David Bennett said confidently, “Lord Foster isn’t coming. The commotion in the clinic is just a qi-eating ghost, a minor character at best. It only dares to cling to those on the verge of death. Watch how I deal with it today!”

　　Young Sir was stunned for a moment, his face openly full of disappointment.

　　He was the eldest grandson of the Zhang family who ran the clinic, named Emily Bolton. William Clark sought him out again to inquire about the situation at the clinic.

　　There was nothing new discovered.

　　The matter was simple: the clinic was haunted. A qi-eating ghost was sucking the last breath of yang energy from the dying. People had made it very clear: “Lend me a breath.”

　　Of course, it never returns what it borrows.

　　After listening to Emily Bolton, William Clark suddenly asked, “Did anyone die in the clinic last night?”

　　Emily Bolton shook his head. He then asked, “Gentlemen, you say this qi-eating ghost can only absorb the last breath of yang energy from the dying. What’s the basis for that?”

　　David Bennett said, “It said so itself: ‘Breath like ice, no shadow in the pupil, stars seen in daylight, holding fire brings no warmth—what is the reason for this?’ Do you know what that means?”

　　Emily Bolton nodded, “The breath is cold, one’s reflection can’t be seen by others, stars are visible during the day, and even hugging a stove brings no warmth—these are signs that a person is about to die.”

　　David Bennett slapped his thigh, “Exactly! It’s asking the patient if they know they’re about to die. So I say, dealing with this qi-eating ghost is simple. It can only cling to the dying. Just don’t let those patients stay overnight in your clinic. That way, the ghost will have no yang energy to absorb, and after a while, it’ll naturally leave.”

　　William Clark shook his head, “That’s not right. The qi-eating ghost might absorb the dying’s yang energy because it’s easier, and it’s harder to absorb yang energy from healthy people. If there are no dying people, it might try to absorb yang energy from healthy people instead. Wouldn’t that be a disaster?”

　　“You think it’s that easy to absorb yang energy from healthy people? If a qi-eating ghost could do that, it would already be highly cultivated, and we wouldn’t be able to handle it.” David Bennett scoffed, “Alright, let’s eat first. I’m starving.”

　　After breakfast, William Clark carried his waist knife and patrolled the clinic.

　　He found nothing.

　　He patrolled more than ten times throughout the day, getting familiar with everyone in the clinic, but didn’t detect any trace of the qi-eating ghost.

　　The reason for so many patrols was also to get familiar with the environment, so that if he couldn’t beat the ghost at night, at least he could run away more smoothly.

　　He had to plan for escape, because everyone in the clinic had already left, saying it was so as not to interfere with their work at night.

　　At least they left dinner for them, and fortunately, dinner was delicious.

　　David Bennett thought the braised cured fish was tasty: （*￣︶￣）

　　After dinner, the sun set, dusk fell, and the moon was faintly visible in the night sky.

　　The weather wasn’t great tonight, with dark clouds drifting across the sky.

　　So the dim moon was sometimes hidden, sometimes revealed, making people feel uneasy.

　　Early spring winds were strong, and the bare branches were blown to rub against each other, making a “shasha” sound.

　　You couldn’t notice it during the day, but at night the sound was surprisingly clear.

　　There was a circle of lanterns in the clinic.

　　In the night wind, the crimson lanterns swayed gently, the candle flames inside flickering in the wind, making the light alternately bright and dim, which only added to the eerie atmosphere of the spacious courtyard.

　　David Bennett looked at the lanterns and frowned, “This little bit of light is worse than nothing. Why did you even bother lighting them?”

　　William Clark asked, “Wasn’t it you who lit them?”

　　As soon as he finished speaking, both of them instinctively gripped their waist knives and stood up.

　　The cold wind was biting, like a ghostly chill.

　　David Bennett was bold. He squinted and slowly scanned the surroundings, saying, “I’m afraid the qi-eating ghost is here. Remember, ghosts fear yang energy and fear the wicked. The more confident you are, the less it can do to you! But if you’re afraid of it, hmph!”

　　William Clark laughed, “I’m not afraid. What’s there to fear about a qi-eating ghost?”

　　A qi-eating ghost isn’t a malicious ghost. According to the “Strange Tales,” this type of ghost is formed from people who, in life, neglected their parents, wives, and children, shirked their responsibilities, and only cared about their own pleasure. They don’t harbor much resentment.

　　Most qi-eating ghosts feed on air to fill their bellies. They are very sensitive to smells and can distinguish all kinds of scents in the world.

　　In the underworld, the King of Hell sends them to guard the gates, to sniff out the various ghosts mixed among the masses. If any ghost commits evil, the King of Hell will dispatch a qi-eating ghost to find them.

　　This kind of qi-eating ghost poses no threat to people, and can even be used by people to find things, so there’s no need to worry about them.

　　But there are some qi-eating ghosts that are different. They devour people’s breath, which means they’ve started cultivating.

　　Their cultivation begins by absorbing the last breath of yang energy from the dying, and as they gain more power, they start to absorb yang energy from healthy people. At that point, they become much harder to deal with.

　　David Bennett saw that he looked calm and nodded in satisfaction, tossing him a small ball woven from dry grass: “Hold this in your mouth.”

　　William Clark took the ball and asked, “What is this?”

　　David Bennett said, “Bingtai Pearl. Ever heard of it?”

　　“I have,” William Clark replied, suddenly understanding.

　　Bingtai is a type of plant, also known as yellow mugwort, so the little bead was actually woven from mugwort.

　　But the mugwort used was special—it grew on old graves.