After the close call in Longfei City earlier, Xia Zhi's mindset had shifted slightly.
She had always thought herself brave and upright, untouchable by spirits or demons, and therefore safe from harm.
However, this time, she felt a touch of fear and instinctively hid behind Yan Shouyi.
Sensing Xia Zhi's apprehension, Lin Zitong took her hand and placed something into her palm.
Xia Zhi opened her hand to find a palm-sized Bagua mirror.
The mirror was made of copper, with a yellowish surface in the center surrounded by engraved Bagua symbols. The central surface was so discolored it could barely reflect anything.
"Miss Lin, what is this?" Xia Zhi asked.
Lin Zitong replied, "This is our Lushan Sect's Soul-Constraining Mirror. It contains a malevolent spirit on the verge of annihilation. If you encounter any danger, you can shatter the mirror. The spirit inside will rush out and attack all targets except you and me. It can only last for the duration of one incense stick, after which it will also be annihilated."
Upon hearing how powerful and miraculous the mirror was, Xia Zhi gratefully thanked Lin Zitong.
Although she didn't understand these things, she knew the value of the Soul-Constraining Mirror. Lin Zitong's willingness to lend her such a magical artifact for protection spoke volumes about her character.
The Soul-Constraining Mirror was a unique treasure of the Lushan Sect, specifically designed to seal evil spirits who had committed heinous crimes. They were sealed within the mirror at the point of imminent annihilation. When released, the spirits, desperate to survive, would ferociously attack nearby targets. However, due to the mirror's limitations and the unique nature of Lushan Sect disciples, the spirits would not attack the person who shattered the mirror or any Lushan Sect disciples.
Even if the spirit annihilated other lingering souls, it could not bring itself back to life. Its fate was sealed the moment it was imprisoned within the Soul-Constraining Mirror.
Yan Shouyi warned, "Brat, without my permission, you are not to use your spirit-summoning abilities. This building is a mix of many things, and if you summon an ill-intentioned spirit, it will be a major problem."
Lin Zitong tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and, surprisingly, did not argue with Yan Shouyi. "I understand."
Lin Zitong knew very well when to indulge her whims and when to be serious. She was a strong woman, not a pampered princess, and would not act recklessly in inappropriate situations.
As they spoke, the elevator shuddered again, and then the lights went out.
In this confined space, the extinction of the only light source sent their hearts plummeting.
They held their breath, straining their ears for any sound, and heard only a piercing screech – the sound of the poorly maintained elevator doors opening.
The elevator doors opened.
Whatever it was, it was about to enter.
Shh...
Shh...
Shh...
A strange sound, approaching from a distance, slowly reached the elevator entrance.
After a moment of hesitation, the thing entered, or rather, dragged itself in.
The rustling sound was right by their ears, as if someone were breathing on them, making their faces tingle and their hearts grow cold.
Xia Zhi was also extremely nervous. She had a flashlight clipped to her waist, but she didn't dare to turn it on without Yan Shouyi's explicit instruction.
Who knew what was standing beside them? Perhaps it was best not to see its true form.
The elevator doors closed and slowly ascended. After a few jolts, it stopped again.
The familiar sound of doors opening echoed, and the rustling sound receded, growing fainter and fainter.
The air seemed to thicken, making it difficult for the three to breathe. Fortunately, after the entity left, the invisible pressure also dissipated.
The elevator lights flickered a few times and then returned to normal. All three of them let out a collective sigh of relief and then quickly looked at each other.
"Are you alright?" Yan Shouyi asked with concern.
Lin Zitong and Xia Zhi answered in unison, "We're fine."
Xia Zhi then clutched her chest, still shaken. "What was that thing that came in just now?"
Yan Shouyi was also unsure. He was a descendant of Lu Ban, not a ghost catcher, nor did he know every spirit in existence.
Lin Zitong analyzed, "Whatever it was, it was probably just passing by. It didn't want to conflict with us, nor did it want us to see its appearance."
Since no conflict arose, what the entity was no longer seemed so important.
The elevator doors remained open, revealing a long corridor similar to those on the 16th and 17th floors, though now visible. The corridor was in disarray, with newspapers and magazines scattered on the floor, seemingly untouched for years, and thick cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.
"Let's go up quickly."
Xia Zhi said this as she reached to close the elevator doors.
But just as the doors were about to shut.
