Chapter 18 Ghost Beyond the Wall

Ye Yang turned away expressionlessly. However, I saw his right hand, which was hanging at his side, pinch three fingers together, opening and closing them a couple of times.

Although Ye Yang had his back to me, he was definitely sneering. I knew that guy too well.

But what was with his fingers?

I knew this wasn't the time for my inexplicable thoughts. Besides, Ye Yang wouldn't do something foolish without considering the situation.

When Butcher Wang's black cat jumped onto the last formation eye, I activated the formation. "Protect the seven lamps. Try not to let the flames go out."

"If you really can't protect them, abandon the lamps and save your lives. Keeping three lamps lit is enough. We don't need to prolong his life for too long; three days will suffice."

Before I could finish speaking, an eerie wind sprang up inside and outside the mansion. A wailing sound, like the cries of ghosts, echoed along the outer walls of the courtyard. It sounded as if someone were crouching outside the wall, weeping into their hands, sending shivers down our spines.

This was gui ge qiang (ghost beyond the wall).

According to the way of術道 (Shu Dao – esoteric arts), "When walking near a wall, do not stick to it; if you hear crying outside the wall, don't move your feet; if you hear crying inside the wall, don't move; if you can't hear clearly, don't move your head."

When walking at night, one must keep a certain distance from the wall, especially if it's a fenced area. You must keep at least a meter away.

A meter is about the distance of a person's arm. Some people who died in courtyards, unable to get out because they were blocked by walls or fences, could only squat by the fence and wait for someone to pass by.

Walking at night, you might be able to see if someone is squatting inside the fence, but if you encounter a wall, you can only see the scene inside the wall when you reach a hole in the wall. By the time you see someone squatting there, it's already too late to run.

If the dead person behind the wall can't reach you, you've saved your life. But if a dead person grabs your foot, you'll be dragged into the wall.

Walking near a wall, don't stick to it; that's what it means when you're outside the wall.

If you're inside the wall and hear crying, that's even worse. At that point, the wall becomes the boundary between yin and yang.

If you hear someone crying outside the wall, it means the dead are trying to lure you out. You must control your feet and not follow the crying. It's best to look into the distance and not at the wall.

People have a habit of looking where they're going, so if you look at the wall, your feet will unconsciously move toward it. When you see a gap in the wall, your feet will be right next to it. The living and the dead will inevitably meet face to face at the gap. When you're face to face with a dead person, your yang energy will disappear.

If you hear a dead person crying inside the wall, don't move. Wait where you are, even if you're scared to death, until daylight comes.

If someone is crying inside the wall, it means the dead are squatting in the shadows, waiting for the living to pass by. If you panic and run, you might trip over the dead person squatting by the wall. Then you won't be able to get up, because the dead won't give you a chance.

If it's neither of those, and you can't tell whether the crying is inside or outside the wall, don't be curious and try to find out where the crying is coming from, or who's crying.

If you turn your head, the dead will follow you. They can stick to the back of your head, preventing you from seeing where they are, and only speak into your ear when you stop looking for them.

As for what they'll say, no one knows.

The crying from the direction of the Wang family's courtyard wall started close to the wall, but after a while, it became impossible to tell whether it was inside or outside the wall.

Butcher Wang couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I never thought the Wang family would be forced to this point. Even gui ge qiang (ghost beyond the wall) has appeared."

As Butcher Wang spoke, he reached for the blood-stained fan. I said in a deep voice, "Ignore it. Watch the seven lamps."

Butcher Wang paused, then retracted his hand. At that moment, the Wang family's courtyard wall collapsed with a bang.

As I glanced at the V-shaped gap in the wall, there was no one outside it. The crying echoed in the air, and behind the pile of rubble, I could vaguely see something that looked like people crawling. That was all I could see. To get a better look, I would have to stand up and look at the gap.

As soon as I looked away, the flames of the lamps I was protecting suddenly weakened by half. The already small flames seemed to be suppressed by something, and almost retreated back into the lamps.

The seven-star life-extending formation relies entirely on the lamp flames. If the flames rise higher, it means the formation is working properly, and the術士 (Shu Shi - esoteric practitioner) is drawing lifespan from heaven, slowly injecting it into the client. The client's yang energy is causing the flames to rise.

If the flames are gradually extinguished, it means heaven is unwilling to lend lifespan, and the client's last few breaths of yang energy are slowly dissipating.

Butcher Wang exclaimed, "Little Brother, the flame on my side is weak. Is Little Wei's yang energy being suppressed?"

I said in a deep voice, "Move to block the gap in the wall and suppress the yin energy."

Butcher Wang waved his blood-stained fan, and two beams of red light appeared on the roof of the Wang family's main house. Two red Kongming lanterns floated up from the roof, like two figures flying through the air, pressing down on the whistling yin wind at the courtyard wall.