A few hours ago.
Ding Ling set out shortly after Yan left the dorm.
Considering that Yan was well aware of her black umbrella, Ding Ling had even bought a mask to wear this ti.
The black umbrella shielded her from the sunlight, while the white mask covered most of her face. The long-sleeved shirt and linen pants didn't seem out of place for the season, making her look like any other person obsessed with physical sun protection.
However, while waiting for the subway, Ding Ling passed by soone who appeared to be a man and distinctly caught the scent of her roommate.
It wasn't Yan—it was Yi Zhi.
Ghosts are different from humans. Humans often recognize others by their appearance, physique, and morable features.
As a ghost, especially a Ghost King, Ding Ling had her own unique way of identifying others.
She could sll the fragrance emitted by human souls.
Due to the dispersion of yin energy, Ding Ling was always surrounded by a heavy aura of yin.
She hadn't been able to sll it before.
But recently, after spending ti in the yin-gathering grounds of the Mingzhi Hall and with the help of the jade Gu Jiasui had given her, her condition had improved significantly. Now, she could sll the familiar scents of those around her.
In the eyes of many in the mystical community, ghosts who linger in the human world should either be controlled or sent on to reincarnate. This is because many ghosts who remain in the human world often cause trouble, unable to resist the temptation of the scent of human souls, attacking the living and wreaking havoc.
As for a powerful Ghost King like Ding Ling, her discovery by the archaeological team had sparked intense discussions within the special cases division.
But in Ding Ling's opinion, those were just ghosts who lacked self-control or had been overwheld by their instincts, losing their sense of self.
Humans are born as humans, and when they die, they beco ghosts. Ultimately, ghosts were once human too.
Her roommates all slled delicious, each with their own unique aroma.
They didn't seem like ordinary humans at all.
Gu Jiasui had a faint sandalwood scent, ancient yet refreshing, cool and lingering with a subtle aftertaste.
Yi Zhi was even more unique, with a fresh herbal aroma that made one feel as if they were in the midst of nature.
Chu Bingbing, on the other hand, didn't sll as pleasant—her scent was more tallic, like the stench of money.
And Yan was the most peculiar of all—she had no scent at all.
It was as if her soul was colorless and odorless.
This only reinforced Ding Ling's conviction over the past few days.
Yan was undoubtedly soone from the mystical community.
Her soul was deeply concealed, with no outward fragrance. This ant she either practiced internal cultivation or used so technique to obscure her aura—a common thod among those in the mystical arts.
At this mont, Ding Ling caught Yi Zhi's scent, even though the person passing by her appeared to be a man.
But she didn't approach to greet her.
Even though Ding Ling wasn't well-versed in modern social norms, she could tell that Yi Zhi's disguise ant she was up to sothing important. While waiting for the subway, Yi Zhi was even approached by a young girl asking for her WeChat.
To outsiders, she looked like just another guy.
Not wanting to arouse Yi Zhi's suspicions, Ding Ling went to the restroom and waited for the next subway.
She had no intention of prying into her roommate's secrets. Aside from Yan, it was better to keep so distance from the others.
After all, most ordinary people were afraid of ghosts. Just look at all the horror movies out there—ghosts were almost always portrayed as villains.
To avoid scaring her roommates, she had to keep her identity hidden.
And with Yan around, she could help Ding Ling better conceal herself.
That's why Ding Ling needed to confirm that Yan was harmless. She needed to find out why Yan was going to the antique street.
Human souls were easier to identify than human appearances, so even though she had missed a subway, Ding Ling wasn't in a hurry.
But when she arrived at the antique street, sothing seed off.
Ding Ling slled waves of intense desire emanating from the souls of the people around her.
It was as if the people here had been stirred up by sothing—desire was flowing everywhere, the scent so strong that Ding Ling couldn't help but frown.
For an ordinary ghost, it would be hard to resist such temptation.
Was this what the antique street was really like?
She had thought the scents here would be more akin to tal, stone, or ancient wood.
But instead, the overwhelming stench of human desire almost made her gag.
If a ghost who had consud human souls were here, this would be a feast beyond compare—a temptation impossible to resist.
For ghosts who had tasted human souls, this was a delicacy that no ordinary offering or incense could match.
Just as this thought crossed Ding Ling's mind, she felt a sense of unease.
Amid the thick, overpowering scent of desire, her mind didn't falter. Instead, it sharpened, allowing her to clearly detect a fleeting trace of yin energy.
It was the scent of her own kind.
Was there a ghost here? Or was this a yin-gathering site?
Ding Ling's internal alarms went off instantly.
