The Mysterious Files 2 - The Bizarre and the Real

Chapter 5

Xiao Zheng had a fellow villager who shared a room with him, and he provided me with an important clue. It turned out that when the fire broke out, everyone in the room ran out, but Xiao Zheng was the only one lying on the bed, fast asleep like a log. His fellow villager, of course, wouldn't abandon him, so he carried him to safety.

The fellow villager said that Xiao Zheng seemed to be having a nightmare, babbling incoherently and saying things like "Don't bite me" and "Don't come any closer." His face was terrified, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat. The villager slapped Xiao Zheng several times but couldn't wake him up. Thinking he had inhaled smoke, the villager called an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

After the ambulance took Xiao Zheng to the hospital, the doctors conducted a thorough examination but found nothing unusual about his body. However, not long after, he showed signs of poisoning, and before the doctors could figure out what had happened, he had already died.

While learning about Xiao Zheng's situation, I discovered there was another worker in a similar situation. This worker, Xiao Zhou, was also unconscious during the fire. However, after his roommate rescued him, they believed he was possessed by an evil spirit and forcibly woke him up by pinching his philtrum and squeezing his fingers. Perhaps that's why he survived.

I asked Xiao Zhou about the situation, inquiring whether anything unusual had happened on the night of the fire. He said, "Nothing else, just a nightmare. That night I dreamt that I was surrounded by a large group of snakes, and they kept biting me. Almost every inch of my body was bitten by snakes, and many small snakes crawled into my mouth and ears. Although it was a dream, the feeling was so real that I still can't tell whether it was a dream or if it really happened."

Xiao Zheng and the other deceased may have been experiencing the same nightmares that haunted them while the fire was raging, just like Xiao Zhou. But what could have caused them to have these bizarre nightmares simultaneously?

I had the Heavenly Book carefully compare the deceased's information to see if we could find any commonalities. We checked gender, age, birthplace, and so on. After a long time, we found nothing except that they had all worked in the garment factory for over a year and lived in the factory dormitory. Of the more than three hundred workers living in the dormitory, more than half had been with the factory for over a year. Why were they the only ones having these bizarre nightmares? What other commonalities did they share?

Just when I was feeling completely overwhelmed, I received another case. A bulldozer driver surnamed Lu died mysteriously at home and had been dead for some time when he was discovered. After the forensic examination, it was deduced that his time of death was very close to that of Xiao Zheng, and both appeared to be deaths from poisoning, but no toxins were detected on the bodies.

Chapter 14 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 14 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

An investigation revealed that driver Lu had participated in the construction of the garment factory dormitory, responsible for excavating the foundation. Upon learning this crucial clue, I immediately contacted Xiao Zhou, asking if he had ever been in contact with driver Lu. He initially said he didn't know any excavator drivers, but after I showed him a photo of driver Lu, he thought for a long time before suddenly realizing, "I remember now, he's the big guy who dug the foundation for the dormitory."

I asked Xiao Zhou if he had shared anything with Driver Lu, Xiao Zheng, and the eighteen workers who were burned to death. He thought for a long time before saying, "About half a year ago, when the new dormitory had just started construction, there was only one excavator digging at the site. The construction site was located between the factory and the old dormitory, so we often passed by it. That noon, when it was lunchtime, I was going to eat at the old dormitory canteen... Oh, I forgot to mention, we took turns eating there, twenty people at a time. If I remember correctly, those who went to the canteen with me that noon were the workers who had already passed away."

"When we passed the construction site, the excavator was digging, and suddenly it unearthed a huge, fat snake. The snake was as thick as a calf from front to back, but thicker than a thigh in the middle. I thought it had just swallowed a puppy! Everyone saw the snake. Although the women were a little scared, when they realized it was moving very slowly and didn't seem to bite, they weren't afraid anymore and just watched from a distance. A few guys got some sticks, wanting to go up and kill the snake, but it was so big and intimidating that no one dared to go near it for a long time. The excavator driver kept blocking the snake's path with the boom, preventing it from escaping. Maybe he wanted us to play with it, but seeing that none of us dared to approach, he controlled the boom to press down on it."

