"Woo…" A sudden gust of wind howled through, and the door slammed shut with a loud "bang," sending a cold sweat down my back. But wait—this door was lying crooked on the ground earlier! How could the wind possibly make it swing shut? What the heck is going on? If this isn't proof there's a ghost here, then I don't know what is. I was so scared I nearly wet my pants.
"Y-Yan Xiaoning… Wh-what's happening here?" I stammered out.
"The female ghost is underground. She used her enchantment to lure you inside. That's why, when you snapped out of it, you couldn't see her anymore. But now, we're stuck. Either you use a Goldlight Talisman and chant to hold her off until dawn, or…" Xiaoning's voice trailed off.
"Or what?" I asked, curious yet apprehensive.
"Or, you find the entrance to the Death Gate and descend into the underground palace!"
"Underground palace?" I was completely shocked. "There's an underground palace in this deserted village?"
"What I mean by an underground palace is a tomb—a burial chamber teeming with restless spirits. I suspect your little friend is down there. Judging by the scene in the photograph, it looks very much like a burial chamber."
The thought that Xiaoxiang might be down there made me forget about waiting until dawn. I quickly asked Xiaoning where to find the Death Gate. But before I could finish my sentence, she exploded with frustration: "Are you a complete idiot? How many times have I taught you? Can't you just use your brain to figure it out yourself?"
Ugh. Fine. To be fair, she had taught me quite a lot about Mao Shan mysticism, including elements of Qimen Dunjia (an ancient Chinese metaphysical art). I racked my brain, trying to recall her teachings.
Based on the southeastern direction we entered the village, the northwestern path I followed, and the overall layout of the place, this area should correspond to the Death Gate.
Qimen Dunjia consists of three components: the Qi (Three Marvels: Yi, Bing, Ding), the Men (Eight Gates: Rest, Life, Wound, Blockade, View, Death, Shock, and Open), and the Dunjia (Six Hidden Armor). Determining the precise location of the gates requires aligning the Heaven Plate, Earth Plate, and Human Plate, involving the Nine Palaces and Bagua, as well as the River Chart and Luo Book. It's crazy complicated. I spent over a month studying it before, and I still barely scraped by.
But somehow, in this moment, the mental gears clicked into place. I envisioned a rotating diagram in my mind, with the Nine Palaces and Bagua positions marked, along with the Three Marvels and Six Armor. As the plates rotated, I pinpointed the Death Gate's location—it was right beneath the rocking chair!
Excitedly, I rushed to move the rocking chair, only to have Xiaoning shout at me in alarm: "Wait! Don't touch that chair! Moving it will disrupt the arrangement of the Bagua and Nine Palaces, trapping you in this room forever. And anyway, barging into the Death Gate like this is the surest way to get yourself killed."
Damn it! Couldn't you have told me sooner? Scratching my head, I asked, "So, what should I do?"
Xiaoning explained, "Every gate leads to the underground palace, but the Rest, Life, and Open Gates—being auspicious—are likely sealed. Ideally, you'd enter through a lucky gate and exit through a bad one, but we're left with no choice but to go through the Death Gate. That means you'll need to use a summoning ritual to call forth a ghost to help open the Death Gate and clear the malicious energy. Then, you must seal your spiritual channels with your own yang blood to avoid being corrupted by ghostly energy. Simple as that."
"Oh, simple, is it?" I muttered. Still, I had no better option, so I clasped my hands in a lotus seal and chanted, activating the Summoning Spirit Path. Soon enough, I had summoned three female ghosts. Their disheveled hair and glowing green eyes made them look especially creepy.
In the Spirit Path, you can negotiate with the minions of the City God's temple, but with these wild ghosts, it's better to command them outright. If they refuse to obey, you can chant to torment them within the Spirit Path itself.
Of course, that depends on their rank. A high-level ghost like Feng Lan, for example, wouldn't even flinch. But these three low-grade spirits were clearly pushovers. I didn't bother with pleasantries. "Listen up. You three are to open the Death Gate and disperse the yin energy within the death zone. Now, go!"
Though their faces were filled with reluctance, they nodded and complied. Satisfied, I released them back into the mortal realm.
Thinking back, I realized that I could have summoned them earlier to deal with that zombie and saved myself the humiliation of begging Xiaoning for help. But then again, given my current abilities, I'd have been out of my depth if those spirits hadn't been cooperative. Like it or not, I still needed Xiaoning.
A few moments later, the rocking chair fell still, and the oppressive atmosphere in the room lightened considerably. Xiaoning smirked. "Not bad. Those ghosts you summoned got the job done. The Death Gate is open. Now, move the chair and find the mechanism."
I pushed the rocking chair aside, revealing a slab of stone flooring beneath. I knelt down and knocked on it. A hollow sound echoed back. Beneath this slab lay a hidden chamber. Pressing on the stone, it shifted with a soft click, revealing a square opening just wide enough for a person to fit through.
Shining my headlamp into the opening, I could see that the drop was at least seven or eight meters—easily high enough to break a leg or worse. And, as expected of the Death Gate, there were no ladders or ropes to descend safely.
"Scared?" Xiaoning asked mockingly.
"Of course, I'm scared! If you were still alive, would you jump from a third-floor window without thinking twice?" I retorted.
"Actually, that's exactly how I died," she shot back smugly. "I jumped from the third floor and smashed myself to pieces. Unlike you, I wasn't a coward."
What the heck? So she committed suicide by jumping? But now wasn't the time for questions. "Fine, so how do I get down there?"
"Just close your eyes and jump. I'll take care of the rest," she said, clearly enjoying herself.
I wasn't convinced. "Don't mess this up, okay? If I die, I swear I'll haunt you forever."
She snorted. "Haunt me? You wish. You don't even qualify."
Argh! Can't you give me a shred of dignity? With no other options, I shut my eyes and jumped into the abyss.
As I fell, I realized—too late—that Xiaoning wasn't doing anything to slow me down. I plummeted straight down, screaming, "You bastard!"
Just before I hit the ground, my body flipped midair, and I landed on my feet like a gymnast sticking a perfect landing.
Heart pounding, I clutched my chest. "You psycho! You nearly killed me!"
"What did you just call me?" Xiaoning asked sharply.
"Nothing, nothing! I was cursing the person who designed this damn Death Gate…"
My words were cut short as my hand, seemingly of its own accord, pinched my crotch hard enough to bring tears to my eyes.
"Ah! You're vicious! You keep finding new ways to torture me!"
"Shh," Xiaoning hissed. "Quiet! If you wake the Ghost King slumbering in this underground palace, you'll never make it out alive."
"G-Ghost King?" My voice trembled as I scanned my surroundings.
The chamber was about twenty square meters, bare except for a heavy stone door directly ahead. At that moment, the door began to creak ominously as it slowly swung open…