Haunted House

On the evening of the agreed-upon day, Xu Tianqi, accompanied by another junior disciple, Mu Jin, arrived at Shi Xuan's small courtyard. Their expressions were a mix of worry and excitement.

"Junior Disciple Mu, this is Junior Disciple Shi Xuan. He is the closed-door disciple of a reclusive elder from our Xu Family." Regarding the matter of Old Daoist Xu, their ancestor, the Xu Family generally referred to him as a reclusive elder to anyone outside their core members. Shi Xuan had also asked Xu Tianqi to refer to him by his alias, Shi Xuan, from now on. Although Xu Tianqi didn't understand why, he complied.

"Greetings, Senior Disciple Shi," Mu Jin said. He was tall and sturdy, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, giving him an appearance of honesty and sincerity.

"Junior Disciple Shi, this is Junior Disciple Mu Jin. He is my father's fifth disciple and my closest friend."

"Heh heh, Junior Disciple Mu, you're too polite," Shi Xuan replied, cupping his hands in greeting.

Xu Tianqi leaned closer to Shi Xuan and whispered, "Junior Disciple Shi, is everything alright?"

Shi Xuan smiled and said, "Senior Disciple Xu, all I can say is that I will do what I can." Xu Tianqi took a step back and looked at Shi Xuan. Perhaps Shi Xuan's calm demeanor gave him confidence. He smiled and said, "If that's the case, then let's go."

Shi Xuan had finished his preparations that afternoon. The talismans were placed in hidden pockets in his robes and sleeves. Some talismans were prepared in multiples, while others that were less likely to be used had only one. They were stored separately to ensure immediate access. He briefly reviewed his preparations to ensure nothing was missed and then nodded, heading out with Xu Tianqi and Mu Jin.

Along the way, Shi Xuan and Xu Tianqi chatted casually. Mu Jin, on the other hand, spoke very little and seemed rather slow-witted. Perhaps it was for this reason that Xu Tianqi had brought him along.

As they neared the haunted house, they saw five people standing outside the gate from a distance: three men and two women. Xu Tianqi's expression changed, and he stopped walking. "Damn it, why is Yuqiong here too?"

At that moment, the other party also spotted them. A young woman dressed in a fiery red outfit, as vibrant as a chili pepper, jumped up and waved at Xu Tianqi. Seeing that avoidance was impossible, Xu Tianqi signaled to Shi Xuan and walked over.

Among the five people, the most striking was a tall girl around seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a lotus-root-colored dress. With phoenix-like eyes and a delicate nose, she was exceptionally beautiful. The other girl, dressed like a chili pepper, was smaller, with large eyes, a perky nose, and a small mouth. She looked about fourteen or fifteen and was exceptionally lively. The three men stood a little further back, led by a young man in scholarly robes. Apart from a slightly pale complexion, he was considerably more handsome than Xu Tianqi. The two behind him were burly middle-aged men who exuded a fierce aura.

"Well, Xu Tianqi, how could you go to such an interesting event without inviting me and Sister Yuqiong?" the red-clad girl exclaimed as Xu Tianqi approached.

Xu Tianqi quickly cupped his hands in apology. "Seventh Sister, it's my fault. I was worried you girls might not like ghosts and monsters."

Seeing the red-clad girl about to continue her complaints, the girl in the lotus-root-colored dress pulled her arm and answered first, "Brother Xu is indeed thoughtful. We were just too curious." She then gave an apologetic smile.

Shi Xuan, watching from the side, found the girl's smile almost dazzling. Xu Tianqi was even more so. "Junior Sister Yuqiong, why do you still call me 'Brother-in-law'? We've known each other for so long, just call me Tianqi. If I had known you were curious about this, I would have brought you along long ago." As he spoke, he leaned closer, as if he had never seen a woman before.

Yuqiong frowned slightly as Xu Tianqi approached. She glanced around and then saw Shi Xuan and Mu Jin standing nearby. She then said to Xu Tianqi, "Brother Tianqi, who are these two?"

