Chapter 4

Fulong Township is one of the six townships in Jixiang County, comprising eleven villages with a population of tens of thousands, making it a considerable size.

The township is crisscrossed with paths, and houses are scattered like stars. Along the main street, most buildings are made of blue bricks with red tiles, while small roads are lined with thatched cottages.

The Zhang Family Medical Hall is a blue brick building. Its courtyard wall facing the street is over ten zhang long, and the vermilion gate is one and a half zhang high. On either side of the gate, there are two stone lions, each half a person's height, with large willow trees planted beside them, giving the place a grand appearance.

Xu Da opened the door.

As the red wooden gate creaked open, Wang Qilin felt a chill in the air.

The *Taiyin Duanhun Dao* (Great Yin Soul-Cutting Saber) stirred within him, ready to be drawn at any moment.

Xu Da pointed to the door, where a piece of scorched talisman paper was attached to the lintel.

This was the root of the talisman Du Cao had posted the day before, with the core already burned away, indicating that a ghost had indeed visited.

The medical hall is large and has many rooms. It is a two-story building with two entrances and exits. The inner rooms are for the family, while the outer area is laid out in a quadrangle, with a large garden in the center. Surrounding the garden are various rooms, including a consultation hall, bedrooms, a bathing room, and a study.

Upon entering and glancing at the layout, Xu Da said solemnly, "The main house is well-balanced, with the left wing like a green dragon guarding and the right wing like a white tiger on a high ridge. The garden in the middle is a riot of flowers and herbs, indicating that a wise person designed this place. It is like a dragon's lair, a place of good fortune."

Wang Qilin asked, "Do you understand feng shui and geomancy?"

Xu Da replied, "No, but when I came here with Cao Ye last time, he said this."

The medical hall was now quiet, with only a young man sweeping the floor.

Seeing the two men enter, the young man came forward and bowed, saying, "Mr. Xu, you have arrived. Who is this gentleman?"

Xu Da said, "This is my brother, Wang Qilin. Cao Ye specially requested him from the higher-ups. You can just call him Lord Qi."

The young man bowed politely, "So this is Lord Wang. Mr. Xu, you mentioned Mr. Du earlier. When will Mr. Du arrive?"

Xu Da confidently said, "Mr. Du won't come. The ghost in the medical hall is just a qi-eating ghost, a minor character. It only dares to haunt those who are about to die. Today, I'll show you how to deal with it!"

The young man was taken aback, his face showing clear disappointment.

He is the eldest grandson of the Zhang family, named Zhang Yuning. Wang Qilin asked him about the situation in the medical hall again.

There was nothing new to discover.

The matter was simple: the medical hall was haunted by a qi-eating ghost that was sucking the last bit of yang energy from those about to die. As people clearly said: "Borrow me a breath."

Of course, there was no return.

After Zhang Yuning finished speaking, Wang Qilin suddenly asked, "Did anyone die in the medical hall last night?"

Zhang Yuning shook his head. He then asked, "My lords, you said the qi-eating ghost can only suck the last bit of yang energy from those about to die. What is the basis for this?"

Xu Da said, "The ghost itself said, 'Breath like ice, eyes without reflection, seeing stars in the daytime, holding fire without warmth.' Do you know what this means?"

Zhang Yuning nodded, "Breath as cold as ice, no reflection in others' eyes, seeing stars in the daytime, and feeling no warmth even by a fire. These are signs of impending death."

Xu Da slapped his thigh, "Exactly! It's asking the patients if they know they are about to die. So, to deal with this qi-eating ghost is simple. It only haunts those about to die. If you don't keep such patients overnight, the ghost will have no yang energy to suck and will eventually leave."

Wang Qilin shook his head, "That's not a good idea. The qi-eating ghost might find it easier to suck the last bit of yang energy from those about to die, but it might try to suck the yang energy from normal people if there are no dying patients. That would be disastrous."

