"For a bit of black dog's blood," Kuang Feifan said, "you insisted on pork ribs and even medicine—though, of course, I mean for Xiao Hei."

Feng Tian couldn't help but let out a wry smile upon hearing this. "Pure black dog's blood is getting harder and harder to find these days. I had no choice. You know how much trouble I went through just to find out you had some. Speaking of which, I even met Xiao Hei’s parents once. A rack of ribs is nothing. I was worried taking too much might make it uncomfortable, considering how small it is."

"Uh…" Kuang Feifan felt that Feng Tian seemed to care for the dog more than for people.

But then again, it made sense. Nowadays, people preferred keeping rare, valuable dogs; black dogs weren't exactly common. Still, Feng Tian claiming he had met Xiao Hei’s parents seemed a bit exaggerated.

"You don't believe me?" Feng Tian glanced at him, continuing to walk forward. "Xiao Hei’s parents were raised by a Taoist priest. Word is, they’ve contributed to ghost-catching efforts for generations."

As Feng Tian’s stories grew wilder, Kuang Feifan offered a strained smile, deciding it was best to drop the subject. He switched topics and asked, "Is black dog's blood really that effective against ghosts?"

Feng Tian nodded vigorously. "Of course. But there’s a crucial detail: the dog must be all black and male. Secondly, rooster's blood. These are both supremely yang elements. As you know, ghosts belong to yin. These two substances can drastically drain a ghost’s yin energy, so any ghost they encounter will naturally have its power significantly reduced."

Kuang Feifan nodded in acceptance of the lesson.

Feng Tian added, "But blood is inconvenient to preserve. So, we have to draw it right when we need it, otherwise, we wouldn't have run into that situation just now."

Bringing up the topic, Kuang Feifan couldn't resist asking, "Is Kou Yue's room safe now after all that commotion?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Feng Tian’s face before he replied, "It should be fine now. Don't underestimate the chaos we just created back there. In terms of Feng Shui arrangement, my setup was called 'Gathering Yang, Draining Yin.' Coupled with Xiao Hei being inside, that counts as a 'Spiritual Guardian Array'—more than enough to handle a passing spirit."

"Are you sure it was just passing through?" Kuang Feifan remained unconvinced, believing every possibility should be thoroughly considered.

Feng Tian shrugged. "Didn't she say everything was fine when she first moved in? What's being built behind her place now is Phase Two of the complex, which likely blocked the ghost's path. Plus, the wind chimes in front of her window are extremely good at attracting a ghost's attention. That's why Xiao Hei started barking like crazy in the middle of the night. Normally, you shouldn't be too scared if a small animal barks at a corner of the room once or twice. It’s because hers went on too long that I bothered to make a fuss. Otherwise, a simple reassurance and borrowing some dog's blood would have been the end of it."

By this time, the two men were standing by the roadside, scanning for a taxi. Soon enough, they realized the truth of the saying: taxis are always invisible when you need them most, or if one shows up, it's already occupied.

Just then, Feng Tian’s phone rang. He answered and realized the call was from He Xufu.

Feng Tian covered his forehead and glanced at Kuang Feifan.

Kuang Feifan’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly interjected, "Don't even think about asking me to go with him. Remember, I’m an extreme yin constitution. If there’s nothing else there, I might just attract one or two spirits to myself."

Feng Tian rolled his eyes, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he laughed. He stepped aside and mumbled something quietly into the phone.

Hanging up, he snapped his fingers and told Kuang Feifan, "Let's go over to his place first."

After finally snagging a taxi and settling in, Kuang Feifan couldn't help but ask Feng Tian, "Are you this busy every day, running around like you're working a circuit?"

"Damn, this is weird. I suspect it has something to do with you," Feng Tian grumbled.

Kuang Feifan chose to completely ignore such remarks, not even bothering to reply.

They rode in silence until the taxi pulled up in front of the Futian Garden complex gate.

Feng Tian got out, paid the fare, and headed straight for He Xufu's apartment.

Kuang Feifan followed him inside. This time, the interior felt distinctly different from before. Even though it was nearing dusk and the sun was setting, the room didn't feel chilly.

Such subtle sensations are sometimes impossible to articulate, but Kuang Feifan could sense that the house offered an atmosphere of cleanliness and safety.

Feng Tian took a deep breath too and sighed, "Should be alright now."

Saying that, he toured the rooms a few times, casually taking out his compass from his bag to check things over again.

Just as he finished his outside inspection and was about to enter the master bedroom, the front door opened, and He Xufu walked in, weighed down by large bags. Seeing the two men, he gasped slightly and managed to say, "Sorry to bother you, could you give me a hand?"

Kuang Feifan moved to help him with two of the bags. Feng Tian stopped, put away his compass, walked over with a grin, and began examining the items He Xufu had brought.

Looking at the assortment of bags, Kuang Feifan couldn't help but be curious to see exactly what they were. Upon closer inspection, he was genuinely surprised: He Xufu had brought nothing but electronic equipment.

Feng Tian expertly unfolded a tripod, then opened another bag, taking out a digital video camera. Shouldering the tripod, he headed straight for the master bedroom, calling back to Kuang Feifan without turning around, "There are a bunch of wireless cameras too. Would you mind helping install them?"

