Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The brief exchange between master and disciple didn't attract anyone else's attention. Kuang Zhiming and his wife were still carefully examining the bloodstain.

Wei Xi faintly heard them discussing the shape and aura of the blood, concluding that it didn't seem to be the work of an evil spirit. The moment he heard it wasn't a ghost, his interest waned, and he redirected his discontented gaze from his second disciple. Surveying the scene, he suddenly felt something was amiss.

He called Bai Hao, who had been standing by Unity Yi's side. "You mentioned earlier that there were many accidents during the construction of this building?"

Bai Hao nodded. "Indeed. It was a great project, and our company put in a lot of effort to secure it. If we had any other choice, no one would have left it abandoned. The contractor we hired was quite reputable internationally, but from the start of construction, there was never a peaceful day. Initially, a worker was injured during the foundation drilling, then the construction schedule kept getting delayed. Scaffoldings would mysteriously loosen, or steel bars would inexplicably fall from the crane, nearly causing fatalities several times. People probably don't remember now, but back then, it was on the local news every few days. Our construction site was frequently inspected by relevant authorities. Later, other companies suggested that it might be caused by demons, and recommended a famous master to us. We spent a fortune on exorcism rituals and even bought two door gods from him, supposedly to protect against evil spirits. But he turned out to be a fraud; it was all useless."

Wei Xi frowned as he listened. Bai Hao's account was indeed abnormal. According to the logic Wei Dedao had taught him, it could be either a problem with feng shui or a clash with some negative energy.

However, despite its eerie appearance at night, there seemed to be no major issues with the unfinished building structurally.

Nonetheless, after pondering for a while, Wei Xi dismissed the thought. His main purpose here was merely to clear his sect's name. Bai Hao wasn't a member of Taicang Sect, the ritual was requested at Liandu Temple and unrelated to Taicang Sect, and he wasn't a client.

Yet, upon hearing Wei Xi's questions, Bai Hao unexpectedly persisted. "Master Wei, are you asking me these because there's a solution you can provide?"

Wei Xi glanced at him. Although Bai Hao wasn't a member, he was the future landlord of his sect's employees. Therefore, he refrained from outright rejecting him.

Looking around, he noticed his second disciple leaning against a nearby concrete pillar, watching him with an unreadable expression. After some contemplation, he called out to another, "Jieyi, go help Fellow Daoist Kuang later."

Although the second disciple, Lu Que, was rebellious, his professional knowledge displayed during this period had been undoubtedly solid. In comparison, his initial first disciple, who he had taken in, had shown inferior performance in various tasks and possessed poor learning abilities. It took a long time for the junior disciple to learn just two talismans, and he wondered how far this child had truly understood. Taking advantage of the current situation, he decided to test his abilities.

Jieyi, who had been avoiding responsibilities lately, couldn't help but feel a bit scared upon hearing his master's order. However, Bai Hao, who now blindly trusted the Taoist temple with hundreds of employees, had immense faith in Wei Xi's choice and immediately held onto Jieyi's arm tightly.

Coincidentally, Kuang Zhiming and his wife had also reached a conclusion. After staying in the area for so long without any ghosts related to Xiao Ke's fall appearing, it seemed they needed to take the initiative.

To exorcise evil spirits, one must first know what kind of evil they were dealing with. The couple remained vigilant, choosing a suitable spot to lay out their magical artifacts in sequence. They then scattered a handful of glutinous rice on the ground ahead and began chanting incantations.

They were from the Mount Lu Shan Daoist School, skilled in scattering rice to exorcise evil spirits. Though their tools might seem simple, their rituals were highly ritualistic, thus giving them an air of masterful expertise.

Bai Hao was evidently startled, clasping his hands together as he muttered to the pile of rice, "Amitabha, Lord of Infinite Grace, bless this situation to pass smoothly so the construction project can proceed without hindrance. Amen, amen…"

Upon hearing Kuang Zhiming's rambling about hybridization, both husband and wife couldn't help but turn their heads to look at him. Before they could decide whether to correct him or not, an odd rustling sound came from the rooftop.

The voice was urgent and hushed, arriving abruptly without giving anyone time to react, followed immediately by the sharp sound of something slicing through the air!

All faces turned serious as they instinctively looked up. In the darkness, an unidentified object was seen plummeting rapidly from above, directly aiming for Bai Hao's location!

Wei Xi stood beside Bai Hao, narrowing his eyes at the sight. Just as he was about to dodge, he remembered that his eldest disciple was also present. In that fleeting half-second, a figure suddenly approached from the corner of his eye, followed by a sharp metallic sound as the falling object was kicked away and smashed onto the ground.

The discarded safety helmet created a cloud of dust before rolling twice on the ground.

Kuang Zhiming and the others watched in astonishment as Tanchang Sect's second disciple, who had just kicked away the falling object, appeared with a terrifying expression. Before they could comprehend the unscientific speed and near two-meter leap of this young man, Wei Xi erupted in anger. How dare some wandering spirit provoke them! What if he injured his precious disciples!

No longer an idle spectator due to lack of payment, he rushed forward, snatched the rice bag from Kuang Zhiming's hand, and threw a handful viciously into the darkness while yelling, "Which bastard threw this! Come out and face your death if you have any sense!"

Bai Hao stared in disbelief, feeling something was amiss. Master Kuang had to chant a spell and follow a procedure to scatter rice, but was it acceptable for Master Wei to throw while yelling?

Kuang Zhiming tried to intervene. Exorcism wasn't performed this way: "Fellow Daoist Wei, be rational, this won't work—"

Before he could finish, cries of pain echoed from the darkness—"Ahhhhhh!"

Kuang Zhiming: "..."

Bai Hao, whose yang energy was weakened after his recent encounter with the otherworldly, heard it too. He immediately took two steps back, wide-eyed, "Shit! Shit!!"

Hearing the commotion, Wei Xi became even more energized. He grabbed a steel pipe from the ground and charged towards the source of the sounds. The cries of pain quickly turned chaotic, followed by scattered screams and curses.

"Wa ya ya ya ya ya!"

"Ridiculous! Absolutely preposterous! Where did this brat with the yellow hair come from?!"

"Let go of my head – ah! Quit biting, quit biting, let go!!"

What's going on? ! How could there be so many voices in an abandoned building? ! Bai Hao's face paled in fear as he clutched at Tong Jieyi's sleeve, his legs trembling uncontrollably. "M-Master!"

Having recovered from his moment of speechlessness, Kuang Zhiming reacted quickly, grabbing the magical artifact on the ground and leading the group into the building. His expression changed drastically when he saw what was inside.

The abandoned building was bustling with activity, resembling a marketplace filled with countless ghosts. The scene was no less chaotic than the horde of Substitute Ghosts that had targeted Tan Fu. The only difference was that these ghosts didn't look as terrifying as the Substitute Ghosts; their features were clearer, suggesting they had died naturally, including many elderly men and women.

Wei Xi was currently beating up a bearded old man, pulling at his long beard as he scolded, "Tell me! Was it you who did it?"

The old man was sprawled on the ground, furious as he flailed his limbs. Unlike the Substitute Ghosts, who feared Wei Xi, the surrounding ghosts didn't back away. Though they didn't dare approach, they circled around the two, angrily denouncing Wei Xi's brutality.

Kuang Zhiming, startled, immediately drew his sword and began to chant a spell. However, the commotion caused by his actions only alarmed the crowd of ghosts who were busy condemning Wei Xi. Many of the older ghosts turned to look, and upon seeing him, they became even more agitated. A portion of them started approaching, seemingly ready for a fight.

What's happening? ! Even non-vengeful ghosts are so aggressive!

Kuang Zhiming was panicked beyond measure, while Bai Hao literally wet himself, screaming in terror as he did so. Wei Xi, who had just been rescued from the encirclement by his second disciple, stood up and immediately shouted towards the perimeter, "Unity and Righteousness!"

Unity and Righteousness, startled by the call, quickly overcame his fear and pulled out his phone, "Thank goodness I was prepared!"