"As soon as the excavator pressed down on the snake's belly, it immediately ruptured it, and dozens of small snakes crawled out. It turned out the snake hadn't eaten anything; it was pregnant. However, the small snakes writhed for a while after crawling out and then became still, seemingly dead. If the snakes were still alive, we would be a little scared, but since they were all dead, we weren't afraid anymore. So, everyone went over and poked and prodded the snakes, big and small, with wooden sticks..."

After listening to Xiao Zhou's account, an unbelievable idea popped into my head—all the dead died because of the curse of that giant serpent. Although I couldn't provide strong evidence to prove this hypothesis, I couldn't think of any other explanation. Tian Shu agreed with my idea, saying, "Snakes, foxes, cats, and other animals are all very spiritual, especially snakes. In ancient mythology, snakes played a very important role, second only to dragons. In reality, a large snake that has grown for many years also possesses a certain spiritual power, and since that snake was killed during its pregnancy, its resentment could very well have formed a curse, cursing everyone present at the time."

It was thought that the curse of the giant snake would end with the deaths of driver Lu, Xiao Zheng, and twenty others. However, on the second day after the garment factory dormitory reopened, Xiao Zhou was found dead in his bed, dying in the same manner as driver Lu and Xiao Zheng, as if he had been poisoned.

[End of File 8]

Archive Nine Wood Ghost

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

A state-owned pharmaceutical company built a new building on the original site of its headquarters. The first to fourth floors housed a pharmaceutical market, a pharmaceutical wholesale department, administrative offices, and employee dormitories, while the floors above the fifth floor were commercial housing exclusively for the company's employees.

The completion of the new building is a good thing. It can solve the problems of overcrowding in the old building and the difficulty in storing medicines in designated areas, and it can also solve the housing problem for the company's employees, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone. However, strange things have been happening in the new building since its completion, and later a death occurred. A security guard who had worked there for more than 30 years jumped off the building for no reason.

Although the so-called "state-owned" status was just a formality and the pharmaceutical company was actually operating on a self-financing basis, it was still a sister unit of the public security system, and the leaders of both sides had a close relationship. They couldn't just ignore the trouble that had happened to their sister unit.

The higher-ups had suppressed the case, so of course we had to prioritize it. So, Gui Tong and I went to find out what was going on. When we arrived at the pharmaceutical company, there were three off-duty employees watching TV in the lobby of their dormitory on the fourth floor. Since I felt that "playing games" with the leaders was a waste of time, I asked them what strange things had happened recently.

Of the three employees, the one with the longest tenure was a man in his thirties named Xiao Ben. In the prime of his life, he had little taboo against ghosts and spirits and dared to say anything. Therefore, I considered him the primary person to question.

Xiao Ben said, "I joined the company after graduating from junior college and have been working in the wholesale department for almost ten years now. When I first came, the wholesale department was like a junkyard. There was only one two-story building in the big courtyard. The first floor was the medicine warehouse, and the second floor was the office and dormitory. The medicines in the warehouse were piled up here and there, and it was a mess. Often, we would search for some medicines but couldn't find them. However, when we did inventory, we would find a lot of expired medicines."

"Because the warehouse and dormitory only had two floors, and only the offices had air conditioning, it was like an oven in the summer. We all had to run to the big trees in the yard to cool off at night. People could go out to cool off, but medicines couldn't. So some medicines that required low-temperature storage, such as ointments, vaccines, and albumin, would often spoil, and the company lost a lot of money in this regard. Although the wholesale department was not well managed at the time, the pharmaceutical market was not fully open yet, so the company's profits were still good, and the monthly bonuses were quite substantial."

"Later, as the pharmaceutical market gradually opened up, many pharmaceutical companies from other regions came to try their luck, and our company's profits declined significantly. As a result, the original leadership team was replaced. The new leadership team was very capable and managed the wholesale department quite well. The medicines were stored in designated areas according to regulations, and the business volume increased significantly compared to before."

