guangdong. Renowned for her melodious voice and captivating features, she achieved great fame during her time. However, her life took a tragic turn when she was around twenty-one years old and fell victim to abduction by bandits.
Chen Yang deduced that after her death, someone had peeled off her skin to create the parchment, resulting in her spirit being incomplete. Furthermore, being a restless spirit with a violent death, she received no proper burial or remembrance, making it even more challenging for her to move on. Over time, Zhu Xiaoyu’s remains were gradually buried, and later, another woman’s grave was mistakenly placed atop her resting place, further fueling her wrath.
Coincidentally, during Han Ke’s ancestral worship ceremony, Zhu Xiaoyu seized the opportunity to entice her, hiding within the human skin parchment to infiltrate the Han family and seize Han Ke’s vital energy.
“Long ago, there was a forbidden practice that believed in removing the skin of the deceased to create parchment. The belief was that by painting the image of the deceased on the human skin, their soul could be captured.”
Although they couldn’t fathom how Zhu Xiaoyu obtained the parchment made from her own skin, they knew it wasn’t a peaceful process.
The two of them returned to Dafu Branch Office. Chen Yang stood by the doorway, gazing at the sign that displayed “Dafu Subdistrict Office” with a mix of sadness and frustration. “Displaying a sheep’s head while selling dog meat.”
Mao Xiaoli chuckled mischievously. “Putting up this sign makes it less likely for them to summon us for questioning.”
Chen Yang couldn’t believe it and questioned, “But you’re not government officials.”
“We are government officials, officially appointed ones. However, we operate outside the regular system…”
Chen Yang struggled to find the right words to express his thoughts.
As Chen Yang stepped into the office, Mao Xiaoli swiftly retrieved a contract and pen, urging him to sign it.
“If you sign this contract, you’ll become the manager of our branch office. Let me share a secret with you: the manager’s base salary is twice as much as ours, and they receive an extra 5% share.”
Chen Yang raised an eyebrow in curiosity and asked, “How much is the manager’s share, and what about your shares and base salaries?”
Just as Mao Xiaoli was about to respond, Deputy Manager Ma Shanfeng, with his round belly, entered and called her out for a private conversation. Chen Yang wondered what they were discussing. After Ma Shanfeng entered, he showed particular warmth towards Chen Yang and said, “Xiaoli still has some things to learn. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
“But I haven’t signed—”
“Seems like you’re not familiar with the perks the manager enjoys at our branch office.”
“I don’t think that aspect is crucial. I believe I need to consider it more carefully—”
“The director’s base salary is 30,000 yuan, and for each assignment, they receive a 5% commission. Oh, this commission is granted regardless of your direct involvement. Our commission structure involves deducting 30% from each assignment for the branch office’s daily operational expenses, and the remaining 70% is divided equally among the participants.”
In simpler terms, even if Chen Yang didn’t actively participate in the assignments, as long as they succeeded, he would receive a 5% commission. But if he did take part, he’d get both the 5% commission and a share of 65%.
Along with the base salary, free meals and accommodation, and the fact that he would be an officially employed government worker… It was hard to resist, even if his colleagues were all celestial masters and there was a suspicion of hidden motives. Chen Yang truly wanted to sign up!!!
“For this three-star-level assignment, the manager will also get a share. The money will be transferred to your account the next day. The total amount is… Let me calculate.”
“It’s 187,500 yuan.”
“Exactly!”
Chen Yang stared silently at Deputy Manager Ma Shanfeng, who seemed amiable but was actually sly and cunning.
Should he sign the contract?
Sign!
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Thanks for the translation!!! This story sounds awesome :D
Have a good day!