Chapter 35: The Net of Heaven and Earth

I was restricted from action, and I thought this was a done deal. After discussing Operation 5 that night, Old Man Jiang and Huijue became mysterious, going out almost every day, often leaving early and returning late.

I don’t know what they’re doing when they go out, but I’ve learned one thing in school these days.

That is, the area around the bamboo forest, which used to be a gathering place for the yin, has been placed under martial law. By martial law, I mean that a small army has been stationed there to guard it. They say that an ancient tomb has been discovered here, and it is of great archaeological value, so no one is allowed to get close to it.

Of course, there is also a small matter, which is that a low wall has been built around the three-mile radius of the ancient tomb, leaving only a small iron gate.

The common people have no complaints. After all, this is the discovery of an ancient tomb, so it is normal to have strict security. What they don’t know is the situation inside the low wall.

I was lucky enough to go in once because I was ‘caught’ by my master on my way home from school and followed him in.

As a result, as soon as I entered, I saw at least eight pieces of magical equipment full of spiritual energy. I haven’t started learning about formations yet, so I don’t know much about them, but I know that in general, as long as there is one magical equipment to hold the center of the formation, the other few can be completely replaced with black and white stones.

But this formation has eight pieces of magic weapon! Among them, I saw my master’s copper coins and a piece of jade.

“Master, what kind of formation is this?” As soon as I entered, I was shocked and curious.

“It’s similar to the Tianluo Dinjian symbol. The Tianluo Dinjian Array! The power can be great or small, and this time the power is considered medium.” Old man Jiang was not stingy with me in these areas. He answered all my questions.

“The hungry ghost is so powerful, why not set up a superior one?”

As soon as I finished speaking, the old man looked at me like I was crazy, then slapped me: “Top-notch? You’re just standing there talking, aren’t you? You don’t understand anything, and you just make random comments.”

I was yelled at by the old man Jiang, but I was not stressed. I looked around and couldn’t help but sigh. In addition to the magic circle, there were also dense talismans on the wall. This was a big battle.

“Don’t touch those talismans. They are all talismans that are extremely lethal to spiritual entities and evil spirits. You have a strong spiritual sense, but the talismans don’t have eyes. Don’t cry to me when your spiritual sense is damaged.” Old Jiang walked behind me with his hands behind his back and said lightly.

“Master, those hungry ghosts and worms are down there. What are you doing outside?” I don’t understand. Why are you exerting your strength outside?

“You don’t know shit. This is a precaution. This tomb is not as simple as you think. Just a ghost mother and a bunch of eggs. What if something comes out and harasses the people? When the formation is activated, these talismans will also work. This is to be as foolproof as possible. Do you understand?”

I rolled my tongue and said, “Master, a ghost mother and a bunch of worm eggs aren’t scary? This is saying that I think it’s simple.”

Old Jiang looked at me and suddenly said, “It is very possible that the ghost mother and the worm eggs were just raised by someone taking advantage of the situation. This tomb may be a tomb within a tomb.”

“What?” I was stunned. He meant that the hungry ghost tomb was the shell of another tomb. What was the situation?

“Hungry ghost eggs are inherently evil and demonic, and ghost mothers are even more special. To raise them, you need to find a place with a lot of evil and demonic energy.” Old man Jiang said.

I suddenly remembered that this place used to be a gathering place for evil spirits! Because of the extremely heavy yin energy, it even attracted snake spirits.

What kind of person is this, with such a big handwriting? What is his purpose in raising hungry ghosts?

Thinking about these possibilities, I looked at my master in horror. He just said lightly, “You can think of it, and I and Huijue have already thought of it. We have been worried about this for a long time. Even if there is no Operation 5, we will go down to take a look in private. Last time I took a look at Guo Er and the others in secret. Their horoscopes were very strong, and they were four big men. If I were to change some people, just the evil energy at the bottom of the tomb could drive a person crazy. It’s really a shame that they could stay for so long.”

