Huang Jiu and I didn't call Xu Wanrong; we walked over on foot to observe the surrounding terrain. After all, if a real fight breaks out, I need to know which way to run.
By the time we reached the outside of the Void House, it was already 3 a.m. We didn't enter immediately. It's said that the most intense yin energy occurs at noon and midnight, but the most dangerous time for malicious spirits is between 3 and 4 a.m. According to the elders, during this hour, the underworld's messengers are exhausted from patrolling all night and become lax in their duties, emboldening the lesser ghosts to cause trouble.
The Void House is more terrifying than a haunted house. Since we didn't know if the San Yin Sect had removed their setups, we dared not enter and lingered outside for an hour.
At dawn, with roosters crowing and dogs barking, we approached the red iron gate. As we neared, goosebumps rose on my skin. Huang Jiu transformed and gently pushed the iron gate. The rusty latch creaked, grating on my nerves.
The door opened slightly. Huang Jiu peeked in and quickly withdrew, whispering, "There's a starving ghost in the yard eating dirt."
I thought he was joking. After all, ghosts possess some intelligence; they wouldn't eat dirt. I peeked in and saw a desolate courtyard, different from my last visit. It seemed the San Yin Sect had removed their setups, and the energy field had returned to normal, turning the place into a haven for fierce ghosts.
Under the bleak moonlight, shadows danced in the yard. In a corner, a dark figure crouched, grabbing handfuls of dirt and stuffing them into its mouth.
I pulled back and said, "It's so hungry it's eating dirt. If we go in, won't it devour us?"
Desire is the most terrifying thing. For a starving ghost, its desire is to eat, and to it, we are premium blood food.
Fortunately, I brought incense. I took out three sticks of green incense from my backpack, ready to light them.
Huang Jiu stopped me, saying, "We don't know how many ghosts are inside. If you can't feed them all, they'll become more violent."
Huang Jiu reverted to his weasel form, pulled out four paper figures, stuck one on his forehead and one on mine. Then he chanted, exhaled a puff of demonic energy, and released the remaining two paper figures, which transformed into replicas of us.
"Hold your breath; we'll talk once we're inside," he said.
As the paper figures entered, the starving ghost turned its half-rotted face, mouth full of dirt, and lunged like a beast. The paper figures didn't resist and were immediately pounced upon. The ghost bit into them, chewing happily.
Hearing the commotion, over thirty ghosts swarmed out, resembling zombies, fighting over the two paper figures.
Seeing this, Huang Jiu jumped onto my shoulder, exclaiming, "This isn't just a Void House; it's a den of starving ghosts!"
Worried about the limited duration of the paper figure spell, I held my breath, pushed the door open, and headed straight for the inner room, avoiding the starving ghosts.
Inside, countless green ghostly eyes appeared. Seeing so many, I was terrified and drew my Blood Thorn.
Huang Jiu said, "Use the Buddha's relic!"
I replied nervously, "I left it at home."
Huang Jiu scolded, "You're useless! You even forgot the Buddha's relic in a place like this."
Trapped among the ghosts, I had no time to argue. Fortunately, these weren't starving ghosts and weren't aggressive, merely curious, surrounding us with blank stares.
These were wandering souls, having lingered in the mortal world too long, losing their sanity due to yang energy erosion.
Seeing this, I sheathed my Blood Thorn, closed the door, and stuck two yellow talismans on it to prevent the starving ghosts outside from entering. Then I lit three sticks of green incense and placed them on the ground.
As the smoke rose, the ghosts looked up at the sky, not contemplating life but appearing intoxicated, enjoying the scent.
Taking advantage of their distraction, I opened my spiritual eye to observe the Void House. The house sat on a void, its owner long gone. Old photos on the wall showed it was once a happy family of five.
I sighed and began searching for the area with the densest yin energy, finally settling on the master bedroom. The 20-square-meter room was messier than the outside; the Plague God was likely trapped here that day.
On the wall, I saw a half-centimeter-deep handprint. Is the Dao Integration Realm that powerful?
I measured the wall with my hand, took out five clay dolls from my backpack, and placed them at the five ghost positions centered on the densest yin spot.
After setting them up, I lifted the old mattress and placed a piece of yin jade at the spot with the densest yin energy. The yin jade, part of Tang Quan's inheritance, is rare. Being spiritual, I could inject a bit of soul energy into it to remotely activate the formation later.
However, as I bent down, the ground with swirling yin energy collapsed into a dark abyss, with countless pale hands reaching out, trying to drag me down.
As expected, the center of the Void House resembled the gates of hell.
I bit my tongue, snapped out of the illusion, and covered the mattress. To avoid detection, I concealed the clay dolls.
After finishing, Huang Jiu and I exited the Void House. In the yard, the starving ghost was still fooled by Huang Jiu's paper figure.
Once we left the yard, Huang Jiu ended the spell. Without a target, the starving ghost roared in anger. Some of the more violent ones tried to charge through the iron gate.
But as they crossed the void line, twenty-four golden lights shone simultaneously. The starving ghosts, illuminated by the golden light, smoked all over and retreated in fear.
These twenty-four golden lights emanated from twenty-four red brick buildings representing the twenty-four mountains.
"Tsk tsk," Huang Jiu said, staring at the distant brick buildings. "This layout is extraordinary!"
I asked, "What do you see?"
Huang Jiu shook his head, "I can't tell, but precisely because I can't, I think it's remarkable."
That makes sense. Moreover, the Plague God mentioned that some events occurred here years ago. It seems a feng shui master once engaged in a battle here.
Chapter 165: Combat Practice
Tingting's soft words warmed my heart, but her later words pained me.
Huang Jiu teased her, "Tingting, aren't you scared?"
Holding the remote, Tingting shook her head, "No."
Children speak without guile. Curious, I sat her on my lap and asked, "If you're not scared, why were you silent all day that day?"
Tingting blinked her big eyes, "I was worried, worried that you wouldn't win!"
"Little girl!" I pinched her nose and pointed to the soy milk and fried dough sticks on the table, "Go have breakfast."
Tingting happily ran to the kitchen. Huang Jiu chuckled, "She's a promising kid!"