Seeing the big black rat's sudden move, I immediately realized something was wrong.
I stopped immediately and then lowered my voice, saying,
"Brother Rat, are you saying those buildings are where the malevolent spirit is hiding?"
As I spoke, Mo Ting, standing beside me, also became alert.
He hunched his body and peeked forward.
This big black rat was intelligent and could understand me.
Hearing me finish, it squeaked twice at me and then nodded.
Seeing this, my expression slightly darkened.
I spoke very quietly to Mo Ting beside me,
"Old Mo, it seems we've found the place."
Mo Ting took out a Feng Shui compass and moved it left and right a few times.
But it was evident that no matter which direction he turned it,
the compass needle pointed towards those dilapidated old buildings.
Mo Ting put away the compass, but he became excited at this moment.
He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes shining, and said excitedly,
"That's right, the ghoul must be inside.
With the will to charge and no thought of retreat.
Brother Qin, let me go first!"
With that! Mo Ting directly drew his peach wood sword from its sheath,
and was about to rashly charge forward.
Others feared ghosts, but Mo Ting was the opposite.
Not only was he not afraid, but he actually got excited when encountering such things.
Seeing his "rashness," I quickly grabbed him,
"Old Mo, don't be hasty. Let's observe first and get a clear understanding of the surrounding terrain.
Prepare an escape route. If we can't handle it, we can still flee."
I remembered my master's words and maintained my composure at all times.
Mo Ting, hearing me say this, slapped his forehead abruptly,
"Sorry, I got excited.
I'm fine. Last time I dealt with the wood spirit.
Master gave me a life-saving charm for protection."
I nodded. He had a life-saving charm, but I didn't.
I simply took out a black string from my pocket, adorned with eight small bells.
My master had given this to me this afternoon.
The string was woven from black dog hair and ink-line, a type of magical artifact.
My master said it had been soaked in black dog blood and possessed the ability to restrain malevolent spirits.
Yin beings couldn't touch this thing.
As long as this string was used to create a few loops nearby, ideally in a Bagua formation,
this would form a Bagua array and maximize its effectiveness.
Whether it was used to trap the ghoul or to escape, it would have good results.
This way, we could attack when advancing and defend when retreating.
We had many magical artifacts in our line of work, and Mo Ting didn't recognize this black string.
He asked me what it was and what its effects were.
I then spoke in a low voice,
"My master said this string is called the 'Town Evil Rope'. It's woven from black dog hair and ink-line, and soaked in black dog blood.
We'll draw a Bagua formation here later, leaving a gap.
If we can't defeat it, we can lure the thing in, temporarily trapping the ghoul inside.
This will give us time to escape.
Conversely, we can also use this to restrict the thing,
confining it within and finding an opportunity to kill the malevolent spirit..."
I roughly explained the effects of the "Town Evil Rope."
After listening, Mo Ting nodded repeatedly,
"Okay, I see a relatively wide area ahead. Let's draw the Bagua diagram there."
After a brief whispered discussion with Mo Ting, we decided to proceed.
However, at this moment, I realized that the big black rat that had guided me earlier had vanished without a trace at some point.
We looked around, but the area backed onto the mountainside, and there were many weeds and shrubs, so we didn't see it.
Finally, we stopped thinking about the big black rat.
After all, it was just a guide, and I hadn't expected much more help from it.
Then, we cautiously moved forward.
We hid about ten meters ahead.
This was still about fifteen or sixteen meters from the first old house.
After observing for a while and finding no movement around the old house,
I quietly used the Town Evil Rope in my hand to create a Bagua array of about seven or eight square meters in place.
Each corner was secured with a wooden stake to ensure the stability of the rope and for camouflage.
And a gap was left at the front to facilitate the smooth entry of the ghoul...
After completing these preparations, Mo Ting and I hid for a while longer.
After confirming it was safe, we began to approach again, preparing for a surprise attack.
However, as soon as we got within ten meters of the old houses, Mo Ting and I felt a distinct chill.
Since we didn't know which old house the malevolent spirit was in,
we had to check them one by one.
At this moment, we both held our peach wood swords and crept forward like thieves.
Even our breathing was kept very low, very low,
fearing that any unnecessary sound or heavy breathing would attract the attention of the malevolent spirit.
Approaching the first old house, I slowly poked out half my head to look inside the window.
The room was dark, but I could still see the situation inside.
It was empty, and there was no feeling of Yin wind blowing out.
Soon, we ruled out this old house.
There were two more old houses ahead.
So, we continued to probe and search.
Soon, we reached the broken wall of the second old house.
This house had collapsed halfway, and you could see the whole interior at a glance.
It was also empty, and we saw nothing.
So, now only the last tiled old house remained.
That child-eating malevolent spirit should be hiding inside...