Chapter 11

After coming out of the hardware store, Li Mang held a large jute bag in each hand and quickly left. Then he went to a small supermarket to buy oil, salt, and other sundries. After that, he came to an uninhabited stone mountain, took out the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," and entered the mountain with the two large jute bags, unnoticed by anyone. He then came out empty-handed and hurried back to the hotel.

At eleven o'clock at night, Li Mang and Daoist Zhang got into Bao Ren's SUV and headed to the crime scene located between Huangjiavillage and Changping Yao Township.

In early spring, the weather in the south is unpredictable. It was warm and sunny during the day, but a light drizzle began to fall at night, making the air slightly cool.

Perhaps noticing the dead silence in the car, Daoist Zhang, who rarely spoke first, said, "Based on the current situation, I cannot determine whether this is the work of a ghost or a human."

"Work of a human?" Bao Ren, who was driving, was surprised.

"Exactly. Ghosts do exist, but the conditions for their formation are extremely strict. Either it's a special geographical location, such as a place where someone dies in an extremely yin area, and the ghosts in such places are often very powerful; or it's an extremely evil person, whose burial must be handled carefully. If buried in the wilderness, they will definitely become a ghost, and a malevolent one at that; the last possibility is an extremely wronged person, who will turn into a vengeful spirit after death due to the injustice they suffered in life." Daoist Zhang explained in a professional manner.

However, talking about ghosts at night, especially on the way to 'catch a ghost,' made Bao Ren and Li Mang feel uneasy, except for the bold Daoist Zhang. If these words had come from an ordinary person, they might have just listened as a ghost story without fear, as they were not ordinary people. But since these words came from Daoist Zhang, they knew they were true.

Fortunately, the car had already arrived at the destination.

This was a desolate area, with lush natural forests on both sides. The sound of the rain and the occasional north wind made the air feel cold.

Taking out the prepared umbrellas and flashlights, the three of them got out of the car. The darkness was overwhelming, and the light from the flashlights, blocked by the drizzle, could only illuminate a short distance.

"The three police officers' incident happened right here. There's no guardrail on the roadside, but it's about twenty meters away from the cliff. Even if the driver dozed off, they should have been able to brake in time," Bao Ren explained to Daoist Zhang with a flashlight.

The crime scene was well-protected. There were tire marks visible ahead, but strangely, there were no brake marks at all, indicating that the vehicle had driven directly off the cliff. A distance of twenty meters, even if the driver was drunk, it would be hard to have an accident, let alone a police officer investigating a case.

"Is the execution ground opposite?" Daoist Zhang asked, looking at the dark forest.

"Exactly. The execution ground is about a hundred meters away. It has been in use since the founding of the country until a few years ago. In recent years, the number of executions has decreased, and most are carried out by lethal injection, so it is rarely used," Bao Ren replied, but his expression was a bit strange. It was late at night, and Daoist Zhang was visiting the crime scene for the first time, yet he could identify it at a glance, showing his exceptional skills.

"Daoist Zhang, if there really are ghosts, can we see them?" Li Mang couldn't help but ask, curious despite his fear.

"Do you want to see?" Daoist Zhang turned to look at him, his eyes shining in the night.

"Well... I want to take a look," Li Mang's tone was not very firm, but he answered with a stiff upper lip.

"Good! Young people should have such courage!" Daoist Zhang praised, then his expression turned serious. He made a hand sign with his right hand and recited, "Heaven is clear, Earth is pure, Yin and Yang combine, Water Spirit appears, Spirit Light captures, connecting Heaven and Earth, all laws are followed, Yin and Yang Mirror, true form appears, true form appears, I follow the command of the Three Mao True Lords! Urgently, as commanded!"

After the incantation, Daoist Zhang's index and middle fingers glowed with a golden light. He pressed his thumb on Li Mang's forehead and drew his fingers over Li Mang's eyes. He then did the same for Bao Ren.

Li Mang felt a burning sensation in his eyes, but it quickly subsided. At first, there seemed to be no difference, but upon closer inspection, he noticed some black mist floating in his field of vision, which he was sure wasn't there before.

