The "mansion" Ma Xiaolin mentioned was none other than the one that had once been haunted by the Misfortune Deity. We were already quite familiar with the place. However, the moment we stepped inside again, we realized that everything had been completely remodeled. Compared to half a year ago, it might as well have been an entirely different house.
Sun Fatty didn't stand on ceremony. The moment he entered, he flopped right onto an ornate European-style armchair in the living room, his feet resting leisurely on the coffee table. Ma Xiaolin stood off to the side, trying to maintain his composure as he gestured for the butler and servants to bring in tea and fruit. The butler had been through the whole Misfortune Deity incident and seemed noticeably uncomfortable when seeing the three of us again—his eyes filled with caution and apprehension.
I settled Huang Ran down beside me on the sofa, then sat with Jin Buhuan in the corner. Unlike his usual chummy self, Jin had gone quiet, simply watching Ma Xiaolin's every move with a reserved gaze.
Sun Fatty stuffed a few pieces of fruit into his mouth while his eyes darted mischievously around the living room. After the time it took to smoke half a cigarette, he squinted toward Ma Xiaolin and said, "Old Ma, when I walked in just now, I thought I came to the wrong place. It's only been a few months, and you've completely redone the place. Not bad at all. This setup's going for the White House vibe now, huh?"
"Fatty, mind your words," Xiao Heshang said from the opposite seat, glancing around the room before looking back at Ma Xiaolin. "How can the White House compare to this? Ma Boss, looks like you've improved. Did a master help you rework the Feng Shui? If I'm not mistaken, you've removed the Peaceful Array I set up for you last time, haven't you?"
Ma Xiaolin gave an awkward laugh, one that sounded more like a sigh. "Master Xiao, don't get me wrong. After that incident, a friend of mine brought in a Feng Shui master to recheck things. That master praised your Peaceful Array highly—said it was superb. But he also said it was designed mainly to ward off evil, with a strong yang polarity, and that kind of energy disrupts fortune-drawing Feng Shui. So, he replaced it with a Prosperity Array. Your array conflicted with his, and... well, Master Xiao, you know I'm a businessman. In business, wealth always comes first. Please don't take it personally."
To our surprise, Xiao Heshang showed no displeasure. On the contrary, he smiled pleasantly and said, "No offense taken. His Prosperity Array really is well done. Say, Ma Boss, just curious—was that master surnamed Jin… or Cen?"
Ma Xiaolin blinked, clearly startled that Xiao Heshang had seen through it so easily. After a moment's delay, he forced a smile and replied, "Master Xiao, you've got a sharp eye. The master is Jin Beihai, Master Jin. He has an eye condition—so people call him the Blind Jin."
"Eye condition…" Xiao Heshang sneered. "Nine out of ten fortune-tellers are blind. You think they were all born that way?"
Just as his words fell, a chilling laugh echoed in from outside the living room—sharp and cold, as if it pierced through flesh and gripped your heart. Following the laugh, three people entered.
Ma Xiaolin immediately rushed over, speaking a flurry of Cantonese at the butler, apparently scolding him for not announcing the guests sooner so he could go out and greet them. But the three "honored guests" didn't respond at all. Ma's warm welcome met with three frosty shoulders.
Leading the trio was none other than Hao Zhengyi, the newly appointed Chairman of the Religious Affairs Commission. When he saw Xiao Heshang sitting in the living room, he wasn't surprised. He offered a polite smile and said, "Advisor Xiao, I didn't expect you'd be the one showing up. I thought Director Gao would just send Ouyang Pianzuo."
Xiao Heshang gave a thin smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Ouyang Pianzuo? Why not say Hao Wenming would show up instead?"
At the mention of his brother, Hao Zhengyi's face stiffened. Before he could speak, an emaciated old man stepped out from behind him. If Hao Wenming and Ma Xiaolin were skinny like bamboo poles, then this old man looked like a walking skeleton.