"Although the company's performance has improved, new problems have arisen. The original warehouse was not spacious to begin with, and although a mezzanine was later added, it was still insufficient as business volume increased, and some medicines often had to be temporarily stored outside the warehouse. The best way to solve this problem was to build a new building. The company's yard is quite large, and the first floor of the new building would be sufficient for warehouse use. So, the leadership discussed with the municipal company's superiors about taking out a loan to build a new building."

Chapter 15 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 15 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

"The matter was resolved quickly. The company leaders rented a factory building to serve as a temporary wholesale department and dormitory. The original warehouse and yard were demolished together, and the new building was completed in just over two years."

"After the new building was completed, we were busy for a while before we moved all the medicines over and stored them in designated areas according to regulations. Although we were extremely busy at that time, the working environment was better and the dormitory conditions were also improved, so no one complained. Moreover, the apartments on the fifth floor and above were sold to the company's employees at prices lower than the market price, and many people were also planning to buy houses, so everyone had a happy expression on their face at that time."

"However, not long after moving into the new building, strange things started happening. At first, the people living in the dormitory often had nightmares, and it wasn't just one or two people; sometimes everyone would wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares. One time, everyone was awake and not sleepy, so they went to the lobby to watch TV or play mahjong. That time, I played mahjong with three colleagues for a while, and I felt a chill down my back. There were no windows or fans behind me, but I always felt a cold draft blowing around me, which caused me to lose half a month's salary that night."

"Many strange things happened after that, but the strangest was what Uncle Gen encountered. Uncle Gen was the security guard who jumped to his death. He had been a security guard at the company for over thirty years, and you could say he had worked hard even if he hadn't made any great contributions. Although the company had never helped him become a full-time employee, both his former and current superiors had taken good care of him. His wife had died early, and he had no children. When the new building was being constructed, the leaders specially designed the security guard's room as a suite, with the aim of letting him enjoy his retirement at the company."

"Uncle Gen is usually very responsible at work. In addition to guarding the gate, he is also responsible for cleaning the toilets. Because he keeps the toilets very clean, we often joke that he has scraped off a layer of the toilet floor. Some time ago, he suddenly asked us if anyone had diarrhea, because every time he asked outside the women's toilet if anyone was there, there were always sounds coming from inside."

"At the time, we specifically asked a female colleague to go with him to the women's restroom to see what was going on. When they were outside the door, they could clearly hear sounds inside, like people were talking, but when they went in, they found that there was no one in sight."

"This kind of thing happens almost every day, which makes Uncle Gen feel embarrassed to bother us. He calls out a few times outside the women's restroom, and if no one inside clearly answers that someone is there, he will go in to clean."

“Three or four days before Uncle Gen jumped off the building, he told me that there might be something dirty in the women's restroom. He said that sometimes when he turned on the tap, what came out was not water, but bright red blood, but it would turn back into water in the blink of an eye. At the time, I thought that Uncle Gen was almost sixty years old, and his eyes and ears would inevitably have some minor problems. He must have been seeing things, so I didn't pay much attention to it. I never expected that he would jump off the building just a few days later.”

"That day, a female colleague was using the restroom when she saw Uncle Gen coming out of the women's restroom, so she greeted him. Normally, he would have stopped and chatted for a bit, but at that moment, he seemed not to see her at all, and walked straight to the elevator without saying a word, taking the elevator upstairs. The female colleague felt it was strange at the time, but didn't think much of it. Who knew that not long after, Uncle Gen jumped off the building."

“Uncle Gen worked at the company for so many years. Although his income wasn’t high, he had a stable life and shouldn’t have had any worries. Moreover, he had a very good temper and never got angry with anyone. Everyone felt very sad when he died. He just ran off to jump off a building for no reason. I would never believe it if it wasn’t the work of ghosts.”

I also asked other employees at the pharmaceutical company and learned that, in addition to what Xiao Ben mentioned, there were other cases of small items, such as earrings, suddenly disappearing only to reappear in obvious places a few days later. Or the money in their wallets would suddenly disappear and then suddenly reappear, and so on.

