Treasure

Yu Xiao Xue and Zhao Qian could only help. With the combined strength of the three of them, they finally managed to move the iron lump down and placed it in the courtyard.

After the pottery tools were unloaded from the car, I planned to drive to get the Yin Earth. This Yin Earth wasn't the kind related to birthdates, but rather the most yin earth, constantly exposed to yin energy and influenced by ghostly energy, which altered its properties as clay.

It was like the mud in a mass grave where dead bodies are buried. It was best if the deceased died unjustly and were buried without coffins, allowing their flesh and bones to directly contact the soil. That would be the best.

The best place to find this kind of thing was actually Yin Feng Town. However, Death Town was too far from here. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to return if I went, so even though it was the first choice, I directly gave up on it.

"Zhao Qian, you still have a spare Feng Shui Compass, right? I need to find some Yin Earth. Can you bring your Feng Shui Compass and go with me? Don't bring that fake one from last time. This time, it might be a bit dangerous," I said. I really couldn't do this without Zhao Qian to find the Yin Earth.

In Xiao Yi Hamlet, Zhao Qian was the most reliable for finding yin and yang energy. I could only detect nearby yin energy. If I had to find Yin Earth, I'd be completely lost.

"I also have an ancestral Star Fixing Compass. I'll bring this one this time," Zhao Qian said, then went back to her room to get it.

"Hmm, judging by the name, it sounds like a good item. But it's best to bring some Talisman Paper too. We'll probably encounter some dirty things." When looking for fierce items like Yin Earth, of course, we needed to prepare some Talisman Paper. Although I had bought a complete set of talisman-making tools, Talisman Paper wasn't something you could just draw and use on the spot.

Talismans are a profound and secret art. Whether they are effective depends on one's own great concentration. If the concentration is insufficient, the drawn items will be useless. Moreover, to compensate for insufficient concentration during the drawing process, thousands of talismans need to be drawn to practice and improve drawing speed, thus compensating for the lack of concentration.

Zhao Qian had some skill in exorcising ghosts and usually drew some paper talismans. I had seen her talismans when I was in Xiao Yi Village, and they were quite good, showing great effort.

"Oh, then I'll bring some curse talismans like Ghost Exorcism Talismans," Zhao Qian said. In reality, it wasn't realistic for her to produce some advanced curse talismans.

For example, advanced curse talismans like Spirit Communication Talismans that directly ward off demons and communicate with spirits were beyond her ability to draw, and even I couldn't draw them now even if I squeezed out my pure yang essence blood.

However, Ghost Exorcism Talismans were more reliable, came in many varieties, were easy to draw, and had strong targeted effects. If used in the right place, they could often achieve unexpected results.

"Tian Ge, what about me?" Yu Xiao Xue said, sounding anxious when she heard she wasn't going.

"You're a high school student, so stay home and watch TV. It's best to review your homework. You'll be going to school soon. Stay out of adult matters," I threatened her. She wasn't very brave. I didn't even dare to let her see Xijun now because she fainted every time she saw her. Fortunately, she didn't remember anything after waking up, otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to say.

"Oh," Yu Xiao Xue said, pitifully fiddling with the hem of her clothes. I pretended not to see.

"Xue, why don't you come over to my place? Sister has a lot of snacks, and a big TV too," Han Shanshan enticed.

"No, you should go home and sleep. If you follow her, you'll be corrupted," I glared at Han Shanshan. These two are both airheads; I can't let them get together.

"Hmph," Han Shanshan continued to hum, wanting to say something else, when her mobile phone in her pocket rang. "Captain Huo?"

It seemed Huo Dadong had also safely returned to the bureau.

Halfway through the phone call, Han Shanshan asked me, "Captain Huo is inviting us to dinner. Do you want to go?"

"No, I have something urgent to do. Tell him for me," I refused the dinner invitation. Things were urgent now; why would he invite me to dinner?

"Oh, okay, I'll tell him then." Han Shanshan went back to her phone call.

As I drove the car out of the entrance, Zhao Qian also had a small cloth bag slung over her shoulder and a handbag.

The cloth bag contained her essentials, and the handbag was for a girl's personal belongings, to be put in the car. Seeing her with so many bags, I started to feel quite alone, having only brought Xijun.

After bidding farewell to Yu Xiao Xue and Han Shanshan, Zhao Qian and I drove away.

On the road, I let Xijun out. After all, Zhao Qian was used to Xijun's presence, so I didn't need to hide her deliberately.

In the passenger seat, Zhao Qian took out a red cloth bag from her belongings. When she opened it, a very stable, ancient-looking Feng Shui Compass lay inside. It was obvious at a glance that it was an antique and its value was immeasurable.

The appearance of the Star Fixing Compass made Xijun, who had been sticking to my face, suddenly look over, baring her fierce teeth.

"Xijun, don't cause trouble," I frowned, stopping Xijun from getting aggressive.

Seeing Xijun's unfriendly expression, Zhao Qian was startled and immediately re-wrapped the red cloth, covering the Star Fixing Compass.

"Is this the Star Fixing Compass?" I asked. Although I didn't know its material, this thing could definitely ward off evil spirits. Xijun's reaction at this moment proved it.

