The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

Lin Jiu saw Li Xiao walking slowly downstairs and immediately stepped forward, solemnly bowing and clasping his hands in thanks.

If Li Xiao hadn't intervened to suppress the zombies last night, the Ren family would have been wiped out, and he would have been held responsible. Therefore, he was filled with gratitude towards Li Xiao at this moment.

Lin Jiu looked up at Li Xiao, asking with a hint of curiosity, "Young friend Li, what did you do with Old Master Ren last night?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao's lips curled up slightly, forming a meaningful arc: "Uncle Jiu, rest assured, this old master will never come back again."

Lin Jiu could tell that Li Xiao was unwilling to say more, and being quite sensible, he didn't press the matter further, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart.

For the next month, Renjia Town remained peaceful. In his spare time, Li Xiao often went to the mortuary to sit and discuss the Dao with Lin Jiu, exchanging profound insights on metaphysics and Daoist practices.

Seeing that Li Xiao was insightful, exceptionally talented, upright, and kind-hearted, Lin Jiu no longer regarded him as an outsider and imparted all his knowledge to him.

Whether it's the secret techniques of Five Elements Feng Shui for finding auspicious burial sites and identifying inauspicious influences, or the basic Taoist methods for exorcising evil spirits, protecting the home, and calming the soul, each is explained in detail.

What benefited Li Xiao the most was Lin Jiu's unique method of making ghost money.

Ordinary ghost money sold in the market is crudely made and has no spiritual power. After being burned, it is nothing more than a pile of waste paper. It cannot circulate in the underworld and may even disrupt the order of the underworld and bring bad luck.

As a legitimate successor of the Maoshan lineage, Ke Linjiu's handmade ghost money is certified by the underworld and is genuine, authentic ghost money that can circulate in the underworld.

Li Xiao devoted himself to studying and mastered all the secrets in just over a month. However, he remained curious about the supreme secret classic of the Maoshan School, the "Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing".

This scripture is a closely guarded secret of the Maoshan School, and only direct disciples of the school are allowed to study it.

But he was ultimately an outsider, and despite his great curiosity, he never asked Lin Jiu for it.

Meanwhile, Ren Fa had already given his approval to Li Xiao's relationship with Ren Tingting.

After nearly being bitten to death by a zombie last time, Ren Fa had long understood that Li Xiao was no ordinary person. If his daughter could really be with him, it would be her greatest blessing.

Half a month ago, Ren Fa personally purchased a mansion in a prime location in town and gave it directly to Li Xiao as his residence.

Li Xiao accepted the offer without hesitation. After the servants cleaned the house, Ren Tingting moved in, and Ren Fa did not object.

Time flies, and the Ghost Festival (July 15th) is just around the corner.

The Zhongyuan Festival, also known as the Ghost Festival, is a major traditional festival in Taoism.

Taoist texts say that the Earthly Official Emperor pardons sins in the seventh month. On this day, the gates of Heaven and the gates of the Underworld open, the barriers between the Yin and Yang realms loosen, and the restrictions weaken.

In the underworld, countless souls are temporarily freed from the confinement of the netherworld and return to the mortal realm to receive the worship and incense offerings of their descendants, cleansing their past sins and seeking peace.

This day is also a special time of year when Yin energy is at its peak and Yin and Yang interact most frequently.

Night fell completely over Renjia Town. On a makeshift stage on the outskirts of the town, lights flickered and gongs and drums sounded softly. The opera troupe invited by the town was dressed in costumes and performing on stage with great care.

The melodious opera singing and exciting fighting sounds echoed in the open countryside, creating an indescribable eeriness.

As night deepened, most of the townspeople closed their doors and windows early, and no one dared to go out at night.

The vast stage was empty, except for the sound of the evening breeze rustling through the stage curtains, with only Wencai standing below.

He held a piece of sugarcane in his hand, taking big bites with relish, juice dripping from his mouth, while his eyes were glued to the stage, completely oblivious to the increasingly intense and chilling atmosphere around him, showing no sign of wariness whatsoever.

In the center of the stage, a man dressed in military attire was already extremely anxious. While performing various fighting moves, he kept glancing at the audience and subtly signaling to Wen Cai to leave quickly.

Unfortunately, Wen Cai, that fool, completely failed to read the warning in the other person's eyes. Instead, he mistakenly thought that the man on the stage was greeting him, so he grinned and happily raised his hand to clap his hands vigorously.

Upon seeing this, the man performing on stage instantly lost his temper. Tonight, the gates of hell are wide open for the Ghost Festival, and the opera troupe is performing here for those homeless and wandering ghosts. He dared not stop for a moment and could only grit his teeth and continue performing, not daring to make the slightest mistake.

In a corner on the side of the stage, Lin Jiu and Qiu Sheng stood quietly. They had just opened their Yin-Yang Eyes and were taking in the strange scene below the stage.

In the unseen realm of ordinary people, the empty stage was already teeming with people, and behind the stage stood four strange-looking figures holding mourning sticks.

These ghosts are trapped in the netherworld year after year, living a dull and lonely life. Whenever the Ghost Festival opera is performed, they come from far and wide, longing for the human world's opera and fireworks.

Normally, the living and the dead are separated and do not disturb each other, but tonight Wencai is alone here. His fresh, living yang energy is no different from a tempting delicacy in the eyes of the ghosts.

Although the ghosts coveted it, they always kept to themselves and watched the show quietly, except for one vengeful spirit who couldn't contain himself.

Not far from Wencai, a female ghost dressed in blue slowly floated out.

This ghost was ugly in appearance and surrounded by a dense, dark, and malevolent aura.

She stared intently at Wencai, her ghostly eyes filled with greed, as he continued to gnaw on the sugarcane.

Tonight, Wen Cai is the only living mortal in the entire venue, full of yang energy and pure aura, which has a fatal attraction for ghosts who have been tainted by yin energy for many years.

The blue-clad female ghost slowly approached Wencai, her fingertips radiating a chilling ghostly aura, preparing to absorb Wencai's yang energy.

Just then, a pure white figure suddenly descended from the sky and stood in front of Wen Cai.

The newcomer was a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in white, with a graceful figure. However, judging from the eerie aura emanating from her, it could be deduced that she was also a ghost.

The blue-clad female ghost, who had been filled with greed just moments before, was glared at by the white-clad female ghost and was so frightened that she retreated several steps and immediately turned and fled.

The white-clad female ghost transformed into a wisp of yin wind, circled around to Wen Cai's front, and gently blew a breath of yin energy towards his face.

The cold wind was biting, but it didn't hurt anyone. Wen Cai, who had been completely in the dark and just watching the show, suddenly had his vision clear.

He turned around and saw a dense crowd of people standing around him, all staring at the stage.

Wen Cai, being rather oblivious, muttered to himself in bewilderment, "Huh, when did so many people get here?"

Just then, a stunningly beautiful woman with charming eyes and a captivating figure stood in front of him, making Wen Cai stare in disbelief.