Shi Pengpeng’s words were not an exaggeration or a scare tactic.
The jacket was imbued with an extremely terrifying aura, a mix of endless fear, panic, sorrow, and regret, far more intense than the emotions that had created the nightmare that haunted Jin Saosao.
Among it all, there was also a lingering stench of death.
Second-hand clothes worn by someone who had died a normal death would be no different from ordinary clothes after a simple wash and disinfection.
It was just that most people felt psychologically uncomfortable and wouldn’t wear such garments.
It was obvious that the original owner of this jacket had not died under normal circumstances.
Even the aura on the clothes wasn’t naturally acquired but was most likely deliberately infused by someone.
“How… how could this be?” Xiao Tan’s heart was pounding as she tentatively asked, “Can you handle it?”
She swallowed hard and, with a hint of naivety, said, “I’ve seen on TV that in situations like this, can’t we perform a ritual to cleanse the clothes?”
“Well, we could, but it’s probably not the clothes that need cleansing…” Shi Pengpeng’s gaze shifted upward, landing on her left eye.
“Can you tell me what’s wrong with your eye?”
“Huh?” Xiao Tan was startled, her facial muscles twitching unnaturally for a moment before quickly regaining composure.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You weren’t just casually browsing on Didi’s ghost-killing app; you deliberately chose someone with less experience,” Shi Pengpeng said, holding a hand seal, her expression calm and unhurried.
“And that Tarot deck earlier was just a tool you used to test me, wasn’t it?”
From the very beginning, Xiao Tan’s behavior had been contradictory.
She had been extremely cautious online, yet she had arranged to meet Shi Pengpeng without doing any investigation.
She claimed she had only looked at the resume section, but the resume was clearly Shi Pengpeng’s biggest disadvantage.
If anything, Shi Pengpeng’s biggest advantage was that her pricing was slightly cheaper than others.
But Xiao Tan hadn’t asked about the cost at all, indicating that wasn’t her concern either.
Xiao Tan was sharp enough to recognize that she was dealing with something supernatural, yet while the jacket was far more suspicious than the Tarot deck, she had immediately concluded that the problem lay with the cards.
Most importantly, from the moment they met, Xiao Tan had been trying her best to appear scared and surprised, but it was precisely because of this that her reactions seemed somewhat forced.
Her conversations with Shi Pengpeng also contained many leading statements.
For example, she claimed that her discomfort had started after buying the Tarot deck, and when Shi Pengpeng focused on the jacket, she quickly redirected the cause to the fact that the clothes were second-hand.
Finally, she had casually suggested performing a ritual to cleanse the clothes.
A normal person, upon learning they had bought clothes worn by a dead person, would first think of destroying them as thoroughly as possible, preferably burning them to ashes.
Why would they immediately think of performing a ritual for the clothes?
Shi Pengpeng had noticed from the start that Xiao Tan wasn’t being truthful, so while examining the Tarot deck, she had subtly cast a spell on her, which revealed an even bigger problem with the jacket.
But the jacket wasn’t the true source.
On the contrary, it was the jacket’s presence that masked the aura of the real demonic entity.
Xiao Tan’s overly long bangs covered half of her eye, and when she spoke, her gaze remained downward, her eyelids drooping, as she avoided making eye contact with Shi Pengpeng.
Face to face.
Not only that, but her eyes were always misty, at first glance appearing to be physiological tears caused by lack of rest.
However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that her left eye was slightly cloudier than her right.
In fact, it was a layer of solidified yin energy.
Xiao Tan clearly didn’t expect Shi Pengpeng to make this judgment.
Her expression changed slightly, and she abruptly stood up, saying, “Nonsense! I think you’re just here to scam money, aren’t you? Let’s end this here. I don’t need your help anymore.”
With that, she grabbed her jacket and was about to leave.
But just as she took a step forward, a yellow talisman suddenly appeared before her eyes, the cinnabar glowing brightly as the spell pressed down.
Xiao Tan was startled, letting out a cry of surprise.
She quickly covered her left eye with her hand, while her right eye glared at Shi Pengpeng with a mix of shock and anger.
“What are you doing?!”
“Just giving you a taste of my skills,” Shi Pengpeng said with a smile, her fingers swiftly forming a seal.
“Don’t worry, if you’re not satisfied, I won’t charge you.”
“I don’t need it!” Xiao Tan said urgently.
“Stop it now!”
