Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 448 Ghost Catcher 9

The summer evening breeze blew through the newly planted saplings in Qixiaju, and the branches and leaves swayed gently, making a rustling sound, without any of the former eerie and gloomy feeling.

The interior of the renovated Qixia Residence was serene. Outside the window was the characteristic hustle and bustle of a 1990s summer in City B—the tinkle of bicycle bells, the faint sound of distant whistles, and the sonorous sound of a radio broadcast from the neighboring compound.

Yun Chu didn't dress up and enjoy her new home like any other young girl. She sat at the hardwood desk that she had "sent" with magic, but the thing spread out before her was not a textbook.

Instead, it was a map of City B that she had marked densely over the past few days, and several recent copies of "City B Evening News" and "Legal Daily" that she had bought from a newsstand.

Her fingertips slid across the newspaper's tofu-shaped advertising columns and some social news sections:

* "Eliminating abuses and exorcising evil spirits for the people! Master Lin, the orthodox Taoist, has arrived in person!" (Attached is a message with a pager number.)

*"Strange noises were heard again in Dongsi Hutong last night! Pets of three residents died inexplicably! Suspected to be unclean! Urgently seeking an expert to resolve the issue!"

* "In the west unit of the old residential building at the Red Star Textile Factory, water pipes have burst and electrical appliances have malfunctioned for several consecutive nights! Residents are panicking! The factory security department has intervened but to no avail!"

* “A strange figure appeared in the abandoned workshop of the Western Suburbs Chemical Plant! Several workers who visited the factory were suspected to be frightened and needed medical treatment!”

In Yun Chu's eyes, these seemingly irrelevant urban rumors and social news are excellent materials for outlining the activities of ghosts in City B and the market demand.

Yun Chu used his pen to draw circles and dots on the map, connecting them with thin lines of different colors. Under some key locations, he even marked the speculated level of the ghosts and the possible causal aura involved.

The target is locked.

At dusk, Yun Chu stepped out of the iron gate of Qixia Residence. This time, she was not wearing a conspicuous Taoist robe, but a plain cloth dress and cloth shoes that were easy to move in. Her waist was tied tightly, and the Ghost Demon Bell was hung close to her body. On the outside, she covered herself with a half-new coat to conceal her whereabouts.

She held a rough yellow paper with simple and clear runes drawn on it in her arms.

Deep in Dongsi Hutong, near the three houses where the accident occurred, there was a chilling, icy atmosphere that even ordinary people could feel.

The neighbors' doors and windows were closed, and the evening bustle was replaced by an ominous silence.

Several households have gathered together, and are discussing with worried faces whether to pool together a large sum of money and place an advertisement in the newspaper to invite that "Master Lin", or to look for other ways.

"Master Lin's price is quite high..."

"Yes, I heard that Mrs. Zhang from South City also looked at it and said it was too difficult and she didn't dare to take it..."

"How about we go to the temple and ask for a talisman and try it?"

At this moment, a clear and calming voice interrupted: "Can I see the bodies of the cats and dogs that died suddenly?"

Everyone turned around and saw a girl of about eighteen or nineteen with a calm face standing under the dim street light at the entrance of the alley.

"You?" A haggard middle-aged man frowned, "Little girl, don't join in the fun. There's dirty stuff here, this is not a joke."

Yun Chu simply ignored the distrust in his tone and fixed his gaze on the black garbage bag wrapped in rags held by one of the old ladies. A barely detectable black gas was seeping out from the gap in the bag.

"The body hasn't been dealt with yet?" Yun Chu asked directly.

"I was afraid... afraid it would be unlucky, so I didn't have the time to throw it away..." The old woman shivered.

Yun Chu walked forward without saying a word and, under everyone's wary and confused gaze, lifted a corner of the garbage bag.

In the dim light, she quickly scanned the two cat corpses - their pupils were dilated, their mouths and tongues were purple and black, and their fur was stained with a few strands of coagulated blood and... a very light frost.

Yun Chu looked up at the outer walls of the three houses again, especially the chimneys and shady corners - several dark gray spots that were difficult to see with the naked eye were slowly wriggling.

"Yinfu Corpse Worm," Yun Chu's voice was low, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "It's a low-level ghost insect that clings to dead air and parasitizes the dark corners of houses. It gathers and disperses invisibly, enjoys gnawing on the yang energy of living beings, and is particularly afraid of living things."

"When they enter at night, cats and dogs, with their keen senses, are the first to be attacked. If they get entangled by them, they will drain their vitality, causing them to die suddenly and inexplicably. When people are frightened and their yang energy fluctuates, these worms become more active, interfering with the weak electrical currents in water and electricity lines, causing strange phenomena."

The precise description instantly silenced the discussion, leaving only surprised gasps.

"Then...what should we do?" someone asked subconsciously.

"It's very simple." Yun Chu took out the triangular Qinghui Talisman from his pocket and said, "Hang this Talisman behind the door of the person's house for seven days. Light a lamp with ordinary kerosene oil and place it in the center of the main hall at night. Keep the light burning for three days."

"Lamp oil fumes can disperse the infestation. At the same time, bury the bodies of cats and dogs three feet deep in the ground and cover them with quicklime to eliminate the source of the dead air. Do not keep cats or dogs during this period. After three days, the infestation will disappear on its own."

Yun Chu handed the talisman to the old woman closest to him: "The talisman is just an induction. The key is the light and how to deal with the source of the dead energy. The talisman is a gift. Believe it or not."

The old woman looked at the talisman in her hand and felt a subtle warmth to her touch, which made her feel inexplicably at ease.

"Is that... that all?" The middle-aged man was skeptical, feeling the process was a bit... cheap? It was completely different from the legendary grand ceremony performed by Master Lin.

Yun Chu nodded. "They're just low-level insects, why mobilize so many people?" She glanced at everyone. "If you follow this method and there's no improvement after three days, they'll come back."

After saying this, without pausing for long, he turned and disappeared into the shadows deeper in the alley. His steps were light and he disappeared after a few turns.

A group of neighbors at the entrance of the alley looked at each other, looked at the "free" talisman, and then looked at the bag containing the dead cats and dogs on the ground, not knowing what to do.

Yun Chu didn't go far. She dodged to the rooftop of a taller building nearby, her mind moving slightly to capture the reactions of the people in Dongsi Hutong.

Sure enough, one of the brave residents tried it first. They did as she said, hung talismans and lit lamps, and worked together to bury the pet's body deep.

The moment the ordinary oil lamp was lit in the main hall, Yun Chu clearly saw that the gray spots on the walls of those houses twisted and retreated as if they were splashed with hot oil, and no longer dared to approach the range of the light.

That night, Dongsi Hutong fell quiet.

The news cannot be concealed.

The next day, the news that "a knowledgeable young girl moved to Qixiaju in the west" and "easily (almost free of charge) solved the ghost problem in Dongsi Hutong" spread quietly among several neighbors.

This news reached the ears of Lin Chao, who was receiving a wealthy businessman, bragging about his advanced skills in exorcising demons and preparing to ask for a high price.

"Qixiaju? Young girl?" Lin Chao frowned, feeling a little offended and disdainful.

That haunted house? It was probably a half-baked burglar who was willing to break into a house and take advantage of it. The little problem with Dongsi was just a fluke.

However, his contempt was soon slapped in the face.