Chapter 47: A Midnight Visitor

  "It's not like there's anything wrong with that, if it were me, I might also think that I'd rather realize on my own that there's no hope with the other person than be told to my face that I'm out of luck. However...” Su Tong couldn't help but feel a little resentful towards Tang Ao as he thought about how Feng Wei had looked at him tonight, "I even suspect that you not only used the tactic of 'draining the water from the cauldron' but also borrowed a knife to kill someone? I think just now Feng Wei already considered me her imaginary enemy."

  Tang Ao didn't make a sound, Su Tong thought it was this topic that made him uncomfortable, so he also didn't say anything else. The two of them walked silently for a short distance, when Tang Ao suddenly spoke up again.

  "To be honest, I also hope that I can directly make Feng Wei realize the truth and stop wasting her energy and time on me. However, currently, it seems like I don't have a way to do this. The most straightforward and effective method to make someone who likes you give up is to let them know that you already have someone you like. Subjectively, I can use this method, but objectively, I'm not capable of doing so."

  He spoke without looking at Su Tong beside him, instead gazing straight into the distance as if there was something interesting there.

  "The girl I like, although we may not be deeply familiar with each other, through these few years of occasional attention, I know a lot about her. Unfortunately, she only recently found out about me, so there are some things I can't say, fearing that if I speak up, people will think I'm being perverted or mentally ill and scare her away. I didn't plan on using you as a shield to provoke Feng Wei; I hope you understand this."

  Tang Ao's words were actually expressing a certain meaning, Su Tong listened clearly and understood that Tang Ao was indirectly telling her about his feelings for himself. However, just as he said, perhaps he had already noticed himself and quietly paid attention to himself, but she didn't know until recently when they met at the hospital by chance. After these days of contact, Su Tong's impression of Tang Ao was indeed not bad. Just now, listening to him say these words also made her heart beat faster suddenly. However, she also didn't know how to react, lacking understanding and recognition of Tang Ao's everything. It wasn't possible to just accept him because he looked handsome, treated her well, and could catch ghosts. So she silently nodded, not saying anything.

  The conversation ended abruptly, and both of them knew that continuing would be inappropriate. They walked back to Tang Ao's home in silence, unable to find any other topics to discuss. Once inside, Tang Ao rolled up his sleeves and headed into the kitchen, while Su Tong tried to help but found himself unable to assist. In the end, he could only help with peeling a few cloves of garlic, beating an egg, and chopping vegetables halfway before being taken over by Tang Ao. Tang Ao was skilled in the kitchen, quickly whipping up several dishes that were simple yet well-balanced and delicious. Su Tong enjoyed his meal immensely, finding it far superior to the uniform cooking at restaurants. During dinner, they chatted sporadically, neither of them bringing up their previous conversation. However, Tang Ao noticed that Su Tong didn't seem distant or awkward towards him due to his earlier words, and his mood had improved significantly.

  After finishing dinner, Su Tong and Tang Ao washed the bowls and chopsticks together. Su Tong asked Tang Ao: "You told Wang Wei and Feng Wei earlier that we had something to do at night, was it really some other plan or just an excuse?"

  "This is not an excuse, we really have something to do, mainly on your side." Tang Ao said to Su Tong, "In order to avoid a long and tedious process, I think we should solve the matter of that infant spirit first. On one hand, it will allow us to gauge the depth of the situation on your side, and on the other hand, since it is an evil spirit from the abandoned mansion, solving it will also give us some understanding of the information inside the mansion."

  As soon as she heard that they were going to deal with the evil spirit from their own family, Su Tong suddenly became tense again. She carefully looked at Tang Ao's expression and made sure he wasn't joking or teasing her on purpose. She hastily asked: "That... are you completely fine now? I mean, it's one thing for your spiritual power to increase mysteriously, but when I entered the abandoned mansion, I saw you fainting on the ground without any consciousness at all. That's a different matter altogether. If we take action tonight, can your body handle it?"

  "Don't worry, I'm not that fragile." Hearing Su Tong's concern about his physical condition, Tang Ao seemed very pleased. He patted his chest with his hand, indicating that he was fine. "And this time we won't be so reckless and try it out immediately. We'll definitely make sufficient preparations before acting. Now is still early, we have time to take it slow. I still need to do some preparatory work later, you can take the opportunity to rest for now."

  "Isn't it nighttime now? Didn't you originally say we should wait until daytime, noon, when the yang energy is strongest to go? Now at this hour you're still saying it's too early, are you going to wait until the dead of night, when the yin energy is most powerful, to have a fierce confrontation with that infant spirit?" Su Tong was bewildered by Tang Ao's sudden change in approach.

  Tang Ao nodded: "Right, you're not wrong. This time we are going to wait until the yin energy is at its strongest before making a move. Previously, we went to probe and see what would happen, without intending to directly provoke a conflict, so it was safer to go during the day. Also, I didn't think that this infant spirit could already control its own yin energy and hide it from people, so I took that into consideration and decided to change our strategy this time. If it hides, it's in the dark, while we're in the light, which is more dangerous. It's better if everyone is out in the open, making it easier to handle. During the day, its yin energy is weaker, making it easy to hide, but at night, especially after 1 am, when the yin energy is strongest and the yang energy is weakest, even that infant spirit can't completely hide its own yin energy. I estimate that during its most powerful time period, it won't want to hide either, so we'll have a direct confrontation and resolve the issue once and for all."

  "Is there anything I need to do?" Su Tong asked.

  "It's true, and it's very important," said Tang Ao. "If you don't go over there, the infant spirit won't sense your presence, and probably won't appear. Only when it senses that you've returned will it be unable to resist the temptation and rush out. So tonight's success or failure may ultimately depend on whether my powers are sufficient, but the foundation for success is definitely based on the fact that you also go to the scene."

