Jiang Jianwei was in a daze for a while, then decided to call Deng Qian’s son.
After his falling out with Deng Qian, his contact with the younger generation had also diminished significantly.
However, they still exchanged holiday greetings during festive seasons.
Jiang Jianwei, filled with doubt, didn’t beat around the bush and directly asked about the cemetery materials.
The other end seemed surprised, “Huh?” he said, “Uncle Jiang, how did you know about this?”
It turned out that the floor tiles in front of the tombstone were indeed personally ordered by Deng Qian, who had his son commission custom-made magnetic stone tiles.
Deng Qian had specifically instructed that Jiang Jianwei should not know about this, calling it a “surprise” he had left for Jiang Jianwei.
Deng Qian’s son was unaware of Jiang Jianwei’s knee surgery and didn’t understand the significance, but since his father had instructed him, he followed through.
“My dad said you would eventually come to me about this, I didn’t believe it at first,” Deng Qian’s son chuckled, “Guess he really knew you.”
“That old man…” Jiang Jianwei was both amused and exasperated, after a moment he cursed, “That old rascal.”
“Ah, Uncle Jiang, don’t be mad at my dad. In his last days, he often reminisced about the times you had when you were young…” the voice on the phone said.
This only made Jiang Jianwei’s anger flare up, “Then why didn’t he tell me anything?”
“You were busy with the film crew at the time…” Deng Qian’s son sighed, explaining that when Deng Qian was diagnosed with cancer, it was already in the late stages.
He was undergoing daily chemotherapy and didn’t even have the strength to speak.
Other family members had considered informing Jiang Jianwei, but Deng Qian stopped them.
Jiang Jianwei was then involved in a major production, spending all his time on set.
Given Deng Qian’s condition, telling him would have been useless and only caused unnecessary distress.
“My dad originally wanted to tell you after you finished your work, to see you one last time, but he didn’t expect to pass away so quickly.”
Jiang Jianwei was stunned by this revelation, and after a long pause, he murmured, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“My dad didn’t want me to,” the voice hesitated, “He said since he’s already gone, bringing it up would only make you feel worse. But I’ve been thinking, maybe it’s better to tell you…”
After a pause, as if remembering something, he added, “Oh, my dad said, if you came asking about the cemetery, to tell you that he has returned to dust, to earth, and has gone in peace. He was just playing a final joke on you, so let it go. And, do what you need to do, don’t keep putting it off…”
After hanging up, Jiang Jianwei was silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Shi Pengpeng didn’t disturb him and went to return the shovel.
When she came back, Jiang Jianwei had regained his composure and gave her a dry smile, “Miss Shi, thank you so much.”
“Don’t mention it,” Shi Pengpeng waved her hand, “I didn’t really help much.”
“Not at all, I owe you a lot this time,” Jiang Jianwei said sincerely.
He wasn’t a fool; although Shi Pengpeng didn’t get a chance to act, her firm stance and repeated insistence that there were no ghosts here, especially when the compass acted up, was a skill in itself.
Only someone with real ability could be so confident in their judgment.
If it were a charlatan in this situation, they would either be scared to death or take advantage of the opportunity to fabricate some supernatural stories, swindling a hefty sum of money.
From this, it’s clear that Shi Pengpeng not only has real skills but is also an honest person.
Thinking of this, Jiang Jianwei felt both annoyed and amused.
He shook his head and said, “That old man really went all out with this. Wasn’t he afraid I’d actually find a master to exorcise him?”
“He wouldn’t be. Although I’ve never met Mr. Deng, it’s obvious he knows you well,” Shi Pengpeng said with a smile.
“And he’s been keeping an eye on you.”
Earlier, Jiang Jianwei mentioned that he had once told Deng Qian about wanting to undergo surgery again to replace the implant material in his calf.
Yet, Deng Qian still installed a magnet at the tomb, indicating he knew Jiang Jianwei hadn’t gone through with the surgery in all these years.
Combined with what Deng Qian’s son said about Deng’s illness, it was clear Deng Qian was aware of Jiang Jianwei’s activities in the film crew.
It’s evident that Deng Qian had always been well-informed about Jiang Jianwei’s situation.
“Didn’t he tell you to take care of what needed to be done sooner? I think he was referring to your surgery,” Shi Pengpeng glanced at his calf and teased, “Not to be blunt, but that material of yours is really subpar. You wouldn’t want it to rust inside and cause tetanus, would you?”
Jiang Jianwei:”…..”
At this point, Jiang Jianwei also began to piece together these details, feeling a sense of melancholy.
