Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The paper crane carried us up to the second floor. Barring any surprises, the remaining four objects the ghosts were attached to should all be hidden in their respective bedrooms.

“Daoist Qingyu, why aren’t we turning on the lights?”

“Ghostly things like the dark. If it’s too bright, they’ll hide and refuse to come out.”

Xu Haoze and I went upstairs one after the other, both of us moving carefully.

The first room was Xu Haoze’s bedroom.

It was huge!!!

The instant he pushed the door open, I was jealous.

Why did his bedroom have several rooms inside it?

So spacious. So grand. One day, I was going to build my room like this too.

“Did you see something run past?”

Xu Haoze grabbed my hand, his voice trembling slightly.

The paper crane flew toward his study and circled above an old-fashioned wooden brush holder.

Whoosh-

In the darkness, a figure shot out of the study.

It looked like… a paper doll?

This thing would be easy to deal with.

“Xu Haoze, cut it off!”

The moment I called out to him, I broke into a sprint. Ever since I was little, Master had loved using paper dolls to torment me and my senior brother, so whenever I saw one now, my hands started itching.

Xu Haoze ran it clean through with one thrust of his sword. The paper doll turned into a thin sheet of yellow paper that hung from the peachwood sword.

Xu Haoze’s face was full of excitement.

“Holy crap! I just killed a monster!!!”

I stood on tiptoe and patted him on the shoulder.

“Impressive! Not bad! You can be considered to have half a foot in the door of subduing demons and banishing evil!”

Xu Haoze grew even more excited. His eyes lit up, his bright pupils gleaming in the darkness.

“Come on. Next one.”

Xu Weiyang’s bedroom looked like the kind of room a princess would live in from a fairy tale.

There were gauzy curtains and stuffed animals everywhere. I was so jealous my eyes practically turned red.

When it saw us enter, a half-person-tall teddy bear in the corner jumped up and tried to run outside.

With such an adorable appearance, I almost couldn’t bear to attack it.

It was even a pink bear. I’d seen it on TV before. What was it called again? Lotso Bear, I think.

Xu Haoze was clearly someone with exceptional athletic talent. Back in his study, I’d seen plenty of photos too.

Rock climbing, fencing, surfing, and horseback riding.

Our little sports prince, Xu Haoze, didn’t need me to make a move. In just a few moves, he took down the cute Lotso Bear.

“Be careful! Don’t tear the bear! I need to take it back to the temple to release its spirit!!!”

Next was Xu Haoze’s grandmother’s room. The two of us expended an absurd amount of effort before finally hacking a one-meter-long centipede to death in her room.

When the centipede first came out, Xu Haoze was stunned. Then he let out a piercing shriek in a strangled voice, probably waking up everyone in his family.

But fortunately, thanks to him jumping all over the place and being chased by that centipede the entire time, I finally had a chance to destroy it.

There was only one room left. I took a deep breath and pushed open the luxurious master bedroom of the villa.

A rotten stench filled the room, and strands of gray mist drifted through the air.

That mist was bad-luck energy. If it touched you, you would instantly become unlucky.

The paper crane circled at the doorway for a while, then flew back toward me.

I pinched a talisman between my fingers and said, “Either you go in and get covered in bad-luck energy, or I burn you right now. Pick one.”

The paper crane reluctantly flapped its wings twice before diving inside. In the end, it stopped on a floor lamp.

“Where did this little brat come from? You’re still wet behind the ears, yet you dare meddle in my business!”

An old woman shrouded in mist sat on the bed. Her face couldn’t be seen, and the moment she spoke, her voice was sharp and grating.

“You’re the only one left of the Five Ghosts, and you’re still running your mouth!”

I leaped up, raised my copper-coin sword, and slashed at her.

The old woman turned into a thick cloud of mist, making my strike hit nothing but air.

Xu Haoze followed behind me, also wildly swinging his sword around.