The place Lu Yingjiu mentioned was outside the information hall.
From his angle, he could just see the upper floor of the hall outside. His sharp eyesight allowed him to see in the darkness the trace of a door on the wall.
It's so light and faint that you'll easily miss it if you're not careful.
Chen Xiaoling asked again: "So, this Liang Qiufeng has been dealt with? There won't be any more ghosts here?"
Lu Yingjiu shook his head: "There is still a strong yin energy here. If we leave it alone, the tourists from that tour group will appear here again in a few days and enter the next cycle of death. There is one thing I don't understand, what is Liang Qiufeng's motive for revenge against this person?"
"Then I don't know. Give me some time, I'm sure I can find it out, but it's really troublesome," Chen Xiaoling blinked, "My makeup is going to be ruined."
The three of them went to the director's office first.
Jingxian lowered the door panel and aligned it with the mark on the wall.
The wall began to move, and the door sank slightly, finally fitting completely into the wall. Lu Yingjiu unscrewed the handle this time, and with a creaky sound, the door opened.
What meets the eye is a touch of cold moonlight.
The moonlight was extremely bright, shining on the pearwood table, illuminating a pile of messy things. A nameplate was placed on the table, reading "Zhang Chengzhou". The bookshelf was densely packed with books, most of which were library materials and journals on mental illness research.
A scroll of calligraphy hangs in the middle of the room.
Heavenly Way
The brushwork is free and unrestrained, similar to the calligraphy in Ye Deyong's office.
The Zhang family's worship of the Way of Heaven is much more fanatical than other noble families. Lu Yingjiu walked through the entire office and found small talismans in the corners, at the bottom of the bookcases, and on the backs of the tables, all of which were used to pray to the Way of Heaven. Including the pendant on the bookmark, which was carved with Di Ting stepping on the clouds, and on the back was an eye in the auspicious clouds.
Even after so many years, the house still looks tidy.
Lu Yingjiu dug out unused talisman paper, fountain pens, copper coin strings, amulets, etc. from the drawer. Going back to the pearwood table, he found a locked small cabinet.
Jing Xian came over: "I'll help you get it open."
Lu Yingjiu pushed him away and said, "You are causing trouble." Then she took out a thousand-dollar curved needle, straightened it and inserted it into the keyhole.
He was very skilled and quickly pried open the lock.
Inside was an old cell phone with a few scratches on the screen.
He tentatively pressed the power button, and unexpectedly, the screen lit up.
The boot animation was extremely long, and the white light illuminated the room. When the loading was complete, the text message page automatically popped up, showing several text messages from more than half a year ago.
Given to: Liang Qiufeng
I heard everything. There is something wrong with that tourist group. They are just a bunch of scumbags.
—Lu Yingjiu couldn’t help but frown.
Liang Qiufeng had died half a year ago, which meant that his obsession had not yet subsided, and he was still using this method to keep in touch with the living. Director Zhang, who resigned two years ago, was his contact person.
Zhang Chengzhou replied: Did you move the Diting magic circle in the museum
Liang Qiufeng did not reply.
Zhang Chengzhou asked again: What are you thinking about
Don't have any evil thoughts. I don't want to do anything to you.
Liang Qiufeng, reply me
We all know what happened to your son, he wouldn't want you to do this. Wait, I'm in Huanzhou now, I'll be back to find you soon, good brother, I hope you can go to the afterlife in good condition, and never set foot on the road of no return!
After that, Zhang Chengzhou sent several more messages.
Liang Qiufeng never responded.
Chen Xiaoling compared the time of the text messages and said, "One day after this text message was sent, a fire occurred in a guesthouse and all the people in the tour group died. However, no one else was injured except them."
She read the text message again: "But what does this 'Diligent Listening Array' refer to?"
Lu Yingjiu did not answer her immediately.
He took out other papers from the drawer, searched for some information on the bookshelf, and sat on the office chair.
The office chair was comfortable and spacious, and the whole person could easily sink into it. He leaned against the back of the chair, and the moonlight outside the window just fell on the middle of his body, outlining the side lines of his face like a painting.
He then pointed at some information and said, "According to the contract between the Zhang family, Di Ting can hear everything, including people's hearts. If you set up a formation in this museum and meet someone who knows what's going on, you can hear the voices of passers-by."
"That is to say," Chen Xiaoling said, "for some reason, Liang Qiufeng knew the formation and heard the tourists' voices."
"Yes. He and Zhang Chengzhou have been friends for many years. If he knows some skills in exorcism, it wouldn't be difficult for him to learn the formation." Lu Yingjiu nodded. "After he turned into a ghost, he used the formation. He heard the thoughts of the tourist group and planned revenge."
