Zhou Huan stepped up to Wang Qiang, bent down, brought his mouth close to Wang Qiang’s ear, and whispered, “Remember this: the moment the twelfth bell chimes, the female ghost will appear. No matter what happens then, just run along the path marked with glutinous rice and realgar towards the rooftop. We will handle the rest. Absolutely do not lose your pendant!”
Old Song understood the meaning of Zhou Huan’s strategy, but Dongzi seemed restless and agitated. With his rough, unthinking language, he grumbled, “Oh, so all the realgar and sticky rice I laid out for half a day was just to pave the way for this bastard?”
Xiao He quickly tugged at Dongzi’s sleeve beside him, constantly urging him to shut up. But to everyone’s surprise, Zhou Huan didn't even turn around to scold Dongzi. Instead, he gave a thumbs-up and said, “Yes, well said! If I didn't want this female ghost gone as quickly as possible, I wouldn't put in this much effort to save him!”
Zhou Huan turned back, glanced at Wang Qiang, and said casually, “Whether you run or not is up to you. You can wait here by yourself!” Then, Zhou Huan instructed Dongzi, “Go move the large quartz clock from the hallway here, let him keep a close watch!” After that, Zhou Huan led Xiao He and Old Song out the door.
Mr. Wang, listening at the doorway to the conversation between Zhou Huan and Dongzi, offered no objection. After everything that had happened that night, he finally understood what sort of person his worthless son truly was. He only asked Zhou Huan, who was stepping out, “Master Zhou, what about me…”
“You come up to the rooftop with us!” The group of seven, with Zhou Huan leading the way, ascended to the rooftop along the path of realgar and glutinous rice Dongzi had prepared. The time was already half-past eleven.
Upon reaching the rooftop, Zhou Huan looked up at the moon, searching the sky for the star with the strongest luminescence to align with. Finally, Zhou Huan designated the planet Venus as the best stellar position for the night. Then, Zhou Huan surveyed the celestial sphere and nodded silently, “Dongzi, come here!”
“Brother, what are you…?”
At this moment, Xiao He and Mr. Wang watched from the side, both confused by Zhou Huan’s actions.
Zhou Huan knew that his methods were hard for them to grasp, so he spoke in a bright, clear voice, “I was just observing the celestial phenomena. Tonight is the Jichou day, and Venus is brightest at the Zi hour, meaning the divine position of Tai Bai Venus is strongest. Therefore, inviting his presence today is the most reliable way to control the situation.” Saying this, Zhou Huan pointed his finger towards three bright stars arranged directly opposite Venus, “These three stars are in direct opposition to Venus. I define them as the divine stars of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity. Once the formation of these four divine stellar positions is activated, our chances of winning will increase significantly.”
“Oh!” Dongzi seemed to understand, nodding repeatedly, and asked Zhou Huan, “Brother, then what kind of stellar formation is this?”
“This is called the Four Stars of Tai Bai Formation. Later, you will all stand in position as I instruct and await the female ghost’s appearance. Tonight will undoubtedly involve a major conflict, requiring much effort and energy. Xiao He, what time is it now?” Zhou Huan continued giving instructions.
Wang Xiao He pulled out her phone and checked: “Ten minutes to midnight!”
Just as Xiao He finished speaking, a faint, bitter fragrance drifted through the air, and a person rushed up the stairs in a hurry. Zhou Huan saw them and became furious: “Bastard, who told you to come up? Has the time come yet? Get back down!”
“I…” The person choked, stuttering, “I’m scared!” As he spoke, the person knelt down, grabbing Mr. Wang’s trouser legs with both hands: “Dad, please ask Master Zhou for me, I don’t want to wait downstairs, let me come up!”
Mr. Wang was truly helpless. He himself was a brave and strong soldier who had fought in the Vietnam War, yet his son was like this. He clenched his jaw and cursed fiercely, “You brat, get down there!”
The person who came up was, of course, Wang Qiang. This little potato, seeing his father ignore him, scrambled and crawled to Zhou Huan’s feet, clutching Zhou Huan’s pant leg and begging pitifully, “Great beggar uncle, oh no, Master Zhou, help me, I don’t want to see that ghost!”