A shadow, with lightning speed, darted in and lunged directly at Xia Zhi!
Xia Zhi's expression changed. Instinctively, she used a grappling technique, pushing the attacker backward onto the ground, and then pinning their back with her knee.
When she came to her senses, she was horrified. What if the person who rushed in was a ghost?
"Help, help me!"
Hearing the person on the ground speak, they realized that this rash intruder was actually a living human.
Yan Shouyi squatted down, pushed the person's head aside to get a look at their face, and confirmed, "It's a living person. Officer Xia Zhi, please release him."
Xia Zhi quickly let go.
Upon realizing that Yan Shouyi and the others were also alive, the person immediately grabbed Yan Shouyi's leg as they scrambled to their feet:
"Colleague... are you colleagues?!"
"Colleagues? What do you mean?" Yan Shouyi asked, bewildered.
This Ping'an Building was supposed to be devoid of living people. What was this person's situation?
Moreover, they were on the 34th floor, already considered a high-rise area. The spirits on this floor were not to be trifled with!
The person who suddenly barged in was the streamer, Xiao Xiaodao.
Shortly after Yan Shouyi and his companions entered the elevator, Xiao Xiaodao and his group followed, entering another elevator.
Yan Shouyi and the others had been delayed slightly encountering the wardrobe ghost on the 16th and 17th floors, which was why Xiao Xiaodao's group had reached the higher floors first.
Upon reaching the higher floors, the three of them had encountered a series of inexplicable terrifying events and had become separated.
In his panic, Xiao Xiaodao saw the elevator doors open and scrambled in with all his might.
This was how he encountered Yan Shouyi and the others.
Xiao Xiaodao clung to Yan Shouyi's leg, his forehead covered in sweat, his face pale:
"This building is really haunted, truly haunted! Let's stop streaming and go downstairs to call the police!"
Seeing that Xiao Xiaodao couldn't calm down, Yan Shouyi looked at Lin Zitong.
Lin Zitong seemed slightly annoyed by the sudden intruder, but she still acted, tapping Xiao Xiaodao twice on the back. Xiao Xiaodao quickly quieted down.
He felt his body go numb and a strange sense of peace wash over him. Although he was still terrified, his body could no longer tremble.
Yan Shouyi asked in surprise, "Brat, since when do you know acupoint striking?"
"My master taught me," Lin Zitong replied casually.
The Lushan Sect specialized in using magical artifacts to subdue ghosts, while acupoint striking targeted the bodies of living people. Yan Shouyi found it odd, as Lu Jingsheng shouldn't have possessed this skill. How could he have taught it to Lin Zitong?
However, he didn't dwell on the matter and instead grabbed Xiao Xiaodao by the collar. "Who exactly are you?"
Explaining who he was would be a long story. Xiao Xiaodao didn't answer Yan Shouyi's question but instead remembered what Lu Caiwei had said when they encountered her before entering the building.
He immediately asked, "Are you Yan Shouyi?!"
"You know me?" Yan Shouyi frowned.
Xiao Xiaodao quickly said, "When we entered the building, your friend stopped us and said that if we encountered trouble inside, we could ask you for help! Also, she asked me to relay a message: your equipment stopped working after you entered the building!"
Yan Shouyi and the others already knew about the equipment malfunction, but Xiao Xiaodao mentioning it indicated he wasn't lying.
It seemed they had followed them into the building shortly after Yan Shouyi's group had entered.
After Xiao Xiaodao's explanation, Yan Shouyi finally understood their identities. The three of them then looked at Xiao Xiaodao with the same expression Lu Caiwei had given them earlier.
The look of someone courting disaster.
These people were clearly too bored with their lives to come to such a place to tempt fate.
As the saying goes, there are deities three feet above your head; even if you don't believe, you must maintain a sense of reverence, lest you bring misfortune upon yourself.
Seeing that Yan Shouyi and the others were unperturbed, Xiao Xiaodao guessed they were people of substance and immediately pleaded:
"Brother, I'm calling you brother. You clearly are a master with real skills. My girlfriend and my good friend are in an unknown state of life or death. You must help us!"
"You got separated from them?" Yan Shouyi asked.
"Yes!" Xiao Xiaodao nodded frantically.
Yan Shouyi thought for a moment and asked uncertainly, "How was your friend's relationship with your girlfriend?... Is it possible they deliberately left you behind?"
Xiao Xiaodao: "Ah? This..."