“Guo Er and the others are quite tough, aren’t they?” I teased.

“This is just a possibility. No one knows what’s going on at the bottom of the tomb. Guo Er and the others didn’t go too deep, so it’s hard to say. I just suspected this, so I secretly looked at their horoscopes, but… hey, I don’t understand.” Old Jiang shook his head and his eyes were also a little confused.

I’m annoyed by this, but what, just say it clearly!

After I pressed him, the old man just said, “However, according to this layout, the evil spirits below will not be this powerful. Guo Er and the others should not be able to withstand it.”

After talking to me, the old man Jiang rushed to get rid of me. From the way he looked, he would never let me participate in Operation No. 5.

Forget it, I don’t have a chance, and the crispy meat definitely doesn’t have a chance.

Operation No. 5 was like a cat’s claw, scratching my heart and making me itch every now and then. My expectations and curiosity about it grew with each passing day, but when there were still two days left before the school break, I had no mood to think about it.

Because the final exam is coming up.

My academic pressure is very great. Old Master Jiang taught me, “Now, Liu Chunyan, a promising young girl, has gone to study elsewhere. You, on the other hand, have no benchmark to compare yourself with, so you must maintain your position in the top ten of your grade in every exam.”

“Master, did you not do well in school when you were young, and then use me to fulfill your dreams? Master, this kind of behavior is not right. It is a kind of heart disease that needs to be treated.” As the saying goes, where there is oppression, there is resistance. I have to resist, don’t I?

But in return, I got a set of eighteen-linked palm strikes, and then a sentence: “You little brat, you’re only in the top ten at a country middle school. If you’re like this, how much more can you achieve? I think your parents gave their brains to your older sisters when they were born, and only gave you a pig-like thing.”

Okay, a pig-like thing, in the face of the power of the eighteen-link palm, I admit it, and I admit that I must be in the top ten! Compared to my father’s iron fist when I was a child, the palm method of the old man Jiang is truly powerful.

So, this final exam occupied all my thoughts, and I had no time to think about Operation No. 5.

The two-day exam quickly passed, which meant that winter vacation was coming. During this period of unrest, I also celebrated my fifteenth birthday. After all, since I was nine years old, Old Master Jiang had never celebrated my birthday, so I was used to it.

After the exam, I realized that so much had happened in such a short time that I had already turned 15.

Was it time to leave? I felt a little sad.

But when I thought about the Hungry Ghost Tomb, I knew that I would probably have to stay for a while.

This made me feel a little better. Maybe if I dragged it out a little longer, I could still spend the Spring Festival with my parents and sister.

I don’t know how long the master and the others will be preparing, but I heard that night that they were waiting for someone, but that person has not shown up yet.

I was thinking about this and that as I returned to the Bamboo Grove. I thought that today would be like any other day, and that the Bamboo Grove would be quiet and empty, but I found my master in the kitchen, busily chopping up a bowl of rice. I was shocked to see him, because I had planned to go to the kitchen to make something to eat.

After calming down, I took a look at his bowl of plain boiled rice with a few pieces of pickled radish. Gee, gee, my gluttonous master who can’t live without meat has fallen to such a state?

“Master, why are you eating this? Shall I get you something to eat?” I teased him, and in the meantime prepared to make a fire and cook something to eat.

Since I was a child, I have almost never been separated from Old Master Jiang. He has been acting erratically these days, and I actually miss him a little.

“No, I still have things to do. I have to go down the mountain later. I’ll let you know when I come back. I won’t be able to take care of you during the winter vacation this year. You should go home and stay there.” Old Master Jiang swallowed the last bite of his meal and said,

“Ah?” I was a little slow to react. In the past, I spent most of my winter and summer vacations on the mountain, and then my family would come to see me. Except for the Spring Festival, Jiang Laoren and I would go to town. We did this because Jiang Laoren was afraid of delaying my daily “homework.”

But, what about this year…?