I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

“I just find it really strange that we don’t have children.” Li Qingchuan stroked his chin.

"Second Senior Brother, do you see that big locust tree in the yard? Most people don't plant locust trees in their homes, right? When we were in pharmacology class, Uncle Chen said that many older people are superstitious because the Chinese character for locust tree (槐) contains the character for ghost (鬼), which is considered to have heavy yin energy and is not good for feng shui. So they think it's unlucky and won't plant it in their homes."

“Yes, what Junior Sister says is true, but there is also an ancient legend that the locust tree is considered the ‘essence of the spirit star,’ symbolizing smooth farming and wealth. In addition, the locust tree is also associated with folk culture such as judicial proceedings and the auspiciousness of three locust trees, symbolizing the status of high-ranking officials and nobles,” Li Qingchuan added.

"Second Senior Brother, you are so knowledgeable! How come I never realized you were so amazing before?" Wei Ran looked at Li Qingchuan with starry eyes.

An Xin nodded in agreement, saying, "Second Senior Brother, you're amazing! Your mind works so fast!"

Li Qingchuan scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "Hehe! It's not as good as you guys say! But speaking of those who study talismans and formations, none of them are bad-minded. Your Qi Mingxuan, he's really good. Uncle Qiu keeps praising him and even gives him extra tutoring!"

An Xin and Wei Ran both agreed: that guy is cunning and scheming, and he's a medical genius with a sharp mind, so of course he's very smart.

“According to what you’re saying, Senior Brother, the situation here must be what you’re describing. Since they were a prominent family before, it must have been a symbol of high-ranking officials and nobles,” Wei Ran affirmed.

"Let's take another look. By the way, Second Brother, do you know anything about this village?" An Xin asked.

"Oh, I'm not really sure either! After all, I haven't been at the temple for very long. I've only heard my master say that this village is very independent and has a small population. They've never entrusted our temple with anything."

Wei Ran was confused again: "That's not right. Shouldn't a village with such a large family be very prosperous? And compared to other villages, this place is quite wealthy. Wouldn't the surrounding villages be eager to marry into it? Look, Aunt Tian is from another village."

“Yes, that’s my question too. And the bigger the family, the more they believe in feng shui, right? So they should have a good relationship with the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) and frequent interactions.”

"Well, I hadn't even noticed these things until you pointed them out, Junior Sister."

"Second Brother, if their village has no dealings with our Green Mountain Temple, why would they come to report this? Also, was it the village chief who reported it?"

"I didn't receive the report, so I don't know anything about it. Maybe I should contact my senior brother, and if that doesn't work, I can ask Uncle Qiu."

"Okay, then you can make the contact first, I'll go to my room and rest for a bit."

"Okay, see you tonight, junior sister."

"Xinxin, call me if you need anything, and remember to tell me if you're missing anything~" Wei Ran reluctantly escorted An Xin to her room, watched her go inside, waved goodbye, closed the door, and then returned to their own room.

"Xiao Jiu, don't you think that locust tree in the yard is a bit strange? It's not that kind of cold feeling, but rather a faint sadness when you get close to it."

"Yes, Xinxin, you're right, that's definitely the case. This old locust tree has already developed a spirit."

"Xiao Jiu, can you listen to the people here? Since I came to this village, I've had a sense of unease."

"Alright!" Di Ting sat upright on the ground, its ears twitching adorably. But after only a few breaths, its ears snapped back, and it cried out urgently, "No, Xin Xin, there's a big problem here!"

Hearing Di Ting say that, An Xin's unease intensified: "What do you mean?"

“There’s a butcher’s house at the entrance of this village, and the blood and evil energy there is extremely strong. The courtyard at the end of the village that you visited earlier was also filled with resentment and blood and evil energy. There are also many locust trees around the village that absorb yin energy. If I’m not mistaken, someone has set up an array, probably a yin-gathering array. That’s why this yin energy is suppressing my abilities.”

"But I used my third eye during the day, and the courtyard at the end of the village was indeed filled with a strong aura of resentment, but I didn't see any gray mist anywhere else in the village!"

"You didn't see it at the village entrance, did you? Otherwise, you would have seen a heavy aura of bloodlust. Right now, the yin energy is being attracted by the locust trees around the village and hasn't dissipated. Once this formation is truly activated, this yin energy will permeate the entire village."

"Where is the key point of this formation? Wouldn't it be better to just break it?"

"The formation hasn't been truly activated yet, and its power has been weakened, so you can't see it, and you probably can't see it either. But isn't your second senior brother a specialist in this? Tonight, take them around the village and guide them to discover these problems, then have your second senior brother deduce them."

"Well, that's the only way," An Xin replied helplessly. Actually, she really wanted to complain about Di Ting; it always let her down at crucial moments, what good was it? But that was just a complaint. After all, the puppy's companionship and guidance were An Xin's greatest source of security.

..........................................

Thanks to Aunt Tian's warm hospitality, the three children enjoyed a delicious local dinner. Wei Ran patted his stomach, let out a satisfied burp, and slumped in his seat. An Xin pulled him up, saying, "You've eaten too much! Come on, let's go for a walk to digest!"

"Yes, yes, you two go out for a walk, the old man and I will take care of things!"

