Midnight Paranormal Handbook

Chapter 13

No one present expected him to launch such a sudden attack, and they didn't even have time to dodge. Only Xiao Gu reacted in time, as if she had anticipated Feng Xi's move. With a flick of her arms, several red ropes seemed to come alive, slithering towards Shen Feng Xi and quickly forming a sturdy net.

Without pausing, Feng Xi simply tore the net apart with his hand, instantly shattering it into pieces. He roared, gathering two orbs of lightning in his hands and slamming them towards Xiao Gu. Xiao Gu neither dodged nor evaded, spitting out a cloud of blood mist, his face contorted in a grimace. Just as Shen Feng Xi's orbs were about to touch Xiao Gu, the blood mist condensed into two icy blood shields under the extreme cold, blocking the orbs. The lightning within the orbs couldn't be contained and exploded violently, shattering both the orbs and the blood shields. The shards of ice from the blood shields scattered in all directions, causing the four onlookers considerable scrambling.

Feng Xi seemed to have lost his mind; failing in his first attack, he immediately launched another overwhelming assault. Xiao Gu did not back down, meeting his attack head-on. The two fought fiercely on the roof of the administration building, causing the earth to shake violently. Spheres of light exploded, and red mist rose intermittently. The entire altar was shrouded in a haze of sound, light, and mist, making it impossible to see what was happening. The continuous booming sounds indicated the fierce battle within.

The trio outside were dumbfounded. This level of battle was astonishing to them, beginners: Shen Fengxi was indeed incredibly powerful, but the seemingly frail Xiao Gu also possessed such formidable strength. They couldn't even begin to imagine how dangerous the battle inside the altar was.

"Master, why don't you go and help?" Wu Bing suddenly asked Ma Ming.

Ma Ming was holding his six-barreled spirit talisman cannon and staring at the altar with a calm expression.

Ma Ming shook his head: "The situation is very delicate now; it's not a simple matter of one plus one equals two. Every action could have disastrous consequences. Taoist arts are not something you can win just by having more people."

"Let's drag those girls out first."

Ma Ming quickly stopped him: "No, didn't you see that each coffin is connected to a red thread? That's their lifeline. The situation is unclear right now, it's too dangerous to move them without authorization."

"When will the situation become clear?" Wu Bing asked anxiously.

“Wait until my junior brother wins,” Ma Ming replied.

Chu Yunnan stroked his chin: "But... how could Shen have such great strength?"

Ma Ming chuckled but didn't answer. The trio had no choice but to continue waiting anxiously, wrapping themselves up tighter as the temperature on the rooftop continued to drop. Snowflakes even began to fall from the sky.

After about 10 minutes, a deafening roar erupted.

The rooftop returned to silence.

The fog gradually dissipated, and the light slowly faded, indicating that the battle with the potato was over. The four of them rushed over together, eager to know the outcome.

The altar was shattered, with broken pieces of wood and countless pieces of red rope, like earthworms, scattered among it, barely revealing its original outline. Xiao Gu still stood atop the altar, her face even paler than before, several deep wounds appearing on her face and neck, yet not a drop of blood flowed. Feng Xi's robe was almost torn to shreds; he leaned against the wall not far from Xiao Gu, panting heavily, his head bowed, his expression unreadable. Chu Yunnan, with the best eyesight, vaguely saw something dripping from Feng Xi's forehead.

"Oh no, could it be a lose-lose situation?" Ma Ming exclaimed in surprise.

He hadn't expected Feng Xi to bring out even his trump card, yet he only managed a draw against Xiao Gu. He quickly dropped the six-barreled spirit talisman cannon in his hand and pulled out two spirit talismans made of gold foil from his pocket. These spirit talismans were extraordinary, of excellent quality, extremely expensive, and very powerful.

Two talismans flew towards Xiao Gu, only to be blown about erratically by the surrounding air currents, seemingly out of control. This was exactly the effect Ma Ming wanted. He made a hand seal, and the talismans exploded with a bang, shattering into countless golden dust particles that coalesced in mid-air into a shimmering golden wall. The Yin energy around Xiao Gu retreated immediately upon touching the golden wall, automatically recoiling like octopus tentacles touching fire. This was an attack that combined all of Ma Ming's power, one that even Xiao Gu couldn't break through immediately.

