Yin Yang Diviner

After last night's nightmare of spring rain, I felt completely listless, like a frostbitten eggplant. I had no energy, felt dazed, and my eyes were bloodshot.

The fear and tension of the whole night exhausted me. Even though there was a talisman given to me by my second grandfather under my pillow, I dared not close my eyes again, for fear that if I closed them, I would fall back into that nightmare of being surrounded by skeletons.

I sat in the courtyard all morning, the warm sunshine unable to dispel the chill in my heart. My second grandfather didn't say anything more to me, only occasionally glancing at me with a knowing look in his eyes, as if he had expected this to happen.

I knew in my heart that my second grandfather could protect me for a while, but not forever. The evil spirit was only frightened away by the spring thunder and forced back by the talisman, but it was not completely destroyed. It was still hiding in some corner of this old house, waiting to attack me again.

The more I thought about it, the more frightened and panicked I became. Alone in this huge old house, even with sunlight, I felt surrounded by darkness and cold shadows.

I need someone to be with me.

Someone who can give me courage and make me feel at ease.

The first person I thought of was Lao Liu.

Lao Liu, Liu Yang, is my best friend from college, a brother I grew up with. He comes from a wealthy family and is a true second-generation rich kid. After graduation, he passed the civil service exam and became a civil servant in the Land and Resources Bureau. He is timid and cowardly, but extremely loyal. No matter what happens to me, he is always the first person to rush to my side.

I took out my phone, my fingers trembling slightly with nervousness. After scrolling for a while, I finally found Lao Liu's number and dialed it.

The phone rang a few times before being answered, and Old Liu's cheeky voice came through: "Qin Yiheng? You finally called me? Didn't you say you were going to your great-grandfather's to cultivate immortality? What, you couldn't keep up with your cultivation and want to come back and have some barbecue with me?"

Normally, I would definitely have exchanged a few words with him, but now, I had no intention of doing so. My voice was hoarse, filled with barely concealed panic: "Old Liu, come and save me! I'm at my second grandfather's house, I'm terrified!"

Old Liu's voice abruptly stopped, his previous playful expression vanishing completely, replaced by a tense tone: "Qin Yiheng? What's wrong? Why does your voice sound like that? What happened? Don't scare me!"

Old Liu knows me well. I'm usually fearless, and even if I'm at a disadvantage in a fight, I would never show such a panicked tone. He could tell from the sound that I was really in a big situation.

I swallowed hard, suppressing the trembling in my heart, and said simply, "I had a ghost encounter last night, a nightmare, and there were ghost footprints in the house. I can't hold on much longer, you need to come and stay with me as soon as possible!"

I didn't dare to go into too much detail, afraid of scaring the already timid Lao Liu into not coming over. But even those few simple words were enough for him to realize the seriousness of the situation.

"A ghost?" Old Liu's voice rose an octave, tinged with disbelief yet devoid of doubt. "You wait here! I'm on my way! Stay there and don't move, lock the door, I'll be there in twenty minutes!"

"Okay, I'll wait for you." I hung up the phone, and my grip on the phone finally loosened a little.

With Lao Liu around, I finally felt a little more secure. Although he's timid, he's a normal person. With him by my side, I didn't feel alone facing those strange things.

I sat in the courtyard, staring at the gate of the old house, waiting for Lao Liu every second.

Every second felt incredibly long.

I kept glancing towards the outhouse, remembering the damp stains from last night and the grotesque skull, and I couldn't help but tremble. I didn't even dare look at the doors and windows of the outhouse anymore, afraid of seeing something I shouldn't have.

Seeing how restless I was, my second grandfather said calmly, "With the talisman on you, it can't get close to you. Don't be afraid."

I nodded, but the fear in my heart couldn't be dispelled with just a few words.

A dozen minutes later, the sound of a car engine came from outside the old house, followed by urgent knocking.

It's Lao Liu!

I dashed forward like an arrow released from a bow and flung open the door.

Outside the door, Old Liu was dressed in casual clothes, his hair was messy, his face was full of anxiety, he was still clutching his car keys in his hand, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, obviously he had rushed over.

