That afternoon, my master, Senior Sister, and I headed to the school.

　　The main entrance was an iron gate with a large black lock. My master gave the lock a shake and asked Senior Sister, “Are there any other ways in?”

　　“There isn’t, but there’s a dirt slope at the back. We might be able to climb over the wall from there.”

　　“Alright, let’s go!” With that, my master and I followed Senior Sister to the back of the school.

　　The dirt slope was there, but it was still a couple of meters from the wall. Fortunately, there was an electric pole in between.

　　“Gouwa, can you climb up that pole?” my master asked.

　　“Absolutely, no problem! Just watch me!” I said with a grin. Climbing walls and trees was second nature to me growing up in the village, so this electric pole was a breeze.

　　I rolled up my sleeves and got started. In no time, I climbed up to over five meters and then jumped directly onto the school’s wall.

　　Senior Sister watched in awe, “This kid’s more nimble than a monkey!”

　　My master laughed and said, “Xuerou, you head back for now. I’ll go with your junior brother.”

　　“Okay, I’ll wait for you. Be careful!”

　　“Don’t worry!”

　　Once Senior Sister left, my master quickly made his way to the dirt slope. With a powerful leap, he jumped the two meters and landed right in front of me.

　　I was stunned...

　　“What are you waiting for? Let’s go!” he urged.

　　“Oh!”

　　My master and I then made our way to the small pond that Senior Sister had mentioned, where the stone turtle was located.The small pond was only about two meters square, with a stone turtle resting in it. The turtle, crafted from white stone, faced south with its head, while its tail pointed north. Its feet were placed on lotus flowers, giving it an impressive appearance.

　　However, the water in the pond had nearly dried up, leaving only the turtle’s four legs submerged.

　　“Master, do you notice anything?” I asked.

　　My master shook his head. “This is a feng shui stone turtle, and it’s likely a good luck charm.”

　　“So, you’re saying the deaths of those workers have nothing to do with this turtle?”

　　My master thought for a moment before shaking his head again. “It’s hard to say, but…”

　　“But what?” I asked, curious.

　　“I just have a feeling something is off,” my master said, rising to continue his inspection around the school. The small pond was located behind the teaching building, and beyond that was the sports field.

　　It was past four in the afternoon, and the weather was gloomy. My master and I stood in front of the teaching building as a strong wind howled around us. It was unclear where the wind was coming from—only a relentless rush of wind whipping past our ears, creating a rather lifeless atmosphere.

　　When we reached the sports field, my master pulled out a Luo pan from his pocket, examining it as he walked. As we approached the far end of the field, he frowned and said, “There doesn’t seem to be any issue.”

　　I followed silently behind him. Soon, I spotted the row of old dormitory buildings in the corner of the sports field to the west, just as Senior Sister had described. The dormitories ran north to south, with only the part connecting to the sports field still standing. This meant that the workers had encountered trouble while dismantling that section.

　　“Master, that’s the dormitory building Senior Sister mentioned!” I pointed ahead.

　　My master looked up and simply murmured, “Hmm,” as he tried to retract the Luo pan. To his surprise, the Luo pan needle suddenly began to twitch!“Master?” I called out to him.

　　“Go check it out!” he instructed sharply.

　　We hurried over to the old dormitory buildings, now reduced to rubble. As soon as we arrived, the Luo pan’s needle began to tremble violently, spinning rapidly in a counterclockwise direction!

　　My master studied the Luo pan, his brows knitted in concern. “The needle is spinning in circles—yin and yang are reversed!”

　　“What does that mean, Master?” I asked, confused.

　　“In places with heavy yin energy, the Luo pan needle typically just vibrates up and down or sways side to side. But the way it's spinning like this suggests a massive accumulation of yin energy. Could it be…”

　　My master seemed to have a realization. He darted into the ruins, examining every detail. Not satisfied, he then leapt onto the roof of the remaining dormitory building to get a better view.

　　After surveying the area, his face grew tense, and he started to tremble slightly.

　　“This is... yin sha!” he murmured, his voice low and worried.

　　“Master?” I called, unsure of what he meant.

　　He snapped back to focus, looking at me with urgency. “We need to leave now, Gouwa. Quickly!”

　　Without hesitation, he jumped down from the three-story roof, grabbed my hand, and we sprinted back to Senior Sister’s rental apartment. We burst through the door, and I collapsed onto the sofa, while he poured himself a glass of water and drank it in haste.

　　Senior Sister, who had been reading, looked up in surprise as we returned. “What happened, Junior Brother? Why are you and Master back so soon? Did you figure out what’s going on?”

　　I glanced at my master, who was sitting on the sofa, staring intently at the glass of water.

　　“Xuerou, come here. I need to ask you something!” Master said, still fixated on the glass. As Senior Sister took a seat across from him, he looked at her seriously and asked, “Children who have seen ghostly figures—do they often see not just one or two, but many?”Senior Sister was taken aback by Master’s question. She quickly replied, “Yes, there were at least five or six sightings, and some even reported seeing a whole group!”

　　Master thought for a moment and then asked, “How long has this school been here?”

　　“I’ll need to think about that,” Senior Sister said, pondering for a moment. Seemingly unsure, she went to get a book, flipping through its pages as she said, “It’s been almost a hundred years. Look here, Master!”

　　She handed the book to Master.

　　Master glanced at it and noted, “From the 21st year of the Qing Guangxu era... that’s quite a long time!”

　　“Mm-hmm!” Senior Sister nodded and explained, “The school originally was a government academy for the children of officials, and it was directly managed by the Guangji Prefecture at that time.”

　　Master continued to flip through the book while asking, “Have there been any major incidents here, either before or now?”

　　“None!” Senior Sister responded with firm certainty.

　　“That’s strange,” Master said, still engrossed in the book.

　　“What’s wrong, Master? Did you find something?” Senior Sister asked.

　　“The old dormitory building has a dense concentration of yin energy. There must have been many deaths there in the past, and the lingering resentment has accumulated over time, turning it into a yin sha!”

　　“No way!” Senior Sister was shocked to hear this, but then she seemed to recall something and suddenly said, “Oh, Master, a long time ago, that place was a yamen!”

　　“A yamen? Are you sure?” Master asked, surprised.

　　“Absolutely, Master. It’s written in the book you’re holding. Take a look!”Master picked up the book again and flipped through it. After a few pages, he suddenly exclaimed, “Indeed, it was a yamen!”

　　“By the way, Master,” Senior Sister recalled, “I remember the old folks saying that the area where the old dormitory buildings stood used to be the water prison of the yamen!”

　　“The water prison...” I shuddered at the thought. Being thrown into a water prison was a form of brutal torture. Who knows how many people had died there!

　　“That’s probably it!” Master finally relaxed a bit, leaning back on the sofa and staring at the ceiling.

　　“Master, what are you implying?” Senior Sister looked at me and then at Master.

　　I thought for a moment, suddenly understanding what Master and Senior Sister had been suggesting, and said, “Senior Sister, Master, are you saying that the ghostly figures seen by the students are the spirits of prisoners who died in the water prison?”

　　Master and Senior Sister turned to me and replied in unison, “Exactly!”