Taking advantage of the moment, Ma Ming rushed to Feng Xi's side, supporting his pale face and asking, "Are you alright?"

“No…” Feng Xi murmured, his eyes somewhat unfocused, “Senior brother, I’ll return the 300 yuan to you…”

Ma Ming's lips twitched slightly. He summoned Wu Bing and Chu Yunnan to help Feng Xi lean against him. Then he walked alone to the altar and faced Xiao Gu directly.

Xiao Gu was also badly injured, with a deep wound on his neck, and his momentum was far less imposing than before. This battle could be described as a lose-lose situation.

"Next, it's my turn."

Ma Ming was more serious than ever before, and slowly took off his glasses: "Although it's not very honorable to fight a weak woman in a series of battles, you are a senior, and we had no choice."

It would take at least 500 years for a corpse to cultivate to the level of Xiao Gu, possessing a complete human mind. In terms of seniority in human society, Xiao Gu is probably more than dozens of generations older than them, which is why Ma Ming said that.

Xiao Gu remained silent.

At this moment, Dong Hua, who was closest to the rooftop entrance, suddenly let out a scream.

It attracted everyone's attention.

Before Ma Ming could even turn around, he felt a powerful force, no less than Xiao Gu's, surging from the entrance.

"Oh no! Could she have accomplices?!" Ma Ming was shocked. If that were the case, they were doomed.

Dong Hua felt as if his throat was being gripped tightly, making it almost impossible for him to speak. He was terrified because the hand gripping him was incredibly cold, like snake scales. When a person is overwhelmed with fear, they suddenly calm down. Dong Hua was a timid person, but after this ordeal, he suddenly calmed down. He remembered what Ma Ming had taught him; he couldn't learn anything well, except for his unparalleled skill in escaping.

"Feng Buqu Dan, hurry! As the law commands, issue this proclamation!"

He forced out the words with the last of his lungs, his body sliding downwards. A miracle occurred; the man choking him clearly hadn't expected the fat man to possess such advanced escape skills and managed to break free. Once free, Dong Hua rolled on the spot, awkwardly but effectively rolling quite a distance before stopping.

His escape exposed the mysterious attacker to everyone's view. Everyone saw it, and everyone was shocked—Teacher Zhao!

Teacher Zhao was still wearing his usual dark blue cadre uniform, with a pen clipped to his chest, and white chalk dust still clinging to the base of his hands. But his face was different from before. Teacher Zhao usually had a stern, unsmiling face, but now it was filled with evil, his features distorted, making him look like a complete villain.

He took a few steps forward, saw that everyone was stunned, and burst into laughter: "Does seeing me surprise you so much?"

Xiao Gu was the first to speak; she was the only one who remained calm: "It really is you."

Teacher Zhao stroked his chin and said, "Yes, it was me." He glanced at the dilapidated altar and said sarcastically, "This is the result of your fight with that annoying little Taoist priest."

“Yes,” Xiao Gu said.

"Hahaha, you Taoists are truly the most foolish creatures in the world! Everything is just as I predicted." Teacher Zhao laughed heartily. "It saves me a lot of trouble. All I have to do now is kill you all, and that'll be OK."

Ma Ming regained his composure and asked Xiao Gu somewhat awkwardly, "Uh, wasn't it you?"

“I never said it was me,” Xiao Gu replied coldly. “It’s all your conjecture.”

"That's right! I did it all!" Teacher Zhao shook his head proudly.

Ma Ming frowned: "Are you really Teacher Zhao?"

“You’re considered smart among idiots. I’m Teacher Zhao, but I’m not him.” Teacher Zhao nodded approvingly and pointed to the four girls lying in the coffins. “This was all caused by those four little idiots.”

“They must have played some forbidden games,” Ma Ming said.

"That's right. It happened more than a month ago. That day, Teacher Zhao went to check on the girls' dormitory. These four girls were playing with a Ouija board. The danger of Ouija board games varies depending on where they are played. Coincidentally, that day was when the school was at its most yin, and I happened to be passing by there—of course, I used a floating device, and as a result, I was summoned by them."

A chill ran through Ma Ming and the trio; this guy was indeed a terrifying creature.

"Since ancient times, it has been said that it is easy to invite ghosts but difficult to send them away. It is not so easy to send me away after inviting me. Unfortunately, these four girls have a strong yin constitution. Teacher Zhao was eavesdropping outside the window, so I possessed him."

"From then on, Teacher Zhao's body was under your control, and those girls were slowly turned into human corpses by you."

"Teacher Zhao" let out an evil laugh: "Hehehe, that's right. I plan to fatten them up and slowly eat them after the yin energy has completely corrupted their bodies. That would be an unparalleled delicacy."

Dong Hua clung tightly to Wu Bing in fear. Wu Bing grabbed Chu Yunnan's arm, but Chu Yunnan had nothing to hold onto, so he closed his eyes. Human corpses were terrifying enough, but this monster treated eating people as a normal occurrence.

"But!" Teacher Zhao pointed at Xiao Gu, "that wretched woman almost ruined my plans!"

"What about her?"

"Yes! That damned Director Wu seems to have noticed something was wrong with the four girls, but he didn't dare to call the police, so he brought in this thousand-year-old corpse from who-knows-where!"

Xiao Gu slowly walked down from the altar: "Let me speak next. Director Wu has studied some Taoist arts and knows that this is the beginning of the transformation of the corpse. He invited me here mainly to help them return to normal. After arriving at the school, I immediately began investigating. Although I didn't find you as the real culprit, I have a general understanding of their situation."

"I haven't gone near them since you came, afraid you'd see me." "Teacher Zhao" seemed to have great respect for Xiao Gu.

“Every day I secretly go to dormitory 416 and use my power to exorcise evil spirits for them.” At this point, Xiao Gu glanced at Ma Ming, “You guessed right that those girls were under the influence of the Ouija board, but you didn’t guess that I went to 416 to help them. Five-colored rice isn’t just for turning corpses into zombies. You righteous people are really ignorant.”

Ma Ming scratched his head somewhat sheepishly, recalling the scene of Feng Xi observing from under the bed in dormitory 41-6, and felt a little wronged. If Feng Xi had just looked up a few centimeters more back then, things might have been very different.

"That day, I finally got my chance and took the girl who was the most severely zombified to the botanical garden, hoping to exorcise the evil spirit from her. But those three idiots ruined everything."

Wu Bing, Dong Hua, and Chu Yunnan huddled together in fear.

"They disrupted the weather vane, causing chaos in the feng shui and a sudden surge of evil energy. The girl went berserk under the influence of this evil energy."

“It was me and Fengxi who saved you back then,” Ma Ming reminded him.

Xiao Gu said, "Yes, I'm very grateful. But you've missed the point."

"The key point is that I sensed this yin energy and became even stronger," Teacher Zhao said confidently.

"So, the black energy that attacked Fengxi in the dormitory was also..."

"That's right. I received Shen Fengxi's leave request and guessed that his injury was related to what happened that night. So I sent some henchmen to deal with him, but I didn't expect him to survive. But I also realized that you don't know the truth, so I'm no longer worried. I used Haidong Middle School to gather Yin energy together, and tonight, after I consume that Yin energy, I will become invincible!"

Xiao Gu waved his hand and continued to criticize Ma Ming: "You're all being clever for nothing, treating me as your enemy. Not only did you destroy all the mechanisms I set up in the administration building, but you also destroyed the altar. I originally wanted to use this opportunity to help these four girls recover. Now the Yin energy is almost at its strongest, and this is the only chance I can give them a chance to heal."

"It's a pity you won't have your chance." Teacher Zhao grinned, revealing a mouthful of fangs, his appearance changing. "I have to thank that foolish Taoist priest. He and Gu Fuchen fought to a standstill, and I reaped the benefits. Now no one can stop me from absorbing this Yin energy. You should feel honored to be my first victims!"

