Ghost Breath

On the morning of the next day, Zhang Nan drove Wang Zili's car and arrived at Zhangze Town alone.

The Zhangze Town was located in the suburbs, and the development and construction of the house were quite backward. Zhang Nan who was used to living in big cities had his eyes on the old houses on the ground, and the feeling of it returned to thirty years ago. He casually found an empty seat, parked his car, and followed Cheng Qiuna's instructions to go to Xu Juan's home.

Along the way, people passing by would occasionally pay attention to Zhang Nan. One of them looked unfamiliar, while the other looked out of place in his black suit and sunglasses.

Zhang Nan understood, the people who lived in the villages all year round were usually stubborn and conservative, thus he came to Zhangze Town for investigation, and did not plan to bring Wang Zili along.

After walking for a while, Zhang Nan saw a bus stop not far away. There was an alley opposite the bus stop, and inside the alley was a light blue, three-story building.

It was Xu Juan's house.

Zhang Nan realized that compared to the other houses in the town, the decorations on the small building in Xu Juan's house were much more exquisite. Xu Juan's family could be considered to be relatively wealthy here.

Approaching Xu Juan's home, Zhang Nan saw that the door was wide open and there was a table placed in the middle of the hall. There were fruits and tea on the table, and a group of people sat around it.

Other than that, when Zhang Nan saw the few women bustling about, he thought that they might be cooking.

Just as Zhang Nan wanted to enter, an old lady pushed him on the shoulder and asked: "Who are you?"

Zhang Nan paused before replying, "I am Xu Juan's friend."

"A friend from Juan?" The old lady was surprised, she then turned around and shouted at a middle-aged lady: "Chen Sang! Chen Sang! They are looking for Juan! "

Very quickly, the middle-aged woman called Chen Sang came over. He sized Zhang Nan up and asked the same question: Who are you?

"I am Xu Juan's friend." Zhang Nan replied once again.

"Xu Juan is not here."

"I know she's not here."

"Then what did you come here for?"

"I'm here to take a look."

"Come take a look?" What are you looking at? " Chen Sang looked at the large group of people behind him and asked puzzledly.

Zhang Nan could tell that the lady was a little lacking in willpower, he decided to not waste time, and asked: "Who are you to Xu Juan?"

The old lady who was listening at the side answered, "She is Juan's mother, and I am Juan's aunt."

Zhang Nan nodded, thinking: So it's Xu Juan's mother, I found the right person.

Just then, Zhang Nan saw that among the group of people that were discussing, there was a round-faced old man in his seventies who was shouting loudly: "No matter what, that girl must come back, this matter must be done!"

"What do I need to do? That stubborn temper of his, he's been out for a few years already. Have you ever seen him come back?" Another middle-aged man with sparse hair answered loudly, as if he was arguing with someone.

Zhang Nan could hear the discussion about Xu Juan and immediately asked Chen Sang, "What are they talking about?"

"Aiyo, you didn't even explain what you were doing!" Xu Juan's aunt pushed Zhang Nan's shoulders again.

Zhang Nan thought that this old lady was really rude, just as he was about to reply, he saw Chen Sang calling for the middle aged man who had thinning hair. The middle aged man was followed by a few other people.

"Who is this person?" The middle aged man looked at Zhang Nan and asked.

"She said that she's a friend of the Juan, I wonder what is she doing here." Chen Sang said.

"Well, she's the father of the Juan, tell him what you want to do." Xu Juan's aunt explained on the side.

Zhang Nanxin thought: I might as well explain everything to them.

"I am Xu Juan's friend, and I know that her deadline is approaching, so I came here to look for a way." Zhang Nan said.

Hearing Zhang Nan say that, especially the words "the time limit is almost up", everyone was startled. Xu Juan's father immediately asked: "Xu Juan made you come, right?"

Zhang Nan hesitated and immediately replied: "Yes."

He knew that he was lying, and did not tell Xu Juan about him coming to Zhangze Town.

"Call me and ask." Xu Juan's father said to Xu Juan's mother, Chen Sang.

Chen Sang immediately ran into the building, and could not help but feel a bit nervous.

