One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

Silent all night.

As dawn broke, a pale white hue appeared on the eastern horizon. A thin mist gradually rose from the mountains and forests, accompanied by the clear and melodious chirping of birds.

Jiang Shou slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, ending his final internal cycle of cultivation. He opened his eyes, a glint of clarity flashing in them, and rolled out of bed.

After getting dressed, Jiang Shou walked through the main hall and reached out to pull open the wooden bolt on the gate.

"Creak..." The heavy elm wood door was slowly pulled open, and the rising sun poured into the bluestone slabs of the Taoist temple through the crack in the door.

Hearing the door open, the Lin couple, who were huddled in the corner of the door frame, their hands and feet freezing cold, were suddenly awakened.

The two looked up, somewhat bewildered. In the backlight of the morning sun, Jiang Shou, dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe embroidered with subtle patterns, stood tall and straight within the high threshold. The golden sunlight bathed him in a soft halo.

His handsome and clean-cut face was serene, and his eyes were so clear that they seemed to see through all the illusions of the world.

The Lin couple were completely stunned. In their eyes, Jiang Shou at this moment was like a banished immortal who had stepped out of an ancient painting, exuding an ethereal and otherworldly aura.

They were stunned for a good four or five seconds before they came to their senses.

"Master Jiang... Master Jiang!"

Mr. Lin frantically tried to stand up, but his legs were numb from squatting and sleeping on the cold stone steps all night. As soon as he tried to exert himself, his legs gave way, and he stumbled forward.

Mrs. Lin quickly stood up, leaning against the wall. The two women supported each other, looking extremely disheveled.

After finally regaining his footing, Boss Lin, without saying a word, pulled his wife and bowed deeply to Jiang Shou, who was standing inside the door, giving a nearly ninety-degree bow.

"Master Jiang! My wife and I were blind and failed to recognize your greatness! We have been very disrespectful, and we beg you to be magnanimous and not hold it against us!"

Boss Lin's voice was a little hoarse because he had caught a chill, but his tone was very humble and respectful.

Jiang Shou stood still and accepted the bow with composure.

"There's no need for you two to be so formal." Jiang Shou raised his hand, his tone so calm that it was impossible to discern his emotions. "You've come all night, covered in cold air. Something must have happened at your residence in Jinshui Bay."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lin's eyes instantly reddened, and she nodded repeatedly, "Master, you are incredibly wise! If it weren't for the true talisman you bestowed last night, my husband and I would probably have perished in that house!"

Jiang Shou didn't interrupt their lingering fear. He stepped aside and said calmly, "The mountain dew is heavy in the early morning. Let's go inside the temple and have a cup of hot tea to warm ourselves up."

The two men, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, followed Jiang Shou into the Taoist temple with profuse thanks.

Jiang Shou led them to a wooden table in the side hall and made them sit down. He went to the kitchen to boil some water and brewed a cup of ordinary tea for each of them.

"Please have some hot water to calm your nerves," Jiang Shou said, setting down his teacup. "I still have my morning prayers to finish, please excuse me for a moment."

After saying that, Jiang Shou ignored what urgent business the two had, walked to the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard, faced the rising sun, closed his eyes, and began his daily practice of the "Guardian One Mind Method" breathing exercise.

Mr. Lin held the rough teacup, took a sip of the scalding hot tea, and felt the chill that had seeped into his bones finally dissipate a little.

The couple sat on chairs in the side hall, quietly watching the young figure breathing in the courtyard through the door frame.

Jiang Shou's movements were extremely natural and graceful. With each breath, he seemed to blend in with the sound of the wind and the rustling of the leaves in the surrounding mountains and forests, exuding a mysterious charm of "following the way of nature".

Looking at this ethereal scene, Boss Lin turned his head and exchanged a complicated look with his wife.

Both of them simultaneously recalled the "Master Wang" in the Jinshuiwan villa last night, with his hair slicked back with hair gel, wearing a reflective synthetic fiber Taoist robe, and even carrying various lights and smoke machines.

