Chapter 100: River God, Ancestral Hall
"What??" Chen Keai really felt like her world was about to collapse.
In her eyes, this company was a "little piece of happiness," she had no problem with going to work since it was similar to being at home, and she could still take photos and show off on social media.
But now someone was telling her that the boss died in the company??
After this, how could she stay here? She was afraid that behind the water cooler, an armed gunman would appear.
"Okay, don't worry too much. I need to report to the boss." With a casual reassurance, Luo Yifeng left without looking back.
After everyone had left, Chen Keai sat down weakly, holding her head in pain.
"Find a way to quit, we must find a way to quit."
Even though Luo Yifeng explained, Chen Keai realized that perhaps the truth of the matter was not as terrifying as she had imagined.
But clearly, this was a company with significant problems. She didn't want to suddenly drop dead in the office one day for no reason.
.........
Sitting in the top-floor office, Chu Jiang could turn his chair and gaze at Luohe in the distance through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window.
Behind him, Luo Yifeng was introducing an overview of the company, including the composition of the staff and whether they were aware of the supernatural revival.
After he finished speaking, Chu Jiang turned back and said, "Tell me about the previous position, including how he died, and make sure not to leave out any details from the scene."
Dressed in a suit, holding a document, Luo Yifeng stood up straight and nodded.
"Wang Lei, the newly appointed person in charge, I believe he is a relatively fair-minded good person."
"He has been on duty in Luohe City for nearly half a year, almost when the ghost incidents started to occur on a large scale, he became one of the people in charge."
"Since he started working, Mr. Wang has dealt with several paranormal incidents one after another, and even he himself has been severely affected by the ghost."
"Although Mr. Wang's personal appearance and temperament may seem a bit tough, I think he is still better than most people in charge."
"In the days before Mr. Wang's death, everything seemed normal for him, except that he complained about more and more paranormal incidents, and hesitated about whether to return to headquarters and transplant a second ghost."
"At that time, there were two main cases he was investigating, one was about the River God, and the other was about the Lin Ancestral Hall."
"What?" Chu Jiang furrowed his brow, how come two unheard of paranormal incidents suddenly popped up? Is someone trying to kill him??
Luo Yifeng explained, "These two cases may not necessarily be paranormal incidents, they are just a bit strange, just like the driver surnamed Hu that you asked me to investigate yesterday, Mr. Chu."
"Regarding the matter of the River God, I have only heard Mr. Wang mention it briefly, but I don't know the details, so I didn't report it."
"As for the Lin Ancestral Hall, I already reported it about four or five months ago. So after Mr. Wang's death, I didn't report it again. Mr. Wang had been investigating this matter for a long time, not just for the past few days."
"Please tell us more specifically." Chu Jiang looked serious.
Because there were many past records in Luohe City, he only checked the recent information before coming here, without going through the old records from four or five months ago.
Luo Yifeng thought carefully and said, "About the River God, I only remember a few days before Mr. Wang had an accident, he said something like, 'It seems like there's a rekindling belief on the Sanjin Mountain. They worship the River God. When I have time, I should go and take a look.'"
"That's roughly what it means with just that one sentence."
Sanjin Mountain is the source of Luohe and it is also under the jurisdiction of Luohe City according to the map. The person in charge not only needs to handle things in the city, but also in some small counties and villages around the city.
For now, let's make a note of this information," Chu Jiang nodded, signaling Luo Yifeng to continue.
"As for the Lin Ancestral Hall, we have to start with a local member of the Lin family."
"I believe Mr. Chu, you have also noticed that there are many people surnamed Lin in this area, for example, Officer Lin and Lin Qian whom you have encountered, as well as our company's receptionist, Lin Yun."
"According to the records in the local county chronicles and other sources, a long time ago, a group of people surnamed Lin settled near Luohe. They started families here and also built many ancestral temples."
"In the past, there was a controversy about the naming of Luohe City and Luoxi, Luo Zhou area. In fact, it involved a dispute between the Lin and Luo clans. The Luo clan believed that they were the earliest settlers in Luohe, while the Lin clan had the opposite view."
"According to Mr. Wang's investigation, the Lin clan settled slightly earlier."
"Originally, this was a very normal thing. After all, it's not the old times anymore, so there wouldn't be any clan fights like before."
"Moreover, Luohe has a long history and has hardly ever experienced water depletion. So even in the past, there haven't been any conflicts over water resources."
"Mr. Wang first discovered something was wrong purely by accident."
"This area still holds on to traditional customs, such as offering prayers to the gods on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. During the anniversaries of their ancestors' passing, family members would go to the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices, burn incense, and paper money."
"Mr. Wang, being from the north, had never seen such a scene before. One time, he mingled with the crowd and went to a local temple to join in the lively atmosphere."
"The ancestral hall is an important cultural heritage site, but it is usually not open to the public. Only during ancestor worship ceremonies, the members of the same clan are allowed to enter."
"Of course, modern people have a weaker sense of kinship, so it is not possible for them to know all their distant relatives. That's why Mr. Wang found it easy to blend in."
"However, as soon as he entered, he sensed something was wrong." Luo Yifeng furrowed his eyebrows as he said this.
"Mr. Wang said that once inside, he felt a sense of oppression. It was as if the ghosts inside, influenced by some force, transmitted a feeling of unease to him."
"However, Mr. Wang didn't find anything unusual inside the ancestral hall. Everything seemed normal."
"Moreover, the Lin Ancestral Hall has a history of at least several hundred years. Over all these years, the Lin clan members have worshipped their ancestors on their memorial days without any incidents. So it doesn't seem like haunted place."
"Of course, when discussing with Mr. Wang, I suggested that maybe the ancestors of the Lin clan have spirits that don't harm their own kin. Therefore, I advised Mr. Wang not to casually trespass into other people's ancestral halls to prevent any mishaps."
"However, Mr. Wang had his own ideas. He secretly went there several times later, sometimes sneaking over the wall during the night when no one was around."
"But he never found anything, the peculiar feeling persisted, but nothing ever happened."
