"But... how do we find it?"
The girl, Wang Jing, looked puzzled and a bit worried, afraid that Xiao Mu would use her as bait to lure out the Starving Ghost.
If that was the case, she doubted her courage to carry out the plan.
Fortunately, Xiao Mu had no such intentions, "You can show me around this building. If there's an evil spirit hiding somewhere, I'll be able to sense it."
This was not a boast from Xiao Mu. Having cultivated the Xuanmen Zhenggang, his strong intuition enabled him to detect the presence of any evil entity within a certain range.
"Alright."
Wang Jing breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as she wasn't being used as bait for the Starving Ghost, she wouldn't be too fearful.
In fact, knowing that Xiao Mu was a mage made her feel more secure than before. After all, should anything happen, wouldn't Xiao Mu take care of it?
This was the advantage of having a broad perspective. As someone who had received higher education and exposed to various ghost stories and horror films, she was indeed far more calm and accepting than those who didn't read or watch movies. At least, she wouldn't panic over trivial things.
"Let's go."
Xiao Mu urged.
So the girl led Xiao Mu through the entire building, starting from the first floor and gradually moving upwards.
The building was not tall. The rented apartments only occupied up to the fifth floor, the sixth floor was a duplex occupied by the landlord.
According to Wang Jing, the landlord was a woman in her sixties named Chen, known as Aunt Chen. She lived alone as a widow. While she wasn't the most pleasant person, she wasn't particularly bad either. She was usually cold and rarely interacted with her tenants.
Floor by floor, they searched all the way up to the fifth floor, but Xiao Mu found nothing.
However, when they arrived at the door leading to the sixth floor, Xiao Mu suddenly felt a chill.
The temperature here seemed to have dropped by more than a few degrees.
It should be warmer on the higher floors under the shining sun, why was the temperature lower here instead?
Something was wrong!
The Starving Ghost must be on the sixth floor, in the landlord's house.
"Knock on the door!"
Xiao Mu commanded Wang Jing in a deep voice.
"Oh...okay!"
Wang Jing quickly detected Xiao Mu's abnormality and grew nervous.
"Knock Knock Knock!"
Wang Jing knocked on the security door.
"Who is it?"
An old woman's voice.
"Aunt Chen, it's me. Can you let me in? I have something to discuss."
Wang Jing politely asked.
"Xiao Wang, it's you."
A plump, sixty-something woman in loose silk clothes came out from inside and recognized Wang Jing.
"Yes, Aunt Chen, it's me. Can you open the door? I need to talk to you about something."
Wang Jing smiled at the old woman.
Aunt Chen didn't think much and opened the door right away.
Xiao Mu and Wang Jing both went inside.
The old woman was taken aback, staring at Xiao Mu, "And who might this be?"
"This is Brother Mu, a friend I invited."
Wang Jing introduced.
"Aunt Chen, hello, you can call me Little Mu."
Xiao Mu wore a congenial smile on his face, but his eyes never left Aunt Chen.
Having cultivated the Xuanmen Zhenggang, Xiao Mu was different from ordinary people. He could not only sense what normal people could not, but also see what normal people could not see.
To him, Aunt Chen was clearly surrounded by a black aura. This was a Ghost Qi, an aura that only appeared when in contact with ghosts.
Ghost Qi, also known as Yin Qi, depleted one's vitality. Once in contact, it would reduce a person's lifespan.
"Oh! Little Mu."
Aunt Chen made a forced smile at Xiao Mu, then turned to Wang Jing, "Xiao Wang, what's the matter?"
"Auntie, here's the thing."
Wang Jing recounted her recent experiences, including Xiao Mu's assessment, telling Aunt Chen that a Starving Ghost was currently lurking in this building. She explained that Xiao Mu was a mage she had specifically invited to help get rid of the Starving Ghost.
Upon hearing this, a strange expression crossed Aunt Chen's face.
She didn't disbelieve Wang Jing. Given how the whole world was changing, with information about supernatural incidents being widely circulated, she just couldn't believe that the evil spirit would be in her own home.
With a gentle refusal, she said, "Since you, Xiao Wang, have encountered it, you and Mage Mu should go catch it. I won't mind."
Having said that, she decided to usher Wang Jing and Xiao Mu out, reaching out to close the security door.
Wang Jing looked at Xiao Mu. She'd run out of things to say.
With sincerity, Xiao Mu said: "Aunt Chen, Wang Jing and I came from the ground floor all the way here, and it was not until your home that I found something strange. Now I can confirm that the Starving Ghost is hiding in your home. May I take a look inside?"
Aunt Chen showed a hint of resistance, "Hiding in my home, er... Little Mu, you must not speak carelessly."
Xiao Mu smiled gently, "I'll just take a quick look and leave."
Wang Jing followed up, "Yes, Aunt Chen, there's no harm in letting Master Mu take a look, is there? It won't cause any loss to you anyway. What if there really is something in your house? What will you do if it harms you after we leave?"
"Well... alright."
Aunt Chen was originally hesitant, but after hearing what Wang Jing said, she immediately agreed and invited Xiao Mu and Wang Jing into her home.
As she led the way, she started to say, "There won't be any Starving Ghosts here. You must have made a mistake. If there really was one, wouldn't I have been the first victim? Why did it target Xiao Wang first instead?"
Aunt Chen was still resistant to the idea of a Starving Ghost in her house. What she said seemed to make sense.
Xiao Mu didn't argue. He just followed Aunt Chen into the room.
Once inside, the eerie feeling intensified. Xiao Mu couldn't help but to actively seek out its source.
He started by following Aunt Chen, but eventually he took the lead, with Aunt Chen and Wang Jing following closely behind.
Xiao Mu headed directly towards one of the rooms. Even before entering, he had already sensed a strong Yin Qi from inside the room.
Without a doubt, the Starving Ghost was in this room.
"Wait... Little Mu, you can't go in there. You can't."
Aunt Chen panted as she ran after him, blocking Xiao Mu from entering the room.
"Auntie, what's in this room?"
Xiao Mu asked with a serious expression on his face.
"Yes, Aunt Chen, why won't you let Brother Mu in?"
Wang Jing also inquired.
Aunt Chen stood in front of the room, shaking her head, "There's nothing here, there're definitely no Starving Ghosts here."
"As for what's in this room, well, it's my husband's spirit tablet, not your so-called Starving Ghost."
"I know my husband, if you really want to find a Starving Ghost, you should look somewhere else. There's nothing in this room."