Half an hour later, two people stumbled out of Manor Lord Qi's bedroom, one after the other, in a sorry state.
The thousand-year-old Immortal and the forr head of the Shadow Guards were in the courtyard, leaning on their knees, gasping for breath.
Rong Zheng spoke first.
"Little Tao! Didn't you say you could handle it? Why did you run before even engaging?"
"Don't bla ," Tao Mian wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, "Shi Fu is getting on in years, as a disciple, shouldn't you respect the elderly and protect the young, and step up?"
"I..." Rong Zheng paused, not expecting Shi Fu to be so shaless, "It's my first ti, I have no experience. That ghost looked so hideous, I couldn't bring myself to attack."
She realized sothing and glared angrily.
"Besides, isn't Little Tao supposed to be a highly skilled Immortal? You ran even faster than I did."
"Well, even I get scared sotis."
"......"
Rong Zheng was left speechless by Tao Mian's confident justification.
Tao Mian was soone who rarely troubled himself, preferring to sleep on things when faced with difficult situations. When things got tricky, he would set them aside and think about them later.
The situation in the room just now was what he would call "tricky."
"Disciple," Tao Mian caught his breath and handed a clean handkerchief to Rong Zheng to wipe her cold sweat, "How many ghosts did you see in the room just now?"
"...... How many?" Rong Zheng's hand trembled as she took the handkerchief, "I only saw one, was there more than one?"
Tao Mian was silent, then spoke words that made Rong Zheng's hard-won cold sweat fall again.
"You thought Shi Fu escaped, but actually, I was squeezed out. There wasn't even room to stand in that room."
"......"
Rong Zheng felt like crying but had no tears.
She wanted to go ho.
"Little, Little Tao... this isn't so excuse you made up for yourself, right? It's okay, a child doesn't mind a mother's ugliness, I don't mind your cowardice. Don't scare like this."
Tao Mian sohow produced a green candle and lit it.
"Isn't this candle for setting the mood?"
"Occasionally, it can be used to reveal ghosts invisible to the naked eye."
"......"
Rong Zheng was both scared and wanted to complain, not knowing where to start.
Tao Mian held the candlestick, and the candlelight flickered in the courtyard's breeze, casting heavy shadows on the window.
Rong Zheng mustered her courage and stepped closer.
!
This wasn't just shadows; they were ghostly figures!
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Uncertain if the candlelight had a special allure for them, Tao Mian raised the candlestick and walked along the window. With several thuds, countless black handprints followed the light's movent, heavily pressing against the window!
Rong Zheng couldn't help but hold her breath.
"Look." Tao Mian finally stopped at a corner, where all the ghostly handprints converged.
Half of his face was illuminated by the candlelight, showing a sowhat helpless expression.
"It seems tomorrow we'll have to ask Manor Lord Qi which 'male ghost' has been whispering in his ear every night."
"......"
There was no staying in the room; it was impossible to stand there.
The master and disciple sat by the stone table in the courtyard, each tucking their hands into their sleeves, staying awake until dawn.
During this ti, Rong Zheng dozed off several tis. Once, when the person across from her was absent, she opened her eyes in a daze, looked around, and was again overco by the sleepiness that kept assaulting her.
When she woke up again, Tao Mian was sitting in the sa spot, as if he had never left.
Early the next morning, the courtyard door was pushed open from the outside, and it was Manor Lord Qi who entered.
Manor Lord Qi was startled by the dark circles under the eyes of the Immortal and his disciple.
"This... Immortal, did you encounter trouble?"
Tao Mian nodded.
"Manor Lord Qi, I can only say, it's a miracle you're still alive."
Qi Yun let out an "ah," flustered and confused.
"Please, Immortal, guide ."
Tao Mian asked about three things in detail.
First, where was Phoenix Rest Manor located, and what was its previous use?
Second, had Qi Yun ever made enemies in the past, especially those knowledgeable in feng shui?
Third, what actions and arrangents had the Taoists who previously visited the manor made?
Qi Yun dared not hide anything and told Tao Mian the truth.
He said the location of Phoenix Rest Manor was decided by his father, and he had followed his father's will, spending a fortune to clear the land and build a grand manor on this perilous cliff.
This place was originally uninhabited, but before breaking ground, he consulted a feng shui master who said it was a rare blessed land that could protect future generations.
As for enemies... as a businessman, he valued harmony and prosperity. He would rather suffer a loss than offend his peers. So, there shouldn't be any enemies who would go to such lengths to harm him.
Finally, Qi Yun handed Tao Mian a roster, detailing the Taoists who had co to Phoenix Rest Manor, their titles, backgrounds, duration of stay, and the rituals they perford.
Tao Mian quickly scanned the first line of the roster.
Well, he didn't recognize a single one.
But sothing peculiar struck him: all these Taoists only stayed at Phoenix Rest Manor for three days.
"Where did they go after leaving? Did they leave alive?"
Qi Yun shook his head, then nodded.
"The Taoists wander the world, and it's not my place to ask about their destinations. But they all said the fierce ghosts in the manor were difficult to deal with and advised to seek soone more capable."
Tao Mian acknowledged, but his confusion deepened.
If it were just one or two, it might make sense.
But there were over a dozen nas on this roster; could they all be frauds?
Besides the room full of ghostly figures, what terrifying things did they discover in the manor that forced them to leave?
These questions had no imdiate answers.
He might have to stay for three days to uncover the truth.
Tao Mian briefly expressed to Qi Yun his intention to stay a few more days, which Manor Lord Qi naturally did not refuse.
"Immortal, feel free to stay as long as you like."
Then Tao Mian requested to take a walk around the manor, and although Qi Yun offered to send soone with him, he politely declined.
Rong Zheng also wanted to accompany him, but Tao Mian didn't agree.
After Qi Yun left with his attendants, he said to his disciple, "I don't know if Du Hong has left; do you want to wander around with and risk your life?"
Rong Zheng had no choice but to nod.
"Then if anything happens, you must co and get !"
"Don't worry, if it really cos to that, things will be serious, and I'll definitely co to get you to run."
Tao Mian didn't say much more, gave a few instructions, and left alone.
He had no clear direction, just relying on intuition to first investigate areas with heavy ghostly presence.
By coincidence, as he reached a corner of a corridor, he bumped into soone.
The person took a step back, and upon seeing who it was, a look of surprise appeared on their face.
It was Su Tianhe.
"What are you doing here?"
Su Tianhe spoke first before Tao Mian could say anything.
But imdiately, without waiting for a response, he grabbed Tao Mian's arm and started to lead him away.
"Hurry, you can't stay here."
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