Jiang Yi was on the verge of tears. All she wanted was to run a proper business—what was this old man doing? Did she have some grave-robbing grudge with him?
That entire afternoon, the old man played guerrilla warfare with Jiang Yi.
He disrupted her so much that she didn’t sell a single thing and ended up with sore legs from all the running around.
As dusk approached, the old man seemed ready to head home for dinner.
He walked up to Jiang Yi and spoke earnestly, “You’ll understand one day that I’m doing this for your own good… Young people should learn more skills. Listen to this old man: good good study, day day up!”
Jiang Yi: …Old man, are your family members aware of how trendy you are?
Helpless, Jiang Yi shouldered her small bundle and walked toward the small inn under the fading glow of the sunset.
As she neared the area, she sensed something unusual.
When she had arrived in the morning, she had indeed noticed the chaotic layout of the surrounding buildings.
But during the day, when yang energy was strong, it merely indicated poor feng shui—nothing too serious.
Now, with nightfall, yang energy receded, and yin energy ran rampant.
The inn was situated in a low-lying area, and yin energy cascaded downward like water.
The strange thing was, the inn wasn’t the lowest point, yet yin energy swirled overhead as if it were a stagnant pool.
This defied all logic—unless someone had tampered with it!
Staying here long-term could lead to mental instability at best, or an untimely death at worst.
With a grave expression, Jiang Yi approached the inn and pushed the door open with force, its hinges creaking.
“By the urgent command of the law, let the celestial spirits manifest!” The loud shout startled Jiang Yi, making her shiver.
The voice was far too loud.
She followed the sound and saw a man in Taoist robes performing a ritual before an altar in the dimly lit hallway.
The altar was surrounded by command flags, and the narrow corridor was haphazardly plastered with various poorly crafted talismans.
On the altar lay Magical Tools such as the Three Pure Bells, a ritual mirror, a ritual ruler, a peach wood sword, and a coin sword made from Five Emperor coins.
The setup looked intimidating, but these items were dull and gray, devoid of any spiritual essence a Magical Tool should possess.
It seemed the innkeeper had also noticed the problem and had hired someone to resolve it.
Unfortunately, he’d ended up with a fraud!
What happened next, however, went beyond Jiang Yi’s understanding.
The man picked up the Three Pure Bells and shook them vigorously toward the door of Room 103, where Jiang Yi was staying.
The sound was sharp and piercing.
Then he set down the bells, picked up the peach wood sword, twirled it in a flourish, and thrust it forcefully at the door of Room 103.
“Demon, prepare to meet your doom!”
The wooden sword stopped firmly twenty centimeters from the door, and a visible hemispherical ripple of air appeared in front of it, resisting the thrust.
Despite the veins bulging on the Taoist’s neck, the sword couldn’t advance an inch further.
The Taoist’s face paled. When the woman had told him the inn had no electricity but the TV still worked and the lights flickered, he’d assumed it was a circuit issue and thought he could scam some money.
He never expected to encounter a real demon. Terrified out of his wits, he cried, “A demon! There really is a demon!”
Without even gathering his belongings, he turned and fled.
Peering through the glass door, Jiang Yi saw him sprinting away, mouth agape and teeth bared, faster than a taxi, disappearing around the corner in an instant.
Meanwhile, Sister Chen was crouched behind the front desk, trembling like a leaf, with a puddle of yellow liquid beneath her.
Jiang Yi facepalmed. The yin energy was strong, but it hadn’t reached the point of haunting.
It seemed that while she was away all afternoon, Ancestor Grandma had been up to her tricks again and had nearly been mistaken for a demon and attacked.
For the mischief caused by her own ancestor, she had to kneel and make things right.
Jiang Yi crouched in front of Sister Chen and said earnestly, “Boss, to be honest with you, I’m a feng shui master.
There are no ghosts in your shop, at least not for now.
Room 103 is off-limits to ordinary people because I’ve stored some valuable items there and set up a formation.
The master you hired is nothing but a fraud.
If you don’t believe me, I’ll break the formation right now and take you inside!”
Aside from such a lame excuse, Jiang Yi couldn’t think of anything else to make up.
