The Spirits Knew Who Was Lying Chapter 03

The Spirits Knew Who Was Lying Chapter 03 The Spirit Market
People began crowning her the new spirit speaker of the age. Someone even suggested she livestream herself exploring haunted houses. Lily agreed without hesitation. Her fame soared. I kept to myself—groceries and meditation, nothing more. A week passed. I checked online. Lily’s business was booming. When she shadowed me, she took two cases a day. Now she accepted everyone who came. I couldn’t tell whether her readings were real or not. But watching her livestream, I noticed something—her complexion had turned sallow, tinged with gray. She was being followed. Something had latched onto her. And she seemed thrilled about it. Curious. Then she issued a challenge on her stream: “I welcome all spirit speakers, mediums, and ley line practitioners to come and exchange ideas.” No one answered. Orthodox Taoist practitioners didn’t engage in such things. People still held reverence for the spirit world. A week passed. No one showed up. But on the seventh day, she came to me. Because the spirit market had a problem. The manager called. “Lore, we’ve got trouble. Two stall owners died while working. Both of them. Their families are here making a scene.” “Don’t you have Lily?” “She said she’ll only do it with you. Honestly, it’s my call too. With both of you there, at least we’ll have some peace of mind.” I paused. “If they’re dead, bury them. Don’t hold back on me, Gao Fei, or I’m not coming.” “Listen, one sold jade, the other dealt antiques. They had money stashed—but no one knows the passwords. One of them had a safety deposit box at the bank. The key is missing. We’re talking millions here.” “Get both of you to speak with them. Find out where the key is. If the families keep causing trouble, the spirit market won’t survive this.” Now I understood. In all the cases I’d handled before, the dead either worried about their children or wanted their spouses to move on. Sometimes they left passwords. But back then, Lily was always there when I worked. After I burned the belongings, she’d give the exact message. Never wrong. Now she was on her own. And she was desperate. I smiled. “Fine. Tell her to wait.” When I arrived at the spirit market and saw Lily, I raised an eyebrow. A week. That was all it took. She’d lost weight, and her concealer couldn’t hide the dark circles under her eyes. She rushed toward me as soon as she spotted me. “Lore, when you burn the items, be careful. You only get one chance.” She shoved an antique locket into my hand. I glanced at it and handed it back. “What are you giving me this for? I’m just here to watch.” “Don’t you claim you can touch things and know? Go on, tell us.” “I have shows to catch.” Her expression cracked. “Lore, today we’re doing this together.” I nodded. “Two dead, two of us. One each. You pick first.” I held her gaze. Her face went pale—but only for a moment. “Fine. I’ll go first. I want this one.” She took the locket, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Seconds passed before she spoke. “His dying wish is for his child to get into college.” The words had barely left her mouth when a relative of the deceased stormed up and slapped her across the face. “You fraud!”