Xu Tianqi suddenly realized he hadn't introduced them. He quickly said, "This is Junior Disciple Shi Xuan, the closed-door disciple of an elder in our sect. This is Junior Disciple Mu Jin, my father's fifth disciple. They are my companions for today."

At this moment, the three men from further away walked over. Hearing Xu Tianqi's introduction, the young man with the pale, scholarly face chuckled, "Younger Brother Tianqi, is this the 'expert' you invited? Truly a hero emerging from youth. Come, let me introduce you. This is my Uncle Jian Cong, and this is Uncle Dao Feng. They are both renowned figures in the martial world. Let's all exchange pointers, hahaha."

Xu Tianqi's face paled upon hearing the introduction. After a pause, he said, "So, you are the legendary 'Blade Sword Double Kill' from Ganlong Road back then. This junior is defeated."

The red-clad girl, seeing Xu Tianqi's reaction, scowled and said to the scholarly young man, "Xia Wenhui, have you no shame? We juniors made a bet, and you bring your family's elder experts? What kind of rule is that! My Fifth Brother is very principled."

"Young Lady Jinyi, you mustn't speak carelessly in front of Miss Yuqiong. I wonder when this rule was established. When I made the bet with my younger brother Tianqi, I never said we couldn't invite elders to oversee it," Xia Wenhui said smugly.

"Alright, Seventh Sister, stop talking. Junior Disciple Shi, this is Meng Yuqiong, the most outstanding successor of the Yuhua Sect in this generation. This is Seventh Sister Xu Jinyi from the fourth branch of our Xu Family. However, her branch moved to Luojing over thirty years ago and rarely returns, so you haven't met them," Xu Tianqi said.

Shi Xuan cupped his hands in greeting to the two girls. Just as he was about to speak, Xia Wenhui interjected again, "Oh, younger brother Tianqi, why aren't you introducing me to these two young 'heroes'? Are you perhaps looking down on my martial arts skills, thinking I'm not worthy?" The two fierce middle-aged men behind him glared at Shi Xuan, and Shi Xuan felt a killing aura wash over him, an aura that suggested they had killed at least a hundred people.

However, after cultivating the Divine Illumination Meditation Method for so long, this level of killing aura had no effect on Shi Xuan. Shi Xuan smiled and shook his head, ignoring them. He had considered glaring back and using a minor spell to cause them some trouble, but their appearances were simply not to his taste. He'd rather look at the beautiful Yuqiong and the lovely Jinyi. Of course, Shi Xuan wasn't a virgin who had lived for ten thousand years; his current cultivation was paramount, and beautiful women were merely for pleasing the eye.

Seeing that Shi Xuan and Mu Jin hadn't responded, Meng Yuqiong, fearing Xu Tianqi's embarrassment, quickly smoothed things over. "Since everyone is here, why don't we go inside? I've never actually seen a ghost before. I wonder if I'll get my wish this time."

When the beauties spoke, Xu Tianqi and Xia Wenhui naturally had no objections. Xu Jinyi would certainly stick with her Fifth Brother, and Meng Yuqiong would naturally be with her best friend. Xia Wenhui had no choice but to lead his two elders and enter first.

"Brother Tianqi, those two are indeed the 'Blade Sword Double Kill' from Ganlong Road back then," Meng Yuqiong asked Xu Tianqi as they walked.

Xu Tianqi, of course, told her everything he knew. "Yes. A few years ago, I heard my father mention that the Blade Sword Double Kill somehow provoked Jian Wang Qu Hanshui, one of the Eight Heavenly Kings of the Power Money Gang. They were chased like stray dogs and fled to Yangzhou. Later, they sought refuge under the Xia Family and, with the influence of Fine Rain Tower, managed to escape certain death."

While Xu Tianqi and Meng Yuqiong were conversing, the young girl Xu Jinyi thoughtfully stepped back half a pace and curiously sized up Shi Xuan. "Senior Disciple Shi, I've been wandering around the family compound every day recently, but I haven't seen you. I've seen Junior Disciple Mu Jin several times, though."

