Qi is easy to pass on

Chapter 4

"Why?" Horse-face asked.

Laozi pointed to the stars in the sky and said to Ox-Head and Horse-Face, "Look, that's the Qi Yi Star." Ox-Head and Horse-Face, having been under the command of Yama since birth, were only interested in catching ghosts and capturing souls; they had no time to look at stars, let alone know what the Qi Yi Star was. Zhou Qiang looked in the direction Laozi was pointing. Wasn't that Polaris? His teacher had mentioned it in elementary school. Laozi, seeing the two shaking their heads, explained, "The Qi Yi Star is immortal. Why do you two want to take away the soul of the Qi Yi successor? If he dies, the Qi Yi sect will be without descendants. Can you two bear that responsibility?"

Horse-Face seemed to remember something and said with delight, "Great Immortal, I have also heard of the Qi Yi Sect. I remember a demon once wreaked havoc in the Underworld, then obtained the Book of Birth and altered your lifespan. That ghost was raised by the Qi Yi Sect!" Laozi nodded, his eyes seemingly reddening, and said, "That's right, the Qi Yi Sect Leader died for me." Ox-Head and Horse-Face exclaimed "Oh," as if they understood. "So you've come to find the Qi Yi Sect Leader's descendant to repay a debt of gratitude." Laozi seemed to hear Ox-Head and Horse-Face muttering to themselves and said, "Repaying a debt of gratitude is only one aspect. The Qi Yi Sect has already sealed off one of the Four Demons of Chaos who are disturbing the mortal realm. If the Qi Yi Sect's lineage ends, the Four Demons of Chaos will surely reappear, and you will not be able to bear the consequences."

Ox-Head and Horse-Face, recalling the days when the Four Demons of Chaos ran rampant in the mortal realm, couldn't help but gasp. "Then... Great Immortal, should we release him?" they asked in unison. Laozi grunted and said, "This man possesses the auspicious sign of purple qi coming from the east, and his birth chart indicates the Seven Stars Protector; he won't die so easily." Ox-Head and Horse-Face hesitated, seemingly disbelieving Laozi's words. Laozi grew impatient and roared at them, "You two idiots! With ox eyes and donkey ears, you can't distinguish right from wrong! I'll go back and report you to the Jade Emperor; you'll be beheaded!" With that, he turned to leave.

This startled Ox-Head and Horse-Face, who immediately knelt down and cried, "Grandpa Laojun, please don't! We'll release him right now!" When Laojun turned around, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, with tears in their eyes, hurriedly unlocked Zhou Qiang's chains. Zhou Qiang secretly chuckled, thinking, "Where did those smug expressions go? What are they crying about now?" Ox-Head and Horse-Face dared not linger, afraid of saying the wrong thing and angering Laojun. They offered a few deliberate compliments before sinking into the ground. As they left, Horse-Face grinned and said to Laojun, "Grandpa, your grandson is leaving."

Laozi glanced at Zhou Qiang and was secretly astonished by his appearance, which was exactly like that of the Qi Yi Ancestor, except for the lack of a beard. He said kindly to Zhou Qiang, "Child, although I secretly descended to the mortal realm to save your life this time, I cannot save you forever. I hope you will study the art of Qi Yi even harder in the future, as even greater challenges await you."

Zhou Qiang looked at Laozi gratefully and said, "Thank you for saving my life, Great Immortal." Laozi smiled, waved his whisk in front of Zhou Qiang's eyes, and Zhou Qiang felt weak all over, closed his eyes, and fainted. Laozi looked up at the sky and sighed, "Alas, I guess disaster is about to befall them." With that, he flicked his whisk and soared into the sky.

At this moment, in Song Peng's home, Old Man Le Shui was stroking Zhou Qiang's body. Suddenly, he stood up, muttering to himself with a resolute expression, "Disciple, it seems that I can only use the forbidden technique of life-altering to save you." He then turned and called out, "Boy, come here!" Gao Ruyi trotted over eagerly and said firmly, "Sir, just tell me what you need." It was unclear where he got such courage; perhaps it was because he felt guilty for causing Old Man Le Shui to lose his beloved disciple because of his own actions. Old Man Le Shui said, "Prepare three bottles of white wine, three sticks of incense, a piece of red paper, and a pig's head." Gao Ruyi turned to leave, but Old Man Le Shui remembered something and called him back, saying, "When my disciple wakes up, tell him to go to Granny Le Xi and ask about the Four Demons of Chaos. This is something he absolutely needs to know." Gao Ruyi didn't listen at all, his eyes fixed on Zhou Qiang. At this moment, Zhou Qiang, feeling itchy, scratched his face and turned away.

