Perhaps the voices of the two adults woke the child in the woman's arms. As soon as the little one opened his eyes, he burst into loud cries, making the woman shed tears in distress.

“No, we have to go now, to the hospital!”

Mr. Miller threw the cigarette he had just lit onto the ground, reached out to take the child, and had just walked to the gate of the courtyard when he noticed two people standing outside.

“Excuse me, Daoist, may I ask... is there something you need?”

As one of the first to become wealthy during the Reform and Opening Up, Mr. Miller was anxious but did not forget his manners. While soothing his wailing nephew, he looked at the old Daoist. As for William Clark, who stood beside the old Daoist, Mr. Miller automatically ignored him.

“Boundless blessings. Greetings, layman.”

The old Daoist glanced at Mr. Miller, extended his right hand, bent his index finger (signifying the unity of the Three Pure Ones), raised it to his chest, and said, “My disciple and I were passing by and noticed a heavy presence of yin fiendish energy in your home. This is a sacred Taoist site—may I ask why you haven’t sought someone to resolve it?”

The old Daoist’s words made William Clark secretly roll his eyes. “Seek someone to resolve it? Then why did you run off like a rabbit’s father earlier? Isn’t it just because you’re afraid someone else will beat you to it?”

But hearing the old Daoist mention yin fiendish energy, William Clark grew curious and looked toward the courtyard. He had learned about geomancy and earth energy from the old Daoist, but had never actually seen anything like dragon energy or yin fiendish energy.

“Hm? What... what’s going on?”

Just as William Clark was using the knowledge taught by the old Daoist to observe the courtyard, the tortoise shell that had appeared in his mind that morning suddenly reappeared, startling William Clark so much he almost cried out.

But unlike in the morning, the tortoise shell spun rapidly in William Clark’s mind, and then the lines on its back shone brightly, suddenly transforming into a stream of energy that surged toward William Clark’s eyes.

“Is... is this the yin fiendish energy Master spoke of?”

When that stream of energy filled William Clark’s eyes, the scene before him seemed a bit different than before. On the right side of the mourning hall, there was a faint gray mist.

Although the sun was shining brightly at the moment, that spot was shaded by the mourning hall’s canvas, and the faint mist lingered, not dispersing, standing in stark contrast to the sunlight nearby.

“Could this be how the ancients explained yin and yang?”

Staring at the strange scene before him, William Clark had this thought. As a Young Pioneer raised under the red flag, he absolutely did not believe in ghosts or spirits.

And this mist only felt slightly chilly, not at all like the ghosts and monsters from strange tales. Instead, it resembled the ancient character “侌,” which means “rotating, gathering mist”—cold, dark, and converging.

“Kid, what’s wrong?”

Just as William Clark was searching his mind for a hundred thousand whys to explain what he was seeing, he suddenly felt someone tug his arm. Snapping back to reality, he realized he was already standing in the courtyard.

“It’s nothing, Master. I was observing the yin fiendish energy you mentioned.” Interrupted by the old Daoist, the scene in William Clark’s eyes returned to normal, and the faint mist was nowhere to be seen.

“Did the little Daoist see it too? Is there really something wrong with my house?”

Hearing William Clark’s words, Mr. Miller looked at the young Daoist with some skepticism. The old Daoist did have the air of a master, but what could this little kid possibly know?

Chapter 005: To Capture, One Must First Release

“At high noon, when the sun is at its peak, yang energy is at its strongest. Yet this place is gloomy—doesn’t that mean yin fiendish energy is at work?”

William Clark, with his small body and Daoist crown, tried hard to act like an adult as he spoke, but it still gave off a rather odd impression.

However, his words were well-reasoned, and the old Daoist beside him nodded repeatedly, a hint of surprise in his eyes, as if he hadn’t taught him these things.

All children like to show off a bit. Although William Clark was much smarter than his peers, seeing Mr. Miller’s slightly dismissive attitude toward him made him want to prove himself.

After speaking, William Clark pointed to the spot where he had seen the mist and said, “There, right over there…”

“There?”

Mr. Miller followed William Clark’s finger and saw that it was where the host’s family received guests coming to pay their respects. For the past few days, his sister-in-law had been sitting there holding the child.

If William Clark hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have paid much attention. Now, after hearing William Clark’s words, Mr. Miller walked over a few steps and indeed felt a chill, making his scalp tingle.

“Hm? Not bad, you noticed it too?”

The old Daoist nodded approvingly, turned to Mr. Miller, and said, “Layman Miao, ever since your brother passed away, this child has been crying nonstop, hasn’t he? And he’s easily startled at night…”

With just a few words, the old Daoist described exactly what had been happening in the family, startling Mr. Miller. He grabbed the old Daoist’s hand and said, “Mr. Thompson, you’re absolutely right! Our Miao family only has this one heir left—you must save this child!”