Chapter 86: Auras of Charisma (4)

The man proudly displayed the terrifying bloody handprints, but soon he began to feel that something was off.

Why didn’t these three people seem particularly scared?

The tall man was understandable-his aloof and arrogant demeanor suggested he wasn’t easily frightened.

But why weren’t the two women reacting?

One of them had clearly screamed in fear earlier, yet now she had suddenly calmed down, only staring in his direction with a complicated expression.

Come here.

The man narrowed his eyes, puzzled as he glanced at them and then back at the bloody handprints on the wall.

Was his creation not horrifying enough?

“Not bad, you’ve got some guts,” the man sneered.

“Then I’ll give you something more to fear.”

With a wave of his hand, the eerie wind in the house grew stronger, and the furniture began clashing more violently.

Two chairs even flew toward them.

Ju Ziyi’s heart leaped into her throat, and she almost screamed again.

But seeing Shi Pengpeng and Yan Jing standing firm, she swallowed her fear and forced herself to stay calm.

Thud!

Thud!

The two chairs narrowly missed Shi Pengpeng and the others, crashing to the ground beside them without causing any harm.

“Huh?” Ju Ziyi blinked, suddenly realizing something.

The man: “……?”

Were these three fearless?

How could they not be scared?

He refused to believe it!

The man turned around and slowly walked toward them, scattering blood on the floor as he went.

His feet left bloody footprints with each step.

The footprints gradually approached the trio, stopping just a meter away.

The man grinned maliciously, pinched his throat, and let out a high-pitched, drawn-out voice, “I died so tragically-whoever buys this house will join me in death—”

After saying this, he let out a sinister “hehehe” laugh, then puffed out his cheeks and blew a cold breath toward the neck of the woman who had seemed the most frightened earlier.

Sure enough, the woman’s face stiffened, and she couldn’t help but jump aside.

“Hmph, still scared after all!”

The man looked smug, about to laugh, when the woman frantically rubbed her neck, looking utterly distraught.

“Miss Shi, I can’t take it anymore! He’s so creepy!”

The man froze: ?

Belatedly, he realized something and frowned.

“You can see me?”

“Yes,” Shi Pengpeng smiled faintly, flipping her wrist to reveal a yellow talisman between her fingers.

She asked politely, “Do you have any other tricks? If not, it’s my turn.”

“Damn it, you’re a sorcerer?!” The man’s eyes widened, and without hesitation, he tried to fling the bowl of blood at Shi Pengpeng.

Shi Pengpeng had been closely watching his movements and didn’t let him succeed.

Almost simultaneously, she executed a swift side kick, accurately hitting his wrist.

“Agh—” The man’s wrist instantly twisted, and the plastic bowl flew out of his hand.

The remaining half-bowl of blood splashed onto his head, streaming down the contours of his face, making him look utterly grotesque.

But no one in the room was frightened.

Ju Ziyi even couldn’t help but let out a stifled laugh.

“You !” The man, furious and humiliated, shouted, “How dare you! I’ll make you pay!”

He raised his hand, and a fierce wind swept through the room, sending a chair hurtling toward Shi Pengpeng.

Shi Pengpeng leaped into the air, delivering a powerful kick to the chair.

With a loud “crack,” the chair disintegrated mid-air.

Ju Ziyi was left dumbfounded.

“Wow, so strong!”

After landing, Shi Pengpeng held a yellow talisman between her fingers, pointing it at the man.

Just as she was about to recite the incantation, she suddenly remembered something and turned to Yan Jing.

“Brother, why don’t you give it a try?”

“This is a rare opportunity for practice.”

Yan Jing felt a reflexive tingle in his scalp, but he mustered his courage and stepped forward.

“So, you’re a mage too?” The man noticed Yan Jing’s awkward stance and obvious lack of skill compared to Shi Pengpeng. He sneered, “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

In a flash, the man’s ghostly figure appeared right in front of Yan Jing.

His pale right hand reached out, aiming to grab Yan Jing’s neck.

Yan Jing quickly stepped back, but he still felt an icy, bone-chilling grip around his throat.

The man was strangling him from a distance.

“Seems like you’re not much of a threat,” the man said with a malicious grin.

“You’re nowhere near as good as that girl…” Before he could finish, Yan Jing suddenly threw a punch.

