The group stopped to look at the artificial lake and the old, dilapidated dormitory.
Duan Tiankui's comment made everyone rethink the feng shui of the area.
Principal Qin, puzzled, asked, "Mr. Duan, what is a Scythe Curse?"
Duan Tiankui glanced at his granddaughter.
The young girl blinked her bright, lively eyes and spoke confidently, "Principal Qin, from this angle, doesn't the lake resemble a scythe with its curved shape?"
Everyone followed her delicate finger's direction.
"When sunlight reflects off the water, it creates a shine that makes the 'scythe' appear sharp and polished," she continued.
"Now look at those old buildings across the lake. They're situated just outside the curve of the scythe, with its blade seemingly ready to strike them at any moment."
"In feng shui, this setup is called a Scythe Curse. Those old buildings are in the path of the scythe's blade. The closer you are to the scythe, the more intense the negative energy. At best, it causes bad luck or illness; at worst, it endangers lives."
Principal Qin stood on his toes, examining the scene closely. His eyes widened.
"It does look just as you described! So all the tragedies in the old campus could be due to this feng shui issue?"
The dormitory closest to the "blade" was none other than the infamous haunted building where lives had been lost year after year.
Lu Fei silently nodded in agreement.
The artificial lake was surrounded by greenery, and spotting the Scythe Curse required standing in just the right spot.
Back when he was a student, he rarely ventured near this area. While he had felt uneasy around the old campus, he hadn't recognized the exact problem.
Duan Tiankui, the most renowned feng shui master in Jiang City, lived up to his reputation. Even his young granddaughter could pinpoint the key issue with one glance.
The Scythe Curse was one of the most dangerous feng shui phenomena, and given how sharp this "scythe" appeared, it was no wonder the haunted building claimed lives so frequently.
"I'd guess feng shui is only part of the issue. That dormitory has seen too many deaths. The heavy resentment and yin energy make it even worse," Duan Lingyue chimed in.
"Can the curse be resolved?" Principal Qin asked worriedly.
"The solution is simple," Duan Lingyue explained. "You'd need to place a fishpond filled with auspicious goldfish or koi at the reverse curve of the scythe. Then hang Bagua Mirrors at the entrances of the affected buildings and plant broad-leaved trees around them."
"You're so young yet so knowledgeable! Truly impressive!" Principal Qin praised her with a thumbs-up.
"It's nothing, really. She still has much to learn," Duan Tiankui said humbly, though his pride in his granddaughter was evident.
Lu Fei couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
"If Grandpa were still alive, how great would it be to go hunting for cursed items together?"
At the Haunted Dormitory
The group crossed the small bridge and arrived at the foot of the old dormitory.
It was a sunny day, with bright light streaming down.
Yet the old building, surrounded by lush trees, still emanated an oppressive, eerie darkness.
At Principal Qin's order, the guards unlocked the door. A cold, damp air immediately rushed out, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
The group entered the building.
The rooms were all empty, with only rusted bunk beds left behind. Dust and fallen leaves covered the floor, and cobwebs hung in every corner. The place felt utterly desolate.
"This building was abandoned ten years ago, but the deaths started four years ago," Principal Qin said uneasily, glancing around. He had felt a chill down his spine ever since they entered.
"That year, a young couple snuck into the dormitory to have some privacy."
"At some point, they got into an argument. The boy, in a fit of rage, stabbed the girl to death and hid her body in one of the rooms before fleeing."
"When the girl's body was discovered, it had decayed beyond recognition. Strangely, her hair had continued to grow."
"Since that incident, deaths have occurred here every year," Principal Qin said with a heavy sigh.
Though he was a staunch atheist, he had dismissed the early suicides as coincidences and the ghost stories as baseless rumors.
But as the deaths continued, his faith in reason began to waver. After this year's double fatalities, he had no choice but to seek help from experts.
"Her hair?" Lu Fei's heart skipped a beat. He asked, "Principal Qin, did the girl have long hair?"
"Her hair originally only reached her shoulders. But by the time her body was found, it had grown down to her waist. It was very unsettling," Principal Qin replied with a frown.
As they spoke, the group arrived at Room 404, the room where the body had been hidden.
"What heavy yin energy!"
The skinny Daoist priest peeked inside, raising an eyebrow.
"A girl murdered by someone she trusted would harbor immense resentment. The posthumous hair growth is a manifestation of that resentment. The longer the hair, the stronger the resentment," he explained.
Lu Fei looked into the room. Faint black mist filled the air, and the walls were damp, with patches of mold peeling off. Occasionally, water droplets trickled down the corners.
Such heavy yin energy indicated extreme resentment.
"Amitabha!" The portly monk clasped his hands with a sorrowful expression. "If that girl is the source, exorcising her will restore peace to the school."
Duan Tiankui added, "Master Tianyuan, Master Kudeng, I am not skilled in exorcism. I leave this task to you two. During your work, I will set up a feng shui array outside to assist."
"With Master Duan's array aiding us, the task will be much smoother," the Daoist and monk agreed, discussing their plans.
It was clear they didn't consider Lu Fei part of their equation. Perhaps, like Duan Lingyue, they saw him as a junior here to observe and learn.
Lu Fei didn't mind and instead focused on a troubling thought:
If the girl was the source of the haunting, why were there so many long-hair ghosts in the dormitory?
Could it be that the later victims also carried unresolved grievances, causing their hair to grow endlessly?
If so, which ghost had killed Guo Haitao?
And what about the "girlfriend" that had lured him into the dormitory?
After pondering for a moment, Lu Fei decided there was no need to overthink.
"If I can't figure out who's responsible, I'll just eliminate them all."
Preparations Begin
The group quickly got to work.
Duan Tiankui and his granddaughter set up a feng shui array outside the building, planting small flags at strategic points to form a Bagua Array. This would weaken the dormitory's yin energy.
Once the array was complete, the oppressive aura around the building noticeably lessened.
Meanwhile, Master Tianyuan and Master Kudeng prepared for the exorcism inside.
With nothing else to do, Lu Fei and Tiger wandered around the dormitory, inspecting the surroundings.
The old campus, abandoned for years, had become overgrown with wild vegetation.
Creeping vines covered the building's exterior, their dense growth resembling thick strands of hair draped over its walls.