Chapter 33

Chapter 33

With Xie Qingfeng's presence already assuring, the addition of another capable person put everyone at ease.

After handling the specters, Miao Fen grew more courageous, about to ask if something was placed in the ghost wall, causing these hauntings.

Before he could voice his question, they had just taken a few steps when footsteps echoed again from the front.

Similar to the first ghostly entity, hurried footsteps emerged from the stairway entrance below, accompanied by raspy crying and panting sounds.

"Here it comes, again," stammered Hao Jixin, excited and tongue-tied, his eyes gleaming at Jing Yingdi, wishing he could have recorded those impressive moves.

Should Jing Yingdi make a comeback, just that footage alone could cause a sensation.

Hao Jixin merely fantasized about it; he wouldn't actually leak anything confidential.

Jing Yingdi had just realized the effect of his imperial destiny, suspecting it was partly due to his fate and partly the array's influence.

But he was pleased with the result, evident from the look Xie Qingfeng cast on him.

Therefore, when another ghostly figure appeared, he was immediately ready, positioning himself protectively in front of Xie Qingfeng.

The footsteps, heavy with labored breathing, ascended the stairs, and as the door connecting to the corridor opened, a disheveled figure appeared before them.

The man was unkempt, covered in dust, and upon seeing the group, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief before lunging towards them: "People! Ah, finally, someone!"

Hao Jixin instinctively hid behind Xie Qingfeng, muttering, "Damn, this ghost is trying to deceive us! It's saying the exact same things!"

Jing Yingdi's eyes turned cold, ready to act.

But before he could move, Xie Qingfeng stepped forward and gently grasped Jing Yingdi's arm through his clothes: "It's a person."

With just a gentle touch, the previously icy aura around Jing Yingdi dissipated, transforming him into a gentle, obedient figure, standing quietly beside Xie Qingfeng.

This abrupt change left Hao Jixin, who had been expecting Jing Yingdi to unleash his fury, completely baffled.

Realizing what Xie Qingfeng meant, he almost jumped: "A person? Not one of those things?"

But this man looked so much like those ghostly entities!

The person had been running towards them but suddenly, as if remembering something, stopped abruptly and retreated several steps, pressing against the wall, "Are you... humans or ghosts? No, wait, it's been so many days, are you another one of those things trying to deceive me? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made that bet, I promise to be a better person from now on! Please, give me another chance to start over?"

The person's voice was faint, more like they had no energy left. They collapsed, sliding down to the ground, their face obscured by messy hair, looking beyond miserable.

Although Miao Feng and the others had heard from Xie Qingfeng that it was a human, they hadn't dared to approach. After all, a living person appearing in an unfinished building complex, and even caught in a ghostly maze, was just too bizarre.

But seeing the person now kneeling, sobbing, and clutching their hair in a disheveled state, with dirty features exposed, Miao Feng felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Suddenly, recalling someone he had seen in a friend's social media post, he tentatively asked, "Qi... Wenhuan?"

Hearing his name, the person who had nearly collapsed a moment ago abruptly looked up, their dirty face revealing eyes that were so clear in the dim corridor they almost glowed green: "You know me? You're not ghosts?"

Miao Feng was now certain this was Qi Wenhuan, the youngest of the Qi family, who had been missing and searched for by his family for over a month.

Miao Feng had only seen him twice before at previous gatherings, and had some recollection of him, but not much.

The reason Miao Feng remembered this face was that the Qi family, after trying various methods over the past month, had finally resorted to posting Qi Wenhuan's photo on social media.

Miao Feng had no business dealings with the Qi family and had only seen them before, never expecting Qi Wenhuan to end up in his family's building complex...

"Mr. Xie, what's going on here?" Miao Feng was still hesitant to approach.

Xie Qingfeng could tell at a glance that it was a human, but how could a living person end up here under normal circumstances?

And what about the strange noises coming from Building 9 over the past several days? Could they all have been made by Qi Wenhuan?

Xie Qingfeng saw a lot in Qi Wenhuan's features when he clutched his hair. He explained, "Someone set up a trap, luring Qi Wenhuan into betting and sneaking into the 12th floor of this building last month for an adventure. Unbeknownst to him, a 'ghost wall' was set up here, trapping him between the 11th and 12th floors, endlessly walking back and forth on these stairs, while he thought he was moving through the entire building. In reality, he was just going around in circles on this floor."