Wang Qiang’s antics infuriated Zhou Huan. If he didn't go down now, Zhou Huan’s entire plan would fall apart. At this moment, Zhou Huan kept cursing under his breath, “You coward, you bastard, get back down there!” While cursing, Zhou Huan’s large foot viciously kicked Wang Qiang square in the face. Then, he ordered Dongzi, “Hurry up and get him down! We don’t have time to mess with him right now!”
Dongzi finally got his chance. He had always disliked Wang Qiang, and now that there was enmity between them, Dongzi raised his hand and delivered a slap—the sound was deafening, sending Wang Qiang tumbling and scrambling back down the stairs!
Mr. Wang couldn’t bear to see his son being beaten and hurried to arrange for his men to intervene.
Zhou Huan shouted sternly, “Mr. Wang, do you want your son to live? If you don't want him to die, don't stop them! Let Dongzi beat him down!”
Mr. Wang suppressed the heartache and stopped his steps. The two bodyguards stared blankly at Mr. Wang, unsure what to do.
Dongzi pushed and hit Wang Qiang down the stairs. Zhou Huan stood on the rooftop, pulled a handful of realgar and glutinous rice from his pocket, and drew four circles: one large circle, followed by three small circles placed side-by-side, separated from the large circle by a distance of three to five meters. Then, Zhou Huan roared sharply, “The large circle is the position for Tai Bai Venus now, and the three small circles are the positions for Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity. Later, I will stand in the large main circle. Xiao He will stand at Fortune, Old Song at Prosperity, and Mr. Wang at Longevity. Your two bodyguards and Dongzi will serve as guardians.”
Old Song naturally knew what to do, but the others were still quite confused. Zhou Huan continued, “Don’t worry. No matter what happens later, as long as you stay inside the glutinous rice circles, Old Song and I will handle the rest.”
“The leftmost is Fortune, the center is Prosperity, and the rightmost is Longevity. Everyone take your positions!” The three entered their respective circles. Zhou Huan confirmed the stellar positions once more, then jumped into the large circle himself, chanting an incantation.
Time crept closer to midnight, second by second. Dongzi had still not returned, but at this moment, the bitter scent of ** grew stronger, and the air became increasingly eerie and cold. Then came the aimless night wind, mingling the dampness rising from the netherworld with a faint scent of burnt joss paper. The second hand on the clock reached twelve, and the clock tower chimed, "Dong! Dong!"
“They’re here, everyone pay attention!” Zhou Huan said solemnly.
Xiao He, Old Song, and Mr. Wang all turned their gaze towards the stairwell, anxiously awaiting the female ghost’s appearance. Xiao He and Old Song showed little change, but Mr. Wang was visibly trembling, sweat pouring down his forehead. Perhaps he feared losing his son, or perhaps…
“Brother, this is too bizarre, oh my god!” Dongzi’s voice echoed from the stairwell.
Zhou Huan casually cast his gaze toward the hallway and saw Dongzi scrambling and tumbling his way onto the rooftop. This fellow wasn't afraid of hitting living people, but he ran faster than anyone at the sight of a ghost. Dongzi reached the rooftop, jumped out of the glutinous rice and realgar circle in one leap, and plopped onto the ground, pointing his finger in the direction of the stairwell.
Everyone present looked toward the stairwell. They saw Wang Qiang ascending the stairs backward, stumbling, tightly clutching the jade pendant on his chest. His body was shaking violently, sweat pouring down his forehead, and he mumbled incoherently, “Don’t come looking for me, I have a protective amulet, I have a protective amulet!”
Opposite Wang Qiang was a red gown with green sleeves, dripping with blood. Guo Hua’s portrait was pasted on the chest of the coat. In the image, Guo Hua’s face was smeared with black blood, his complexion ghastly white, his eye sockets bruised purple, and his vicious gaze was fixed on Wang Qiang. A chilling, spectral sound echoed intermittently: “Wang Qiang, not only did you lie to me, but you tried to kill me! We are not done! Come down and accompany me! Hahahaha!”
Zhou Huan remained calm. As Wang Qiang retreated step-by-step until he was inside the Four Stars of Tai Bai Formation composed of Zhou Huan, Xiao He, Old Song, and Mr. Wang, the red-gowned, green-sleeved figure let out a long, mournful cry: “Ah, there is no justice! Why are you obstructing me again, ah!”
