We grabbed some sausage and milk from Howard Lee's dorm room and started devouring them. After all that chaos, we were starving—especially me, I was so hungry I broke out in a cold sweat.
After eating, we rested for a bit.
Howard Lee opened the bag. Inside were a copper coin sword—a ritual Taoist implement made by stringing ancient coins together—a pile of blue talismans, and an Octagram Mirror.
I glanced at one of the talismans. The script on it was different from anything I'd seen before.
"This is a Ghost-Binding Talisman. Once we're inside, we won't have time to deal with each ghost one by one—we'll need to take them out quietly and quickly. These talismans are used to immobilize ghosts."
I nodded.
"It may be called a Ghost-Binding Talisman, but it can only immobilize Yellow Page Ghosts at best. These are lower-ranking ghosts that rarely harm people unless they're vulnerable. It's useless against Shadow Ghosts. Here, you take this, Miss Lan—hang it around your neck for protection."
Howard Lee said this as he handed the Octagram Mirror to Rachel Lan.
Rachel Lan shook her head.
"You should keep it. You're injured right now." In the end, Howard Lee couldn't persuade her, so he hung the Octagram Mirror around his own neck.
Howard Lee then pulled out a sleeve arrow—a hidden Taoist device containing three peachwood arrows blessed at a shrine and soaked in spell water—from the bag. It's used for surprise attacks against powerful entities.
"Qingyuan, take this. There are three arrows in total. See this fishing line? Pull it, and an arrow will shoot out. All three are made of peachwood, soaked in talisman water, and consecrated before a shrine. Even a fierce ghost will be hurt if struck. Save them for the Iron Mask Man if needed."
I nodded and carefully strapped the sleeve arrow to my left hand. Then I took off my shirt and pulled the fishing line to my chest, where my right hand could reach it easily.
"Remember, Qingyuan, the Iron Mask Man is tough, but he has a physical body. Aim for three spots: Tianmen, Renmai, and Dijue—that's his forehead, his heart, and... down there."
I grunted in understanding. The last spot made me smirk, and I glanced at Rachel Lan.
"Is this really the time to be joking around?"
Howard Lee just smiled and shook his head.
After resting, we got up. Rachel Lan released a strip of white silk, wrapping around the three of us and pulling us straight up to the rooftop. I worried she might not hold out—she looked exhausted, and if she collapsed, she'd fall asleep instantly.
We reached the rooftop and entered the seventh floor. Rachel Lan took out the key, while Howard Lee brought out cinnabar—a red mineral powder used in Taoist rituals—and blue slips of paper, preparing to draw talismans.
"I'll use talismans to stabilize this floor. Later, we'll set up formations on each floor as we go down. Remember, the distance for each talisman is nine point nine inches. On every floor, we'll deploy the Ninefold Light Barrier. If things go wrong, head upstairs. Now that everyone has a key, we can use the elevator and hold out for a while if needed."