"What are you doing, how did you get to know Xu Juan?" Taking this opportunity, Xu Juan's father continued to ask. He naturally felt that the man in front of him was eccentric, and her age was also much older than Xu Juan.

"My fortune telling."

Actually, Zhang Nan wanted to explain his real identity as a psychic, but he was afraid that the people in front of him would find it hard to understand.

"fortune-teller!" Xu Juan's aunt could not help but laugh out loud, "Juan's life is worth it, we all know what her next life is."

Other than Xu Juan's father who still had a stiff expression, the few people spectating at the side were also making fun of Zhang Nan.

After a while, Chen Sang came back and said to Xu Juan's father: "Juan told him to come here, and she even asked us to take care of him."

Zhang Nan heaved a sigh of relief, secretly grateful for Cheng Qiuna's help, as he had already notified Xu Juan beforehand.

Father Xu Juan snorted, then turned and left, muttering as she left, "If you are not coming back, just letting others come over, you might as well die outside!"

Zhang Nan was not concerned about his father's attitude at all. He only wanted to know what the Xu Juan family was discussing.

"We're cooking. You'll have it together later!" After confirming that Zhang Nan was his friend, Aunt Xu Juan's attitude became a lot more amiable. With that, she went back to the kitchen.

"Aiyo, Juan is really something. I asked her why didn't she come back herself. She said that she's busy with work, but I don't know when she's working!" Chen Sang complained to Zhang Nan.

"Auntie, can I ask what your family is discussing?" Zhang Nan ignored Chen Sang's complaints and directly asked.

"Not only our family, even several families have come. Isn't it just a matter of the Juan? "You also know that her fate is not good. That day is almost here …" Chen Sang became sad as she spoke.

"What are you going to do?" Zhang Nan asked in a different way.

"We didn't think we could do anything in the past, but a while ago, Juan's Ah Ge was our family's son, her name was Xu Yao. When he was working outside, he found out that there was a Mage who was especially capable, able to exorcise ghosts and deal with things. After that, he asked someone to look for him, stuffed the red packet, and treated him to a meal. Only then did the mage come over. That's why we wanted that mage to be unable to save Juan. After all, Juan is still young, only twenty years old! " The more Chen Sang spoke, the more excited she became.

Zhang Nan felt a little suspicious. He thought, if they felt that Xu Juan was an Innate Ranker who was desperate, why did they need to invite a mage that knew how to drive ghosts?

"So that's how it is. Where is the Mage?" Zhang Nan asked.

"Xu Yao went to pick him up early in the morning, but he hasn't arrived yet. We'll set up a table for you and treat you guys to a good meal first. "

"That's true." Zhang Nan replied indifferently.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. I'm going to the kitchen now. Find a place to sit and we'll call for you when dinner is ready." Chen Sang slowly walked forward.

"Go ahead." Zhang Nan forced a smile.

Since he understood the situation, Zhang Nan decided to wait and see.

Not long later, a white truck stopped in front of Xu Juan's home. A young man in his twenties came down from the truck and quickly ran to the front door and opened it, shouting: "She's here, she's here!"

Then, a bunch of people who were originally sitting inside the building drinking tea came running out like a swarm of bees. Zhang Nanxin thought: This guy must be Xu Juan's brother, Xu Yao.

He saw a man in his forties or fifties slowly alighting from the passenger seat. He had a shaved head, wore glasses, and was wearing a dark yellow Taoist suit. In his hand he held a long object wrapped in red cloth. Zhang Nan could tell at a glance that it was a peach wood sword. It was used by Mages to guard their homes against evil.

A group of people gathered around the shaman, giving way to him, and almost all of them had looks of surprise on their faces. Then, with Xu Yao's support, the mage walked into the building.

"Quick, quick, quick, bring the dishes over!" Seeing that the main guest had arrived, the group of women in the kitchen were especially agitated. Chen Sang ordered loudly.

Zhang Nan slowly followed behind the group. The hall was extremely crowded, and many people who were not already present ran over to watch the commotion. The mage slowly sat at the head of the large table. A peach wood sword was lifted off the red cloth and placed on the table.

