The paint on the exterior walls had completely peeled off, and the ground was overgrown with weeds. Under the moonlight, the place exuded an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.
Looking at the dilapidated surroundings, Xu Ruizhi frowned. Although he wasn't a feng shui master, the cultivation section of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon contained many records on the subject, so he had some knowledge of feng shui.
The abandoned building was located in a remote area. The surrounding houses had long been demolished, leaving only this unfinished structure. Judging by its current state, it was clear that the feng shui was poor, even carrying some ominous signs.
And... there were definitely unclean things inside!
At this thought, Xu Ruizhi became much more alert.
Just then, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon in his mind seemed to sense his vigilance. The pages began turning faster, and a flood of information poured into his consciousness.
Words like Mystical Prohibitions and Blessings and Observing Feng Shui continuously surged into Xu Ruizhi's mind, making him gasp in surprise.
Xu Ruizhi never expected the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon to contain such knowledge. According to the information it conveyed, this world was far more complex and dangerous than he had ever imagined.
"What's wrong, Big Brother?" Fang Hanmeng asked curiously, noticing Xu Ruizhi had stopped and was standing motionless in a daze. She tugged lightly at his sleeve.
"Uh—it's nothing. Let's go in," Xu Ruizhi snapped back to reality, shaking his head as he stepped toward the abandoned building.
Since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. If trouble came, he would face it head-on. Xu Ruizhi wasn't afraid—after all, he was already a cultivator with plenty of life-saving techniques. Even if he encountered something unclean, he could handle it, though it might take some time. As the saying goes, skill breeds confidence, and Xu Ruizhi was brimming with it.
When Fang Hanmeng followed Xu Ruizhi to the entrance, he noticed the chain on the door lock was rusted and looked ancient. Not only that, he could faintly smell a musty, decaying odor.
Fang Hanmeng stopped in her tracks, lowering her grime-covered face. There was a stone on the ground. She took a step forward, crouched down, and reached out to touch it.
She retrieved the key, walked to the door, inserted it into the lock, and gently twisted it a few times. With a soft click, the door swung open.
"Come in quickly," Fang Hanmeng urged Xu Ruizhi as soon as the door opened, then closed it behind them.
The room was dimly lit, the faint glow casting shadows on Fang Hanmeng's small, dirty face, making her appear even more pitiful.
Xu Ruizhi looked at her curiously and asked, "Who pays your electricity bill?"
"I don't know. Ever since Grandma passed away, no one has paid it," Fang Hanmeng replied, shaking her head.
Stealing electricity!
The words flashed through Xu Ruizhi's mind. Of course—in such a remote place, with Fang Hanmeng's limited mental capacity, what other option could there be?
Once he understood, Xu Ruizhi stopped dwelling on it and turned his attention to the room. The layout was simple, with sparse furniture arranged somewhat haphazardly.
It wasn't quite what he had expected. He had imagined the room would be a mess—piles of garbage, foul odors—but that wasn't the case at all.
Given Fang Hanmeng's mental age of around five or six, some disorder would have been understandable. Yet, surprisingly, the room was relatively tidy. It wasn't perfectly organized, but overall, it was clean and well-kept. It was clear she dusted the room every few days—not a speck of dust could be found.
Xu Ruizhi breathed a sigh of relief. At least Fang Hanmeng wasn't completely unhinged.
"Big brother, sit," Fang Hanmeng said, pointing to the sofa.
"Mm," Xu Ruizhi replied, taking a seat. As soon as he sat down, a chill crept up his spine, as if unseen eyes were watching him.
"Big brother, wait here for a moment. I'll make the bed for you!" Fang Hanmeng turned and entered the storage room on the left, emerging moments later with a fresh set of bedding before disappearing into the bedroom on the right.
Once she was gone, Xu Ruizhi began surveying the room. The living room decor was antiquated—the TV stand, wooden tables, and chairs were rusted, and cobwebs clung to the walls above.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on a black-and-white photograph hanging on the wall. It depicted an elderly woman with a bright, kind smile that seemed to draw people in.
But as Xu Ruizhi looked at the photo, his heart tightened. The old woman in the picture appeared to be staring intently at him.
A cold shiver ran down his spine, and goosebumps prickled his skin. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Quickly, Xu Ruizhi channeled the little spiritual energy he had recovered into his hands, forming a hand seal. He silently recited the incantations of the Profound Prohibition Blessing, uttering a series of obscure and cryptic chants—the foundational spells of the art.
As the incantation flowed, Xu Ruizhi softly commanded, "Open the Heavenly Eye!"
Whoosh!
With the chant, Xu Ruizhi's eyelids lifted slightly, his pupils emitting a faint golden light that swept across the entire room in an instant.
As Xu Ruizhi's gaze returned to the old photograph, the elderly woman in the picture, who had been staring intently at him, slowly drifted down to the ground.
Holy shit! There really is a ghost!
Seeing the old woman floating in mid-air, Xu Ruizhi nearly leaped off the sofa. However, he suppressed the panic in his heart, took a deep breath, and once again recited the incantation of the Xuan Ke Jin Zhu.