"I have opened your Yin-Yang eyes, so you can see things that ordinary people cannot. The effect lasts for one hour. The black mist you see is actually the so-called death qi. Two days ago, there was a death here, and residual death qi is inevitable. There is even more death qi at the execution ground ahead," Daoist Zhang explained while shining his flashlight towards the execution ground.

"Whoa..."

Li Mang and Bao Ren both drew in a sharp breath. The black mist ahead covered the sky, making them feel inexplicably cold. The north wind made them shiver.

Bao Ren was now cursing Li Mang for dragging him along. If you wanted to see, why did you have to bring him along? He was already in his fifties, and Li Mang was trying to scare him to death!

In fact, Li Mang was also filled with regret. He was just a bystander; why did he have to do everything himself? This was a ghostly situation!

"Let's go and take a look!" Daoist Zhang called out, but after taking a few steps, he realized the other two weren't following. He stopped and looked back at Li Mang and Bao Ren.

"You two go ahead, I'll stay here and watch the car!" Bao Ren responded first, holding his umbrella and walking towards the car.

"Without Daoist Zhang, be careful not to drive into the cliff due to a ghostly illusion!" Li Mang's voice was just loud enough for Bao Ren to hear.

"Ah? Li Mang indeed has the potential to learn Daoism. I suspected that the three police officers might have been under a ghostly illusion, which is also known as a ghostly wall!" Daoist Zhang said in surprise.

"You... wait, the car is fine, I'll lock it!" Bao Ren immediately changed his mind and hurried to catch up with the two, even forgetting to lock the car door.

As they approached the execution ground, the temperature became increasingly cold, making them think of all sorts of things. Daoist Zhang explained as they walked, "Death qi is also yin qi. Yin is cold, so whenever we come into contact with death qi, we feel cold. Weak people should not come to such places, as they may fall ill. Additionally, one should not stay in such places for a long time, as it is harmful to the body."

"It's now around eleven o'clock at night, the hour of Zi, when yin qi is at its strongest. Combined with the already abundant death qi here, the cold feeling is very noticeable. It will be better during the day."

The two people following behind shivered, and the inexplicable chill on their backs made them look back. Their steps unconsciously quickened.

By the time they reached the execution ground, the cold was overwhelming. Even with the flashlight, they could only see a few meters ahead due to the dense black mist.

"Whoosh..." A north wind blew, making their bodies shiver. What made Li Mang and Bao Ren even more uneasy was that the wind brought a large amount of black mist, severely obstructing their vision. They could barely see their fingers, even with the flashlight.

"Trouble, we've been tricked. This is a ghost with decades of cultivation!" Daoist Zhang's voice came from behind, filled with alarm.

Daoist Zhang's voice came from behind Li Mang, but to Bao Ren, it was from his right side. They instinctively moved towards the direction of 'Daoist Zhang.'

"Don't move, we are now in an illusion, and our sense of direction is confused. If you follow the sound of my voice, you might walk off the cliff!" Daoist Zhang hurriedly warned.

Hearing this, Li Mang and Bao Ren didn't dare to move.

"Daoist... Daoist Zhang, don't scare us, quickly break the illusion!" Bao Ren's voice was trembling.

Li Mang's heart was also tense, his muscles tensed.

"I... I am trying to break it. You need to hold on for a few minutes. During this time, no matter what you see, don't be afraid and don't run around!... Or you can close your eyes! This ghost has at least fifty years of cultivation, a rare encounter, and I, the old Daoist, want to meet it properly!"

Daoist Zhang's voice came in broken sentences, his tone excited...

Yes, excited. It was like the joy a police officer feels when they catch a thief, or the happiness a mouse feels when it finds rice. Ghosts are already hard to find, and a ghost with decades of cultivation is as rare as a giant panda. For a Celestial Master, this was indeed a cause for celebration.

"Daoist Zhang, don't trick us!" Even Li Mang couldn't help but change his expression, his inner calm shattered. He had thought Daoist Zhang was a highly skilled person, but now he seemed unreliable!