Old Man Leshui said angrily, "Didn't you hear me?!" Gao Ruyi's eyes widened, and she pointed at Zhou Qiang, saying, "He...he...he...he moved!" Old Man Leshui hurriedly turned around, bent down, and touched Zhou Qiang, a smile slowly spreading across his face. Zhou Qiang felt a pair of rough hands touching him, opened his eyes, and saw Old Man Leshui smiling at him. He asked in confusion, "Master, why are you touching me?" Old Man Leshui's tears welled up again, and he laughed and cursed, "You brat!" For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Zhou Qiang slowly recalled that he had just died! He suddenly hugged his master, almost knocking the old man over. Gao Ruyi watched the master and disciple rolling around on the ground, laughing, and felt a pang of emotion. He turned to look at his wife, who was sitting unconscious in a chair, and went over to stroke her hair. Zhou Qiang noticed that his master's right hand was burned and said with concern, "You're so old, why are you using fire needles on evil spirits! Look, your hands are blistered." Then Zhou Qiang asked Gao Ruyi for some medicine and bandages and carefully bandaged the old man's hand. Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound from the floor, and the old man called Zhou Qiang to check if there was anything under the blood of the evil spirit.

After cleaning up the evil spirit's blood, Zhou Qiang was surprised to find some words on the floor, which he told Old Man Le Shui. Old Man Le Shui said, "The evil spirit made a 'vengeful ghost pact' before it died. It's all my fault for being careless! There will definitely be evil spirits coming to seek revenge on us." Zhou Qiang was unconvinced, thinking, "We're in the business of exorcising ghosts, why would we be afraid of them!" Afterwards, Gao Ruyi arranged for Old Man Le Shui and his apprentice to sleep in her room, while she slept on the sofa in the living room so she could be the first to notice when her wife woke up.

The next morning, Zhou Qiang helped his master out of the bedroom and saw Gao Ruyi asleep on the floor, presumably having rolled off the sofa the night before. Old Man Leshui approached the madwoman and wrote something on her forehead. After he finished, the madwoman woke up and regained her senses. Before Zhou Qiang could untie the red thread, Gao Ruyi's wife snapped it herself. After understanding what had happened, Gao Ruyi's wife fainted again from fright. Zhou Qiang had no choice but to carry her to the bedroom to rest.

After waking Gao Ruyi, Old Man Leshui instructed, "There are still four ghosts left. If all four attack together, my master and I might not be a match for them." Gao Ruyi pleaded, "Sir, what should we do?" Old Man Leshui thought for a moment and said, "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Painting does have a way to save Zhang Guolao, but it depends on whether Zhang Guolao is willing." He then laughed. Gao Ruyi hurriedly said, "Sir, please stop being mysterious and save me!"

Old Man Leshui ordered Gao Ruyi to buy four gold bars and instructed him to dig a hole under each of the four trees—a poplar, a willow, an elm, and a locust—at noon and bury the gold bars inside. Old Man Leshui later explained, "In the Five Elements, gold separates Yin and Yang. By attaching gold hooves to Zhang Guolao's donkey, it's as if your house is separated from the ghosts, and the evil spirits will naturally be unable to harm you. After burying them, you and your wife must not return home for three days."

Gao Ruyi asked, puzzled, "Why?"

“If Elder Zhang Guo is displeased, this house will surely collapse. If there are no abnormalities in the house after three days, then you can come back to live here,” the old man Le Shui explained with a smile. “Now, can you take us home?”

Gao Ruyi thought for a moment and asked, "Sir, there is still something I don't understand. Why was I bounced away when the evil spirit tried to grab me?"

The old man said, "I added a little chicken blood and 'fragrant' powder to the cornbread I brought. Food with strong yang energy, combined with incense to ward off evil spirits, will naturally prevent evil spirits from harming you."

Gao Ruyi said "Oh," picked up her car keys, opened the car door, and said to Old Man Le Shui and Zhou Qiang, "Please, sir!" =================================================================================== Chapter Nineteen: The Token of the Sect Leader - The Spirit of Brother Yi - Collected and organized by

It was 11 p.m. at the home of the old man Leshui.

"Master, is Polaris the Qi Yi Star?" Zhou Qiang asked疑惑地. Old Man Le Shui was wondering how Zhou Qiang knew, and said, "Yes."

"Why is it called Qi Yi Xing? Tell me about it." Zhou Qiang perked up and sat cross-legged on the heated kang, looking at his master. He loved it when the old man Le Shui told him stories.

Old Man Le Shui chuckled and shook his head, saying, "I really can't do anything with you. Alright, let me tell you. Do you know the Big Dipper?"

Zhou Qiang hummed in agreement. Old Man Le Shui continued, "During the Spring and Autumn Period, when the Qi Yi School was at its peak, eight stars appeared in the sky, aligned together. These were then called the Eight Stars of the Big Dipper, named after Qi Yi, Daoism, Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, the School of Names, Miscellaneous Studies, and Agriculture. However, after the founder passed away, the Qi Yi star gradually deviated from its orbit and separated from the other seven stars. It's particularly noteworthy that the Qi Yi Jing seems to be brighter than the other seven stars." After listening, Zhou Qiang exclaimed, "Wow, so there's such a legend about the Qi Yi star!"