He said in a daze, “Miss Shi, could you please hold a memorial service for Old Deng later?”
Shi Pengpeng nodded, “No problem.”
Jiang Jianwei then stood upright in front of Deng Qian’s tomb again.
The faint magnetic pull on his leg returned, but the worry and fear in his heart had completely dissipated.
He simply stared at the photo on the tombstone, lost in thought.
After finishing his prayers, Jiang Jianwei and Shi Pengpeng left the cemetery and drove back.
On the way, Jiang Jianwei kept reminiscing about the past.
When he mentioned the film that led to his falling out with Deng Qian, he sighed, “If possible, I’d still like to finish editing that film.”
Shi Pengpeng said, “That’s simple. Just get authorization from Mr. Deng’s son.”
Since Deng Qian had passed away peacefully, he wouldn’t be troubled by past grievances.
His son, as the heir, had the authority to grant permission, and since he wasn’t involved in the film’s production, it wouldn’t affect Jiang Jianwei.
“Yeah, he’d probably agree,” Jiang Jianwei said, though he still felt a tinge of regret.
“It’s just a shame it’s not Old Deng himself granting the authorization…”
As they were talking, the car suddenly came to an abrupt halt, as if something had locked the wheels, stopping it dead in its tracks.
Shi Pengpeng’s body lurched forward, but the seatbelt kept her safe.
She asked, “What’s going on?”
Jiang Jianwei was also puzzled.
He pressed the accelerator again, hearing the faint roar of the engine, but the car remained motionless.
“Not sure. Maybe it’s broken down?”
But the dashboard showed everything was normal, with no apparent issues.
“I’ll get out and take a look,” Jiang Jianwei said, opening the car door.
As soon as he stepped out, he felt a chill.
They were in a dense forest, with towering trees on both sides.
The shade from the trees almost completely covered the road, with only a few scattered beams of sunlight breaking through.
Jiang Jianwei walked around the car but found no obstacles or damage.
With no other options, he decided to call for a tow truck.
He reached for his phone, but as soon as his hand slipped into his pocket, he felt something unusual.
The pocket was bulging, and there was a stack of something inside-something that felt like paper?
“Huh?” Jiang Jianwei pulled it out in confusion, only to find a stack of red banknotes.
“Strange…” he muttered to himself.
With mobile payments being the norm these days, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d handled physical cash.
Where had this money come from?
But almost immediately, he noticed something off about the texture of the bills.
Upon closer inspection, he realized they weren’t real currency at all-they were hell banknotes, marked with the words “Heaven and Earth Bank.”
Normally, this might not have fazed him, but having just left the cemetery, his heart skipped a beat.
The next second, the stack of hell banknotes darkened and turned into black ash.
Jiang Jianwei was startled and instinctively threw the ashes away, taking a step back.
Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder.
“Director Jiang, watch your step,” Shi Pengpeng said.
Only then did Jiang Jianwei realize she had gotten out of the car at some point.
He let out a sigh of relief and pointed at the drifting ashes. “Miss Shi, look…”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Shi Pengpeng glanced at it and said nonchalantly, “You just ran into a ghost, that’s all.”
Jiang Jianwei:”……”
Was “ran into a ghost” and “that’s all” supposed to go together like that?
Before he could process it, Shi Pengpeng took out a tube of lipstick and dabbed a dot on his forehead.
At the same time, she tossed out a yellow talisman.
The cinnabar on the talisman glowed, and a blood-curdling scream erupted from the dense woods by the roadside.
A gray shadow rolled out from behind a large tree.
“Bold ghost, daring to cause trouble,” Shi Pengpeng said, stepping on the gray shadow and pinning its head to the ground, rendering it immobile.
Jiang Jianwei, standing nearby:”……”
Was she always this violent?
Jiang Jianwei had previously entertained the idea of persuading Shi Pengpeng to join the entertainment industry, but after witnessing this, he completely abandoned the thought.
The entertainment world was full of its own messes, not much better than dealing with ghosts and demons.
If Shi Pengpeng were to give one of those investors a kick like this, he, as the recommender, would be in serious trouble.
“Master, I was wrong!” the gray shadow pleaded frantically.
“I’ll never do it again, please spare me!”
Seeing that it was sufficiently cowed, Shi Pengpeng lifted her foot.
The gray shadow scrambled to its feet, revealing a pale, sunken face—it was a skinny, wandering spirit.
“Was it you who messed with our car? What were you trying to do?” Shi Pengpeng asked.