"High-tech solutions now, huh…" Kuang Feifan muttered, joining in to help.

Soon, Feng Tian found a spot near the master bedroom doorway, set up the tripod, mounted the camera, adjusted the angle, and set the recording time.

Kuang Feifan and He Xufu installed the wireless cameras in the other rooms, while He Xufu booted up his brought-along laptop and activated the software.

Now, everything in the house was captured by the cameras, displayed clearly on the laptop screen.

Feng Tian looked at the results and smiled. "This is much better than having me stay the night with you. If the entire night passes peacefully and the recording is normal, then this house is truly safe."

He Xufu also felt this arrangement was exceptionally secure and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Leaving him to stay another night outside, Feng Tian and Kuang Feifan set off again, heading directly for He Xu’s house.

It had to be said that He Xu’s home was on an entirely different level from He Xufu’s; He Xu lived in a genuine villa, which was the only reason he could convert an entire room into a martial arts training space.

And Julie's family naturally lived in one of the villas in the same complex, only separated from his house by one building. However, the spacing between the villas in this community was quite significant, with an artificial lake in the center of the complex.

He Xu's house was the last one in the villa area. Following the entrance path to the end, one could see that his home sat at a fork in the road.

Kuang Feifan didn't sense anything immediately wrong, but he noticed Feng Tian’s expression darkening as soon as they entered the villa area.

The two walked slowly, enjoying the scenery. Kuang Feifan gathered his thoughts and finally asked, "Is there a problem here?"

Feng Tian switched the strap of his satchel to the other shoulder, inhaled sharply with a hiss, and after a moment of silence, said, "The layout here is flawed."

He then looked up at the sky, shook his head gently, and added, "Too bad I can't get an overhead view. I suspect the entire complex forms a massive formation."

Kuang Feifan struggled to suppress a laugh; such things always sounded a bit too far-fetched.

Feng Tian didn't seem to mind. It wasn't until they could see He Xu's house that he pointed to the fork in the path beneath their feet. "Look, his house is practically situated in a 'scissor junction.' One path leads to the artificial lake, and the other is a dead end, ending at a rockery leaning against the perimeter wall. This kind of placement easily invites disasters involving bloodshed."

Hearing this, Kuang Feifan didn't find it funny anymore. He knew nothing about Feng Shui, but Feng Tian didn't sound like he was being alarmist; clearly, his profession required him to understand a great deal about it.

"Then… perhaps you should warn them, or set up a formation for his house too?" Kuang Feifan suggested.

Feng Tian smiled. "Let's solve the immediate problem first."

As soon as they entered the house, both He Xu's and Julie's families were sitting in the living room. A heavy gloom filled the air, creating an incredibly oppressive atmosphere.

Feng Tian walked in cheerfully and announced to the group, "No need to look so glum, everyone just relax."

Without ceremony, he sat down on an empty sofa and then demanded that the parents leave, allowing only He Xu and Julie to remain.

At first, the two families hesitated, reluctant to leave. Feng Tian’s tone turned serious. "Your staying here won't help, and you might even drag everyone else into danger. So the best thing you can do is leave far away, find a hotel downtown, and come back tomorrow at noon."

His tone was uncharacteristically stern and serious. Kuang Feifan could tell there was no room for negotiation in his words, so he chimed in to persuade them, "Don't worry, with us... er, Master Feng here, your children will be safe. This isn't something that gets easier just because there are more people."

After much persuasion, they finally managed to get both sets of parents to leave. Watching their figures recede, Feng Tian let out a long breath and muttered quietly, "With them here, the yin energy is heavier; they all look like the sky is falling."

Kuang Feifan couldn't help but give him a wry look, then glanced at He Xu and Julie sitting silently on the sofa, and interjected, "Shouldn't we eat first?"

Feng Tian waved his hand. "We still have things to do. Call for takeout."

Kuang Feifan murmured, "Oh." At this point, there was no counting on the two young people, so he took it upon himself to order dinner delivery. Then he asked Feng Tian, "Are you still going to use red twine to cordon off the rooms?"

Feng Tian looked around, pouted, and said, "How much red twine would we need for a house this big? And we still don't know what we’re dealing with. The best approach right now is… take it one step at a time."

Even Master Feng is unsure?

Although he said "take it one step at a time," Feng Tian still proceeded to make some preparations.

He found a large ceramic bowl in the kitchen, filled it with water, and placed it on the glass coffee table in front of the sofa. Then, he dropped a piece of silver foil, wrapped around a magnetized needle, into the water.

Under the gaze of three pairs of curious eyes, Feng Tian had to explain, "This can sense if a spiritual entity appears nearby. Any slight change in the energy field will cause the silver foil to move on the water's surface."

Kuang Feifan was indifferent, but He Xu and Julie both jumped, shrinking back into the sofa cushions, their eyes refusing to look at the bowl.

After setting up the bowl, Feng Tian's expression suddenly became hesitant. He stared at Kuang Feifan without speaking, which sent a chill down the latter’s spine.

After a prolonged stare, Kuang Feifan finally couldn't stand Feng Tian's gaze any longer. He reached out, pulled Feng Tian aside, and asked through gritted teeth, "What are you trying to do?"