Chapter 019: Fury

After hearing my words, Uncle Wang promptly set to work.

The challenge with feng shui issues lies first and foremost in perceiving them. Once the root of the problem is identified, resolving it becomes a straightforward matter—at least, for those with the requisite knowledge. For instance, the two brothers, Shang Wuwei and his sibling, though initiated in the Daoist arts, would be helpless even if they recognized the house was suffering from a Yin Grave Curse. They simply lacked the means to address it.

Setting up a Heavenly Ladder, opening the Celestial Gate—these are terms we use in the trade. They are not meant to be taken literally; no one is actually erecting a stairway to the heavens or swinging open some cosmic door.

Uncle Wang quickly finished assembling the “Heavenly Ladder.” It was nothing more than a long bamboo pole split in half to form the sides, with bamboo strips tied across as rungs. As for the Celestial Gate, that was even simpler: two large sheets of tinfoil cut to resemble doors, then affixed atop the roof of the house.

With preparations complete, I took up my compass and instructed Guo Shiping to assist me, lighting a bundle of incense and following at my side.

“Here! Stick three incense sticks here!”

“Yes, that’s right, place nine incense sticks in this spot!”

Following my instructions, I soon arranged incense all around the house, creating a feng shui formation—what we call a geomantic array.

Once the incense array was set, I called out to Uncle Wang and the others, “Step back! No matter what you hear, don’t come closer out of curiosity!”

Uncle Wang answered at once, quickly leading Gu Xiaogang and the others away.

Once they departed, I turned to the Shang brothers. “You two should also keep your distance! There’s a heavy accumulation of Yin energy in this house. Shortly, I’ll be releasing it all at once!”

“No worries, go ahead. A little Yin energy can’t harm us,” Shang Wuwei replied.

Seeing their refusal to leave, I didn’t press the matter. The brothers might have a sharp tongue, but their abilities were beyond doubt.

“Brother Ping! I’m about to start! Keep an eye on the incense—if any are burning low, quickly replace them, and don’t let them go out!” I reminded Guo Shiping.

My mobility was limited, so I needed his help.

“Don’t worry, I can handle this much!” Guo Shiping replied, clutching a large bundle of incense, ready for action.

I entered the incense array with my compass and began to chant the invocation.

As I recited the ritual words, wisps of blue smoke began to drift toward me from all directions.

Before long, a fist-sized cloud of smoke had gathered atop my compass.

“I can’t keep up! Can you two help me?” I heard Guo Shiping call out after a while.

Glancing over, I saw the incense burning much faster than expected; most were nearly spent. This was beyond my calculations—I hadn’t anticipated the Yin Grave Curse to be so potent, consuming incense at such a rate.

“Give us the incense and step aside! You’re all thumbs!”

“Exactly—judging by your looks, you’re a fellow practitioner, but with such little skill, aren’t you ashamed?”

“Who’s your master anyway? Maybe you should switch sects—or better yet, become my disciple!”

The Shang brothers’ words were as grating as ever. They never seemed to care about others’ feelings, always speaking their minds with brutal honesty.

At that moment, I focused all my attention on the compass, continuing to chant without sparing them another thought.

Shang Wuwei snatched the incense from Guo Shiping, then with a flick of his wrist, lit a handful of sticks in an instant, each tip glowing and smoking.

I was genuinely impressed—he’d used his own Yang energy to ignite the incense.

Remarkable! Truly remarkable!

My master could do the same, but I couldn’t manage to light even one stick this way, let alone a whole bundle.

Next, with a deft motion of his fingers, he separated nine incense sticks and, with a swift wave, sent them flying to land precisely next to the ones about to burn out—positioned with perfect accuracy.

“Whoosh!” He quickly separated three more and replaced another nearly spent set elsewhere.

Such speed…

I couldn’t help but admire him!

I had always thought myself highly skilled among my peers, but after witnessing the Shang brothers, I realized there were many far stronger than me.

Clearly, I would need to work even harder in my cultivation.