The skeletal-looking old man wore a pair of dark sunglasses and held a slender cane. Before speaking, he let out a chilling chuckle—one that sounded eerily similar to the "Nyeh." cry of the black cat. After that mocking laugh, he raised his chin and shrieked at Xiao Heshang, "It's been thirty years, and you still haven't changed. Revealing divine secrets and suffering divine punishment is our destined fate. Why must you run your mouth, Xiao Heshang?"
When Xiao Heshang saw the old man walk out, he frowned, snorted, turned his face away, and ignored the skeletal elder. But the old man wasn't finished—he kept rambling on, and finally even brought up Xiao Sanda, saying that his death was also preordained and deserved. Hao Zhengyi had been silently smiling the whole time, but the moment the old man mentioned Xiao Sanda and claimed his death was deserved, Hao Zhengyi's expression changed. His face darkened as he spoke in a low voice, "Mr. Jin, don't you think you've said enough? Xiao Sanda is no longer with us—there's no need to speak ill of the dead. Words in excess breed mistakes. Please show some respect."
The moment Hao Zhengyi finished speaking, Mr. Jin's face flushed bright red. He snorted, turned his head away, and said no more. It was obvious to everyone that Mr. Jin had some fear of Hao Zhengyi. He could shut down Xiao Heshang with a few words, but didn't dare talk back to a junior like Hao Zhengyi.
Compared to this Mr. Jin, I found myself more interested in the man standing beside Hao Zhengyi. This man was dressed entirely in black. From the moment he entered the living room, he kept a distance of about two meters from Hao Zhengyi and hadn't spoken a single word. He simply scanned each of us coldly with his piercing gaze.
I wasn't the only one intrigued by the man in black. Sun Fatty also snuck a few glances at him with a grin, and when he saw me looking as well, he made a goofy face at me.
At that moment, Hao Zhengyi finally turned to today's central figure. He spoke to the pudgy man beside me, who was drenched in sweat: "Brother Huang Ran, are you all right? Just hold on a little longer—once the handover is complete, we'll get you out of here. Chairman Min has already arranged for a ritual to help atone for your sins and build merit."
Huang Ran nodded and gave a wry smile. "I'm not in a hurry. I can endure another day or so. But if you could speed things up a bit, I'd be extremely grateful."
Hao Zhengyi smiled at him, then turned to Xiao Heshang. "Consultant Xiao, if there's nothing else, shall we have Mr. Jin Buhuan and Mr. Ma begin the inventory?"
Xiao Heshang ignored him, turned his head to glance at Jin Buhuan, and said, "You just got off the plane. Want to deal with your jet lag first? Wouldn't want you to start counting wrong during tomorrow's handover."
Sun Fatty had just taken a sip of tea and promptly spat it out at Xiao Heshang's remark, then burst into laughter.
Hao Zhengyi looked at Xiao Heshang and gave a faint smile without saying a word. But Mr. Jin couldn't hold it in. With his sharp, screechy voice, he snapped, "Xiao Heshang, stop talking nonsense! Who said the handover's tomorrow? Hong Kong isn't part of your Bureau of Paranormal Investigation—who gave you the right to call the shots?"
"Blind Jin, when did you join the Religious Affairs Commission? Why didn't I hear about it?" Xiao Heshang rolled his eyes and replied, "You've been neutral your whole life. And now, in your old age, you're picking sides? What a waste of your blind eyes. You even picked the wrong team."
After hearing that, I gave Mr. Jin a closer look—so he was the "Blind Jin" that Xiao Heshang had mentioned earlier. Though he wore dark glasses, his movements betrayed no sign of blindness. I had come across his name multiple times while flipping through files at Ouyang Pianzuo's place. In the Hong Kong circle, he was a leading figure in Feng Shui, divination, and destiny calculations. He had always been a staunch neutral party. Because of him, neither the Bureau nor the Religious Affairs Commission had been able to gain a foothold in Hong Kong. Both sides had tried to win him over, but Blind Jin remained unmoved, guarding his territory with unshakable resolve. But now, it seemed the balance in Hong Kong had shifted—Blind Jin appeared to have taken a step into the Religious Commission's camp.