Though the burst of yin energy had vanished as quickly as it appeared, Ding Ling had caught it with pinpoint accuracy.
Could it be that soone in these feng shui artifact shops was keeping a ghost?
Ding Ling didn't know, but the feeling lingered, making her increasingly restless.
Almost instinctively, she followed the direction of the montary yin energy.
Even though the burst had been brief, as a Ghost King, she could quickly pinpoint its general origin.
What was even stranger was that the cold, yin energy seed to have been rapidly extinguished—or perhaps concealed.
This shouldn't have been possible.
Even though it was dayti, if she had sensed it, the energy shouldn't have dissipated so quickly.
Unless soone nearby had dealt with it.
Was it Yan?
Ding Ling grew anxious and hurried through the crowd.
She wasn't very familiar with the layout of the antique street, and by the ti she reached the area where she had detected the yin energy, the bustling crowds and overwhelming human desire had disappeared.
This was still near the antique street, but it was no longer the long, lively stretch of stalls selling all sorts of trinkets.
Ding Ling pulled out her phone to check the map, but she noticed the signal was weak—barely one bar—and her location was still stuck at the subway entrance of the antique street.
"Poor signal ans trouble," Ding Ling muttered to herself. This was sothing her team leader had taught her, and Yan had confird it before.
In an age where 5G was rapidly becoming the norm, this was the heart of Bin City's antique street. It wasn't like being in an elevator, and even remote mountains had network coverage. There were no signal jamrs around, so the sudden drop in signal had to be caused by sothing.
Standing in front of Ding Ling was a walled courtyard. She tilted her head, noticing several signs nearby that were similar to the ones in front of Bin University's Mingzhi Hall.
"Bin City Ancient Architecture Preservation…"
Ding Ling's heart sank. Was this another yin-gathering site?
But as she stood there, she couldn't detect any yin energy.
Instead, it felt like there was a barrier, as if she were looking through a fog.
She scratched her head. Was it so kind of formation? She wasn't very familiar with these things.
Ding Ling glanced around. The area was eerily quiet. Even though this was near the antique street, shouldn't there be so people wandering around?
The complete absence of people reminded her of Mingzhi Hall. Was this a cloaking formation? She couldn't have made a mistake.
Suddenly, Ding Ling looked up at the sky. If her current position was the center, then to the south, where she had co from, the air was thick with human desire, almost condensing into a visible cloud.
And to the north, sothing else was happening—desire was soaring into the sky.
At that mont, Ding Ling clearly sensed another brief burst of yin energy from the ancient courtyard in front of her. It was there and gone in an instant, as if it had been suppressed again.
Ding Ling's heart steadied. She hadn't been wrong—this was definitely the place.
There was yin energy here, and sothing strange was going on.
The courtyard's gate was locked with a copper padlock. Ding Ling frowned slightly and looked around. The walls weren't too high for her, but they completely blocked her view of what was inside.
Fortunately, there were no spikes or barriers on top of the walls.
Glancing at the sunlight, she realized that her umbrella was more of a habit now. Back when her yin energy was constantly leaking, sunlight would accelerate its dispersion, but now she was fine without it.
Ding Ling left her black umbrella by the gate, as if so passerby had forgotten it there.
With a nimble leap, her ghostly body effortlessly scaled the wall, and she landed silently inside the unknown ancient courtyard.
Her cloth shoes made no sound as she touched down.
She looked around, montarily stunned by the surroundings. Compared to the intact appearance from the outside, the interior of the courtyard seed as if it hadn’t been maintained for years, appearing quite dilapidated.
The pond had dried up, the plants withered, and the place felt eerily empty and devoid of life. Despite the humid and rainy weather, the vegetation here was sparse, clinging tightly to the base of the courtyard wall she had just climbed over.
In the balance of yin and yang in the universe, plants naturally thrive in their preferred environnts, so favoring yin, others yang.
Yet, under the blazing sun in this vast open courtyard, the scorching heat above seed incapable of warming this place at all.
Ding Ling noticed that the plants growing at the base of the wall were not ordinary shade-loving wildflowers or weeds.
They were yin flowers and yin grasses—plants that thrive on yin energy!
She could vividly sense the overwhelming yin energy in this place, but Ding Ling couldn’t recall any records in the Special Case Group’s files about Bin City having a yin-gathering site in the antique street.
She crouched down and touched a yin claw flower growing at the foot of the wall. It was flourishing, its tendrils stretching out like ghostly claws, clearly nourished by abundant yin energy.
The inside and outside of the courtyard walls felt like two different worlds. Inside, the yin energy was dense, while outside, there was none at all.
