Tales of Folk Feng Shui Mysteries

A flood of chaotic scenes rushed into my mind. My limbs went cold—I couldn't even remember how I'd made it into the room. Behind me, one officer was urgently contacting headquarters, while the other shouted, "Check if she's still alive!"

The sight of blood all over the floor rendered my mind blank. I stumbled after the officers into the inner room.

The five-element array I had set up had been broken; even the central white talisman was soaked in blood. The protective charms on the windows had all been burnt, and the whole place looked like it had been ransacked by bandits.

Inside, both officers gasped sharply. The scene before us was maddening: Shi Yu's parents were lying in pools of blood, stabbed in the chest. The Four Spiritual Charms I had placed were all bloodstained. In the center of the room stood a makeshift wooden rack, and from its crossbeam—made of willow wood—Shi Yu hung in a red wedding dress, a red rope looped through the beam and around her neck.

A metal weight—a scale weight—was tied to her feet.

Red wedding dress. Soul-sinking weight. Earth-nullifying placement. Hanging from a beam. This was a Soul-Binding ritual!

I screamed, eyes flooded with tears:Why?!The Bodhisattva didn't take her—but this vile sorcerer did!

I lunged toward Shi Yu's hanging body, only to be restrained by the officers."Don't move! We have to preserve the scene. Please, be strong," one said.

"I have to check if she can still be saved!" I shouted, struggling.

Despite their efforts to hold me back, I broke free—landing a punch in one officer's eye and kicking the other aside. Seizing the moment, I rushed to Shi Yu and felt her chest.

There it was: a half-exposed silver needle.

A Soul-Extraction Needle.Whoever you are—I'll kill you myself!

Both officers stopped trying to interfere and stood two meters away, trying to talk me down.

Shi Yu's destiny was pure yin, with a naturally yin-formed body, and most rare of all—she had a "Fetal Light Soul."

I finally understood what Tulita's descendant was after. He was trying to steal souls to prolong his life. That "Gege" in the Forbidden Palace once said she shared the same destiny as Shi Yu. Tulita must have tried to extract the soul from her, only to find she had long become part of the dragon's energy—her fetal light soul dissipated years ago.

So he had her help him find another, one with the same fate. Shi Yu.

This was a plot from the very beginning.He had already stolen the essences of eight pure-yang and eight pure-yin men and women to perform a forbidden soul-transference ritual—to become immortal.

Ripping out the silver needle, I lifted Shi Yu onto my back.I won't let you die! Even if she had already entered the gates of hell, I would drag her back.

"Put the body down! Don't be reckless!" the officer warned again.

"Let me go! She's been soul-stolen. If you delay me, she'll be lost forever!" I was near begging.

But the officers still refused, moving in again to stop me.Two hands can't fight four fists—I was quickly subdued. One said, "Calm down! The crime scene is weird, yes, but this might be a trick the killer used to throw us off. It's the 21st century—we don't believe in this ghost stuff."

I gasped, desperate. The longer a soul is outside the body, the harder it is to retrieve. Her Fetal Light Soul was stolen, her Earth Soul—the Shuang Ling—was being weighed down by the metal weight and couldn't descend into the earth, while the willow wood above her blocked soul reentry.

If the Earth Soul entered the ground, it would be too late.

I broke free again, rushed into the kitchen, and yanked the gas pipe loose. A sharp smell of gas filled the house.Thanks to a formation I placed earlier, the windows and doors were all sealed.

As the gas grew stronger, the officers shouted:"You're insane! We're trying to help you catch the real killer!"

"I'm not here to argue. Give her to me—or I'll ignite this place right now!" I pulled out a lighter left by the taxi driver earlier.

"Wait, wait!"

The officers panicked. Covering their mouths with their sleeves, they backed off."Take her! Just take her!" one of them shouted.

I forced them to help me carry Shi Yu outside.With the lighter still in hand, they didn't dare push their luck.

Once clear of the building, I ran wildly for over ten minutes, finally reaching a grove outside the complex.

