The Mystical Feng Shui Files

Turning toward the source of the commotion, I was stunned-it was the people from Stone Village!

The village head stood at the forefront, his face twisted into a sinister grin. Behind him, Shi Zhu and the others wore expressions of disdain as they stared us down.

“So, you figured it out,” the village head sneered. “Don’t blame us for being ruthless, then! I just wanted to bring in some so-called master to put on a show, but it turns out you two actually have some skills!”

I stepped up beside my master, my gaze sharp and wary as I watched them.

My master remained calm. “I was willing to let you off the hook, telling you to stay home and not get involved. But since you’ve decided not to let us go, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

Hearing my master’s words, I realized he must have seen through everything long ago and was just waiting for this moment. My heart, which had been on edge, settled down. I kept my eyes locked on the group in front of us, ready for anything.

I made up my mind-if they made any move to attack, I wouldn’t hold back.

Shi Zhu and the others were armed with whatever they could find-shovels, hoes, even sickles and kitchen knives. They were clearly intent on killing us right here and now.

“Village head, there’s no need to waste words on them!” Shi Zhu’s face was dark, completely devoid of the honest, simple demeanor he had shown during the day. “They’ve discovered the secret of our village. We can’t let them leave here alive!”

“Exactly! Village head, we can’t let them go!”

“Kill them!”

The villagers were growing restless, their intent to end us clear in their eyes.

I felt a surge of tension and stepped in front of my master, taking a defensive stance. If they dared to come at us, I’d make sure to knock them down in an instant!

But there were so many of them-at least ten-and they were all armed. My adrenaline spiked, and my heart pounded like a drum.

My master placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder and stepped in front of me. His expression remained unchanged as he said, “Ever heard the old saying? Never cross a feng shui master. Aren’t you afraid of my revenge?”

“Hah! Stop trying to scare us with your tricks!” Shi Zhu sneered, his smile cold and menacing. “What revenge? Once we kill you, what can you do? Anyway, now that the truth is out, neither of you will leave Stone Village alive. You can keep each other company on the way to the netherworld. Get them!”

At Shi Zhu’s command, the villagers surged toward us. The village head, however, remained rooted in place, watching.

“Fools!” my master scoffed. He formed a finger seal and flicked his hand toward the man on the far left.

The man froze instantly, his body stiffening before he began to convulse violently, as if struck by a seizure.

Shi Zhu and the others hesitated for a moment, startled, but instead of helping their fallen comrade, they pressed forward toward us.

“Master!” I called out, my voice tight with tension.

“Remember,” my master said firmly, “when it’s time to act, don’t hold back-whether it’s against humans or ghosts.”

“Understood!” With my master’s words bolstering my resolve, I kicked out at the man swinging a hoe at me. He flew backward, landing hard on the ground.

Shi Zhu raised his shovel, aiming to strike me, but my master intercepted him with a single slap, sending him sprawling to the side.

Soon, chaos erupted as we clashed with the villagers. I tried to keep my composure, but I couldn’t avoid taking a few hits.

My master fended off two attackers and pulled me back behind the red thread.

The female ghost stood motionless in the center, seemingly oblivious to the commotion outside. That was entirely due to the protective power of the red thread.

Shi Zhu and his group couldn’t see the ghost; their focus remained solely on my master and me. One of them was about to step into the boundary marked by the red thread.

With a swift motion of his foot, my master tugged the red thread, widening the boundary.

Suddenly, a chilling sound pierced the air-a woman’s sobbing, eerie and haunting, sending shivers down everyone’s spine.

The villagers froze in their tracks, their aggressive movements halted as they looked around in confusion.

“What was that sound?”

“Did you hear it?”

“It sounded like a woman crying!”

“Impossible…”

“What’s going on?”

Shi Zhu, noticing their unease, shouted to rally them, “Don’t be scared! It’s just these two playing tricks on us!”

Someone quickly chimed in, “Yeah, we’ve done this kind of thing before, and nothing’s ever happened. It’s only since they showed up that things have gotten weird. It’s definitely their doing!”

“Kill them!”

In an instant, the mob surged toward us again.

I was about to charge forward when my master grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “No need for us to act. Just watch!” His calm demeanor was unnerving, and he seemed more interested in teaching me than worrying about the danger. Reluctantly, I held my ground and focused on the scene unfolding before us.

“Master, what are we watching?” I asked, noticing the villagers were closing in on the female ghost.

“Sometimes, when dealing with ghosts and performing exorcisms, you have to learn to use the situation to your advantage,” he explained, raising his hand and forming a finger seal. “Pay attention!”

Recognizing this as a lesson, I quickly focused on his movements, trying to memorize every detail.

The finger seal was intricate, incorporating elements from the exorcism incantation. I mimicked his gestures, slowly piecing together the sequence.

Before long, I managed to keep up with his pace. As the seal was completed, my master thrust his palm toward the ghost, and instinctively, I mirrored his action.

In that instant, the female ghost moved. Her head twisted sharply, her gaze locking onto Shi Zhu’s face.

Though Shi Zhu couldn’t see the ghost, he suddenly found himself immobilized. He couldn’t move his legs, couldn’t swing the shovel in his hands. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as his eyes darted around in panic.

The ghost’s face drew closer and closer to Shi Zhu’s, until they were nearly nose-to-nose. Then, her mouth opened wide in a silent scream. Though I couldn’t hear a sound, the sight was chilling.

The other villagers, seeing Shi Zhu frozen in place, hesitated. Their hair seemed to be blown back by an invisible wind, and their courage faltered. They stopped advancing and instead stared at my master and me with growing fear.

“Shi Zhu, what’s wrong? You were the one who rallied us! Why aren’t you attacking?”

“Shi Zhu! What’s going on?”

The village head stood at the back, his brows furrowed in suspicion. His darting eyes betrayed his growing fear, and it looked like he was considering fleeing.

The ghost continued to close in on Shi Zhu, her face nearly pressed against his.

Shi Zhu felt an icy chill invading his body, an unnatural coldness that had no place in the summer heat.

Uncontrollably, he began to tremble. His legs shook violently, and I couldn’t help but sneer at his cowardice.

“Is this all the courage you have, and yet you dare to try and kill us?”

Suddenly, Shi Zhu let out a blood-curdling scream. “Ahhh!” He continued to shriek, each cry more desperate than the last.

“Shi Zhu, why are you screaming?” One of the villagers, the same man I had seen with Shi Dan on the mountain, glanced around nervously, clearly unsettled by Shi Zhu’s cries.

“Ahhh!” Shi Zhu screamed again, drawing everyone’s attention.

They saw blood streaming from his eyes, and his body was covered in deep, jagged wounds. Then came the moment that broke their resolve.

Shi Zhu’s lower body suddenly seemed to be slashed open by an invisible blade, and a torrent of blood gushed out, soaking his pants and pooling on the ground.

“Ahhh…” Shi Zhu’s anguished cry echoed as the villagers turned tail and fled. The village head was the first to bolt.

But before he could get far, the ghost vanished and reappeared directly in front of him.

“A ghost!”

The abrupt change sent the village head and the others into a frenzy. They scrambled in all directions, desperate to escape.

Yet no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t leave the area.

The ghost moved swiftly and deliberately, targeting each of them in turn. Her rage was palpable, her hostility unrelenting, as if she recognized them as the ones responsible for her tragic fate.

I felt a pang of anxiety. If a malevolent ghost absorbs too much blood and yang energy, it can transform into a ghost king-a far more formidable entity that would be nearly impossible to subdue.

I turned to my master, swallowing hard. “Master, the ghost is absorbing too much yang energy. If she turns into a ghost king…”