Ghost Stories

Chapter 48

"Wandering in the world? What's the difference between that and humans? It's just that they understand some Taoist magic and have a little more spiritual power."

I can't figure out the ancient style. Sigh, thinking about it is pointless. I should go to sleep early; who knows what tomorrow will bring...

Just as the sun was peeking over the horizon, bathing everything in the early winter morning light, a time when everyone should still be dreaming, the door to the antique-style room was suddenly kicked open with a loud "thump." Startled, he jumped up, clutching his blanket. Still half-asleep, he saw Shi Xin rushing in in a panic.

"What's going on? The door wasn't locked, is it worth kicking it? Miss, this is your house."

Shi Xin didn't care at all what Gu Feng was saying, and asked breathlessly, "Have you heard?"

Gu Feng noticed Shi Xin's unusual expression and had to become serious: "What did you hear? I was just woken up by you, what's the matter now?"

Shi Xin's voice trembled slightly: "I just found out about this too. In a residential area in the eastern suburbs of the city, 79 households... all disappeared last night!!"

Gu Feng was stunned for a moment: "Wait...you mean, 79 households, that is, nearly two hundred people, disappeared at the same time?"

Shixin nodded affirmatively.

"You mean, this is related to the ghostly tribulation?"

Shih-hsin: "Besides this hypothesis, I really can't find a better reason to explain this. It is said that the entire community suddenly fell into complete silence after midnight, and even the insects stopped chirping. If it was caused by human intervention or other natural reasons, I think it is impossible to reach this level."

Gu Feng quickly put on his clothes: "Enough with the nonsense, let's go."

The area around the residential area has been cordoned off by the police. It seems that few people passing by in the morning know what happened. They crane their necks to look inside. Gu Feng suddenly had a funny idea: could it be that giraffes evolved into that shape because they were too curious?

Seeing this, Gu Feng couldn't help but recall the haunted hospital incident. Thinking of his former teammates, he couldn't help but sigh again. Shi Xin took his hand and left the crowd at the entrance of the community. Gu Feng knew that Shi Xin thought the same as him; a residential community wouldn't have only one gate.

However, they were not as lucky as they were at the hospital this time. Several police officers in brown uniforms with real guns stood straight at the back door, blocking the passage and preventing curious members of the public from stepping inside and disturbing the scene.

They continued walking around the iron railings of the residential area, hoping for another way out, when Gu Feng suddenly sensed something was wrong and stopped there.

Shixin opened her eyes and looked at him, clearly asking, "What's wrong? Why aren't you leaving?"

Gu Feng frowned and said, "Shi Xin, don't you feel... there's a... familiar atmosphere here?"

Shi Xin sensed it and indeed, a faint chill was wafting out from inside the room. However, the chill was so faint that although she had a feeling of déjà vu, she couldn't be sure if it was from the air conditioner or something else: "It does feel familiar. Maybe it's seeping from the central air conditioning in the community?"

Gu Feng shook his head firmly: "No, absolutely not. Don't speak yet, let me feel it."

Gu Feng was about to close his eyes when something inside the iron bars suddenly caught his attention...

()

Chapter 86 of Volume 4: The Secret of Guarding the Heart

Those were the corpses of beetles and ants, dried and flattened, covering the area under the ornamental shrubs inside the railing. If you didn't look closely, they were indistinguishable from the grayish-brown soil. Gu Feng frowned. Perhaps Shi Xin's concerns were correct; this matter was definitely not simple!

He sensed it. With his excellent sense of touch, Gu Feng could be absolutely certain that the bleak chill he was feeling now was the same substance as the yin energy from the burial pit in the basement yesterday.

"Shixin, come here."

A hint of anger flickered in Gu Feng's eyes. He gave a shout and strode away.

Shixin didn't know why he was angry: "Where are we going?"

"funeral parlor!"

...

I don't know why, but when I was driving in the city, it was supposed to be very crowded during the morning rush hour, but today, it was like they owned the road. There was only one car driving on the four-lane road.

Gu Feng looked at the shops lining the roadside; although their doors were all wide open, upon closer inspection, there wasn't a single person in sight! A sense of unease settled in his heart—could it be…?