"Done." After finishing the chant, Xu Ruizhi let out a sigh of relief and looked at the old woman floating in the air, saying:
"You are Xiao Meng's grandmother, right?"
Upon hearing Xu Ruizhi's question, the old woman slowly opened her eyes—revealing no pupils—and her lips moved slightly:
"Yes, who are you?"
"Don't worry, I mean no harm to your granddaughter. My name is Xu Ruizhi. I happened to meet her today and saw her rummaging through the trash for food, starving. So, I took her to eat barbecue. Sigh, seeing the way she ate the barbecue, my heart ached terribly."
Xu Ruizhi spoke politely, sighing after he finished.
"Thank you." The old woman's voice was stiff, devoid of any emotion.
"Don't thank me yet. For the past year, you haven't reincarnated and have been protecting your granddaughter here. Do you know what will ultimately happen if you continue like this?" Xu Ruizhi asked.
"A wandering ghost, forever unable to reincarnate," the old woman replied.
"Sigh, I know you're doing this to protect your granddaughter, but this method is only a temporary fix. You know your granddaughter's condition—her intelligence is that of a young child. Without someone to protect her, something will happen sooner or later."
Xu Ruizhi said.
"What should I do?" The old woman's tone remained lifeless, but Xu Ruizhi could clearly sense her anxiety.
"Do you trust me?" Xu Ruizhi countered.
"..." The old woman fell silent.
"If you trust me, then please leave and reincarnate. I have a way to restore your granddaughter's intelligence to normal," Xu Ruizhi said.
"Are you serious?" the old woman quickly pressed.
"Absolutely true," Xu Ruizhi nodded.
"How can I trust you?" the old woman continued to ask.
"Whether you believe me or not, aside from choosing to trust me, you have no other options. However... to ease your mind and allow you to reincarnate peacefully, I'm willing to show you a secret about myself," Xu Ruizhi said.
"Oh?" The old woman's voice carried a hint of curiosity, as if she were eager to see.
Xu Ruizhi stood up, formed a hand seal, and chanted an incantation. Instantly, a yellowed ancient book flew out from between his eyebrows.
Xu Ruizhi extended his right index finger and gently traced it over the ancient book. Immediately, the book began to glow with a golden light, and at the same time, an immense aura of majesty spread out.
Seeing this, the old woman couldn't help but tremble in shock and awe.
"This is the Huangdi Neijing. You should recognize it, right? This is the true version passed down by the Yellow Emperor, not the incomplete herbal medicine chapters of the Huangdi Neijing that are circulated outside," Xu Ruizhi explained.
"The Huangdi Neijing..." the old woman murmured, repeating the name.
"This contains a treatment plan for intellectual disability. If you choose to trust me, I will do everything in my power to help Xiao Meng return to normal. Of course, if you don't believe me, you can refuse. But in that case, your granddaughter may remain intellectually disabled forever, perhaps even living in a daze. By then, she might die, and you would become a wandering ghost, never to find peace."
Xu Ruizhi spoke slowly while using his mind to keep the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon suspended before him.
...
The old woman's expression remained unchanged, but she fell into thought.
Xu Ruizhi did not rush her, patiently waiting. He knew she needed time to consider.
After about two minutes, the old woman raised her head and looked toward Xu Ruizhi with her eyeless sockets, saying:
"Why are you helping us?"
"Because of your granddaughter!" Xu Ruizhi replied without hesitation.
"When I saw her, I was moved by her pure and flawless gaze—that kind of innocence, that clarity. I think no one could refuse such a pure look, could they?"
Xu Ruizhi's words brought a warm smile to the old woman's deathly pale face, as if she had fallen into a memory. After a long while, she finally said, "I agree, but I hope you will keep your promise and restore my granddaughter to normal."
"I will. I won't just cure your granddaughter—I will give her a new life."
Xu Ruizhi nodded firmly.
The old woman gave a slight nod, then turned and drifted toward Fang Hanmeng's direction.
Xu Ruizhi followed, watching the old woman drift away. His expression shifted uncertainly before he finally let out a long sigh.
The old woman floated to the bedroom door, watching as Fang Hanmeng was spreading bedsheets for Xu Ruizhi. Softly, as if about to melt away, she said, "My dear, Grandma is leaving. I won't be able to protect you anymore. You must take care of yourself. Remember to eat and sleep on time, and don't cry in secret all the time. Be happy, understand? You've faced many hardships since childhood. In this life, I don't ask for you to be wealthy or noble—I only wish for you to be safe and sound."
Watching the old woman drift away, Xu Ruizhi suddenly felt a surge of emotion. Her persistence and determination were admirable, yet pitiable.
Suddenly, the old woman turned her head to look at Xu Ruizhi, as if staring intently at him, her tone both a warning and a plea: "This is the first time Xiao Meng has brought a stranger home. She seems to have grown attached to you. Don't hurt her, or else..." "Don't worry, I will take good care of her."
Xu Ruizhi said resolutely.
Hearing this, the old woman nodded, then smiled as she looked at Fang Hanmeng. Her body gradually faded until she finally disappeared inside the bedroom.
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