Yin Yang Diviner

Night completely enveloped the old house on the outskirts of the city, the darkness like a thick black cloth, covering the entire courtyard completely.

The lights were off in the side room, with only the faint moonlight filtering in through the window, barely illuminating the outline of the room. The temperature was extremely low; although it was early summer, it felt as bitterly cold as the dead of winter. Lao Liu and I huddled together in the corner of the bed, our bodies trembling.

Old Liu's teeth chattered incessantly, not from the cold, but from fear. He gripped my arm tightly, his knuckles white, his eyes wide, staring at every dark corner of the room, his voice barely a whisper: "Yiheng... I feel... someone is watching us..."

My hair stood on end, my heart was pounding, but I could only try to remain calm: "Don't talk nonsense, it's just that the old house is shady and the wind is blowing."

Even so, I was still feeling uneasy. The amulet under my pillow was still warm, but the lingering, chilling aura was even stronger than last night, like a pair of invisible eyes staring intently at us in the darkness, sending chills down my spine.

I remembered the water stains that stretched from the doorway to the bedside last night, and the hideous skeletal demon, and a chill ran down my spine. I was terrified that tonight, that demon would disregard the talisman's protection and break in again to harm me and Lao Liu.

Old Liu is an ordinary person, with more yang energy than me, but he has absolutely no ability to protect himself. Once he is targeted by evil spirits, the consequences will be unimaginable.

I can't drag him down with me.

I gritted my teeth and nudged Lao Liu: "Lao Liu, you should go back. This place is too dangerous. It's after me. If you stay here, you'll get in trouble."

Although Old Liu was timid, he glared at me instantly. Though his face was pale, his tone was firm: "Qin Yiheng, what kind of person do you take me for? If a brother is in trouble, would I abandon you and run away? Stop talking, I'm not leaving. We'll go together, or we'll stay together!"

His voice trembled, yet it was incredibly sincere.

My heart warmed, and my eyes instantly welled up with tears.

This is my best friend, my brother.

I stopped trying to persuade him, and just clutched the amulet under my pillow, silently praying that my second grandfather's talisman could really protect us and that the evil spirit wouldn't appear tonight.

But the more afraid you are, the more likely something bad is to happen.

Not long after, light footsteps were heard again outside the side room.

rustling.

Slowly, lightly, the sound of bare feet stepping on the bluestone slabs was exactly the same as last night.

Old Liu was so frightened that he held his breath, covered his mouth tightly, and dared not make a sound. His body trembled like a leaf.

I was completely stiff, my heart was in my throat, my eyes were fixed on the door, and I didn't dare to breathe.

The footsteps stopped at the door of the side room, just like last night, and then stopped moving.

Immediately afterwards, a slight scratching sound came from outside the door.

The fingernails scraped against the wooden door, making a clear, piercing scratching sound that was especially frightening in the silent night.

Old Liu was so frightened he almost cried. He clung tightly to my arm, buried his head in my shoulder, and trembled all over.

I was terrified, but I could only grit my teeth and remain motionless.

I remembered my second grandfather's words: No matter what you hear, don't open your eyes, don't make a sound, and don't get out of bed.

I gripped the amulet tightly, my palms sweating profusely, frantically chanting in my mind: "Amulet, protect me, amulet, protect me, don't let it in, don't hurt us..."

The scratching sound lasted for a full minute, then a hoarse whisper came from outside the door, indistinct yet carrying a chilling, bone-chilling coldness, much like the voice of the skeleton in my dream.

"Young master... come out... and stay with me..."

Old Liu was so frightened that he froze and burst into tears, but he covered his mouth tightly, afraid to make a sound.

I was so frightened that my whole body went cold, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

It's really back again!

It knows I'm inside!

Just when I thought it would break down the door, the scratching and whispering sounds outside suddenly disappeared.

The footsteps gradually faded away and eventually disappeared.

The temperature inside the room slowly rose a little, and the chilly atmosphere faded away.

It's gone?

It's finally gone?

Old Liu and I collapsed onto the bed, panting heavily, our bodies soaked in cold sweat, as if we had just been pulled out of the water.

Old Liu finally couldn't hold back anymore and cried out softly, "Qin Yiheng...it's terrifying...what is that thing...I never want to come here again..."

I patted his back to comfort him, but I was also quite frightened myself.

I know this isn't a long-term solution. The evil spirit hasn't given up; it will come again and again until it steals my soul.

I must go find my second grandfather.

I must make him get rid of this evil spirit completely!

I struggled to my feet, opened the door to the side room, rushed out, and headed straight for the main room.