Sister Chen looked at Jiang Yi with a mix of doubt and curiosity.
Jiang Yi stood up directly, made a few exaggerated hand gestures at the door of Room 103, and then opened it.
As soon as she entered, she was stunned by the scene before her.
Tissue paper was scattered all over the floor, the cloth wrapping the Spirit Tablet was messily piled on the bedside table.
Instant noodles had been torn open and crushed, and certain items had been blown up like balloons…
The Spirit Tablet was sitting on the bed, engrossed in watching TV.
On the screen, a certain Shixian was flirting with a beauty, “Why are you wearing Pinru’s clothes? You’re so shameless~”
Jiang Yi swiftly cleaned up the mess, shoved the Spirit Tablet into the wardrobe, and said fiercely, “Ever since you gained control over objects within five meters, you’ve been driving me crazy. Be careful, or I’ll chop you up for firewood!”
The Spirit Tablet wasn’t intimidated at all and even projected a few images into Jiang Yi’s mind.
All of them were advertisements she had watched that afternoon.
It was no longer satisfied with just roasted chicken.
It wanted Finger-Licking Original Chicken, Bursting Juice Large Chicken Chop, Heart-Chilling Heart Soaring drinks, and snacks that were Simply Can’t Stop…
Jiang Yi buried her hands in her hair, her face full of distress. She could guard against everything day and night, but not the TV.
It seemed this broke girl would have to splurge on a membership to experience the joys of being a VIP.
After Jiang Yi finished tidying up, she called out to Sister Chen at the door of Room 103, “Boss, see? Nothing’s wrong.”
Sister Chen leaned on something to stand up, her face filled with fear, but she still walked over step by step.
She had been running this shop for over ten years. If it were truly ruined by ghosts, how would she support her son?
That’s how people are—they can overcome fear to protect what matters to them.
With Jiang Yi’s support, Sister Chen walked into Room 103. Nothing happened, and a relieved smile spread across her face.
Perhaps her tense nerves had finally relaxed, as Sister Chen suddenly broke down.
She crouched on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, before gradually calming into soft whimpers.
Seeing her emotions stabilize, Jiang Yi’s expression grew serious.
She walked out of Room 103 and headed deeper into the corridor.
To others, it looked like nothing more than the hallway of a rundown hotel.
But in Jiang Yi’s eyes, thick yin energy enveloped the area like a dark night, shrouding everything in pitch-black darkness.
The yin energy, which should have flowed downward along the terrain, was all clogged up here.
Some kind of dark art must have blocked the passage.
Seeing Jiang Yi’s grim expression, Sister Chen, who had been whimpering, wiped her face and followed behind her.
This young girl had casually set up a formation that had already given that person trouble. She must be quite capable.
Jiang Yi muttered something under her breath, then extended her slender index finger. A small flame suddenly ignited at its tip, tinged with streaks of red amidst the orange glow.
Sister Chen was dumbfounded on the spot.
This girl was truly extraordinary!
She imitated Jiang Yi by extending a finger of her own.
On her short, plump finger, aside from a gold ring digging into her flesh, there was nothing at all.
Jiang Yi cultivated the Pure Yang True Fire. Extending a finger with a flickering flame, the yin energy surged toward the depths of the hotel as if encountering a raging inferno, desperately trying to avoid even the slightest contact.
Jiang Yi followed the direction in which the yin energy retreated.
It led to Rooms 108 and 109, opposite each other, the two rooms at the end of the small hotel’s corridor.
Pushing open the door to Room 108, Jiang Yi saw the yin energy frantically drilling into the wall, as if trying to break through some barrier.
Sister Chen, trembling with fear, suddenly heard Jiang Yi’s cool voice, “Turn on the light!”
Sister Chen hurriedly fumbled in her pants pocket for the room key, clumsily inserting it into the card slot before pressing the light switch.
The moment the light came on, Jiang Yi extinguished the flame at his fingertip.
It was a room with a large bed, the headboard pressed against the wall.
The wall was damp, with the wallpaper peeling in multiple places, sealed shut with transparent tape.
Such situations were common in small hotels like this—guests chose them for their affordability and didn’t pay much attention to these details.