The few pieces of paper money placed beside him fluttered slightly, and then a gust of wind came, blowing them away. Zhang Wenbin stood up, holding the white paper lantern with a large "奠" written on it in brush calligraphy, and patted Hei Zi's buttocks, saying: "Let's go!"

  Every few steps, he would shake the exorcism bell and scatter a handful of paper money. The pale lanterns and crisp bell sounds were particularly dazzling in the night. He did this to tell the yin messengers that his family was very polite and had come to welcome them personally, and also to let passersby know that there was a stranger passing by, so as not to offend anyone.

  If you really encounter a soul guide on the road, either choose to take another fork in the road to avoid it, or simply turn your back and squat on the ground until the lantern has passed by, never head-on collision.

  As they passed through the village, people who heard the bell sound would cover their heads with quilts, and babies who were crying would be forcibly covered by the elderly. Couples who were doing chores would also stop abruptly, and those who dared to peek out from a corner of the window would quietly scold their wives and crawl up to take a few stealthy glances.

  As they approached the Wang's house, Cha Wenbin found a short stick and stuck the lantern on the side of the road, then quietly retreated to one side. The black dog's fur was already standing on end, but it obediently didn't bark, its gaze slowly moving from one angle to another, then turning upwards, Cha Wenbin understood that they had entered the house.

  The second floor room, a whole family sat together in the dark, with no sound except for each other's breathing. The temperature began to drop even lower than before. People with sharp ears could hear the faint clinking of dishes from downstairs.

  Chao's tears couldn't help but fall, he really wanted to rush out and take another look at his old man, but the two men with thick faces sat on either side of him, pressing down on him so that he couldn't move.

  Perhaps it was the slight movement upstairs that startled something, and someone began to hear faint footsteps coming from the stairs. Zhuo Xiong quickly covered Chaozi's mouth, and the sound soon disappeared.

  It was about the time it took to burn an incense stick, when Hei Zi's gaze returned to the roof and then moved down from top to bottom. It slowly turned its body, facing the direction of the village entrance, unwilling to look back for a long time.

  Cha Wenbin had a kind of wry smile, and then patted Hei Zi on the back, saying: "Let's go, go to sleep in the house."

  It wasn't until dawn that the big rooster at the door cried out "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" and the people upstairs cautiously opened their doors to find something extra on the ground. It was unclear whether it was due to last night's wind or if Zhang Wenbin hadn't stuck it properly, but one of the talismans had already fallen to the ground.

  The two detectives soon discovered that the footprints in the house belonged to two people, one of whom only appeared in front of the ancestral hall, but not at the altar, rather at the edge of the table where his mother had fallen, which was He Lao's. After he came back, he still couldn't forget Wang Furen.

  As for the footprints left on the stairs, Chaozi said that this footprint is one size larger than his father's.

  The firecrackers were lit, and this seemingly peaceful Ghost Festival night was over. Only Cha Wenbin knew that the moment the talisman paper fell to the ground, he almost broke in.

  Goodbye Wang Xin, things over here have finally come to an end.

  The following half year was the most peaceful and also the most comfortable half year that Wen Bin had ever spent in his life. During that half year, the house was completed, Chaozi and several others' careers were also slightly successful, and they also mixed quite openly in that area.

  The brothers would drink and eat every night, and it was indeed a carefree life. At that time, Leng Yiran often brought Xiaocha back to their hometown for the weekend, and cooked two dishes to treat these men, and the days were really comfortable.

  Half a year later, on a sunny day, Chaozi rushed home with a package in his arms. He gathered everyone together and closed the door, saying he had some good news to announce.

  Everyone saw him like that, and they waited to see the final result. When he opened the package, inside was a vase. The young master said with some pride that this thing is Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain.

  At noon, he and Zhuo Xiong went to the county antique market to dig up some goods. A dirty old man was holding this bottle and shouting, Chaozi recognized it at a glance, because there is almost an identical bottle in the Palace Museum in Beijing, which is worth a fortune.

  Chaozi spent a thousand yuan to buy the items from the other person, and they didn't even have time to eat, rushing back as soon as possible. In his words, this time he really found treasure.