"As for the reason for revenge, it's this."
He pulled out a newspaper.
It was a news report: A 14-year-old boy with depression was bullied at school and committed suicide by jumping off a building at 18:00 p.m.
"This is..." Chen Xiaoling narrowed her eyes, "Is this Liang Qiufeng's child?"
"Yes." Lu Yingjiu said, "Here is their group photo. His son had a mental illness and was bullied by his classmates and committed suicide. That's why he hates people who don't respect patients so much. The power of listening made him hear the voices of tourists and made him plan this revenge."
Chen Xiaoling suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. No wonder his ghost is still wandering around the museum. It turns out he's trying to sting the police. But it's not easy to get so many scumbags together in this tour group."
Lu Yingjiu said: "Have you ever heard of an airplane and God laughing?"
"What?" Chen Xiaoling blinked.
Jing Xianyi pricked up his ears and listened: this was the first time Lu Yingjiu told a joke.
Lu Yingjiu said: "When a man got married, he swore that if he betrayed his wife, God would punish him. But it didn't take long for him to betray her."
"What a scumbag." Jing Xian said, and suddenly he felt very sincere.
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
He felt that Jing Xian had not given him a proper status when he hinted at it.
He cleared his throat and continued, "The man encountered a storm while on the plane. He remembered the oath and prayed to God: 'I should not break my oath, but the other passengers on the plane are innocent. Please bypass me for the time being!'"
"God told him, 'What's the sin? Do you think it's easy for me to gather so many people in such a long time?'"
Chen Xiaoling: “…”
Lu Yingjiu said: "Sometimes it's not a coincidence, but something destined by fate." He looked at the contact message on his phone again and sighed, "It's not easy for him to get revenge for his child. It's understandable, but things can't go on like this anymore."
He piled up all the information and told Chen Xiaoling, "But we know that Zhang Chengzhou was in Huanzhou for half a year and it is very likely that he returned to this museum. There is at least one clue."
Chen Xiaoling nodded: "Well, I can check it out, but it will take a lot of time."
They searched the room one last time to make sure there was nothing left behind.
Maotuanzi sniffed around on the ground, and suddenly wagged his tail and barked at the bookcase in the corner. Jingxian went over and moved the bookcase away.
Behind is a pure white wall with nothing in it.
Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly and touched it. The wall was very smooth, and the wall powder stuck to his fingertips during his groping.
Jing Xian came over, stood shoulder to shoulder with him, and also stroked the wall.
After a moment, the two looked at each other and said in unison: "Blood."
"What blood?" Chen Xiaoling leaned forward. Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian were too tall, and she couldn't see over their shoulders in her high heels, so she could only try to lean forward and look.
Lu Yingjiu tapped the wall lightly. "There used to be a formation here, and it was a Yin-oriented formation. There is still a way to make it appear. It is said that Qi is Yang and blood is Yin. It can be restored by pouring blood on it. It is best to use female blood."
Chen Xiaoling: “…”
She glanced at Lu Yingjiu and then at Jing Xian.
Under the moonlight, the two men, one handsome and the other elegant, with their heads tilted at exactly the same angle, looked like a couple.
Their eyes were all focused on her: Lu Yingjiu had an inexplicable expectation in his eyes, while Jing Xian followed his gaze with an interested look.
She crossed her arms and stepped back: "What are you doing? I'm anemic! I feel dizzy when I donate 200cc to a blood donation vehicle!"
Lu Yingjiu sighed lightly, a little disappointed: "Forget it, I'll find another way."
Jing Xian said, "No need."
"What do you mean?" Chen Xiaoling immediately became alert, "I don't want to lose even a drop of blood!"
Jing Xian shook his head and casually patted the table next to him.
A scarlet red formation appeared with a sound.
Most of the time, the formations drawn by the exorcist gave people a feeling of being upright and majestic. However, every stroke of his formations was like thick blood, outlining strange and twisted patterns that made people feel uneasy.
“Ka-ka—”
A terrifying cry came from it, some creature was agitated. Jing Xian stretched out his hand, immersed his entire right hand in the formation, and gently pulled it.
"Ka-ka-ka!" In his hand, a black bat with only a mouth flapped its wings continuously, and the whole body was filled with yin energy. Lu Yingjiu had never seen this ghost before, and based on his experience, he judged that this was some kind of scavenger ghost.
"What the hell is this?!" Chen Xiaoling took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. "Golbat? I didn't realize you were a Pokémon master."
