One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

"Without any external help, and given how powerful this female ghost's resentment is, how are we supposed to deal with her?"

Jiang Shou sat on the edge of the bed in the side room, his brows furrowed. A direct confrontation was definitely unwise. Although the true energy in his dantian had doubled, he was still just a novice cultivator. If he truly angered that vengeful ghost capable of hanging an adult, his small frame wouldn't stand a chance.

Just when he was at his wit's end, a sudden inspiration struck him.

He yanked open the drawer and pulled out the old man's "Disposal Record" from the very bottom. This work log recorded all sorts of strange things the old man had encountered while traveling around the country for most of his life; it was practically a living "encyclopedia of paranormal creatures."

Jiang Shou moistened his eyes with saliva and quickly flipped through the pages.

Finally, in the middle of the book, he found an old man's summary and insights on "spirits in the world".

It was written on it with a brush:

[The spirits in the world can generally be divided into three categories: malevolent spirits, vengeful spirits, and lingering spirits.]

Jiang Shou leaned closer and read it word by word.

[Evil spirits, those who suffered extreme torture before death or harbor boundless hatred, lose their minds and will actively absorb the vital energy of the living, harming people. When encountered, they must be suppressed and dispersed with swift and decisive action.]

[The spirits of the wronged are those who died with unresolved karmic debts. These spirits often linger around their enemies. They generally do not harm the innocent; once the truth is uncovered and the karmic grievances resolved, they will depart.]

[Those who linger, also known as earthbound spirits, are those who, due to an extremely strong attachment from their previous life, remain attached and thus refuse to leave. These spirits are extremely difficult to expel by force; the more forceful the attempt, the heavier their negative energy becomes. Only by finding their root cause and eliminating their attachment can they be sent into the cycle of reincarnation.]

After reading this classification, Jiang Shou stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

"Evil spirits, vengeful ghosts, lingering memories..."

He recalled the scene when he used the art of observing qi to observe Mr. and Mrs. Lin in the main hall of the Taoist temple.

Although the two people were enveloped in an extremely dense, almost tangible, gray-black Yin energy, there was no crimson resentment in that Yin energy that represented bloodlust, cruelty, and the desire to kill.

"Since she didn't intentionally try to kill, it means that this female ghost is not a mindless 'evil spirit'."

Jiang Shou closed the "Disposal Record," feeling a little more at ease. As long as it wasn't the kind of monster that would kill on sight, there was still room for communication and negotiation.

"However, while one shouldn't harbor malicious intentions, one must be wary of unscrupulous individuals. This is my first time soloing a dungeon, so I must be fully prepared!"

……

Jiang Shou took a deep breath, cleaned the table, spread out several sheets of fine yellow paper, and took out a wolf-hair brush and cinnabar.

He closed his eyes, mobilized the abundant true energy within his dantian, and elevated his essence, energy, and spirit to their peak.

"Whoosh~~" Jiang Shou picked up the pen and suspended his wrist, his eyes instantly becoming focused.

The first one: [Yang Qi Lantern Talisman]. This talisman can ignite an invisible yang fire in places with heavy yin energy, specifically used to expose ghosts that have hidden forms.

The second item: [Guardian Talisman]. This is your trump card for survival. Wearing it on your body protects you from evil spirits and prevents the invasion of yin energy; ordinary ghosts and evil spirits dare not approach you.

The third one: [Purification Talisman]. He was most skilled at drawing this talisman, which was specially used to dispel the yin and unclean energy in a house. It was most suitable for dealing with haunted houses like those in Jinshui Bay that never saw sunlight and had excessive yin energy.

After drawing the first three talismans, Jiang Shou's forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and one-third of the true essence in his dantian had been drawn away.

He stopped writing, took two deep breaths, and calmed his breathing slightly.

The next one is the most offensive talisman he can draw so far, as recorded in "Introduction to the Three Arts": the [Resentment-Breaking Talisman]!

This talisman can forcibly dispel the resentment on a spirit, sever its evil thoughts, and greatly weaken its power. However, it also consumes a tremendous amount of true essence.

Jiang Shou gritted his teeth and focused his mind once more. True essence flowed into the brush tip like silk threads, and the wolf-hair brush danced across the yellow paper.

Ten minutes later, the last difficult stroke was completed.

"Buzz...!" A sharp glint flashed from the [Resentment-Breaking Talisman] on the table, then the light receded.

"Huff..." Jiang Shou slumped in his chair, panting heavily.

Looking at the four talismans on the table, each radiating a mysterious aura, Jiang Shou felt much more at ease. However, after thinking about it, he realized that this was the first time he had faced such a powerful and malevolent force alone, and he still felt somewhat apprehensive.

"To be on the safe side, let's add another layer of insurance."