He saw me, looked me up and down, and seeing my pale face, bloodshot eyes, and listless appearance, he immediately frowned: "Qin Yiheng, what happened to you? What happened to you? Did you really see a ghost?"

I grabbed him and pulled him into the yard, quickly closing the gate as if afraid something from outside would follow us in.

"Let's go inside first, I'll tell you slowly." My voice was hoarse as I pulled him towards the main room.

Old Liu entered the courtyard and, seeing the old house, the locust trees filling the yard, and the compass and talisman paper in the main room, his face instantly paled. He subconsciously moved closer to me, his voice trembling: "Why is your second grandfather's place so eerie? It's like a shrine in a horror movie..."

He was timid by nature, and as soon as he entered the courtyard, he felt a faint chill, making him feel uneasy all over.

I didn't say anything, but pulled him into the main room.

Second Grandfather was still sitting in the old elm chair, smoking a cigarette. He glanced at Old Liu and nodded slightly as a greeting.

Old Liu looked at his second grandfather, then at the room full of yin-yang ritual objects, and was too frightened to speak. He shrank beside me like a frightened young wife.

I pulled Lao Liu into a side room, closed the door, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, so I told him everything that had happened last night.

From the nightmare of the beautiful woman turning into a skeleton, to the wet stains by the bed, to the sleep paralysis, to the spring thunder saving his life, and then to the amulet given by his second grandfather, he told Old Liu everything without missing a single word.

Old Liu's face grew paler and paler as he listened. When he heard about the skeleton turning into a ghost, he started trembling all over. When he heard about the ghost footprints, he almost screamed. When he heard about sleep paralysis, he covered his mouth and his eyes widened.

By the time I finished speaking, Old Liu was already deathly pale, his lips had turned purple, and his voice was trembling uncontrollably: "Qin Yiheng...you...you're telling the truth? You're not making this up? There really are ghosts in this world? And they've got their eyes on you?"

I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes again: "I would never lie to you, no matter who I lie to. Last night I was almost robbed of my soul. If it weren't for Chunlei and my second grandfather, I would be finished by now."

Looking into my sincere yet panicked eyes, Lao Liu knew I wasn't lying to him.

Although he was timid, he was extremely loyal. Even though he was scared, he didn't run away immediately. He just grabbed my arm tightly, his voice trembling, "Then... what do we do now? Will it come back? Will we be in danger?"

"I don't know." I shook my head. "My second grandfather gave me a talisman, which I put under my pillow. It can't get close to me, but I'm still scared. I'm going crazy being here alone."

"Don't be afraid!" Old Liu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to be brave, and patted my shoulder. "I'll stay with you! I'm not leaving! I'll stay here with you. If it dares to come, I... I'll punch it!"

He spoke with great righteousness, but I could feel his body trembling uncontrollably; he was clearly terrified.

Even so, he still chose to stay with me.

This is my brother.

A warmth filled my heart, and much of my previous fear dissipated.

With Lao Liu around, I'm no longer alone.

We huddled in the side room, afraid to go out or speak loudly. We just sat on the bed, chatting idly, trying to dispel the fear in our hearts.

Old Liu told me funny stories from school and gossip from work, trying his best to make me happy. I forced a smile, but I was still apprehensive.

The daytime was spent in anxiety.

Soon, night fell again.

Night has fallen once again in the old house.

Darkness, like a tide, engulfed the entire courtyard. The temperature inside the side room dropped again, and that familiar, chilly atmosphere began to drift in and out of existence once more.

Old Liu clung tightly to me, his face deathly pale, his voice trembling: "Qin Yiheng... why do I feel so cold... is it... is it here again?"

I clutched the amulet under my pillow, my palms were sweating, and I was terrified, but I forced myself to remain calm and patted Lao Liu on the shoulder: "Don't be afraid, we have the amulet, it can't get close to us."

Even so, I still felt uncertain.

The terrifying scene from last night is still vivid in my mind. I'm terrified that the evil spirit will reappear tonight, break through the protection of the amulet, and harm me and Lao Liu.

I looked out the window at the pitch-black night sky, at the dappled shadows of the locust trees cast on the window paper, like menacing ghosts, and my heart pounded faster and faster.

This night was destined to be another sleepless one.

And Lao Liu and I will face this unknown terror together.