Ma Ming paused for a moment, then suddenly shouted:

"You...you are Nie Zhiyuan!"

Teacher Zhao looked slightly surprised: "How did you know that name?"

“I’ve seen a picture of Nie Zhiyuan in the school history museum, and he looks a lot like you now,” Ma Ming said. “You were the overseas Chinese who donated to Haidong Middle School back then.”

"I never thought anyone would still remember this name." Teacher Zhao sighed, his facial muscles contorted into a grotesque expression, looking exactly like the person in the old photograph Ma Ming had seen in the school history room.

"You designed this layout of Haidong Middle School back then, didn't you?" Ma Ming questioned.

Nie Zhiyuan said, "That's right. I initially took a liking to this location and wanted to use it as a place to gather souls through donations."

But you failed.

“That’s right,” Nie Zhiyuan said with a hint of pain. “When the school was almost completed, the secret was discovered by the then principal, Fang Fan. He was also a lousy Taoist priest who actually drove me to the brink of death, and I died on the stairs downstairs.”

Only then did Wu Bing and his group realize that the blood-red staircase had such a story behind it.

"Fang Fan added a weather vane to the top of the administration building to suppress the yin energy. I became a weak and lonely ghost, only able to wander around the campus, until the girl in room 416 used a Ouija board to revive me."

"No wonder Master sent us to handle this. Fang Fan is my martial uncle." Ma Ming suddenly realized.

"Alright, enough with the nostalgia, I need to get back to my last tasks!"

Hearing Nie Zhiyuan's words, everyone present changed their expressions. Ma Ming seemed to have given up resisting. Currently, Gu Fuchen was the strongest among them, but she had just suffered a severe injury and was probably unable to withstand Nie Zhiyuan. Shen Fengxi was on the verge of death, and the remaining three were ineffective; the situation was deteriorating rapidly.

Nie Zhiyuan brushed past Ma Ming, patted Ma Ming's stiff shoulder, and said, "Teacher Ma, we've been colleagues, I'll make sure you die a quick death." He wasn't afraid of these people escaping, and slowly walked towards the altar, looking up and saying, "Gu, come down. There's no point in resisting, I think you should know that."

Xiao Gu shifted her feet, intending to reach out when he wasn't looking. Nie Zhiyuan had anticipated this, and swiftly extended his blood-dripping claws, scratching Xiao Gu's right shoulder and tearing her burial shroud. Xiao Gu's injuries were too severe to dodge in time.

"Get out of here!"

Nie Zhiyuan shouted and gently pushed Xiao Gu, who fell off the altar like a kite with a broken string. Nie Zhiyuan ignored her, turned around and stepped onto the altar, unable to contain his wild joy. Since becoming a soul, he had been seeking an opportunity to gain great power, and through various fortuitous encounters and hard work, he was about to achieve this goal.

This altar was indeed a wonderful place to gather yin energy. The moment Nie Zhiyuan's foot touched the top of the altar, he felt countless yin energies surge and converge upon him. Overjoyed, he reached out and grasped the crisscrossing red threads, allowing these energies to flow through his body. Midnight was approaching; that would be the perfect moment, the moment he would become king. "Hahahaha—"

"That laugh is awful; if it were me, I'd just die."

A cold voice suddenly interrupted his laughter.

Nie Zhisheng frowned and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a scene he never expected: Shen Fengxi stood up with Xiao Gu's help, his clothes were in a sorry state, but his expression was as cold and vicious as ever.

"You're still alive, Shen."

Shen Fengxi replied, "I'm still doing very well, at least better than you."

Before he could finish speaking, Nie Zhiyuan suddenly noticed that the red ropes began to move, binding his limbs. The abundant yin energy within his body flowed out like water from a bathtub with the plug pulled, rushing along the red ropes.

Nie Zhiyuan was shocked. He shook his head in panic and shouted, "What...what's going on!"

"A fool is fooled by a genius, it's that simple."