Chapter 94

The money in his hand turned to ashes, and the evil qi from all directions gathered, making Ding Ning feel a chill all over his body.

In his mind, vague illusions began to appear.

There were memories from his previous life as a cultivator, some terrifying things, those fierce beasts that wanted to eat people, those fellow cultivators who wanted to kill him, and the God of Wealth, whose wealth attracted the covetous eyes of other cultivators.

There was also a blurry figure of a woman, whose face could not be seen, looking down from high above the clouds.

And then there was this life. Ding Ning thought he would be fearless after cultivation, but when the yin sha appeared, he still felt a bit of fear, such as his unknown background, and the people he cared about, which made him feel afraid.

However, the influence of this yin sha on Ding Ning, the array setter, was minimal. Ding Ning focused his mind slightly, and the illusions disappeared.

But Ding Ning still felt a vague unease in his heart, realizing that he was afraid of so many things, which he usually did not notice.

Focusing his mind, Ding Ning began to pay attention to every move in the courtyard.

The yin sha qi was rampant, rolling and spreading in the courtyard, and everyone had different feelings.

*****

Old Mr. Jiang was still excited in the house, unable to sleep. He had won two thousand yuan, which was equivalent to more than half a month's pension. He had a little drink in the evening and didn't lie down until eleven. He was still not asleep now.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow I will take the initiative to find that kid for a game. A thousand won't do, but five hundred will do. I must give that kid a good lesson and let him know that the Horse King has three eyes."

He couldn't sleep, and his old wife was getting impatient. "That's enough. Look at you, two thousand yuan and you're so excited. If you win ten thousand, the earth won't be big enough for you."

"It won't be big enough, definitely not. When that happens, I'll become a immortal, leading heavenly soldiers and generals, going to heaven and earth, subduing demons and evil spirits, and even the King of Hell will have to step aside... Hmm... What's that sound?"

Old Mr. Jiang stopped in the middle of his words, as there seemed to be some movement outside the window.

It was the sound of footsteps, quite regular.

His old wife didn't hear anything and just advised, "Don't speak ill of the King of Hell in the middle of the night. Today is the 15th of the seventh month in the leap month, the day when the ghost gate opens. Speaking ill might bring in unclean things."

"Alright, I can't explain to you, an old woman. I'll go and check, just in case some bad people come in to steal."

Saying that, Old Mr. Jiang put on his clothes, got out of bed, and quietly came to the door with a flashlight.

Listening at the door, he could indeed hear someone moving outside.

"Who's out there in the middle of the night?"

He pushed the door open, and as soon as it opened, a cold chill hit him, making him shiver, almost freezing his bones.

"Damn, why is it so cold at this time?"

He tightened his clothes and turned on the flashlight to shine outside.

In the night, the flashlight's light was dim like ghost fire, only illuminating about a meter in front of him, while the distance was hazy and unclear.

"Is it foggy?"

He stepped out of the house in confusion.

After stepping out, he felt as if he had entered another world. After taking two steps forward, when he turned back, he couldn't see the door of his house anymore.

A sound of footsteps came, and the originally hazy world seemed to have some light. A group of people slowly moved forward in front of him.

He immediately saw a person, a woman, who was his first love. He had abandoned her, who was already pregnant, for a better career and married his current wife.

The poor woman, unable to bear it, had committed suicide by drowning, which caused a big commotion and was a source of pain for him for many years.

At this moment, the woman's face was the same as before, but her complexion was as pale as paper, her eyes were swollen, her clothes were soaked, and her long hair hung down to her waist. Her eyes were filled with resentment, and she called out to Old Mr. Jiang in a sinister voice, "Heartless man! Give me back my life! Give me back my life!"

For a moment, Old Mr. Jiang's hands and feet turned cold.

It was her ghost! Her ghost had come to seek revenge!

Today was the 15th of the seventh month, the day when the ghost gate was wide open, and this female ghost had come to seek revenge on him!