Ghost Eye and I arrived at the women's restroom, which the employees considered the most suspicious. Sure enough, we heard voices coming from inside, but the sounds were faint and had an ethereal quality. Since I couldn't go in, I let Ghost Eye go in alone. She came out after a short while and said there was a wooden ghost crying inside.

There used to be a large locust tree in the pharmaceutical company's courtyard. Having grown for nearly a century, it had become a spirit. When the new building was constructed, the entire courtyard was demolished, and the locust tree, of course, was not spared. People become ghosts after death, and the spirited locust tree, after being cut down, transformed into a wooden ghost. This wooden ghost, unwilling to be harmed by humans, lingers in the new building like a vengeful spirit, waiting for an opportunity to harm people.

Toilets, especially women's restrooms, are places with very strong yin energy, and therefore often become a paradise for ghosts. That's why the wooden ghost chose this place as its hiding place. Because Uncle Gen went in and out of the women's restroom many times every day, he inevitably became tainted by the evil energy of the wooden ghost. Over time, he was bewitched by the wooden ghost and fell to his death in a daze.

After learning that the evil spirit was the cause, the pharmaceutical company hired a Taoist priest to perform a ritual to drive it away. After that, no more strange things happened.

The archives are terrifying.

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

"What I enjoy most is scaring people. Seeing the terrified look on their faces gives me a strange sense of satisfaction. You might think my hobby is strange, but I just like scaring people. If it weren't for what happened last night, I would still be enjoying scaring people..." These words were spoken by a friend of mine named Xiaoxun, a rather interesting white-collar woman.

Perhaps because her work is rather monotonous, Xiao Xun enjoys listening to eerie stories. That's why she often pesters me to tell her stories. Unexpectedly, today she turned the tables and told me a story. The reason she wanted to tell me a story, besides being friends, was because it involved a murder case—her friend had died mysteriously.

I handed Xiao Xun a tissue so she could wipe her tears. She was very strong; she didn't burst into tears because of the sudden turn of events, but just silently shed tears. Gui Tong poured her a glass of warm water and sat beside her to comfort her, helping her calm down and telling us what had happened.

Xiao Xun said, "Whenever I hear some scary stories from you guys, I invite a few close friends to a quiet little bar and tell them the stories. My friends are all timid, so it's easy to scare them."

"Yesterday was the weekend, and I met up with three friends at a small bar. We drank red wine with soda and I told them stories. After telling several stories about bathrooms, it was almost midnight. We all drank a lot of red wine, and although we added soda, we weren't drunk, but we all really needed to go to the bathroom."

"I knew they all wanted to go to the restroom, but they were too scared to go because they were terrified by the stories I told them. Seeing their expressions, I felt quite pleased with myself and started plotting how to scare them half to death. After thinking for a while, I came up with a plan. I told them I needed to go to the restroom and asked if they wanted to come with me. All three of them stood up at the same time, surrounded me, and wrapped their arms tightly around me, as if they were afraid I would run away."

"The four of us walked into the restroom together as if glued together. Although the bar was quite elegant, it was small, and the restroom was even smaller, with only two stalls. I let two friends go first, while my other friend, Xiaohui, and I waited outside. Actually, I deliberately let Xiaohui come with me because she was the most timid one among us."

"Xiao Hui and I were chatting and laughing when I suddenly stopped halfway through my sentence. I pretended to have seen something scary and was too frightened to speak. I pointed behind her with a trembling finger."

Chapter 16 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 16 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

"I think my acting skills at the time were definitely good enough to win a Hong Kong Film Award, because when Xiaohui saw my unusual behavior, her face turned as white as a sheet. She seemed to want to ask me what was wrong, her lips trembled slightly, but she didn't make a sound. Although Xiaohui was timid, she wasn't stupid. My trembling fingers let her know that there was something scary behind her. She wanted to turn around, but she didn't dare to. After a while, she was so frightened by me that she covered her face with her hands, squatted down and cried."

