Deadly Chimes

Li Banfeng suspected Luo Yuni was sitting right next to him—perhaps even closer, perhaps even sitting right on top of him. Under such circumstances, Luo Yuni reaching out her hand was an exceedingly dangerous move for Li Banfeng. What was even more dangerous was that Li Banfeng sensed no danger at all. If the dwelling spirit bore no ill will, all was well. If she harbored malice and Li Banfeng still couldn't sense it, that meant her cultivation surpassed his by more than two tiers. Seeing Li Banfeng retreat into the distance, Luo Yuni looked deeply disappointed. "What are you still hesitating for? Do you truly not want me?" "Like I said, it's not that I don't want you," Li Banfeng shook his head again. "I just don't want this residence." These were sincere words. Li Banfeng very much wanted a dwelling spirit, but within this residence, he would never speak Luo Yuni's name. Although he had not been in Puluo Province for long, after hearing the accounts of Ma the Fifth, the peddler, and Xiao Yeci, and witnessing the old lady's experience in nurturing a dwelling spirit, Li Banfeng had figured out some of the rules. Within this framework, there were three crucial roles: the Dwelling Cultivator, the dwelling spirit, and the residence. A Dwelling Cultivator could master the residence, and the residence could control the dwelling spirit; only through this chain could a Dwelling Cultivator subdue and bind a dwelling spirit. The crux of subduing a dwelling spirit lay in the harmony between the Dwelling Cultivator and the residence. The old lady's innate talent had indeed been poor; it had taken her a long time to achieve harmony with this house. Li Banfeng shared no harmony with this residence—at least none he could sense. Under these circumstances, he did not believe he could subdue such a powerful dwelling spirit. If the binding failed, things would become extremely perilous. He had not forgotten Lu Xiaolan, who had been trapped by a dwelling spirit in the He family ancestral residence. Luo Yuni's brow smoothed, and her charming smile returned to her face. "You don't want this residence, and to tell the truth, neither do I. I've been trapped here for decades and grew sick of it long ago. You want that special residence of yours, and I like that house very much, too. Take me there. I will go with you. Once we are in your residence, I will be yours. My abilities will be yours, and my body will be yours as well." Take her to the Portable Abode? Would that work? Li Banfeng decided to gamble on it! The Portable Abode was his domain, and his harmony with it was exceptionally high. Following the old lady's method—lighting a candle, gazing at the mantel clock, sensing the harmony, and calling her name—he should be able to subdue her successfully. Besides, with the Portable Abode, he could enter and leave whenever he wished. If she dared pull any tricks, he would trap her inside! Locking her away for a while would tame her soon enough. Li Banfeng took a deep breath, unfastened the short knife, and set it aside. For now, this blade could not be brought into the Portable Abode; it was too dangerous. Li Banfeng could not wield this strange weapon himself, but Luo Yuni could. If brought inside and she turned hostile, it would pose a fatal threat. Aside from that, Li Banfeng took further precautions. He felt the remaining rust pill in his pocket. Luo Yuni was a deceased soul, and Li Banfeng knew no methods for combating ghosts. Should things go awry, he could only strike at her true vessel—the old mantel clock. The rust pill could not damage the mantel clock's wooden casing, but it would wreak havoc on the pendulum, the clock face, and the internal mainspring and gears. Besides the rust pill, there were the scythe and the shovel. Li Banfeng hung them from his waist, adjusting them to the optimal positions for a swift strike. Luo Yuni's figure vanished from the pendulum as her soul retreated into the old mantel clock. With everything prepared, Li Banfeng drew his key, lifted the old mantel clock with one hand, and entered the Portable Abode as swiftly as possible. He set the mantel clock on the floor for the moment and turned to look for a candle. Strange—the candles weren't where he had left them, and the matches were nowhere to be found. Was he being forgetful, or had someone entered the Portable Abode? Li Banfeng hurriedly searched for a candle. He needed light; without it, he could not see the mantel clock, let alone gaze upon it. On the mantel clock's pendulum, Luo Yuni's face resurfaced once more. This time it was not a reflection. Luo Yuni was inside the clock, and behind