Hao Jixin was dumbfounded: "Damn, 20 days... How did this guy survive?"

By now, Qi Wenhuan had almost no strength left. Holding on just until now, seeing that he was finally rescued, he collapsed completely, utterly exhausted.

Xie Qingfeng walked over, concerned for his life, and channeled a bit of spiritual energy into Qi Wenhuan with the tip of his finger.

Qi Wenhuan, huddled and visibly exhausted, gradually regained some color in his face, no longer looking like he was on the brink of death.

However, the spiritual energy released by Xie Qingfeng acted like a bait, attracting the sneaky ghosts wandering in the 'ghost wall'.

Jing Xi, having learned from Xie Qingfeng that these were ghosts, showed no mercy, swiftly dispersing them all.

After Xie Qingfeng had instructed everyone to spread out, he drew a circle in the center of the corridor with spiritual energy and cast a spiritual talisman. With a downward gesture of his palm, the energy spread out in all directions.

In the next moment, everyone felt the dim, dark corridor flicker and wobble, as if steamed by hot air, and suddenly, the corridor brightened up, revealing the true 12th-floor hallway as if clouds had been parted.

Qi Wenhan had been lying there, his eyes now open but still feeling listless, hugging a deflated travel backpack, reaching out: "Hungry... I’m so hungry..."

Hao Jixin hurriedly searched in his pocket, finding only a couple of chocolate bars, which he had idly stuffed there as snacks.

He handed them over: "Eat these..." Right?

Before he could finish, Qi Wenhan, who had been lying lifelessly on the ground, suddenly lunged like a starving wolf, grabbing the chocolates, not bothering to tear the plastic bag open, instead ripping the wrapper with his teeth. When he finally ate, his eyes squinted, tearfully: "This is the best chocolate I’ve ever eaten in my life... sob sob... I won't be picky about food again..."

Hao Jixin swallowed hard, feeling pity for the man. If it weren’t for the master discerning he was a human, anyone with lower cultivation might have been misled by the previous ghostly tricks. Qi Wenhan could have been mistaken for a ghost and dealt with by those seeking to solve the problem – he could have starved in this bewildering ghost wall or been dispatched by a less discerning master.

Thinking of this, Hao Jixin suddenly turned to look at Miao Feng.

What he could think of, wouldn't Chairman Miao have also considered?

"Miao Feng indeed looked rather unwell, as he had also thought of this."

"Previously, the Grandmaster had mentioned that someone had intentionally set up a 'ghost hitting the wall' illusion on this floor, and those few sneaky figures were clearly imitating Qi Wenhuan."

"If it wasn’t Mr. Xie this time, and if any of the masters they had invited before hadn’t seen clearly and had harmed the youngest of the Qi family, even if the Miao family didn’t have a disaster, they would have to strip a layer of skin for offending the Qi family."

"Not to mention, even if he hadn't been accidentally harmed by the master they hired, staying in that 'ghost hitting the wall' phenomenon for a few more days would have starved him."

"Clearly, someone had deliberately used Qi Wenxuan as a pawn to scheme against the Miu family, aiming to incite conflict between the Qi and Miu families."

"Ten minutes later, Qi Wenxuan sat on the floor of Building 9’s lobby, devouring a takeout hot and spicy soup with such gusto, not even leaving a single leaf of vegetable untouched."

"There was no time to find other food, so he ate the takeout that the security guard had just ordered for himself."

"After finally downing a large cup of water and belching contentedly, Qi Wenxuan felt like he was finally back to life."

"Miu Feng finally had the chance to ask, 'How did you end up in this building?'"

"Grinding his teeth, Qi Wenxuan recounted the events of 20 days ago, almost crushing his teeth during the narrative, just marveling at his own luck for surviving over 20 days."

"At the beginning of last month, Qi Wenxuan joined a jungle adventure group for over ten days. The night he returned from the trip, without even going home, he received messages from some friends about a party to welcome him back."

"Without much thought, Qi Wenxuan eagerly went. At the height of the fun, other wealthy second-generation heirs attending the party proposed playing something thrilling."

"Qi Wenxuan, always up for an adventure, immediately agreed."

