Footsteps echoed in the hallway—the zombies were coming down. The second basement level was the morgue; rows of cabinets along the walls had already been opened. The entrance to the third basement was locked. Six crimson iron chains, inscribed with red characters, bound the door, and an Octagram Mirror hung at its center.
Rachel Lan eyed the door suspiciously.
They're from the Mount Mason Order.
She just said that. I gripped the iron staff—several zombies had already descended.
I was about to ask, but then I saw her wrapped in white gauze. Four wooden rods—green, white, vermilion, and brown—were tied to her front, back, left, and right with a yellow cord.
I nodded without hesitation and charged at the zombies. I aimed at one and struck its knee hard—it collapsed instantly.
"Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, Winnow—rain in the east, Azure Dragon..."
Suddenly, Rachel Lan unraveled the white gauze, tossed out the green wooden rod, and chanted a spell. Instantly, the green rod floated upright in the east. The white gauze shot up like a balloon, spinning above her head.
"Seven Stars—Kui, Lou, Stomach, Ang, Pi, Horn, Shen—wind in the west, White Tiger."
"Well, Ghost, Willow, Star, Zhang, Wing, Chariot—fire in the south, Vermilion Bird."
"Seven Dipper Stars—Ox, Maiden, Void, Power, Room, Wall—water in the north, Black Tortoise."
The four rods representing the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise glowed with colored light as Rachel Lan finished chanting.
"Qingyuan, come here."
I took down another zombie. Hearing Rachel Lan call out, I retreated. Just then, the zombies that had surged forward began descending from two hallway entrances.
Rachel Lan sat cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed. I stood behind her.
"The Four Saints descend, dispelling evil, harmonizing yin and yang, suppressing..."
Rachel Lan shouted, opened her eyes, and in an instant, the four-colored lights burst forth. Faintly, the Four Sacred Beasts appeared in the four directions. Suddenly, the spinning white orb above scattered four strands of white gauze, which wrapped around the rods.
"East Gate, drives away spirits; South Gate, wards off demons; West Gate, shines always; North Gate, eradicates all malice. Four Sacred Gates, open..."
Suddenly, in the four directions: a patch of rain cloud appeared in the east, a small whirlwind in the south, a burst of fire in the west, and a cluster of water in the north.
Then Rachel Lan stood up. I looked at her in surprise.