Chapter 1 Yang Jian Jie Ming Ren

The Heibai Wuchang really didn't let me have a moment's peace. They had only left for a couple of days before sending me a secret Yin Si order.

Nie Xiaochun, holding the order, said, "This mission is to retrieve the Earthly Soul of a warlock named Mu Wenmin. He is an earth and wood warlock."

"Earth and wood warlock?" I frowned. "Is Mu Wenmin a carpenter or a bricklayer?"

"Neither!" Nie Xiaochun said solemnly, "He is a craftsman!"

I couldn't help but frown.

Most earth and wood warlocks come from the ranks of carpenters and bricklayers, both of whom worship Lu Ban as their ancestral master, and their secret arts are mostly passed down from the *Lu Ban Shu* (Book of Lu Ban). Above them, there is another category of people who are also classified as earth and wood warlocks, and that is the craftsman.

A craftsman can also be understood as an ancient architect.

In addition to designing residential houses, craftsmen most often build temples and mausoleums. Therefore, a true craftsman not only understands the way of earth and wood, but is also proficient in Feng Shui formations, and even secret mechanisms. Their status in the art is transcendent.

I said with a slightly grave expression, "You said his name is Mu? 'South has a wood connecting heaven and earth, north has a leaf crossing the vast sea.' Is he a descendant of the South Wood?"

"It's not clear yet!" Nie Xiaochun looked at Ye Yang as she spoke.

Ye Yang shook his head and said, "The South doesn't cross the river, the North doesn't cross the pass! This is the rule set down by the One Leaf and One Wood of that year. The South Wood wouldn't overstep its boundaries. Besides, the South Wood's surname isn't Mu, it's An!"

I then nodded. Ye Yang shouldn't be mistaken.

In legend, the South Wood and North Leaf were natural rivals. To put it bluntly: the South Wood specialized in building houses and tombs, while the North Leaf specialized in demolishing houses and tomb raiding.

The feud between the two families has continued for hundreds of years without interruption. In the end, they each demarcated their own sphere of activity, which finally brought about complete peace.

I knew that Ye Yang didn't like to talk about the North Leaf, so I simply changed the subject, "When was the last time that Mu Wenmin appeared?"

Nie Xiaochun said, "The last time he appeared was more than two hundred years ago, right at the end of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, the Qing Dynasty hadn't been completely overthrown, but it was also on its last breath."

"According to the records in the Book of Life and Death, Mu Wenmin should have died in Zanglong Temple (Burial Dragon Temple). However, when the ghost messengers went to receive his Earthly Soul, not only was Mu Wenmin nowhere to be found, but even the Zanglong Temple had disappeared!"

"What? Even a temple is gone?" I couldn't help but stand up.

"Yes! You heard right!" Nie Xiaochun said, "According to the ghost messengers at the time, when they arrived at Zanglong Temple, it was as if no temple had ever been built there. There was nothing. At first, they even thought they had gone to the wrong place, but after repeated confirmation, they dared to confirm that Zanglong Temple was gone!"

I asked casually, "What about those two ghost messengers?"

"One was annihilated, and one was reincarnated." Nie Xiaochun said, "According to the records in the Netherworld registry, the two ghost messengers later encountered resistance from a demon soul. One was killed on the spot, and the other, although he risked his life to run back, was also seriously injured."

"The Netherworld, in view of the other party's merits, allowed him to be reincarnated, but the other party's soul never returned to the Netherworld."

I muttered to myself, "This is too coincidental! Can you find out where that reincarnated ghost messenger went?"

"Originally, he was reincarnated into Sando Village. Now it has been turned into a residential complex."

Nie Xiaochun took out a map and said, "According to Zhao Ci's information, the original location of the Zanglong Temple should be here. The only residential complex nearby is called Mingshihaoting (Celebrity Manor), which is the original Sando Village."

"It used to be a high-end residential area, inhabited by either celebrities from the provincial capital or wealthy merchants from outside. After Liberation, some of the original old houses were also allocated to local residents. Later, because the place was too remote, it was gradually abandoned. There are not many people living there now!"

"Hmm!" I said, "Has anything strange happened there?"

"Yes! And a lot!" Nie Xiaochun said, "There's a saying there: 'Sando's Eighteen Houses, one ghost per floor!'"

"It is said that there is no house in Sando Village that is not haunted, and the haunting situation in each house is different. Some people say that the eighteen houses are the eighteen levels of hell."

"Over the years, there have been quite a few people who have entered Celebrity Manor out of curiosity and never came out. There have been twelve cases recorded by the police alone, and none of them have been solved."

"Moreover, these cases are all disappearances. It can be said that the people who go in are never seen alive or dead!"

Nie Xiaochun added, "These cases happen once every year, and always around the same time. If we calculate the time, the next disappearance should be in three days."

"Which is also the time recorded in the Book of Life and Death that Mu Wenmin should die."

Lin Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Do people still live in a place like that?"

"Yes!" Nie Xiaochun said with certainty, "The data shows that there is a family in each house. There are a total of eighteen households there. This is all the information we have at the moment!"

I muttered to myself, "This is a little interesting!"