PD -Chapter 16 The Spirit Appears

Soon, the Zhu family’s villa was cleared out. Zhu Zhu and Tang Shanshan stayed behind to look after Zhu Shengxing, while Uncle Tian, the old butler, helped Liu Xiaopeng and me set up equipment.

I’m the kind of person who relies heavily on technology. I prefer using various tools and devices to carry out my plans, unlike the traditional exorcist schools that depend on personal experience and techniques passed down through their masters.

That’s also why I never liked Tang Shanshan calling me a Taoist priest.

Before long, we had installed a complete monitoring system throughout the Zhu villa, allowing us to keep constant watch over the collection room.

Based on Uncle Tian’s account, whatever evil entity was haunting this place had already developed a predictable pattern of activity.

The truth was, if you could see beyond the surface, these so-called “unclean things” weren’t actually all that mysterious or complicated.

Most malevolent spirits acted primarily on instinct. Since it chose to appear during the first few days of every month, that meant there was something available during that period that it desperately desired.

It was much like a household pet. If a pet received food every time it shook hands with its owner, it would eventually develop a conditioned reflex.

Spirits were no different.

Perhaps something within the Zhu household attracted it at the beginning of each month, or perhaps it gained something whenever it manifested.

The problem was that it wasn’t the beginning of the month right now, and I certainly wasn’t some celestial immortal capable of reversing time.

So if I wanted it to appear again tonight, I needed bait.

Using the pet analogy once more, most lower-level spiritual entities possessed only simple instincts—feeding, revenge, and the like.

Whatever obsession drove it, a spirit that did not belong to the world of the living required sufficient energy to sustain itself in order to act upon its desires. That energy was what we called yin energy and spiritual power.

And tonight, I intended to create a space overflowing with both.

Within The Record of Heaven-Piercing Mysteries, the “Capture” technique contained a spirit-attracting formation that was perfect for the current situation.

I instructed Liu Xiaopeng and Uncle Tian to arrange red cords throughout the collection room according to my directions.

Afterward, using the red cords as a medium, I infused the formation with my spiritual power.

Soon, the entire array became saturated with energy. In the darkness, the red cords began to emit a faint glow.

The sight nearly made Uncle Tian’s jaw drop.

Next, I had both men leave the room.

From my toolbox, I took out a small wooden box covered in densely carved Spirit-Confinement Talismans.

Inside was an object of extreme yin nature.

It was an ancient jade piece that I had stumbled upon in an antique market years ago.

Judging by its condition, it had likely been stolen from a tomb by grave robbers.

When I first found it, it still carried the heavy scent of freshly turned earth.

That day had been bright and sunny, with the noon sun blazing overhead.

Yet despite sitting exposed on a vendor’s stall for hours, the jade remained icy cold to the touch.

Even more alarming, the yin energy it emitted had already spread throughout nearly the entire antique market.

The whole street felt gloomy and sinister, and people instinctively avoided approaching it.

After explaining the danger to the vendor, I bought the jade for a very low price and later sealed it inside a peachwood box.

I hadn’t expected it to prove useful today.

I placed the jade at the center of the Spirit-Attracting Array.

The moment I opened the peachwood box, visible black yin energy surged out like a flood.

The glowing red cords were immediately coated with layers of dark mist.

Their bright crimson color deepened into a sinister blood-red.

The scene looked unbelievably eerie.

I quickly closed the peachwood box and activated the Spirit-Confinement Talismans again with my spiritual power.

Only then did the jade’s freezing aura gradually subside.

But even the small amount of yin energy that had escaped was enough to transform the entire collection room into a place saturated with dense yin energy.

With such abundant spiritual power and yin energy concentrated in one location, it would be difficult for any spirit to resist the temptation.

Once everything was prepared, I locked the collection room and left.

I instructed everyone else to carry on as usual and pretend nothing had happened.

Before long, the sun set.

The dinner Uncle Tian prepared was surprisingly delicious.

After eating, we all gathered in an upstairs room.

I originally wanted everyone to go to bed, but they insisted on crowding around the sofa with me to watch the surveillance monitors.

I didn’t mind having extra eyes on the screens.

So I stretched out on the couch and closed my eyes to rest.

There would be plenty to deal with later tonight, and I needed to conserve my energy.

Before long, I drifted into a half-asleep state.

I had no idea how much time had passed when Tang Shanshan suddenly slapped me across the face.

I shot upright.

Just as I was about to protest that she couldn’t go around hitting people like that, she spoke first.

“Something’s happening!”

I glanced at the monitor.

Nothing seemed unusual.

She handed me a pair of headphones.

The moment I put them on, I heard a strange, drawn-out singing voice coming through.

I listened for several moments before finally recognizing it.

It was a famous Henan opera piece:

“Mu Guiying Takes Command.”

But without the accompanying gongs and drums, and with the singer’s voice carrying an eerie, ghostly quality, it sounded completely different from the original.

The performance sent chills crawling across my scalp.

I looked at the surveillance screen again.

The collection room appeared completely empty.

There was nothing inside except the displayed artifacts lining the walls and cabinets.

“Liu Xiaopeng, come downstairs with me. The rest of you stay here. Nobody leaves this room.”

Carrying my equipment case, I hurried downstairs.

Liu Xiaopeng was obviously reluctant.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally followed me to the entrance of the collection room.

“Stay here and be ready to support me if anything happens.”

After some thought, I decided to leave him outside.

First, until I understood the situation, there wasn’t much he could do inside.

Second, I genuinely needed someone guarding the entrance in case the spirit tried to escape.

I opened the collection room door.

A wave of yin energy rushed toward me.

Inside the dark room, deep crimson light filled the space.

The Spirit-Attracting Array I had set up was functioning perfectly.

Meanwhile, the Henan opera singing grew louder and clearer.

The notes pierced into my ears like countless silver needles.

Even I couldn’t suppress a shiver.

Under the eerie red glow of the formation, a strange figure stood at its center.

Gritting my teeth, I stepped into the room and immediately switched on one of the lights.

The figure instantly turned toward me.

This had to be the spirit that had been haunting the Zhu family all along.

Its body was hazy and incorporeal rather than fully materialized, which explained why we had never detected it on the surveillance footage.

Although I had prepared myself mentally, the moment the light illuminated the figure and I saw its full appearance, I nearly cried out in shock.

“M-Mu Guiying has come back to life!”

Liu Xiaopeng’s trembling voice drifted in from outside.

“Villain! Where do you think you’re going?!”

A shrill, sinister voice rang out, carrying the distinctive singing style of Henan opera.

Before I could react, the figure lunged straight at me.