Chapter 5: The Black-Faced Old Man

"Don't be afraid, Teacher Liu. As long as I'm here, these things can't harm you. This silk cloth shouldn't be destroyed casually. It contains the souls of your loved ones, trapped inside and entangled with other souls."

At this point, Luo Li's eyes were cold as ice. "Not only did you and your family die, but you also have to be enslaved and used to offset the debts of sin. Fortune and disaster can be avoided, but life and death are unavoidable. Fate turns, and the will of Heaven bears the burden. Good and evil will ultimately be repaid; it's just a matter of early or late. Thinking of this, Luo Li raised his head: Perhaps this is the chance that Heaven has given me."

"Do you remember your mother-in-law's birth date and time?"

"I don't know the exact time, but her birthday was July 8. She passed away five years ago at the age of eighty."

Five years ago, eighty years old, July 13. Luo Li calculated briefly. In the yin year, yin month, and yin day, the time must also be yin time. It was indeed well planned.

"Oh, I see. You should stay in the kitchen for now. I'll perform the ritual soon. Trust me, you'll be safe in the kitchen with the protection of your household deity. Light the stove, heat up some water, and use an iron pot. When the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—are balanced, there will be no more problems. Stay as long as you like."

With that, Luo Li turned and left again.

Teacher Liu hurried back to the kitchen, searching for an iron pot to boil water, making a clanging noise.

Luo Li, holding the silk cloth, faced north, as north corresponds to water. The sky had darkened, the moon was out, and it was almost midnight, the fifth day of the month. He glanced at an old watch, its hands pointing to fourteen and fifteen. In a quarter of an hour, today, I'm going to eradicate this evil spirit.

He smiled slightly: You like playing with the "Deep Water Prison," so today you'll get a taste of it too.

He bit his finger, letting blood drop onto the four directions—Kan, Gen, Dui, and Xun—on the silk cloth. It looked like a peach blossom with a torn corner. Hehehe, not giving you the Kun position, leaving you suspended in the air to drown.

Checking the watch again, the time had come:

He took out the "Four Treasures of the Study"—a brush, inkstone, yellow paper, and cinnabar—arranged them, and began to draw symbols with focused intent. He threw one symbol into the air, and it seemed to turn into a pattern before igniting. Burn one, draw one, left hand holding the paper, right hand holding the brush, smoothly moving from drawing to throwing. The young man's body seemed surrounded by a vibrant aura, giving him an otherworldly air. His face was resolute, a far cry from the ordinary young man hiding in a corner during the day.

Upon closer inspection, he was also quite handsome and elegant.

He drew twelve Yin symbols and burned twelve Yin symbols in succession. The silk cloth on the ground had lost its luster and had become nearly transparent, showing the fine sand left after the silk was used.

Luo Li's eyes had turned completely black. He looked at the symbols that surrounded him in an invisible circle, sat cross-legged, and drew the final symbol.

Although he had the manuscript, this "Nine Palaces and Trigrams Comprehensive Diagram" was clearly laid out by an expert, much more difficult to handle than that fox spirit. He had never done anything like this before. The manuscript had been passed down from his master's birth, but how could that person have his own chance? How much had the opponent learned? How confident was he in dealing with this vicious trap?

"Distracted! A major taboo!" he shouted inwardly.

A surge of turmoil rose in his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, dropping a few drops onto the silk, which then disappeared without a trace.

He was too inexperienced and young, and at a critical moment, he was still lost in thought. He quickly focused, adjusted his breathing, and continued with the ritual, drawing the symbols.