Chapter 04: Daoist Master Luoming
Do not panic. Clearly, Tang Xiaosi is much calmer. The things she has seen tonight, compared to those she has encountered before, are ultimately rather trivial. She helps Mo Mingzhi to her feet and carefully surveys the surroundings. In the elevator, there are no abnormalities; there are no missing girls or adorable female ghosts. The elevator is slowly descending, and the indicator light shows that it is moving from the 19th floor to the 1st floor. Mo Mingzhi reaches out to press the open door button, but Tang Xiaosi grabs her hand. At this moment, pressing the open door button randomly could lead to unknown strange occurrences; isn't that often how it is portrayed in movies? Carefully surveying the surroundings again, in the elevator, there are no abnormalities; there are no missing girls or adorable female ghosts. The elevator is still slowly descending, and the indicator light shows that it is moving from the 19th floor to the 1st floor. Mo Mingzhi reaches out to press the open door button, but Tang Xiaosi pulls her hand back. At this moment, pressing the open door button randomly could lead to unknown strange occurrences; isn't that often how it is portrayed in movies? At midnight, the elevator stops on an unoccupied floor, inexplicably opens its doors, revealing an empty space outside, or perhaps one or several expressionless elderly people glance at the elevator and mutter something like, "Why is the elevator still so crowded at this late hour?" If that were the case, it would be better to let it descend to the first floor on its own.
"You flatter me, Daoist." Tang Xiaosi adjusted her clothes and glanced at the spot where the female ghost had disappeared, feeling a bit strange inside. How should I put it... She somewhat wanted to see that female ghost again. Perhaps it was because she was too fond of her cute attributes, but Tang Xiaosi did not find the female ghost frightening at all
"Wuliang Tianzun." The Taoist bowed respectfully and said, "I am Daoist Luoming, entrusted by your esteemed company to subdue demons and capture ghosts. Unfortunately, I was concerned about accidentally harming this young lady just now, so I could not fully display my abilities, which may have caused you to laugh at me." As Daoist Luoming spoke, he seemed as if he had stepped out of a period film, making Tang Xiaosi feel somewhat awkward. "This young lady is indeed extraordinary; she remains unafraid in the face of danger and shows no signs of panic when confronted with ghostly beings. I truly admire her," he continued, giving a slight nod to Tang Xiaosi.
Tang Xiaosi sensed that the situation was dire and quickly pulled Mo Mingzhi back to her side. She then raised her foot and kicked a piece of paper that was closest to them. Daoist Luo Ming chanted loudly, "Wuliang Tianzun," and then, seemingly out of nowhere, drew a wooden sword and rushed into the room, wildly slashing at the myriad ghostly faces. From his actions, Tang Xiaosi vaguely perceived a hint of anger; perhaps this Daoist was embarrassed and furious that he had not been able to eliminate the female ghost in one blow. It must be said that Tang Xiaosi had grown; years of professional experience had taught her to observe, and she was no longer as carefree as she had been in the past.
Standing by the roadside, gazing at the flow of traffic ahead and looking back at the buildings behind her, Mo Mingzhi's complexion appeared somewhat pale. The events of the past two nights had truly been difficult for her to accept, completely overturning her worldview. Mo Mingzhi wanted to say something, but she saw Tang Xiaosi shake his hand at her, "Don't say anything. Let the documents go to hell. Just have a good rest tonight, and tomorrow we will thoroughly investigate these filthy things..." In Tang Xiaosi's eyes, an unusual light radiated... "Don't say anything. Let the documents go to hell. Just have a good rest tonight, and tomorrow we will thoroughly investigate these filthy things..." In Tang Xiaosi's eyes, an unusual light radiated...
Tang Xiaosi held the red thread with copper coins and gave it a gentle flick, causing five coins to strike the glass door with a crisp "ding" sound. Tang Xiaosi couldn't help but frown, not because of anything unusual, but rather because everything was too normal. Everything around her, including the glass door in front of her, showed no signs of abnormality, except for the absence of Uncle Zhang.
If she is a female ghost, why would she want to send us away? Wouldn't it be better to just throw us into the elevator shaft to die... After repeatedly checking the surroundings and finding no abnormalities, Tang Xiaosi finally focused his gaze on the glass door in front of him. "Where is the five emperor coins I gave you? Give them to me." Mo Mingzhi quickly took out the string of five emperor coins from her pocket and handed them to Tang Xiaosi. After encountering the ghost last night, she and Tu Shu had followed Tang Xiaosi's instructions and put the five emperor coins in her pocket.
Upon reaching the entrance of the reception room, Mo Mingzhi instinctively glanced inside, only to find that there was no sign of Uncle Zhang in the brightly lit reception area. However, at that moment, she could not afford to think about that any longer. She reached out to push the glass door of the building, but felt a tightness in the arm she was holding onto Tang Xiaosi, causing her to be pulled back a small step. Mo Mingzhi turned back in confusion to look at Tang Xiaosi, only to see her continuously surveying the surroundings. "Sister Si... are we not leaving quickly?"
"Daoist, could you accompany us to retrieve something? My sister has some work that must be completed today." Tang Xiaosi did not notice Mo Mingzhi's displeasure. Looking at the watch, it was already close to 10 o'clock. If they did not bring down the materials soon, it was likely that Mo Mingzhi would have to work through the night.
