chapter 21
“They really are the Eighteen Vajras,” Wei Dongting said in a low voice.
“Taoist Priest Sun said that using these Eighteen Vajras for House Pacification would be absolutely fine, and I believed him. Who would have thought… sigh…” Liu Hao let out a sigh.
Wei Dongting went on to examine the remaining people one by one, his expression growing more and more grave with each look.
“Did you… see something?” Liu Hao asked nervously.
Wei Dongting suddenly looked up and glared at him. “What exactly did you provoke?”
Liu Hao was startled, his face falling. “I… I really don’t know.”
“What use are you, then?” Wei Dongting scolded, then continued his inspection.
“Are these people dead or…” Liu Hao asked, his face ashen.
Wei Dongting replied coldly, “Under normal circumstances, the Eighteen Vajras can indeed be used for House Pacification. But if the Ghost Qi here is too strong, then the Eighteen Vajras are just being sent to their deaths!”
“What?” Liu Hao was shocked.
I had been watching his expression the whole time. When he cried out in surprise, his eyes darted around, and I immediately knew Liu Hao was not being honest.
He must have known about this problem long ago, but compared to the peace of the house, he was willing to sacrifice these eighteen people.
“Truly both wicked and foolish!” Wei Dongting cursed.
“Is there any way to save these people?” Liu Hao asked anxiously. “If something really happens, how could I ever face their families?”
“These people have been invaded by Ghost Qi-how could they be saved?” Wei Dongting said angrily. “I don’t have that ability. Unless my Master intervenes.”
“Then… could you…” Liu Hao hesitated.
But before he could finish, Wei Dongting cut him off. “Don’t even think about it. My Master is currently in seclusion. There’s no way he’ll clean up your mess!”
“What should I do? It’s all my fault!” Liu Hao wailed, slapping his own face.
Wei Dongting’s face was dark. “Look at the mess you’ve made. This house belongs to Senior Brother Cao. If so many people die here, what will people say about the Cao Family?”
After listening for so long, I thought this Wei fellow might have a bit of conscience, but it turned out he was worried not about the lives lost, but about the Cao Family’s reputation.
If I didn’t know his surname was Wei, I would have thought he was a dutiful descendant of the Cao Family.
“What should I do now? Please, help me think of a way!” Liu Hao was panicking, pleading repeatedly.
Wei Dongting’s face was still dark as he went to check another person. After a few glances, he suddenly let out a surprised sound and asked, “What’s with this person?”
“What is it?” Liu Hao was stunned, then quickly explained, “This is Taoist Priest Sun’s Youngest Disciple. We were short one person, so he filled in.”
“This person can still be saved!” Wei Dongting frowned deeply and muttered, “How strange.”
“Really?” Liu Hao was both surprised and delighted.
Wei Dongting nodded. “Didn’t I just say that these people have been invaded by Ghost Qi? Unless my Master intervenes, there’s no way to extract the Ghost Qi without harming them. But this person…”
He pointed at Taoist Priest Sun’s Youngest Disciple. “This person was clearly also invaded by Ghost Qi, but the Ghost Qi has already been extracted.”
“Could it be that Taoist Priest Sun gave his disciple some kind of Talisman?” Liu Hao guessed.
He hurried over to ask Taoist Priest Sun.
At this moment, Taoist Priest Sun was already being supported by his Eldest Disciple to one side, his face bruised and swollen, watching from afar. When Liu Hao asked him, he shook his head and said no.
“Is this person also his disciple?” Wei Dongting looked at another person nearby.
“No,” Liu Hao replied.
Wei Dongting frowned deeply. “That’s strange. The Ghost Qi on this person has also been removed.”
“Huh?” Liu Hao was startled. “How… how did that happen?”
Wei Dongting quickly checked the others again and asked, “Is there anything special about these two people?”
“Um… I don’t think so?” Liu Hao answered uncertainly.
I heard Iron Head next to me snort with laughter, then hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand.
But Wei Dongting had already heard it and shot us a glare. “What are you laughing at now?”
“Can’t I just laugh?” Iron Head glared back.
Liu Hao stared at us for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh. “I remember now! When we found them, these two were fumbling around over there. Who knows what they were doing?”
Wei Dongting’s expression changed. He looked us up and down and asked in a deep voice, “Did you do something?”
“What’s it to you?” Seeing that I stayed silent, Iron Head immediately raised his voice in retort.
“So it really was you who removed the Ghost Qi? How did you do it? Do you have some kind of magical artifact?” Wei Dongting pressed further.
I called out to Iron Head, “The show’s over. Let’s go.”
“Alright!” Iron Head followed me with a grin.
The two of us walked past the crowd and headed out.
“Stop right there!” Wei Dongting shouted.
I pretended not to hear, leading Iron Head straight toward the Inner Courtyard.
“That jerk looks like he deserves a beating!” Iron Head whispered with a laugh.
“They say Master Gu is really formidable. Aren’t you afraid of offending them?” I asked with a smile.
Iron Head snorted. “People like me, our lives are cheap to begin with. Why should I be afraid of him?”
“Come on, you seem to value your life quite a bit,” I glanced at him.
Iron Head blushed and chuckled. “Mainly because you look way tougher than that Wei guy. With you here, what do I have to be afraid of?”
“And how did you figure that out?” I asked curiously.
“Just look at your face, your bearing, your way of speaking-it’s obvious!” Iron Head gave me a thumbs up. “That kid can’t compare to you at all!”
“Aren’t you laying it on a bit thick?” I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Absolutely not. I’m always honest!” Iron Head said with a straight face. “Take that Wei kid just now. He said only his Master could save these people, but you just gave me Copper Coins, told me to hold them and throw a few punches, and we saved them. Isn’t the difference obvious?”
“You can’t really say it like that,” I said, amused.
Iron Head looked rough on the outside, but he was quite shrewd inside.
“Hey, anyway, that’s how I see it!” Iron Head scratched his head and grinned.
As we talked, we arrived at the Lotus Pond we had passed earlier.
At this moment, the Yin Wind still howled through the house, like the wailing of vengeful ghosts, but the water in the pond was pitch black and as calm as ever, without a single ripple.
Seeing my face turn cold, Iron Head also put away his smile, stared at the pond for a few moments, and whispered, “Is there something wrong with this pond?”
“What makes you say that?” I was lost in thought and asked casually.
“When we first came in, you looked at this spot several times,” Iron Head said. “And now, the more I look at it, the more I feel like something’s off.”