The mage looked around for a moment and then said, "I think that your living quarters are rather weak. In addition, the hall's wide and narrow doors are also tailing less rooms at the end of the alleyway. It's easy to use evil techniques, but unlucky!"

"Yes, yes, yes, we don't know anything about this. Master, please take a look for us." Xu Juan's father's attitude changed drastically. Not only was she smiling, she even politely lit a cigarette for the mage. However, the mage simply waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want to smoke.

"What's the mage's surname?" Zhang Nan saw that the round faced old man who was arguing with Xu Juan's father had also came over to ask.

"My name is Ouyang." The mage replied coldly.

"Oh, oh. Master Ouyang, look at my granddaughter. Is she still alive?"

Zhang Nan could tell that this old man was actually Xu Juan's grandfather.

"Not necessarily. It depends on the situation." Master Ouyang remained cold.

"I say, Grandpa, don't be anxious. I came all the way here by car and started asking questions the moment I arrived. I have to make him eat a good meal before we can talk, right?" Xu Yao could not help but say to Xu Juan's grandfather.

"Right, right, right! Bring the dishes here and eat first!" Xu Juan's father shouted.

Actually, those women were already standing at the door with food in their hands, but they didn't dare to come in. Hearing Xu Juan's father's call, they all started to move.

Not long later, a table was filled with dishes and wine. There was pork, beef, chicken soup, steamed fish, all kinds of vegetables, all kinds of everything. Zhang Nan thought that the Xu Juan family had invested a lot this time.

When Zhang Nan sat down, Xu Yao noticed this stranger dressed in strange attire, and asked: "Who is this?"

Chen Sang, who was pouring wine for Master Ouyang, replied, "Oh, a friend that I invited here, a fortune-teller."

"What did the fortune-teller come to our house for?" Xu Yao asked bluntly.

"Xu Juan asked me to help." Zhang Nan replied.

"Help? For what? We invited them ourselves, so there's no need. " Xu Yao sneered.

"No matter what, I am still a friend. My attitude should be better." Chen Sang advised her son, Xu Yao.

"What's your name?" Xu Yao asked Zhang Nan at the end.

"Zhang Nan."

When everyone was seated, the feast started immediately. Master Ouyang first explained some feng shui theories to everyone, as well as his rich experience. During this time, everyone also rushed to toast to Master Ouyang, their faces were filled with admiration. Zhang Nan just sat down and continued eating. He did not drink a single drop, but of course, no one poured him a cup.

Halfway through the feast, Xu Juan's father finally spoke of proper business, and asked: "Mage, you say our house is heavy with Evil Qi, then is it related to the evil fate of our young lady?"

"I was on my way here when Little Xu told me about the situation here …" Master Ouyang's face was flushed red as he replied indifferently, "Normally speaking, this place would not only be an accident for your family's young lady, but all the other young ladies in the town would also be in trouble. I think... If the problem is your town, that black fish probably won't be able to hold it down … "

Zhang Nan was startled when he heard it, and thought: Hei Yu? What is a black fish?

"That's right, otherwise the girls on our side wouldn't have died one after another. But it's not a solution to this if we keep on doing this!" An old woman complained.

"Teacher Ouyang, do you have any ideas?" Xu Yao asked.

"There must be a way. Why did you call me here?" Master Ouyang glared, obviously unhappy.

"Yes, yes, yes. Our son doesn't know how to speak. Master, don't be angry." Chen Sang quickly comforted the Master Ouyang.

"I'm finishing my meal later …" The Master Ouyang continued, "I will first take a look around, especially going up the mountain …"

"Alright, I'll lead the way." Xu Yao said.

Zhang Nan thought again: There's a mountain here?

"And then... Right now, there are two girls here. One is from your family, while the other is from another family. Master Ouyang asked.

"Yes, the other one is our Qianqian. He was born two days earlier than Juan." A middle-aged woman dressed in rustic clothing said.

It was only then that Zhang Nan found out that not only Xu Juan, there was also another girl in the town who was about to die.

"Then when the time comes, I will help this Qianqian out, and see if I can expel the Evil Qi from her body." The Master Ouyang said.

"Right, right, right. We have to do what we have to do." The middle-aged woman revealed a happy expression.