As soon as Xiao Heshang finished speaking, Blind Jin's face turned beet red, and he shouted, "Bullshit! Xiao Heshang, who told you I—"
Before he could finish, Hao Zhengyi interrupted him: "Mr. Jin, no need to get worked up. Whether you stand left or right is your private business—who's to interfere? Isn't that right, Consultant Xiao?"
Xiao Heshang turned his head away and clearly had no intention of responding.
But this time, Blind Jin hesitated. His expression turned somewhat strange, but he eventually said, "President Hao, once I receive Luo Simen's remains, if your people from the Religious Affairs Commission ever visit Hong Kong, I'll make sure to show them proper hospitality." Though he said it haltingly, the meaning was crystal clear: Jin Beihai was still maintaining his neutrality.
After he spoke, Hao Zhengyi's expression didn't change. He simply nodded slightly and said nothing more. But Xiao Heshang chuckled, looked at Jin Buhuan, and said, "Little Jin, you and Boss Ma can start the handover now. Be quick about it. No rush on the rest—just make sure to hand over Luo Simen's remains first. Let's not keep people waiting."
Then he grinned and turned to Blind Jin. "Beihai, your master's surname was Luo, wasn't it? That's right—I remember now, it was Luo Lian, the Ironplate Divine Calculator. By that logic, Luo Simen would be your grandmaster. Come on, why didn't you come to me for his remains? I could've made it happen with just one word. Instead, you had to go the long way around. Being used is no big deal, but straining our brotherhood? Now that's a real loss."
Blind Jin's expression was now thoroughly awkward. He couldn't afford to offend Hao Zhengyi, but he clearly didn't want to be used as someone else's pawn either.
At that moment, the man in black beside Hao Zhengyi handed two leather cases to Ma Xiaolin. Boss Ma personally carried them as he led Jin Buhuan into his study. As per the prior agreement, members of both the Bureau and the Religious Affairs Commission were barred from being present during the handover.
Back in the living room, the atmosphere grew cold and still as both parties awaited the outcome. Xiao Heshang, having finished observing Blind Jin, now turned his attention to the man in black. He furrowed his brow more and more as he stared. After a long moment, he suddenly uttered a single word: "Crow?"
The man in black acted as if he hadn't heard anything, remaining completely still at Hao Zhengyi's side.
Xiao Heshang then looked at Hao Zhengyi, seemingly acknowledging the man for the first time. "Since when did the Special Case Handling Office train conscripts like you?"
Hao Zhengyi gave a slight smile. "You may be mistaken. Mr. Crow is a friend of mine—not a formal member of the Religious Affairs Commission. He's only here today as a friend, accompanying me to retrieve Brother Huang Ran."
He paused, then looked at Xiao Heshang again with a smile. "But I must say, I'm impressed that Consultant Xiao recognized Mr. Crow. He rose to fame in Thailand's circle well after you had retired from public life. Seems like even while secluded in the countryside, you've kept up with industry news."
Xiao Heshang squinted as he listened, then snorted. "No need for flattery. It's just that your friend Crow's getup is a bit… unique. Aside from Blind Jin—what's with that look, Jin Beihai? I'm not talking about you." He turned back to Hao Zhengyi. "Just take a look at your friend's outfit—black from head to toe. If he stood next to Wu Ren Di, the visual impact would be…"
The man named "Crow" suddenly turned his face to glance at Xiao Heshang but immediately looked away, resuming his icy demeanor.
Time ticked by, and still Jin Buhuan and Ma Xiaolin didn't return from the study. Hao Zhengyi and Crow sat across from Xiao Heshang, while Blind Jin awkwardly took a seat on the couch between the two sides. At first, Hao Zhengyi tried making small talk with Xiao Heshang, but Xiao Heshang remained unenthusiastic and distant. After a while, Hao seemed to give up, and the atmosphere turned quiet and cold once more.