Deterrence

"Master..."

Steward Huang called out with concern, but Dong Lei waved his hand to silence him.

"Go on. Tell the others to be more vigilant and not repeat the mistakes of the past," Dong Lei said, his expression calm.

"Yes, Master."

Steward Huang acknowledged the order, looked at Dong Lei, and retreated with a helpless expression.

Dong Lei gazed at the coffin and the spirit tablet ahead. A look of sorrow gradually appeared in his eyes, but it was overshadowed by a firm resolve, as if a raging fire were burning within him.

Zhou Yan sat in the courtyard pavilion. The servants nearby stood far away, many casting worried glances in his direction.

They weren't worried about Zhou Yan; they were worried that he was another fraud, which would only spell disaster for them.

The mansion had been haunted multiple times before. Although only the first incident had claimed a life, the subsequent two had turned the household upside down and left everyone in a state of panic.

If it weren't for the fact that life outside was truly difficult in these times, many would have already fled.

However, at this rate, they feared they would eventually reach their breaking point.

Now, looking at Zhou Yan, they felt he possessed a certain air of authority; perhaps he could actually deal with the malevolent ghost.

Just as they were pondering this, few noticed that the burly man who had been standing by Zhou Yan's side had vanished without a trace.

"Wooo..."

A gust of eerie wind blew, and the familiar sensation immediately made many of the Dong Mansion servants shrink back in fear.

Someone even shouted, "The malevolent ghost is here!"

In an instant, the servants who had been bracing themselves huddled together, backing against one another while thrusting their torches outward.

It seemed that after experiencing several hauntings, they had gained some experience.

Zhou Yan's eyes opened slightly. His right hand quickly brushed over the Peach Wood Sword on the stone table, where two bamboo tubes—one filled with Boy Urine and the other with Rooster Blood—also rested.

After refining his Profound Yin Essence Blood, his perception of yin energy had become incredibly sharp.

In his perception, a blurred figure whistled into the courtyard, circled once, and flew directly toward him.

This is a ghost raised by someone, Zhou Yan thought to himself immediately.

For ordinary ghosts, the greatest attraction is yang energy.

But Zhou Yan practiced the Mystic Yin Art; his body was saturated with yin energy, making him almost half-ghost himself.

If a wandering spirit had encountered Zhou Yan, it would have either treated him as one of its own or ignored him entirely.

It would not have charged straight at him like this.

Zhou Yan felt the malevolent ghost approaching, his expression as calm as water, without the slightest ripple.

He was no longer the Zhou Yan of the past. Having dealt with a Zombie, slain a Water Ghost, and engaged in the frantic cultivation and refining of zombies, he had undergone a transformation.

It was not just a physical transformation, but a spiritual one as well.

Beyond his original caution, he had developed a temperament that bordered on obsession.

The closer the danger, the calmer his heart became, even tinged with a faint sense of excitement.

"Swish..."

Seeing the malevolent ghost about to reach him, Zhou Yan unhurriedly opened the jar containing the Rooster Blood and poured it out.

Everything was done with composure and ease; there was not a hint of panic.

"Ah..."

A distorted figure suddenly appeared in the previously empty space, letting out a shrill, miserable scream.

The sound was so loud that everyone in the courtyard heard it.

Many were restless, their eyes drifting toward the scene.

The next moment, the Peach Wood Sword on Zhou Yan's table swept out, cleaving the malevolent ghost in two. It dissolved into two clusters of black mist and gradually dissipated...

"Pfft!"

The cousin sat cross-legged in a room without a single candle lit, his pale face looking eerie under the moonlight.

He suddenly opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Damn that Corpse Daoist!"

The cousin's expression twisted as he let out a low growl.

His plan was on the verge of success; once Dong Lei died, the entire Dong Family would be his. He had never expected a Corpse Daoist to suddenly appear.

He had sensed that this man was troublesome and had tried to drive him away with insults.

He hadn't expected the Corpse Daoist to be so calculating, and with Steward Huang's swift intervention, the attempt had failed.

One wrong move, and the whole game was lost.

Just as Young Master Biao was fuming with rage, his front door suddenly shattered, and a figure charged straight in.

"Who are you..."

Young Master Biao's expression tightened. He had only managed to get half a sentence out before the zombie seized him by the throat.

"A zombie..."

Young Master Biao's eyes widened. Feeling the corpse aura radiating from the creature, he instantly realized the zombie's identity.

The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his throat as a torrent of blood poured out.

He struggled with all his might, but his strength faded rapidly until he went completely limp, dying with his eyes wide open, his breath extinguished.

The commotion in the courtyard was quickly reported to Dong Lei.

Dong Lei and Steward Huang hurried over, but when they saw Zhou Yan, their pupils constricted slightly, and many of them instinctively stopped in their tracks.

For the figure beside Zhou Yan was holding a corpse in its hand—it was none other than Young Master Biao.

"Many thanks to the Master for exorcising the vengeful spirit. Here are three hundred silver dollars; please, do accept them." Dong Lei approached the pavilion, his tone extremely courteous.

Zhou Yan looked at Dong Lei. The man's temperament, poise, and methods only served to confirm what he had suspected all along.

This Dong Lei was definitely no simple man!

However, he had no interest in meddling in such affairs; dealing with yin entities was enough. These powerful officials and wealthy merchants were sometimes even more terrifying and troublesome than evil spirits.

"The vengeful spirit was driven by him. Now that the spirit has been destroyed, I have also slain the mastermind behind it. Please forgive me if I take my leave now," Zhou Yan said politely.

His tone and gestures were perfectly courteous, showing not a hint of aggression.

Yet, paired with the corpse nearby, it carried an inexplicable sense of eeriness that made both Dong Lei and Steward Huang feel deeply uncomfortable.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Zhou Yan felt a sense of satisfaction.

Ever since entering the Dong Mansion, he had felt nothing but unease, as if he were caught in a tangled mess.

If not for the experience he had gained from a lifetime of watching films and reading novels, he would not have been able to unravel it so easily.

Now, seeing them suffer a setback, the irritation in his heart had dissipated somewhat.

"Steward Huang, take me to Young Master Biao's room. I need to clear away any lingering threats."

Zhou Yan stood up and turned to leave.

The zombie tossed the corpse onto the ground, causing many onlookers' eyelids to twitch uncontrollably.

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention—it would be best to burn this body as soon as possible. Use peach wood branches or lychee wood; that will prevent any future trouble. Heh heh heh..."

Zhou Yan, who had already walked some distance away, suddenly turned back to add this, causing the expressions of many to shudder once more.

Dong Lei watched Zhou Yan's retreating figure, a bitter smile appearing on his face: "Respect them but keep your distance—keep your distance. The ancients truly did not deceive me!"