TGA Chapter 101

The passageway stood open, allowing the wind to pour in.

As they descended, the path ahead seemed long and distant, though in reality, it wasn’t far. The dim lighting merely disrupted their vision.

Huang Jue led the way at the front, while Chu Qianli and the others stayed in the middle.

Tan Muxing followed closely beside Chu Qianli. Seeing the serious expressions on the fully armed group around them, he asked in confusion, “So, are there really ghosts here?”

“Don’t worry, Star, we can’t see them anyway,” Chu Qianli replied casually. “As for what ghosts actually are, that’s enough to make these people argue endlessly. Some say they’re the souls of humans or animals, while others claim they’re spiritual entities from higher dimensions—things beyond human comprehension. It’s like asking an ancient person to explain gravity. Not everyone who talks about it knows what they’re saying.”

“But ancient people didn’t know about gravity and still understood that falling from a height could be fatal. They could grasp the most basic truths,” Chu Qianli continued. “So, whether or not you believe in ghosts, or even if you call them ghosts, as long as you understand the simplest principles, you can live normally.”

“The simplest principles?”

“If you don’t believe in ghosts, then just consider it an unexplained scientific phenomenon—like ancient people and gravity,” Chu Qianli shrugged. “If you do believe in ghosts, then it’s even simpler. Every school of thought agrees that cultivating oneself—both body and mind—can ward off such things. If your willpower is strong enough, you’re practically immune to them.”

A, who had been listening to their conversation, chuckled and remarked, “After all, most religions and esoteric traditions are fundamentally humanistic.”

“Yes, they generally believe that everything a person experiences is part of life’s lessons, ultimately meant to help them grow and reach a new stage—whether it’s visible hardships or so-called supernatural beings…” Chu Qianli suddenly realized something. Her eyes widened in shock as she turned to A. “Wait, you understand Chinese?”

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing had been conversing in Chinese, and the translator hadn’t followed them into the passageway. Yet, A had inexplicably responded in English.

A replied, “I can understand a little, but I can’t speak it.”

Tan Muxing was impressed. “That’s still amazing.”

“So, you were eavesdropping!” Chu Qianli watched A, who was smiling as he walked alongside them, then asked curiously, “Why aren’t you walking up front?”

A admitted, “My specialty is using a pendulum to connect with my higher self. Fighting ghosts is out of my skillset.”

Huang Xian and the Daoist practitioners of Qian Sect led the way ahead—it was clearly their domain of expertise.

Just then, a sudden noise emerged from within the passageway walls. It was different from the eerie wailing of the wind and instead resembled the vibration of metal.

Xu Zaiyuan remarked, “The yin energy is surging.”

Huang Xian sneered. “Is this a challenge?”

Chu Qianli made a quick calculation and concluded, “It’s just the pipes in the walls making noise.”

Huang Xian scoffed, “That’s still the Five Ghosts shaking the pipes!”

Mei Rujing commented calmly, “This really feels like a haunted house. I’m not scared by the ghostly setup, but rather by my overly dramatic companions.”

Tan Muxing: “…”

At the end of the passage was a small room. Sure enough, they found an altar dedicated to the Five Ghosts, complete with an incense burner, paper effigies, and other ritual items—just as Xu Zaiyuan had described.

As soon as they stepped inside, a fierce wind rushed toward them.

“Five stars illuminate the sky, light shines upon the underworld…” Xu Zaiyuan acted immediately, drawing a peachwood sword. The finely crafted wooden blade gleamed with a faint red glow at the hilt, waves of light rippling across it.

He chanted an incantation rapidly:

“Five demons and evil spirits, perish and be destroyed. Wherever you are, the gods shall welcome you. Urgent as the law commands!” ①

The moment he finished, the wind subsided slightly.

Huang Xian scoffed coldly, “Not bad, but the formation is still intact. A banishing spell won’t do much.”

Huang Xian retrieved some spirit money from his pouch and tossed it into the air with a practiced motion. At first, the paper money floated down in an orderly manner, but then the sinister wind picked up again, instantly scattering the money like a celestial maiden scattering flowers!

“These little ghosts are tough,” Huang Xian muttered irritably. “They’ve been trapped here for so long that they don’t understand the rules of the outside world.”

There were only a few ways to send ghosts away—some could be placated with offerings like spirit money, some could be forcibly exorcised with powerful talismans, and some had personal requests that, if fulfilled, would make them leave willingly.

However, this modified Five Ghosts Wealth-Summoning Formation not only gathered yin energy but also used the grievances of infant spirits, whose consciousness had yet to fully mature. Naturally, they weren’t easy to disperse. Some people deliberately raised ghost children because they were naive, easy to control, and untainted by worldly karma—making them difficult to banish as well.

Xu Zaiyuan wielded his sword, the spirit medium cast spirit money, and Joe performed a purification ritual in place—but the sinister wind in the room still did not fully dissipate.

Watching their companions showcase their mystical skills, Chu Qianli sighed in exasperation, “It’s like we’re watching a special effects movie… without the special effects.”

The trio of atheists couldn’t see any supernatural phenomena. All they felt was a strong gust of wind in the room—other than that, they didn’t see a single ghostly shadow.

For the believers, their exorcism techniques might have seemed impressive and masterful, but in Chu Qianli’s world, it all looked downright bizarre and incomprehensible.

The room wasn’t very large. At the center stood the Five Ghosts Altar, while on the right was a shelf filled with various strange stones and tools. On the left, hanging scrolls with indecipherable symbols adorned the walls, and on the floor, faint ghostly symbols could be seen carved into the surface.

This was the most important place inside Listening Wind Drizzle Tower.

As long as the arrangement here was altered, the feng shui of the entire building would change. The rolling hills and architectural layout of the surrounding villa district were all designed to enhance the effects of this place.

