Chapter 153: Haunted Toy House, Spirit Eye Proficient, Another New Year

California.

Calabasas.

A girl with short black hair, looking cold, held her phone, pondering how to explain to this person who might not even count as a friend.

She glanced at the toy house in the center of the room, then sighed and uttered a sentence that turned Louis's face pale: "Louis, I might have encountered another being like Emilia."

Both understood what that sentence meant.

"Who? Give me details."

"Not a person—more accurately, a thing. I can't explain it clearly over the phone, but I think this thing is useful. I want to use it for a plan. Do you want to help me?"

Haley said this.

As soon as she spoke, she regretted it—she shouldn't have impulsively dragged Louis into this. He was one of the few friends she had left, besides Tang Na.

Forget it. Maybe this toy house was never meant to be used. Stick to the original plan.

Her heart, which had been destabilized by discovering the toy house's peculiar and terrifying nature, steadied again.

Haley was about to retract her words when Louis's voice came through, intrigued: "Oh? You're sure?"

"If it's real, I'd love to see it. But not now—I need a few months. Can you wait until then?"

Louis's voice was calm, even eager—nothing like someone burdened by shadows. Maybe since they parted, Louis's development had diverged from what she imagined?

Haley once again recalled the scene from childhood: Louis leading them.

Of course—someone like him could never settle for mediocrity.

Haley smiled. "Timing isn't a problem. I need to confirm whether that person is truly the target anyway."

"Can you come next March?"

"Fine. No problem. We'll contact each other then."

"..."

After hanging up, Haley's gloom, stirred by her friend's death, lifted slightly.

Indeed, she still had friends.

Gathering her composure, Haley turned her gaze to the toy house in the center—the strange object that had thrown her into chaos.

It was a two-story toy house, large enough to fill an entire table, made mostly of wood, resembling Lego-style dollhouse props.

Its appearance was delicate, with details nearly identical to a real house—except inside...

Several tiny wooden puppets, no bigger than half a palm, were dead. Blood stained the wooden floor, and above them, a grotesque head stared at Haley—motionless, yet radiating an unmistakable sense of being watched.

"According to the little girl who sold me this house, the puppets inside can move, and the ghost head is a supernatural entity—it can even appear in the real world, taking on the size of an ordinary human head."

"She just shoved it back inside the toy house, resealing it."

She'd acquired it from a little girl who sold her old belongings to earn pocket money—Haley had stumbled upon it by chance.

"Appear in the real world..."

Haley's gaze grew distant.

Is it torment that causes suffering—or is the terror of a haunted object more frightening?

She put the toy house away and resumed investigating the cause of her friend Tang Na's death.

After hanging up, Louis rubbed his chin.

Haley wasn't someone who made things up. If she said there was a supernatural force, it likely existed.

Then, next March, during spring break, I'll go out. The chances of encountering monsters will be higher. Oh, I'll bring David along—he won't let me return empty-handed!

Before that, I need to engrave the sealing inscriptions on my magic artifacts to strengthen my power. Otherwise, if I hook a monster but can't handle it, what's the difference from sending out an air force?

At that moment, Yulencar, sitting quietly beside him, asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. An old friend asked me for a favor. I'll be traveling next March."

"Traveling? Take me with you!"

Emma appeared out of nowhere, cheerful and lively.

Louis glanced at Emma. "Your tiny frame? Forget it. This trip isn't for fun—it has a purpose."

"Still, take me! I know what you're going for. I should be able to help now, right?" Emma's eyes sparkled.

Of course she knew Louis wasn't going for fun—if he were, she wouldn't be so eager.

Louis was definitely going after ghosts and spirits. She wanted to try handling one herself!

Louis smiled at that.

"Help?"

"Have you perfected your internal Qi?"

"Have you mastered the Concealment Art?"

"Have you mastered the Tearing Fiber Art?"

"Or achieved Great Completion in the Jade Maiden Art?"

One question after another forced Emma to step backward.

The final question sank her completely—she plopped onto the chair.

"You want to help me? Go wash your face and go to sleep."

Ignoring Emma, who sank into thought, Louis turned to Yulencar: "Intensify your cultivation during this time. Learn to delegate student council duties—don't cling to everything yourself."

Yulencar paused, then nodded. She understood Louis's kindness—he was right. She and Emma had been the first to begin practicing Qi Gong and the Jade Maiden Art, yet now even Madison had caught up.

If things continued like this, she'd fall behind in the five-member group.

Even if she provided great external support for Louis, her internal standing would become unstable.

"Alright, I'll continue guiding everyone now."

Listen carefully. Teach carefully.

The slanting sunlight filtered into the student council room, casting a golden glow over Louis and the others.

Everything looked harmonious.

Crystal Lake.

A place already claiming dozens of deaths, and a yin-charged geomantic site.

It had found its new master.

The Cano family bought the land under the guise of developing a tourist destination and sealed it off with iron fences.

Though the sheriff of Crystal Town sensed something was wrong, before the green stacks of Franklin bills, nothing was a problem.

On the shimmering lake surface, steel plates had been assembled into an elegant lakeside house. At its center lay a secret chamber, where Louis sat cross-legged, eyes half-closed.

His eyelids were coated with damp, blood-red mud. Thin streams of yin-sha energy seeped through the mud into his eye sockets and eyeballs, gradually transforming his eyes.

Crystal Lake was indeed a treasure.

Originally, its geomantic layout merely gathered yin—cool and pleasant, attracting many school trips. That alone would've been fine.