"Xiao Hui's actions gave me a great sense of accomplishment, and I couldn't help but laugh. Hearing my laughter, she looked up in confusion. Seeing her pale face, streaked with tears, I laughed even more unrestrainedly. Realizing she had been tricked, she immediately turned around to look back, but of course, she saw nothing."

Xiaohui stood up, angrily slapped me, and then ignored me, rummaging through her handbag for tissues and cosmetics. Her face was a mess from the tears, and she knew she'd be laughed at if she didn't touch up her makeup right away.

After Xiaohui finished preparing her makeup, she looked up and glared at me. But in that instant, her face suddenly turned as white as a sheet of paper again, and her lips trembled slightly. She didn't say anything, but just pointed at the window behind me, looking terrified. I thought she was trying to scare me like I did, so I told her it was no use. I'm much braver than you, you can't scare me.

"But after I finished speaking, Xiaohui's expression became even more terrified. Not only was she trembling all over, but her pants were also soaked; she had lost control of her bladder. I immediately realized that she wasn't joking with me, but had really seen something terrifying, and that terrifying thing was right behind me."

"Thinking about this, a chill ran down my spine and spread throughout my body, making me tremble uncontrollably. There was only one window behind me. What terrifying things could Xiaohui see? The more I couldn't imagine, the more frightened I became, and the more frightened I became, the more I wanted to know. I suddenly turned around, and a red shadow swept past the window from above, followed by a heavy thud outside."

"I stared out the window for a while, until I heard my friend scream behind me, which brought me back to my senses. When I turned around, I found Xiaohui lying on the ground, her eyes rolled back and foaming at the mouth..."

At midnight that night, a woman dressed in red jumped from the roof of the bar Xiao Xun and her friends had visited, dying instantly. Judging from the location of the body and the time of the jump, the red figure Xiao Xun saw was likely the fallen woman. But what did Xiao Hui see before that? Perhaps only she knew, because by the time Xiao Xun and the others took her to the hospital, she was already dead.

Xiao Hui's autopsy report simply stated that she died suddenly from myocardial infarction; in layman's terms, she was scared to death. What could have been so terrifying that it could have scared her to death?

The celestial book claims that when the woman in red jumped, a soul-reaping messenger was lurking nearby, and was seen by the unfortunate Xiao Hui, who was thus frightened to death. While the celestial book's explanation may not be entirely accurate, we can't think of any other explanation besides this one.

[End of File Ten]

File 11: Methods to Attract Wealth

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

"A man can't get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse can't get fat without night grazing. Who wouldn't want a windfall and become rich overnight? I think anyone who knew about this way of making money would be tempted to try it." These words came from a middle-aged man surnamed He. Just a month ago, he was a penniless man who couldn't even pay his rent, but a few days ago he possessed nearly ten million yuan in assets. However, this fortune didn't bring him and his wife a happy and fulfilling life; instead, it landed them in jail.

After a long sigh, Mr. He began to recount the events: "I used to drive a motorcycle taxi, what's commonly known as a 'motorcycle taxi' driver. Although I didn't earn much, it was enough to support my family. Later, the government said motorcycles polluted the environment and affected the city's image, so they banned them all at once. Frankly speaking, when it comes to environmental pollution, a hundred motorcycles can't compare to one bus. I've never seen a bus that doesn't emit black smoke, but I've rarely seen motorcycles emit black smoke. If you're going to ban something, you should ban buses first. As for affecting the city's image, that's utter nonsense. People can't even afford to eat; what's the point of talking about the city's image?"

After venting his anger, Mr. He seemed to have calmed down and continued, "Ordinary people can never win against officials. If the government says it wants to ban something, it has to. If it does, I'll be unemployed. I'm almost forty, I didn't study much, and I don't have any special skills. Even college graduates can't find jobs these days, so it's even harder for middle-aged people like me. I can't even find a job washing dishes in a restaurant, so I can only stay at home and do nothing every day. Although my wife has a job, her income is not much, just enough for the family's daily expenses, not even enough to pay the rent. Whenever our son complains about the school charging all sorts of random fees, my wife and I get really upset."

