C2 Meeting a Vicious House

The eerie laughter froze me in my tracks.

I whipped around to see that the chilling sound was emanating from upstairs, sending shivers down my spine just by listening.

Without delay, I retrieved the pre-drawn talisman from my pocket. It was a consecrated charm, imbued with the power to repel evil.

It suddenly made sense why Zhong Ling seemed off; something unclean was already lurking in her home.

I kept my eyes fixed on the staircase, standing still, not daring to move.

The sinister laughter was short-lived and soon faded away.

Yet, my heart continued to race uncontrollably.

I scanned the room and spotted a light switch on the wall, which I quickly flipped on.

The light burst on, a beam striking my eyes so harshly that I instinctively shielded them with my hand. Once I lowered my hand, my attention was immediately drawn to the living room's center. There hung a piece of red cloth, and affixed to it was a triangular mirror.

I paused for a few seconds, realizing the reflection had come from that very mirror.

My gaze lingered on the mirror as I considered the orientation of the house.

The house faced from north to south, with the south representing fire. The triangular mirror hanging directly in the living room also symbolized fire in geomantic terms.

"Fire conquers prosperity," I murmured to myself, sensing that something was amiss.

I quickly surveyed the living room's other three walls, each adorned with a triangular mirror. This setup, I realized, was deliberately designed to foster a geomantic pattern that stoked fire's dominance.

My heart sank at the thought. My grandfather had once explained that such an arrangement in geomancy was known as the Blood Mirror.

The Blood Mirror was ominous, capable of instilling terror, breaking one's spirit, and even causing harm to the soul.

This was a classic case of a malicious geomantic trap, which at best could sow discord within a family, and at worst, lead to death.

Such a malevolent design would only amplify the Yin energy within the home, inviting all manner of unclean presences.

Clearly, someone was out to harm Zhong Ling. I continued to observe without making any hasty moves.

A misstep in addressing this could result in a dangerous backlash, with potentially grave consequences.

Snapping back to reality, I turned and asked, "Is this house really yours, miss?"

It wasn't long before Zhong Ling's voice came through, affirming, "The house is mine."

"Does anyone else live here?" I pressed on.

With a ghostly pale face, Zhong Ling answered shakily, "No one."

Seeing her state, I refrained from further questions and decided to first take a thorough look around the house.

Gathering my courage, I began to ascend the stairs.

I clutched the talisman in my hand tightly, ready for any unforeseen events.

Upon reaching the second floor, a chilling presence enveloped the space, instantly heightening my anxiety.

Handling such matters was new to me. My first time assisting someone and I stumbled upon a blood-curdling geomancy array—it made my skin crawl.

I arrived at the second-floor corridor, enclosed on both sides but clear from end to end.

Directly ahead, a door was ajar.

I fixated on that door, noting it was trembling ever so slightly.

At that moment, I was almost certain something unclean was lurking in Zhong Ling's home.

My heart raced with panic, pounding uncontrollably.

Lost in thought, I was jolted by a sudden "clang."

The noise seized my attention, and I saw the door flung open, slamming against the wall before bouncing shut.

I watched, unblinking and undistracted, as my face contorted with fear the very next second.

An unkempt figure, reeking and filthy, materialized before me without warning.

His menacing gaze locked onto me, baring his ghastly teeth as he growled, "Get out."

I shuddered, heart leaping to my throat, frozen in indecision.

A visible aura of malice emanated from him.

If my eyes didn't deceive me, I was facing a malevolent spirit.

Someone had nurtured a fiend within these walls, giving it human form.

My grandfather had warned of such dark arts—sinister and cruel, they were used to inflict harm. Encountering them meant one must tread with utmost caution.

I never imagined I'd be this unlucky. On my very first outing for a task, I ran into a malevolent spirit.

And this wasn't just any spirit—it was clearly a dangerous one.

At that moment, my legs were shaking, and I couldn't snap out of my daze.

After the spirit roared at me, it seemed to notice my lack of response and lunged at me.

Little did it know, my lack of reaction was due to sheer terror. Given the circumstances, it was a miracle I hadn't wet my pants.

The spirit charged at me so quickly, I barely had time to think. I stepped back, intending to shift my position.

Unexpectedly, a sudden chill wind blew in, catching me off guard. It knocked me off balance, and I stumbled and fell to the ground.

The talisman I was holding dropped beside me.

A cold dread washed over me as the spirit bore down, and a suffocating sensation overwhelmed me.

It had already seized my neck.

Then it opened its mouth to bite me, and we were less than a meter apart. The foul stench that hit my nose made my stomach roil, and I nearly threw up.

Panic-stricken, I flailed desperately, realizing I could very well end up losing my life here without completing my task.

With that thought, my hand frantically searched around until it found the talisman.

The spirit was closing in. If it managed to bite me, the malevolent energy would invade my body, and I'd likely be done for.

Breathing heavily, I was on the edge of panic.

Finally grasping the talisman, I managed to force out a command through my constricted throat, "Spirits of the Four Directions, heed my command. By the urgent decree of the Great Elder Lord, obey!"

I slapped the talisman forward with all the speed I could muster.

Through the blur, I caught a glimpse of a golden light.

The talisman struck the spirit's forehead squarely, eliciting a horrific scream. The force sent the spirit flying backward, crashing into the wall.

After extricating myself, I struggled to my feet, panting heavily.

I had nearly been choked to death by that malevolent entity.

Knowing I couldn't afford to waste time, I fished out another talisman from my bag. Sensing danger, the entity began to back away.

I advanced a step, and in a panic, it whirled around and darted back into the room it had come from.

The door slammed shut behind it.

I hurried over and pressed the talisman firmly against the door.

The icy draft in the hallway subsided almost immediately.

Relieved, I reassured myself that this would keep the entity contained for the time being.

I wasn't sure I could handle this entity on my own. Such creatures are notoriously tough to deal with. I needed to find and destroy the vessel that was sustaining it; only then could I have a chance at killing it for good. Without locating that vessel, a complete victory seemed out of reach.

Plus, with the entity trapped here, whoever was pulling its strings would start to get desperate.

If I could trace the puppeteer through the entity, resolving this whole situation might become a lot simpler.

With these thoughts in mind, I came back to my senses and scattered some glutinous rice at the doorway.

Glutinous rice wards off evil, so the entity would be hard-pressed to leave the room anytime soon.

Once everything was in place, I turned and made my way downstairs.

Soaked with sweat and feeling the weight of a close brush with death, I knew I needed to have a talk with Zhong Ling. I had a hunch that Zhong Ling was still keeping some secrets from me.

My gut feeling was clear: there was something decidedly sinister about this house.