Chapter 443: Setup (1/2)

The widow was just about to drag me away when Granny Yan ordered, ”Cui Huan, leave us!”

When the widow left, Granny Yan sighed, ”I thought I would bring this secret with me to the grave, but I never imagined it would be discovered by you. You’re right, God is watching. Even after death, I will not be at peace. Come back tonight after the you hour and I will tell you what you want to know.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, ”I apologize for the offence.”

”No, it’s not your fault. It’s the guilt speaking.” Granny Yan fluttered her sleeves, “Go!”

Upon exiting Granny Yan’s home, Song Jie looked at me in shock, ”How the hell did you do that?”

Keeping mum about the Eyes of Yama, I carelessly replied, ”I blew it out.”

”I'm not talking about the candles. I mean the words...”

In fact, I wasn’t sure at the time, but I did notice Granny Yan dipping her finger into that little bottle. My guess was the mystery lay in there. Thus, I ventured and succeeded.

Some time later, I read about this trick from a book about the mystic arts of the Jianghu. The sandalwood incense was actually specially made. Upon burning, it released tiny water droplets while the little bottle was filled with putty. The principle behind this miraculous phenomenon was similar to rain condensation. The tiny droplets of water automatically condensed on the putty particles so writing in incense was made possible.

Eventually, I used this little trick against a charlatan.

After the you hour meant 8:00 pm. There wasn’t much to do during the day so I stayed in the old manor reading and had dinner with the family at night. Song Xingchen and Song Jie insisted on joining me but I argued, ”She said to go alone!”

“We’ll just wait for you outside,” persuaded Song Xingchen.

”Alright then!” I nodded.

When we arrived outside Granny Yan's home, I knocked on the door several times but received no reply.

”Could she be asleep?” asked Song Jie.

Right then, smoke drifted out the gaps around the door. ”Oh no!” I shouted.

Song Xingchen kicked the door down and what we saw was a mess inside. When I broke into the back room, I found a pile of straw burning, the smoke making it hard to keep our eyes open.

Song Xingchen grabbed a piece of cloth to put out the fire but it burst into flames. The arsonist was insidious, having buried flammable materials under the straw and poured combustible liquids onto the beams. Flames grew at the slightest ignition which soon set the beams and roof on fire.

Song Xingchen dragged me out of the house while Song Jie was nowhere to be seen. Panicking, I scrambled to save her but Song Xingchen assured me, ”She will be fine.”

”Ahh, fire!”

”It's Granny Yan’s home!”

Alarmed, the neighbors ran out one after the other. The three of us standing in front of the burning house were conspicuous to say the least. ”Did you do this?” accused one of the villagers.

It suddenly dawned on me that someone had deliberately set us up.

”That’s not important now. Put out the fire first!”

”Song Lao’er, watch these three arsonists. Don't let them get away.”

Some of the villagers went to fetch water while others came to monitor us. Song Xingchen stopped them, “You don’t have to do anything. We’ll stay right here.”

Song Jie's face was gloomy as a bitter smile rose to her lips, ”If my mother finds out about this, she’s going to kill us...”