her were the distinct outlines of gears and springs. Her alluring smile gradually faded. Her delicate brows slanted sharply, and her almond eyes narrowed upward. The corners of her mouth curved slightly as Luo Yuni licked her lips. The color drained from her face, leaving her skin a ghastly, gruesome pale. Li Banfeng's line of thought was not wrong, nor was his method. Under ordinary circumstances, he would indeed have been able to subdue a dwelling spirit. Yet he had underestimated one thing: the disparity in strength between them—a gap insurmountable even on Li Banfeng's home turf. By conventional logic, a tier-one Dwelling Cultivator's dwelling spirit would not be exceedingly powerful either—typically tier one, or tier two at most. However, Li Banfeng was mistaken. Luo Yuni possessed staggering natural talent. Before becoming a dwelling spirit, she had already turned into a formidable evil spirit through her immense resentment. After becoming a dwelling spirit and undergoing thirty years of cultivation, her strength had reached the sixth tier. Sixth-tier power was an existence far beyond Li Banfeng's imagination. Yet a dwelling spirit remained a dwelling spirit. Luo Yuni had been shackled by the residence, and because that residence shared deep harmony with the old lady, much of Luo Yuni's power could not be brought to bear. Sensing that Li Banfeng knew little about Dwelling Cultivators, Luo Yuni wanted to use him to kill the old lady and help her break free from her bonds. Why hadn't she slain the old lady with her own hands? Weren't there precedents of dwelling spirits murdering their masters? Li Banfeng had considered this question as well, and had deduced from it that Luo Yuni had not been truthful about many things. To win Li Banfeng's trust, most of what Luo Yuni said had been true, but this matter touched her vital vulnerability, so she naturally kept the truth hidden. In fact, the answer had already been given in the descriptions from Ma the Fifth, the peddler, and Xiao Yeci, and through analysis, Li Banfeng had reached a general conclusion. For a dwelling spirit to slay its master, there was a prerequisite: the harmony between the Dwelling Cultivator and the residence had to break down. If a Dwelling Cultivator showed no regard for the house, the house would indulge the spirit's rebellion, granting it the opportunity to kill its master—just like the extremely slovenly cultivator Ma the Fifth had spoken of. If a Dwelling Cultivator abandoned the house, the residence would release a portion of its constraints, allowing the dwelling spirit to degenerate into an evil spirit and harm people at will within the premises. The old woman and Luo Yuni had not gotten along, but the old woman held deep affection for the residence and maintained exceptional harmony with it. Bound by the residence and by the contract between Dwelling Cultivator and dwelling spirit, Luo Yuni could suppress the old lady's cultivation, but she could not kill her. Moreover, even if the old woman died, as long as the residence remained standing, the dwelling spirit still could not escape its shackles; the contract between cultivator and spirit would not lapse unless another Dwelling Cultivator took over. The residence was a dwelling spirit's shackles. If a dwelling spirit wished to break free, only three paths were open to it. First: be sufficiently powerful. A dwelling spirit of sufficient strength could forcefully break the residence's bonds; Ma the Fifth had heard of such precedents. With her cultivation at tier six, could Luo Yuni break free of the residence? No, far from it. Second: someone takes the dwelling spirit away from the residence. Once removed from the residence, a dwelling spirit would turn into an evil spirit; few dared attempt such a thing. Third: break the contract. This was simple: another Dwelling Cultivator gazed at the dwelling spirit and called out its name; if the original Dwelling Cultivator did not object, the contract would be broken. So long as the spirit consented, this was how a dwelling spirit changed hands. Luo Yuni had chosen the third method: breaking the contract. In the old lady's courtyard, if Li Banfeng gazed at the clock and called Luo Yuni's name, the old lady certainly would not have objected, because she was already dead. The contract between Luo Yuni and the old lady would be shattered, and Luo Yuni would be freed of her restraints. And since Li Banfeng shared no harmony with the courtyard, Luo Yuni would not become his dwelling spirit—she would kill him instantly. Luo Yuni had been sitting behind Li Banfeng all along. Though her power was restricted, as