Shi Pengpeng remained unmoved.
With a flick of her fingers, two talismans flew toward Xiao Tan’s face.
The cinnabar emitted a red light, and Xiao Tan could no longer hold back.
With a wave of her right hand, a gust of yin wind swept out, causing the talismans to flutter noisily.
“I didn’t want to fight you, but you forced my hand,” Xiao Tan said, her voice now deep and hoarse, like that of a man.
The hand covering her left eye slowly lowered, and her eyelid lifted, revealing an eyeball entirely black, with no whites visible.
Yin energy poured out from her left eye, enveloping her entire body.
“So, you’re possessed after all,” Shi Pengpeng said, her eyes turning cold.
She quickly formed a curse-breaking seal and directed it toward Xiao Tan.
The entity possessing Xiao Tan seemed to have some martial arts skills.
It nimbly sidestepped the attack while simultaneously forming a seal of its own, its powerful force pushing Shi Pengpeng back a step.
Shi Pengpeng frowned. “You’ve trained in cultivation?”
“You’ve got a sharp eye,”
Xiao Tan sneered, her hands beginning to form another seal and said:
“If you know what’s good for you, get lost…”
Before she could finish, four yellow talismans suddenly appeared at the four corners around her.
Xiao Tan’s expression changed.
“Damn it, the Four Symbols Talisman Array!”
Run.
When an expert makes a move, you know it’s serious.
Seeing the array, Xiao Tan immediately stopped halfway through her seal and, without a word, turned and fled.
She escaped decisively, enduring the damage as the talisman array hadn’t fully formed yet.
She tore off the talisman at the eastern corner, creating a gap, and fled through it.
“That’s strange…” Shi Pengpeng muttered under her breath.
Ayin entity shouldn’t have been able to break through the Four Symbols Talisman Array so easily.
In that moment, the entity had clearly retracted its yin energy.
It was Xiao Tan’s physical body that had weakened the array’s suppression, allowing the entity to escape.
There was no time to dwell on it.
Shi Pengpeng retracted the talisman array and quickly chased after her.
Xiao Tan was incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, she had already reached the lobby.
At this time, there weren’t many guests in the lobby, but using spells to stop her would still be too conspicuous.
However, if she didn’t act, once Xiao Tan reached the street, it would be even harder to deal with.
As she hesitated, a figure suddenly emerged from a dark corner ahead, moving with lightning speed to block Xiao Tan’s path.
With a swift move, the figure grabbed her arm.
“Such heavy yin energy! What kind of ghost are you?”
It was Xiao Lingshu.
After Shi Pengpeng left, Xiao Lingshu couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer.
Coincidentally, Yan Jing also mentioned feeling thirsty and wanting some tea.
So, the two of them locked the gate of the Taoist temple and secretly followed Shi Pengpeng.
Afraid of being discovered, they found an inconspicuous corner to sit in, intending to observe quietly.
Unexpectedly, a person shrouded in a sinister aura suddenly appeared.
Xiao Lingshu’s instincts kicked in immediately, and he acted without hesitation.
Xiao Tan, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of someone, was quickly subdued.
However, Xiao Tan reacted swiftly, countering with a precise strike to Xiao Lingshu’s wrist.
Xiao Lingshu’s meridians went numb, and he reflexively let go.
But this brief delay was enough for Shi Pengpeng to catch up.
Two yellow talismans silently attached themselves to Xiao Tan’s back.
Xiao Tan shuddered, her teeth clattering, but she still struggled.
“Still trying to run?” Xiao Lingshu handed his ancient bronze inkwell to Shi Pengpeng, “Senior sister, take care of it!”
Shi Pengpeng was puzzled, “Don’t you know how to use it?”
Isn’t this his own magical tool?
“Oh, right,” Xiao Lingshu slapped his forehead, “Hehe, when I’m with you, I just want to assist you.”
“……” Shi Pengpeng rolled her eyes but didn’t stop.
She quickly pulled out the ink line and bound Xiao Tan’s hands together.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Xiao Tan resigned herself and said dejectedly, “I surrender. Please be gentle and don’t make too much noise. We don’t want to attract attention and have the police called.”
“What?” Shi Pengpeng raised an eyebrow, “Are you afraid of the police?”
Xiao Tan didn’t answer, only saying, “This isn’t the place to talk.”
Yan Jing, with one hand in his pocket, leisurely walked out from the corner and suggested: