Chapter 36: Treasure

Yu Xiaoxue and Zhao Qian helped me, and with our combined strength, we finally moved the iron contraption down and placed it in the courtyard.

Once the pottery tools were unloaded, I planned to drive out to collect "Yin soil." This is not the "Yin soil" found in birth charts, but rather earth that is deeply Yin—clay that has been exposed to Yin energy for years and influenced by ghost aura, which alters its chemical composition.

It is like the mud from a mass grave where the dead are buried. It is best if the deceased died an unnatural death and were buried without coffins, allowing the flesh and blood to make direct contact with the earth.

The best place to find such a thing would actually be Yinfeng Town, but the Dead Town is too far away. I was afraid that if I went there, I might never come back, so I abandoned that as an option despite it being the top choice.

"Zhao Qian, you still have a spare Feng Shui compass, right? I need to find some Yin soil. Would you mind bringing your compass and coming with me? Please don't bring that fake one from last time; this might be quite dangerous," I said. It really would be impossible to find Yin soil without Zhao Qian.

In Xiaoyi Village, Zhao Qian is the most reliable person for detecting Yang and Yin energies. I can only sense Yin energy in my immediate vicinity; when it comes to locating specific Yin soil, I am completely blind.

"I have an ancestral Star-Fixing Compass. I'll bring that this time," Zhao Qian said, heading to her room to retrieve it.

"Good. The name sounds like it's a powerful artifact. But you should also bring some talisman paper; we’ll likely run into some dirty things." Searching for ominous materials like Yin soil naturally requires talismans. Although I bought a full set of tools for crafting them, talisman paper isn't something you can just draw on and use instantly.

Talisman crafting is a profound, esoteric art. Its effectiveness depends on one's own deep concentration. If your focus is insufficient, the result is useless. Furthermore, to compensate for weak concentration during the learning phase, one must practice by drawing thousands upon thousands of talismans to increase speed, thereby mitigating the lack of innate focus.

Zhao Qian has some skill in ghost repelling and often draws paper talismans herself. I had seen her work back in Xiaoyi Village, and it was quite impressive; she had clearly put in a great deal of effort.

"Oh, then I'll bring some ghost-repelling talismans," Zhao Qian said. Expecting her to produce high-level spells would be unrealistic.

For instance, she cannot draw advanced talismans like the Yin-Penetrating Talisman, which allows one to avoid evil spirits or communicate with ghosts and gods. Even I couldn't manage that right now, even if I drained my own pure Yang essence.

Ghost-repelling talismans, however, are more reliable—they are diverse, easy to draw, and highly specific. If used in the right place, they can often be unexpectedly effective.

"Brother Tian, what about me?" Yu Xiaoxue asked, getting anxious when she heard she wasn't being invited.

"You're a high school student. Just stay home and watch television. You'd better review your lessons; school starts soon. Stay out of adult business," I threatened. She isn't very brave. I don't even dare let her see Xijun anymore, because she faints every time she sees her. Luckily, she never remembers anything when she wakes up, or I wouldn't know how to explain it.

"Oh," Yu Xiaoxue whimpered, clutching the corner of her shirt, but I pretended not to see.

"Xue, why don't you come to my place? I have plenty of snacks and a big TV," Han Shanshan suggested.

"Don't. Just go home and sleep. You'll only lead her astray," I glared at Han Shanshan. Both of these girls are a bit dim-witted; they cannot be allowed to hang out together.

"Hmph." Han Shanshan huffed, wanting to say something else, but her mobile phone rang: "Captain Huo?"

It seems Huo Dadong had also returned safely to the station.

Halfway through the call, Han Shanshan asked me, "Captain Huo is inviting us to dinner. Do you want to go?"

"No, I have urgent matters to attend to. Tell him that for me," I declined. My hair is practically on fire with urgency, so why would I go out to dinner?

When I drove the car out of the gate, Zhao Qian followed with a small cloth bag on her back and a handbag in her hand.

The cloth bag held her gear, and the handbag contained her personal items for the car. Seeing her laden with bags, I began to feel like a real loner, having only brought Xijun.

After saying goodbye to Yu Xiaoxue and Han Shanshan, Zhao Qian and I drove away.

On the road, I let Xijun out. Since Zhao Qian was already accustomed to Xijun’s presence, I didn't need to hide her.

In the passenger seat, Zhao Qian took a red pouch from her belongings. Inside lay an ancient, steady-looking Feng Shui compass. One look told me it was an antique of inestimable value.

The appearance of the Star-Fixing Compass caused Xijun, who had been nuzzling against my face, to stare intently at it, baring her teeth aggressively.

"Xijun, don't make trouble," I frowned, stopping her from acting out.

Seeing Xijun's hostile expression, Zhao Qian was startled and immediately wrapped the red cloth back around the compass to cover it.

"Is this the Star-Fixing Compass?" I asked. Although I didn't know what materials it was made of, it was definitely capable of repelling evil spirits; Xijun's reaction was proof enough.

