Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Feng Xiaolu's smile froze instantly. She turned on speakerphone, and Mr. Wang's terrified and anxious voice echoed in the room.

"It's gotten worse?" Feng Xiaolu glanced at Chen Anran subconsciously, her voice slightly weak. "President Wang, please don't rush, tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"

"It's no use!" Mr. Wang practically shouted into the phone, with the faint sounds of others discussing in the background. "As you said, the glutinous rice was spilled, and the doors and windows were ventilated! But last night, there were not only crying sounds from that building, but also the sound of things being smashed! This morning, a brave worker tried to go in and check, but he came running out as soon as he reached the second floor, saying he saw a pair of green eyes staring at him and smelled rotten flesh! Master Feng, Master Chen, you have to think of something!"

Feng Xiaolu's heart pounded with anxiety. She had initially been certain it was a natural phenomenon or a psychological effect, but now the description sounded increasingly suspicious. She forced herself to remain calm: "Mr. Wang, perhaps the impurity is quite stubborn and requires a more thorough ritual. Don't panic, my senior brother and I will discuss it and get back to you."

After hanging up the phone, Feng Xiaolu's face lost much of its color. She looked at Chen Anran, her tone no longer relaxed but instead filled with panic: "Junior Brother... something seems a little off."

Chen Anran frowned slightly.

Could it be as I thought, that as spiritual energy gradually recovers, some previously dormant "things" are beginning to become active again?

"Senior sister," Chen Anran said, "how about we go again?"

"Go again?" Feng Xiaolu felt a chill run down her spine. She genuinely felt that there might be something beyond the ordinary hidden in that building, and she hesitated. "What if there really is something...? Is our mediocre cultivation enough to handle it? Should we go and invite a real Taoist priest over?"

Chen Anran looked at Feng Xiaolu's usually bright eyes, which were now filled with unease, and smiled gently, feeling confident.

After so many days, the glutinous rice for warding off evil and the thousand-year-old wooden sword for warding off evil had long since evolved. With these two items, Chen Anran had nothing to fear.

The revival of spiritual energy has only just begun, and Chen Anran doesn't believe that evil creatures that even a thousand-year-old exorcising wooden sword can't deal with will immediately appear in this world.

Chen Anran pretended to rummage through her luggage, then steadily took out the seemingly ordinary peach wood sword, turned to look at Feng Xiaolu, and said with a slight smile, "With this peach wood sword, what is there to fear?"

"Junior brother! What time is it and you're still joking!" Feng Xiaolu jumped up and down in a panic, her heels clattering rapidly on the floor. "That broken wooden sword of yours cost me twenty yuan! What good is it?!"

Chen Anran simply smiled slightly and gently shook the peach wood sword in his hand. At this moment, although the appearance of the peach wood sword had not changed drastically from before, upon closer inspection, the wood grain seemed to be more delicate and profound, faintly revealing a layer of warm luster, and it felt warm to the touch, as if it contained some kind of restrained spirituality.

Item: Millennium Evil-Repelling Wooden Sword

Status: Evolution complete

"Effect: Contains pure Yang energy to ward off evil, and has a significant restraining and killing effect on Yin evil and filth."

Chen Anran didn't offer any further explanation, but simply took Feng Xiaolu's slightly cold hand and led her towards the door.

"Let's go, don't be afraid with your junior brother here."

Feng Xiaolu wanted to cry but had no tears.

Yes, you have a great image, but we know each other inside and out. No matter how ethereal your appearance is, you're still just an ordinary person...

"If it's not a ghost, and it's just those rats causing trouble in the pipes again, we can try to fool them again," Feng Xiaolu tried to make a last-ditch effort. "But what if... what if there really is something sinister? Our little bodies aren't even enough to fill a tooth gap! My meager spiritual power is only good for scaring ordinary people, but when it comes to a real fight..."

Chen Anran stopped, turned to look at Feng Xiaolu, and said with a smile, "Senior sister, we must believe in science."

Feng Xiaolu rolled her eyes at Chen Anran's "believe in science" statement, but seeing his confident look and feeling sorry for the potential loss of her reward, she gritted her teeth and followed Chen Anran to the old residential area again by taxi.

"Aren't you going to change your clothes?"

"Oh, right, put on your Taoist robe."

"..."

This time, Mr. Wang had been pacing anxiously at the intersection. As soon as he saw them, he rushed over as if he had seen a savior.

"Master Feng! Master Chen! You've finally arrived!" Manager Wang was pale and had sunken eyes, clearly having had a sleepless night. "The situation is worse! Even in broad daylight, we can faintly hear strange noises in the building; none of us dare approach!"

Chen Anran looked in the direction he pointed. The lonely old building, under the afternoon sun, did not appear warm at all. Instead, due to the emptiness around it and its own dilapidation, it exuded an indescribable gloom.

"President Wang, don't panic," Chen Anran said in his usual calm tone. "My junior sister and I need to go inside and investigate before we can find the right solution."

"In...inside?" Mr. Wang was startled. "Master Chen, it's dangerous inside!"

Feng Xiaolu nervously tugged at Chen Anran's sleeve and whispered, "Junior Brother, are you serious? Or... should we perform another ritual outside?"

Chen Anran gently patted the back of her hand, gave her a reassuring look, and then said to President Wang, "It's alright, good will prevail over evil."

As he spoke, he held the seemingly ordinary peach wood sword, which had actually transformed into a "thousand-year-old evil-repelling wooden sword," and strode towards the old building.

Seeing this, Feng Xiaolu felt uneasy, but she could only grit her teeth and follow closely behind him.

The building door was ajar, and a cold wind mixed with the smells of mildew, dust, and a faint fishy odor rushed in, making Feng Xiaolu shiver.

And following them was Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang's original name was Wang Anxi. He was born in a rural area, so even though he has become a regional vice president of a large group, he is extremely averse to such things.

But there's nothing he can do. Even as the vice president, he's still just an employee. Because the project has completely stalled, the higher-ups are furious and have ordered him to closely monitor everything, whether it's a natural or unnatural phenomenon, and to record evidence with his phone.

The hallway was dimly lit, filled with a musty smell mixed with a faint, pungent odor that was nauseating. A thick layer of dust covered the floor, each step kicking up a puff of tiny clouds. Discarded furniture and broken bricks scattered everywhere added to the dilapidated and eerie atmosphere.

Feng Xiaolu followed closely behind Chen Anran, holding up her phone for light, her voice trembling slightly: "Junior brother, can you feel it? It seems... it really does feel a bit chilly."