On this side.
After staying in the study room for a while, Su Yaohua felt mentally dazed as he was supported by the Butler and arrived at Su Yurou’s room.
He looked at his weeping wife and daughter, his gaze blankly sweeping across the daughter’s bare dressing table, the wide-open empty wardrobe, and finally landing on Su Yurou, who was slumped on the floor with a disheveled bun, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.
A buzzing filled his ears. The sharp cries of his wife and daughter felt distant and unreal, as if separated by a thick layer of cotton.
Cold despair, like the most piercing ice, surged from the soles of his feet and instantly froze his limbs. Even his heartbeat seemed slow and heavy.
Who was it? If I find out who did this, I will flay his skin and pull out his tendons.
This thought, like a venomous snake, suddenly surged through his almost stagnant mind, tearing at him wildly.
The Butler looked at the state of the family of three and sighed inwardly before carefully speaking.
“Master of the House, do you think… could it be ghosts? For the entire estate to be emptied like this…”
Upon hearing this, Su Yaohua shuddered.
“Ghosts?”
The Butler nodded. “Otherwise, who could have such ability to empty the entire mansion silently? Even thieves would require many people, carts, and noise.”
“And the locks in the Treasury weren’t broken. Even if a skilled thief left no trace, why would they even steal the young lady’s clothes and jewelry? That makes no sense.”
Su Yaohua nodded slightly after hearing this, finding some logic in it.
But Lin Wanfang suddenly stood up, stopping her crying.
“Uncle Wang, don’t talk nonsense. I don’t believe in ghosts. Our Su family has stood for a hundred years—how could it suddenly be haunted? This is clearly human doing.”
The Butler responded seriously.
“Madam, to empty the entire estate would require many people and even trucks. Yet there was no movement at all. If it were thieves, the Treasury lock would have been damaged.”
“And yesterday, you and Master of the House personally checked the Treasury. Everything was intact. Now it’s completely empty—even the shelves are gone.”
“If it isn’t ghosts or gods, then only someone inside the family could have done it.”
The Butler’s words left Lin Wanfang speechless.
After thinking for a moment, Su Yaohua frowned and decided to summon a Taoist priest.
The Butler immediately obeyed and left in haste.
Su Yaohua turned to his wife and daughter and sighed.
“If it is truly supernatural interference, then perhaps our money is still within the estate. We will wait for the Taoist priest.”
Lin Wanfang said nothing, though she still did not believe in ghosts.
Soon after, the Butler returned from the Southern City Qingxu Taoist Temple with an Old Taoist Priest said to be highly skilled.
The old priest had white hair and beard, wore a Taoist robe, and held a fly whisk, looking quite like an immortal.
The moment he entered the Su residence, his brows furrowed deeply.
He pinched his fingers and suddenly exclaimed.
“Such heavy yin energy! Your residence has offended a fierce entity—it must be a Wealth-Stealing Ghost!”
“What? Wealth-Stealing Ghost?” Su Yaohua was shocked and quickly pulled him inside. “Immortal, what is this ghost? Can it be broken? Can our wealth be recovered?”
The Taoist stroked his beard.
“This ghost specializes in moving wealth and leaves nothing behind. But it is rare—one that even takes clothing and furniture… this poor Taoist has never seen before. It must be an extremely resentful spirit.”
His words made Su Yaohua increasingly frightened.
Even Lin Wanfang began to waver slightly.
“Daozhang, please save my Su family!” Su Yaohua pleaded, kneeling and grabbing the Taoist’s robe.
The Taoist agreed and was led around the mansion.
He inspected the Treasury, the study room, and Su Yurou’s bedroom, performing exaggerated rituals—checking his compass, muttering, sighing, and exclaiming dramatically.
“This place is the most haunted! The ghost has lingered here the longest!”
“Terrible! The resentment has already formed into a shape!”
After two hours of chanting, talisman scattering, and sword-waving, the Taoist finally stopped, sweating profusely.
“How is it?” Su Yaohua asked urgently.
The Taoist shook his head gravely.
“The Wealth-Stealing Ghost is extremely powerful and deeply tied to your family’s karma. I have temporarily suppressed it, but your wealth… is likely unrecoverable.”
“What?!” Su Yaohua staggered back. “Is there truly no solution?”
The Taoist stroked his beard.
“Then the only path is to do good deeds and resolve karmic debt. Perhaps sincerity will move heaven itself.”
In truth, the Taoist had already concluded this was human theft and simply found the Su family easy to deceive.
Upon hearing this, Su Yaohua completely deflated.
However, Lin Wanfang frowned deeply, noticing the priest’s flickering eyes.
“Daozhang, how many good deeds must we do before the Wealth-Stealing Ghost returns our wealth?”
The Taoist sighed vaguely. “That depends on sincerity. I cannot guarantee anything.”
Lin Wanfang suddenly snapped.
“You’re a fraud! What Wealth-Stealing Ghost? Nonsense! I’m calling the authorities!”
At this, the Taoist priest trembled, his face turning pale, and he fled in panic.
Realizing he had been deceived, Su Yaohua angrily scolded the Butler.
The Butler could only bow repeatedly, too frightened to defend himself.
After this incident, even the last trace of hope in Su Yaohua collapsed. He looked up at the sky, his thoughts turning dark.
If it wasn’t ghosts… then it was human.
But human methods—were far more terrifying than ghosts.