Chapter 025: Banish the Dregs to Death 2.0

Chapter 025: Banish the Dregs to Death 2.0

The Bai family's ancient mansion courtyard was transformed into a ritual ground.

The Tai Chi Yin-Yang symbol adorned the ground, surrounded by paintings of various deities and the Bai family ancestors' spirit tablets. An elderly man stood upon it, calculating the best time and direction to start the ritual.

A yellow scroll lay spread on the ground. A disciple was cutting symbols from it. Once cut, they were passed to a table where the Bai family members painted exorcism charms with cinnabar ink.

Bai Ran approached the old mansion's side house, greeting acquaintances along the way. The looks he received were a mix of pity and schadenfreude. His smile, though consistent, showed signs of strain.

"Young Master."

Those outside the side house were disciples from other families, yet they showed him respect. Bai Ran's mood improved. He had been here before, but never dared to enter. Now, even with a group, he still hesitated.

Even during the sunniest days, this part of the old house felt chillingly cold. The main room in the side house faced north, preventing sunlight from reaching the door. All one could see from outside were the moss and weeds thriving in the darkness.

"There's no need to enter," Bai Ran commented, "We can set up everything outside."

Everyone sighed in relief, grateful to avoid the palpable eeriness within.

For the disciples who are not of the same surname, even though they're unaware of what's inside the old mansion, they believe that a place with such a heavy yin aura at midday must either be an ominous site or inhabited by extremely terrifying ghosts. They are somewhat hesitant to enter.

Outside the courtyard door, they hung portraits of three generations of ancestral masters, covering the entire entrance. They then brought a wooden table, spread a yellow cloth over it, placed offerings of grains, and set an idol of a door god carved from peach wood. The group lit incense and paid their respects to the door god.

After paying homage to the door god, Bai Ran took out two oblong items wrapped in black cloth from the bag he carried. He placed them on the offering table and unwrapped the black cloth. They were two spirit tablets, inscribed with "Spirit Tablet of Bai Zongshan" and "Spirit Tablet of Shen Hui."

As soon as the spirit tablets were placed on the table, there was a sudden vibration, and one of the tablets fell over.

The external disciples exchanged frightened glances, then peered at the courtyard hidden behind the portraits of the ancestral masters, feeling that the house, which sunlight could not penetrate, seemed even more ominous.

"Bring some talisman papers," Bai Ran instructed one of the disciples, who hurried off to comply.

At the entrance to the courtyard, they strung up red cords and hung talismans in succession. This time, Bai Ran righted the spirit tablet, and it didn't fall over again.

Bai Ran paid respects to the two spirit tablets once more, murmuring some auspicious words. The other disciples followed suit. The atmosphere outside the courtyard seemed to gradually brighten, and the cold wind emanating from the inner yard seemed to subside.

Amidst the hustle and bustle at the Bai family's old mansion, in the room where Chi Shen resided, a cupboard in the corner creaked open. A pale hand stretched out, its arm elongating as it reached under the bed.

A ghost with only a head and an arm was hiding underneath, cradling a red paper phone as she slept soundly. She had realized the night before that as long as Chi Shen was absent, her phone was safe. Thus, she chose to sleep while holding it.

Ghosts don't require sleep, but during bright daylight, they might take a nap. After all, when the yang energy is at its peak, they're at their weakest.

The hand inside the cupboard prodded the ghost in the red dress. She tightened her grip on the phone and recoiled further into the shadows.

The hand seemed somewhat exasperated but continued to pat the red-dressed ghost. She opened her eyes menacingly, glared at the hand, then shrank into a corner behind the bed, resuming her slumber.

The hand hesitated for a moment, then reached out to grasp the phone. However, before it could touch it, the door suddenly swung open.

"Is this Chi Shen's room?" A voice questioned from the entrance.

"Yes, Second Elder," Bai Ran responded, guiding an elderly man inside.

The hand that emerged from the cupboard swiftly retracted, and the cupboard door snapped shut.

The visitor was the eldest member of the Bai family and Bai Ximing's uncle, Bai Hengqing, the elder who had stepped aside to allow Bai Ximing to assume the position of family head. He glanced at the cupboard, prompting Bai Ran to immediately inspect it.

The ghostly face inside the cupboard had already vanished into the shadows. Trembling, it watched Bai Ran's approaching hand and tried to hide its chilling aura. The hand brushed past its face but didn't linger.

The ghost inside the cupboard was momentarily stunned before realizing Bai Ran had withdrawn his hand and closed the cupboard door.

Subsequently, Bai Ran commented, "It's clear."

The elderly man surveyed the room and nodded in approval, "The place he stayed in is indeed clean. It's no wonder nothing has happened all these days."

Bai Ran shrugged it off, "It's just his good luck."

"I wonder where he's gone," mused the elder, "I wanted to gauge his character, after all, he is the eldest son..."

Bai Ran harbored inner resentment, yet his face remained impassive as he smiled, "Perhaps he got scared away. We couldn’t find him the entire day yesterday."

"Ensure I meet him when he’s found," the old man stated as Bai Ran assisted him out of the room, "If he's still alive, that is."

The old man and Bai Ximing had differing perspectives. Regarding that phone call, Bai Ximing believed someone was using Chi Shen against him. But the elder considered another possibility: that Chi Shen was already dead, and the one answering Bai Ximing's call was a ghost. Bai Ximing's disrespect towards the supernatural over the phone might have led to the subsequent events.

But now, seeing Chi Shen's pristine room, the old man felt a glimmer of hope. He thought Chi Shen might still be alive but had momentarily left out of fright.

In the elder's eyes, it was only natural for the eldest son to inherit the family legacy. Even if he was good for nothing, he just needed to produce an heir.

Initially, Bai Ximing chased him away, and the elder didn’t want to embarrass Bai Ximing. He considered this a family disgrace and hence, never spoke of it.

Only after the two had left did the ghost in the cupboard heave a sigh of relief. He fumbled inside, finding a small mirror buried beneath clothes. The mirror seemed ordinary and clean, reflecting nothing — just sheer emptiness.

Whether bathed in yin or yang energy, everything seemed to disappear under this mirror’s influence. He even tried to place his hand under the room’s sunlight, but felt no discomfort.

Placing the mirror back under the clothes, the ghost in the closet neatly arranged Chi Shen's clothes and closed the cabinet door, restoring tranquility to Chi Shen's room.

The preparations for the ceremonial ground in the old mansion's courtyard continued.

Normally, for such grounds, setting up the altar would suffice. But the White family's old mansion was complex. Their initial task was to pay respects to the vengeful spirits in the mansion. They had honored the spirits in Bai Wan's courtyard, then the ancient vampire next to Chi Shen's room, and finally, after wandering around, they arrived in front of the main hall.

"Do not approach," Bai Heng Qing stopped a few hesitant individuals holding talismans. "Inside are the ancestral tablets of the Bai family. Do not disturb them."

The young ones nodded, casting curious glances at the main hall and noticing the blood-written characters on the tape sealing it. They then withdrew their inquisitive gazes.

In this mansion, not a single place felt ordinary.