"This kind is called a blood bat." Jing Xian explained, "It loves to suck blood and brains the most."
He made way for Lu Yingjiu to move away from the wall, then grabbed the blood bat by its wings and pointed its mouth towards the wall.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh—" After a burst of violent vomiting, the blood bat spat out a large mouthful of blood that stuck to the wall.
Then there was a continuous flow of blood, Jing Xian took it and sprayed blood on the wall like a water gun. In a moment, the white wall turned red and the smell of blood filled the air.
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
There are really a lot of strange things in Jingxian.
He had every reason to suspect that Jing Xian had kept this thing in a palace. He might even have had his minions use blood bats to fight a bloody battle... This was something Jing Xian would definitely do.
Blood flowed down, but a few patches of wall remained white.
Gradually, Lu Yingjiu could make out the pattern: the white part formed a circular logo, and in the middle was a pattern very similar to a seven-pointed star, but mixed with more complex patterns.
He had never seen such a formation.
The blood flow stagnated.
Jing Xian casually opened another formation, and after spitting out blood, he stuffed the bat back dejectedly, and then returned to Lu Yingjiu.
The furry ball was jumping around underneath, howling anxiously. Jing Xian picked it up and patted its head: "No matter that ugly bat, I still like you the most."
Maotuan was so happy that he stuck out his tongue.
Lu Yingjiu ignored the scarlet stains on the wall, reached out and gently stroked it, carefully analyzing each and every line.
With his knowledge of exorcism, he knew that this was a formation that required seven mediums to complete, and it should summon... or activate something.
—What is the medium
His eyes swept across the intertwined lines like tree roots: those lines intertwined into a vague human figure.
So, the medium is people.
But it is not a living sacrifice, but requires seven exorcists to work together to maintain the formation.
—Open what
Lu Yingjiu observed for a long time but had no clue. There were too many unknown secrets in the business of exorcism. As one of the aristocratic families, the Zhang family had a long history, and it was not something he could figure out all at once.
He took a half step back and took out his cell phone to take a picture of the formation.
But Jing Xian looked solemn and said, "This formation is related to the ghost world."
Lu Yingjiu was stunned: "How could that be?"
Jing Xian pointed at the formation and said, "There are ten different symbols here, representing the ten palaces in the ghost world. But even if these symbols are placed in the ghost world, they are very ancient. I haven't seen them for many years."
Lu Yingjiu stood back beside him and said, "The Zhang family worships the Way of Heaven and is generally unwilling to communicate with the ghost world, let alone this kind of large-scale formation that requires seven ghost exorcists to operate together."
The formations related to the ghost world are generally evil magic.
For example, forcibly summoning spirits, calming spirits, or summoning evil spirits to take lives. A serious exorcist would not touch such things.
There is a separation between Yin and Yang.
Chu Qianju, the first one to borrow power from the ghost world and the first one to dare to ask the gods, has been punished terribly. How could the Zhang family, who knew and respected the power of heaven, do such a thing
Jing Xian was very sure: "I will never make a mistake. If we trace it back, this should be the mark of the previous Ghost King." He looked at the wall and said, "I don't know much about the formation of the ghost exorcist."
Lu Yingjiu glanced at him and said, "I don't understand at all."
Jing Xian followed suit and immediately changed his words: "I have no idea about the formations used by ghost exorcists. As for the places related to the ghost world, they should want to... go to the ghost world."
Lu Yingjiu opened her eyes slightly.
He hesitated and said: "That should be something that must be doubted."
Countless exorcists have proven that once a living person goes to the ghost world, he will definitely be suspicious.
It is a place that belongs only to cold wind, blood and violent ghosts.
"Perhaps this is the direction they are working towards." Jing Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, with a hint of hostility flashing across his face. "The edge of the ghost world, even if we can't always see through every corner. What's more, the old ghost king is very cunning, maybe he really left some loopholes."
"The previous Ghost King?" Lu Yingjiu thought for a moment, "Where is he now?"
Jing Xian smiled: "Morning." This smile was sinister, like a beast baring its fangs.
Lu Yingjiu: “…” As expected.
However, could it be that the Zhang family is really trying to go to the ghost world
Seeing them mumbling for a while, Chen Xiaoling couldn't help but ask, "How is your discussion going? It seems to be getting colder here. Is that Liang Qiufeng coming again?"
The negative energy around is indeed getting heavier.
Lu Yingjiu looked around the house again, making sure nothing was missing before saying, "Let's go out."
