Chapter Eighty: He's Here!
Yang Haoran firmly believed his perception was not mistaken. A Night Watcher's Sense Yin ability was undeniably precise; this much was certain.
However, the facts were laid bare before him, allowing no room for refutation.
If Ma Ling's exorcism array was merely a playful drawing with no actual ghost-sensing ability, then Wang Yiming's Ghost-Chasing Talisman was undeniably real, and its ability to track ghosts had indeed been witnessed before.
"Uncle, stop thinking so much. It seems there were only those two ghosts in this villa, and you've already collected them into your Soul-Gathering Bead. There's no way there are any more."
Ma Ling gently patted Yang Haoran's shoulder, feigning an air of seniority. After speaking, she turned to Old Master Wu and said, "Old man Wu, your family's problems have been handled. You can prepare the payment now; I accept all payment methods. Also, I've been working hard all afternoon, and I'm a bit hungry. It's getting late, too, so shouldn't you treat me to dinner? That wine at noon was quite good; I liked it very much."
Winter nights fell early. Unconsciously, the sky outside had gradually darkened.
"Certainly, certainly, little girl Ma Ling, rest assured. We have plenty of good wine; I guarantee you'll be satisfied, absolutely satisfied!"
Old Master Wu was overjoyed. Having personally witnessed the ghosts in the villa being collected into Yang Haoran's Soul-Gathering Bead, how could he not be happy? Although there had been a minor hiccup, it seemed insignificant to him as long as the ultimate goal was achieved.
After hearing Yang Haoran's words earlier, he had initially been worried that the ghosts in the villa hadn't been completely eliminated. However, a thorough hour-long inspection had yielded no further discoveries, and both Ma Ling and Wang Yiming had used their methods to rule out the possibility of any remaining ghosts. This led him to wonder if Yang Haoran's Sense Yin had truly gone awry.
Among everyone present, only Yang Haoran remained, his brows furrowed in deep contemplation.
"My three esteemed guests, you've worked hard today. Our Wu family will remember this favor. In the future, if there's anything our Wu family can do, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll make arrangements right away. Tonight, I wish to host the three of you properly, and I hope you won't decline," Old Master Wu said, his face beaming with smiles.
"Go on, go on, stop rambling! I'm starving," Ma Ling urged.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I won't be staying for dinner," Wang Yiming said, preparing to pack his things and leave.
Yang Haoran remained silent, neither agreeing nor refusing. He was still deep in thought, his expression unreadable.
Seeing Wang Yiming about to leave, Old Master Wu, still smiling, was just about to try and persuade him to stay. However, at that moment, something strange occurred.
Inside the exorcism array, the black cat, black dog, and large rooster, which had been as still as statues, suddenly became agitated.
Cats meowed, dogs barked, teeth bared, and the rooster flapped its wings, all uniformly staring towards the living room entrance.
This sudden turn of events froze the smile on Old Master Wu's face. Everyone's gaze followed the cats, dogs, and rooster, turning towards the living room entrance.
Yang Haoran seemed to sense something, and his expression immediately changed. Ma Ling looked at the living room entrance, then at the simple exorcism array she had set up, and instantly understood what was happening.
There was still a malevolent entity, and it was drawing closer to them.
Inside the exorcism array, the reactions of the cats, dogs, and rooster grew more intense. Their cries grew louder and sharper, echoing through the entire living room. The sound sent shivers down the spines of Old Master Wu and the others, making their hearts pound with dread.
With a mournful cry, the large rooster, flapping its wings, suddenly collapsed to the ground, falling silent. After a few faint twitches of its body, all signs of life vanished.
Next came a shrill cat's wail. The large black cat rolled its eyes back and kicked its limbs, inexplicably dying as well.
Finally, the large black dog, after a few pained yelps, followed in the footsteps of the others. Its body crashed to the ground, limbs twitching, foaming at the mouth. Within just a few breaths, it lost its breath and died too.
The scene unfolding before them, not to mention ordinary people like Old Master Wu, even made Yang Haoran, a Night Watcher, tremble with fear.
"You just said that the stronger their reaction, the more powerful the malevolent entity. Are their reactions strong enough now? " Yang Haoran's gaze fell on Ma Ling, and he asked in a deep voice.
Ma Ling's mouth twitched slightly, her usual carefree demeanor gone. She retorted, "Good grief, what reaction could be stronger than death itself?"
The death of the cats, dogs, and rooster caused the entire exorcism array to collapse. The array, which had originally emitted faint spiritual light, now completely lacked it. Even the crisscrossing lines Ma Ling had drawn with clear water vanished from the ground as the spiritual light dissipated. Aside from the deceased animals, no trace of the formation could be seen on the floor.
"You're right," Wang Yiming said, stopping his packing. His already stern face had now become even gloomier. "It seems there truly is another big one."
"Old Master Wu, you all need to get away from here quickly, this place—"
Before Yang Haoran could finish, a man's voice suddenly drifted into the living room, cutting him off.