Shixin seemed to have noticed something was wrong too. She gripped the steering wheel with one hand and held Gu Feng's hand tightly with the other. Even if yesterday's terrifying situation happened again, the two of them would still have to be together!

Neither of them spoke. You Shixin drove the car to the entrance of the funeral home with trepidation. They got out of the car together, but as expected, there was still no one in sight.

Gu Feng wasn't in a hurry to find Zhen Ren; he went straight to the morgue.

The two ice coffins remained in their original positions. Gu Feng looked at the familiar faces of his relatives inside the coffins, and thought about his helpless situation recently. He couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow. But suddenly, he seemed to think of something, clenched his fists, and stood up.

Shixin was startled, as she was still thinking about how to comfort Gufeng.

If you can't even handle a mere Zhen Ren, how dare you dream of slaying the ghost and taking revenge? Ancient style, ancient style, are you really that incompetent?

Despite his soaring ambition, once he came out and saw the quiet world, he was completely helpless against Zhen Ren's soul-capturing technique. It was no wonder that he had become short-tempered at such a young age!

In this vast world, Gu Feng and his companion were caught in a dilemma: were they standing or sitting, or had everyone else vanished and they were now in the true realm? Or were they being controlled by Zhen Ren and facing the tribulation of the illusion once more?

If they had to choose, they would naturally prefer the latter. However, if that were the case, unless Zhen Ren backed down, the two of them would be sitting there waiting to be trapped and die!

The ancient man chanted incantations, and streams of spiritual light and fire soared into the sky. However, his magical power was limited, and he watched as it rose a hundred meters into the air before vanishing completely.

Wow~~.

Gu Feng shouted, unleashing the Dao technique he had mastered in his final battle against his nemesis. Beams of white light rained down on the sky like a hail of bullets. His skill level this time was vastly different from that night, but...

The sky remained silent, while Gu Feng stood there shouting like a fool...

Shi Xin looked at him helplessly. She had an impulse to help him, but... looking at the vast sky and the silent earth, what could she do but stand by and watch?

Suddenly, they both felt a deafening roar in their ears, and a tremendous sound resounded throughout the world. After they got used to it, they realized that it was a "giant" speaking. Upon closer listening, they found the voice to be so familiar.

Gu Feng finally managed to recognize him by covering his ears, and exclaimed joyfully, "Grandpa!?"

“Xiao Feng, your grandfather foresaw that you would soon face this calamity, so he came to lend you a helping hand.”

"Okay, okay, Grandpa, please tell me how to get out."

Zhao Longteng said, "I have a 'Demon-Sealing and Heart-Guarding Mantra' here. I'll recite it, and you can repeat it after me."

The two of them naturally agreed.

The incantation was difficult and obscure. Although Zhao Longteng recited one line at a time and they followed along, they still made several mistakes. However, as soon as the last word was uttered, they instantly felt their whole body shut out from the world, guarding their hearts and embracing their essence, nothing else mattered.

In the blink of an eye, the world had completely changed. The two found themselves lying flat on the sidewalk outside the iron fence of the residential complex. Luckily, they had found this secluded spot; otherwise, some kind-hearted friend would have taken them to the hospital...

Gu Feng stretched his stiff neck and was suddenly startled by a sight. However, he quickly understood and hurriedly left with Shi Xin, leaving the charred, smelly, and bare banyan tree standing alone overhead...

Immediately, a group of police officers rushed over from a distance. One of them, seeing this strange sight, asked, "Was it hit by a meteor?"

Having escaped the illusion, they lost contact with Zhao Longteng and wondered how they could reach him. Gu Feng, having the Demon-Sealing Heart-Guarding Technique as a backup, was no longer afraid of Zhen Ren's soul-capturing art. Now that he was free, he clenched his fist and said, "You, surnamed Zhen, are dead!"

The Secret of Guarding the Heart

Gu Yuehan, October 22, 8:54

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Volume 4, Chapter 87: Conspiracy?

