**Chapter 41: Little Sister, Why Are You Crying So Sadly?**
**Chapter 41: Little Sister, Why Are You Crying So Sadly?**
Xu Yang looked up.
The construction site sprawled unevenly with half-built structures, crane towers piercing the night sky. Though the moonlight shone bright, an unnatural darkness clung to the grounds. Yellow construction lamps cast eerie glows, their light failing to penetrate shadowy corners where indistinct shapes seemed to writhe. To Xu Yang's enhanced sight, a pall of ghostly mist hung over the entire site.
*"This ghost gives 30 Virtue Points per scare—almost as much as a true scarlet vengeful spirit!"* Xu Yang mused, baffled. This entity felt stronger than the fire and water ghosts he'd encountered before. True malevolent spirits could possess minds, driving victims to self-harm—exactly the "ghost possession" of folklore.
"Old Xu! You're finally here!" Ma Long rushed over, whispering urgently. "The workers want to see you exorcise the ghost. Put on a good show, or they'll bail tonight!"
Xu Yang nodded. He'd intentionally donned his Taoist robes early for this exact reason.
Clad in an Eight Trigrams ritual robe, vermilion boots, and a ceremonial crown, Xu Yang strode toward the site office with his peachwood sword. His aura radiate**d** cultivated majesty, drawing awed murmurs from the crowd.
"Make way! Master Xu has arrived!" Ma Long announced grandly.
Workers parted as Xu Yang directed them to set up an altar table with candles, incense burners, and glutinous rice. Skepticism rippled through the crowd.
"No beard, too young... How's this pretty boy a real master?" someone muttered.
"Show us your skills, Master!" another heckled, phone camera raised.
Xu Yang smirked. With a snap of his fingers, flames ignited the altar candles.
"Party tricks!" scoffed a know-it-all worker. "White phosphorus on his nails, right?"
"Oh?" Xu Yang flicked his wrist. A fireball the size of a fist materialized midair. It shot across the site and exploded in a sandpile, sending debris flying. "Still think it's fake?"
Gasps erupted. The skeptic turned beet-red.
*Ding!*
*"Ghost is startled. Virtue Points +30."*
Xu Yang's eyes narrowed. Though invisible to others, he sensed the ghost's presence nearby—a timid entity easily frightened. Seizing the opportunity, he launched into an elaborate ritual dance, brandishing his sword in remembered patterns from his grandfather's ceremonies.
Lacking knowledge of proper purification chants, Xu Yang recited the **Golden Light Mantra** from the *Feixian Duren Jing*:
**"Heaven and Earth's primal ancestor, source of all qi!**
**Through eons cultivated, my divine power proven!**
**Across three realms, only the Dao reigns supreme!**
**My body shines golden, enveloped in light!**
**Invisible to eyes, silent to ears—golden radiance manifest! Protect this disciple! By divine decree, evil spirits REVEAL YOURSELF!"**
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In a shadowy corner of an unfinished building, a red-clad ghost trembled. She'd watched Xu Yang's entrance with mounting terror.
*"A Ghost King's aura... Is he a demon monarch here to claim me as his bride?!"* Her form flickered as Xu Yang's incantation intensified. To her spectral sight, the young Taoist blazed like a miniature sun, golden rays scorching her essence despite the distance.
*"It burns! It burns!"* She wailed, ectoplasm smoking.
*Ding!*
*"Ghost is startled. Virtue Points +30."*
*Ding!*
*"Ghost is startled..."*
Xu Yang nearly tripped mid-chant. *This is amazing!* Over 400 Virtue Points accumulated within minutes—all for playacting!
He was about to continue when a childlike sob echoed from a nearby tower. Workers recoiled as the weeping grew louder—pitiful, desperate, utterly human.
"Stay calm!" Xu Yang declared, retrieving a **Evil-Subduing Talisman**. "I'll investigate!"
Following the cries to a dark corner, he found the source: A red-robed ghost girl curled on the concrete floor, hugging her knees as she wept.
*Ding!*
*"Ghost is startled..."*
Xu Yang crouched, suppressing a grin. "Little sister... why cry so sadly?"