  Su Tong sighed, and smiled bitterly: "Actually, you don't have to put it so delicately, just tell me directly. Tonight when we're fishing for Dou Yuling, I'm just like the bait used for fishing - a lure."

  Tang Ao looked at her tense appearance, wanting to laugh but feeling it was not suitable. He hastily gave her a reassuring pill: "Don't worry, this time we're well-prepared. Even if you were an earthworm, you'd be an earthworm protected in a submarine. No fish can eat you with me around. Don't be afraid."

  Su Tong nodded, after washing the dishes, she sat on the couch watching TV. Originally, Tang Xiao wanted her to go to the room to rest and take a nap, but Su Tong was too tense to sleep. Tang Xiao had no choice but to turn on the TV to let her watch some shows, distract her attention, and relieve her tension. After settling Su Tong down, he went to his study to work busily. Su Tong didn't know what preparations Tang Xiao needed to make, but since he said he couldn't provide any help, she didn't dare to disturb him. She sat alone in the living room, turning the TV volume down as low as possible, listlessly watching the shows. She watched for half a day, but actually didn't notice what was being shown on TV, just occasionally switching channels randomly. When there were health lectures or pharmaceutical ads, she would stare at the screen for a long time.

  Her heart was actually in a mess, although she wouldn't say such things out loud to others, fearing they'd think her crazy. But if she really did speak up, probably many would mock her for being weak and timid. Yet people always talk big when it's not their own problem, speaking lightly until it happens to them, then they know the anxiety. Recently, Su Tong has experienced quite a few paranormal events, from encountering ghosts to being possessed, to having his soul leave his body - that's what they mean by "you have to experience it yourself to understand".

  It was probably late at night when Su Tong's fatigue finally took over, temporarily suppressing the tension. She sat on the sofa, tilting her head, nodding off to sleep, and the remote control in her hand almost slipped out of her hand and fell to the ground. At this moment, a knock at the door suddenly came from the entrance.

  The knock on the door woke Su Tong from her shallow sleep. She hastily tidied herself up, rubbed her eyes which were still not fully awake, put the remote control on the small tea table in front of her, and ran to the door. Halfway there, she turned her head to glance at the wall clock, and her footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

  At this moment, the two hands on the clock are evenly stopped at 12.

  Su Tong felt every pore on his body burst open, a chill running from head to toe.

  At this time, in the middle of the night, normally, how could someone come to another person's home and knock on the door?! The one knocking on the door outside with a slow and deliberate rhythm, was it human or something else?

  Su Tong thought of this and subconsciously took two steps back, almost wanting to change direction and run to find Tang Ao. However, she thought again that Tang Ao was in his study with the door closed, quietly busy for half a day without any signs of anything unusual. She didn't understand those things, having only watched some martial arts movies, and didn't know if it was possible for someone to accidentally go crazy during their practice. So, she didn't dare to disturb him recklessly. Previously, Tang Ao had said that his house had a seal, and ordinary ghosts couldn't enter. Therefore, as long as she didn't open the door, whether it was humans or ghosts outside, they shouldn't be able to bother her.

  As soon as she thought of this, Su Tong's heart gained a few more points of confidence. She carefully approached the door, stood by it, took a deep breath, and stuck her eyes close to the peephole. The next second, she quickly retreated several steps backward due to being unable to suppress the fear in her heart, almost tripping over herself.

  It wasn't a ghost or monster outside the door, but for Su Tong, it was even more terrifying than that. The person standing outside the door was Zhang Min. As soon as she saw his face, all the frightening memories of the previous night came flooding back like a tide, making her body tremble uncontrollably and her legs go weak, causing her to fall to the ground.

  "Sutong, is that you? Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to you. Just open the door for me!" Zhang Min heard the voice from inside the anti-theft door and could tell that the footsteps were retreating hastily. He shouted from outside the door, "I'm begging you, okay? Please open the door first and let me in. I'm a bit scared standing in the corridor. I was really wrong, I know I made a mistake! Please hurry up and open the door!"

  The door of the study opened, and Tang Wei obviously heard the sound outside. He walked out from the doorway of the study, saw Su Tong sitting on the ground, hurriedly went forward to help her up, and settled her on the sofa. Then he looked at the doorway and asked: "Is that Zhang Min outside?"

  Su Tong nodded, his two hands grasping Tang Ao's sleeve like a lifeline, and lifted his head to find that Tang Ao's face looked somewhat pale. He quickly asked with concern: "What's wrong? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?"

  "Don't worry, I'm here," Tang Ao smiled and nodded at Su Tong. "You just sit there and don't move, don't worry about it, that Zhang Min is my guest, I'll take care of him."

  "Why did you call him here?" Su Tong looked at Tang Ao with some confusion.

  Tang Ao knew she was frightened by Zhang Min, so he patiently squatted down in front of Su Tong, looked into her eyes and asked: "Su Tong, tell me the truth, do you think I will harm you?"

  Su Tong shook her head without hesitation. Tang Ao had helped her so much during this time, and almost got himself into danger in the process. If he really wanted to do something that would harm her, he wouldn't need to wait until now. Even if she didn't fully understand him in other aspects, at least in this regard, she absolutely trusted Tang Ao.

  "That's good. Since you trust me, let's leave it to me from now on. Zhang Min is very important for my next plan, so he must come today. You have to understand this point, okay?" Tang Ao said again.

  Su Tong wanted to say no, but she was also very clear that it wasn't right, so she suppressed the fear in her heart and nodded.

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