Wang Dong started to chicken out again.

"Let's go to Qiansihu Lake. I need to set up the scene," I said without beating around the bush.

"Should we inform Mr. Lv? There are residents around Qiansihu Lake," Wang Dong asked nervously.

"Inform him. Tell everyone not to go to the pavilion in the lake tonight," I ordered sternly.

Wang Dong immediately made the call.

We then headed to Qiansihu Lake. Since it was still daytime, there were quite a few people in the neighborhood.

I wasn't in a hurry, so we first went to the pavilion in the southwest, which was the Kun Palace, also known as the Death Gate in Qi Men Dun Jia. It was disguised as the Ghost Gate now.

There was no sign of ghosts. Even though it was broad daylight, it felt chilly inside. I guessed the residents didn't like coming here either.

Wang Dong rubbed his arms and said, "Damn, I'm getting goosebumps. It feels like we're at the gates of hell."

I told him that this was indeed the Ghost Gate, and we would summon Tang Xi here tonight.

Wang Dong's face immediately fell, and he looked like he wanted to run away.

But before he could make a move, a tall and slender woman appeared.

She walked with such poise and elegance, exuding an aura that was even more commanding than a model's.

Wang Dong's feet seemed glued to the ground as he stared at her, swallowing hard. As she approached, he stretched out his hands and greeted her, "Miss Lv, what brings you here?"

It was Lv Qianli. She had recovered and looked as charming as ever, without a trace of seductiveness in her eyes.

"My father asked me to come. What are you planning to do here?" Lv Qianli asked in a clear and authoritative voice, reminiscent of a female general.

"Summoning an evil spirit," I replied briefly before starting to set up the scene.

Lv Qianli looked at me in surprise and then smiled generously, "Master Li, thank you. If it weren't for you..."

She trailed off, seeming a bit embarrassed as a young unmarried woman.

"You're welcome. It's what I should do," I said. "Wang Dong, why don't you tell Miss Lv about your heroic deeds?"

"No need, no need. I'll have the security guards block off the area so you can perform your ritual undisturbed," Lv Qianli said with a smile before leaving.

Wang Dong stared after her graceful figure and mused, "How much sorrow can one have? Just like the endless flow of the spring river eastward."

"Enough with the poetry. Help me with this," I said, nudging him. Wang Dong scratched his butt and started assisting me.

Half an hour later, everything was set up.

There was an altar, an incense burner, and a bundle of joss sticks, all facing the direction of the Shengmen, or the Life Gate. This was called "arranging the altar and burning incense."

On both sides of the altar, there were two small bronze statues of Vajrapanis, each only about the size of two palms. This was known as "the Vajrapanis subduing the ghosts."

On the altar, there were yellow paper, cinnabar, a brush, and a Sanqing bell. The Sanqing bell was a Taoist instrument that couldn't be used to summon spirits, but I could draw a talisman to make it do so.

"Li Ge, it's all set up. Can I go now?" Wang Dong peeked around nervously.

I waved my hand and said, "Wait outside the pavilion."

"Alright!" Wang Dong scurried off faster than a rabbit being chased by a dog.

I sat down, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I focused on circulating the Tai Qing Qi within my body and familiarizing myself with the Yu Lei Jue.

As I meditated, the sky began to darken.

By 11 o'clock, I looked up at the Sirius and felt a little reassured.

The brightness of Sirius gave me courage.

I glanced back at the lake and noticed that not only Wang Dong but also Lv Qianli was there, staring at me intently.

I didn't dwell on it and began drawing talismans.

First, I drew a Summoning Talisman and stuck it on the Sanqing bell, nourishing it with Tai Qing Qi.

Then I drew a Soul-Protecting Talisman, burned it into ash, and drank it to prevent Tang Xi from capturing my soul.

Finally, I took out the pocket watch and placed it on the altar without touching it.

As time ticked by, I grew increasingly nervous. Dealing with the Wan Ling Xie was no joke. If I wasn't careful, I could end up dead without a proper burial.