Ding Ning said that there would be ghosts tonight, and he didn't believe it. He said that the money was for the worship of ghosts and gods, and he didn't believe it. Now, the ghost had come to his door.

He who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind. Old Mr. Jiang immediately thought of this saying.

All the guilt and pain of these years turned into a mountain of fear, surging towards him. Great fear enveloped his heart, and his eyes were blank as he mechanically waved his hands, "Don't come to me, don't come to me, I was wrong... let me go."

The female ghost seemed to be about to pounce, but behind her were ghost soldiers, who took her away with their mourning sticks. A white-clad ghost with a sinister voice said, "Daring to insult the King of Hell, when you reach the King of Hell's hall, the ghost lord will let you know the consequences!"

As a lifelong atheist, Old Mr. Jiang was now completely broken. This threat was unavoidable unless he could live forever.

He immediately thought of the miserable days after his death, and the legends of the eighteen levels of hell he had heard. Old Mr. Jiang's heart turned to ashes, and he even foamed at the mouth, his limbs twitching as he fainted!

Just as he fell, a man's shrill scream came from the side, "There's a ghost!"

It was one of his chess friends, another old man who had won money that night. He couldn't sleep and came out when he heard the noise, but he didn't know what he saw.

With this scream, the courtyard was in chaos.

Many people saw ghosts, and the dark corners of their hearts, which they usually didn't want to think about or touch, now emerged, turning into demons and ghosts that eroded their hearts.

Especially those with evil intentions, who always saw things they didn't want to see. On the contrary, those who had never done anything wrong and were not afraid of knocks on the door at midnight saw nothing, but still felt a chill, making them very uncomfortable.

Those who saw nothing helped their families back, and many people fell ill.

Some were sent to the hospital, and some were afraid of the ghosts and dared not go out.

Old Mr. Jiang and his four chess friends, along with Guangzi and a few others, a total of more than ten people, developed high fevers and rambled incoherently.

Ding Ning quietly observed the situation indoors, and the chaos continued until dawn.

This night's spell was very tiring. Ding Ning originally planned to rest, but as soon as the sun came up, someone came to knock on the door.

Before Ding Ning could open the door, it was directly pushed open.

Rushing in were a few old men from last night who hadn't seen any ghosts.

These old men were pale and in very poor condition. Although they hadn't seen any ghosts, their old friends had all seen ghosts at the same time, which couldn't be explained by coincidence.

And there was another terrifying thing: the one thousand yuan they had won from Ding Ning the night before had turned to ashes in the middle of the night!

They had asked around, and everyone who had won money the night before had the same experience. Those who had fallen ill had planned to use the money to see a doctor, but when they found it, it was already just a pile of ashes.

Where did the money go? When they won it from Ding Ning, it was real money, and everyone had counted it. How did it turn to ashes in the middle of the night?

No need to say, it must be the reason Ding Ning mentioned. This money was supposed to be used to worship the ghosts and gods, but they had won it, and the ghosts and gods had taken it back, and even given their old friends a taste of their power.

Thinking of the consequences of being found by evil ghosts, these old men's legs turned to jelly. As soon as the sun came up, they eagerly came to find Ding Ning.

Each of them held a thousand yuan, and one of the old men said to Ding Ning, "Brother, last night we were blind and didn't recognize your true abilities. Look, we all know we were wrong and are willing to offer the money to the ghosts and gods. But we are mere mortals and don't know how to do it. You must help us."

These old men, who could be Ding Ning's grandfathers, directly called him "brother," which made Ding Ning laugh and cry. Just as he was about to speak, another old man spoke up.

"Brother Ding, look, we are all old men with no great hopes, just hoping to live a few more years. I haven't even seen my grandson go to school yet. You can't just ignore us. If you ignore us, hehe, I won't leave today!"

"Right, we won't leave. You can't go out either. If you ignore us, we old men will sit in front of your door until we die, and you won't be able to sell your house to the developer for a high price."

Saying that, the old men, holding the money, sat in a line on Ding Ning's doorstep, determined not to get up until he agreed.