“Qilin, descend—”

The roar of a mythical beast echoed as the fierce Qilin’s spiritual energy surged forth, instantly shattering the invisible hand around Yan Jing’s neck and charging toward the man.

“Shit “the man screamed, trying to flee, but it was too late.

The talisman’s power swept over him, effortlessly flipping him onto the ground.

The man immediately lost all his spiritual energy and tried to gather it again, but Shi Pengpeng swiftly threw another yellow talisman, pinning him in place.

“Hmph!” Shi Pengpeng clapped her hands.

“Dare to look down on my brother? Now you’ve seen the power of the Qilin Arm!”

The man: “……”

What the hell?!

Yan Jing walked over to Shi Pengpeng, looking weak.

“Pengpeng, you scared me to death.”

Shi Pengpeng’s mouth twitched.

Brother, why are you still putting on an act at a time like this?!

The man on the ground was also stunned: ???

Dude, your punch almost sent my soul flying.

Shouldn’t you be the one comforting me?

Yan Jing, ever the composed CEO, didn’t even blush.

He slowly extended his hand.

“Look, my hand’s gone numb.”

Shi Pengpeng couldn’t help but laugh.

“Want me to massage it for you?”

Yan Jing didn’t hesitate.

“Sure.”

Shi Pengpeng: “……”

The man and Ju Ziyi: “……”

Shi Pengpeng ignored Yan Jing’s antics and crouched down to examine the man.

What she found surprised her.

Despite being hit by Yan Jing’s Qilin Arm, the man’s spiritual energy was only dispersed his soul remained unharmed.

The Qilin talisman was known for its extreme yang energy, which was highly effective against yin entities.

Even though Yan Jing’s skills weren’t fully developed, with the support of the talisman, it should have been enough to weaken or even destroy a malevolent spirit.

Yet, this man was completely unharmed, and there was no trace of evil aura around him, indicating he hadn’t committed any wrongdoings.

This was strange.

Shi Pengpeng hid her surprise and asked, “Sister Ju, has there been any serious incidents in this house since it’s been haunted?”

Ju Ziyi thought for a moment, looking somewhat dazed.

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

The ghost was quite fierce, creating terrifying scenes to scare away anyone who came to view the house.

However, upon closer reflection, no one had actually been harmed by it.

Shi Pengpeng wasn’t surprised.

Not only did the man lack any ominous aura, but the house also didn’t seem like it had been long occupied by a malevolent spirit.

From the moment she entered the house, she hadn’t detected any trace of evil energy. The only yin energy present had been brought in by the man when he appeared.

Shi Pengpeng realized something and turned her gaze toward the man.

“You’re not the decorator!”

To be precise, this man might have no connection to the house at all.

For some reason, he had repeatedly appeared in the house to cause trouble and scare off potential buyers.

But he wasn’t someone who had died tragically here, nor was he a yin entity born from the house.

In fact, he likely left after each scare and didn’t stay in the house normally.

That’s why Shi Pengpeng and the others hadn’t noticed his presence when they first entered.

He had only come over to scare them when he saw that someone was viewing the house again.

In other words, this house wasn’t a true haunted house.

For the house, this man was merely a passing spirit.

Even if his yin energy lingered, the excellent feng shui of the house would quickly dissipate it.

The man tried to argue, but Yan Jing had already found the court documents online regarding the accidental death of the decorator, along with his identity information and photo.

Upon comparison, it was clear that the man looked completely different.

“Ah?” Ju Ziyi was both shocked and confused.

“He’s not the decorator? Then what has he been doing all this time?”

Shi Pengpeng stared at the man.

“Who are you, really?”

Seeing that his ruse had been exposed, the man immediately changed his demeanor, putting on an innocent face.

“Master, don’t be so harsh. It’s just a misunderstanding. I happened to be passing by and saw people here, so I thought I’d play a little prank. Look, I didn’t actually harm anyone. How about I apologize, and you let me go, okay?”

Shi Pengpeng remained unmoved.

“Your timing for ‘passing by’ is quite convenient.”

“What else do you want?” The man clearly had no intention of convincing her.

He lay down on the ground, acting shamelessly.

“If you’re so capable, why don’t you just exorcise me?”

Ju Ziyi:”…..”