Inside the main room, a dim yellow light shone, and my second grandfather was still sitting in the old elm wood chair, smoking a cigarette, as if he had known I would come all along.

"Second Grandpa!" I rushed to him, my voice choked with sobs. "It's back again! It's scratching at the door and talking! It won't let me go! Please help me, get rid of it completely!"

Seeing my panicked look, my second grandfather put down his pipe and sighed, "I told you long ago that you have a special destiny. It has its eye on you. If it's not eradicated, you'll never have peace."

He got up, walked to the incense table, picked up a piece of yellow paper, and then picked up a cinnabar pen. This time, the talisman he drew was larger and more complex than the one he drew last night, with sharp and righteous characters.

After drawing the talisman, he took out a red cloth bag, opened it, and found it contained grains and some cinnabar powder. He folded the drawn talisman, put it into the cloth bag, tied it tightly with a red string, and made a small red envelope.

"Here you go." My second grandfather handed me the red envelope. "This is called a 'suppressing evil red envelope.' It contains the yang energy of the five grains, cinnabar to ward off evil, and a ghost-suppressing talisman. It's ten times more powerful than the talisman under your pillow. If you put it under your pillow, it will not only protect you but also the people around you. If any evil spirits dare to come again, they will be repelled by the talisman and their souls will be scattered."

I took the red envelope. It was warm to the touch, and a rich aroma of cinnabar and grains wafted towards me. A powerful aura of righteousness instantly enveloped me, and all the previous chill and fear vanished.

I clutched the red envelope as if it were the most precious treasure in the world, feeling incredibly at peace.

"Thank you, Second Grandpa! Thank you, Second Grandpa!" I kept thanking him.

"Go back now." Second Grandfather waved his hand. "Put the red envelope away safely and get some sleep. Nothing else will happen tonight."

I nodded vigorously, turned around and ran back to the side room.

Old Liu was still huddled in bed, trembling with fear. Seeing me return, he immediately asked, "How did it go? What did your second grandfather say?"

I held up the red envelope in my hand, a long-lost smile spreading across my face: "It's alright, it's all over! Second Grandpa gave us a red envelope to ward off evil spirits. We put it under our pillows, and that evil ghost won't dare come back anymore. We can sleep peacefully now!"

I carefully placed the red envelope under the pillow, then lay down and pulled Lao Liu down to lie down with me.

The red envelope under the pillow was incredibly warm. A warm feeling spread through the pillow and throughout my body, completely dispelling the chill in the room, leaving only peace and warmth.

Seeing my calm demeanor, Lao Liu breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was still a little scared, he was no longer as panicked as before.

"Are you really alright?" Old Liu asked in a low voice.

"It's alright now." I nodded firmly. "Don't worry about Second Grandfather's abilities. With this red envelope, evil spirits won't dare to come near."

We lay down and closed our eyes.

There was no chill, no footsteps, no scratching, no whispers.

The only sounds were the wind outside the window and our steady breathing.

After tossing and turning all night, I finally succumbed to sleepiness and drifted off to sleep.

I didn't have any nightmares that night.

There were no beautiful women, no hideous skeletons, no cold water stains, and no death whispers.

I slept soundly and peacefully.

I was woken up by the sunlight the next morning.

Outside the window, the sun shines brightly, birds sing and flowers bloom, and the locust tree leaves in the yard sway gently in the breeze; everything is peaceful and beautiful.

When I woke up, the first thing I did was reach under my pillow. The red envelope was still there, still warm.

I breathed a long sigh of relief; the weight on my heart finally lifted.

Old Liu also woke up, rubbing his eyes with a blank expression, clearly having also had a good sleep.

"Yiheng," Old Liu yawned, "I don't think I had any nightmares last night, nor did I hear any strange noises."

I smiled and held up the red envelope under my pillow: "Because of it, evil spirits will be driven away, and there will be no taboos."

Old Liu stared at the red envelope with disbelief, then breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest: "That scared me to death! Thank goodness everything's alright! Your great-uncle is amazing!"

I nodded, my heart filled with gratitude and awe for my second grandfather.

I have finally come to believe that there are spirits and deities, and that there are feng shui and mystical arts in this world.

I finally understand that I can't escape it.

My destiny dictates that I should enter this field.

My second grandfather was my only guide.

Looking at the warding-off-evil red envelope in my hand, I secretly made up my mind:

I want to learn a skill from my second grandfather.

I need to learn to protect myself and the people around me.

I no longer want to be bullied by evil spirits, and I no longer want to live in fear.

From this moment on, I, Qin Yiheng, am no longer that aimless, unemployed bum.

I want to become a yin-yang master who can ward off evil, protect people, and stand alone.