Interesting, very interesting, Ding Ling thought.
Such strong yin energy could only an one thing: this place either harbored ghosts or sothing else from the underworld.
Based on the two bursts of yin energy she had sensed earlier, Ding Ling judged it was more likely to be ghosts.
Ghosts that had been stirred by the surging human desires outside.
Was soone raising ghosts here? Or were ghosts sealed here?
As soon as this speculation arose in Ding Ling’s mind, she felt it was almost certainly one of these two possibilities.
Although she was only a nominal mber of the Special Case Group, protecting the city and investigating supernatural occurrences was still her duty.
There was definitely sothing unusual about this courtyard. Thinking of the two bursts of yin energy, Ding Ling’s expression darkened.
The antique street was bustling with human desires, and the ghosts here might lose control. If she left to call for reinforcents and waited for the Special Case Group to arrive, who knew how much ti would be wasted?
If the ghosts escaped and entered the antique street, it would be like a cat entering a mouse’s nest—there would be no end to the chaos.
Although she herself was a ghost, since her revival, Ding Ling had received much help from the living. In her heart, she still considered herself human, despite her ghostly form.
If ghosts entered the antique street to feed on human souls, the consequences would be unimaginable!
She couldn’t allow that to happen!
Ding Ling concentrated on suppressing her own yin energy. The courtyard was large and eerily quiet. She was certain she hadn’t been detected and began to quietly search the area.
Moving through the layers of courtyards, Ding Ling carefully investigated from the outer periter inward.
...
Outside Furong Residence.
Yan sent a ssage to Ding Ling, but there was no reply.
She frowned.
Aside from nightti, Ding Ling usually responded to ssages almost instantly during the day.
After waiting for three minutes with no reply, Yan wondered what Ding Ling was doing.
She tried to recall if Ding Ling had ntioned any plans recently. Due to Ding Ling’s identity as a Ghost King and Yan’s own assumptions, she hadn’t asked too many questions, not wanting to get dragged into any trouble.
But now, Yan decided to take the initiative to avoid any unexpected entanglents.
Unable to wait any longer, Yan and Zhu Jue started walking away.
Furong Residence was uniquely positioned, located at the heart of the antique street. Despite being only three stories tall, it was the highest building in this protected area.
Earlier, while at the antique appraisal event on the third floor of Furong Residence, Yan had looked out the window and seen the crisscrossing layout of the antique street, a design that had been preserved for centuries.
Hundreds of years ago, Bin City had been a prominent port city, known as the number one export hub in Xia Country, trading silk, porcelain, tea, and more, creating countless wealthy rchants.
In prosperous tis, antiques flourished; in troubled tis, gold was king. The antique street of Bin City had once been glorious.
Especially during the ti of a legendary rchant known as "Half-City Liang," who had no interest in won, alcohol, or tobacco but was obsessed with collecting antiques, calligraphy, and paintings. He had built a grand mansion at the heart of the antique street.
When Yan noticed the massive square structure from the window, she had looked it up and asked Ruyi about it.
"That place is still a private residence. I heard there are caretakers, but the Liang family moved abroad decades ago. Although it’s listed as a cultural heritage site, they handle all the repairs themselves and don’t allow the cultural bureau to interfere. It’s not open to the public. By old standards, even the street in front of the gate belongs to them, and no one usually goes there."
Having grown up in a family that valued traditional culture and historical artifacts, Yan and Zhu Jue were both familiar with the legendary tales of Half-City Liang.
Now, unable to reach Ding Ling, the two decided to slowly walk toward the Liang family compound. Even if they couldn’t enter, they could at least admire the architectural details from the outside.
Yan’s Five Emperor Coins hung from her small sling bag, swaying as she walked, resembling a decorative accessory at her waist.
"Jue, give a bottle of water," Yan said, tugging at Zhu Jue’s backpack. The weight of six water bottles was no joke, and she thought carrying one might lighten the load.
"It’s fine, it’s not that heavy. Let’s keep going," Zhu Jue replied nonchalantly, holding her hand as they walked.
"I’m worried your shoulders will hurt tomorrow. I regret bringing so much," Yan said, feeling a bit guilty.
"If we hadn’t taken these six bottles, you’d be nagging about it for three days, and years from now, you’d still bring it up and bla for not letting you insist," Zhu Jue teased accurately.
"Hehe," Yan chuckled slyly.
"I’m just worried about you."
"Then I’ll make sure to complete the mission, all to satisfy you," Zhu Jue said with a raised eyebrow.
The walk from Furong Residence to the Liang family compound wasn’t far. The ancient walls seed to have maintained their original appearance from years ago. The gray bricks bore only the marks of ti, with no graffiti from tourists, which pleased Yan.
"It seems like not many people co here. That’s good; the lack of damage is a relief."
Zhu Jue glanced around, sowhat surprised. "Indeed, this seems like a small path. It’s just the two of us here."
Yan placed her hand on the brick wall. It was cold, icy even, almost bone-chilling. She couldn’t help but exclaim, "Jue, these bricks are as cold as if they’ve been in a freezer."
They didn’t linger by the wall for long. When they reached the main gate of the Liang family compound, Yan was startled.
"That umbrella looks familiar," Zhu Jue said, eyeing the pure black umbrella with a wooden fra and handle.
Usually, oil-paper umbrellas used wooden fras, but they rarely had black covers. Nowadays, most people used modern umbrellas, and wooden materials were uncommon.
They had only ever seen one umbrella like this in their lives.
"Is Ding Ling here?" Yan exclaid in surprise.
She felt both shocked and not entirely surprised.
Shocked to see the umbrella here, but not entirely surprised that Ding Ling was indeed in this place.
Yan felt a sense of finality.
But the gate was tightly locked, and Ding Ling’s black umbrella was placed in a corner by the door.
Had Ding Ling gone inside? Could sothing have happened to her?
Yan swiped her phone, but Ding Ling still hadn’t replied.
She tried sending another ssage.
[Yan]: Ding Ling, are you at the Liang family compound in the antique street? I saw your umbrella here. Are you okay?
She typed quickly and sent it—only to see a red exclamation mark. The ssage hadn’t gone through!
Yan’s pupils contracted. "Jue, check the signal."
Zhu Jue’s phone screen lit up. Both their phones now showed "No Service."
Yan: ...
Here we go again, that familiar feeling.
Could this place be another Mingzhi Hall?
If so, maybe Ding Ling was fine? Maybe she was just visiting so ghost friends?
As she hesitated, a sudden, overwhelming surge of energy erupted from within the compound, rushing outward with a force that made Yan and Zhu Jue instinctively step aside.
In the blink of an eye, the locked gate burst open violently, as if struck by an internal force, accompanied by a chilling gust of yin energy.
What was happening? The two stood frozen in shock.
A mont later, Yan walked to the center of the reopened outer door. She saw the heavy bronze lock that had been hanging on the door lying on the ground.
When she looked up again, her eyes widened in shock.
A familiar figure stood right before her.
Ding Ling floated in mid-air, confronting a gaunt middle-aged man whose skin was half-wrinkled and half-smooth.
Yan instinctively took a step forward, her mouth moving faster than her mind:
"Ding Ling, you're here! I finally found you."
As she took that step, the red string tied to the Five Emperor Coins on her waist pouch seed to have been shaken by the earlier commotion, and they fell to the ground with a clink.
The Five Emperor Coins landed directly on the bronze lock.
With a loud "clang," as if tal had struck stone, Yan watched as the bronze lock shattered into pieces.
"Ah? I didn’t an to. The quality of this thing is terrible!" she exclaid, stepping back.
The middle-aged man on the ground was now furious, his eyes bulging with rage.
"No—"
He glared at Yan at the door and Ding Ling before him, his anger boiling over.
"Is this your helper? My formation's core! Good, good, very good!"
The man imdiately began attacking Ding Ling madly with the magical tool in his hand.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Yan shouted, "There's no signal here! I’ll go call the police!"
The scene before her was too surreal. She watched as black smoke billowed from the banner in the man’s hand, more dramatic than any special effects she had ever seen.
What kind of world is this? I don’t want to get involved in your ss!
Ti to run!
Yan and Zhu Jue quickly fled the scene.
In Ding Ling’s eyes, however, the situation was entirely different.
Ding Ling had been carefully investigating the courtyard and had discovered its peculiarity.
This place was clearly an artificial ghost-nurturing ground. Soone had been raising malevolent spirits deep underground in the courtyard!
And these were not ordinary spirits—they were blood-red-eyed ghosts that had clearly taken human lives!
Unlike ordinary ghosts, the ghost king’s natural aura of intimidation made these spirits instinctively fearful. Combined with the human desires in the air, the already agitated spirits suddenly lost control and burst out. Ding Ling imdiately confronted the person controlling them.
As expected, it was an evil practitioner who fed living souls to these malevolent spirits!
Ding Ling had only recently awakened, and her strength had not fully recovered. Her yin energy was constantly dissipating, and the courtyard was clearly set up with a formation by the evil practitioner. Since she didn’t understand formations, she couldn’t break it, and for a while, she was evenly matched in the battle against the evil practitioner.
