The Mystical Feng Shui Files - Chapter 23 - She Might Be a Corpse Herself

I let out a sigh of relief. This situation seemed complicated, but it was actually quite simple. It was only because of Director Zhao’s interference that it wasn’t resolved yesterday.

Just as I was about to say I was leaving, I suddenly noticed that the temperature around me hadn’t returned to normal. I looked back into the room.

“What’s wrong?” Hu Tieming asked, visibly on edge.

“Stay here and don’t move,” I whispered, slowly making my way inside.

The spot where You Li had been lying was empty-she was gone. I was sure I had dealt with the evil spirit attached to her, so where was she?

Panic set in as I frantically searched the room, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

Hu Tieming entered the room as well. “Where is she?” he asked, clearly alarmed.

I felt she was still in the room, so I stood still, using all my senses to carefully observe my surroundings.

Hu Tieming stood by the door, not daring to move as he watched me.

The ceiling light flickered again before going out with a “pop,” plunging us into darkness. The sudden blackness made my skin crawl, wondering where You Li might appear from.

Behind me, I heard the chattering of teeth, knowing Hu Tieming was scared out of his wits. For an ordinary person, accepting the existence of ghosts was already a stretch. In a situation like this, most would have fainted from fear.

A chill descended from above, followed by strands of black hair slowly falling down. Finally, a distorted face of You Li appeared, hanging upside down, staring directly at me.

Her eyes were completely black now, devoid of any whites.

I quickly raised my hand and slapped her face, then turned to push Hu Tieming out of the way. Forming a finger seal, I turned and struck again.

But in that instant, she vanished once more.

I cursed myself for being careless. How could I expect these spirits to give up so easily?

I had assumed You Li was possessed, but now it seemed she might be a ghost herself.

If my master were here, I’d feel more secure. Even if I couldn’t handle it, he’d have my back. But now, with only Hu Tieming, a regular person, behind me, retreating wasn’t an option.

No wonder the boy, the woman, and the old lady were so terrified on the way up. You Li was a ghost all along!

Unbelievable!

I could kick myself for not realizing something so obvious. How would I explain this to my master?

Determined, I pulled out a red thread and yellow talismans from my bag. Without knowing where she was, I stepped into the eight trigrams¹ stance and placed talismans in all four corners of the room.

I strung the red thread across the doorway like a net.

Let’s see where you run now!

Hu Tieming watched in terror as I moved around the room. Suddenly, he shouted, “Watch out!”

Even as he called out, I sensed something behind me.

I didn’t turn around. Turning would be like offering my head on a platter.

Instead, I stepped forward and swung the red thread behind me.

A loud “bang” echoed through the room.

You Li was slammed against the door by my strike, then rebounded by the yellow talisman I had placed behind her. Her body seemed to ignite, releasing a foul-smelling blue smoke.

“Ugh!” Hu Tieming collapsed onto the living room floor, retching.

I covered my mouth and nose with my arm, overwhelmed by the stench.

You Li lay on the floor, lifting her head to glare at me with resentment. “You meddlesome fool, you deserve to die. I’ll kill you…”

She rose again, but instead of charging at me, she began to wave her arms wildly. The room shook as if an earthquake had struck.

“Crash!”

“Clatter!”

“Thud!”

Heavy objects fell to the ground with such noise that the entire building must have heard it.

“Bang, bang, bang!” came the knocking from outside. “Teacher Hu, what are you doing in there? It’s the middle of the night!”

We hadn’t moved, but the knocking persisted. “Teacher Hu, if you don’t open the door, we’re calling the police!”

Hu Tieming got up, took a deep breath, glanced at me, and opened the door.

“Oh, Teacher Li!” Hu Tieming tried to sound casual.

“Teacher Hu, why are the lights off?” An elderly man entered, peering into the darkness. “What’s fallen over?”

He gestured to Hu Tieming, suggesting there might be a burglar and he should leave quickly.

Hu Tieming hurriedly stopped him. “Teacher Li, Teacher Li! It’s just the fuse blew, and I was fumbling around in the dark, tripped over something.”

“Really?” Teacher Li clearly didn’t believe him, suspiciously looking into the room, catching a glimpse of me and You Li’s silhouettes. “Who are these people? I’m telling you, breaking and entering is a crime!”

Hu Tieming failed to hold him back as Teacher Li reached the room’s entrance, pulling down the red thread I had hung there. “What’s this?”

“Damn it!” I exclaimed, reaching for You Li.

But it was too late.

The moment the red thread was pulled down, You Li dashed out.

“Ah!” Teacher Li staggered backward from the impact.

“Teacher Li!” Hu Tieming rushed to catch him.

I couldn’t worry about them. “Stay inside, don’t come out!” I shouted, chasing after You Li.

Outside the door, I stopped. The hallway had transformed.

The pitch-black corridor was so dark that even I struggled to see beyond a couple of steps.

The walls were covered in frost, and each breath released dense white mist, the temperature biting cold.

The elderly woman from the third floor, the woman from the second floor, and the little boy from the first floor stood at the stairway, all staring at me.

I took a step forward, and the darkness retreated slightly. Another step, and it retreated again, but I couldn’t see further.

The scene shifted again.

The elderly woman remained where she had stood before, but now she seemed to be arguing with someone, though no sound could be heard, only her mouth moving.

The woman had vanished, likely returning to her original spot, as had the little boy.

I watched the elderly woman, trembling with anger, stomping her feet, pointing ahead, her face full of rage, until she suddenly fainted and fell to the ground.

This was a clear sign of wandering spirits, replaying their final moments before death.

I had seen the same with the girl on campus before.

However, that girl had a strong resentful aura, which turned her into a malevolent ghost, replaying scenes to claim a life.

But now, it was entirely different.

Ghostly illusion!

In folklore, ghostly illusion seems similar to ghostly loop.

But I know they’re not the same at all.

Ghostly illusion makes you unable to see what you want to see, only what it wants you to see.

Two startled cries came from behind.

“What happened?” Hu Tieming and Teacher Li emerged simultaneously.

“Go back!” I shouted urgently.

They tried to retreat, but the door had closed, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t open it.

Seeing this, I could only sigh. “Don’t panic, stay behind me, and hold onto this!” I handed them two yellow talismans.

“Teacher Hu, what’s happening? How did our building become like this? It’s summer, where’s this frost coming from…” Teacher Li said frantically, clutching the yellow talisman tightly.

“Don’t be afraid!” Hu Tieming reassured, though he was clearly shaken. “With Master Jiang here, nothing will happen!”

“Oh, oh!”

Once they calmed down, I continued forward. The elderly woman stood before me, suddenly rising to stare directly at me.

Footnote:

1. Eight Trigrams(八卦):Fundamental symbols in ancient Chinese philosophy, especially from the I Ching. They represent basic concepts and natural forces, used in divination, feng shui, and other traditional practices.