The ultimate master in the city

Chapter 78 The Terrifying Guardian Spirit

"How is it haunted? Speak up and tell me, what are you so scared of!" Monk Yuanzhi said nonchalantly, "With the two of us here, no ghost can eat you."

Zhou Fengchen rubbed his nose and said, "What the monk said makes some sense. Anyway, we can't think of a solution for the time being, so tell me."

Jiang Hao looked around and said, "I heard it from the old folks too..."

The Shen Family Compound was not originally called the Shen Family Compound; it was called "Shuba Ying" (鼠巴踔). At the end of the Qing Dynasty, this place was a wasteland overgrown with weeds, high in the middle and low on both sides, resembling an old grave. Moreover, there were many rats in it, as well as some spiritual creatures such as foxes, rabbits, and snakes, hence the name.

In the early years of the Republic of China, there was a pair of brothers in a place called Shenjiatun, about 30 miles away from here. The older brother was called Shen Da, and the younger brother was called Shen Er. The older brother was honest and kind, and the younger brother was clever.

In those chaotic years of war, human life was cheap. When the two brothers were teenagers, their parents died at the hands of bandits, and they depended on each other for survival. At first, they made a living by begging. As they grew older, the older brother realized that this couldn't go on, so he discussed it with the younger brother. They said, "Our parents used to teach us how to make steamed buns. Why don't we use the copper coins we saved from begging to buy some flour and make steamed buns to sell? We can save up money and open a steamed bun shop so we won't have to be beggars anymore."

Without further ado, the two brothers pooled their money and bought ten pounds of flour, starting to work in the only old, dilapidated house they owned.

The steamed buns were made and looked quite good. The next step was to sell them. The two brothers wove two baskets, each carrying one, one heading east and the other west to hawk their wares.

Everyone knows them, those two little beggars. Can you even eat the steamed buns they make? They think they're dirty.

They tried to sell everything all day but didn't sell a single item. In fact, many of their former competitors had taken theirs. When they got home, the two brothers sat together and wiped away their tears. When they were exhausted from crying, they each ate a steamed bun and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, the two brothers were startled awake when they suddenly heard the sound of eating coming from inside the house.

Back then, there were no lights. To save money, the two brothers couldn't even afford to buy a candle. The room was so dark that they couldn't see anyone. All they had to eat were two baskets of steamed buns.

Shen Er cursed, "Which bastard stole my steamed buns?"

The smacking sounds continued in the darkness, but no one paid any attention.

Shen Da was an honest man; he was either calm or furious, but when he did, it was terrifying. These two blue steamed buns were the only possessions he and his brother had. He grabbed a broken earthenware pot and smashed it, yelling, "I'll smash you to death, you steamed bun thief!"

To his surprise, the broken clay pot flew out and then flew back, smashing into his own forehead with a thud. He touched it and found it covered in blood, and immediately screamed "Ah!"

Seeing that his brother had been wronged, Shen Er cursed loudly and was about to rush over.

Suddenly, a shrill voice came from the darkness: "I'm your family's guardian spirit! You think you can fight me after eating a few of your steamed buns?"

In the old society, it was customary for ordinary people to invite household guardian spirits to protect their homes and ensure peace and safety.

When the Shen brothers' parents were still alive, they invited a shaman to their house one year. This guardian spirit was nothing other than a triangular stone with a strange figure carved on it, which stood behind the house.

Many years have passed, and the two brothers have long forgotten about the guardian spirits. Besides, our parents are dead, and we brothers have become like this. How could you protect our family?

Shen Da covered his head and said, "I don't believe it! Who are you? What are you doing eating my steamed buns?"

"Don't believe me?" The person in the darkness sneered, then his body glowed, revealing his appearance. He was a strange man with a pointed mouth, monkey-like cheeks, and a belly as big as an ox, with a piece of steamed bun in his mouth.

This was terrifying; the two brothers were so scared they dared not speak.

The strange man said, "With this great immortal here, selling steamed buns is easy, and making a fortune is simple. It all depends on how much you two brothers worship me!"

Shen Da stood there dumbfounded, unsure what to say. Shen Er suddenly knelt down and said, "Great Immortal, as long as we can get rich, we'll do whatever you ask!"

The strange man said, "First, move me into the house and worship me. From now on, I want to drink blood three times a month, eat thirty baskets of steamed buns and a whole pig. Can you manage that?"

"I can do it, I can do it." Shen Er kept kowtowing, thinking to himself that he would agree first and maybe he would become rich.

The strange man chuckled wickedly and said, "You're a quick learner. Tomorrow at noon, you two take the steamed buns to the wealthy Li family in Dongying Town to sell. They're having a baby's one-month celebration tomorrow, and they're short twenty-five steamed buns."

He disappeared in the blink of an eye after saying that.

The two brothers drifted off to sleep again, and when they got up early the next morning, they looked at each other, unsure whether what happened last night was a dream or real. However, when they counted the steamed buns, they found that five were missing, leaving exactly twenty-five.

This was strange. The two brothers ran to the back of the house and looked at the guardian stone. The person on the stone was exactly the same as the one they had seen last night.

The two brothers thought they had really encountered a deity, and hurriedly and fearfully moved the stone into the house to be enshrined.