"Old man, haven't these three charlatans finished dealing with things yet?"
As the voice sounded, a person slowly walked into the living room. This person was none other than Wu Junior, who hadn't been in the villa all afternoon.
Everyone present instantly changed color.
The Wu family's expressions changed because Wu Junior's words were too offensive. Calling them "charlatans" completely offended all three of them. Even if the Wu family was wealthy and powerful, offending people with special abilities was absolutely not a good thing. If they angered them, the Wu family would certainly suffer.
As for Yang Haoran, Ma Ling, and the other two, their expressions changed not because of Wu Junior's words, but their gazes simultaneously fell upon Wu Junior himself.
"You scoundrel! Shut your mouth! You're useless and only cause trouble! Are you trying to infuriate me to death?"
Old Master Wu cursed, feeling an impulse to strangle his good-for-nothing second son.
Back when he was still capable of working the fields, Old Master Wu had originally wanted to have a third child. But Wu Junior had exhausted him so completely that he simply didn't dare to have another, fearing he might birth another one just like Wu Junior.
"Dad, I'm telling you, I don't believe in ghosts or spirits. Didn't you also used to not believe in gods? How have you become like this now? This isn't like you at all."
"You keep saying you've seen unclean things around the house lately. While I've also encountered some strange occurrences in this villa, they're not as mystical as you make them out to be. Many things can be explained scientifically. In my opinion, our family must have been targeted by rivals. Those bastards are deliberately trying to scare us!"
Wu Junior reeked of alcohol, clearly having drunk quite a bit somewhere after going out that afternoon. Now, with the alcohol taking effect, his courage surged, and he dared to say anything.
Wu Junior was originally an arrogant and overbearing person. He would restrain himself somewhat when Old Master Wu was around, but now, having drunk alcohol, he wouldn't even give his own father any face.
"Get out! Now! " Old Master Wu roared.
The strange occurrences at home had already exhausted him mentally and physically. Yet, his son, instead of helping, was just adding to the chaos, making him tremble with rage.
"I had a few drinks this afternoon and wrecked the car. I'm just back to get another car. I'll grab the keys and leave; I won't delay you,"
Wu Junior said impatiently. As soon as he finished speaking, he prepared to return to his bedroom to get the keys.
"Second Uncle, you're absolutely outrageous! How can you speak to Grandfather like that? " Wu Xiaoxiao couldn't bear it any longer and loudly admonished Wu Junior.
Wu Junior paused, his brows furrowed, and a furious expression on his face as he looked at Wu Xiaoxiao. He snapped, "I don't really believe there are ghosts in the house, but if there are, you're the one who conjured them! How dare you have the nerve to scold me? Besides, I'm your Second Uncle; what right does a junior like you have to speak to me like that?"
"You. . . " Wu Xiaoxiao was speechless. Due to her extreme weight, she became so angry that she struggled to breathe.
Wu Junior snorted coldly, ignoring the others, and walked towards his bedroom.
In truth, Wu Junior wasn't entirely disbelieving of the haunting. As he had just said, he too had encountered some strange things in the villa lately, which he claimed could be explained scientifically. But that was merely a pretense, something even he didn't quite believe. The reason he had uttered those words in front of everyone was simply to use the alcohol's influence to vent his inner dissatisfactions—his dissatisfaction with Old Master Wu, and with his family in general.
Old Master Wu was thoroughly enraged by his son, but Yang Haoran, Ma Ling, and Wang Yiming were, at this moment, paying no mind to Old Master Wu.
"Did you sense it? He has a very strong Yin Qi on him," Wang Yiming said, looking at Yang Haoran with a serious expression.
"You sensed it, and Uncle is from the Underworld Office, so how could he not? " Ma Ling glanced at Wang Yiming, saying with a hint of amusement.
Wang Yiming was in no mood to quibble over Ma Ling's sarcasm. He simply glared at her before turning his gaze back to Yang Haoran.
"I sensed it, but this Yin Qi isn't from him directly; it's Yin Qi he picked up from other ghosts," Yang Haoran said with absolute certainty.
Before Wang Yiming could speak again, Yang Haoran's expression changed once more, directly cutting off Wang Yiming's words.
"He's here!"
The low warning sent a ripple of doubt through Ma Ling and Wang Yiming. They understood the meaning of those three words, but they hadn't sensed the entity's precise location.
Since the moment Wu Junior returned, the villa had been permeated with a dense Yin Qi, which Ma Ling and Wang Yiming could sense. However, they couldn't pinpoint the source of this dense Yin Qi.
When it came to sensing Yin, Ma Ling and Wang Yiming each had their own methods, but their techniques still fell far short compared to Yang Haoran's Sense Yin ability.
Just as the two were feeling confused, footsteps echoed. By the sound of it, the person was likely wearing high heels. Everyone's gaze once again turned towards the living room entrance.
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