"I've tried everything to save money, even quitting smoking after more than 20 years, but everything is getting more expensive now, so no matter how much I try to save, I can't save much, and I still can't make ends meet every month. Life is getting harder and harder, and just sitting at home isn't a solution, so I go out and wander around every day, hoping to try my luck."

"One day, I saw a ragged homeless man curled up in a corner sleeping in a pedestrian tunnel. Homeless people like him are everywhere on the streets, nothing special. Maybe before long, I will become one of them. Perhaps it was the sight that touched my heart, but I couldn't help but look at him a few more times. As I looked, I was surprised to find that he was wearing a watch. How interesting, a homeless man wearing a watch."

"Anyway, I was just wandering around aimlessly, and I thought I'd tease this homeless man with a watch, so I squatted down in front of him and asked him for the time. He stretched, yawned, glanced at me, and without saying a word, just held out his hand to me, telling me to look for myself. I should have looked, because what I saw startled me—he was wearing an Omega! Although such a luxury watch is like swan meat to a penniless guy like me, I've seen it advertised on TV, even if I can't afford it, so I was sure it was an Omega."

Chapter 17 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 17 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

"How could a homeless man be wearing an expensive watch? So I asked him if the watch was fake. He lazily took it off and tossed it to me, saying he didn't know if it was real or fake. He bought it for over 100,000 yuan and it hadn't broken down after several years. Even if it was fake, it was a high-quality fake."

"When I heard his words, I wanted to laugh. Where would a homeless man get tens of thousands of yuan? But as soon as I took the watch, I immediately felt that it was quite heavy. Upon closer inspection, the workmanship was indeed quite good. Just as he said, even if it was fake, it was a high-quality fake. When I wanted to return the watch to him, he waved his hand and said, 'Take it to a pawn shop and see if you can get some money. If you can, buy me two bottles of wine.'"

"This homeless man is quite interesting. He actually gave me a fake watch to pawn. But thinking about it, I lack many things, but I have plenty of time. Running an errand won't hurt me. This watch looks to be of good quality. Even if I can't get it for cash at the pawn shop, I should be able to make a few dozen yuan selling it to a street vendor. So, I agreed."

"I took the watch to the pawn shop. The second clerk and the first clerk whispered to each other for a while, then offered me a high price of ten thousand. How could a fake watch be worth ten thousand? So I thought I must have misheard, and asked again. Who knew the second clerk would immediately mock me, saying, 'Don't be too greedy. You don't look like the owner of this watch. It's already pretty good that you have ten thousand in your pocket.' I thought they must think I stole the watch, but I wasn't angry. I just laughed at their stupidity in my heart, trying to buy a fake watch for ten thousand."

"After getting the money, I bought two bottles of Wuliangye liquor and a lot of snacks to go find the homeless man. When the homeless man learned that I had pawned my watch for 10,000 yuan, he didn't show the surprise I expected. He just casually said that he only got 10,000 yuan. His behavior made me suspect that the watch wasn't fake, but a real Omega. So I asked him if the watch was real or fake. He rolled his eyes at me and said, 'Do you think people in pawn shops are stupid? They're much smarter than you. Who would give you 10,000 yuan if it wasn't genuine?'"

"The homeless man's words stunned me for a long time. After I came to my senses, I immediately said that he had said before that after I got the money from the watch, I would just buy him two bottles of wine, and I lied and said that I had already spent all the money. He laughed at me and said that even if you are greedy, you should be greedy with class. I didn't ask you to give me the money. If I wanted money, I could just take it to the pawn shop myself, right?"

"Knowing that the other party wouldn't ask for the money back, I felt relieved because I desperately needed the money at the time. Afterwards, we went to a nearby park and found a place to drink. After a few drinks, I asked him where he got the watch. He rolled his eyes at me and said, 'Of course I bought it.' Seeing my disbelieving look, he added, 'Don't let my homeless appearance fool you into thinking I'm penniless. If I wanted to, I could easily come up with a million or more. What's a broken watch to me?'"