"After losing a bet, he honored his commitment. Someone suggested that a building in the Miu family’s unfinished property was haunted and dared him to spend a night there alone."

"Qi Wenxuan didn’t believe in such things and had never heard of any incidents at Miu family’s properties, thinking it was just a scare tactic."

"He agreed without a second thought."

"The person had thoughtfully prepared three days' worth of food and water for him and had him sneak into the building at night, avoiding the security patrols."

"He rode the elevator alone; the person who brought him didn't come up, just told him to press the 12th floor and to wait in the corridor for a day and a night."

"Qi Wenxuan, having had a few drinks, felt fearless and actually went up alone."

"But... after waiting a day and a night, when he woke up and was about to leave, he realized something was off."

"The elevator had completely stopped, and the whole corridor was dark and dim. He didn't encounter a single person and felt uneasy, deciding to take the stairs."

"But no matter what he did, he couldn’t exit the floor; the stairs just kept looping back, as if there was only this one level."

"That's when he really got scared. Despite his cries for help, there was no response. Later, he even started hearing various footsteps, heavy breathing, and crying, similar to his own, which terrified him."

"At this point, Qi Wenxuan wiped his face, furious: 'Damn Duan Yue, once I recover, I’m going to make you pay for scaring me to death! Wuu wuu wuu, thankfully, I had just returned from a jungle adventure carrying a backpack filled with various compressed biscuits and water, or else I would have died of fright, hunger, or thirst in these 20 days...'"

"This was probably the only time he felt lucky. After separating from the tour group at the airport following the adventure, he received biscuits and water as a reward. He usually hoarded his prizes to show off later, so he had brought these seemingly common items with him."

"Luckily, he had them, because with only the three days' worth of food provided by Duan Yue, he surely wouldn’t have survived until now."

"Hearing the name 'Duan Yue', Miu Feng’s expression turned extremely ugly."

"Bai Daozhang realized something and frowned: 'Is there a feud between the Miu and Duan families?' Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense to devise such a malicious plan, risking human lives to scheme against the Miu family."

"Miu Feng hummed in agreement, not hiding the truth: 'The Duan family previously competed with the Miu family for this piece of land but lost. A junior member of the Duan family, unable to accept defeat, secretly arranged for someone to beat up my nephew. However, the nephew fought back and broke the attacker’s leg, leading to a three-month hospital stay. The matter was settled privately, and the Duan family said they'd let it go. But who knew they would secretly pull such a stunt, so vicious as to risk lives to harm the Miu family.'"

This Duan Yue is the older brother of that younger member of the Duan family who had his leg broken by the Miao family's junior.

I've heard since childhood that he's quite ruthless, but taking revenge on innocent people is really despicable.

Qi Wenhuan became even angrier after hearing this. What does this have to do with him?

"Is Duan Yue sick or something? How did I ever provoke him?"

Hao Jixin poked his head out, guessing a possibility: "Probably because you have a high status in the circle, are favored by your family, and are simple-minded enough to be provoked into recklessness. You actually went for that clearly unfair bet."

Other rich second-generation kids couldn't bear this kind of hardship.

Qi Wenhuan: "..." How come this sounds like both a compliment and an insult?

Hao Jixin: "Speaking of which, your few bad friends are no good either. According to Chairman Miao, your family has been looking for you for many days, yet they didn't say a word?"

Qi Wenhuan swore angrily.

At this moment, Xie Qingfeng spoke up: "Chairman Miao should be careful these days. There must be a powerful person by Duan Yue's side. The people at the gathering that night probably don’t remember the bet."

To achieve this extent, their cultivation must be not low.

Qi Wenhuan has survived up to now because, besides his luck in having enough food and water, the ghostly needle techniques in the ghost walls did not harm him but only imitated. This was probably a bet that if Qi Wenhuan survived, it would allow Miao Feng's men to personally kill Qi Wenhuan.

Regardless, the feud between the Miao and Qi families is now set.

Chairman Miao is the leader of the Heavenly Masters Association, and his association's masters mistakenly killed a living person. Not to mention the association, Miao Feng probably can't continue as chairman.

So this incident, besides dealing with the Miao family, is probably also aimed at Miao Feng.

Especially to remove him from his position as chairman of the association.

