The grand mansion stood imposing, with vigilant guards stationed at the entrance.

Above the gate hung a plaque engraved with two characters: Huang Mansion.

Han was escorted by four burly men into the estate, where Huang Shiren awaited him.

“Brother Zhou, we meet again,” Huang greeted with a sly grin.

Huang’s square face was accentuated by a thin mustache. Unlike the common long-haired style of this era, his hair was cropped short and sparsely spread. He wore a long robe, an air of arrogance about him.

“I heard some troubling rumors lately—ghosts haunting your place, no? You’re unharmed, I trust? Word has it you’ve also joined the Taibai Martial Hall to learn martial arts?”

“A spirited choice at the age of twenty-two. I admire your determination.”

“Thanks to you, Master Huang, I’ve been doing quite well,” Han replied, studying Huang Shiren. The man’s appearance alone screamed treachery.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Huang said, sipping tea from an ornate cup. After a pause, he set the cup down and fixed his gaze on Han.

“Brother Zhou, you surely know why I’ve invited you here today.”

“I’ve had my eye on that property of yours for some time now. Have you come to your senses over these past few days?”

“If not, I’d be happy to… help you reconsider. After all, a haunted house is no small matter. Who knows? The disturbances could escalate.”

The thinly veiled threat only fueled Han’s anger. It confirmed his suspicion that Huang Shiren was behind the ghostly attacks.

Even though Han had dealt with one of the apparitions, it was clear that Huang had more tricks up his sleeve. The ghost that attacked him must have been a minor spirit, nothing formidable.

Huang noticed Han’s silence and furrowed his brows. “Brother Zhou, a house is only worth keeping if you’re alive to enjoy it. Yours is beyond your grasp.”

“I’m now a disciple of the Taibai Martial Hall,” Han stated firmly.

Huang chuckled. “A disciple of the Taibai Martial Hall? This town is crawling with those.”

“Who will care if you skip training tomorrow? When your body is found in a few days, the authorities might investigate… but it won’t bring you back.”

“Brother Zhou, be smart. Do you really think you can rely on martial arts to challenge me? Even if I gave you four months, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“You lack connections, power, and influence. You’re…”

Before Huang could finish, a commotion erupted outside.

A disheveled woman, her clothes tattered and her face streaked with tears, rushed into the room. She threw herself at Huang’s feet, clutching his leg desperately.

“Master Huang, please! Let me go home! My father passed away, and my mother is all alone. I need to take care of her. I beg you!”

The woman’s frantic tugging caused a few drops of tea to spill from Huang’s cup.

Moments later, several panicked servants appeared at the doorway, bowing repeatedly. They confessed their failure to restrain the woman and pleaded for forgiveness.

Huang waved dismissively. “It’s fine. Leave us. Zhang and the others, you may go as well. Close the door behind you.”

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The burly men who had brought Han departed, leaving only Han, Huang Shiren, and the woman in the room.

“Stand up and speak,” Huang said, pulling the woman to her feet.

“You’ve been here for five days, haven’t you?”

“Yes, Master Huang. Please, have mercy and let me go home!” she sobbed, her eyes swollen from crying.

Han couldn’t hold back any longer. “I didn’t expect Master Huang to stoop to abducting women. Truly despicable.”

Huang ignored Han’s jab, addressing the woman instead.

“You said you need to take care of your mother… Ah, yes, she lives in a small village east of town, doesn’t she?”

“I have some good news for you.”

Huang’s face twisted into a smile, revealing yellowed teeth.

“You don’t have to worry about her anymore. The day I brought you here… I arranged for her departure as well.”

“It’s been several days now. By this time, I’d imagine her body’s been picked clean by stray dogs. What a pity.”

“Of course, if you head to the afterlife now, you might just reunite with her.”

The woman let out a piercing scream before falling silent, her face blank and devoid of emotion.

Han clenched his fists and quickly stepped forward, pulling the woman behind him. He shielded her with his body, ready to defend her from any harm.

“You’re worse than a beast, Huang! You vile scum!” Han shouted, his fury boiling over.

The ghost he had encountered the night before seemed far less sinister than the man standing before him now.

“I had planned to toy with you a bit longer,” Huang said, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “Make you agree to hand over the property first… then kill you.”

“Young people—always so hot-headed.”

Huang’s demeanor shifted as he retrieved a tattered flag from beneath the table. With a wave of his hand, he muttered an incantation under his breath.

“Whoosh!”

A gust of eerie wind swept through the room, and two ghostly figures materialized. Their wailing cries pierced the air.

“You cost me one ghost servant. You won’t die easily for that.”

Han’s eyes locked onto the tattered flag in Huang’s hand. Could this be some kind of enchanted artifact?

The two ghostly servants summoned by Huang Shiren howled as they lunged at Han, their eerie presence clawing at his very soul.

Yet, within Han’s mind, the vibrant liquid in his sea of consciousness emitted a faint glow, effortlessly dispelling the attack. The ghostly assault dissipated into nothingness, leaving Han entirely unaffected.

Even their power of illusion, meant to ensnare him in a web of deception, was seen through with ease. Han remained clear-headed, his mind unshaken.

Still, Han could tell that these two spirits were far stronger than the one he had faced the previous night.

“Impressive resolve,” Huang Shiren remarked, his tone dripping with disdain. “No wonder you managed to survive six days under my ghost servants’ torment.”

Sitting back in his chair, Huang sneered. “Last night, you got lucky. Someone intervened and saved you. But tonight, who will save you now?”

Huang’s mind wandered back to the events of the previous night. Upon discovering that one of his ghost servants had been destroyed, he immediately sent his men to investigate.

The report they brought back mentioned nothing unusual—except for the sighting of an old man and a young boy leaving Han’s home.

After piecing together information about the duo throughout the day, Huang felt confident in his conclusion: an external force had protected Han.

This time, Huang was determined to eliminate Han quickly, avoiding unnecessary complications. Originally, he hadn’t planned to kill Han in his own home. But Han had witnessed things he shouldn’t have, forcing Huang to act decisively.

Han, however, ignored Huang’s taunts, his focus entirely on the two ghostly figures before him.

Earlier that day, his master had offered him some crucial advice:

“When facing spirits, stay calm. A martial artist’s vitality, brimming with yang energy, is a natural counter to such dark, sinister forces. In the early stages of your training, you’ll have the upper hand—provided the spirit isn’t too powerful.”

“Bam!”

Han’s fist connected with one of the ghosts, the impact resounding through the room. A shrill scream escaped the spirit as a wisp of black smoke curled from its form.

Without pausing, Han pressed the attack, his movements relentless. Alone against two ghosts, he fought with unyielding ferocity.

In martial arts, there are two aspects: the method of practice and the method of combat. While the former focuses on improving one’s cultivation, many training techniques also contain combat-ready moves.

The Ox Form Training Method was no exception. Though primarily a cultivation practice, its techniques could be adapted for battle.

Han, newly advanced to the Skin and Flesh stage, possessed exceptional talent. His skill far exceeded others at his level. Even techniques he had only seen once could be put to formidable use.

Each punch and kick radiated the yang energy of his blood and vitality, clashing with the ghostly aura of death and decay.

The two ghost servants, despite their malevolence, couldn’t overpower him.

The scene unfolding before Huang Shiren defied his expectations. Rising abruptly from his seat, he stared at Han in utter disbelief.

“A martial artist?!” Huang exclaimed.

“Training for a single day… and already a martial artist? That’s impossible!”