Chapter 0003: The Night Road is Difficult to Traverse

I felt as if I had been struck by lightning, and I almost involuntarily began to tremble lightly. This time I heard it clearly; someone was definitely calling my name. For a moment, I felt a chill in my heart. However, one thing I was very clear about—absolutely must not respond

I am well aware of my own body; I inherently have a soft constitution and a weak Yang energy. If I were to extinguish the three flames of Yang within me, it would truly be uncertain whether I could see the sun of tomorrow.

Ge Tianzhong

This incident occurred to the child of a friend of my father, who was also in the antique business. That person's child was four or five years older than me, and he did not attend university; instead, he graduated from a vocational school and began following his father to various places to collect "wild goods". However, not long after, he encountered trouble after acquiring a pair of jade bracelets from the Qing Dynasty. It was as if he had completely changed; every evening, he would start singing Huangmei opera, and he sang it quite skillfully. The strangest part was that the voice he emitted was unmistakably that of a woman!

It was entirely instinctive; I couldn't help but glance at the dagger on the sofa

It is now summer, and I am dressed lightly. When that hand suddenly patted me, I immediately shivered all over, feeling a bone-chilling coldness, and goosebumps rose on my neck.

Start... quickly drive to Antique Street!

I quickly picked up the phone and dialed Uncle Li's number. After this incident, I no longer dared to sleep, always feeling as if there were eyes watching me from the unseen darkness.

As I watched my home recede further away, I finally felt a slight sense of security. I took out my phone to check the time, and to my surprise, it was not yet 4 o'clock

This is common knowledge; I have long heard my father say that such matters are often caused by mischievous spirits harming people

Moreover, this knife was just stolen by the local rogue from a grave, it is definitely fresh "ghost goods". To quote what my father once told me—fresh "ghost goods" are the most sinister; a moment's carelessness could disturb the malevolent energy and invite strange occurrences

Uncle Li said in a deep voice: "Remember, once you get to the store, just wait for me. No matter who knocks on the door, even if they claim to be someone important, do not open the door!"

I know that only when dawn breaks can I barely consider myself safe

The little ghost cannot discern the strength of the yang energy in a person. If it encounters someone with strong yang energy, it generally does not dare to cause harm. Therefore, it can only use the method of "calling names" to test. Those who can hear the ghostly words spoken by the little ghost are mostly individuals whose innate eight characters are not strong enough, possessing weaker yang energy. As soon as they respond, they expose their own deficiencies and immediately become targets for the little ghost to ensnare their souls and die unjustly as substitutes.

Uncle Li pondered for a moment and slowly said: "It is hard to say what is currently bothering you, but it is certainly not something easy to deal with! As the saying goes, it is easy to attract this kind of dirty thing, but difficult to send it away. I fear it may return to disturb you again at night"

I was greatly frightened, a chill surged from the soles of my feet straight to my head, and I no longer dared to hesitate: "Alright, I will leave home right now"

I was taken aback, and only then did I vaguely recall Uncle Li's strange behavior when I received the hundred-edged knife during the day. At that time, I was so obsessed with money that I didn't pay any attention to it. Now, feeling quite frightened, I hurriedly asked, "Could it be that there is some significance to the items unearthed from the ancient tomb in the Qinling Mountains?"

It is difficult to say

I listened to Uncle Li's words and did not dare to look back, feeling my way forward in the darkness. However, it wasn't long before I heard someone calling my name from behind, and my steps instinctively came to a halt

At this moment, even if I were to be foolish, I would know that I have most likely encountered something unclean

Strangely, no matter how hard I ran, I just couldn't run fast, and my body felt heavier and heavier

At present, I have thoroughly recounted the events of this evening. Uncle Li has a wider network than I do and knows some people in this regard. I subtly expressed my intentions, hoping that Uncle Li could help me find someone to take a look tomorrow

The driver is a man in his forties. As soon as he saw me get in the car, he smiled and asked, "Young man, what happened? Why are you out of breath?"