But then Jason died on a school trip. His mother possessed the Book of the Dead, which resurrected Jason. The resurrected Jason went on a killing spree, slaughtering dozens.

And so, the place changed.

Jason had been sealed within Crystal Lake. Dozens had died here. Combined with its yin-charged nature, this created a top-tier yin-sha site.

Far superior to the yin-sha energy in the farmhouse basement—not just in quantity, but in quality.

When the sha energy ran low, they randomly killed a few murderers or hardened criminals inside the steel house—and instantly replenished it. Under these conditions, Louis's Spirit Eye cultivation advanced rapidly.

He was nearly at proficiency.

At that moment, Louis's breath hitched. The blood-red mud on his eyelids began to dry and flake off. He swiftly grabbed a cup of boiled rootless water and washed his eyelids.

Rootless water, in folk terms, is dew on leaves before dawn—neither connected to heaven nor earth, rootless and sourceless, merely condensing naturally from air temperature.

Naturally, it was rootless water.

After washing his eyelids with rootless water, Louis slowly opened his eyes. Within his black pupils, a complex, unreadable rune flickered briefly and vanished.

"Spirit Eye Art: Proficient."

Louis brushed off nonexistent dust and stood up, gazing at the wall. Unfortunately, the Proficient ability of the Spirit Eye Art was not x-ray vision.

He merely observed minute details on the wall—like a camera, his pupils subtly contracted and expanded, capturing every scratch and insect on the surface.

"My vision has improved. I could probably be a sharpshooter now."

"But this is only the most basic ability of ocular techniques. The true power is..."

Louis stepped out of the secret chamber and looked at the black-clad giant guarding the door.

"Piers, do you think it's good that your family sent you here?"

The giant hurriedly replied, "I think it's great."

Louis's face remained expressionless, silent.

In his eyes, the giant's hazy soul trembled slightly as he spoke.

He was lying.

Of course—this time of year is bitterly cold, and Crystal Lake is unnaturally chilling. Who would want to come?

"Go back to your room."

"Young Master, aren't you continuing?"

Louis gave him a cool glance. The giant immediately bowed his head and returned to the room with the other man.

This was the true ability: faintly perceiving others' souls and their soul fluctuations—enough to function as a rudimentary lie detector.

But this worked only on normal people. For those possessed by evil spirits, this ability could fully guard against them.

"Pity, still not quite reached the height of killing with a glance."

He shook his head, no longer hoping for such things.

He looked at the frozen lake outside, stepped onto it, and began skating across the ice.

The biting wind whipped against him, yet he felt only a faint coolness.

Through refinement by inner Qi and magic power, his body had long since become immune to cold and heat.

…

Time passed quickly.

Christmas arrived once more.

Fine snow drifted gently from the sky; inside the house, warmth radiated like spring. A green Christmas tree hung with stars and colored lights stood in the corner, and colorful balloons filled the room, adding festive hues.

David emerged from the kitchen, wearing thick gloves and carrying a tray of freshly baked tarts. "Tarts are here—everyone make way."

"New flavor: Italian grape tarts. What do you think?"

"Hold on, one more—Jennie?"

Jennie also stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a platter of roasted chicken—not turkey, but white-feathered chicken, its surface deep red, tender, glossy with oil, exuding rich aroma.

Especially, a layer of cumin and chili powder dusted the chicken's surface, making it even more appetizing.

On the table: cake, steak, pork chop, caviar, foie gras, spaghetti, roasted lamb chops, braised pork belly, Sichuan hot pot—

A fusion of East and West—truly lavish.

At the long table covered in white cloth sat Louis, Yulencar, Emma, and… Jiali and Margaret.

Jiali and Margaret, both lonely and destitute, had been invited by David to join them for Christmas from next door.

David truly was a good man.

Everyone sat down. David gazed at the full table of family, his pride nearly overflowing—this was the home he had built through hard work!

Happiness. Fulfillment. Harmony.

"Alright, on this Christmas day, eat well, sleep soundly tonight, and may Santa Claus bring you gifts."

"Dad, we're high schoolers now. Santa doesn't give gifts to high schoolers," Yulencar said.

"Nonono, who says that? Believe me—in Santa's eyes, anyone under eighteen is still a child," David laughed.

He plucked a roasted chicken leg and placed it on Yulencar's plate.

"Oh, alright, you're right, Dad." Yulencar made no further protest and turned his full attention to his food.

Margaret, however, kept trying to say something, but an invisible force held her firmly in check. Beside her, Jiali, rarely smiling, lifted her drink cup and looked toward Louis.

Louis smiled and nodded, then drank it all.

Though none but Margaret believed in religion, Christmas was still a holiday—mainly for eating, drinking, and strengthening bonds.

That was the role Christmas played in David's family—nothing more.

That night.

A shadow crept stealthily into Louis and the others' room, placed down a gift box, and left.

…

Five days later.

The New Year arrived.

David's expression, however, was troubled.

"Uncle David, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Louis, do you think it's safe for me to travel now, leave Orlando?"

"Huh?"

Louis's eyelid twitched, surprised as he turned to David.

Wasn't David well aware of his own terrible luck when traveling? What had changed?

I haven't even told him about the spring break in March yet.

"My company landed a big deal in California, but I'm uneasy—I keep feeling something's off about this deal."

"So I want to go myself, check out the buyer's situation."

"But… you know, Louis, I still haven't forgotten last time I traveled."

"So I'm hesitating."

"Stop hesitating, Uncle David!"

"Sigh, I know… maybe I shouldn't go this time—"

"Let's all go to California together in March."

"Huh??"

(End of Chapter)