Bai Hao, overwhelmed with terror, instantly teared up and clung to Unity and Righteousness's arm with utmost trust, "Master, save me! Ahhh!"

Ghosts! They were all ghosts!!!

The mere thought of what was floating before him made him wish he could roll his eyes and pass out.

Yet, amidst his comforting delusion, a fleeting question flashed through his empty mind—where was the Taicang Sect? Would the Taoist priests have enough time to arrive in such a short span?

With a confused gaze, Unity and Righteousness yelled into the phone for them to hurry up, then promptly threw the phone to the ground.

Bai Hao: "?"

In the next moment, a dark head emerged swiftly from the phone's speaker right before his very eyes.

Bai Hao: ".................................."

After Unity explained the situation to Uncle Shen, he realized Bai Hao was still holding onto his arm in fear. Turning to comfort him, Unity found that Bai Hao's grip had softened. After staring blankly at him for a moment, Bai Hao's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

"Bloody hell!" Unity vaguely felt that this scene was familiar but couldn't recall when it had happened. He panicked, rushing over to pinch Bai Hao's philtrum for help while looking anxiously at Kuang Zhiming. "What's going on with this guy?! What's happening?! Why did he suddenly faint?!"

Kuang Zhiming and his wife: "…"

By now, all the interns from Taicang Sect had climbed out of their phones and lined up in an orderly manner. After hearing Uncle Shen's summary, they understood that these old ghosts were causing trouble in their future dormitory. This was unacceptable!

The ghost who had drowned turned pale with rage. "I knew it! The sacrifice I moved here just two days ago was gone when I checked yesterday. They must have sneaked out to eat it at night! That was my saved company lunch!"

The ghost who had jumped from a building, now with a bloody head, was equally furious. "Several of the gold ingots I brought are missing too! I thought I counted wrong at first. How shameless! To steal money from our dorm at such an age!"

One by one, the others began recounting the items they had lost since moving in. Upon realizing the substantial value of their combined losses, they glared angrily at the elderly ghosts. Initially, the old ghosts were confused by their appearance, but when they started counting their losses, they also became indignant. "Who are you calling shameless?! Who do these kids think they are?!"

"Who would know these things belonged to you? There were no names on them. Anyone seeing food or gold ingots would assume they were meant for their own family!"

"And this is our home! Who gave you permission to move things in without asking? How did it become your dorm so easily?!"

Two slaps echoed through the air, rousing Bai Hao from his stupor. He was startled by the words and turned to look at the old lady. "Isn't this housing complex developed by XX Company? How did it become your property?"

The elderly ghost's eyes widened. "I've been buried here for nearly a century. Isn't this my home? That XX Company doesn't mean squat to me!"

The drowned spirit, still angry about its stolen offerings, spat in response. "Shameless! If you're talking like that, then the entire Tonghui River belongs to me! Have you heard of a seventy-year land ownership? They have property deeds, do you?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady trembled with rage. "Y-You... You unreasonably impudent children!"

The drowned spirit shot back, "Pah! Using age as an excuse! Stealing offerings!"

Their disagreement escalated into a heated argument, and before anyone knew it, they were engaged in a brawl, their insults continuing amidst the chaos—

"Disgraceful! Stealing offerings is one thing, but causing harm too!"

"Utter nonsense! Who caused harm to whom?!"

"You're so old, yet you dare not take responsibility! Look what you've done, pushing people to jump off buildings and end up in the hospital!"

Upon hearing this accusation, one of the battling elders flew into a rage. "Who harmed him?! I merely went to the rooftop to practice Tai Chi under the moonlight. But that fool saw me and ran away, only to trip and fall. When I found him on the brink of death, I even bothered to inform his companion out of concern! Yet, instead of gratitude, you repay us with malice. How absurd!"

"AH?!" Unity Yi looked at Bai Hao, who had just awakened, with astonishment. "Is that really so?!"

Bai Hao stared blankly at him before slowly turning his gaze to the chaotic battle among the ghosts nearby.

"..."