  A few people made a plan to go buy some good dishes, and at night they would have a big feast. For Cha Wenbin, these things didn't make much of an impression; in his eyes it was just a bottle. But for Chaozi's business, this was undoubtedly a big deal.

  They all surrounded that bottle with great enthusiasm, and the task of buying wine and meat fell on Cha Wenbin's shoulders.

  Pushing open the big gate, Cha Wenbin was stunned. A row of fully armed police officers were standing at the entrance. Before he could even speak, two men rushed up and grabbed him.

  A man who appeared to be the leader said, "Be careful, there are two veterans inside, and another one is also skilled in martial arts. Don't hurt the suspect, orders from above, only capture alive!"

  With a wave of his hand, two rows of police officers holding weapons burst in, the people inside were still immersed in the joy of harvest, and in the blink of an eye they were already surrounded.

  "What's going on?" Chaozi shouted loudly.

  A Type 54 pistol was immediately pressed against Chaozi's forehead, and a young policeman kicked him in the body with one foot and shouted: "Don't move, be honest!"

  When he saw his son being beaten, the man with a thick face immediately picked up a stool to fight back, but suddenly felt his body go soft and fell to the ground. It turned out that someone behind him had used an electric baton.

  "What's going on here? You! What are you doing here?" Zhuo Xiong was furious, he had never seen such a police force before.

  Almost with guns to their heads, the three of them were all arrested and then a middle-aged man walked in, those police immediately shouted: "Report Captain, the loot has been found!"

  An old man who came in with the police picked up the bottle on the table, examined it carefully and said: "That's right, this is the one that was lost in the museum. Thank you to the public security comrades for their hard work, they have retrieved this national treasure for us."

  "Lost? No way! I bought this from the antique market, didn't you guys make a mistake?" Chaozi was also stunned, how did it become stolen goods?

  "No nonsense, take everything back!"

  Along with Cha Wenbin, the four of them were stuffed into four cars and sped away with sirens blaring, leaving behind villagers who followed and discussed heatedly.

  They were hooded, and when they next saw the light, Cha Wenbin found himself in a sealed room. There was a negotiating table, on the other side of which was a face he had seen before.

  "Is it you?" Cha Wenbin asked again in anger.

  "Sorry, Mr. Cha, I know it's not very polite to bring you here in this way, but if I didn't do it like this, maybe you wouldn't have come either. Yes, living a secluded life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, who doesn't yearn for that kind of life?" The man waved his hand, and the two guards beside Cha Wenbin left together, leaving only the two of them in the large room.

  "So you're saying that bottle was deliberately set up as a trap?"

  "No, no, no, Mr. Cha, about that vase, I only know that the Palace Museum lost a national treasure recently, but as for how it ended up in your friend's hands, I don't know." A sly smile flashed across his face and he continued: "Stealing a first-class cultural relic is punishable by death in this era of strict law enforcement. However, Mr. Cha and those friends of yours are all talented individuals who have helped us before, so I think that as long as you're willing, this matter can be considered settled."

  "I think you're a bit despicable." Cha Wenbin said bluntly.

  "If not, I'm afraid no one can invite you to come out of retirement again. Forgive us, this is a last resort, because we don't have much time left to visit in person and can only use this method, please understand."

  "How?"

  "Come back with me to Beijing, first go see an acquaintance, then he will tell you what to do."

  Is there any other choice for Cha Wenbin? No, but indeed as people say, if it's the villagers asking him to do a ritual, he'll go without hesitation. However, if it's to help them, he has no interest at all, because he won't risk his own life and his friends' lives for something that has nothing to do with him.

  This man was the middle-aged man who returned his gossip belt in the ward that day.

  That man knew that Cha Wenbin had already agreed, and was about to get up and leave. But Cha Wenbin shouted: "How is Old Wang? Is he awake?"

  "I'm only responsible for bringing you back, the rest is none of my business. However, I can reveal a bit of information to you: Mr. Cha, this matter isn't just our doing, in a big sense it's also for your own good. Later someone will come to take you to reunite with your friends, and tomorrow morning you'll set off immediately."

  read3;