Especially since I still carried the Sixfold Heavenly Doom—an evil curse that had even claimed the life of my master. I would need to put in a hundred, a thousand times more effort.

With Shang Wuwei’s help, I no longer worried about the incense array failing. I devoted myself entirely to the compass in my hands.

The cloud of blue smoke atop my compass grew larger and denser.

When it had swelled to the size of a washbasin, I bellowed aloud, “Yin gathers with yin, yang with yang! With a turn of the hand, yin and yang unite; with the back, they scatter! Heavenly ladder pierces the clouds, Celestial Gate clangs open! Disciple Yu Wei respectfully summons the Nine Heavens Mystics! By order of the Divine Lady, come forth! By the law, with urgency—descend!”

With my final word, “descend,” the gathered smoke burst from my compass, shooting toward the Gu family’s main gate.

With a thunderous boom, every door and window in the house flew open, and a torrent of cold wind surged out.

“The Celestial Gate opens! Open wide for the gods above! When gods arrive, yin energy fades! When the Divine Lady descends, evil dissipates! By the law, with urgency—descend!” The needle in my compass began to spin wildly.

As I spoke the second “descend,” the two sheets of tinfoil atop the roof began to flap furiously, and the gathered yin energy rushed upward toward the rooftop.

At that moment, I heard Shang Wuyong exclaim, “Damn! Impressive! Didn’t expect it—this kid’s young, but his skills run deep!”

“Yes, for a feng shui master to reach this level at such an age is rare indeed!”

Hearing their praise, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy. It wasn’t arrogance—who doesn’t enjoy a little recognition?

They seemed formidable in my eyes, and evidently, I was the same in theirs. Such is the way of the craft.

A cold wind howled, swirling the air into twisting cyclones all around.

“Bastard, stop what you’re doing!” Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the air from inside the Gu house, and at that instant, a shadow darted out.

No—this was the Soul-Stealing Ghost!

She’d realized that the yin energy inside was dissipating rapidly, that the curse on the Gu family was unraveling. She was desperate.

“Brazen fiend! Without the protection of your formation, how dare you still act so wildly? Do you take me for a block of tofu to be crushed at will?” Shang Wuyong bellowed, sending a talisman flying from his hand as he leapt to confront the ghost.

“Ahh!”

Suddenly, the Soul-Stealing Ghost let out a piercing wail and shouted, “Let me go, you little bastard, let me go!”

Looking up, I saw a small figure clutching the old woman’s leg.

Focusing my gaze, I realized it was the little Soul-Stealing Ghost herself, clinging to her grandmother’s foot.

“Grandma, please don’t! You’re no match for them!” the little ghost pleaded, looking up at the old woman.

“Get away, you little wretch! This is all your fault, you bring nothing but bad luck!” The old woman kicked her aside without mercy.

“You decrepit hag! You’re nothing but a soul-stealing ghost yourself, yet you dare act so arrogantly! Today, I’ll see your soul scattered to the winds!” Shang Wuyong roared, forming a sword with his fingers and lunging at the old woman.

Seeing his finger-sword about to strike her, I shouted at the top of my lungs, “Don’t!”

But it was too late.

Too late! There was nothing I could do.

Just as his sword-fingers were about to hit the old woman, a figure hurled itself in the way.

It was none other than the little Soul-Stealing Ghost who had just been kicked aside.

That was why I’d tried to stop Shang Wuyong.

“You…” Shang Wuyong’s eyes bulged with fury as he realized his sword-fingers had pierced the little ghost’s chest. He roared in anguish.

Clearly, he hadn’t wanted to harm her.

“Damn it!” Shang Wuyong shouted again, tossing the little ghost aside and once more attacking the old woman with his finger-sword.

“No! Please, don’t hurt my grandma!” But the little ghost, sobbing, threw herself at Shang Wuyong’s leg, clinging to him.

“Get away, you worthless brat! Leave me alone!” Yet the old woman showed no gratitude, cursing the little ghost even as she pointed at her.

Witnessing this, my heart clenched painfully, anger surging through me in an instant…