Despite his exhaustion, Jiang Shouqiang picked up his brush and drew a basic exorcism talisman. This talisman could not only temporarily repel the female ghost, but also be used as a cover if things went wrong, allowing him to slip away easily.

After drawing these five talismans, Jiang Shou had very little true essence left in his dantian, with only the [Dao Seed] still slowly rotating.

He did nothing else. After carefully putting the talisman close to his body, he sat down cross-legged on the wooden bed.

All afternoon, Jiang Shou kept his eyes closed and focused, relentlessly circulating his inner energy.

He must store as much true energy in his dantian as possible before taking action tonight.

……

7:30 p.m.

It was completely dark by then.

Jiang Shou finished his afternoon of meditation, opened his eyes, and a clear, sharp light flashed in them.

He got out of bed, went to the kitchen, heated up some leftovers from yesterday, and ate a few bites.

Next, I heated oil in a wok and fried a small crucian carp that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

"Clatter."

Fat Tiger appeared on the kitchen doorstep right on time, his amber eyes fixed intently on the pot.

Jiang Shou placed the fried fish into Pang Hu's special plate and carried it to the yard.

"Senior Fat Tiger, eat slowly. I have some important business to attend to tonight, so I'll probably be back late." Jiang Shou said to the orange cat, who was showing off its frying of fish, as he carefully put away the five precious talismans and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Fat Tiger didn't even raise his head, just gave a perfunctory flick of his tail.

"Rat-a-tat-tat~"

A blue three-wheeled motorcycle started up in the night, its snow-white headlights tearing through the darkness of the mountains and forests, speeding towards the south of the city.

It was 8:10 PM. Jiang Shou parked his three-wheeled vehicle on an auxiliary road outside the Jinshuiwan villa area.

This is a well-known upscale residential area in Qiyun County. The landscaping is excellent, the streetlights are dim, and tall plane trees line both sides of the road. But whether it's because of the low occupancy rate or the rumors surrounding that haunted house, the entire villa area is extremely deserted; you can't even see a single person out for a stroll.

Carrying his bag, Jiang Shou followed the address and house number left by Boss Lin, along the winding asphalt road inside the villa area, until he found the detached villa at the very back.

The villa had high walls and a tightly closed iron gate. The entire house was hidden in the night, with no lights on in any of the windows.

Jiang Shou stood outside the iron gate, not in a hurry to go in.

His mind settled, and he channeled a wisp of true energy into his eyes, instantly activating the "Aura Observation Technique".

Within Zhenyuan's vision, Jiang Shou could clearly see a dense, grayish-black aura swirling above the entire villa. This aura was like an impenetrable dark cloud, completely enveloping the house, and even the surrounding ornamental trees appeared somewhat withered under its influence.

"Good heavens, the concentration of yin energy here is like having central air conditioning on."

Jiang Shousan dispelled the Qi-observation technique.

He walked to the large iron gate of the courtyard. The gate had a combination lock; Boss Lin had left the password. But when Jiang Shou pressed the keypad, the screen didn't respond.

"Out of power?" Jiang Shou shook his head; this was no problem for him at all.

He took two steps back, took a running start, and pushed off with his feet. His body lightly leaped into the air, his hands bracing against the top of the iron gate, and he smoothly flipped over the two-meter-high gate, landing steadily on the lawn inside the yard.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of autumn insects.

Jiang Shou walked silently to the front door of the villa.

He reached out and gently pushed the heavy solid wood door.

"Squeak..."

Surprisingly, the door was not locked; with just a push, it slid slowly inward along the hinges.

A chilly, pungent smell of chemical fragrance wafted in through the crack in the door.

Jiang Shou frowned slightly, his right hand unconsciously reaching for the [Guardian Amulet] in his pocket.

He stood at the doorway, and after his eyes had adjusted to the darkness inside the house, he stepped over the threshold.

As soon as Jiang Shou stepped into the living room, using the faint moonlight filtering in from outside to make out the scene inside, he exclaimed, "This...this has been a robbery?"

The living room, which should have been luxuriously decorated and spacious, was now incredibly cluttered. A cheap peach wood sword was stuck straight up in the back of the leather sofa. Ashtrays and fruit bowls on the coffee table were broken and scattered all over the floor. Several black tripods lay overturned haphazardly on the floor.

In a corner not far away, two expensive-looking SLR cameras lay scattered on the carpet, their lens hoods cracked. Several unplugged RGB fill lights were also strewn haphazardly across the carpet.

This is not finished.

Jiang Shou's gaze shifted downwards.

On the wooden floor in the center of the living room, near the staircase.

There was a suspicious, transparent puddle of water that shimmered faintly in the moonlight.

In addition to the pungent smell of cheap perfume and the chilly atmosphere, there was also a faint... stench of urine wafting through the air.