long as she could seize Li Banfeng's vitals, she could force him to speak her name. Yet to her surprise, the moment she reached out, Li Banfeng darted away. When force failed, she tried coaxing. She repeatedly enticed Li Banfeng to speak her name, expecting an easy success, only to find him intensely guarded and unwilling to utter it. When one path proved blocked, she took another. Luo Yuni requested that Li Banfeng bring her into the Portable Abode. This time, she got her way. Having departed her original residence, she was free. Yet the Portable Abode was now deeply harmonized with Li Banfeng. If he were to gaze at the mantel clock and speak Luo Yuni's name inside the Portable Abode, what would happen? As long as he gazed at the dwelling spirit, sensed his harmony with the house, and spoke her name, the dwelling spirit would belong to him. The logic was sound, but in reality, Li Banfeng could never succeed. Because Luo Yuni would never give Li Banfeng the chance to call her name. She intended to slaughter him immediately and claim the Portable Abode for herself. A tier-six dwelling spirit striking with unfettered power left Li Banfeng no chance of survival. The pendulum swung frantically. The minute hand drove the hour hand across the dial, racing toward the twelve o'clock position. With twelve consecutive chimes, she would slice Li Banfeng into thirteen pieces! *Clack, clack, clack...* The gears inside the mantel clock ground together. The minute and hour hands were about to overlap. The chimes were poised to sound. Li Banfeng was still rummaging for a candle, while Luo Yuni's smile turned increasingly sinister. *Pfft, pfft, pfft...* A flame flared, preceded by the hiss of venting steam. Li Banfeng was startled—the gramophone had started up. How could the gramophone start on its own? Luo Yuni paid no attention whatsoever to the gramophone. *Clang!* A chime rang out! An invisible blade surged straight for Li Banfeng's spine. A chill gripped Li Banfeng. He dodged with all his might on pure instinct, but it was futile; he could not evade it. Such speed was beyond his comprehension. *Hiss!* A jet of white steam shot from the gramophone, effortlessly scattering the invisible blade! Luo Yuni glared at the gramophone with blood-red eyes. What was this thing? Did this object possess sentience? A sentient thing dared to thwart her? Who gave it the audacity? *Clang!* The second chime rang out! Enraged, Luo Yuni launched her second attack. She aimed not only at Li Banfeng, but also at the gramophone, intending to hack it to pieces alongside him. *Whoosh!* Steam surged forward and engulfed the old mantel clock. The invisible blade failed to launch, dissipating directly inside the clock's body. *Clack, clack, clack...* Luo Yuni was somewhat surprised, but refused to concede, launching yet another strike. The gears strained violently, attempting to unleash a third chime. The third chime never came. The mainspring of the old mantel clock was jammed tight by an unseen force within the steam. Luo Yuni roared repeatedly, straining with all her might. *Creak, clack, creak...* The mainspring quickly reached its breaking point. *Pfft—* The gramophone let out a scoff—a scoff dripping with mockery. *Snap!* Enveloped in steam, the clock's mainspring snapped. "Aaaagh—" Luo Yuni was struck with terror, immediately followed by a shrill, agonizing shriek, as though it were her own bones that had shattered. *Whoosh!* Another billow of steam struck. The glass dome of the mantel clock shattered! The pendulum snapped! The dial was ripped away, the minute and hour hands warping and melting under the intense heat. The brass frame collapsed, gears of all sizes scattering in every direction. *Crack! Crunch!* Within seconds, the clock's wooden casing was reduced to a heap of splintered kindling. Everything happened too quickly for Li Banfeng to react. Luo Yuni's shrieks echoed on and on, as if she were enduring unimaginable torment. From within the clock, a plume of red smoke and dust was drawn into the gramophone's horn along with the steam. By the light of the gramophone's flame, Li Banfeng stared at the clock's wreckage, his face dripping with sweat, shocked into speechlessness. *Hiss, hiss, hiss...* The gramophone's stylus lowered itself onto the record. First came the cheerful clatter of gongs and drums. Then followed the merry trill of a flute. And then, the gramophone sang a sweet melody: "I walk you out to the village edge, A word of caution I must pledge: Though a hundred blossoms bloom so sweet, Long-ge-li-ge-li-ge-long~ long-ge-li-ge-long~ The wildflowers by the roadside... Do not pick!"