Intimidation

"Master..."

Steward Huang called out worriedly, but Dong Lei stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Go on. Tell the people below to be more careful. Don't repeat the same mistake as before." Dong Lei spoke calmly.

"Yes, Master."

Steward Huang answered, looked at Dong Lei with a helpless expression, and withdrew.

Dong Lei looked at the coffin and memorial tablet before him. A sorrowful expression gradually appeared in his eyes, though determination was far more prominent, as if a blazing fire burned within them.

Zhou Yan sat in the pavilion in the courtyard. The servants around him stood far away, many of them looking over with worried expressions.

They weren't worried about Zhou Yan. They were afraid he might turn out to be another fraud, in which case they'd be the ones to suffer.

There had been several hauntings before. Though only the first had claimed a life, the next two had also thrown the mansion into chaos and left everyone in a state of panic.

If life outside weren't so difficult these days, plenty of them would have already run away.

But if things kept going this way, there would surely come a day when they couldn't take it anymore.

Looking at Zhou Yan now, they felt that he seemed more imposing than the others. Perhaps he really could deal with the evil spirit.

While they were pondering this, few of them noticed that the burly man who had been standing beside Zhou Yan had somehow slipped away.

"Wooo..."

A gust of sinister wind swept past. The familiar sight immediately made many of the servants from the Dong Mansion cower.

Someone even shouted, "The evil spirit is here!"

The servants, who had just been trying to keep their spirits up, huddled together at once. Back to back, they thrust their torches outward.

It seemed that after several hauntings, they had learned a few things.

Zhou Yan's eyes opened slightly. His right hand swiftly touched the Peach Wood Sword on the stone table. Two bamboo tubes were there as well, one filled with Boy Urine and the other with Rooster Blood.

After refining the Profound Yin Essence Blood, he had become extremely sensitive to yin energy.

In his perception, a blurry figure shrieked into the courtyard, circled once, and flew straight toward him.

This is a ghost someone has been keeping, Zhou Yan immediately thought to himself.

Ordinary ghosts were most attracted to yang energy.

But Zhou Yan cultivated the Mystic Yin Art, and yin energy gathered throughout his body. He was practically half a ghost himself.

If a wandering ghost encountered him, it wouldn't mistake him for one of its own, but it would simply ignore him.

It wouldn't come rushing straight at him like this one was doing.

Zhou Yan sensed the evil spirit drawing near, his expression as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.

He was no longer the Zhou Yan he used to be. He had fought Zombies and slain Water Ghosts. His frenzied cultivation and relentless efforts to refine Zombies had brought about a transformation within him without his even realizing it.

It was a transformation not only of his body, but of his heart and mind as well.

Along with his former caution, he had gained a streak of recklessness: either go mad or perish.

The more danger approached, the calmer he became, with even a hint of excitement stirring inside him.

"Whoosh..."

As the evil spirit was about to reach him, Zhou Yan calmly opened the jar of Rooster Blood and flung its contents straight at it.

He moved with complete composure, showing no sign of panic.

"Ah..."

A twisted figure suddenly appeared in the empty space before him, letting out a shrill scream.

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

Several people stirred, their eyes drifting in Zhou Yan's direction.

In the next instant, Zhou Yan swung the Peach Wood Sword from the table, cleaving the evil spirit in two. It turned into two clouds of black qi, which gradually dissipated...

"Pfft!"

His older cousin sat cross-legged in a room where not a single candle was lit. In the moonlight, his otherwise fair face looked somewhat sinister.

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

"Damn you, Corpse Daoist!"

His expression twisted as he cursed aloud.

His plan had been about to succeed. As soon as Dong Lei died, the entire Dong Family would be his. He never expected a Corpse Daoist to suddenly show up.

He had already sensed that this man would be troublesome, so he had tried to drive him away with insults.

But he hadn't expected the Corpse Daoist to be so shrewd, and Steward Huang had quickly ruined his plan. That was why it had failed.

One careless move, and the whole game was lost.

As his cousin seethed with rage, the front door suddenly shattered, and a figure barged in.

"Who are you..."

His cousin tensed. He had only managed to get half the words out before the Zombie clamped a hand around his throat.

"A Zombie..."

His cousin's eyes widened. Feeling the corpse aura emanating from the figure, he realized what it was.

In the next instant, pain shot through his throat, and a torrent of blood poured out.

He struggled with all his might, but his strength ebbed away. At last, he went limp and died with his eyes still open.

Someone soon informed Dong Lei about what had happened in the courtyard.

Dong Lei and Steward Huang hurried over. When they saw Zhou Yan, their pupils contracted slightly, and many of them stopped in their tracks without thinking.

The figure beside Zhou Yan was holding a corpse. It was Young Master Biao.

"Thank you, Master, for driving out the evil spirit. Here are three hundred silver dollars. Please accept them." Dong Lei came to the pavilion and spoke very politely.

Zhou Yan looked at Dong Lei. The man's bearing, composure, and way of handling things only confirmed what he had suspected.

Dong Lei was no ordinary man!

But Zhou Yan had no interest in getting involved in that. Dealing with yin things was enough for him. The powerful and wealthy could sometimes be more frightening than evil spirits—and troublesome, too.

"The evil spirit was under his control. It's been destroyed, and I also killed the mastermind. Please excuse me as I take my leave." Zhou Yan spoke courteously.

His words and manner were entirely polite, not the least bit forceful.

But paired with the corpse, they gave off a strange, sinister feeling that made Dong Lei and Steward Huang uncomfortable.

Seeing their expressions, Zhou Yan felt rather pleased.

Ever since entering the Dong Mansion, he had felt uncomfortable, as if everything were a tangled mess.

If not for all the films and novels he'd devoured in his previous life, it really wouldn't have been easy to figure things out.

Now that he saw the other man looking so put out, some of his irritation faded.

"Steward Huang, take me to Young Master Biao's room. I need to make sure there's no trouble left behind."

Zhou Yan stood up and turned to leave.

The Zombie casually dropped the corpse on the ground, making several people twitch.

"Oh, I forgot to mention: this corpse should be burned as soon as possible. Peach branches or lychee wood will do. That way, it won't cause trouble later. Heh heh heh..."

Zhou Yan had already walked some distance away when he suddenly turned around and added this, making many people shudder once more.

Dong Lei watched Zhou Yan's retreating figure and gave a wry smile. "Keep your distance—yes, keep your distance. The ancients truly didn't deceive me!"