Finally, it was twelve o'clock.

As soon as midnight arrived and the Ghost Gate opened, a chill ran through my body. I quickly lowered my head, closed my eyes, and shook the soul-summoning bell. At the same time, one hand rested on the pocket watch as I chanted the incantation.

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"Ancestral token, Vajra arrayed on both sides, summoning souls from afar, return to your true nature, come!"

I repeated this incantation a total of nine times. Suddenly, the soul-summoning bell fell silent, no matter how hard I shook it.

I opened my eyes and shuddered as I saw a hand gripping the bell.

It was a slender, elegant hand, as white as jade, but constantly dripping with water.

Following the hand upwards, I saw an arm, neck, long hair, and a wet cheongsam.

My hands and feet felt numb as I struggled to assume the appearance of a fierce-eyed Vajra and stared into the eyes of the woman in the cheongsam. However, she lowered her head to look at the pocket watch, her face obscured by her wet hair, making it impossible to see clearly.

With my fingertips ready to cast a thunder spell, I prepared to strike her if she lunged at me.

However, she remained motionless for a long time, seemingly without malice.

Steadying my nerves, I asked, "Tang Xi, why are you haunting me?"

She did not reply but reached out a hand to grab the brush and write on the yellow paper.

I was horrified. Yellow paper was a tool for exorcising evil spirits, so how could this evil spirit, Tang Xi, possibly write on it? This Tang Xi was terrifying to the extreme.

Barely daring to breathe, I knew that the Celestial Wolf Star and Vajra statue would be useless. If Tang Xi wanted to harm me, she could do so easily.

I concentrated on the words she was writing. She wrote in traditional Chinese characters using vernacular language. Her handwriting was elegant, with strokes as delicate as willows, indicating that she was a woman of the upper class in the Republic of China who had received a good education.

I recognized her story through her writing.

Tang Xi studied medicine. In those turbulent times, her aspirations were completely different from those of her sister. In 1946, she led a team of doctors away from the Tang family, traveling to the southwest and Sichuan to practice medicine. She had the romantic idea of a young girl saving the world.

Unfortunately, reality was cruel. The dozens of doctors she brought with her either ran away or were killed by bandits. In the end, only she was left wandering alone in the southwest, eventually entering Huangni Valley and being cursed by the Mass Grave.

This was the price paid by a naive and kind-hearted girl for her actions.

I looked up at her but still couldn't see her face clearly. I could only sense the overwhelming evil aura emanating from her, indicating that she could erupt into violence at any moment.

This was called the fierce ghost appearance. No matter how kind her heart was, as a powerful evil spirit with countless grievances upon her, she could still easily kill me.

I didn't relax my thunder spell and stared at her intently.

She finally wrote another line: "I don't know when I will be able to return home. I give you this pocket watch. I hope you can save me."

I frowned and said sternly, "I can't save you. Whether it's the Mass Grave or the Eight Gates of the Ghost, I'm helpless."

Tang Xi remained silent, staring at me intently.

As our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat because her eyes began to turn red, and the evil aura of the fierce ghost appearance was growing stronger!

She had a favor to ask of me, so she definitely wouldn't kill me. However, being possessed by countless vengeful spirits and nourished by the Eight Gates of the Ghost, her fierce ghost appearance was her true self, and she wouldn't stay lucid for long.

I moved my fingertips and slowly backed away.

Before I could take two steps, Tang Xi suddenly let out a sharp cry and lunged at me. Her fierce ghost appearance had completely taken over!

I couldn't dodge her, and as she collided with me, a chill penetrated my body, making my head feel dizzy, and my soul seemed to be shaking.

Soul-stealing by a fierce ghost!

Fortunately, I had drunk the Soul-Protecting Talisman beforehand. Otherwise, I would have become a vegetable after that collision!

