As a dignified max-level Celestial Master, who am I supposed to explain this to?

Han Xuan squatted down and carefully examined the crack.

His divine sense probed downwards along the crack, deeper and deeper, farther and farther...

Then he saw it.

About three zhang (approximately 10 meters) underground, there is a well.

The well opening was covered by a stone slab, which was covered with runes.

But the stone slab was cracked and the runes were incomplete.

And in that well...

The moment Han Xuan's divine sense touched the well opening.

A surge of overwhelming resentment suddenly erupted, like a wild beast that had been imprisoned for many years, frantically pounding against the seal.

"boom--!!!"

The entire ancestral hall trembled. The memorial tablets on the shrine collapsed with a clatter, and the two ever-burning lamps went out simultaneously.

Han Xuan remained completely still.

He withdrew his divine sense, stood up, and patted the dust off his knees.

"interesting."

He muttered to himself, "So the Xia family's troubles weren't the old man's injuries, but this well."

He turned and walked out of the ancestral hall, stood in the courtyard, and looked up at the moon in the sky.

The moon had just peeked out from behind the clouds, its pale light casting an eerie glow on the weeds in the backyard.

"Come out."

Han Xuan suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

no respond.

"I know you're here."

Han Xuan's tone was as calm as if he were chatting with an old friend, "I sensed it when I came in through the moon gate. Aren't you tired of hiding for so long?"

There was a three-second silence.

Then, a figure slowly emerged from behind a locust tree on the side of the ancestral hall.

Under the moonlight, the figure was slender and tall, wearing a white dress, with long hair draped over her shoulders, standing barefoot on the cold stone slab.

It's Xia Zhiwei.

Her face was even paler than during the day, almost transparently white.

But her eyes remained calm and composed, without a trace of panic.

"How did you find out?"

She asked, her voice calm.

Han Xuan glanced at her:

"Your breathing. It's been with me since you were in the hospital, but your breathing rhythm has never changed."

"Ordinary people would get nervous and their breathing would quicken when they were being followed. You didn't at all. This indicates two things: either you are a professional stalker, or you already know what's in the backyard and don't need to be nervous at all."

He paused.

I think it's the latter.

Xia Zhiwei remained silent for a while, then walked to Han Xuan's side and stood next to him in front of the ancestral hall.

"How much do you know about what's going on in the backyard?" she asked.

"Just discovered it."

Han Xuan answered truthfully, "There is a well underground, and the well is filled with a strong resentment. The seal is about to collapse."

"It seems my master came here, set up an array, and affixed talismans. But that was many years ago."

He turned to look at Xia Zhiwei.

"You always knew?"

Xia Zhiwei nodded.

"I've known that since I was little."

Her voice remained cold, but Han Xuan noticed that her fingers were slightly clenching the hem of her skirt. "After Grandpa was injured, the backyard was sealed off."

"He wouldn't let me come, but I secretly came once when I was a child. Back then, the seal was still very strong, and I just felt it was very cold and scary. Later, when I grew up, I could feel something underground. It was... moving."

"move?"

"It's like something is struggling inside."

Xia Zhiwei's gaze fell on the direction of the ancestral hall. "It gets stronger every year. In the last six months, it's become increasingly restless. Sometimes at night, I can hear sounds coming from the well."

What was that sound?

Xia Zhiwei was silent for a moment, then whispered four words:

"Let me out."

The night wind blew through the backyard, and the locust tree branches rustled, as if countless hands were waving in the darkness.

Han Xuan's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes darkened slightly.

Does your grandfather know?

"Know."

Xia Zhiwei nodded, "But he wouldn't tell me what it was. Every time I asked, he would say it was nothing and not to worry about it."

"His health is deteriorating, and I know it's not just because of old injuries. He's using his inner energy to strengthen the seal."

Upon hearing this, Han Xuan frowned.

Xia Yuanshan's injuries were caused by broken meridians and disordered internal energy.

He always thought it was an old wound from when he was young and exorcising demons.

But now it seems...

That's more like it.

Maintaining the seal with one's own internal energy over many years has led to excessive depletion of the meridians.

"How long has it been?"

Han Xuan asked.

"From as far back as I can remember."

Xia Zhiwei's voice finally showed a slight fluctuation, "At least fifteen years."

fifteen years.

It would be strange if someone used their own inner energy to maintain the seal for fifteen years without their meridians breaking.

Han Xuan took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

Do you know what's sealed in the well?

Xia Zhiwei shook her head: "Grandpa won't tell."

"Then I'll tell you."

Han Xuan turned to face the ancestral hall, his gaze passing through the wall and landing on the well below the crack.

"There's a ghost sealed in the well. Not just any vengeful ghost, but an old ghost formed from resentment, which has existed for at least a hundred years."

"Its cultivation level... if converted to a cultivator's level, is probably between the fifth and sixth level of the Golden Light Mantra."

He paused.

"And it's coming out soon."

Xia Zhiwei's expression changed.

It wasn't fear, but a solemn sense of "it's just as I thought."

"Can you handle it?" she asked.

Han Xuan glanced at her and suddenly smiled.

"Miss Xia, have you forgotten who I am?"

He raised his right hand, and a golden arc of electricity lit up his palm, illuminating the entire backyard.

The shadow of the locust tree swayed wildly on the ground, as if it had been scalded by the light.

"The eldest disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain, a max-level Celestial Master."

His tone was casual, but every word carried an undeniable confidence: "He's just a century-old ghost, no need to be so nervous."

Xia Zhiwei stared at the golden lightning in his palm and remained silent for three seconds.

Then she said something that almost made Han Xuan choke.

"Every time you say something casual, you make a huge fuss."

"Like Qingxi Town before, the back mountain."

She raised her head and looked at Han Xuan expressionlessly.

"Could you be a little gentler this time? This is my family's ancestral hall."

Han Xuan's smile froze on his face.

"How do you know about Qingxi Town and the back mountain?"

"Zhao Xiaofan told me."

Xia Zhiwei's tone was relaxed, "He sent me thirty-seven messages, detailing the entire process of each of your battles. He also attached photos and videos."

Han Xuan: "This kid betrayed me..."

Zhao Xiaofan, you just wait.

When I get back, I'll show you what true gentleness is!

I will try my best to be gentle.

Han Xuan coughed lightly, changing the subject, "But before that, I need to understand the whole story. How did this ghost get sealed in the well?"

"Why is it your grandfather who is maintaining the seal? If we don't get these questions straight, there could be problems if we act rashly."

Xia Zhiwei nodded.

"Then go ask my grandfather."