My father's friend has traveled extensively for many years and has spent a lifetime in the antique trade, making him quite knowledgeable. Just by looking at his son's appearance, one can tell that he has encountered some misfortune. Later, it is unclear where he found a talented individual to resolve this matter. Otherwise, his son would have suffered greatly from the loss of vital energy, and since then, he has become a frail and sickly person

I was so frightened that my soul seemed to leave my body, and in my panic, I could no longer maintain a facade of nonchalance. I shook off that hand, sprinting forward with all my might, and throughout it all, I did not dare to look back even once

Well, just go directly to the store. No matter what you encounter on the way, do not look back. As soon as you go out, just take a taxi to the store. At the very least, something happened in our store. Stay calm, and do not be afraid of those things causing a commotion.

Alas... I will discuss this matter with you in detail later

However, if one looks back, one of the three flames of Yang in the body will extinguish. If all three are extinguished, the Yang energy in the body will decrease to a critical point, which will be extremely dangerous at that time

Uncle Li's words sent a chill down my spine, and I hurriedly asked, "Could it be that thing has no intention of letting me go tonight?"

Influenced by my family, I have somewhat of a psychological shadow regarding this matter. It inexplicably reminds me of something my father once told me.

At this time, it is almost 3:30 in the evening. The small alley outside my home is dark to the point where one cannot see their hand in front of their face. A thick white fog has risen from the ground at some unknown time, and the surroundings are cold and gloomy, with not a single figure in sight

Could it be that the matter I encountered is also related to this knife

I felt heavy in my body, and as soon as I sat down, I immediately began to breathe heavily. I turned my head to glance at the dark little alley and, seeing that the thing that had patted my shoulder had not caught up, I finally managed to let out a sigh of relief

What the hell is this, it's clearly just a block of ice!

I closed my eyes wearily, silently praying for the dawn to come soon

That voice sounded once again, somewhat ethereal, and it was impossible to discern whether it was male or female

Alright

It feels as if I am carrying some heavy burden

The driver uncle saw that I was unwilling to speak, so he did not press further. He stepped on the gas, and the car shot out. He probably thought I was in some kind of urgent situation, which is why the car was going particularly fast

I just received it during the day, and strange things began to happen around me at night, which made me unable to avoid suspicion

After a short while, the call was connected, and Uncle Li's drowsy voice came through, clearly awakened by my call: "Xiao Tian, is there something you need?"

Perhaps it is not my fate to perish; at that moment, a taxi with its red light on happened to come by, and I quickly hailed it and jumped into the taxi.

Uncle Li fell into a long silence, and after a full ten minutes, he let out a deep sigh: "Xiao Tian, although that knife is precious, you really should not have accepted it. Things that come out of the Qinling ancient tombs should not be taken. I estimate that eight or nine out of ten strange occurrences you are encountering now are related to that knife you accepted this afternoon"

At this moment, I could no longer pay attention to the abnormalities in my body. Even if I could not run fast, I struggled with all my might. The originally short alley of over 200 meters took me more than ten minutes to escape. By this time, I was drenched in sweat, as if I had just undergone intense exercise. I felt my body becoming heavier, my legs felt as if they were filled with lead, and they began to tremble slightly. My waist involuntarily bent a little, which made my heavy body feel somewhat more comfortable.

When encountering such situations, the only course of action is to pretend not to have heard, continue moving forward, and absolutely do not look back

... ...

After hanging up the phone, I certainly did not dare to stay in this room any longer. I put on my coat, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately took that dagger, wrapped it in a coarse cloth bag, and directly closed the door as I left

Absolutely do not look back

... ...

My family has been engaged in the antique trade for generations, and those of us in this profession generally share a common trait—an unwavering belief in the supernatural and the divine

I keep repeating this sentence in my heart to comfort myself, I know that if I turn back this time, I will most likely lose my life here. My father told me long ago that a normal person has three flames of yang energy, one on the top of the head and the other two on either shoulder. At night, these three flames will ignite to prevent those unclean things from harming people

Uncle Li sighed, and after hearing about my situation, it was evident that he had lost all desire to sleep. After a brief moment of contemplation, he said: "You should go to the store now; I am worried that something else might happen to you at home."

I gritted my teeth and repeatedly told myself not to panic, forcing myself to move forward. After that thing behind me called my name several times, it fell silent. However, before long, I heard a series of rustling footsteps behind me, followed by what seemed to be a hand-like object that "slapped" down on my shoulder.