Chapter 008 The House Has Issues

"Ah! Let me go, let go of Da Jin! What have you done to him?" The old man lying on the bed was twisted with rage, struggling fiercely.

Uncle Li cried out in alarm, then, ignoring the unconscious boy, pressed both hands onto the old man's forehead.

The old man flailed his arms and kicked with all his strength, nearly breaking free from Uncle Li's grip.

It should be known that Uncle Li’s skill was by no means ordinary. He could easily restrain two people at once. Earlier, the boy hadn’t been tied up, yet despite his frantic struggle, Uncle Li subdued him with just one hand.

This was no simple feat—if it had been ordinary folk, it would have taken two strong men.

"Uncle Wang, help—" I called.

But before I could even finish, Uncle Wang was already at my side, rushing forward with swift steps, pinning the old man on the sofa with hands and feet.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“What are you doing?”

“What… what’s happening here?”

At that moment, Gu Xiaogang returned carrying a bag of salt. He saw the child lying motionless on the floor and the old man frantically struggling. He shouted in panic.

“Stop shouting! Step aside!” I had no time to explain. Waving my hand and barking at him, I limped quickly to the sofa.

From the jade box, I drew out a talisman and quickly recited an incantation.

“Lin!”

With a low shout, I slapped the talisman onto the old man's chest.

“Ah!” As the talisman landed, the old man let out a wild howl, then his body sank and lay still.

“Pfft…” No sooner had the old man calmed, Uncle Li spat a mouthful of blood, his body trembling so much he could barely remain seated.

“Li!” Uncle Wang cried, releasing the old man and reaching out to steady Uncle Li.

“Uncle Li, are you alright?” I hurriedly asked.

“Uh…” Uncle Li seemed to force down a surge of energy and blood, then weakly shook his head at me.

“Uncle Li, you should rest. I’ll take care of what comes next,” I said.

Turning, I glanced at the incense burner nearby. The nine sticks of Yin Luo incense had already burned halfway in the short time that had passed. Nine wisps of blue smoke twisted together, spiraling upward.

“The situation is more complicated than I thought.” Though I had told Uncle Li I’d handle things, inwardly I was troubled.

Truth be told, I’d felt confident at first. I thought two talismans would suffice, but clearly things had gone beyond my expectations.

Judging from what had happened, this was no simple case of demonic possession.

“Um… Master… Young sir, how are my son and father?” Gu Xiaogang asked, timidly stepping in front of me.

“They’ll be alright, won’t they?”

“Please, you must save them!” Gu Xiaogang pleaded, anxious yet polite.

I knew he was desperate, so I took a steadying breath and spoke gently, “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best. Now hurry and gather the things I asked for!”

“Oh… Thank you so much!” He was deeply worried, but still respectful.

I nodded, looking at the old man lying on the sofa, then at the boy on the floor—my confidence was waning.

“Uncle Li, are you feeling better? Can you tell me what happened before?” Seeing Uncle Li recover a little, I quickly asked.

I had several guesses, but I needed to clarify the events to be sure of what I was dealing with.

“I’m alright… Here’s what happened…” Uncle Li exhaled deeply and began.

He told me that the old man on the sofa was Gu Xiaogang’s father. Everything had been fine, but at lunch, the old man suddenly went mad—crying, laughing, rolling on the floor. He scolded everyone in the house in the voice and mannerisms of Gu Xiaogang’s late mother.

Everyone was terrified, convinced that the old man was possessed by her restless spirit.

“Yes, exactly! The voice was different, but his way of speaking and gestures were just like my late mother,” Gu Xiaogang added, still shaken.

I nodded and asked Uncle Li, “And then?”

Before he could answer, Gu Xiaogang continued, “Then we got Uncle Li’s number and called him over.”

Uncle Li responded, “When I arrived, I easily restrained him and forced the spirit out. But just as I did, his son suddenly went wild, like a rabid dog, and lunged at me, trying to bite.”

He paused to cough, then went on.

The boy attacked like a vicious dog. The old man, just calmed, erupted again, trying to hit Uncle Li.

Luckily, Uncle Li’s skill was strong enough to subdue both, but he could only hold them, not let go. Trapped like that, he had Gu Shiping call Uncle Wang, hoping I could come help.

“That’s when you arrived,” Uncle Li finished.

I nodded, then thought for a while before turning to Uncle Wang. “Uncle Wang, take Uncle Li to the car so he can rest.”

Just as I spoke, Gu Xiaogang interjected, “There’s a bed in another room—let Uncle Li rest there!”

I waved him off, “No. Not just him—everyone needs to leave the house for now. No one can stay here. Have some people help move your father and son outside.”

“Ah? But… why?” Gu Xiaogang stared at me, frightened.

“I’ll explain later. Get moving,” I said.

Uncle Wang had already helped Uncle Li up, and I picked up my compass, leaning on my cane as I headed outside.

As we left, we ran into Gu Shiping, who had just finished placing the incense.

“All the incense is set,” he said.

“Good. Help move the others outside—and bring my bag,” I replied.

Gu Shiping nodded and went to help Gu Xiaogang.

The rest of the Gu family soon returned. Together, they quickly moved the old man and the boy outside, placing them on two recliners with quilts beneath.

Uncle Wang took Uncle Li to rest in the car, then returned to my side. “Wei, what now?” he asked quietly.

“My foot hurts—help me a bit. Let’s inspect the house,” I whispered.

Uncle Wang nodded and supported me.

After hearing Uncle Li’s account, I had a rough idea of what was going on. Now, I needed to confirm my suspicions.

With compass in hand, I circled the Gu house, occasionally glancing at the incense Gu Shiping had placed.

After the circuit, we returned to the front door.

“So… is there a problem?” Gu Xiaogang asked.

I sighed softly and asked, “Your house was built just over a year ago, wasn’t it?”

Gu Xiaogang nodded, “Yes. Is there something wrong?”

Instead of answering, I continued, “Did you demolish the old house and build this one on the same foundation?”

“Uh… yes, that’s right!” He recalled.

“One more thing—was there a pit in the foundation when you were building? Did you fill it with sand and gravel?” I pressed.

“Hiss… Yes! How did you know?” Gu Xiaogang gasped, astonished.

“Did your mother pass away after moving into the new house?” I asked, ignoring his question.

“Yes, that’s right!” He looked at me with awe and surprise.

“After the house was built, before anyone moved in, did a snake or a weasel come inside?” I asked again.

“Oh my god! Yes, a snake got in before the house was furnished. I killed it and threw it away—and only I know about it! How could you possibly know?” Gu Xiaogang stared at me in shock.