Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

On the fourth day, night fell as expected, thick and inky, shrouding Beiping City in a heavy gloom. There were no stars or moon in the sky, only heavy clouds pressing down low, exuding a sense of impending storm.

In the east courtyard, He Damin sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), his body slowly circulating the Tai Chi Harmony Technique for a full cycle, dispelling the slight fatigue from his busy day at Fengzeyuan. His mind was as calm as still water, and in his spiritual sea, the Soul Refining Banner, now in its third advancement, floated quietly, its blood-red light restrained, yet radiating a profound and chilling aura.

After absorbing over 1,500 units of pure soul power last night, his soul strength surged, his spiritual body's range of movement outside his body expanded to 72 kilometers, and his perception became even more acute and subtle. At this moment, he was extending his spiritual sense like an invisible spider web, quietly stretching southward, sweeping across sleeping streets and alleys, empty fields, and winding dirt roads, "probing" towards Fengtai, dozens of miles away.

Although the distance is still far and the details are blurry, the general outline and the strength of the life force can still be sensed.

"As expected..." He Damin understood. The Fengtai military camp area, as reported by his spiritual sense, no longer had the elite troops and the fiery, orderly clusters of soul fire that had gathered there in the previous two days. Instead, there were only a few hundred or so faint, scattered, or uneasy and fearful specks of soul light, like candles flickering in the wind, sparsely scattered across the land soaked in death and eeriness.

It seems the Japanese 163rd Regiment and those Onmyoji have already withdrawn. Were they left behind a small force to guard the area? Or... were they simply abandoned pawns?

In any case, it's time to "clean up" tonight. Those "temporary supplies" that rightfully belong to him should be taken back.

At the third quarter of midnight, all was quiet.

He Damin's soul emerged from his Baihui acupoint, solidifying like a real body, its pale golden light swirling and flowing in the dark room. He didn't cast any spells; with a mere thought, the phantom of the Soul Refining Banner appeared behind him, intimately connected to his soul. The advanced Soul Refining Banner was perfectly aligned with his will, as attuned as an extension of his own arm. At this moment, its aura was completely concealed, as if it didn't exist.

In his spirit form, his speed far surpassed that of his physical body. He transformed into an almost imperceptible streak of pale golden light, piercing through the rooftops and soaring into the dark night sky, hurtling towards Fengtai. The night wind howled, and the earth below rushed past. In less than half an hour, the familiar outline of the military camp surrounded by barbed wire appeared before his eyes.

He did not land immediately, but hovered more than a hundred meters above the military camp, like an indifferent observer, carefully "sizing up" the area below.

The scene in the military camp has changed dramatically compared to three days ago.

First, there were the people. Very few soldiers were active in the camp; a rough scan revealed only about 120. Moreover, most of these soldiers were listless, their movements sluggish, and their morale extremely low. They no longer conducted routine patrols or guard duties; most huddled in a few relatively intact barracks or makeshift shacks. Only a few squads stood listlessly at their fixed sentry posts on the edge of the camp, their eyes darting around, constantly scanning the darkness, filled with fear.

Secondly, there's the environment. The huge parade ground in the center of the camp, once piled high with weapon and ammunition crates and sacks of food, is still there! It's just haphazardly gathered and stacked together, surrounded by a symbolic, tattered cordon. Clearly, when the main Japanese force withdrew, whether out of fear of contamination by "evil spirits," insufficient transport capacity, or conflicting orders from above, they hadn't taken this massive amount of supplies with them! They'd left behind only these hundred or so unfortunate guards.

What struck He Damin as most absurd was that near the entrances of several barracks and piles of supplies, he actually "saw" some simple incense tables! On them were burnt or still-burning incense sticks, along with some hardened rice balls, sake bottles, and even torn cigarettes. Some soldiers were kneeling before these tables, hands clasped together, chanting incantations, repeatedly bowing to the air, their faces filled with terror and pleading.

What are they worshipping? Are they worshipping the souls of their comrades who died here? Are they worshipping the "Chinese evil god" they imagine? Or are they simply praying that they can leave this hellish place alive?

He Damin remained calm and unmoved. Fear is the most normal reaction of the weak when faced with an incomprehensible and irresistible force. But the soldiers' fear would not earn him the slightest pity. When they set foot on this land and raised their swords, they should have been prepared to become nourishment for the Soul-Refining Banner. It was far too late to think of burning incense and praying now.

As for why only the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled were left behind? The answer is obvious. The two consecutive bizarre and terrifying "total annihilation" incidents at the Fengtai military camp must have caused great panic within the Japanese ranks. After the elite 163rd Regiment and those Onmyoji failed to "purify" or investigate (in reality, they were secretly assassinated by He Damin), the higher-ups likely came to the conclusion that this place was extremely dangerous, could not be lingered in, and that no more precious manpower should be invested.

However, the quantity of these supplies was simply too large, and abandoning them outright would be a painful decision and could potentially disrupt military supplies. Therefore, a compromise was reached: a small group of the least important soldiers, perhaps even those who had violated military discipline or had no background, were left to "symbolicly" guard the area. On one hand, this meant the supplies weren't completely abandoned, providing an explanation to superiors and subordinates; on the other hand, these soldiers were essentially sacrificial pawns, bait to test whether the "danger" still existed, and also... offerings to quell the "resentment" in the area?

Very ruthless, very much in line with the consistent style of the Japanese high command.

"This saves me a lot of trouble," He Damin thought with a cold smile. If a fully equipped regiment were to re-enter the area, he could manage to clear it out, but it would inevitably take more effort and likely create more chaos. Right now, it's just these hundred or so easily frightened birds…

He slowly descended, his spirit merging into the deepest shadow at the edge of the military camp. The concealment talisman's effect had long been integrated into his soul's instincts, and coupled with the passive suppression of the Soul Refining Banner's [Soul Banner Domain], his presence was now extremely low. Even if he walked past those sentries, they would only feel a strange chill and wouldn't notice anything unusual.

He decided to deal with the people first, and then collect the supplies.

With a slight thought, the illusory image of the Soul Refining Banner behind him gently unfolded.

[Soul Banner Domain - Unfold!]

The invisible fluctuations of soul power spread like mercury, instantly covering an area of ​​fifty zhang (approximately 150 meters) in radius, enveloping most of the core area of ​​the military camp. This time, He Damin did not directly activate [Wailing of Vengeful Spirits], but instead first activated the more basic suppression and [Soul-Capturing Maze] effects.

Within the designated area, the already terrified Japanese soldiers felt a buzzing in their heads, as if a thick, dark cloud had pressed down on their hearts. Their thinking became sluggish, their breathing became labored, and a strong sense of drowsiness and inexplicable fear overwhelmed them. The kneeling soldiers froze in place, their eyes unfocused. The soldiers on guard swayed, needing to grab onto the wooden stakes to steady themselves, their eyelids heavy and drooping.

The timing is perfect.

He Damin's spirit emerged, like the Grim Reaper in the dark, and began to reap.

He first arrived at a shack on the east side of the military camp. Inside, eight soldiers sat silently around a dim kerosene lamp, the atmosphere oppressive. Under the influence of the domain, their reactions were sluggish. He Damin's spirit entered the shack, locking onto it with his mind.

【Netherworld Chains】!

Eight translucent chains, coiled with a ghastly green, soul-corroding flame, silently emerged from the void, precisely piercing the back of the heads or hearts of the eight soldiers. No blood splattered; only a flash of the flames on the chains, and eight orbs of soul light, some bright, some dim, were forcibly torn from their bodies, emitting a silent, mournful shriek. They were instantly dragged and swallowed by the chains, disappearing into the illusory image of the Soul-Refining Banner behind He Damin. The eight corpses remained seated, slowly slumping, their faces still bearing the marks of bewilderment and sudden, overwhelming pain.

The Soul Devouring Feedback effect took effect, and strands of pure and cool soul power flowed back along the chains, merging into He Damin's soul body and replenishing his negligible consumption.

Efficient, quiet, and thorough.

Without pausing, He Damin floated toward his next destination.

On the west side of the military camp, inside a large barracks, more than twenty soldiers were gathered. They seemed to be playing a simple card game, trying to dispel their fear, but none of them wore smiles, their eyes vacant. He Damin hovered above the barracks, his spiritual sense sweeping over them.

[The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons]!

A dozen or so grotesque ghostly phantoms, much more solid than before, with even their claws and teeth gleaming with a metallic chill, shrieked as they burst forth from the banner's shadow, piercing directly through the barracks walls and lunging at the soldiers inside! Empowered by the [Soul Banner Domain], these phantoms were even more materialized, capable not only of creating terrifying illusions to assault the mind, but also of physically tearing apart with their solidified ghostly claws!

"A ghost—!"

"Help!"

"Don't come any closer!"

The barracks erupted in chaos! Screams, cries, and the clatter of clattering furniture filled the air. Soldiers scattered in terror, firing wildly but only hitting air or wounding their comrades. The phantom of the demon darted through the crowd, each strike claiming a soldier's life or tearing their soul apart.

He Damin coldly watched the chaos unfold. Occasionally, bullets would pierce his spirit body, but they seemed to pass through air without any effect. When the chaos subsided and the few surviving soldiers collapsed to the ground in mental collapse, the [Netherworld Chains] struck again, completing the final harvest.

The cleanup is ongoing.

The sentry posts to the south, the makeshift kitchen to the north, the dilapidated rooms of the command post… He Damin, like a precise and ruthless cleaner, used the various abilities of the Soul Refining Banner to either assassinate individuals individually or create chaos before wiping them out in one fell swoop. He did not deliberately pursue speed, but rather strived for stability and thoroughness, avoiding any escapees and also avoiding making too much noise to alert any potential spies in the distance.

Those soldiers who were burning incense and praying to Buddha, under the suppression of the domain and the soul-capturing maze, did not even have time to pray to the gods and Buddhas before their souls were taken away by chains in confusion and fear.

The whole process lasted about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

As the last ray of soul light was swallowed by the Soul Refining Banner, and the last faint groan in the military camp vanished, the entire Fengtai military camp fell into a deathly silence for the third time. This time, even the hundred or so faint clusters of soul fire were completely extinguished.

The night wind blew across the empty playground, stirring up dust and torn pieces of paper, making a "whooshing" sound, like countless wronged souls sobbing softly.

He Damin's spirit floated down to the center of the playground, next to the mountain of supplies. His gaze swept over the familiar wooden crates and sacks.

It's time to take back what's yours.

His thoughts encompassed the entire area where supplies were piled up. His spiritual awareness, like the most sophisticated scanner, instantly imprinted the types, quantities, and distribution of the supplies into his mind.

arms:

Approximately 3,200 Type 38 rifles. All were wrapped in tarpaulin and stacked in bundles.

One hundred and twenty Type 96 light machine guns.

Type 92 heavy machine guns, forty units.

One hundred and fifty grenade launchers.

Type 92 infantry gun, 20 guns (with 800 rounds of ammunition).

Various types of ammunition boxes were piled up like mountains, with an initial estimate of more than five million rounds.

More than 800 boxes of grenades (20 grenades per box).

food:

Rice, about 400 tons (800 jin per bag, nearly 1,000 bags).

White flour, approximately two hundred tons.

Compressed biscuits, canned beef, canned fish, canned vegetables, and other military rations were piled up like walls.

drug:

The main items were penicillin, sulfonamides, hemostatic powder, bandages, and surgical instruments, filling fifty large wooden crates.

other:

Several sets of equipment including military uniforms, helmets, leather boots, and blankets.

There were also several boxes filled with valuables looted from the original regimental command post and the corpses of Japanese soldiers, as well as items that may have originally been stored here—gold (large and small yellow croakers), silver dollars, Japanese military notes, antiques, pocket watches, pens, and other valuables.

Roughly estimated, these supplies are enough to arm a fully equipped and heavily armed standard regiment of 3,000 men and support it in a medium-intensity operation for a considerable period of time!

"A good harvest." He Damin was not particularly excited. For him, who possessed the Taiji Space, storing these supplies was no problem at all. He didn't need these weapons and ammunition at the moment, but they might be useful in the future—whether it was supporting guerrillas like Hao Pingchuan, or using them in certain special circumstances. Food and medicine were even more valuable, priceless in these times of famine.

He didn't delay any longer and used his mind to communicate with the storage area on the positive side of the Tai Chi space.

"receive!"

Silently, the piles of supplies on the playground began to disappear in large swaths, as if wiped away by an invisible giant hand! Bundles of rifles, machine guns, ammunition boxes, food sacks, medicine boxes, treasure chests... like a beach at low tide, quickly becoming empty.

The whole process lasted less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea. When the last wooden box disappeared from its spot, all that remained in the center of the playground was a flattened, empty patch of mud and some scattered, insignificant trash.

All supplies have been collected into the Taiji Space and properly stored in categories.

He Damin took one last look at the military camp, soaked in blood, changed hands three times, and now utterly desolate. The eerie atmosphere remained thick, the imprint of thousands of departed souls, unlikely to dissipate anytime soon. Perhaps for many years to come, this would be a place of dread that ordinary people would avoid at all costs.

But that's none of his business anymore.

The spirit soared into the sky, transformed into a stream of light, and returned towards Beiping City.

They came to harvest souls, and left with supplies. For He Damin, the Fengtai military camp had lost its value.

As for the Japanese high command's fury, panic, and even more frantic speculation and investigation after discovering the mysterious disappearance of this third batch of garrison troops along with all their supplies, that's not his concern. Let them fret and struggle in their fear and suspicion.