"Yes, it was always locked in a safe. My grandfather secretly left it to me. He even gave me the specific incantations for it. He said he didn't pass it to my father or my uncle because their hearts weren't in the right place—especially my uncle. Even if they had it, they wouldn't be able to unleash its power," Zhao Qian told me, stroking the red cloth bag with deep nostalgia.

"Have you ever thought that perhaps your uncle and the others are targeting you precisely because of this antique?" The fact that it could trigger a reaction from Xijun before it was even activated made me think it was a divine artifact. I didn't have any covetous thoughts, however, because operating the Star-Fixing Compass required specific incantations and a deep understanding of Feng Shui, which I certainly lacked.

"My brother and I knew a long time ago. They tripped us up several times, and we only escaped because of the Star-Fixing Compass. We just never said anything. As long as we didn't take it out, they couldn't be sure. My grandfather told me that no matter what, I must protect the Star-Fixing Compass; it's more important than family," Zhao Qian sighed.

I figured the Star-Fixing Compass was a treasure on par with Wang Cheng’s dog-beating whip or Lin Feiyu’s coffin nails—definitely an heirloom of some major aristocratic clan.

It was a pity that although I inherited my grandmother’s Daoist lineage, I only got a pile of broken pottery jars. I didn't have a single thing that could be called a family heirloom. I thought perhaps the Ghost Raising Sect didn't have any heirlooms, though I remembered the box my grandmother left behind contained half a ghost mask. That might be a relic of the Ghost Raising Sect. Although it looked useless, it should count as an heirloom.

While my mind wandered, I casually asked about her master: "By the way, who did you study under? Who taught you how to draw talismans?"

"I don't know. When I was in high school, I met a wandering old woman who was starving. I invited her to stay at my home for a while, and she taught me a lot about Taoism. But one day she went out and never came back," Zhao Qian said, tears welling up. "Her memory wasn't very good. I'm afraid she might have gotten lost..."

"So she was a female lay practitioner. Don't worry, a master like that will certainly be fine. After all, masters are like dragons—you see their heads but never their tails. Maybe one day she'll just appear at your doorstep," I said, immediately trying to comfort the poor girl.

I noticed Zhao Qian was particularly prone to crying. She must have been a crybaby when she was little, and having been constantly protected by Zhao He, she had developed a relatively timid personality.

"Thank you, Brother Tian," Zhao Qian nodded.

"It doesn't cost anything to talk, what are you thanking me for?" I said with a smile.

I drove toward the suburbs, heading for the shooting range at Liancheng Mountain, as that was the only place with strong Yin energy that I could think of.

Zhao Qian didn't think there was anything wrong with that, so I kept driving.

When we arrived at the shooting range, it was already dark. I grabbed a shovel and started walking toward the ancient bridge. Zhao Qian seemed a bit frightened, constantly looking up at the sky.

"Do you think the sky won't be dark just because you're looking at it? Don't worry, we aren't going to provoke them. We're just digging for some Yin soil; it won't lead to us being killed. Take out the Star-Fixing Compass; I need you to pinpoint the location. Hurry and check if I'm heading in the right direction." I felt Zhao Qian was too timid. Perhaps she hadn't encountered anything too dangerous before meeting me, but after seeing the deaths at Zhang Kaifu’s place, she had become scared.

"Oh." Zhao Qian finally remembered the purpose of her trip and took out the Star-Fixing Compass to measure the direction of the strongest Yin energy.

As it turned out, the direction she pointed matched the path I was taking perfectly.

After twisting and turning, we crossed the ancient bridge, and the location with the strongest Yin energy was indeed the very spot where I had burned incense to save my life that night!

Still in that place, at that exact spot, my "Wife Sister" tugged on the corner of my clothes again.

A chill ran down my spine. I glanced at Xijun; she wasn't as terrified as before, but a look of alert tension was clearly etched on her face.

"Brother Tian, we can't go any further. Something is definitely waiting for us there." The needle of the Star-Fixing Compass was trembling, and Zhao Qian’s face had turned pale. She was too afraid to go forward.

I thought for a moment, looking at the ancient stele ten meters ahead and the grave robber’s location near the unnatural grave not far away, and said, "This is the spot. But we need to go a bit further. Do you see that ancient grave over there? Get your talismans ready."

I wanted to dig for the Yin soil exactly where the grave robber had died; that place looked the most ominous. If the soil was stained with blood, that would be even better. Although I found it terrifying and disgusting, I had to take this risk for Xijun’s sake.

Moving another two or three meters forward, the stench of decay became even more intense. Zhao Qian covered her nose with one hand, wanting to ask me what the smell was.

I didn't dare tell her. If I did, she would probably run away immediately.

"Brother Tian... let's turn on the flashlight. It’s dark," Zhao Qian suggested, handing me the torch.

I thought that was a good idea and immediately clicked it on. As soon as the light hit, I swept it toward the direction of the grave robber’s hole, as that was the best spot I had identified.

At that sight, I almost lost control of my bladder! A hand was dangling right out of the grave hole!

Zhao Qian followed the beam of light, let out a scream, and the stack of talismans she had just taken out fell to the ground.

"Quick! Quick, burn the incense!" It wasn't there before, so how did it end up out here? What was going on?