Tang Xiaosi cautiously pushed open the large door, waving the Five Emperor Coins in front of him a few more times with his right hand. After confirming that everything was fine, he took Mo Mingzhi's hand and walked out of the building
"What is so difficult about this?" Master Luoming said, as he rummaged through his robe sleeve and pulled out a yellow talisman, handing it to Mo Mingzhi. She reached out to take it, noticing that the yellow paper was adorned with strange symbols drawn in red ink, which looked quite different from the talismans she had seen on television. However, upon reflection, it made sense, as those depicted on television were ultimately fictional. Nevertheless, there was one thing that made Mo Mingzhi very unhappy: Master Luoming had been staring at her face for quite a while while handing her the talisman. Her appearance could be said to be a woman's second life, and with her face marred by scars, Mo Mingzhi had always felt insecure. She despised it when others looked at her face, even when she wore a mask.
The brightness of the mobile phone screen is very high, yet it appears somewhat dim as it disperses throughout the stairwell. A man dressed in a yellow robe is slowly descending the stairs. Tang Xiaosi snapped his fingers, and the stairwell instantly brightened. The man in the robe looks to be in his forties or fifties, exuding an air of ethereal grace and wisdom.
"Thud!" "Oh my!" The two women fell heavily to the ground, and the exclamation "Oh my!" came from Tang Xiaosi below. In fact, the height from which they fell was not very high, approximately the height of two steps. However, beside them was not a corridor, but a small space with four metal walls—an elevator. The two girls simultaneously felt a chill run down their spines, and they both thought of the girl who had just walked out of the elevator below, a girl who had been missing for three years.
It should be... that female ghost, right..." Mo Mingzhi instinctively imitated Tang Xiaosi's manner and looked around.
As the elevator descended slowly, the hearts of the two women gradually began to race. When the elevator stopped on the first floor and the sound of "ding" echoed, both women felt as if their hearts had leaped into their throats. Outside the elevator, it was empty; there was no hellish scenery, nor were there any faces of the dead waiting for the elevator. This was simply the elevator lobby on the first floor. The two women exchanged a glance and immediately ran out of the elevator. Turning the corner, the entrance of the building and the light from the reception room were suddenly in front of them. Outside the elevator, it was empty; there was no hellish scenery, nor were there any faces of the dead waiting for the elevator. This was simply the elevator lobby on the first floor. The two women exchanged a glance and immediately ran out of the elevator. Turning the corner, the entrance of the building and the light from the reception room were suddenly in front of them. Mo Mingzhi was pulling Tang Xiaosi's hand and running desperately, but Tang Xiaosi, unsure whether it was due to the high heels on her feet or something else, was running hesitantly.
"Infinite Celestial Sovereign, young lady, please lead the way ahead; I shall accompany you up there." Daoist Luoming did not hesitate in response to Tang Xiaosi's request, as he also needed to conduct an inspection in this building. Thus, Uncle Zhang returned to the reception room to continue his work, while Daoist Luoming accompanied the two young ladies up the stairs to the nineteenth floor to retrieve something
Do not rush! Tang Xiaosi said in a low voice, carefully surveying everything around, "Who do you think brought us into the elevator, that Taoist priest or the female ghost?"
Understood. Tang Xiaosi nodded, glanced at the dazed Mo Mingzhi standing beside her, and turned to Daoist Luo Ming, saying: "Daoist, I wonder if there are any more of those talismans from just now. If there are, could you give one to this girl for protection?" Tang Xiaosi had always taken great care of the newcomer Mo Mingzhi, not for any other reason, but because her silhouette resembled that of a certain person. Tang Xiaosi was aware that there were some unclean entities in this building, so on Mo Mingzhi's first day at work, she gifted her a string of Five Emperor Coins. Who would have thought that she would still attract the attention of these dirty things? Tang Xiaosi was very clear about her own capabilities; she did not expect that the little things she had on hand could truly subdue demons and capture ghosts.
"Who are you, and when did you come in?" The first to speak was Uncle Zhang. It was quite surprising that someone dressed in such a manner could enter the building without being noticed.
Four... Four Sister... What should we do now..." As her body trembled, Mo Mingzhi's voice began to quiver incessantly
To the three benefactors, I hope you can forget everything that just happened. This building is haunted, and ultimately, it is not a good thing. If this spreads, it may be detrimental to the company, and I believe everyone understands this. I will not elaborate further. It is best for the three benefactors to leave quickly, as this place is not suitable for strangers to linger. If possible, after nightfall, please avoid coming here. Master Luoming advised the three of them. In fact, even without his words, Tang Xiaosi would instruct Mo Mingzhi not to speak of it, otherwise, a label of "spreading rumors" would be placed upon her, rendering her hard work over the past few days futile. In today's world, if one had to choose between encountering ghosts and losing their job, I believe many would choose the former.
The wooden sword swept across sheet after sheet of white paper, and the ghostly faces on the paper emitted sharp, piercing screams, short and mournful. Holding the still trembling Mo Mingzhi, Tang Xiaosi instinctively took a step back. Little did he know that with this step, he felt the ground give way beneath him, and he and the Mo Mingzhi in his arms quickly fell backward.