Chapter 3: Darkened Brow

A Mole Behind the Ear!

Yes, a mole—I couldn’t be mistaken.

A mole behind the ear is an ominous sign!

But this omen isn’t about malevolent energy; you could say it signifies a strong life force.

Lonely yin, isolated water—evil spirits find it hard to approach.

I was a bit puzzled. Why did Grandpa ask me to find a woman with a mole behind her ear? Could it be that he thought I was fated for many hardships and wanted someone strong to help bear the burden?

“Stay here a while longer with Qingya. I’m stepping out for a bit,” Uncle Wangcai said, leaving me to handle the mess as he went off to chat with someone.

In the living room, I was alone with Liu Qingya, and the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.

She knelt silently on the floor, burning joss paper, saying nothing.

After a moment, I finally spoke, “Qingya, did anything unusual happen before Uncle Dazhuang passed?”

“Unusual?” Liu Qingya paused, stopping her actions. “In the two days before my father died, nothing seemed abnormal during the day. But one night, when I got up to use the bathroom, I saw him sitting quietly on the sofa.”

“His eyes were vacant, just sitting there silently. I called him, but he didn’t respond. It startled me.”

“Just sitting quietly?” I pressed further.

“Later, when I returned to my room, I thought I heard whispers, but on closer listening, it sounded more like the wind,” Liu Qingya replied. “Jiang Chen, is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. Just asking,” I said casually. “By the way, could I see Uncle Dazhuang’s body? He treated me so well when I was a child, yet I never got to see him one last time.”

“Sure. The funeral won’t be until tomorrow morning.”

Liu Qingya nodded and led me to Uncle Dazhuang’s remains.

She gently lifted the joss paper from his face to reveal a withered, colorless visage before me.

True to his name, Uncle Dazhuang had been robust in life, strong and sturdy.

But this shriveled corpse—was it really his? I could hardly believe it!

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Liu Qingya uttered softly, “I remember my father had dark circles around his eyes and a small black spot on his forehead before he died. How did those disappear?”

Dark circles? A black spot on the forehead?

“Why didn’t you mention this before?” I glared at her.

A blackened forehead was already ominous, but a black spot meant something far worse!

This was clearly more complicated than I had imagined.

“I thought it wasn’t a big deal. The dark circles were probably from staying up late. The black spot appeared only in the last two years. My father even saw a doctor about it, who said it was just a large mole and nothing to worry about,” Liu Qingya explained defensively.

“How could it be nothing? This is a huge problem!”

The blackening between the eyebrows spells death!

On Uncle Dazhuang’s forehead, it had gone beyond mere darkening—an actual black spot had formed!

And those dark eye sockets were definitely not from sleepless nights!

I reached out to touch his forehead.

“Shh…”

The moment my hand made contact, an icy chill forced me to pull away.

The temperature there was far colder than inside a refrigerator!

“Jiang Chen, what’s going on?” Liu Qingya asked, confused.

“I can’t explain it in a few words. Does your family have any divination tools, like a compass?” I inquired.

It was hard to say for sure.

Liu Qingya had received a proper education and believed in materialism.

Telling her about ghosts and supernatural forces all at once wouldn’t be easy.

“I’ll check. I think we do. My father used to tinker with those things, but he lost interest in the past two years. The compass should be gathering dust in the storage room,” she said, standing and heading upstairs.

I wandered around the villa, checking for any other unusual signs.

The atmosphere was thick with yin energy; it felt less like a home and more like a mass grave.

The villa was large, with dozens of rooms.

Many guests had come for Uncle Dazhuang’s passing, some from out of town.

Most guest rooms were occupied.

My accessible area was limited to the first and second floors.

The first floor housed the living room, maid’s quarters, and kitchen.

The second floor was where Uncle Dazhuang usually lived; I strolled up.

The staircase opened onto a straight corridor running its length.

Rooms lined both sides.

Each room was occupied, so I didn’t disturb anyone but walked straight to the end of the hall.

There was still one room left.

That surprised me.

For most people, whether in a bedroom or apartment, few doors face directly onto a corridor.

There’s a saying: better to have a road crossing in front than a road running straight toward the house.

A road crossing is noisy but bearable.

But a road running straight to the door forms a “T” intersection, creating harmful energy clashes that bring misfortune to the occupants.

I grasped the doorknob, intending to open the door.

But it didn’t budge; the door was firmly locked!

“Jiang Chen, I found the compass you wanted!” Liu Qingya called from behind.

“Qingya, is this Uncle Dazhuang’s old room?” I asked casually.

“No, this is his study,” she answered, handing me a black lacquered box.

“Can the study door be opened? I want to take a look inside,” I asked with a smile.

“That door won’t open. My father loved spending time there. When he died yesterday, many guests came, and I wanted to use his study as a resting place for visitors, but I couldn’t find the key anywhere,” Liu Qingya explained.

I could sense her eyes flickering nervously, but since she didn’t want to say more, I didn’t press.

“Alright, you go ahead. I’ll look around here.”

I sent her off and stayed behind.

Opening the black box revealed a copper-plated compass, a high-quality piece.

I held the compass level in my hand.

The needle spun wildly, making it impossible to read any direction. The magnetic field here was severely disturbed.

“Humans are fleeting, the immortal path vast, the ghostly way joyous; when life’s gate opens…”

I murmured the words of the “Great Purity Divine Man’s Incantation,” a chant to calm the mind and steady the spirit, stabilizing unnatural magnetic chaos.

“Ding!”

The needle finally stopped, pointing directly at the room behind me.

The compass indicated a “T” clash, with heavenly stems in harmony but earthly branches in conflict.

Zi (Rat) mountain facing Wu (Horse), Gui (Water) mountain facing Ding (Fire), Jiazi division of metal avoiding Jiawu day, and Bingzi avoiding Bingwu day!

The study definitely had a problem.

But with so many people around, I couldn’t just open the door recklessly.

Looks like I’d have to wait until nightfall to find an opportunity.