"We were truly bewitched..." Boss Lin lowered his voice, his tone full of bitterness and self-mockery. "I've been in the business world for so many years, and I consider myself to have an excellent eye for people. How could I have believed in those charlatans who create hype online, and instead mistook genuine enlightened masters for unreliable young people?"

Mrs. Lin was also full of regret: "Sigh... I shouldn't have listened to those people's nonsense. Last night, that fake Taoist priest was so scared by the female ghost that he ran away with his assistant in the middle of the night. He didn't even dare to go back to pick up the cameras and lights in the living room, let alone pay the final payment."

"Consider the 30,000 yuan deposit a lesson learned." Boss Lin gripped his teacup tightly, his gaze fixed firmly on Jiang Shou in the courtyard. "As long as this Master Jiang is willing to help, I'm willing to pay any price!"

……

About half an hour later.

Jiang Shou slowly withdrew from his stance, opened his eyes, and exhaled a breath of fresh air.

He walked to the main hall, offered incense to the Three Pure Ones and his grandfather, and then stepped back to the side hall, sitting down in the chair opposite Boss Lin and his wife.

"I'm sorry to have kept you both waiting." Jiang Shou picked up the iced tea on the table and moistened his throat.

"No rush, no rush, the immortal master's quiet cultivation is the most important!" Boss Lin quickly put down his teacup and sat up straight.

Jiang Shou looked at them, abandoning his polite formalities, his expression becoming somewhat solemn: "Boss Lin, judging from your complexions yesterday, the Yin energy emanating from you two is extremely strong. What's lingering in your villa is definitely not an ordinary wandering ghost, but a ferocious evil spirit that has come into its own."

"Although my talisman temporarily repelled it, it's only a temporary fix," Jiang Shou said frankly. "That vengeful spirit's resentment is extremely strong. If I were to take action, I could only go and test the waters first. I can't guarantee that I can subdue it."

Upon hearing that Jiang Shou was willing to help, Boss Lin was so excited he almost jumped for joy: "We would be eternally grateful if you, Immortal Master, were willing to go! Whether it succeeds or not, our Lin family will certainly offer a generous reward!"

"Please leave the exact address of your villa."

Jiang Shou found some paper and pen and pushed them over: "Since that female ghost only appears at night, I will go there at midnight tonight. Leave your phone number and the specific address and house number of the villa, and I will go there alone. The yin energy on you two has not dissipated, so going there will only be a hindrance. Just rest peacefully in the hotel outside and don't come along."

The Lin couple exchanged a glance and nodded repeatedly. They understood the custom that such accomplished people didn't like to be disturbed.

Without hesitation, Mr. Lin wrote down the detailed address and gate password of Jinshuiwan Villa.

"Immortal Master, then we await your good news!"

The two left the Taoist temple, expressing their deepest gratitude.

After seeing off Mr. and Mrs. Lin, Jiang Shou closed the gate and returned to his room alone.

He sat on the edge of the bed, reached into his robe, and took out the Suihan Order.

The wooden plaque was still cold to the touch. Turning it over, the hexagram—"Seizing the creation of heaven and earth, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. One should do good to transform one's destiny"—remained quietly suspended there, unchanged.

Jiang Shou sighed and threw the wooden plaque onto the bed.

"The cause and effect of fortune and misfortune being intertwined has not yet been resolved. It seems that this time, Suihanling is really not going to meddle in this matter."

In the past, when encountering difficult problems, the "Winter Solstice" system would at least provide standard answer hints such as "It is advisable to move the bed" or "It is advisable to guide the soul back to its place."

But now, facing the ferocious female ghost entrenched in the Jinshui Bay villa, Jiang Shou has lost the direct help of his cheat system.

He rubbed his temples.

His mind raced through the contents of "An Introduction to the Three Arts," pondering, "If we go to the haunted house tonight, what method should we use to deal with her?"