Old Man Le Shui chuckled twice and continued, "It's not over yet. There are two versions of the story about Qi Yi Star. Let me tell you the other one. During the Ming Dynasty, a man named Xu Guangqi offered a different perspective. He believed that the seven stars of the Big Dipper symbolized Taoism, Buddhism, Gu magic, the corpse-driving sect, Tantric Buddhism, sorcery, and Lamaism. Meanwhile, Polaris was still considered to be Qi Yi Star." Zhou Qiang asked, puzzled, "Master, why is Qi Yi Star separate from the seven stars of the Big Dipper?"

"Perhaps the Qi Yi Sect is not sociable with other sects, or they cannot be compared to others." In fact, Old Man Le Shui didn't know either; this was just his guess. Zhou Qiang knew his master was a little tired and said, "Master, you should go to sleep." After saying that, he also crawled into bed, and within two minutes, snoring could be heard. Old Man Le Shui smiled and also fell asleep.

The next day, before dawn, the kitchen light was already on. Zhou Qiang squatted on the ground, looking at the twenty-one incense sticks stuck in the ground, muttering softly, "Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me~." Tears streamed down his face. This was the first time he had ever celebrated his birthday away from home. He felt very lonely, suddenly thinking of his parents and longing to go home. Zhou Qiang wiped away his tears, took a small bottle from his pocket, untied the red cloth, and a wisp of black smoke billowed from the bottle, transforming into a malevolent ghost. The ghost sat silently beside Zhou Qiang; this lame ghost was the gift Old Man Le Shui had given Zhou Qiang as a greeting. Zhou Qiang gave the ghost a resounding name—Jackie Chan.

"Jackie Chan, today is my twenty-first birthday. I feel so lonely, I miss home so much." Zhou Qiang sat on the ground, hugging his knees and staring at the ceiling. The evil spirit, seeing its master's sullen expression, floated into Zhou Qiang's line of sight and made a face to cheer him up. Zhou Qiang chuckled dryly and then lowered his head again. He sighed, "Sigh, I always get birthday presents, but this time I don't." The evil spirit scratched its head, suddenly remembering something. Then it spat out a yellow, glass-like object and held it out to Zhou Qiang. Zhou Qiang looked closely and exclaimed in surprise, "This... could it be a ghost relic!" The evil spirit smiled and nodded.

Ghost relics are not possessed by all ghosts; only those evil ghosts who have committed countless evil deeds and killed numerous people possess such treasures, which they refine by absorbing the souls of many. Evil ghosts can use these relics to preserve their lives and can freely exhale poisonous smoke, fire, water, etc., to kill people. They are as precious as Buddhist relics.

"You're giving it to me?" Zhou Qiang looked at the evil spirit in surprise. The evil spirit smiled and nodded. "How can I do that? You can keep it to preserve it..." Before Zhou Qiang could finish speaking, the evil spirit took advantage of the moment and forced the ghost relic into Zhou Qiang's mouth. Zhou Qiang accidentally swallowed it. Zhou Qiang suddenly felt a chill run through his body, and a surge of yin energy rushed to his head. He regulated his breathing and slowly restored his body temperature.

Zhou Qiang asked anxiously, "What will happen if I eat you?" The evil ghost chuckled and calmly spat out another ghost relic from its mouth, handing it to Zhou Qiang. "It's a twin ghost relic! Could it be that I'm going to...!" Zhou Qiang exclaimed in surprise, staring at the ghost relic in the evil ghost's hand. He had heard Old Man Le Shui say that ghosts had a chance of creating twin relics, a chance even lower than winning the lottery. If one of the two ghosts who ate the twin ghost relics died, the other would also die. The same applied to humans. Zhou Qiang looked into the evil ghost's sincere eyes and thought to himself, "It seems the evil ghost is completely devoted to me."

"Thank you!" Zhou Qiang said to the evil spirit. The evil spirit seemed very tired, yawned, and went back into the bottle. Zhou Qiang put the small bottle in his pocket, looked at the sky, and said, "It's getting late, I should go for a run."

Strangely, both Old Man Leshui and Granny Lexi were still in bed by almost dawn. Usually, Old Man Leshui would wake him with his cane. Zhou Qiang nudged his master, who was lying in bed, and said, "Master, it's time for your run, get up." Old Man Leshui grumbled impatiently, "Too tired today, I'm not going. You and your grandmother go." He then pulled the covers over his head again. Not daring to disturb his master, Zhou Qiang ran to Granny Lexi's door and called out, "Granny, it's time to get up for your morning exercise!" He heard Granny Lexi yell from inside, "What's all the noise? It's so cold, I'm not going out. Go by yourself!" Zhou Qiang wondered what was wrong with the two old people today. He had no choice but to run out himself. Unlike usual, he didn't feel cold at all; it seemed the ghost relic was working.

