The moment the girl raised her head, a chill gripped my heart and my expression darkened.
There wasn't anything particularly strange about her appearance at first glance—except for the ominous mark I saw glowing faintly on her forehead. A mark that only someone with their Heavenly Eye opened could perceive.
It resembled a small, blood-red flame—something known as the "Extermination Curse."
Anyone bearing this curse between their brows rarely survived more than seven days. As the curse progressed, the victim would gradually lose their sense of self, fall into madness, and exhibit violent, dangerous behavior—posing a serious threat to those around them.
In this girl's case, she had been cursed because of Li Na. Her sister's overwhelming resentment had begun to lash out at her own family.
Soon, Li Na's parents would likely bear the same mark—until their entire bloodline was wiped out.
This wasn't something that occurred naturally. I remembered my master clearly stating that the Extermination Curse only arises through human intervention.
Which meant that someone had tampered with Li Na's corpse after her death—triggering all of this.
As I stared at the girl, she locked eyes with me. Her pale face was hidden behind tangled hair, her eyes rolled upward to expose only the whites.
Without warning, she let out a feral roar and lunged at me like a wild animal, arms outstretched.
I reacted instantly, pressing my palm against the crown of her head and chanting:
"Tai Shang Tai Xing, forever responsive,
Expel evil, bind spirits,
Protect life, guard the body,
Illuminate wisdom, calm the mind,
Let the three souls remain,
And the seven spirits never falter.
So it is written, so let it be done!"
It was the Purifying Spirit Incantation, a simple but effective spell—perfect for her condition.
Of course, its power didn't lie in the words alone. It needed years of cultivation to fuse intent and energy into the chant. Without that, it was just empty syllables.
As I finished the spell, the girl slowly calmed down. Her snarling expression faded, and the growl in her throat dissolved into silence.
Li Na's mother had been rushing over to restrain her daughter, but now stared at the scene in confusion and awe as she saw her daughter slump quietly to the ground, leaning against the bed, her eyes closed like she had fallen asleep.
"This… This is incredible," she murmured. "Every time Juan loses control, her father and I can barely hold her down. She screams and hits people without reason… How did you manage to calm her like that?"
Before I could answer, Liu Peng stepped in proudly. "Auntie, my classmate here really knows his stuff. That's why I brought him over."
Li Na's mother gave him a grateful look, just as footsteps sounded from outside the room.
We all stepped out and saw a middle-aged man walking in, followed by an elderly man in a traditional Tang suit, with stark white hair.
The middle-aged man looked burdened by worry, while the old man wore an aloof expression, his eyes scanning the room with disdain—like some kind of worldly sage.
"Finally you're here," Li Na's mother said, relieved. "Juan had another episode. Thankfully, her sister's classmate was able to calm her."
The man barely glanced at me before turning to his wife, visibly displeased. "Come on now. Kids don't know better, but we adults should. How can you let a child get involved in something like this? What if something had gone wrong?"
"No, really—this classmate of Wu Jie's is quite gifted. Juan was out of control just now, but he just placed his hand on her head and she calmed right down!" she insisted.
"That's right, Uncle," Liu Peng added. "My friend's master is well-known. I personally invited him here from Yanbei."
The elderly man let out a disdainful snort, clearly unimpressed.
"So many charlatans these days," he sneered. "Now even teenagers dare claim they can exorcise spirits and read feng shui. What a joke."
He turned to Li Na's father and said coldly, "Since you've already brought someone in, I won't interfere. In our profession, we follow one simple rule: never two masters on the same job."
With that, he gave a theatrical wave of his sleeve and turned to leave.
Li Na's father hurried forward to stop him. "Master Cui, please, don't go! The kids were just fooling around. When it comes to something this serious, of course we trust your expertise."
Master Cui paused, clearly preparing to say more, when Uncle Hu finally lost his patience.
"Hey, old man," Uncle Hu barked, jabbing a finger at him. "Who the hell are you calling a fraud?"
Seeing Uncle Hu's fierce face, Master Cui faltered slightly, though he still managed to respond. "Did I say anything untrue? That boy you brought along—he's not even of age! And you let him meddle with feng shui?"
Uncle Hu's eyes blazed, ready to retort, but I held him back. "Let it go, Uncle Hu. We'll come back later. It's not like he can fix the problem anyway."
That comment clearly irked Master Cui. He snorted again, puffing up his chest.
"You little brat. You really think I can't solve this? Do you even know who I am?"
"Sure I do," I replied. "You're Cui San, the so-called 'Master Cui' of Yanbei."
My master had mentioned him before—described him as a notorious scammer in the feng shui community. He was known for overcharging clients, talking big, and delivering nothing. He didn't even qualify as a third-rate practitioner. My master didn't even consider him part of the profession—just another con man with a long beard and a loud mouth.
"Oh? So you've heard of me?" Master Cui grinned, clearly flattered. "Good, good! My reputation precedes me. Even young folks know the name Cui San. Since that's the case, I'll forgive your earlier rudeness. You can stay and watch—see real mastery at work."
He stroked his goatee with a smug flourish.
Uncle Hu looked like he was two seconds from slapping him. I had to physically hold him back again, motioning for him to stay calm.
After all, this was my classmate's house. Someone had just died. It wasn't the time to start a fight.