"Alright, Ran, look, even your older sister said you should get up and walk around."

"Let's go, Ran, I'll go for a walk with you guys too."

"Alright, alright. Thank you for your trouble, Auntie. Let's go for a walk."

And so, the three of them walked out of the courtyard and into the village in a perfectly legitimate manner.

An Xin whispered to Li Qingchuan, "Second Senior Brother, are you using talismans? If so, give them to Third Senior Brother directly. I won't use them; I have my own methods."

"Alright!" Li Qingchuan took out two talismans from his pocket and pressed them onto himself and Wei Ran respectively. He then formed hand seals and chanted incantations. In a short while, the two talismans disappeared into the center of their eyebrows like wisps of green smoke.

"Ok?"

"Okay, that should take about an hour."

“Then let’s walk along the outer edge of the village, towards that small courtyard at the end of the village,” An Xin pointed to the road they were about to take.

There were few streetlights around the village, but for these three people with cheat codes, it wasn't dark at all. After walking for a while, they saw a small locust tree, and after walking for some time, they found that there was a locust tree planted almost every 10 meters around the village, but because these locust trees were so small, they didn't attract much attention.

"Have you noticed that there's a faint, ethereal aura emanating from among these locust trees?"

"I didn't see it, but I could feel the chill." Wei Ran said, moving closer to An Xin.

"Yes, that small courtyard is a little further on. Everyone be careful."

"Alright! Second Senior Brother."

Before even reaching the small courtyard, the howling of ghosts could be heard.

An Xin quickly pulled Li Qingchuan and Wei Ran aside and revealed, "Hey, senior brothers, I have a special skill that can give each of my two companions within 10 meters a protective shield. The shield can protect the person inside from being harmed by ghosts. I'll put it on you in a bit, just don't go more than 10 meters away from me."

Li Qingchuan raised an eyebrow and nodded. Wei Ran, on the other hand, placed his hands on An Xin's shoulders in surprise, looking at her with sparkling eyes: "Xin Xin, how are you so amazing! Is this a protective array or a defensive talisman?"

"This isn't an array or a talisman, it's just my special ability. You can think of it as my superpower." After An Xin finished speaking, she waved her hands, and the three of them were enveloped in a faint halo of light.

Wei Ran looked at himself, then at Li Qingchuan and An Xin, and said excitedly, "It's amazing! This protective shield immediately dispelled the chill all over my body, and it's so warm. It's fantastic!"

“Yes, although this protective shield can protect everyone within a certain range, you should not act rashly. Look, we can see the malevolent energy over there. You can imagine how terrifying that small courtyard must be. This is probably not something that a few of us can handle!” An Xin frowned deeply.

"Okay, then we'll definitely stay close to Junior Sister and not wander off. Shall we go closer and take a look?" Wei Ran asked uncertainly.

"Go take a look, just don't get too close," Li Qingchuan decided after a moment's thought.

The three of them cautiously approached the small courtyard, hid behind a woodpile, and peered into the courtyard.

This yard was clearly different from Uncle Dong's. The yard's walls were dilapidated, with several sections completely damaged, and the walls were not even intact. You could see into the yard through these broken low walls.

“There’s a locust tree in the yard… but why isn’t it blooming?” An Xin muttered to herself softly.

“Not only this locust tree didn’t bloom, but none of the small locust trees we’ve encountered along the way have bloomed either!” Li Qingchuan whispered to An Xin, turning his head slightly.

"But it's the season for locust trees to bloom now, and Uncle Dong's locust tree is in full bloom."

“Xinxin, look, under that locust tree, the soil is emitting two kinds of gas, red and black.”

"Third Senior Brother, this dark red aura is bloodthirsty aura, and the black aura is resentful aura. They're different!"

"Huh? What's the difference between these two?"

"Yes, resentful aura is the aura released by evil ghosts and vengeful spirits. Basically, ghosts and monsters with resentful aura have little reason; they are just killing machines. Bloodthirsty aura is generally found in crime scenes, slaughterhouses, battlefields, and other bloody places. It is the aura of blood and fear."

“Junior Sister is right. And judging from the density of these auras, this must be a crime scene, and there must be many dead people here!”

"But didn't the police come here before and investigate?" Wei Ran asked Li Qingchuan.

"That happened a long time ago. Didn't we come to our Taoist temple because some villagers heard a woman and child crying, and the village chief came to check but found nothing?"

"Could it be because no one has been in this courtyard for a long time, so they killed someone and buried the body here?" An Xin suggested.

"It's possible. By the way, I contacted my senior brother this afternoon, and he verified with Uncle Qiu. He just sent a message saying that this village had indeed never contacted our Taoist temple before, and this time the caller was a woman. One of the monks in our guest hall answered the phone. He said that the other party didn't say who she was, but hurriedly and frightenedly explained the situation, asking our Taoist temple to send someone to Fulin Village to take a look."

"That's strange. Shouldn't the village chief be the one to contact people in this kind of situation? Why is it a woman? Brothers, we can't get any closer now, and I haven't heard any children's or women's voices. Your talisman is about to expire, right? Why don't we go back first, meet with the village chief tomorrow, and then decide on our next move?"