After Zhou Qiang left, Le Xipo secretly ran to Le Shui's room, looking around nervously. Le Shui had woken up at some point.

"Senior brother, it's Jiye's birthday today. Have you prepared a gift for him?" Old Man Leshui said confidently, "Of course! What about you?" Old Woman Lexi chuckled twice and said, "Hmm, I've prepared one too. I didn't expect you, you old geezer, to be so thoughtful." With that, Old Woman Lexi left the house. After Old Man Leshui heard Old Woman Lexi leave, he quietly went to the peach wood chest, took out the key, and carefully opened it. He reached inside and fumbled around, then suddenly smiled—he had found it. Old Woman Lexi didn't go far, but watched Old Man Leshui's every move from the window, thinking, "Good, he's even brought out his ancestral treasure. I have one too!" With that thought, she snorted and left.

When Zhou Qiang returned, covered in sweat, he seemed to have forgotten his unpleasantness and happily ate his breakfast. In the kitchen, Granny Le Xi picked out a piece of meat and put it in Zhou Qiang's bowl, saying, "Child, come to my room in a little while." Old Man Le Shui also said, "Oh, and come to my room too." Zhou Qiang looked at the two elders with a puzzled expression, wondering what they wanted now.

Zhou Qiang followed Le Xipo into the house. Le Xipo turned around and said, "Child, we know it's your birthday today. Take this as a birthday present." With that, Le Xipo took out a worn-out vest from her bundle and handed it to Zhou Qiang.

"Grandma, what is this...?" Before Zhou Qiang could finish speaking, Granny Lexi said, "This is what my master gave me for self-defense. This garment is called the Evil-Repelling Armor. Wearing it, wandering ghosts and spirits can't harm you." Zhou Qiang looked at Granny Lexi gratefully and accepted it without hesitation. "Go to your master's room, he's waiting for you," Granny Lexi said with a beaming smile. Zhou Qiang walked into Old Man Leshui's room and said to him, "Master, I'm here." Old Man Leshui didn't hesitate and handed Zhou Qiang a round pendant. Zhou Qiang carefully examined the round pendant. The outer ring of the pendant was made of copper, and inside was a piece of jade. Inside the jade, the two naturally formed characters 'Qi Yi' could be seen, and the copper ring was inscribed with the character 'Ling'. Zhou Qiang counted seven 'Ling' characters in total. The old man Le Shui explained, "This is the sect leader's token of our Qi Yi Sect. It can not only ward off evil spirits and protect the home, but also command Taoists, Buddhists, those skilled in Gu poison, corpse driving, Tantric Buddhism, black magic, lamas, and other virtuous people. As long as the Qi Yi token is broken, virtuous people from all over the world will know that Qi Yi is in trouble and will come back to help. You must keep it safe!"

Zhou Qiang was speechless for a moment. He felt immense pressure, including his future fate, the continuation of the Qi Yi family line, and the heavy responsibility of his master. "Child, don't overthink it. You just need to keep your pure and kind heart," said Old Man Le Shui.

"Missing home?" Old Man Leshui asked when he saw Zhou Qiang remain silent. Zhou Qiang gave an embarrassed "Mmm." Old Man Leshui chuckled and said, "Then I'll give you three days off. Go home and see your parents. Staying here too long will get boring." Hearing this, Zhou Qiang jumped up happily.

After much advice from the old man and the old woman, Zhou Qiang borrowed a bicycle from the village head and rode it home.

What will happen after he gets home? Stay tuned for the next installment! ================================================================================== Chapter 20: Returning Home - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Just as Zhou Qiang was about to reach the Shandong border, he suddenly saw a large crowd of onlookers ahead. Curious, he stopped his bicycle and rushed into the crowd. Inside were people in police uniforms carrying a pile of bones down a ravine. Zhou Qiang looked around and spotted the large stone he had previously used in Hebei. He wondered if it might be Zhang Xiao's remains. At that moment, two people beside him whispered, "Yesterday, Li Laosi from Baha Village got drunk and fell into the ravine. When he woke up, he found a skull, which terrified him. He then called the police." Another said, "I just heard the police say it might be the body of a minor girl. Oh, whose child is so pitiful?" They shook their heads. Zhou Qiang tried to squeeze through the crowd, but unfortunately, the two whispering men spotted him.

"Hey, isn't this Mr. Ye, the little immortal from Yinfeng Village?" After saying that, the two walked up to Zhou Qiang. One of them grinned and said to Zhou Qiang, "Little immortal, where are you going? By the way, my wife just gave birth to a son. Could you help me name the child?" Zhou Qiang said helplessly, "Oh, forget it." He then squeezed between the two.

"Aimin? Zhang Aimin! What a nice name!" The man thought Zhou Qiang had already named his child. He turned back and thanked him. Zhou Qiang withdrew from the crowd and activated his third eye to look around.