“So that’s why I said I don’t like rituals. I just hope to become a better person. As long as I don’t hurt others, that’s enough. What I fear most is taking reckless risks for personal gain.” Chu Qianli walked over to the display shelf, carefully observing it as she considered rearranging the objects. “Just looking at this setup is annoying. Let’s break his formation.”

Chu Qianli never performed rituals. As long as she never relied on them, she would never risk making mistakes.

The sorcerer who had set up this place was different. In his pursuit of greater benefits, he had gone so far as to attempt a blood sacrifice using infant spirits—completely contrary to the beliefs of most cultivators.

Of course, just because Chu Qianli didn’t perform rituals didn’t mean she didn’t understand them.

She reached out and began moving the artifacts on the shelf.

A sinister wind rose, and the shelf trembled.

Huang Xian sensed something was wrong and urgently shouted, “Little girl, the Five Ghosts are moving!”

Xu Zaiyuan’s eyes sharpened as he drew his sword and began chanting, “Before me stands the Yellow God, behind me, Yuezhang. The divine master strikes without fear, first slaying evil spirits, then cutting down the night’s glow…”②

Before he could finish reciting the ghost-banishing incantation, the display shelf suddenly collapsed. Colorful stones and vessels tumbled down in a chaotic crash, about to smash directly onto Chu Qianli!

Huang Xian: “This is bad!”

Tan Muxing, who had been following closely beside Chu Qianli, saw the shelf giving way. With one hand, he forcefully pushed it back into place, while his other hand steadily caught a small blue-green jar as it fell.

The shelf was made of solid wood, standing about one and a half times the height of a person and weighing a considerable amount—yet he blocked it effortlessly!

The moment Tan Muxing steadied the shelf, the sinister wind abruptly dissipated.

The small blue-green jar remained intact, though the colorful stones had scattered all over the floor, rolling with a crisp, clattering sound.

Chu Qianli frantically bent down to pick them up, flustered and muttering, “Oh no, oh no, I have to rearrange everything again—it’s all messed up…”

Mei Rujing crouched down to help her gather the stones. “Honestly, a kid can’t go a single day without knocking something over, can they?”

With Mei Rujing’s assistance, Chu Qianli carefully retrieved the stones and placed them back on the shelf, following proper feng shui principles rather than the sorcerer’s sinister methods.

Tan Muxing held up the small blue-green jar and reminded her, “There’s also this one.”

“Thank you.” Chu Qianli quickly took it and placed it in the center of the shelf. She then clapped her hands in satisfaction. “All done!”

With the objects repositioned, the oppressive atmosphere inside the room immediately dissipated. The eerie, stifling sensation they had felt upon entering vanished completely.

Lilith observed the crystal ball under the beam of her flashlight and noted, “The energy has changed.”

Joe added, “The dark ritual is being purified.”

Xu Zaiyuan concluded, “All that remains is the final rite to send them off. There will be no more disturbances.”

The sorcerer had deliberately cultivated ghosts in this room, yet Chu Qianli had undone the formation, breaking the yin-gathering environment.

However, what was even more astonishing was not Chu Qianli’s feng shui-breaking skills, but the fact that Tan Muxing had remained unharmed under the Five Ghosts’ assault—and had even temporarily suppressed the restless spirits!

Liu Jun glanced at Tan Muxing, recalling the scene that had just unfolded. He asked in bewilderment, “You’re not a practitioner. How were you able to drive away ghosts?”

Tan Muxing, confused, pointed at himself. “…Excuse me, are you talking to me?”

Lilith was equally shocked. “He clearly has no supernatural abilities, yet his energy remained unaffected.”

Tan Muxing: “?”

Xu Zaiyuan calmly explained, “Magic cannot surpass divine abilities, and divine abilities cannot surpass karmic force.”

Although Tan Muxing had no connection to metaphysics, he bore karmic merit and possessed a peaceful heart. He was, in essence, a truly virtuous person, making him naturally resistant to malevolent spirits. Simply put, since he had never done anything wrong and carried a great deal of virtue, it was extremely difficult for evil forces to affect him.

Suddenly, Tan Muxing found himself surrounded by a group of people. He instantly felt uncomfortable and stammered, “Um… I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re all saying. I really don’t know how to exorcise ghosts…”

Throughout the second round of selection, Tan Muxing had been practically invisible. He couldn’t comprehend how simply steadying a shelf had somehow led to him being mistaken for an exorcist.

The others quickly came to a unanimous conclusion: Tan Muxing had the ability to drive away spirits. This left him completely flustered, with no idea how to respond.

Chu Qianli immediately stepped in to rescue him, displeased. “Alright, alright, you believers need to stop trying to poach people. Just because Star seems impressive, you can’t start pulling him into your nonsense. He’s absolutely uninterested in metaphysics—at least respect his personal preferences!”

The three atheists firmly insisted that ghosts didn’t exist, and it looked like they were about to start another argument with the believers.

However, since none of the believers’ rituals had worked and only these three skeptics had succeeded, the others found themselves at a loss for words.

Huang Xian and his group had initially assumed that since Chu Qianli had pinpointed the room’s key location but didn’t believe in ghosts, she probably lacked the ability to perform purification rites or send spirits away. Who would have thought she had been playing the fool all along—accidentally breaking the formation with ease? Now, they couldn’t even find a way to refute her methods.

Who could have expected that the atheists would end up defeating the believers in ghost-hunting?

Tan Muxing weakly protested, “But I really don’t know how to drive away ghosts…”

“We all failed, and yet you managed to repel them—while claiming you don’t know how.” Huang Xian’s voice turned shrill with frustration as he protested indignantly, “Do you even realize how stupid that makes us look?!”

“…I’m sorry.”

I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.