They fought from the depths of the courtyard to the outside.
Just monts ago, Ding Ling had gathered a large amount of yin energy in the courtyard and unleashed it, blasting open the courtyard gate.
Unexpectedly, her roommate Yan was standing right outside the gate.
Yan looked at her with a pleasantly surprised expression, as if she had been searching for her for a long ti.
Then, as Yan casually took a step forward, the Five Emperor Coins on her waist pouch directly struck the bronze lock!
When the lock shattered, Ding Ling suddenly had an epiphany.
The formation’s core! That bronze lock was the core of the evil formation set up in the courtyard!
Yan had so effortlessly and nonchalantly identified the formation’s core and destroyed it!
Yan even claid it was an accident, saying the lock was of poor quality!
This was clearly a blatant taunt directed at the evil practitioner!
With the formation’s core destroyed, the imnse pressure on Ding Ling vanished.
After resolving the biggest threat, Yan gracefully left, claiming she was going to call the police. But it was obvious she didn’t want to expose herself, leaving the rest to Ding Ling to handle.
By not interfering in the battle, Yan was clearly handing over the spoils of victory to her.
With the formation’s core broken, Ding Ling easily subdued the evil practitioner and the malevolent spirits he had been raising.
After securing her defeated opponent, Ding Ling walked to the courtyard gate and glanced at the shattered bronze lock. She pulled out her phone and checked it.
Sure enough, as soon as the formation was broken, the signal returned.
Ding Ling’s eyes narrowed. Yan had sent her a ssage earlier.
It read, "Where are you?"
That was fifteen minutes ago!
Yan must have sensed sothing was wrong when she didn’t reply and had co looking for her so quickly, directly breaking the formation’s core.
After resolving the matter, Yan left without a trace, hiding her achievents and fa.
The deanor of a true master, truly awe-inspiring!
Ding Ling called her team leader. She picked up her large black umbrella and kindly covered the trembling spirits with it.
Monts later, mbers of the Special Case Team stationed in the antique street arrived at lightning speed, staring in shock at the chaos in the courtyard.
"Did you handle all of this yourself?"
Ding Ling nodded. "A passing expert solved the formation’s core and has already left."
She didn’t reveal any specific information about Yan or her boyfriend.
But since the evil practitioner had seen Yan, she had to obscure the details. She wouldn’t take credit for breaking the formation’s core.
"A passing expert?" the Special Case Team mber exclaid.
Ding Ling nodded. "I can’t say more."
The team mber, Xiao Gua, gave her a knowing look.
As Ding Ling watched the team mbers busy themselves with cleanup, she sent a ssage to Yan.
[Ding Ling]: I’ve finished handling things. I’ll be back at school later.
A mont later, Yan replied.
[Yan]: OKK, stay safe.
Ding Ling felt a warmth in her heart when she saw the ssage.
Yan had helped her so much, yet she didn’t ntion it at all, instead reminding her to stay safe.
She typed a few words, thought about it, and then deleted them. As the saying goes, great kindness needs no thanks.
Since Yan didn’t want to reveal her identity, Ding Ling had to help her keep it a secret.
But to be so precise, so effortless, casually using a string of Five Emperor Coins to break the formation’s core—Yan’s strength was truly terrifying!
Perhaps… she was already a top-tier mystic master within the Special Case Team, a once-in-a-generation genius in the mystic arts. Such a figure would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention, which explained why Yan went to such lengths to disguise herself as an ordinary person.
After so thought, Ding Ling only replied with two words.
[Ding Ling]: Don’t worry.
With Yan’s intelligence, she would understand the ssage imdiately. Ding Ling would make sure to protect Yan’s identity at all costs!
A hint of lancholy appeared in Ding Ling’s eyes. Yan was so elusive and mysterious, and she had likely done countless good deeds like this in the past, unknown to anyone.
She acted according to her conscience, doing good without being burdened by external matters.
She hid her na, unknown to anyone, and even allowed others to take credit for her achievents, completely unbothered.
Such selflessness and the deanor of a true master were truly rare!
Ding Ling’s admiration for Yan grew even stronger. Whether in the past or now, such a person was one in a million.
To have a friend like this was her good fortune!
What happened today would remain a secret between them.
Yan had revealed her identity to her, which showed an imnse level of trust!
At this mont, Ding Ling silently vowed that even if she were exposed, she would protect Yan’s identity at all costs!
Though she had lived longer as a ghost, there was still so much she could learn from Yan. Yan was her role model!
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