Zhou Qiang sighed and walked over to the large rock. He found Zhang Xiao's ghost sitting on it, looking dejected. "Are those remains yours?" Zhou Qiang asked. Zhang Xiao nodded, head bowed. Seeing this, Zhou Qiang continued, "Your parents will probably find out you're dead soon. The police will definitely avenge you and execute the murderer." He then made a firing gesture with one eye, hoping to cheer Zhang Xiao up.

But Zhang Xiao gritted her teeth and said, "No, I'm going to kill her myself." She then looked at Zhou Qiang with her bloodshot eyes, pleading for his help. Zhou Qiang couldn't stand women's mournful expressions, so he turned his head away. "Are you not going to help me? You promised me," Zhang Xiao cried. Zhou Qiang had no choice but to say, "Fine, fine. I'll help you." He then took out a small bottle and pleaded with it, "Jackie Chan, I'm sorry to trouble you this time, but please let my friend's ghost squeeze into this bottle with you for now." Jackie Chan poked his head out of the bottle, looking very dissatisfied. Zhou Qiang couldn't do anything about it, after all, he had just received the ghost's relic. "I beg you, Jackie Chan!" Zhou Qiang was about to be driven mad by these two ghosts. Seeing Zhou Qiang's frantic expression, Jackie Chan reluctantly agreed.

"Zhang Xiao, come in!" Zhou Qiang said happily.

"How do we get in?" Zhang Xiao asked, looking at the small bottle. Zhou Qiang gave a strange smile, pointed the bottle at Zhang Xiao, and chanted a spell. Zhang Xiao let out a scream and turned into white smoke, floating into the bottle. Zhou Qiang glanced at the sky; it was already noon. If he didn't set off soon, he wouldn't make it home for dinner. So he hopped on his bicycle and sped off.

The two people who had been talking earlier started whispering again in the crowd. One of them gave a thumbs up and said, "Old Liu, did you see that? Mr. Ye was talking to Big Stone just now, he's a genius!" The other said, "I saw it, I saw it, he was holding a small bottle, I just saw a puff of white smoke fly into it."

Zhou Qiang didn't bring Zhang Xiao to his home. He believed that if ghosts and humans coexisted, the ghosts would unknowingly absorb the people's yang energy, while the yin energy emanating from the ghosts would harm their health. This was why some sick people consulted fortune tellers, who claimed it was a deceased relative visiting the patient and instructed them to buy paper money to send the relative "home." Zhou Qiang stopped his car in a garden not far from his home, opened a small bottle, and chanted an incantation. A wisp of white smoke drifted out.

"Where is this?" Zhang Xiao asked.

Zhou Qiang said with a sigh of relief, "Dezhou, we've already crossed the Hebei border. I'm almost home. Go and seek revenge yourself. I'll be waiting for you here at midnight the next night, and then I'll bring you back to Hebei." Zhang Xiao said thank you and disappeared. Zhou Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he was finally almost home.

Zhou Qiang habitually opened the door and happily called out, "Dad, Mom, I'm home!" He put down his package and rushed inside. Zhou Qiang's mother came out of the kitchen and, seeing Zhou Qiang, happily asked him all sorts of questions. Then she called Zhou Qiang's father, and soon after, Old Zhou also came in carrying large and small bags. Upon seeing his son, he asked about his work situation.

"Son, how's work? Look at your dirty green cotton-padded jacket, take it off quickly so I can wash it for you tonight," Zhou Qiang's mother said with concern. Zhou Qiang, like a child, pleaded, "No need, Mom, I want your shredded pork with garlic sauce." Hearing this, Zhou Qiang's mother went to the kitchen, saying as she went, "Son, I'll make it for you right away." Zhou Qiang seemed to remember something and took a wad of cash from his backpack, handing it to his mother. His mother asked, puzzled, "What's this?" Zhou Qiang smiled and said, "This is my wages, two thousand five hundred in total, please keep it." His mother nodded, thinking that her son had finally grown up. This money was given to Zhou Qiang by his mother, Le Xi Po, before he left. She said that if he didn't bring his wages home, it would arouse his parents' suspicion. Although Zhou Qiang didn't really want the money, his parents accepted it after thinking about it.

The family of three enjoyed a sumptuous dinner that evening. Old Zhou was overjoyed to see his son, and in his excitement, he drank a whole bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor). Zhou's mother, exhausted from a busy night, and the two of them went to bed.

Zhou Qiang returned to his room, looking at the familiar furnishings, and felt a deep sense of peace. He wasn't in a hurry to sleep, or rather, he couldn't sleep. This was a habit he'd developed under the strict upbringing of Old Man Le Shui. He picked up the phone and called his childhood friend.

"Hey, this is Zhou Qiang. I'm back from out of town. Did you miss me?" Zhou Qiang said with a smile.

