Just as Master Zhou was still hesitating, Liu Wenhao said, "Compete? Why not? I don't believe for a second that a snot-nosed kid like you can beat Master Zhou."
With that, Master Zhou couldn't very well refuse without losing face.
He glanced at me and said gravely, "I didn't expect such skill from someone so young. How about we have another round?"
"Please, go ahead." I sat down across from Master Zhou and Liu Wenhao, calmly lifted the teacup before me, took a small sip, and added, "Why don't you start, senior?"
As soon as Master Zhou agreed, everyone in the room perked up, eager for a good show.
Especially Guo Xiaotong—someone who loved nothing more than to watch chaos unfold. Her eyes sparkled as she came to stand behind me, whispering, "Young Master Wu, I believe in you. You can definitely win."
I gave her a faint smile without replying.
Across from me, Master Zhou's expression darkened. He stared at me for a moment, then formed a hand seal, closed his eyes slightly, and began chanting again.
He pulled out another yellow talisman, tossed it into the air, and the paper immediately caught fire.
In just moments, I felt the surrounding air grow cold, the energy field rippling noticeably.
I opened my Celestial Eye and looked toward Master Zhou.
As he chanted and gestured, five faint human-shaped shadows materialized around him.
They quickly dispersed in different directions.
Immediately, strange noises echoed throughout the villa.
Chairs scraped across the floor, a teapot floated up from the table and poured tea into everyone's cup, and paintings and photographs hanging on the wall crashed to the ground.
The sudden spectacle made everyone glance around in alarm, as though every movable object in the room had come alive.
While the others couldn't tell what was happening, I could see it clearly—the five ghostly figures were moving the objects.
Only Master Zhou and I could perceive them.
To the rest, it looked like he was performing some incredible telekinetic feat.
In reality, he was just commanding those spirits to act.
This technique was called the Five-Ghost Transport.
But Master Zhou's cultivation wasn't high enough to summon the real Five Ghosts. Instead, he had gathered a few wandering spirits from nearby to serve as temporary laborers.
In legend, the true Five-Ghost Transport—also known as the Five-Ghost Fortune-Carrying—was meant to secretly bring wealth to one's household without breaking locks or opening doors. The "Five Ghosts" referred to five plague spirits: Spring Plague Zhang Yuanbo, Summer Plague Liu Yuanda, Autumn Plague Zhao Gongming, Winter Plague Zhong Shigui, and the central overseer, Shi Wenye.
This ritual could temporarily boost one's fortune to unnatural levels—wealth would flow effortlessly, even from pure chance—but afterward, the person's luck would plummet, sometimes below its original state. It was essentially burning through one's destiny.
Master Zhou's version, however, was a cheap imitation. His summoned ghosts couldn't carry wealth, only stir up trouble to impress onlookers.
Still, for ordinary people, the sight was astonishing enough to inspire awe.
Behind him, Liu Wenhao grinned smugly. "Kid, now you see Master Zhou's power. Be smart, admit defeat, and save yourself the embarrassment."
I only smiled faintly, letting the five wandering spirits wreak havoc in the Guo family villa. I was curious to see what other tricks Master Zhou had.
But I hadn't expected his expression to tighten at my calm demeanor. His eyes narrowed, and a murderous intent flickered within them.
Suddenly, he changed his hand seals and directed the ghosts to attack me.
A flower vase floated up nearby and hurtled toward my head.
Turning slightly, I saw the grinning specter clutching the vase.
The other spirits had also found objects—one held a jagged shard of broken glass—and were moving to strike.
Master Zhou… this wasn't a duel anymore; you were aiming to kill me.
If you're going to be ruthless, I'll just have to be merciless.
"Young Master Wu, watch out!" Zhang Yunyao suddenly called out.
I tilted my head, letting the vase sail over me and smash to pieces on the floor.
The other ghosts pressed forward.
That was when I reached into my robe and pulled out the Tianpeng Ruler.
A few days ago, I had trapped several vengeful spirits—victims of violent deaths—inside it, but hadn't yet performed rites to release them.
This was the perfect moment to put them to use.
I formed a seal, and the runes on the ruler flickered faintly. A few wisps of black-and-red ghostly energy seeped out.
The temperature in the villa dropped instantly—colder than any air conditioner.
Beside me, Zhang Yunyao and Guo Xiaotong both shivered.
The spirits emerged, their forms twisted and incomplete, their expressions savage.
Even a single one of them could devour these wandering ghosts.
Ghosts, after all, prey on one another—the strong consume the weak.
The moment the wandering spirits saw the vengeful dead, they nearly scattered in terror. They dropped whatever they were holding and dissolved into wisps of green smoke, vanishing entirely.
Master Zhou also spotted the fierce spirits at my side and blanched.
He shot to his feet, pointing at me, stammering, "You… you…"
Before he could finish, I turned my gaze on him. "Master Zhou, it's my turn."
With that, I swung the Tianpeng Ruler toward him.
The vengeful spirits howled and lunged at Master Zhou like a storm.