Miao Feng, picking up the subtext, changed his expression slightly: "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Xie. I will be careful with this matter."

Qi Wenhuan also learned from Hao Jixin that he was saved by this handsome master and almost rushed to thank him: “Master, once I recover, I will definitely hold a banquet to thank you.”

Hao Jixin coughed lightly: “There’s no need for a banquet. Restoring your physical strength just now consumed a lot of the master’s energy. Just settle it with money, one hundred thousand.”

Who wants to have a banquet with him, did he forget that he was almost taken away at a banquet?

Qi Wenhuan, recalling how he was starving to the point of seeing stars and then suddenly felt better, nodded vigorously: “Of course, of course.”

Now that the person has been saved and the matter resolved, Xie Qingfeng turned to Miao Feng: “The rest is not our concern.”

Miao Feng responded: “Thank you, Mr. Xie, for your efforts. Our Miao family has connections with the authorities, and we will report this. However, since it involves unclean things, it will not be made public and will be dealt with privately.”

But Duan Yue openly used these things to harm people. Whether it's him or the person behind him, none will get away.

Not to mention the Qi family.

Although the Qi family in B City is not as powerful as the Zhang family, their strength is not to be underestimated. This is also why Duan Yue chose Qi Wenhuan.

Qi Wenhuan is the youngest in the family, a favorite of the older generation, and much loved by the old master of the Qi family. With this incident, the old master will surely not let Duan Yue off easily.

Xie Qingfeng hummed in agreement and left first with Jing Xi and Hao Jixin.

Daoist Bai stayed to help, as Miao Feng might be too busy alone. Watching Xie Qingfeng and Jing Xi leave, he admired them, feeling that the world now belongs to the young.

Miao Feng couldn't help but praise: “I didn’t expect Mr. Xie to be so powerful at such a young age. And the gentleman by his side is also skilled. That gentleman scattered the ghostly spirit with a single kick. What kind of cultivation is that? How is it so powerful?”

As the president of the Heavenly Masters Association with many Daoists under him, he had never seen such a cultivation method.

Without relying on magical instruments or talismans, just a kick with a mortal body?

Daoist Bai had not seen this either, but with his age and experience, he stroked his white beard and thought: “I’ve never seen this in reality, but I’ve heard of a certain Daoist practice in books that seems to match.”

Miao Feng asked curiously in a low voice: “What is it?” He was just curious and asked privately.

Daoist Bai: “The body of pure Yang.”

Miao Feng was stunned for a moment: "Hmm? What is this?"

Daoist Bai: "It's likely a special cultivation method practiced from a young age."

Miao Feng became even more curious: "What kind of method is so powerful? Can our association members practice it?"

Daoist Bai shook his head: "I'm not sure about the specifics, but such cultivation from a young age has requirements, including maintaining celibacy."

Miao Feng: "???"

Daoist Bai muttered to himself, then suddenly remembered something: "Oh, that means he and Master Xie are not a couple. Does my grandson still have a chance?"

***

Meanwhile, the three who had already walked far from Building 9 were eerily quiet.

Hao Jixin was nervous because of the pitch-black surroundings. Despite being accompanied by two experts, he was still on edge, cautiously looking around for any sudden appearances.

Xie Qingfeng didn't want to hear, but his high cultivation meant he had keen hearing. He could hear conversations that ordinary people couldn't within a certain distance.

He had just heard the conversation between Daoist Bai and Miao Feng.

Xie Qingfeng appeared calm, but he couldn't help glancing at Jing Xi, who had momentarily stiffened while walking beside him, realizing that the young emperor, with his profound internal strength, probably had even keener hearing than him.

For a moment, he couldn't help but smile.

Realizing he shouldn't be doing that, his expression returned to calm, but he couldn't resist looking at Jing Xi, only to meet his cool, resentful gaze.

Xie Qingfeng coughed softly, suppressing a smile: "Do I need to explain to Daoist Bai?"

Jing Xi, seeing the barely suppressed amusement in Xie Qingfeng’s eyes, somewhat gritted his teeth: "No need." He paused, then added meaningfully, "He's not wrong, though."

Xie Qingfeng: ?

Hao Jixin, completely confused on the side: ?? Did he miss something? He understands every word, but why can't he make sense of the sentence?