Volume One, Chapter 11: The Master's Display of Divine Skill

“Come, come, Master Ying, sit here with me,” Mrs. An said as she patted the seat beside her.

An Lingling, unable to sit still any longer, stood up and threw her arm around Ying Yuwei’s, pulling her down to sit. “Master Ying, you should sit here—the sofa is softer.”

A minute later, Ying Yuwei was seated on the sofa, completely surrounded by the An family. Mr. An settled to her left, Mrs. An hugged her right arm tightly, An Lingling plopped down on her lap, and with no place left, An Yu stood behind the sofa, wrapping his arms around Ying Yuwei’s neck.

Ying Yuwei felt the air around her grow thin. With her neck being squeezed, she struggled to utter one word: “Stop!”

Using her only free hand, she pulled several red cords from her small cloth bag and handed them to the An family.

“These red cords are dyed with black dog’s blood and can ward off evil spirits. Watch your wrists carefully—if anyone’s red cord disappears, it means they’re possessed by malevolent energy.”

“Don’t alert anyone if you notice a missing cord. Inform me quietly. Feel free to move about the living room, but don’t get too tense.”

After Ying Yuwei’s instructions, the An family obediently tied the red cords on their wrists, but not a single one moved away from her; they remained pressed tightly against her.

Ying Yuwei rolled her eyes in helplessness.

“How can you expect to draw out the spirits like this? Are you planning to hold me every night from now on? Let go!”

She shook her leg, dislodging An Lingling from her thigh, pulled her arm free from Mrs. An’s embrace, and freed her neck from the choking grip.

Mr. An was braver—or perhaps he remained skeptical all along. He was the first to stand and began pacing around the room.

Seeing him move, the others also stood but stayed within a five-meter radius around Ying Yuwei, circling her like the center of a compass.

Ying Yuwei’s gaze fixed on Mr. An—not because she didn’t care for the others, but because they were all lingering close by, so she wasn’t worried.

Suddenly, Mr. An stopped at the corner of the staircase, his shoulders trembling with a shuddering breath, emitting a “hmm hmm” sound as if gasping cold air. Not only did Ying Yuwei notice, but the entire An family did as well. Hearts pounding wildly, they instinctively hid behind Ying Yuwei.

Quietly, Ying Yuwei pulled out a Bagua mirror and tiptoed behind Mr. An. Suddenly, he turned his head sharply.

“Ah!” Three sharp screams pierced the polite silence of the An household. Ying Yuwei instinctively covered her ears.

“What’s going on?” Mr. An was as confused by the sudden movement as everyone else. On closer inspection, his red cord remained firmly on his wrist.

“Brother, what’s with the twitching?” An Lingling jumped forward, hands on hips, accusing him first.

“Yeah, yeah, you stood still and made weird noises—we all thought you were possessed!” Mrs. An clutched her still-shaken chest.

“Huh? I just suddenly felt like sneezing but couldn’t.”

Just as everyone sighed in relief, a black shadow darted out and leapt onto the chandelier. The light fixture began to sway violently, casting flickering shadows around the room.

With a loud crash, the crystal chandelier shattered onto the floor, plunging the entire living room into darkness.

Chaos erupted—screams filled the air as people ran about, crashing into furniture and knocking things over.

“Ahhh! Help! There’s a ghost!”

“Master, where are you? Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!”

A faint light appeared. Ying Yuwei switched on her phone’s flashlight, and the crowd scrambled toward her, guided by the beam.

Once again, they formed their earlier formation: Mr. An on the left, Mrs. An on the right, An Lingling sitting on Ying Yuwei’s lap, and An Yu choking Ying Yuwei’s neck.

“Why did the light just go out?” Mrs. An kept shrinking closer to Ying Yuwei’s embrace.

“A black cat just dashed out. Could it be the one that died today? No wonder it’s so sinister,” An Lingling clung to Ying Yuwei like a koala.

At that moment, Mr. An abandoned all decorum, clutching Ying Yuwei’s sleeve tightly. “Master, what should we do now?”

Ying Yuwei concentrated on every sound in the darkness. Suddenly, a cool breeze brushed the back of her neck—something furry, like an animal’s pelt, tickling her skin. The sofa cushion was pressed down.

Mrs. An also felt a chill above her head and groused, “An Yu, stop breathing on your mother’s face, or I’ll slap you.”

An Yu said nothing in reply. Suddenly, a sharp cat’s cry pierced the air.

The hand around Ying Yuwei’s neck tightened, forcing her to tilt her head back. Everyone sensed the danger. Mrs. An was the first to scramble out of Ying Yuwei’s arms, cursing:

“An Yu, are you trying to get yourself killed? Master isn’t yours alone. Why hold her so tight? Believe me—” But as Mrs. An caught sight of An Yu behind Ying Yuwei in the faint light, her words caught in her throat.

Mr. An and An Lingling gasped as well.

Behind Ying Yuwei, An Yu was covered in black fur, just like the black cat they had seen earlier that day. His eyes were slits, glowing a ghostly green in the darkness. His fur-covered hands tightly gripped Ying Yuwei’s neck, and the red cord on his wrist was gone.

Though Ying Yuwei couldn’t see those behind her, she sensed something was wrong from their expressions and the increasing pressure on her neck. She fumbled in her bag, pulling out the Bagua mirror and raising it high to shine on the figure behind her.

An Yu immediately covered his face with his hands and emitted an inhuman scream. He then shook his head violently, sprouting a row of sharp claws, swiping toward Ying Yuwei’s face.

Ying Yuwei raised the Bagua mirror to block the attack, but the mirror was split in two by the claws. An Yu roared again, lunging forward, but Ying Yuwei flipped the sofa, pressing it heavily onto him. She put her full weight on him, pinning him down, then swiftly bound him with a coil of red cords.

“Someone, give me a hand!”

The An family was stunned by the scene. An Yu, bound tightly by the red cords, emitted black smoke where his skin touched the ropes. His mouth gaped open in a roar, his tongue sprouting barbs, and his teeth sharpened to deadly points.

“What are you all standing there for?” Ying Yuwei shouted, finally snapping the An family out of their daze.

Mr. An and Ying Yuwei lifted An Yu to the open floor. Ying Yuwei knelt behind him on one knee, grabbed the shattered pieces of the Bagua mirror from the floor, and stuffed them into his mouth. She began chanting a powerful exorcism.

An Yu writhed, trying to break free from Ying Yuwei’s hold. He howled in agony, occasionally vomiting thick black liquid. The An family paced anxiously nearby like ants on a hot pan but dared not interrupt Ying Yuwei’s ritual.