He took Zhang Chengzhou's cell phone and various documents, called Jingxian over and stuffed them into his four-dimensional backpack - the stuffing process was not very smooth, Maotuanzi bit off a few pieces of scraps and ate them with relish.
The three of them left the office.
After closing the door, Chen Xiaoling looked back, but caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye.
There was a black figure at the end of the corridor!
Her breath stagnated, and she hurriedly patted Lu Yingjiu. Lu Yingjiu had already appeared, and when she looked over, she heard the black figure say in a hoarse voice: "Outsiders, no entry into the office..."
"You're the employee who's gone crazy!" Chen Xiaoling hid behind Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian, feeling particularly safe. He shook his head, "Are you still managing tourists now?"
The figure spoke again, stumbling: "You are not allowed to enter his office. You are not allowed to enter the dean's office. Outsiders are not allowed to enter the office..."
He tilted his head and thought for a few seconds.
Thick black fog gathered around him, and the wind started to blow—
Crash!
Several faces flew out of the darkness, hovering in the air, looking down at them.
It was that terrifying self-portrait again! They broke free from the frame in the hall and chased here!
Chen Xiaoling cursed inwardly: "You like this damn thing so much..."
Lu Yingjiu held the talisman paper in his hand and was about to throw it away when his self-portrait began to flutter.
They folded and danced wildly in the air and gathered together, as if a magical hand was weaving them together.
Overlapping layers, rising steadily.
They... formed a brain-like object, with all the necessary structures, including sulci, frontal lobes, temporal lobes... everything was complete, as tall as a two-story building, facing them. The paper was still rubbing, as if the brain was moving. If they had gigantic fear, they would probably have been paralyzed by now.
But they didn't.
"It's so ugly." Jing Xian expressed his opinion.
"Indeed." Lu Yingjiu agreed with his point of view.
Chen Xiaoling: "…Is this the point?"
The brain was wriggling violently again.
Suddenly, a bright light came out from it.
Its brightness was like a large searchlight on the stage, or like the beam of a flashlight used by night patrollers in a museum. With a "click" sound, it focused on Chen Xiaoling with heat.
Before Chen Xiaoling could react, her eyes became empty.
"Eh?" she murmured, "How many steps are there to the second floor? Why didn't I count them clearly just now?" She turned her head stiffly, her voice dry, "I, I'm going to go back and count again. The number is definitely correct."
Obsessive compulsive disorder!
It's obsessive compulsive disorder again!
Liang Qiufeng must have used this method to force the tour group to suffer from mental illness. Lu Yingjiu frowned, pasted a talisman paper, and went up to grab Chen Xiaoling's wrist.
The light fell on him, and he felt slightly dizzy, as if something was trying to tamper with his brain consciousness.
But it wasn't a big problem, as he had enough time to take Chen Xiaoling to a safe place. It was just that the heat from the sunlight was like an oven, causing a thin layer of sweat to form on his forehead.
Just as he was about to take a step, he was suddenly surrounded by darkness.
Looking back, Jing Xian was standing between the two of them. He chose a good angle, and his long shadow just blocked them all.
Without the light, Chen Xiaoling's eyes suddenly became clear. She covered her head and said, "Ah, my head...hiss, it hurts, what happened just now..."
Lu Yingjiu walked quickly towards Jingxian.
Intellectually, he knew that Jing Xian must not be threatened by a ghost of this level, but he was still anxious at this moment.
"Jingxian, are you okay?" he asked.
"Where..." Jing Xian looked back at him and suddenly frowned, "Ah, my head hurts!"
Lu Yingjiu:? ! !
He was extremely panicked—God knows how long it had been since he had felt this way while exorcising a ghost. He quickly took out the talisman paper and pasted it on Jingxian, while trying to hold Jingxian's hand and lead him behind him.
Unexpectedly, Jing Xian was not moved, but he was hugged by someone.
Before Lu Yingjiu could react, she was kissed on the face.
Road to welcome wine:
Jing Xian said sincerely: "I feel much better after kissing you! How about we kiss again!"
Lu Yingjiu: “…”
He pushed Jing Xian away and poked him hard: "Does it strengthen your love brain?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Jing Xian said without any shame, "This is a kind of mental illness. You have to help me cure it." After that, he hugged his wife's slender waist again, feeling very satisfied.
Seeing this scene, Liang Qiufeng at the end of the corridor let out a deafening roar! !
"Ahhh!" he cried, in extreme rage. "Ahhh!"
—At this moment, even though it was very inappropriate, Chen Xiaoling still empathized with him for some reason.
"Brother, I understand," she murmured, "I really want to kill these two bastards."