Chapter 33

Chapter 33

At the university in C City, Xu Cheng's brow only had a barely noticeable light grey aura. If one wasn't strong enough or didn't look closely, they wouldn't notice this almost imperceptible ghostly aura.

After returning to the village, this faint, cloud-like aura had intensified.

Now, it had completely transformed into an ominous aspect of resentful spirits, signaling an imminent short life.

"Your yin-yang grandfather really cares about you," Shen Wang remarked meaningfully.

Confused, Xu Cheng replied, “Yes, he's been the kindest to me since childhood, apart from my parents. Whenever I fell ill, he was the most concerned.”

Shen Wang nodded silently, choosing not to comment further.

The higher they climbed, the denser the resentful aura became, and the air carried a strange scent.

It smelled like a mix of rotting fermentation and rusting iron, or perhaps a combination of both.

Reaching the gate of Yin-Yang's courtyard, they almost felt a misty dampness on their faces, like in a forest after rain, with a pervasive odd smell filling their nostrils.

Xu Cheng, whose yin-yang eyes were opened by Shen Wang and could usually only see ghosts but not yin energy, also sensed something amiss.

"Feels like it's about to rain..." Xu Cheng sniffed, "And there's a weird smell too."

Shen Wang hushed, whispering, “Sneaking into a villain's house at night should feel like this.”

"Really going in uninvited..." Xu Cheng frowned, clearly disapproving but unable to argue.

He followed Shen Wang, heart pounding, hoping Lin Yin-Yang was already asleep and they wouldn't get caught red-handed.

Shen Wang, seeing Xu Cheng tiptoeing behind him, ignored him and instead focused on observing the surroundings.

Although it was an old house in the countryside, the construction was impressive, exuding an ancient charm with a low fence and two rows of lush vegetable patches, complemented by bluestone steps, all radiating a rustic vibe.

Standing in the yard and looking outwards, the view from the height allowed a clear sight of the houses below.

Among those houses, the one in the center seemed particularly familiar.

"Is that your house?" Shen Wang asked Xu Cheng softly.

Xu Cheng nodded: "Yes, why?"

What do you mean, why… Shen Wang tapped Xu Cheng's head in frustration.

From this angle, one could easily see Xu's house. If someone had keen eyesight, almost all activities in the Xu family would be exposed, leaving no privacy.

Despite this, Xu Cheng naively asked, what's wrong.

Shaking his head, Shen Wang circled the old house, observing carefully.

Xu Cheng, feeling unjustly hit, rubbed his head and approached, explaining, “This house was voluntarily built by the villagers for him, considering that he might marry and have children, so they made it quite spacious.”

“Grandpa… Lin Yin-Yang doesn’t have many relatives or friends, so apart from a bedroom, the other rooms are either storage or study rooms…”

Listening to Xu Cheng's explanation, Shen Wang's gaze fell on a pond behind the house.

“That used to be a marsh for biogas production, smelly and dirty. Now that everyone uses natural gas, it’s probably been abandoned.”

After a few seconds of thought, Shen Wang suddenly asked Xu Cheng, “How’s the health of your dear grandfather?”

“Pretty good,” Xu Cheng responded instinctively.

“We’ve been wandering around the yard for quite some time. What are the odds that he hasn’t noticed us?” Shen Wang mused aloud.

Only then did Xu Cheng realize, Lin Yin-Yang couldn’t have arrived much earlier than them. How could he sleep so soundly, like a dead pig, with two strangers wandering around in his yard for so long without any reaction?

"Could something have happened to Grandpa Yin-Yang?" Xu Cheng startled.

Shen Wang looked at Xu Cheng incredulously and after a long pause, shook his head: “I thought you were the only smart one among you, Li Pingping, and Wang Kai. Turns out, I was wrong…”

He’s another one who got sold and is still counting the money for the seller.

Shen Wang scrutinized the surroundings once more, his eyes narrowing as he noticed something amiss.

The square fence enclosing the old house and the marshy pond… Suddenly, Shen Wang realized.

The old house was built over an array!

A simple, low-level confinement array. Too rudimentary for Shen Wang to have used during his cultivation days, which is why he hadn't recognized it immediately.

The array used the fence as its boundary, the centrally located old house as the focal point, with irregularly placed bluestone and flowerbeds forming the array nodes.

The life and death gates of the array... were that marshy pond!

Shen Wang, with a hint of realization, asked Xu Cheng, “Does your grandfather have any rooms that he forbids you to enter?”

After pondering for a moment, Xu Cheng nodded: “Yes!”

“He has a shrine for worshipping our ancestral master, strictly off-limits to everyone, saying outsiders shouldn’t disturb the master’s peace.”

“Is it that room?” Shen Wang pointed to a specific room.

“How did you know it’s there?” Xu Cheng, following Shen Wang’s direction, was astounded.

Typically, the life and death gates in an array are two distinct points, interchangeable in their functions. The backyard’s marshy pond exuded a deathly aura, while the indicated room was unexpectedly clean.

Anyone with a basic understanding of arrays could tell: the shrine was the life gate, and the marshy pond, the death gate.

Shen Wang, leading Xu Cheng, ventured into the shrine.

The walls were adorned with portraits of the ancestral master, complete with incense burners, offerings, and kneeling mats.