Shi Xuan had to use the excuse fabricated by the Xu Family. "My master is a reclusive elder who enjoys tranquility. He lives in a small alley on the west side of the city, so I live there with him."

"Oh, I wonder which elder it is. I've paid my respects to all the elders since I returned. Which elder is your master?" The beautiful young girl Jinyi had a spirit of digging for the truth. Meng Yuqiong also seemed somewhat interested in this question. Shi Xuan's keen senses, brought about by his powerful soul cultivation, detected that Meng Yuqiong had subtly shifted her attention. It was worth noting that after hearing Shi Xuan was merely Xu Tianqi's junior disciple, she hadn't paid him much attention.

Shi Xuan's expression turned serious. "My master passed away nearly a year ago."

After saying this, Shi Xuan felt Meng Yuqiong's gaze, which had been slightly on him, withdraw.

Seeing this, Xu Jinyi stuck out her tongue. "I'm sorry, Senior Disciple Shi. By the way, what stage have you reached in your martial arts training? How do you compare to Third Brother?"

Shi Xuan thought that it was indeed difficult to compare. If they were only comparing martial arts cultivation, truthfully speaking, "In terms of bare-handed combat, Senior Brother Xu is definitely more skilled." He selectively ignored the question about cultivation stages.

Because his answer was vague, it instead piqued Meng Yuqiong's interest. Shi Xuan's keen senses detected that Meng Yuqiong's gaze had subtly shifted back to him.

The young girl Xu Jinyi seemed to have heard nothing ambiguous. "Of course, my Fifth Brother is a renowned young genius in the martial world."

Shi Xuan, having nothing else to do, smiled and spoke to the young girl. "May I ask what stage you've reached in your martial arts training, Junior Sister Jinyi?" Hearing Shi Xuan call her so affectionately after only a short while, Xu Jinyi gave him a fierce glare. However, the question struck a chord, and she happily replied, "I've recently managed to break through to the Qi Nourishing Stage!" She looked very proud, her face full of an expression that seemed to say, "Praise me! Admire me!"

Shi Xuan, of course, played along. "Junior Sister Jinyi, you truly are amazing. You're not any worse than your Fifth Brother was at your age." Xu Jinyi was very pleased and began chatting with Shi Xuan. The young girl had little pretense. As they entered the main hall of the residence, she even revealed her admiration for Liu Suiyun, one of the Four Young Masters of the martial world, a man in white. She spoke of how Young Master Liu had already reached Postnatal Great Accomplishment at such a young age and was the most likely to enter the Subtle Realm in the future (the martial arts realm corresponding to the soul-departure state was the Subtle Realm; according to Old Daoist Xu, it was when the soul grew strong enough for soul departure but without the method to achieve it, manifesting in the body's senses). He was also handsome and talented. Why didn't those wise elders of the martial world include him among the Five Great Grandmasters of the world? They truly had no foresight.

Since it wasn't completely dark yet, upon entering the gate, they could see that the entire residence was grand and imposing, showing no signs of gloom. It wasn't until they were nearing the main hall that Shi Xuan keenly sensed a faint, eerie atmosphere.

Before entering the main hall, Xu Tianqi quietly fell back half a step and whispered to Shi Xuan, "Those two are indeed the infamous 'Blade Sword Double Kill' from Ganlong Road back then. They were ruthless killers who didn't bat an eye, responsible for over a hundred murders. I remember our ancestor mentioning that people with such heavy Sha Qi are avoided even by ghosts."

Shi Xuan thought for a moment and then smiled at Xu Tianqi. "I have my ways. I guarantee you'll gain immense face in front of your Junior Sister Yuqiong." With that, Xu Tianqi quickly walked ahead and entered the main hall alongside Meng Yuqiong and Xu Jinyi.

Shi Xuan, along with the silent and often overlooked tall young man Mu Jin, followed behind.