"Of course I didn't believe his nonsense. If he were really that rich, would he sleep in a pedestrian tunnel? I told him what I was thinking, and he just laughed it off, finished his drink, lay down on the grass to sleep, and ignored me."

“When I got home, I told my wife about it. She said that this homeless man was a rich young master who could quarrel with his family and run away from home. If I got to know him better, I could get some benefits. I think what my wife said wasn’t entirely unreasonable. At least I’ve already gotten 10,000 yuan from him.”

"For the next few days, I bought alcohol and food to go find the homeless man. He could drink a lot, and he would usually finish the two bottles of liquor I bought by himself. After we got to know each other, he told me his name. His name was quite difficult to pronounce, it was called 'Xuantan'."

"I ate and drank with Xuan Tan for about six or seven days. Although I didn't spend much of that 10,000 yuan, I told him that I had spent all my money and couldn't buy him any more alcohol. He laughed and patted my shoulder, saying that I was greedy, but he liked greedy people like me. Then he searched his body for a while but couldn't find anything, so he said that he didn't have anything valuable on him."

"Just when I was feeling disappointed, he suddenly said mysteriously, 'How about I teach you the art of attracting wealth, so you won't have to come all the time to entertain me?' I thought he was deliberately mocking me, so I ignored him and tried to leave. But he pulled me back, saying that although I had ulterior motives, I had at least treated him to drinks for a few days, so he was going to pass on this magical secret to me. He also said that if I missed this opportunity, I would be poor for the rest of my life."

"After spending a few days with Xuan Tan, although I found his temperament to be quite strange, he was generally clear-headed and didn't seem like he had a mental illness. Moreover, the fact that he was able to produce a luxury watch that might cost over 100,000 yuan made me believe that he really knew how to attract wealth. So, I sat down and listened to him explain how to use the wealth-attracting technique."

"Although the wealth-attracting technique that Xuan Tan mentioned seemed unbelievable to me, after discussing it with my wife, I still followed his instructions. The wealth-attracting technique only works during a lunar eclipse, but there's a lot of preparation required beforehand. I bought a large copper basin and pasted a piece of red paper with the words 'Treasure Basin' written on the front and my name and birth date on the back on the side. Then, I put forty-nine ingots made from 100-yuan bills into the copper basin and sprinkled in a few drops of yin-yang water mixed with fresh blood."

"The Yin-Yang Water is made by soaking six ancient coins (with their backs facing up) and six willow leaves in rainwater that hasn't yet hit the ground for six days, and then mixing it with three ancient coins (with their heads facing up) and three peach leaves boiled in water for three hours. I cut my finger and let the blood drip into the Yin-Yang Water, mixed it, and then sprinkled a few drops into a copper basin. Then I sealed the copper basin with red paper, placed it under the bed, and sealed all the windows in the room to prevent sunlight from entering."

"Then came the long wait for the lunar eclipse. After we put the copper basin under the bed, my wife and I would often hear faint sounds coming from under the bed in the middle of the night, like someone talking, but because the sounds were so faint, we couldn't make out what they were saying. Although we were a little scared, we were even more afraid of not having enough money to live on, so we just pretended we didn't hear anything."

"We finally made it to the lunar eclipse. The newspaper said it would start around 2 a.m., so we started preparing during the day. My wife even took two days off. Actually, there wasn't much to prepare. We just sent our son to stay with relatives for the night and bought some incense, candles, and other offerings."

"Before the lunar eclipse began, we turned off all the lights, lit incense and candles in the room, burned paper money, kowtowed repeatedly to the copper basin under the bed, and recited the incantation that Xuan Tan had taught me. The incantation was roughly about asking all kinds of 'friends' to help us out and gather wealth from all directions to solve our immediate predicament."

"After chanting the incantation for a while, the room temperature dropped suddenly, as if an air conditioner had been turned on, and it felt like many shadows were swaying around us. Although we were very scared, we were so poor that we couldn't be afraid of anything else, and we continued to kowtow and chant the incantation."