A shiver ran down Yang Yue's spine as she whispered under her breath, "Something is definitely lingering here."
Yang Yue accompanied the young boy and waited outside while Li and Zheng decided to head inside the house.
The door was only a few steps away when a harsh laugh transformed into a distorted voice—the words overlapped, altered, and became unclear.
"G-GO AWAY!! THIS IS MY MONEY!!!"
For a brief moment, Zheng paused, listening to the voice. He did not flinch, but Li hesitated to enter.
"We-we should call an exorcist," Li stammered nervously.
Zheng slowly pushed the door open.
Inside, the room was dark, and the air was thick, heavy with tension. The only visible thing was a crimson-red qi circling the room like a living entity. The moment Zheng took a step inside, he barely dodged a surge of violent qi flowing toward him, its force enough to send even a seasoned cultivator off balance.
A figure slowly shifted around the dark room, followed by a constant echo of threatening words.
"You—how dare you come inside!""Leave now! Before I hurt you!"
"Who? Who are you?" Zheng's gaze followed the figure, sharp and steady. "What do you want from this man?"
"This man?" The voice laughed, cold and hollow, though the man remained hidden in the shadows. "There is no man here. I was all alone with my gold until you showed up."
Zheng carefully stepped further into the room, inching toward the man. The closer he got, the further the man seemed to retreat, as if the darkness itself was his shield.
The room, barely wide enough to fit a bed and a table, seemed to stretch endlessly under the oppressive shadows, warped by the swirling qi and the eerie silence that followed each threat.
After exchanging a few words with Zheng, the voices suddenly stopped, and the figure vanished from their sight.
Without warning, the man lunged like a wild beast. It was evident he was no longer himself; his form and movements were like a devil inhabiting a human body.
Without panic, and amidst the man's frenzied attack, Zheng pressed his palm firmly against the man's forehead, releasing his qi in a controlled burst. The man collapsed, knocked unconscious by the force.
Before the man could hit the floor, Zheng snatched the pendant emitting the crimson-red qi and carefully placed a spirit-sealing talisman on it.
The man lay on the floor, unconscious, as the crimson-red qi slowly dispersed. Light began to penetrate the darkness of the room, banishing the oppressive shadows that had dominated the space moments before.
Yang Yue and the young boy gathered around the man. The boy wept, tears falling freely, worry etched deep on his face.
"Li, can you help me put him on the bed?" asked Zheng.
Together, they carried the man onto his bed. Zheng let out a shallow breath of relief. "Your father is past the danger now, but he must rest."
The man slowly opened his eyes and saw his son standing beside three strangers in his home.
"Wh-what happened here? And who are you?" he asked, his voice stammering, heavy with confusion.
"What do you remember, sir?" asked Zheng gently.
The man thought for a moment, his brow furrowed.
"I—I came home with a box and opened it… and—and I… I remember holding a pendant… after that, I don't remember anything."
"The pendant you found… it was cursed."
Upon hearing that, the man immediately guessed what had happened afterward.
"Did-did I hurt you?" he asked, embracing his son. The duo cried together, relief washing over them like a tide, thankful that the nightmare was finally over.
"I-I don't know how to thank you." The man's voice trembled, tears welling in his eyes. "I truly am grateful. Thank you… master."
Zheng placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. "You need to rest now."
The man bowed his head, deeply respectful. "I'll… I'll never forget this. I owe you my life."
"You have a great son. You are lucky to have him," Zheng said with a smile, ruffling the boy's hair gently.
A few minutes later, the group returned to the healing hall. Upon arrival, they noticed a crowd of men and women standing nearby. At least twenty figures had gathered, all appearing to wait for Zheng.
The moment Zheng and his companions stepped toward the hall, someone from the crowd shouted, "There's Zheng!"
Hearing the name, the group turned and rushed toward him.
"Master! Master! Can you help me?"
Among the crowd, three elderly men stood at the rear.
"He's 'that' Zheng, right? The one everyone's been talking about in town.""I don't know, but from what I've heard, this is the location of 'that' Zheng.""Are we talking about the same Zheng?""The one who can perform Heavenly Meridian Acupuncture?""Or the one who claims he can perform Heavenly Meridian Acupuncture.""I agree with him, Master. He's too young. How can someone so young perform Heavenly Meridian Acupuncture?""Haha… you are right, Master Chou. He might be scamming others.""If he can really perform Heavenly Meridian Acupuncture, I'll beg him to be my teacher.""That's what we came here to find out."
The three old men whispered among themselves, their curiosity mingled with scepticism.
Zheng smiled, projecting calm authority. "Please wait here. I'll take each of you one by one and gladly treat you."
His bold and confident voice left the three old men momentarily dumbfounded.
"Heh… he seems very confident. But I hope he won't lose that confidence in front of me," muttered one of them, a subtle challenge hidden in his words.