As Shen Wang hesitated between probing the situation now or waiting for Yin-Yang to leave, footsteps suddenly echoed from behind the portrait.

Shen Wang and Xu Cheng exchanged a glance. Shen Wang leaped agilely onto the roof beam, while Xu Cheng rolled under the altar table holding the incense burner and offerings.

Soon, a hidden door behind the portrait slowly opened.

Initially, Xu Cheng wasn't very scared, after all, it was his grandfather who had watched him grow up, and he believed his grandfather would never harm him.

But as the secret door slowly opened, Xu Cheng suddenly froze, covering his mouth tightly, holding his breath, and staring unblinkingly at the familiar face.

Lin Yin-Yang, who had appeared benevolent and kind at the hospital, now had a gloomy face with brows furrowed over his eyes, an expression that seemed both pleased and angry.

Behind him floated several ghosts of varying sizes.

Some of these ghosts were as small as a palm, curled up into a ball, while others resembled newborn babies... All were naked with bluish-white skin, floating like kites behind Lin Yin-Yang.

"Just a few more days, in a few more days my Ghost King will be successfully created. Then, I'll show those obstinate old fools - they'll see that I am the true path of righteousness!"

Lin Yin-Yang, muttering to himself without even closing the secret door, went to fetch three green incense sticks.

Xu Cheng's heart pounded like thunder, watching Lin Yin-Yang's feet getting closer, eventually stopping in front of the altar... After the faint sound of lighting the incense, those feet in black cloth shoes retreated.

Then, he knelt upright on the cushion. Xu Cheng couldn't see Lin Yin-Yang's face, only hearing his excited voice.

"Ancestral Master, our Maoshan ghost-control techniques have declined, all because of those old fools insisting on treating evil spirits with undue kindness and mutual consent... Evil spirits are evil spirits, how can they willingly be commanded by humans!"

"Once I create a Ghost King, those old fools will see. Controlling ghosts, driving ghosts, that's the true path!"

After speaking, Lin Yin-Yang solemnly bowed three times.

Xu Cheng, hidden behind the altar curtain, watched in terror as his familiar grandfather, Lin Yin-Yang, bowed, fearful that he would suddenly look up and discover his presence.

At that moment, Xu Cheng realized that this Lin Yin-Yang was not the kind and gentle grandfather he remembered, but a malevolent spirit in human guise.

After bowing, Yin-Yang picked up the three long, thin green incense sticks and moved forward to offer them.

Xu Cheng, hiding in the corner behind the altar, dared not even blink.

It was then that Xu Cheng felt a chilling breeze by his ear. He licked his lips and turned his head to look.

He found himself face-to-face with a pale, ghostly visage!

The ghostly face, only inches away, nearly stopped Xu Cheng's heart in shock as he stared at the small ghost.

The ghost appeared the size of a newborn, its face no bigger than half a palm, staring unblinkingly at Xu Cheng with empty, indifferent eyes.

Their eyes locked, as if in a contest to see who would blink first.

Cold sweat trickled down Xu Cheng's forehead and along his cheeks into his collar. He almost thought he would die right there as Lin Yin-Yang spoke, “You beasts, get back to where you belong.”

At Lin Yin-Yang’s command, the small ghosts silently emerged and just as quietly floated back behind the secret door.

Lin Yin-Yang then carefully sealed the secret door and left the shrine room, making sure to lock the door behind him before shuffling away.

As the sound of his cloth shoes dragging on the floor grew fainter, Xu Cheng's body went limp and he collapsed on the floor.

Hearing more light footsteps, Xu Cheng shuddered in fright, fearing Lin Yin-Yang had returned. It was only after seeing the mud-covered sneakers that he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had narrowly escaped death.

“Damn, that really scared me to death.” Xu Cheng crawled out from under the altar table, his limbs weak and his voice trembling, his gaze unsteady.

“Not staying with your dear grandpa anymore?” Shen Wang glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

Xu Cheng's face was a picture of misery as he pleaded in a soft voice, “Shen Ge, I was wrong. Your discerning eyes see through people, unlike my glass bead eyes. You're truly the wise one, my Shen Ge.”

Even in his terrified state, his plea mixed with flattery came out smoothly, a sign of practiced skill.

It was clear he had been through this before.

Shen Wang lifted him off the ground, glancing at the portrait of the ancestor, “Let's go, we should leave this place for now.”

Xu Cheng, scared half to death, couldn't agree more.

The two stealthily skirted the swamp pond behind the house, sneaking in under the cover of night and just as sneakily leaving by a roundabout route.

On their way back to Xu's house, Xu Cheng's legs were so weak they felt like jelly, unevenly stepping on the ground as if walking on clouds: “Shen Ge, those things following him, what exactly are they?”

Shen Wang's expression turned unusually serious: “They are infant ghosts.”

Xu Cheng instinctively glanced at Xiao Kong, the little ghostly air conditioner floating beside them.

Xiao Kong bobbed up and down, floating: “We're not the same.”

Though unable to articulate the specifics, Xiao Kong emphasized, “I'm different from them!”

Shen Wang sighed softly, “Xiao Kong is an infant spirit, without attachment or intention, harmless to anyone. Those others…”

"Those children, their souls were forcibly extracted from the fetus."

"I posted too little yesterday, so here's an extra chapter…"