The moonlight poured down like liquid silver, casting shimmering halos that burst upward from the corners of the formation. In an instant, the night sky transformed into a dazzling sea of gold.

　　Golden energy swirled within the array, twisting and turning like majestic golden dragons in flight.

　　“Damn Daoist, I didn’t think you had this kind of trick up your sleeve!” the female ghost exclaimed, her voice laced with both anger and surprise. “Let us go, or I’ll ensure your souls are obliterated!”

　　Her threats didn’t faze me; after all, the Xuan Yin Overlapping Dragon Formation loomed before us, and I was confident she recognized its terrifying potential.

　　True to my instincts, the female ghost hesitated for a moment, then shot back, “Do you really have the guts? As a Yin-Yang master, aren’t you afraid of ending up in the underworld, boiling in oil or climbing the mountain of knives?”

　　She made a valid point; no one escapes the consequences of their actions, and as a Feng-Shui master, the weight of those consequences would only be greater. But these were just aimless souls—what was there for me to fear? I retorted, “You really have a short memory! Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t end up in the underworld? Even if I kill you, the underworld won’t lift a finger!”

　　“Very well!” The female ghost in red flashed a wide, unsettling grin, her face eerily pale, as if dusted with flour.

　　“Charge!” she shouted, and the other spirits sprang into action, closing in on me.

　　“Sir, sir!” Ma Daqiang and his wife quickly huddled behind me, their fear palpable.

　　“Looking for trouble, huh? Today, I’ll deal with all of you!” I declared, locking eyes with the advancing spirits. I swiftly formed several hand gestures and chanted, “Thunder strikes the dark yin, the golden dragon rises from the sea, banish the hundred ghosts, arise!”

　　As soon as I finished the incantation, a radiant barrier erupted around the edge of the Xuan Yin Overlapping Dragon Formation. Flashes of lightning crackled within it, merging with the rolling golden energy that surged forth like flying dragons, accompanied by explosive sounds that reverberated through the entire array.I wasn’t the only one caught off guard; even though I’d been a Feng Shui master for years, I had never encountered anything like this formation! I quickly composed myself and turned to the bewildered Ma Daqiang and his wife. “Don’t just stand there! Drink some liquor and then light those bottles and throw them at the spirits!”

　　After saying that, I grabbed a bottle of liquor and took several big swigs before stuffing a rag into the neck of the bottle. “If you don’t want to die, follow my lead!” I glanced at them again and urged.

　　“Uh... okay!” Ma Daqiang’s wife responded, pulling her husband along to do the same, drinking and sealing their bottles with rags.

　　I lit the rag and hurled it toward the swarm of spirits. Ma Daqiang hesitated for a moment but didn’t overthink it; he followed his wife’s lead and tossed his own flaming bottle into the fray.

　　Before long, apart from the one bottle I still held, we had thrown out all the dozens of white liquor bottles Ma Daqiang had brought. I quickly poured a circle of liquor around us, lit it on fire, and enclosed ourselves within the flame barrier. “Stay inside this circle! I guarantee you’ll be safe; otherwise, don’t blame me if you die!”

　　Ma Daqiang’s wife nodded vigorously, “We’ll listen to you, sir! We won’t go out, we promise!”

　　Finally, I looked back at the group of ghosts, which had turned into chaos, scattering in every direction.

　　“Sir, what’s going on?” Ma Daqiang asked, clearly anxious.

　　“White liquor is yang, and the fire it produces is also yang, while ghosts are yin. Yin and yang repel each other; they won’t dare come near us!” I replied, keeping my eyes fixed on the chaotic spirits.

　　The chaotic formation was in complete disarray, flames raging everywhere, and the ghosts were darting about in a panic. They might have evaded the fire, but they couldn’t escape the deadly grip of the vital energy swirling within the array!

　　I watched helplessly as one after another, they were torn apart by the energy of the flying dragons. A strange feeling welled up inside me. I clenched my fists; if they hadn’t taken Ma Xiaodong’s soul or threatened Ma Daqiang, I wouldn’t have treated them this way. In fact, I would have helped them break the seal and guide them to the underworld.

　　But they had crossed a line.

　　Humans have their ways, and ghosts have theirs. Since they wanted to kill, as a Feng-Shui master, I couldn’t just turn a blind eye!

　　“Sir! Sir!” the female ghost dashed forward, kneeling before me. “I realize my mistake! Please, release this formation!”

　　I stepped out of the fire circle and asked, “So I can take Ma Xiaodong’s soul?”

　　“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she replied urgently.

　　“And what about you, Ma Daqiang? Are you still going to kill him?” I inquired further.

　　She glanced at Ma Daqiang, then lowered her head, almost hysterical as she said, “N-no... I won’t kill him!”

　　“Good. You should know the fate of a lying soul!” I stepped closer, now within three meters of her, and asked, “Were you all villagers from here?”

　　“Yes!” She looked up at me, her ghastly pale face streaked with two lines of blood tears as she replied, “We are all villagers from He Village, all killed by the Japanese, betrayed by Ma San!”She cast a quick glance at Ma Daqiang, but it was just that—a glance. She didn’t dare to do anything more.

　　“What’s your name?” I asked, my voice steady.

　　“Zhang Cuicui,” she answered.

　　I let out a long sigh. “After all these years, it’s time to move on. You know as well as I do the kind of torment a wandering soul endures when it doesn’t cross over into the underworld. Haven’t you suffered enough?”

　　“We’ve never hurt anyone, not once!” Zhang Cuicui cried out suddenly, her voice desperate.

　　I understood why she was saying this. When someone dies but their spirit lingers in the world of the living, never entering the underworld, it must feed off the living to survive. There are many ways to do this—draining a person’s vitality, stealing their luck, and the worst of them all: vengeful spirits who harm the living and devour their souls.

　　And the people who fall prey to these spirits are usually the weak, the unfortunate, or those who have strayed too far from righteousness.

　　“I know. That’s why this barrier is in place. It keeps you trapped here, unable to harm anyone,” I said, my gaze meeting hers.

　　“Thank you, sir, for your understanding,” Zhang Cuicui replied quickly, a hint of relief in her voice.

　　“Sir! Don’t listen to her! You can’t trust a ghost! We can’t lift this formation! The only way He Village will ever be safe is if we destroy them all!” Ma Daqiang shouted, his panic evident. He made a move to step out of the fire circle, but one look at Zhang Cuicui and he quickly recoiled, retreating back into the safety of the flames.

　　“Shut up!” I barked at Ma Daqiang, my patience wearing thin.

　　I took a moment to steady myself before addressing him and his wife. “You two should head back now. Leave everything here to me.”

　　Ma Daqiang and his wife exchanged a nervous glance. “Alright, alright, we’ll go,” he stammered, grabbing his wife’s hand as they quickly made their escape.

　　I glanced at Zhang Cuicui, then stepped right past her. Forming a seal with my hands, I uttered a single word: "Break!"

　　With that, the Xuan Yin Dragon-Enveloping Formation slowly dissipated, and the night returned to its normal state.

　　"You took down the formation. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Zhang Cuicui suddenly asked.

　　I chuckled lightly. "Do you really think you have what it takes?"

　　I turned to look at her and continued, "Besides, I trust that you won’t do that."

　　Zhang Cuicui froze for a moment, then suddenly dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she cried out, "Please, sir, save me! Save me!"

　　As soon as she spoke, the other spirits also knelt down, sobbing and pleading, "Please help us! Help us!"

　　I gazed up at the night sky and let out a deep sigh.

　　Yes, after wandering as restless spirits for so many years, it was finally time to send them on their way.