Because willow trees, locust trees, and banyans hold heavy yin energy, wandering souls often drift toward them. This park was filled with willows—but more importantly, it had a great locust tree.

Her Earth Soul, being detached, would definitely gravitate toward the locust tree—the closest tree that could absorb the soul and guide it back into the ground.

I laid Shi Yu beneath the tree. There was no time left.I ignored the pain, grabbed talismans and formed a Pre-Heaven Eight Trigram Formation around her. On each talisman, I wrote the names of the Eight Trigrams: Qian, Kun, Li, Kan, Zhen, Gen, Dui, Xun.

Then I tied a red string to her middle finger, wrapping the other end around the locust tree three times.

With no candles, I tore off my shirt to make a flame—but clothes burn poorly.Still, I coaxed out a flickering fire and knelt before the tree.

"Spirit of the tree, essence of sun and moon—I beg the Locust Lord to aid me in calling her soul back."

No response.I knelt again, hard, forehead hitting the ground, blood staining the grass.

"I offer my blood for her soul."

Still no sign.

I knelt a third time.

Locust trees are born of the yin—they literally mean "ghost tree."She died hanging, cut off from the Earth. But the soul would instinctively seek out wood, for earth gives birth to wood—and through wood, the soul may return to soil.

And among all trees nearby, this was the closest.

Trees have spirits. Even in the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao was haunted after cutting a pear tree—he dreamt of a long-haired man claiming to be the tree's guardian. This locust tree was no different.

By the ninth bow, I was exhausted.Shi Yu's body grew ever colder.

If rigor mortis set in, even the gods couldn't save her.

In rage, I rose, drew the Seven-Star Sword, and shouted:

"Give me her soul—or I'll cut you down!"

I began hacking at the tree.Then I took out the Dragon-Scented Snake Skin, placing it at the tree's base.

"Hand it over—or I'll destroy your spirit!"

I didn't start with violence because I still needed the tree's help. But if it refused… I had no choice.

Suddenly, from behind the tree, a wrinkled old woman emerged.Her eyes glowed green. She shouted:

"You bastard! This old locust tree helps lost souls find peace—what are you doing hacking at it?!"

Now we knew—she was the tree spirit.

I clasped my hands respectfully.

"Granny, please return my girlfriend's Earth Soul."

"She's dead! What's there to return?!" she snapped.

"I'll save her," I said firmly, locking eyes with her.

"Dead is dead! You young people are reckless. If everyone acted like you, the world would be chaos!" she turned to leave.

But Shi Yu must not die.Her life was stolen, not destined to end—I still had a chance.

There are things scarier than death—like losing the one you love most.

I drew the sword and stabbed myself in the abdomen, avoiding vital organs.Blood oozed.

A taoist's blood is laced with yang energy—it has killing power.

Gritting my teeth, I said:

"Return her soul—or I'll sever your root!"

I stabbed the Seven-Star Sword into the ground.The old woman screamed:

"You'll be punished for this! You will suffer divine retribution!"

"Her soul's been gone less than an hour. Don't tell me she's already in the underworld. Bring her back—now!"

"Take the sword away! Let's talk!" she cried. "I'm old, I can't take this kind of stress…"

I eased my breath and covered my wound to avoid losing too much yang energy.

After I pulled out the sword, she disappeared behind the tree.

Then, the locust leaves rustled, the fiber fire grew larger, and the talismans around the Eight Trigram Array began to glow—like stars responding to the moon and sun.

The red string wrapped around the tree glowed silver—like water droplets—and slowly slithered back toward Shi Yu's hand.

When it finally entered her finger, I exhaled deeply—her Earth Soul had returned.

Her breathless body began to rise and fall—she was breathing again.Her cold skin regained warmth.

I knelt beside her, smiling:

"Don't worry. That evil master and the Gege—I'll make sure they die horribly."

I had full confidence. Why?

Because the Celestial Master Token was taken from me—That evil sorcerer must have realized its power and regarded it as treasure.But that token belonged to the Three Mao True Lords—it's not something anyone can just claim.

I crouched, catching my breath—

Then I heard the sound of police sirens wailing behind me.