"Where are the girls now?" Master Ouyang asked.

"Oh, one just stays at home, the other … Still outside. " Xu Juan's father found it difficult to speak.

"What's going on? Why are you still outside?" Let her come back! " The Master Ouyang ordered.

"Yeah, we'll wait and call." Xu Juan's father's expression instantly turned ugly.

At this time, a lady in her thirties asked Master Ouyang, "Mage, then do you plan on doing it tonight?"

"It depends. Tonight or tomorrow night."

"Do you need anything?"

"No need. The method is my problem. You guys don't understand it, so don't ask too much. "

"But this matter concerns our Juan, why can't we ask about it?"

Hearing that someone had actually contradicted him, Master Ouyang frowned, and scolded: "Eh? What's the matter with you? "

The others also hurriedly advised the woman who was in her thirties. Chen Sang said helplessly: "Aiyo, Ah Jing, stop asking questions, the mage must have a way."

"I know he has a way, but I just want to know. Is that too much?" The woman called Jing still resisted.

"What's your name? Who is it?" the Master Ouyang asked sternly.

"My name is Chen Jing, I am Xu Juan's and Xu Yao's cousin."

"Oh, let me tell you. If I didn't have the ability, I wouldn't have come here, would you understand?" Master Ouyang showed an overbearing attitude.

"Alright, alright, Sis, stop it!" Xu Yao could not help but advise.

Seeing that it had become everyone's target, Chen Jing could only sit down gloomily and say: "Alright, it's up to you guys."

Zhang Nanxin laughed in his heart. He could tell that Chen Sang, Xu Yao and the rest were truly worried about taking this Master Ouyang away. After all, the Master Ouyang was their only hope of survival. However, Xu Juan's cousin Chen Jing had left a deep impression on him, as he realized that of everyone present, Chen Jing had the most ability to think.

After the Master Ouyang had eaten his fill, Xu Yao led the way, Zhang Nan felt that he should find someone to guide the way like Xu Yao, and he wanted to find out more about the things that happened, Chen Jing was without a doubt, the most suitable person for the job.

During the banquet, Zhang Nan went to find Chen Jing and asked: "Hello, can I ask you something?"

Chen Jing looked at Zhang Nan, she knew that Zhang Nan was a friend that Xu Juan had invited him over, and said: "Sure, I also have something to talk to you about."

Chen Jing's answer and attitude made Zhang Nan a little surprised. He did not expect that the Xu Juan family would still pay attention to him.

But when he thought about it again, he understood that it was definitely because of his identity as Xu Juan's friend. He guessed that in the eyes of Xu Juan and her family, he was probably a spy sent by Xu Juan to gather information.

"Let's walk around and chat." Zhang Nan suggested.

The two slowly left Xu Juan's house and strolled on a tree-lined road.

Sure enough, Chen Jing immediately started talking about Xu Juan. "Is my cousin still working in a bar?"

"Yes." Zhang Nan was prepared to let Chen Jing ask him more than he needed.

"Ai …" I haven't been home for a few years, and no one is going to advise me to listen. "

"She has a bad temper." Zhang Nan casually made up a story, but his understanding of Xu Juan was very limited.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to come back when I was out in college, but there's no other way. Home is home after all."

Zhang Nan thought: So this Xu Juan's cousin had actually gone to university before. No wonder she looks like she's not on the same level as the others in the family.

"Mr. Zhang, your relationship with my cousin is not bad, right?" Chen Jing asked again.

"It can only be considered normal, I have a friend who is singing in a bar, I only got to know Xu Juan through that friend."

"Oh …" "This way …" Chen Jing suddenly felt that it was strange, she could not understand why the Juan would let him come here.

"Xu Juan said she doesn't want to die." Zhang Nan suddenly said.

"Really?" Chen Jing asked with her eyes wide open.

"Absolutely."

"Then Mr. Zhang, just let her come back. With her temper, he won't listen to anyone in the family. Maybe you and your friends can persuade her to listen, okay?" Chen Jing pleaded.

"I'll try." Zhang Nan nodded and paused for a moment. Then he asked, "Is it to get the mages that you invited to help her with this?"