"Zhou Qiang, you didn't even tell me you were going out of town. You should at least let me see you off." A clear voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Ugh, would I dare tell you? If I did, you'd be clinging to me and crying your eyes out, and I probably wouldn't be able to leave if I softened," Zhou Qiang joked.

"Don't talk nonsense, I haven't cried in years." After saying that, the two laughed.

"By the way, how are you doing at the technical college lately?" Zhou Qiang asked.

"Oh, don't even mention it, it's still the same. I don't even dare to go to school now."

"What's wrong? Did you see a ghost? Haha," Zhou Qiang joked.

"What, you've heard about it too?" The voice on the other end of the phone became tense.

Zhou Qiang thought to himself, "Damn it, my joke came true!" He frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Is there really a ghost? Did you see it?"

"Yes, I saw it. I remember that day I was playing cards in the school dormitory until very late. After the dormitory lights were turned off, we lit a candle and drank some alcohol. Later, we went to the toilet together, and we all saw two ghosts dressed in red with green faces. We were so scared that we ran back to the dormitory. In the end, one of my buddies couldn't make it back in and fell down. Now he's gone crazy and is receiving treatment in a mental hospital. The next morning, we talked about it, and everyone in the dormitory said they saw a ghost. We were so scared that we never went back to that dormitory." The mysterious voice on the other end of the phone recounted the story.

Zhou Qiang frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Take me to see what ghosts really look like tomorrow!"

"Ha, I thought you'd really get some skills, huh? Turns out you were such a coward! Go ahead and go yourself, I'm not going." Zhou Qiang thought to himself, "Do I really need to tell you about my Qi-based techniques?" Zhou Qiang continued, "You're not going?" The person on the other end of the phone replied firmly, "No."

"Alright, tomorrow I'll tell your two girlfriends the truth and let them see your true colors." Zhou Qiang smiled smugly. He had used this trump card on this person more than ten times before, and it had never failed him.

"Qiangzi, no, no, okay, okay, I promise you, we'll go tomorrow morning, alright?" The person on the other end of the phone was convinced.

The two chatted for a while longer before hanging up. Zhou Qiang found a sleeping pill, chewed it, and fell asleep. ======================================================================================== Chapter 22: The Dormitory Demon (Part 2) - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Left with no other option, the evil spirit resorted to its trump card—the Ghost Relic. It took a deep breath and exhaled a ball of flame that burned the male vengeful ghost, who rose up and screamed wildly. Several people nearby quickly covered their ears, except for Zhou Qiang. Without hesitation, Zhou Qiang plunged the Soul-Destroying Thorn deep into the female vengeful ghost's spine. She trembled for a moment, then went still. Next, the evil spirit spat water at the male vengeful ghost. Before he could react, the evil spirit Cheng Long had already circled behind him and bound him tightly with its tongue. Zhou Qiang picked up the Qi-Yi Diagram from Liu Baojun's hand and was about to stick it on.

Just then, a shout rang out from behind, "Stop!" Zhou Qiang turned around and saw it was none other than Zhang Xiao. Zhou Qiang scrutinized Zhang Xiao and noticed white smoke and blood blisters rising from her back. He figured it must have been from being hit by the mirror when she entered the dormitory.

"What are you...?" Zhou Qiang asked. Song Xiaohei looked at the female ghost and suddenly remembered something, saying, "She is Xiao Jian's girlfriend, Zhang Xiao!" Everyone looked at Zhang Xiao carefully for a while and nodded to each other.

Zhang Xiao suddenly shed tears of blood and said, "They are my parents." Jackie Chan, upon hearing this, withdrew his tongue. The male vengeful ghost collapsed with a thud. Zhang Xiao floated over, embracing the male and female vengeful ghosts on the ground, saying, "Dad, Mom, your daughter is unfilial." Blood tears streamed from her eyes. Turning to Zhou Qiang, she pleaded, "Please, save them, okay?" Zhou Qiang hesitated. He had finally managed to subdue them; what if they came back to life and attacked him without warning? "I beg you, save them! I'll be your slave in my next life."

Zhou Qiang sighed; there was nothing he could do, he was just terrified of women crying. He used his Soul-Destroying Dagger to draw an extra-large diagram on the ground, clearly showing the two traditional Chinese characters '还阴' (Huan Yin). Cheng Long and Zhou Qiang each placed a male and female vengeful ghost into the diagram. Then, he took two incense sticks from his bag and handed them to Zhang Xiao, saying, "Take some blood from your body and smear it on the incense." Zhang Xiao didn't hesitate and immediately bit her finger. Zhou Qiang placed the two lit incense sticks into the mouths of the male and female vengeful ghosts, and the blood on the incense slowly flowed into their mouths. Zhou Qiang stood up and explained, "You are their daughter, and their blood flows in your veins, so only you can save them." After the incense burned out, Zhou Qiang pried open the ghosts' mouths and stuffed the incense ash into their mouths. The male and female vengeful ghosts coughed twice—they woke up!

The male and female vengeful ghosts embraced Zhang Xiao, writhing in agony once more. Zhou Qiang sighed inwardly, "For you little ghosts, I actually used the forbidden technique of Yin Reversion, sacrificing five years of my lifespan." He shook his head and chuckled. After the three ghosts finished their lamentations, Zhou Qiang asked, "What exactly happened?"

Zhang Xiao wiped away her tears and said, "After we separated, I missed my parents terribly, so I went back to my hometown in the lower county. When I got home, I saw all my relatives and friends there, but there was a white silk ribbon hanging at the door. Curious, I went inside and found that my parents had hanged themselves." She then threw herself into the arms of the female ghost, weeping again. Zhou Qiang couldn't bear it any longer and impatiently shouted, "Alright, alright, are you done yet? Tell me!" Zhang Xiao seemed frightened by Zhou Qiang and remained silent. The male ghost withdrew his long tongue and honestly said, "After my daughter disappeared, my husband and I were very worried, so we went to the school to find out what happened to her. Unexpectedly, the principal shirked responsibility, saying that my children had already dropped out and he didn't know anything about it. We asked all of Zhang Xiao's friends at the school about her whereabouts, and finally someone said that Zhang Xiao was living with a man named Xiao Jian." So, following the address provided, we found his house. When Xiao Jian's mother heard we were looking for her daughter, she coaxed us out. We refused to leave, so she hired some thugs who beat my husband and me bloody. Having no other option, we went to the police station to report the crime. The police accepted the case and said they would investigate. However, two months later, when we returned to look for him, the police said they still had no leads. My husband and I were heartbroken; we couldn't bear the daily torment of tears any longer, so… The three ghosts gritted their teeth viciously. Frightened, Bucktooth and Song Xiaohei hurriedly ran behind Zhou Qiang.

The male ghost continued, "We never imagined we'd become ghosts after death. We were still very worried about our daughter's whereabouts. So we went to the police station where we reported her missing, only to find..." His eyes flashed with a fierce light, "...that we saw Xiao Jian and his mother in the police office. I saw that wretched woman hand the police chief a wad of cash—a very thick wad. Then we followed their car to their house. Xiao Jian said he wanted to stay in the dormitory, so we had no choice but to kill that wretched woman first." His eyes dimmed. The female ghost chimed in, "But that wretched woman was wearing a consecrated golden Buddha around her neck, so my husband and I couldn't bring ourselves to do it. We used all our strength to drive her insane; we were powerless to kill her. Then we went to the school and found Xiao Jian. We discovered he was also wearing a consecrated golden Buddha. We scared him senseless in the same way, and now we're waiting here for news of our daughter."

"I knew you were coming back to school, so I followed you, only to find Mr. Ye Zi." Zhang Xiao said to the male and female vengeful ghosts with tears of blood streaming down her face, then they embraced each other in anguish.

"Mr. Ye Zi? Wow, Zhou Qiang, you've become a 'Mr.' now!" Song Xiaohei teased. Zhou Qiang turned around and smiled, then turned back and said, "You can go now. If you want to live, find a good burial site; if not, go and reincarnate. Just don't harm anyone." The three vengeful ghosts looked at Zhou Qiang gratefully and said thank you.

Zhou Qiang looked at Jackie Chan and teased, "You don't have any relatives either!" Jackie Chan lowered his head and remained silent. Zhou Qiang quickly corrected himself, "I'm your brother, we're relatives!" Seeing this, Song Xiaohei boldly added, "I'd also like to be your friend." The buck-toothed man nodded repeatedly. Jackie Chan looked at them with a satisfied smile, then turned into a wisp of black smoke and floated into the small bottle. Zhou Qiang put the bottle in his pocket, packed his bags, stretched, and said to Song Xiaohei and the others, "Let's go."

"And what about him?"

"Oh, them? They'll leave once I take down the mirror by the door," Zhou Qiang explained.

"No, I meant Liu Baojun." Zhou Qiang suddenly realized that he had completely forgotten about Liu Baojun being knocked unconscious. If Baojun saw this, he would surely accuse him of being a bad brother. "You two carry him," Zhou Qiang said and walked out. Song Xiaohei and the buck-toothed man had no choice but to carry Liu Baojun downstairs. At the door, Zhou Qiang took off his mirror, looked back at the dormitory building, and sighed. Song Xiaohei bowed and scraped, asking, "Brother Qiang, can I learn Qi Yi from you?" Zhou Qiang remained silent. Song Xiaohei, still not satisfied, continued, "Or you could teach me a few moves."

"If you're willing to live a life of ruin and death, then I'll teach you." With that, Zhou Qiang walked towards the new dormitory, muttering about how tired he was. Song Xiaohei was speechless upon hearing this and could only help carry Liu Baojun with the buck-toothed man.

