"Mr. Ma also lives in this apartment, aren't you afraid that the ghost's spirit will persist and cause you trouble in the future?"

Sun Yan stared at Ma Glasses, who was leisurely eating noodles, and curiously asked.

The reason why an Evil Spirit is called an Evil Spirit is because it is evil.

Ghosts linger in a place and do not harm people.

But Evil Spirits harm people without any reason, whether they are looking for someone to replace them or gain benefits after killing humans.

They will kill any mortal nearby little by little.

Demons are enhanced versions of Evil Spirits, with purer intentions to kill humans, just like Chu Renmei from the old village ghost story.

Anyone who comes in contact with it, even innocently, will suffer its fatal persecution.

That's why Demons are extremely threatening; once they appear, they must not be allowed to remain.

Above Demons, it's said there exist even more terrifying beings called 'Evil Gods' and 'Taboos.'

In the Mountain Chasing Manual that Sun Yan found, it documents that there are five types of malevolent spirits in the world.

The first type is a wandering soul formed by an unresolved obsession after death. They can only move within a small area and pose no threat to humans.

The second type is Evil Spirits, which have some ability to influence the environment, like causing electrical faults, making books fall to the ground, or opening doors, and can partially harm humans.

The third type is Demons, which can obscure human senses, influence emotions, and even physically kill humans.

The fourth type, above Demons, can be called Evil Gods. When humans encounter Evil Gods, they are like ants, with life and death beyond their control.

The fifth type, above Evil Gods, is called the 'unmentionable, unspeakable, unthinkable' Taboo.

Sun Yan's inherited Mountain-Opening Fierce General is an Evil God.

Now, the man who failed to become a Corpse Dissolving Immortal at home has power between a Demon and an Evil God, absolutely the greatest threat Sun Yan has faced so far.

After all, whether it's Andros, the Black Curse Buddha Mother, or Asmodeus, none of them descended fully in their true forms into the human world.

But that man, who failed to become a Corpse Dissolving Immortal, is here.

"Causing me trouble, hehe."

Ma Glasses smiled mysteriously: "All the various people living here have nowhere left to go and are taking desperate chances; it's already good enough that we don't cause it trouble."

Ma Glasses' words were quite profound. Desperate chances? Desperate for what, and why take such chances?

Although Sun Yan was curious, he chose not to ask further.

He knew that if the other party didn't want to talk, he wouldn't get an answer by asking.

Anyway, Sun Yan had already set up an Earth Shrine in the Youma Community, giving him plenty of opportunities to secretly observe the various inhabitants living there in the future.

Sun Yan asked: "Since that's the case, Mr. Ma, do you know how to find that Ghost Immortal?"

"I've already told you as much as I can about his background, which is my limit, and I'm not obliged to say more. Frankly, I have my own matters to attend to and don't want to get involved in your grievances. If you want to find him, it's entirely up to your own abilities."

This time, Ma Glasses chose to refuse directly, with a quite decisive attitude.

"I understand, thank you."

Sun Yan could only give up and got up to leave.

"You seem like a nice person and quite perceptive, so I'll give you one last piece of advice: that thing isn't so easy to deal with, you still have time to leave Youma Community, and also..."

"If you encounter it and black fog suddenly rises, be sure to stick to the wall, hold your breath, and don't move. It might save your life."

Ma Glasses leisurely warned, as if discussing a trivial matter.

But Sun Yan immediately committed this advice to heart; taking advice is as good as a hearty meal.

Although he certainly wasn't planning to leave, it was always beneficial to have more life-saving strategies up his sleeve.

Exiting Ma Glasses' residence, Sun Yan made his way straight to the stairs, quickly mulling over in his mind.

"In his home, there's a Magic Robe and Copper Coin Sword, clearly Maoshan methods. But if he's really a Mao Shan Daoist, how could he ignore the Ghost Immortal, unmoved even when the Card Master was killed? Could he be from Wild Grass Mountain? If so, that would make sense."

Upon entering Ma Glasses' home, Sun Yan, while inquiring, also kept keenly observing the layout of the house.

With peripheral glances, Sun Yan discovered many useful clues.

For example, the Magic Robe placed on the sofa and the Copper Coin Sword in the cabinet, along with Eight Trigrams Mirror and other Magical Artifacts.

Most are somewhat related to Maoshan, but true Mao Shan Daoists take demon-exorcism as their duty, while Ma Glasses' behavior seems more like a folk Wild Maoshan practitioner.

Wild Grass Mountain, derived from Maoshan orthodoxy, consisted of a group separate from Maoshan disciples who, learning some rudimentary spells from Maoshan, began traveling around.

They incorporated various local spells into their own practice, forming a unique branch known as Wild Grass Mountain.

Though Wild Grass Mountain contains the name Maoshan, true Maoshan disciples never accept its existence, considering them unorthodox in spell practice and chaotic in methodology.

In reality, Wild Grass Mountain specializes in spellcraft rather than scholarly or doctrinal pursuits.

When dealing with demons and ghosts, Wild Grass Mountain might not lose to orthodox Maoshan.

That there's a reclusive Wild Grass Mountain practitioner in Youma Community sparked Sun Yan's curiosity about his true purpose for living here.

What secrets does this Chinatown hold to attract such a motley crew of desperate people?

...

When Sun Yan returned to his rented house, he saw Sosia had already returned from outside.

The reason they didn't act together today was that Sun Yan had her go out to investigate the identity of the kid who stole the offerings last night.

Sosia tossed a bottle of Coke to Sun Yan: "So, did you find anything?"

"Quite a lot actually, the one who killed the Card Master is indeed that guy who hanged himself. He's transformed into something even more dangerous than a Demon. Now that the Card Master is dead, I suspect we're his next targets for revenge, since we were there at the time."

Sun Yan opened the Coke cap and immediately started guzzling it down.

"Sounds dangerous. I also found something; I confirmed the little boy's identity with an old lady. He lives in Youma Community; his father died in a car accident years ago, and his mother was mentally affected. They rely on neighbors for survival."

"It's said that the child never eats enough and often steals bacon from the corridor. Neighbors don't mind much since he's just a kid. Last night, he was probably too hungry, which is why he left home to steal the street offerings."

Sun Yan put down the Coke, clicking his tongue: "Misfortune always chooses the weakest link; life seems to toy with the disadvantaged. When the Earth Shrine has accumulated enough offerings, I'll grant that child a blessing to ensure he grows up smoothly and healthily."

Sun Yan walked to the window and looked down at the small square.

There, the Earth Shrine placed by Sosia in a corner of the square was beginning to draw some elderly people to offer incense.

The Earth God's reputation is well known; offering incense is generally safe and can bring peace and health.

"In a few days, I'll have everyone in the Youma Community offering incense to the Earth Shrine," Sun Yan said with determination.

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