Chapter 64 : She remains mysterious

　　"Hey, you okay?" Liu Dazhuang asked urgently, leaning against the wall outside the interrogation room with a cigarette in hand. The moment he saw me step out, he looked over with genuine concern.

　　I shook my head. "Not a shred of remorse. Not one bit."

　　He dropped the cigarette butt to the ground and ground it under his heel. "Figures. Guys like him—born criminals, no chance they'd ever feel guilty."

　　I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure what to say. I’d thought maybe Zhang Ming would feel some regret for what he’d done—even a little. But he showed no awareness of his own mistakes, let alone any remorse.

　　"Brother Dazhuang, I already said goodbye to Sister Mengyun. I'm leaving tomorrow."

　　Liu Dazhuang hesitated, then patted my shoulder. "Take care on the road. I wish I had time to see you off."

　　"No worries, really. And thank you and Sister Mengyun for looking out for me these past few days."

　　He gave a helpless smile. "Alright, alright. Keep talking like that, and you'll embarrass me."

　　I chuckled, keeping it simple. "I’m off, then."

　　Then I turned and left the station. By the time I stepped outside, night had fallen. I looked up at the moon in the dark sky; its cool light blanketed the ground in a soft glow, so bright it almost looked like day.

　　I walked slowly toward the guesthouse. With Zhang Ming in custody, and Liu Dazhuang’s side of things settled, there was nothing left to worry about there. What came next was in his line of work.

　　But my job wasn’t done. I had to take advantage of tonight to destroy the Bagua Stone Craving in Huayuan Complex. There was no way that thing could be left there.

　　The Eight Gates Demon-Suppressing Charm was powerful, but over time, its strength faded. That’s why the Bagua Stone Engraving had to be replaced once before. Not because it had worn down from the elements, but because the power of the charm had weakened and was no longer strong enough to keep Li Hongmin’s ghost in check.

　　“Who would’ve thought he’d be locked up so soon!”

　　A woman’s voice sounded behind me. I smiled to myself. Perfect timing. I knew it was Li Yongxia, but I didn’t turn around. Instead, I kept my back to her and said, “So what? As his partner, why didn’t you try to save him?”

　　“He deserved to die a long time ago!” Li Yongxia suddenly snapped.

　　I frowned, puzzled by her response, and turned to look at her. “Weren’t you two partners? You actually wanted him dead?”

　　Li Yongxia just laughed. “Is that so strange? I think you really misunderstood the nature of our partnership. We may have worked together, but I couldn’t wait for him to die!” Her expression suddenly turned vicious, and I could see she truly wanted Zhang Ming dead.

　　I couldn’t wrap my head around why she felt that way.

　　“Then why did you help him?” I asked.

　　Li Yongxia’s smile slipped away. She stepped aside, her face half-lit by the moon, her profile holding an odd, striking beauty.

　　“I can’t tell you that yet,” she said abruptly.

　　I hesitated, sensing there was more to her silence, something she wasn’t ready to say.

　　“All you need to know is I didn’t have a choice.” She let out a sudden laugh and added, “Besides, you and I both know he’s not getting out of this one.”

　　I studied her, realizing she was becoming harder to read the more I tried to understand her.

　　“Alright. I’m leaving. Leaving this city,” she said, turning to go.

　　“Wait—can I ask you something?” I said quickly.

　　“Of course.”

　　“Who trained you? Or, what’s the name of your sect?”

　　I asked because I knew her level of skill in feng shui didn’t come by chance. No matter how gifted she was, reaching her level alone was next to impossible.

　　In the world of feng shui, you get all types. Some have a natural talent, but their skill can vary greatly. Broadly, there are two kinds of practitioners.

　　The first are from traditional folk feng shui families, usually learning from local masters. They work with energies in homes and graves, the lay of the land, understanding the natural flow of things—the kind of feng shui masters most people think of.

　　Then there’s the second type. They usually come from a sect and are trained in a mix of skills beyond feng shui, like manipulating yin and yang, mastering Qimen, studying the Bagua, learning I Ching principles, even physiognomy and bone-reading. But these are just techniques; what really sets them apart is the specialized, often secret practices of their sects that elevate their power.

　　For example, my master and I belong to Xuanxin Temple, a Taoist branch. We focus on cultivating the Dao as our foundation, using Taoist practices to drive the art of feng shui.

　　As for Li Yongxia—since my first encounter with her, I’d felt something familiar about her methods. Could her sect be connected to Taoism too?Li Yongxia smiled and said, “I can’t tell you that either. But I can tell you this: we’ll meet again someday—and that day isn’t far off!”

　　Her words left me even more perplexed, like I was drifting through a fog. She’d always felt mysterious and dangerous, but now, as she stood before me, there was something entirely unfathomable about her. It was like she was cloaked in mist, impossible to see through. But one thing was clear—my initial hostility toward her was slowly fading.

　　“Well, don’t forget—you’ve still got one thing left to take care of!” With that, Li Yongxia walked away without a backward glance.

　　I stood there watching her figure disappear into the distance, chuckling a bit to myself. I didn’t know what it was about this woman, but somehow she’d managed to captivate my thoughts.

　　Then, turning around, I made my way toward Huayuan Community. I knew exactly what she’d meant by “one thing”—the Bagua carvings I’d been worrying about.

　　Reflecting on it, Li Yongxia wasn’t so bad after all. She’d even reminded me to go deal with the issue at Huayuan Community.

　　Soon enough, I was standing at the entrance of Huayuan Community, looking up at the place.I knew that once the Bagua carving's eight doors were destroyed, Li Hongmin's restless spirit would break free and reappear in that house, ready to wreak havoc. After being trapped by the carving for so many years, he had undoubtedly morphed into a vengeful ghost—I was completely sure of that.

　　Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the community.

　　“Look who’s back again, young man!” the old man at the entrance called out.

　　“Yep, it’s me, Grandpa!” I replied with a grin.

　　“Come on, come on, play a few rounds with this old guy!”

　　“No thanks, I’ve got something to handle.”

　　“What’s so urgent at this hour?”

　　I glanced toward Huayuan Community and said, “Catching ghosts!” With that, I headed inside, making my way to the Bagua carving. Following its direction, I focused on Room 404 in Unit 4 of Building 17.

　　“Li Hongmin, it’s time for you to show yourself!”

　　With that thought in mind, I clasped my hands in front of my chest and quickly performed a series of gestures while chanting, “Heavenly Clear and Profound, Primordial Essence is Divided and Void, Mystic Depths in the Cave, Radiant Golden Essence, Break!”

　　As the incantation resonated in the air, I tightened my grip, pointing my two fingers at the center of the eight gates’ sealing talisman. In an instant, the talisman flashed with a red light before fading, sinking into a lifeless gloom.

　　I lowered my hands and glanced back at Room 404 in Unit 4 of Building 17. After observing for a moment, a smile spread across my face.

　　Because the malevolent energy from that house had finally made its presence known!