"Yeah, Xu Yao specially spent a large amount of money to invite his, even though I think that it was … Not necessarily. "

"Why?"

"It's not that no one in our town has tried to hire a mage, but the damnable girl is still dead. Let's talk about it …" That Master Ouyang, I don't think he's reliable. "

Zhang Nan laughed, and did not reply.

Zhang Nan then asked: "Where's Xu Wei? Did Xu Wei invite a mage back then? "

"Little Wei …" Sigh … At that time, Xiao Wei didn't invite mages, and everyone in her family resigned themselves to their fate. They made her wait for her death for nothing … So, if something were to happen to Juan again, my aunt and uncle definitely wouldn't be able to take it. "

"Have the families of the girls in the past accepted their fate?"

"Yeah, what else can we do? Other than someone surnamed Zhu who invited mages like us, the other families let their daughters wait at home to die." If not for the fact that we invited a Master Ouyang, who is reputed to be from the heavens, we would probably have already started preparing for the future of the Juan … "

The more Chen Jing spoke, the more sorrowful she felt. Zhang Nan, who was also listening, felt a chill in his heart.

"By the way, how many girls are there in total?" Zhang Nan asked.

"Nine, an entire nine!" They all died on their twentieth birthday. "

Zhang Nan suddenly looked at Chen Jing, her heart filled with suspicions.

"I know what you want to ask." Chen Jing smiled and said, "I am thirty-four years old this year. This law of death started at the age of twenty-two, so I escaped death once."

Zhang Nan thought: So that's how it is, no wonder the older women in the town were fine, but what about the law of death?

"What about now …?" "We only have two girls left in our town who are younger than twenty …" Chen Jing continued, "One is called Hu Qian and the other is my family's Juan, both of them coincidentally meet their twentieth birthday dates."

"Yeah, originally it was my 20th birthday, but now I'm going to die. How ironic." Zhang Nan sighed.

"Ironic? The most ironic thing is that there's nothing we can do. " Chen Jing said.

"Is that Hu Qian's birthday coming up?"

"Yes, she was two days earlier than Juan."

Zhang Nan thought: Then the deadline for settling this matter will have to be advanced by two days.

"Can you introduce your family to me? "I think there were a lot of people eating just now. I can't tell who is who."

Chen Jing felt that it was strange that the man in front of her should know about all this. However, this man was already weird, but she did not hate him.

Chen Jing first told Zhang Nan that her name was Chen Jing and he was the daughter of Xu Juan's first uncle, Chen Hong. Other than Chen Hong, Xu Juan's grandfather, Chen Guofu, and her grandmother Li Fengying's children included Xu Juan's aunt, Chen Feng, second uncle Chen Tao, and Xu Juan's mother, Chen Sang. Also, there was Xu Juan's father, Xu Dajie, and her older brother, Xu Yao. The rest of the juniors that didn't have much of a say were also people of the younger generation. During lunch time, the families who had good relations with the Chen family were present, including Hu Qian's mother, Wang Mei.

Chen Jing had also told Zhang Nan that Hu Qian and her mother were the only ones in the Hu Qian family that lived together and had no other family members. Furthermore, Hu Qian had fallen when she was twelve years old and accidentally smashed her brains.

Zhang Nan secretly memorized what Chen Jing said and asked again, "You just mentioned that when you were twenty-two, it was twelve years ago. What exactly happened that year?"

"Something did happen, but... People in our town shouldn't casually talk about this. Even Xiao Wei and Juan don't know about it. "

"Oh?" Zhang Nan was startled.

"Juan only told you that she is a demon, right?"

"Right."

"That's because we've told her that since we were young, and it's the same for Little Wei." Chen Jing lowered her head.

"The truth?" In fact, Zhang Nan had been suspicious of this statement since a long time ago.

"I've just explained the truth. We can't just casually say it for fear of attracting trouble. Unless... Unless you tell me what you're doing here. Don't tell me you're just a friend of the Juan. "

Zhang Nan took a deep breath, he realized that Chen Jing's thoughts were meticulous, her insight was strong, and she was not simple.

After a long while, Zhang Nan then said: "I am a psychic."

