Ch 327: if Line （9）

The alley was quiet, without a trace of living people. The further in you went, the darker it became. It seemed as if all kinds of ghosts and monsters would rush out of the indiscernible darkness at any moment.

After tripping over something on the road for what felt like the hundredth time, Huo Yunjing clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned on the flashlight on his phone to illuminate the path beneath his feet.

But unexpectedly, the road beneath his feet was actually very smooth. What exactly had tripped him before?

Huo Yunjing’s eyes darkened.

Gu Qingyin chuckled, “Don’t mind it, just a harmless prank.”

Huo Yunjing frowned, shining the light on his shoes. The reflective patent leather shoes now had several obvious stains, looking like fingerprints of different sizes from different people.

Gu Qingyin saw it too, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “They like you very much.”

Huo Yunjing’s lips twitched. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“We’re here.” Qi Anhui, who was leading the way, spoke in a particularly soft voice, as if afraid of disturbing something. “It’s right here.”

Gu Qingyin looked up to assess the building. It was a five-story building that looked like it was built by the owner. The exterior walls were bare concrete, without a single tile, giving it a somewhat old feel.

The door was a hollow anti-theft door, and through the gaps, one could only see a pitch-black darkness, which even Yin-Yang Eyes couldn’t penetrate.

Gu Qingyin curled her lips. Interesting.

Huo Yunjing was also assessing the building, finally concluding, “Does anyone really live in this kind of dilapidated building?”

“Yes!” Qi Anhui was afraid he wouldn’t believe her. “Every time I come to find the master, it’s here. This is called ‘great seclusion in the city.'”

Huo Yunjing scoffed. Although he didn’t say a word, his disdain was evident.

Just then, the building door creaked open automatically.

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go. They’ve already invited us in.”

Qi Anhui looked at the pitch-black stairwell and hesitated to step forward. “I… I’m a little afraid of the dark. How about you lead the way, Sister-in-law?”

Gu Qingyin smiled. “That wouldn’t be appropriate. After all, this is my first time here, and I don’t know the situation in the building. It’s better for you, a familiar face, to lead the way. Being afraid of the dark is easy to solve. Just turn on the flashlight.”

Qi Anhui had no choice but to turn on the flashlight and lead the way inside.

What was unexpected after entering was an ancestral hall, enshrining statues of the Three Pure Ones. But there were no lights or incense around the statues, and two strings of dust hung on the ancestral shrine…

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but shake her head. They didn’t even bother with the superficial stuff. It would be strange if they could cultivate well.

“The master is on the fifth floor.” Qi Anhui passed through the ancestral hall and went around to the stairs in the back. “The stairs here are a bit steep. Be careful.”

Huo Yunjing held Gu Qingyin’s hand and carefully went up the stairs.

When Qi Anhui turned her head, she saw their hands tightly clasped together. Her face, hidden in the darkness, twisted with jealousy. She turned her head away resentfully, striding up the stairs, completely forgetting her fear.

Unexpectedly, in the moment of turning, Qi Anhui bumped into an icy cold embrace.

Her pupils contracted, and her breathing stopped. When she wanted to gasp and scream, she found that she couldn’t make a sound at all. Even moving a little became a luxury.

“Shh!” An icy breath sprayed on her ear. “Don’t make noise, or you’ll be discovered.”

Qi Anhui’s eyes rolled back, and she completely fainted.

A triumphant “hee hee” sound came from the darkness.

Gu Qingyin seemed to sense something and looked up at the floor above. “Where’s Qi Anhui?”

Only then did Huo Yunjing realize that the person leading the way was gone. He didn’t care at all. “She probably ran away. She probably doesn’t have good intentions, and there must be ulterior motives for bringing us here.”

“Your intuition is pretty accurate.” Gu Qingyin laughed and took out a long sword from her satchel. “Take this. If you feel something’s wrong, just chop. Ordinary ghosts will lose a layer of skin if you touch them, half of their cultivation if you chop them once, and they will definitely be annihilated if you chop them a few more times.”

Huo Yunjing had never been exposed to cold weapons, but when he held the sword hilt in his palm, a sense of familiarity arose in his heart. He even unconsciously twirled a beautiful sword flourish.

He didn’t notice it himself, but Gu Qingyin saw it clearly. She couldn’t help but laugh. Some habits are engraved in the soul and cannot be changed even after reincarnation.

The two stayed on the second floor for a while, mainly to look at the layout. This building was very small. Coming up from the stairs, there was a corridor. From beginning to end, there were only two doors, neither of which was locked. Opening them revealed empty rooms, without any furniture.

The third and fourth floors were the same. The entire building didn’t look like anyone lived there.

“Too clean.” Gu Qingyin said, “Before coming in, I felt that the ghost energy in the building was very heavy, but after coming in, I didn’t see a single ghost.”

“Hiding?” Huo Yunjing looked at the stairwell. “Only the fifth floor is left that we haven’t seen.”

Gu Qingyin nodded. “The ghosts in this building are likely to have been refined into ghost messengers by that master. Do you… want to open your Yin-Yang Eyes?”

Huo Yunjing raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Didn’t you say that my physical condition isn’t suitable for contacting these things? The burden of Yin-Yang Eyes on my body is even greater.” He had curiously asked about this before, but Gu Qingyin had sternly refused. He still remembered the regret at that time.

Gu Qingyin touched her nose. She wasn’t familiar with Huo Yunjing at that time, so of course she didn’t want to bother. Now it’s different, this is her husband! She coughed lightly. “Special circumstances call for special treatment.”

Huo Yunjing seemed to be persuaded. “Okay, you open them.”

“Close your eyes.” Gu Qingyin raised her hand and wiped it over his eyes. “Done.”

“So fast.” Huo Yunjing opened his eyes and curiously looked around. “It doesn’t seem like there’s anything…” His voice stopped abruptly when he looked at the stairwell. “Has that black mist always been there?”

“That’s evil energy mixed with ghost energy and Yin energy. Ordinary people’s eyes naturally can’t see it.” Gu Qingyin comforted him, “Don’t worry, you’re wearing an amulet, evil energy can’t get close to you.” She took Huo Yunjing’s hand proactively. “Let’s go up and see the master’s true face.”

Upstairs, the master was anxiously waiting. “Why haven’t they come up yet? There’s nothing below, what are they doing?”

A ghost messenger thoughtfully went to the stairwell to peek for a while and reported back, “They’re chatting downstairs!”

“Chatting?” The master was stunned for a moment, then became exasperated. “Chatting in this ghostly place? Are they sick! Are they here on a date?!”

At this time, another ghost messenger rushed up. “That woman opened Yin-Yang Eyes for the man! The man is also carrying a very fierce magical artifact in his hand, it looks scary to ghosts!”

The master frowned, suddenly feeling that things weren’t so simple. Opening Yin-Yang Eyes for an ordinary person, without a ritual or materials, just opening them casually, is this something an ordinary Taoist Master can do? Anyway, he himself couldn’t do it.

The master’s gaze fell on the unconscious Qi Anhui, and a bucket of cold water was splashed over.

Qi Anhui shuddered and opened her eyes in a daze.

Happy New Year’s Eve! Wishing everyone all the best in the new year, good health, and smooth work!

（End of this chapter）