Chapter 60

Walter Lowe's expression darkened as he performed a quick calculation with his fingers.

"Come to think of it, the troubles in my household started six months ago," he said gravely. "My wife loved tending to her garden—she was always pruning and planting. She was the first to experience something strange."

It had been a sunny afternoon when his wife went swimming with her best friend and suddenly began drowning.

"She claimed someone was pulling her feet underwater," Walter furrowed his brows. "But the security footage showed nothing—just her struggling desperately."

At the time, everyone dismissed it as a hallucination.

But over the next two months, his father, second brother, and third brother all suffered misfortunes. The family business also encountered continuous setbacks.

The Feng Shui masters they consulted all claimed there was no issue, attributing it to mere bad luck.

Until today—

"Miss Aria, is there anything else in the garden?" Walter's attitude had completely shifted.

He had never believed in such things, but this young woman had pinpointed the problem with unsettling accuracy.

Aria Bennett put away her compass. "Just this one object. But your ancestral home is steeped in dark energy—there must be more."

The three of them hurried inside.

The compass needle spun wildly.

Aria dug out black stones from five flower pots and retrieved two talismans hidden in the layers of a newly purchased cabinet.

"These stones are tainted with graveyard energy, and the talismans are draining your family's fortune," she said solemnly. "If left unchecked for another six months, lives would have been lost."

A chill ran down Walter's spine.

He had always dismissed Feng Shui as superstition—but now—

The objects on the table exuded an eerie coldness that made his skin crawl.

"Master Aria, what should we do now?" His voice trembled.

"Each of you needs a dispelling talisman," Aria said, taking out cinnabar. "Then, go to a temple and acquire blessed objects to safeguard your home."

Walter panicked. "I don't know anything about this—could you—"

"I happen to be free today. I'll accompany you to the antique market," Aria interrupted. "But first, we must dispose of these."

She spread out a talisman paper and began writing with swift, precise strokes.

Arthur Reed and Walter watched in breathless silence. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.