Three green-faced ghost heads peeked out of the fourth-floor dormitory window. Zhang Xiao asked, "Mom and Dad, let's not reincarnate. I've finally managed to be with you; let's find a place to settle down." Zhang Xiao's parents nodded, watching Zhou Qiang's retreating figure, wondering how they could repay the child who had saved their lives and their daughter's. And it was precisely because they didn't reincarnate that they later sacrificed their entire family's lives to save Zhou Qiang. But that's another story.

The next morning, Zhou Qiang was shaken awake by Liu Baojun. "Hey, did you kill the ghost last night? How did you kill it?" Liu Baojun asked with great interest. Zhou Qiang pointed to Song Xiaohei and said, "Go ask him." Liu Baojun added, "By the way, is there any hope for my buddy? The one who went crazy from being scared by the ghost." Zhou Qiang, still half asleep, nodded.

"Yeah, Xiao Jian's saved!" Liu Baojun muttered to himself. Zhou Qiang overheard him and suddenly opened his eyes, exclaiming, "Xiao Jian?" This startled Liu Baojun, who clutched his heart and said, "Can you stop being so dramatic? You're going to scare me to death! His name is Xiao Jian, and he even dated the school beauty, Zhang Xiao." He finished with an envious expression. Song Xiaohei chuckled to himself, thinking, "You little brat, you don't know what happened last night. Zhou Qiang's about to unleash his fury." Sure enough, Zhou Qiang shouted, "That kid! He's hopeless!"

This time, Zhou Qiang truly believed that Xiao Jian was the culprit who had shortened his lifespan by five years. ==================================================================================== Chapter Twenty-Three of "The Successor of Qi Yi" - The Spirit of Brother Yi - Collected and Organized by

"Mom and Dad, I'm leaving now. Please take care of yourselves."

"Son, come home and visit more often." After a chill ran through him, Zhou Qiang left home and began a new chapter on his journey, riding a borrowed bicycle.

Zhou Qiang thought to himself, "I really don't know when this life will end. Since I've chosen this path, I might as well grit my teeth and see it through to the end. The Qi Yi Sect will be relying on me alone from now on, the pressure is immense. If only I had a junior brother..." As he thought about it, the image of his junior brother appeared in his mind: towering height, strong muscles, bronze skin... He smiled.

Upon arriving at the village, Zhou Qiang didn't rush home. He first returned the bicycle and then ran back. "Master, Granny, I'm back!" Zhou Qiang excitedly pushed open the door, only to find Old Man Le Shui inside telling fortunes. Not wanting to disturb his master, Zhou Qiang ran to the kitchen to find Granny Le Shui, but couldn't find her. Helpless, he could only put down his luggage and quietly walk behind Old Man Le Shui.

"Is it Jiye who's back?" Old Man Leshui asked, feeling the man's hand as he touched it.

"Yes, Master, it's me again," Zhou Qiang replied. The man scrutinized Zhou Qiang for a moment, then asked Old Man Leshui, "Sir, is this your disciple?" Old Man Leshui smiled and nodded. Only then did Zhou Qiang examine the fortune teller. He saw a face full of scars, fierce eyes, and a dark aura. Zhou Qiang thought to himself that this man's appearance was not simple, and was secretly surprised. He then carefully observed the man's palm. After Old Man Leshui finished touching the man's palm, he frowned and turned back, saying, "May I ask where you come from, sir?"

"You're a fortune teller, so go ahead and do your calculations. Do you even need to ask me?" the man said, crossing his legs like a spoiled old man. Old Man Le Shui snorted and said, "Looking at your hands, the skin is smooth and delicate, and the slight calluses on your thumb and forefinger indicate you're a writer. The slightly smoky aura on your body also suggests you're a high-ranking official. There's a new break in your life line around age twenty-eight, so I guess you're twenty-eight this year. It seems something's troubling you. If it's really inconvenient to say, then please leave, sir." The man was secretly surprised upon hearing this, immediately changing his smug crossed legs to a proper sitting position, staring wide-eyed, unsure what to say.

Zhou Qiang interjected, "Just say what my master tells you to say. Are you testing my master? I know you're from Beijing! Don't try to test us with such low-level questions." Old Man Le Shui chuckled after hearing this. The man was even more surprised and couldn't help but ask curiously, "How did you know I'm from Beijing, young master?" Zhou Qiang had no way to deal with him, so he said disdainfully, "You smell like chicken hearts. Chicken hearts are the capital of the country, so of course it's Beijing." The man was still not satisfied and asked, "What kind of chicken heart smells like?" Zhou Qiang was helpless and said nothing.

Old Man Le Shui once told Zhou Qiang that the layout of the map of China resembles a rooster in the I Ching, with Beijing positioned at the rooster's heart and Shanghai at its feet. Since chickens feed on their feet, Shanghai was an important location for overseas trade. As for the rooster's tail, the rooster's feathers stand tall and upright, just like the high altitude of Tibet. Zhou Qiang was too lazy to explain such things to outsiders.