After this utterance, the red-gowned, green-sleeved figure began to flee. Initially, it tried to return the way it came, but everywhere it went, it encountered the realgar and glutinous rice Zhou Huan had strategically placed. Whenever the red-gowned, green-sleeved figure touched the mixture, a puff of green smoke would rise, burning away a section of the long sleeve.
Zhou Huan finally spoke, shouting loudly to Dongzi, “Prepare to seal the mouth! Get the female ghost into the blade-sealing formation! Go prepare more glutinous rice!”
Dongzi, seeing that the glutinous rice was genuinely effective, promptly pulled a handful from his pocket. He wasn't entirely foolish; he had secretly stashed quite a bit when Zhou Huan told him to scatter it earlier!
This time, the female ghost darted around like a headless fly, soaring from the upper floor to the lower, and then flying back up. When she flew back toward the center of the formation, Dongzi was truly effective. He instantly tossed up the glutinous rice in his hand, completely blocking the female ghost’s retreat path. Then, the fellow placed his hands on his hips, paced back and forth, watching the female ghost, and said coolly, “Heh heh, I’m not afraid of you now. Try coming out, see what happens!”
The female ghost let out a chilling, echoing sound: “Hoo-hoo!” The coat with the portrait turned its attention back to Dongzi, casting a fierce glare. Dongzi couldn't help but suck in a cold breath and retreated to the side.
Zhou Huan murmured softly, “All you stellar lords, sit cross-legged and form the Ghost-Subduing Hand Seal! Follow my lead.”
Instantly, the four people in the stellar formation sat cross-legged upon hearing Zhou Huan’s command. Zhou Huan formed the Ghost-Subduing Hand Seal—the left palm facing upward, resting flat on his left knee, and the right hand held vertically in a single palm, with the thumb and ring finger touching, pushing forward toward his chest. The remaining three followed Zhou Huan’s hand posture exactly.
At this moment, the light from Tai Bai Venus in the sky shone even brighter and more dazzling. From the three opposing stars, a halo resembling the Milky Way rapidly extended to the location of the light emitted by Venus, connecting into a single path of light.
Looking back at Wang Qiang within the formation, he was already panicked and flustered by the terror, his potato-like body twisting back and forth, not knowing what to do, continuously crying out, “Dad, Master Zhou, save me, save me!”
The female ghost, seeing Dongzi retreat, offered a faint smile. She abruptly turned her head to look at Wang Qiang, but she was pushed back repeatedly by the intense light formed within the formation. The red garment, touching the glutinous rice, emitted another plume of black smoke. The female ghost, Guo Hua, let out a pained cry: “Wu!” Then, sweat was seen profusely pouring down the forehead of Guo Hua’s portrait on the coat. The female ghost’s voice came out brokenly: “You… you want to kill me… right?”
Zhou Huan replied softly, “Not at all. We only wish to help you reincarnate sooner!”
This was followed by the female ghost’s wailing cries. Immediately afterward, the long sleeves of the female ghost Guo Hua stretched out: “Reincarnate? Unless Wang Qiang dies, I absolutely will not reincarnate! Even if I am annihilated today, I will kill Wang Qiang.”
As soon as the female ghost finished speaking, the portrait on the coat cracked with a sharp sound and burst into flames. The entire coat instantly burned away. A fierce gust of wind blew toward Wang Qiang, and a small ball of light emanated a voice: “Hahahaha, my soul has been broken! See what else you can do to make me reincarnate—impossible!” The light ball instantly drilled into Wang Qiang’s body, and two pained voices echoed in everyone’s ears.
“Dad, Master Zhou, save me…”
“Ah!” A sharp woman’s scream, followed by a heart-wrenching roar: “Wang Qiang, even if you have a protective amulet, I’ll give up my soul! Let’s see what you can do now, ah!”
Zhou Huan immediately sensed something was wrong: “Not good, this ghost has gone mad.” He quickly said, “Guo Hua, come out quickly! If you come out now, I still have a way to let you reincarnate. Stop harming people!”
“Hahahaha, Master Zhou, you are a Grandmaster. I’m out! You have plenty of ways to deal with me. Now I am one entity with Wang Qiang. Let’s see what you do now! Either you kill Wang Qiang, or let Wang Qiang and I perish together!”