"Can the 'Duren Sutra' really dispel the yin and evil energy? Wasn't that place blocked because the spirit hall was in the way?"

William Clark was a bit stunned when he heard his master's words. Could it be that this yin and evil energy really was transformed from the spirit of Mr. Miller's second brother?

Old Preacher shook his head and said, "Who told you it was caused by the spirit hall? This is resentment turned into energy. Otherwise, with sunlight shining there every day, it would have been dispersed long ago."

"Master, could it be... there really are ghosts?"

William Clark was quite bold. When he was seven or eight, he dared to go catch crickets alone in the village's old graveyard. Hearing this, he didn't feel scared at all; instead, he got excited.

Old Preacher curled his lip at this and said disdainfully, "Ghosts, my ass. Back in the day, I walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and I never saw a single ghost..."

Samuel Thompson had lived for over a hundred years and had seen a lot. He even once snuck into the Tianshi Dao to learn some ghost-catching skills, but he never got the chance to use them. He actually wished a ghost would show up in front of him.

"If there are no ghosts, then how does resentment form?" William Clark asked in confusion. He really hadn't known this before. So his teacher was actually a staunch atheist?

"You brat, and here I thought you were a modern-educated student. Let me broaden your horizons a bit."

Hearing William Clark's question, Old Preacher gave him a look of disdain and said, "If you want a scientific explanation, you can call it a magnetic field. The factors that create it are related to human brainwaves. When many people focus their thoughts on a person or an event, it can change the strength of the local magnetic field. If you use Buddhist or Daoist reasoning, it's the power of faith. Through the prayers of believers, a similar magnetic field can be produced. Got it, kid?"

"I get it, I get it. But... teacher, are you sure you went to a private school back then?"

Honestly, William Clark was really stunned by Old Preacher's words. If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he wouldn't have believed that this came from Old Preacher, who spent all day spouting classical Chinese and forcing him to study ancient texts.

"What? You look down on me, a scholar from the late Qing?"

Old Preacher gave William Clark a sidelong glance and said, "Your teacher once lectured on architecture at Peking University. Even that kid Liang Sicheng came to my classes."

Old Preacher wasn't bragging. He and Gu Hongming were close friends despite the age gap, and at Gu's invitation, he had taught at Peking University for a while. You could say he was well-versed in both Chinese and Western learning.

It's just that Old Preacher had gone to Peking University mainly to look for the original copy of the 'Tui Bei Tu' in the library. When he couldn't find it, he resigned and went back to wandering the world like a carefree hermit.

"Architecture must have something to do with feng shui, right? But who is Liang Sicheng?"

Ever since William Clark started believing that Old Preacher was over a hundred years old, he became very curious about his stories. But the old man didn't brag about his past as much as before, only dropping a few lines now and then.

"Not bad, kid. Whether it's Chinese or foreign architecture, it's all related to feng shui and geomancy. As for Liang Sicheng—sigh, why am I even telling you this?"

Old Preacher explained a bit to William Clark but soon lost patience. If he told William Clark that Liang Sicheng was Liang Qichao's son, this kid would probably ask who Liang Qichao was, and then he'd have to tell the whole story of the "Six Gentlemen of the Hundred Days' Reform."

"Fine, don't tell me then. By the way, teacher, does reciting the 'Duren Sutra' really dispel evil energy?"

Seeing that his teacher didn't want to continue, William Clark didn't press further, but he did remember the name Liang Sicheng.

"Of course. The power of the 'Duren Sutra' is no less than the Buddhist 'Diamond Sutra.' Just do as I say in a bit. I'm going to rest for a while..."

Seeming to recall the past, Old Preacher's mood turned a bit low. No matter how healthy he was, he was still a centenarian. He leaned back in his chair and dozed off.

William Clark got up and quietly left the room, gently closing the door behind him. Although he could be mischievous and often called the old man names, deep down William Clark cared for and respected him very much.

"Hey, little master, where's Mr. Thompson? The people to build the house are all ready." As soon as William Clark walked into the yard, Mr. Miller came in excitedly.

Hearing Mr. Miller's booming voice, William Clark quickly put his finger to his lips and said, "Shh, my master is tired and resting. Big Miller, please take down the spirit hall, and I'll recite the sutra here to help the spirit move on. That will get rid of the yin and evil energy."

Mr. Miller was taken aback and asked hesitantly, "Little master, are you... sure you can do it?"

These days, no matter the profession, appearance is important. Patients like to see old doctors, factories want senior technicians, and seeing how young William Clark was, it was natural for Mr. Miller to have doubts.

"Big Miller, the yin and evil energy in your yard hasn't been here long. It's easy to clear. No need for my master to step in..."