“I… I…” the spirit cautiously glanced at her and stammered, “I just didn’t want you to go into the mountains. The noise from your gambling was too loud, and it disturbed my rest…”
“What are you talking about?” Shi Pengpeng was puzzled.
“What gambling?”
“Huh?” The spirit was also confused. “Aren’t you here to gamble?”
It turned out that this wandering spirit, named Tao Guisong, was originally a drifting ghost who had stumbled upon this area and decided to settle in the nearby mountains, finding the place quite suitable.
Since the area was close to the cemetery, new ghosts often passed through, and Tao Guisong would take the opportunity to snatch some offerings, living a relatively comfortable life.
However, some time ago, a group running an underground gambling den somehow found their way here.
Every night, a bunch of gamblers would gather in the mountains to gamble, shouting and making a ruckus, disturbing his peace.
This had been going on for over a month, and Tao Guisong, unable to tolerate it any longer, decided to teach them a lesson.
It was also a coincidence that the car Jiang Jianwei was driving happened to be the same as the one used by those gamblers.
Tao Guisong thought the gamblers had returned, so he used a bit of misdirection.
Since those gamblers used spirit money as a substitute when gambling in the mountains, they could argue they were there to sweep graves if caught.
Therefore, Tao Guisong deliberately placed the same spirit money in Jiang Jianwei’s pocket as a warning.
Finally, Tao Guisong looked pitifully at Shi Pengpeng, “Master, I really didn’t mean to…”
“Got it,” Shi Pengpeng said with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, “But you used the wrong method. Those gamblers are living people, so you should use a living person’s solution. Tell me the specific times and places they frequent, and I’ll make a report later.”
“Wow, Master, you’re such a good person,” Tao Guisong said gratefully, then shook his head, “But reporting to the police won’t help. Villagers nearby have reported them before. However, the gambling den has several lookouts.”
“Every time the police cars approach, they get tipped off and run away. The mountain roads are complicated, and it’s hard for the police to chase them.”
These underground gambling dens have been playing cat and mouse with law enforcement for years, developing their own methods to avoid detection.
For example, some seemingly deserted intersections still have people selling fruit late at night, most likely acting as lookouts.
Law enforcement knows this well, but without catching them in the act, there’s little they can do.
“Don’t you know misdirection?” Shi Pengpeng glanced at him disdainfully, “When the police come, just distract those lookouts in advance, won’t you?”
Tao Guisong: “…Oh, right.”
He had been so focused on using supernatural phenomena to scare the gamblers away that he forgot the simplest solution.
“Alright, alright,” Tao Guisong nodded, “Master, then I’ll rely on your help.”
Jiang Jianwei:”….”
This human and ghost are actually teaming up.
“Fine, we’ll leave first,” Shi Pengpeng noted the information Tao Guisong provided and waved, “After I report it, I’ll send you a talisman message, and you can handle it yourself.”
“Got it,” Tao Guisong nodded vigorously, then suddenly remembered something and reached out to Jiang Jianwei, “Sorry, I have another stack of money in your other pocket. It’s not easy for us wandering ghosts to save up, so please return it to me.”
Jiang Jianwei:”…..”
Jiang Jianwei expressionlessly checked his other pocket and indeed found another stack of spirit money.
He took it out and handed it to Tao Guisong.
Just as Tao Guisong was about to take it, Jiang Jianwei’s expression suddenly changed, and he quickly pulled his hand back, “Wait!”
Tao Guisong was puzzled: “What’s wrong?”
“How do you have Deng Qian’s signature?” Jiang Jianwei said as he pulled out a yellow paper from the spirit money, on which was a signature he knew all too well.
It was Deng Qian’s artistic signature.
“Huh, you recognize it? Are you a fan of Deng Qian?” Tao Guisong chuckled, “Then you should know Deng Qian died a few months ago, right? His ashes are buried in the nearby cemetery. The funeral was quite a spectacle, and I went to watch the commotion.”
Tao Guisong further added: “I happened to run into Deng Qian’s ghost. It’s not every day you meet a celebrity, so I asked him for an autograph. But he’s already returned to the underworld, so you won’t see him again.”
“Is that so…” Jiang Jianwei couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed and asked again, “So, did you talk about anything?”
“Oh, we talked about a lot,” Tao Guisong suddenly got excited.
“Let me tell you, he spilled so much gossip about the entertainment industry.”
“Who wants to hear that kind of stuff!” Jiang Jianwei thought.
Then, he saw Shi Pengpeng’s eyes light up as she rubbed her hands together eagerly, “Wow, I want to hear it! Come on, tell me all the details!”
Jiang Jianwei: “….”