"Yes, it was always locked in the safe. Grandpa secretly left it to me, along with a special incantation. He said he didn't pass it to my dad or my second uncle because their state of mind wasn't right. Especially my second uncle, even if they had it, they wouldn't be able to use it effectively," Zhao Qian told me, stroking the red cloth bag with great emotion.

"Have you ever thought that perhaps your second uncle and the others targeted you precisely because of this ancient artifact?" This thing, not even activated yet, could provoke a reaction from Xijun. I couldn't help but think it was a divine artifact. However, I had no desire for it, because controlling the Star Fixing Compass required a special incantation and knowledge of Feng Shui, which I definitely lacked.

"My brother and I have known for a long time. They've set traps for me several times, and I only managed to resolve them with the Star Fixing Compass. We just didn't say anything. If we didn't take it out, they wouldn't be able to confirm. Grandpa told me to guard the Star Fixing Compass no matter what; it's more important than family," Zhao Qian sighed.

I felt that the Star Fixing Compass was definitely in the same category as Wang Cheng's dog-beating whip and Lin Feiyu's unlucky nails – a treasured heirloom of a powerful aristocratic family.

It was a shame that although I inherited my grandmother's Daoist lineage, I only got a bunch of broken pottery jars. I didn't get a single item that could be called a family heirloom. I thought perhaps the Ghost Raising Dao didn't have many heirlooms, but then I remembered that my grandmother's chest did contain a half-mask, which might be an item from the Daoist sect of the Ghost Raising Dao. Although it looked useless, it should probably count as a family heirloom.

Lost in thought, I casually asked her about her mentor, "By the way, who is your master? Who taught you to make talismans?"

"I don't know. In high school, I met a wandering old woman who taught me. I invited her to stay at my home for a while, and she taught me a lot about Daoism. But one day she went out and never came back," Zhao Qian said, tears starting to fall again. "Her memory isn't very good. I'm afraid she might have gotten lost..."

"So it was a lay Buddhist practitioner. Don't worry, a master like her will definitely be fine. After all, masters are like dragons that show their heads but not their tails. Maybe she'll show up at your door one day," I immediately comforted the pitiful Zhao Qian.

I noticed that Zhao Qian cried very easily. She must have been a crybaby as a child, and coupled with her brother Zhao He's constant protection, it had fostered a relatively timid personality in her.

"Thank you, Tian Ge," Zhao Qian said, nodding.

"Talking doesn't cost money, why are you thanking me?" I said with a smile.

I drove the car towards the suburbs, heading towards the shooting range at Liancheng Mountain, as it was the only place I could think of with heavy yin energy.

Zhao Qian didn't find anything unusual, so I just kept driving.

When we arrived at the shooting range, it was already getting dark. I grabbed a shovel and headed towards the ancient bridge. Zhao Qian seemed a bit scared, constantly looking up at the sky.

"Do you think looking at the sky will stop it from getting dark? Don't worry, we're not going to provoke them. We're just digging for some Yin Earth; it's not like they'll kill or torture us. Take out the Star Fixing Compass. I still need you to determine the location. Quickly check if the direction I'm walking is correct." I felt Zhao Qian was also timid. Perhaps she hadn't encountered many dangerous things before meeting me, so she wasn't that scared. But after meeting me, especially after the deaths at Zhang Kaifu's place, she started to get scared.

"Oh," Zhao Qian finally remembered the purpose of her trip. She took out the Star Fixing Compass and began to measure the direction with the heaviest yin energy.

As it turned out, the direction she indicated coincided with the path I was taking.

Winding and twisting, we still crossed the ancient bridge. The spot with the strongest Yin energy was indeed the place where I burned incense and fled for my life that night!

In that same place, at that same spot, Sister Wife tugged at my sleeve again.

A chill ran down my spine. I glanced at Xijun. Xijun wasn't as terrified as before, but her face still showed a look of vigilance.

"Tian Ge, we can't go any further. Something's definitely waiting for us there." The needle on the Star Fixing Compass was trembling, and Zhao Qian's face had also turned a little pale. She didn't dare to go forward either.

I thought for a moment, looked at the ancient stele still about ten meters ahead, and the location of the tomb robbers near the wrongly-died tomb not far away, and said, "This is the spot, but we need to go a little further. Do you see that ancient tomb over there? Get the talisman paper ready."

I wanted to dig up the Yin Earth from where that tomb robber died. It looked the most ferocious there. If the soil had been stained with blood, that would have been even better. Although I found it terrifying and disgusting, I had to take this risk for Xijun.

Moving forward another two or three meters, the stench became even more intense. Zhao Qian covered her nose with one hand, wanting to ask me what that smell was.

I didn't dare to tell her. If I told her, she might run away without a trace immediately.

"Tian Ge... let's turn on the flashlight. It's getting dark," Zhao Qian suggested, handing me the flashlight.

I thought it was a good idea and immediately turned on the flashlight. As soon as it was on, I decisively swept the beam towards the direction of the previous tomb-robbing hole, as it was the spot I considered optimal.

When I looked, I almost wet myself! A hand was dangling out of the tomb-robbing hole!

Zhao Qian followed the beam of the flashlight and let out a loud scream. The stack of talisman paper she had just taken out fell to the ground.

"Quick! Quickly burn incense!" Wasn't it still in the ground just now? How did it get out! What's going on?