Ji Yuan saw Song He beside him looking at him with a puzzled expression, so he roughly recounted the encounter with Li Mufeng and the others not long ago.
In his opinion, the old woman's earlier mention of rats infiltrating the mansion might not have been his friend beside him, but rather Li Mufeng and his group who clearly had ulterior motives.
"What a righteous sect, doing things worse than even a third-rate sect!"
Song He spat, both indignant for his friend and disdainful of the actions of those people.
However, Ji Yuan did not have much of an emotional reaction to this. Since he had already embarked on the path of cultivation, he was naturally prepared for these sordid affairs and could only blame himself for not being careful enough if he encountered them.
"Setting aside other matters, if it is indeed Li Mufeng leading his junior brothers and sisters into this mansion, then it will undoubtedly be an opportunity for us."
Ji Yuan's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he instantly thought of many possibilities.
If he had been struggling with how to escape from under the noses of the ghosts here, now that he suspected Li Mufeng and his group might have infiltrated the mansion, he immediately had several ways to deal with it.
"First, we need to confirm that those people have indeed infiltrated the mansion."
He muttered to himself, tapping the table with his index finger, and several possible scenarios were already appearing in his mind.
Seeing this, Song He immediately put on a serious expression and asked how to proceed, but the only answer he received was one word: "Wait!"
Wait for Li Mufeng to confront the ghosts here, wait for this place, which was like stagnant water, to be stirred up, and wait for both sides to be unable to attend to anything else!
Seeing that his friend had a plan in mind, the young Taoist priest sat down cross-legged on the bed and began to meditate and breathe. Since his friend was here, he was not worried about encountering any danger and soon entered a state of self-forgetfulness.
Seeing this scene, Ji Yuan felt a slight relief and lowered his guard against Song He a bit more, silently putting away the talismans he had prepared earlier.
At the same time, he was also somewhat envious of the other man, who could still breathe and meditate normally in an environment filled with Yin energy, even seeming to be more at ease than usual.
However, this was also related to the cultivation technique Song He practiced, which was inherently cold and Yin, not only not repelling Yin energy but even regarding it as beneficial. Otherwise, the patriarch of Mingyue Temple would not have chosen to establish a sect here.
After retracting his gaze, Ji Yuan took out a bottle of Huiyang Pills, placed three pills in his mouth, chewed them, and swallowed. The warmth gradually rose from his body, which had been chilled, as the Yang energy eroded by Yin energy was slowly recovering.
At the same time, he took out a piece of yellow paper from his chest. The runes originally drawn with cinnabar had dispersed, and even the spiritual energy in the paper had been consumed.
The young Taoist priest sighed, took out a few Yang Qi Expulsion Talismans, and placed one on his chest and one on each of his limbs, temporarily blocking the pervasive Yin energy of this world outside his body.
However, according to his estimation, both the Huiyang Pills and the Yang Qi Expulsion Talismans on his body could only last for about half an hour at most. And this kind of thing, which was considered somewhat unorthodox even among Taoist priests who exorcised ghosts and demons, was not something he had prepared much of.
This meant that if he could not leave Luohun Slope after half an hour, he would begin to suffer the erosion of Yin energy. With his current physical condition at the initial stage of enlightenment, he could only last for about the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn.
Once too much Yin energy entered his body, not only would his movements be hindered, but even his vital energy would be difficult to circulate, rendering him completely defenseless. In this environment, it was almost no different from waiting to die.
Fortunately, Ji Yuan did not have to wait long. As he was resting with his eyes closed and adjusting his state, the ground beneath his feet suddenly trembled slightly, and a faint sound echoed through the silent mansion.
The two in the room opened their eyes almost simultaneously, and after looking at each other, a look of excitement appeared on their faces.
Without a word, Ji Yuan grabbed his bundle and whisk from the table, then quickly walked around the wooden table in front of him and yanked open the door, arriving in the small courtyard in a few steps.
"The courtyard walls are surrounded by ghost bamboos. Once you jump over the wall, they will attack you."
Seeing his friend wanting to climb over the wall, Song He, who followed him out of the small house, immediately reminded him.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan gave up the idea of climbing over the wall. After looking around, he quickly walked back the way he came.
Neither of them spoke along the way, their eyes vigilantly scanning their surroundings. However, whether it was an illusion or not, the young Taoist priest felt that the mansion now seemed even more eerie than when he first entered.
This sense of eeriness was not only reflected in the atmosphere but also proof that the Yin energy here had become more concentrated.
At the same time, Ji Yuan also noticed that the lanterns under the eaves along the way, and the candlelight in the distant side rooms, had all disappeared. If it weren't for the moonlight, the entire mansion would have been plunged into darkness.
"Something's not right... Be careful!"
He whispered to Song He behind him, his intuition telling him that the mansion had become somewhat different, like a ferocious beast ready to devour people at any moment.
The young Taoist priest responded softly. Having cultivated Yin and cold attribute techniques, he could naturally feel the slight changes in the surrounding Yin energy more clearly.
Soon, the two passed through courtyards and arrived at the front courtyard of the mansion. However, as they stood at the main entrance, their expressions froze.
Where there had been a main entrance before, a stone wall now stood in its place, with a fierce and lifelike beast painted on it in bright red.
Feeling the malevolent aura emanating from the stone wall, Ji Yuan had no doubt that if he tried to break through the wall by force, he would suffer an unbearable backlash.
"What do we do? There's no way out."
Song He said softly beside him.
The stone wall in front of them obviously had a problem, and outside the surrounding courtyard walls, countless ghost bamboos swayed without wind. If they climbed over the wall, they would inevitably attract the attack of the ghost bamboos.
And these ghost bamboos could trap and kill an elder of Mingyue Temple who had cultivated pháp lực, as well as many disciples of considerable strength!
Ji Yuan's expression was somewhat grim. For some reason, standing in the empty front courtyard, although there was no wind, he felt a chill, as if a cold wind was swirling around him.
Bang! Bang!! Bang!!!
Just then, clear sounds suddenly came from the main hall of the front courtyard behind them. When they turned back to look, they saw someone desperately rushing out of the door.
It was Li Mufeng's junior brother and sister, one a stern-faced man and the other a bossy and sharp-tongued girl. They were covered in dust, and their long robes and skirts were stained with black Yin energy, mostly in strips and resembling the handprints of young children.