Around 11 a.m., the two brothers carried steamed buns to Dongying Town, which the "Guardian Immortal" had mentioned. Sure enough, the wealthy Li family in the town was holding a wedding, and it was bustling with people.

The two brothers dawdled to the gate, hesitant to go inside. Just then, a man who looked like a steward rushed out. He seemed very anxious, and his eyes lit up when he saw the two brothers carrying steamed buns. He asked, "Are you two selling steamed buns?"

Shen Er quickly nodded and bowed, "Yes! Yes!"

The butler was a stingy fellow; he counted the heads on his fingers, "I only need twenty-five!"

The two brothers exchanged a glance, both agreeing that the "household guardian spirit" was incredibly powerful, and quickly handed over the steamed buns: "Exactly twenty-five!"

The housekeeper paid for it, and bought the basket as well.

The two brothers, clutching a large sum of money, trembled with excitement. After returning home, they used the money to buy flour and the rest to buy a chicken to offer to the "household guardian spirit."

From then on, the "Guardian Spirit" would come every night, eating while telling the two brothers where to go to sell steamed buns the next day, and he never failed.

The steamed buns sold better and better, and the brothers made more and more money. Later, they opened a steamed bun shop. With the guidance of the "Guardian Deity", the shop not only made steamed buns, but also meat buns and chive boxes. The business became more and more popular. When one shop was not enough, they opened a second branch. The brothers were too busy to handle everything, so they hired a few workers!

Within a few years, the two brothers had made a fortune, built houses, and each of them had married and had children.

They knew it was all thanks to the "Guardian Spirit," and they never dared to reduce their offerings to the "Guardian Spirit" by even a fraction.

But the demands of the "household spirit" gradually changed. It was no longer just steamed buns, fresh blood, and pork. Later, it required dog meat, cat meat, menstrual blood, and stillborn children...

Shen Da was immediately perplexed, feeling that this "household guardian spirit" was becoming increasingly sinister.

Shen Er didn't think much of it. As long as he could make money, he didn't care what he ate. Dead children were everywhere, and women's menstrual blood was easy to deal with.

One evening, the two brothers brought offerings, and the "household spirit" said in a low voice, "I'm tired of all this stuff. I want to eat people. Shen Da, your wife has such delicate skin, why don't you steam her and let me eat her?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Da was shocked and quickly said, "Master, this won't do! How can you eat my wife!"

The "household spirit" flew into a rage, "Fools! With money, what woman can't you have? If one dies, you can marry ten or eight more. You can close the steamed bun shop and I'll teach you other ways to make big money: silk shops, pastry shops, restaurants... anything goes!"

Shen Dayue grew increasingly angry, and he burst into a tirade: "You're a monster! I'd rather die poor than worship you!"

He turned and left.

The "household spirit" flew into a rage, pointing at the door and shouting at Shen Er, "Your brother is a complete idiot! He's going to be in trouble! He's going to be in trouble!"

Shen Er smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Please don't be angry. That's just my brother's temper. If he doesn't offer sacrifices, I will. As for those big deals you mentioned... are they all true?"

The "household spirit" said, "Of course it's true!"

Shen Er gritted his teeth: "How about this, my wife is no worse than my sister-in-law, I'll kill her tomorrow, steam her, and send her to you to eat?"

The guardian spirit chuckled eerily: "Not bad, not bad, you're teachable!"

Shen Er kept his word. The next day, carrying his child on his back, he killed his wife, steamed her until she was mushy in a large pot, and gave her to the "household guardian spirit." He then separated from his brother.

From then on, Shen's business got worse and worse, and they were almost starving. One night, their house caught fire, and the couple were burned alive, leaving behind only their three-year-old child.

Meanwhile, the Shen family's business grew bigger and bigger, opening pastry shops, silk shops, restaurants, and foreign firms, gradually becoming wealthy in the area. They had thirteen wives and a large number of children.

That day, Shen Er went to make offerings again. The "household guardian spirit" said, "Shen Er, you have money and women now, but after I protect you, I will become an immortal and go to the Heavenly Court. What will happen to your children after you die? Have you thought about that?"

Shen Er was taken aback; he hadn't really thought about this question before. He asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

The guardian spirit said quietly, "Then you must build a feng shui house to protect your family and ensure that your whole family will be rich and prosperous for generations to come."

Shen Er was overjoyed and asked, "This feng shui is perfect for protecting the house; where should we build it?"

The "Guardian Spirit" pointed and said, "Thirty miles away, there's a place called Rat Cemetery that's a geomantically auspicious site. Buy it quickly and build a house there, or someone else will snatch it up!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Er immediately went home to make arrangements, spending a large sum of money to buy the entire "Shuba Camp" and hiring craftsmen to build a large mansion, which is now the Shen Family Compound.

On the day of completion, Shen Er invited the "household guardian spirit" to his new house for worship, and held a banquet that evening to invite relatives and friends to eat and celebrate, and to show off a bit.

The strange thing is that everything was fine the night before, and the host and guests were having a good time. But the next morning, when someone came to visit the Shen family compound, they suddenly discovered that Shen Er, his dozen or so concubines, along with their children, maids, and farmhands—dozens of people in total—had all hanged themselves in their rooms!

The most terrifying thing is that their stomachs are empty; their intestines and internal organs are gone!