"psychic?" Chen Jing was not surprised, "Is it the same as the Master Ouyang?"

"It should be different."

"Oh, Juan invited you here?"

"To be precise, I took the initiative to help her. I also only got to know Xu Juan recently. "

"Not for money?"

"No charge." Zhang Nan laughed.

"Juan also knew that you came here, and she even asked us to treat you well. This means that she believes that you can save her." Chen Jing said calmly.

"I also believe that I can save her."

At this moment, the two of them were strolling on a piece of abandoned field. The long grass swayed in the wind and the frogs' cries could be heard incessantly in the pond. In the distance, there was a small hill.

Zhang Nan suddenly remembered that when he was eating, Master Ouyang mentioned that there was a mountain here. It should be the mountain in front of him.

"Sis Chen, does the whole thing have anything to do with this mountain?" Zhang Nan asked.

"There is a connection. Now, I am considering telling you the whole story, because compared to that Master Ouyang, I trust you more, just like that Juan. " Chen Jing said sincerely.

"Thank you for your trust."

The origin of this matter is related to a rumor that has been circulating for a long time …" Chen Jing began to narrate seriously, "They say that a big black fish was trapped in this place for a few thousand years. Beneath the Zhangze Town was the black fish's tail. In front of the mountain was the black fish's body and head. On top of the mountain was a mountain temple. However … I remember a night twelve years ago when the temple was struck by lightning.

"Why?" Zhang Nan asked.

"At that time, there was a God Rod in our town called Sun Tiangui. He often took a life for someone, passed away or something like that, and was also more skilled in things like yin and yang, wind and water. As a result, that night, he ran around the town like a madman, shouting that the temple had been struck by lightning. He said that the heavens knew that the black fish could not be suppressed, so he kept the mountain god, and he also warned the families of the town that the black fish would need several decades or even a hundred years to revive, and that it would take them a while to replenish their energy by devouring the girl's yin energy. We didn't believe it at first, but the next day we went to the top of the mountain to see. It was just as Master Sun had said, the mountain temple was already destroyed. During that time, Master Sun went insane for a few days consecutively. After he went missing for around a week, his corpse was found in front of the mountain temple with a magical equipment stuck in his throat.

"What was the cause of death for the master?"

"I don't know. The police didn't say. However, the people of this town speculate that Black Fish was retaliating because the Master Sun leaked too much. The magical artifact stuck in his throat is shaped like a fish. "

"And then one after another, you girls in your town?"

"Yes, after that happened, all the girls under the age of twenty in the town died on their twentieth birthday. They died in all kinds of ways, including those who committed suicide like our family's Xiaowei, those who died from illness, and those who were hit by cars. Now, the only girls left were Hu Qian and Juan. "I don't understand either. If Hei Yu wanted to devour a girl's elemental energy, why did he have to be 20 years old?" Chen Jing's face was very sad.

"Because from the perspective of yin and yang, a woman at the age of twenty has the most elemental energy. A man at the age of twenty-five." Zhang Nan explained.

"If even you say that, then it must be true." Chen Jing nodded.

"I have a question. According to what you said, all of the girls who met with mishaps were from the town. It means that the girls outside the Zhangze Town will be fine. Since they knew their daughter was about to die, why didn't the families in the town use their Zhangze Town? Even if they do not believe the Master Sun's words, after seeing the things that happened to the previous few girls, they should believe it as well, right? "

"Actually, some people realized this problem from the very beginning, and some families did. But... "What will happen to them …" Chen Jing could not bear to say it out loud.

"What happened to them?"

"The surname of that family is Wang, a total of five people, and they have a daughter. When their daughter was about fifteen, they moved out of town. But who would have known that on their daughter's twentieth birthday, a fire had broken out in their home and their entire family had been burnt alive … Thus, to put it bluntly, that girl was still unable to escape death at the age of twenty, no matter how far she ran. Afterwards, people in our town thought that as long as a girl was targeted by a big black fish, no one would be able to escape. If anyone dares to run out of the Zhangze Town, their entire family will suffer, and they will die an even worse death. "

Zhang Nan took a deep breath and said, "I understand. "No wonder none of you left."