What a shameless ghost!

“So that’s how it is,” Shi Pengpeng said with interest, looking at him.

“No wonder so many masters couldn’t deal with you.”

This man wasn’t particularly powerful.

Yan Jing didn’t even need to exert much effort to knock him down.

But precisely because he wasn’t malevolent, the experts the homeowner had hired couldn’t do anything about him.

If he had been a truly evil spirit, a single ritual would have been enough to exorcise him.

But this man didn’t even have any ominous aura, making it impossible to exorcise him.

Forcing the issue was an option, but that would be equivalent to over-enforcement.

The mystical arts also had their own code of conduct.

Any serious practitioner wouldn’t act recklessly, as it would not only violate the rules but could also lead to backlash if not handled carefully.

The man clearly knew the rules of the Mystic Sect, always toeing the line while causing trouble.

His actions seemed terrifying, but he never actually harmed anyone.

Once caught by a mage, he would insist it was all just a joke.

The mage knew he was doing it on purpose but couldn’t do much about it, at most giving him a scolding and sending him back to the underworld.

Seeing that she had seen through his tricks, the man stopped pretending.

He lazily rested his hands behind his head and said, “Since you know, don’t waste time. Just send me back. I’ll cooperate and save you some effort, OK?”

Shi Pengpeng shook her head, “I don’t think that’s OK.”

“What?” The man frowned, “Are you planning to keep me here by force?”

Shi Pengpeng giggled, “Exactly.”

The man glared, “You dare?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Shi Pengpeng’s smile remained, but her eyes carried a hint of mockery, “Even if I send you back, you’ll just return, won’t you? So, I’ll save you some effort too, OK?”

On the way here, Ju Ziyi had mentioned that the experts hired by the homeowner had caught the ghost several times, but as soon as they left, the ghost would reappear.

Causing trouble in a yang residence, even without harming anyone, violated the underworld’s public security regulations.

After being sent back, he should have been detained or monitored by the underworld, making it difficult for him to return to the yang world.

Yet, he had returned multiple times, which was clearly abnormal.

Moreover, he shouldn’t have been able to appear in this house in the first place.

The neighborhood had excellent feng shui and was protected by the local deity.

Unless he was a powerful malevolent spirit, it would be nearly impossible for him to intrude, let alone invade a private residence.

Considering the recent chaos in the underworld caused by the infiltration of the Longevity Island, Shi Pengpeng couldn’t help but suspect that this man had connections in the underworld.

Sending him back so easily would likely result in his return.

Seeing that she wasn’t joking, the man’s expression changed.

He sat up abruptly and said, “You dare to violate the rules of ghost control? Aren’t you afraid of damaging your spiritual lineage?”

“Not afraid,” Shi Pengpeng shrugged, even more nonchalant than him, “Heh, my spiritual lineage is already damaged.”

The man was stunned, “You’re a dark cultivator?!”

He had been so bold because he assumed she was a proper mage who would follow the rules and couldn’t do much to him.

But if he encountered a rogue dark cultivator, the situation would be entirely different.

“Fine, since you’re a dark cultivator, I’ll have to capture you!” The man shouted, taking the initiative.

He pulled out a palm-sized pointed token from his chest and swung it forcefully.

A surge of power erupted, blowing away the yellow talisman stuck to him.

Shi Pengpeng was shocked when she saw the token in his hand, “The Fire Sign Token, you’re an underworld officer?!”

The Fire Sign Token, also known as the Command Arrow or Command Token, was a symbol of authority used by ancient officials.

In the Mystic Sect, it was used to issue commands, primarily for dispatching soldiers, divine officials, and other tasks such as protecting altars and capturing spirits.

Underworld officers who came to the yang world to carry out tasks also carried a Fire Sign Token, representing their status as legitimate law enforcers, similar to a police officer’s badge and ID in the yang world.

For example, the most famous underworld officers in the yang world, the Black and White Impermanence, often depicted in folklore, the White Impermanence is shown holding a Fire Sign Token.

The man who had caused so much trouble in the Yang residence was actually a Yin officer holding the Fire Seal Token!

No, it wasn’t just that…

Shi Pengpeng’s thoughts raced, and in an instant, she unraveled the questions that had been puzzling her.

She said, “You are a living Wuchang.”