Having walked the same road twice, Gu Feng felt very different each time. Ever since meeting Zhen Ren, Gu Feng had been inexplicably arrogant, yet he couldn't help but be wary of him. Now that the Heart-Guarding Technique was complete, he felt a sense of exhilaration, as if he had already kicked Zhen Ren to the ground. Sitting in the car in a daze for a while, Gu Feng suddenly stammered, "Shi Xin, how do you pronounce the first line of the Heart-Guarding Technique that Grandpa taught you?"

Shixin looked like she was racking her brains: "I was just repeating it after the sound, it sounded like some kind of gibberish..."

Gu Feng covered his head and made a dizzy gesture: "Quick, quick, change course."

"What's wrong?"

"If we forget the Heart-Guarding Mantra, aren't we just walking into a trap and courting death?"

"Where to now?"

"Looking for my maternal grandfather."

Where to look?

"You're asking me?"

"kindness!"

"Tch, who am I supposed to ask?"

...

"Gu Feng, we've been driving around the city for almost three hours now. Where is Grandpa?" Shi Xin said slowly as she drove, keeping an eye on both sides of the road. "Could it be that he just sent us a telepathic message from Fengmo Mountain?"

Gu Feng felt that Shi Xin's words made sense, and continuing to search like this would be a foolish thing to do: "Hmm, that makes sense. Then let's go back first. Last night, the coach said that the club is going to be rebuilt. I don't know if it's true or not."

Shixin remembered: "We ran out without saying a word this morning, I wonder if he was worried."

Gu Feng smiled and said, "Hehe, don't worry, the bishop won't be anxious knowing I'm by your side."

Shi Xin glared at him: "Hmph, don't think you're so great just because you've learned some magic. You were my defeated opponent back then."

As the saying goes, a true hero doesn't dwell on past glories...

Shixin rolled her eyes at him and interrupted, "Who's being a hero to you? I'm a girl, okay?"

...

Upon reaching the door, she found the iron gate tightly shut. Shixin took out her key and asked in confusion, "What time is it? Why aren't you back for dinner yet?"

Gu Feng said, "Let's not go in yet. I think the coach might be with the president at the Taoist temple. Let's go and take a look."

Shih-hsin: "I'll make a phone call and ask."

Beep~~Beep~~Beep~~~

Gu Feng: "What's wrong? No one's answering?"

"kindness"

"Maybe they were too busy to notice."

"Then let's go take a look at the Sandao Society."

When the car arrived at the quiet entrance of Sandaoshe in the southern suburbs of the city, Gu Feng and his companion began to notice that something was amiss. The empty, dilapidated, and lonely building showed no signs of human presence, let alone any reconstruction or renovation.

"What's going on?" Gu Feng looked at Shi Xin, who was equally bewildered. She hurriedly pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The dial tone rang for a long time, and finally a soft female voice came through... "Sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later..."

Gu Feng looked annoyed: "What's going on?"

When they arrived at Shixin's residential area, they were shocked to find that it was just like the one they had visited that morning, with long cordons erected around it.

Shixin seemed to have a premonition of what was going to happen. She stood blankly in front of the car, staring at the anxious crowd peering inside, without saying a word…

Gu Feng didn't understand what he should do, so he could only quietly stay by Shi Xin's side, watching her, feeling melancholy.

Shi Xin's face was cold, so cold that just looking at it would make anyone feel a few degrees colder. However, in the end, she couldn't control her emotions, and tears slid down her cold and indifferent cheeks, drop by drop...

Gu Feng understood this feeling and knew that no matter how much others advised her, it would be useless. All she could do was let her vent and adapt over time. After all, they were family, and there weren't many people in the world who would let go because of a few words from others.

Gu Feng sighed, and just then, he saw a familiar figure pass by in the crowd. He looked at Shi Xin, who remained unmoved, while anxiously glancing in the direction where the person had disappeared. However, he ultimately chose to stay. In Shi Xin's current state, if anything were to happen to her, it would be more unpredictable than anything else. As for that person who seemed like a nemesis, there would be opportunities to find out about him later.

Wait, what if he really is a nemesis? What's his purpose in doing this? To make people disappear from one neighborhood after another?

Could it be that there's an even more shocking conspiracy at play?