"Do you think it's easy for a qi-eating ghost to suck the yang energy from normal people? If it could, it would be a powerful entity, and we wouldn't be able to deal with it," Xu Da sneered. "Alright, let's go eat. I'm hungry."

After breakfast, Wang Qilin patrolled the medical hall with his waist knife.

He found nothing.

Throughout the day, he patrolled over ten times, becoming familiar with the place and the people. However, he did not detect any trace of the qi-eating ghost.

He had to plan his escape because the people in the medical hall had already left, saying they didn't want to interfere with their work at night.

Fortunately, they left dinner for them, and the dinner was delicious.

Xu Da thought the stewed cured fish was delicious: (*￣︶￣)

After dinner, the sun set, and dusk fell. The moon was faintly visible in the night sky.

The weather was not good tonight, with dark clouds drifting across the sky.

Thus, the dim moon was alternately obscured and revealed, making people feel uneasy.

The spring wind was strong, and the bare branches rubbed against each other, making a 'rustling' sound.

This sound was very clear at night, though not noticeable during the day.

The medical hall was surrounded by lanterns.

In the night wind, the crimson lanterns swayed gently, and the candles inside flickered, making the light flicker on and off, adding a sense of eeriness to the vast courtyard.

Xu Da frowned at the lanterns, "This little bit of light is worse than none. Why did you light them?"

Wang Qilin asked, "Did you light them?"

As soon as he spoke, both men instinctively gripped their waist knives and stood up.

The cold wind was like a ghostly wind.

Xu Da, who was brave, narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings, saying, "It seems the qi-eating ghost is here. Remember, ghosts fear yang energy and evil people. The more confident you are, the less they can harm you! But if you are afraid, hmm!"

Wang Qilin smiled, "I'm not afraid. What is there to fear from a qi-eating ghost?"

A qi-eating ghost is not a malevolent ghost. According to *Yiwen Lu* (Records of the Unusual), this ghost is formed from people who neglected their parents, spouses, and children, and only cared about their own pleasure in life, with no lingering resentment.

Most qi-eating ghosts survive by sucking air and are very sensitive to odors, able to distinguish various scents in the world.

In the underworld, the King of Hell assigns them to guard the gates, to detect the odors of various ghosts mixed among the masses. If a ghost commits evil, the King of Hell will send a qi-eating ghost to find it.

Such qi-eating ghosts pose no threat to humans and can even be used to find things, so they are not a concern.

However, some qi-eating ghosts are different. They consume human qi, indicating they are beginning to cultivate.

Their cultivation process starts with sucking the last bit of yang energy from those about to die, gradually gaining power and then sucking the yang energy from normal people, making them more difficult to deal with.

Seeing that his expression was calm, Xu Da nodded in satisfaction and threw him a small ball made of dry grass, "Hold this for me."

Wang Qilin took the ball and asked, "What is this?"

Xu Da said, "It's an Ice Platform Pearl. Have you heard of it?"

"I have," Wang Qilin realized.

The Ice Platform is a plant, also known as yellow mugwort. So, the small ball is actually made of mugwort.

However, the mugwort used is not ordinary. It grows on old graves.

Such mugwort, from sprouting to maturity, is imbued with yin energy, making it very sensitive to yin energy. When it comes into contact with yin energy, it becomes cold, and the more concentrated the yin energy, the colder it gets, like a small ice cube. Hence, it is called an Ice Platform Pearl rather than a mugwort ball.

Moreover, the human mouth is very sensitive to temperature. By holding the mugwort ball, one can detect yin energy as soon as it is encountered.

Additionally, mugwort, along with calamus, pomegranate flowers, garlic, and mountain lilies, is known as one of the Five Treasures of the Midsummer, with the ability to ward off evil and drive away misfortune. Holding an Ice Platform Pearl can also protect against yin evil, making it a dual-purpose plant.

The Ice Platform Pearl is not a rare magical item, but it is not something ordinary people can easily obtain. Seeing Xu Da so casually give him one, Wang Qilin guessed that he either had some skills or some background.

He further guessed that Xu Da had some background.

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