"Tang Xi!" I shouted loudly, and my Tai Qing Qi surged upwards, filling my eyes with golden light, like the eyes of a bronze bell.

Tang Xi's body stiffened for a moment, as if she had regained some lucidity.

I slapped my palm forwards, and tiny bolts of lightning appeared on my fingertips. I used the Thunder Spell to strike Tang Xi.

However, she didn't react at all and just stared at me intently again.

I quickly grabbed the pocket watch and shouted at her, "Tang Xi, return quickly!"

Old objects could evoke emotions, and Tang Xi's eyes flickered. Then, she began to back away, seemingly afraid of killing me.

As she backed away, her figure became more and more blurred, eventually splitting into two shadows. One shadow disappeared into the pocket watch, while the other disappeared into the lake.

I felt a little confused and opened the pocket watch, but instantly felt like I had been plunged into ice-cold water. My throat felt sweet, and I was knocked backwards by the evil aura, hitting a pillar hard and vomiting blood.

"Brother Li!" Wang Dong called out from a distance, hesitating whether to come over.

Lv Qianli, on the other hand, drew out a fruit knife and cautiously approached the pavilion. Seeing this, Wang Dong bit his teeth and rushed over, saying, "Brother Li, what's wrong with you?"

I was too dazed to feel the pocket watch anymore, and in my confusion, I shouted hoarsely, "Don't touch the pocket watch!"

"The pocket watch is under your feet. It's open. What should I do?" Lv Qianli asked as she carefully approached.

With great difficulty, I managed to stop vomiting blood. I lay on the ground and felt around until I touched the pocket watch. However, as soon as my hand touched it, my palm was frozen stiff by the evil aura, and I couldn't move it.

Gathering the last of my strength, I focused all my Tai Qing Qi in my palm and managed to close the pocket watch with a forceful grip!

"Brother Li, what's the situation?" Wang Dong asked as he ran over, looking frightened.

I managed a bitter smile as I tightly held the pocket watch and said, "Tang Xi overestimated me. She injected some evil aura into the pocket watch as a gift for me, almost killing me."

Tang Xi knew that I could refine evil aura. She had even observed me in my rented room, so she separated some of her evil aura to aid me in my cultivation. From now on, as long as I carried the pocket watch, my cultivation would progress rapidly, like having a daily supply of tonic medicine.

"Did Tang Xi come out? Where is she?" Wang Dong looked around nervously.

He obviously couldn't see Tang Xi.

I felt too weak to speak anymore, so I hung the pocket watch around my neck and passed out.

When I woke up, I was greeted by the fragrant scent of flowers. I found myself lying in an elegant boudoir on a soft, feminine bed.

I felt a little confused, but the pain in my chest reminded me of what had happened.

Tang Xi, the extremely powerful evil spirit, was truly terrifying. I couldn't imagine how frightening she would be two years later when she left Qiansi Lake.

I couldn't help but feel relieved that I had gone to Huangni Valley beforehand and appeased the Mass Grave. The few tons of water had soothed the countless ghosts, otherwise, their malice would have empowered Tang Xi even further. If that had happened, she would have killed me as soon as we met, without even giving me a chance to speak.

Touching the cold pocket watch around my neck, I heaved a sigh of relief. Although I didn't dare to open it, I could feel the evil aura inside slowly seeping into my body as I circulated my Tai Qing Qi.

This was incredible. It was like eating a tonic medicine every day for my cultivation!

In two years, I might be able to defeat the person who set up the Eight Gates of the Ghost and rescue Tang Xi.

Just as I was thinking this, the door opened, and a tall woman walked in, carrying a bowl of medicinal soup.

When I saw her, I realized it was Lv Qianli.

"Master Li, you're awake," Lv Qianli smiled at me.

"Why am I here?" I asked, puzzled.

"You are a distinguished guest of our Lv family, so naturally I have to take good care of you. Besides, I have a favor to ask you." Lv Qianli tied up her hair and smiled, breathtakingly beautiful.