"A funeral and a wedding on the same day?"
Huzi was speechless.
"Which fortune-teller calculated this? A funeral and a wedding, and they both happened on the same day! Didn't these two families communicate with each other before making their plans?"
"In the city, neighbors are not as close as they are in the countryside. Who knew what was happening in which household? One family lived on the fourth floor, and the other on the fourteenth floor; they didn't even know each other," Lu Fei shook his head.
"Actually, this kind of situation happened in ancient times as well, but it was always encountered by chance on the road, one party attending a wedding and the other a funeral."
"In terms of yin-yang taboos, this is called the Red and White Omen."
"The clash between red and white is considered extremely inauspicious, and it's when the most bizarre things are likely to happen!"
Tiger felt like he had learned something new and asked, "So you're saying that the fire is related to this omen?"
"It's quite possible! Because the fire just happened to be on the 4th and 14th floors, burning down four households, including the two that were having the red and white events."
Lu Fei pointed to an image on the computer screen of a tall but dilapidated building.
"But the strange thing is, no matter how hard they tried, the police couldn't find the exact point of origin of the fire. It was as if the fire just appeared out of nowhere, but they publicly attributed it to insufficient fire safety measures."
"After the building was renovated, the other residents gradually moved back. But they would often dream of their homes catching fire, with their family members being burned alive in agony."
"Faint screams and wailing could frequently be heard from the 4th and 14th floors late at night."
"Some people even claimed to have seen burnt figures in the hallways and elevators."
"The first and second floors of the building were shops, but after the fire, all the businesses became extremely poor, no matter how big the brand, they all ended up closing down."
"Later on, several more people died in the building, all related to fire."
"An old woman was burning paper in the hallway, somehow the ash floated onto her and ignited her clothes, burning her alive."
"A man and a woman were having an affair in one of the apartments, a cigarette butt started a fire, igniting the bed, and they were burned so badly that their flesh fused together, impossible to separate."
"Another incident involved a child who was playing with candles at home, accidentally setting the house on fire."
"There were many theories about the building, some said it had bad feng shui, others claimed the spirits of those burned to death harbored too much resentment."
"In any case, no one dared to live in the building anymore, the residents moved out one by one, and the shops closed down completely."
"The building's reputation for being cursed spread far and wide, and no one was willing to take it over."
"It couldn't be sold, no one wanted to live there, and eventually, it became a completely abandoned structure."
"After hearing this, Hu Zi sighed, 'I originally thought that strange things happen more easily in the countryside due to fewer people, but I didn't expect that there are also plenty of bizarre incidents in the city.'"
Lu Fei took a sip of tea and said, "The world is divided into yin and yang; no matter how many people there are in the city, the night is not the domain of the living."
"It sounds like this building is really sinister, much more so than that haunted dormitory in the university!" Hu Zi clicked his tongue. "I wonder what the association's specific requirements are for setting the assessment location here, and whether there's any danger."
"We'll find out tomorrow." Lu Fei looked at Hu Zi. "But it's just me and Jing Jian who will be taking the test. You have nothing to do, so you might as well take a vacation and go back home to see your parents."
"A vacation?"
Hu Zi was taken aback, with a hint of homesickness in his eyes, but he shook his head firmly.
"Boss, if you're out on an adventure and I go home to play, what kind of person would I be? Even if I were to take a vacation, it would have to wait until you both come back safely!"
"Alright, it won't take long for this test anyway." Lu Fei did not insist.
"Of course, with the boss's ability, this little test should be a piece of cake." Hu Zi chuckled.
Lu Fei shot him a glance. "When did you learn to talk like Old Liu? If you're that bored, go sweep the floor at the entrance."
"Got it!"
Huzi, elated, picked up the broom and started sweeping.
After returning from Zhao Fengchun's house, he had been somewhat sullen, but upon hearing that the boss was giving him a holiday, his mood immediately brightened.
He worked with extra effort.
The next morning.
Lu Fei received a message from the association, notifying him to gather at the entrance of the Ruby Building at exactly 3:00 PM.
He had already prepared everything and set off as soon as the time came.
Huzi drove him to the destination.
"Boss, I'll wait for you outside with Heizi."
"Okay!"
Lu Fei nodded, picked up his bag, opened the car door, and got out, seeing for the first time the notorious scary building.
Because it is uninhabited, the building appears particularly dilapidated, with dark windows exuding a gloomy aura.
Although the exterior walls have been repainted, the rain has washed away the paint, exposing the charred walls on the fourth and fourteenth floors, which resemble sinister scars.
Even the area around the building is desolate, with very few people passing by.
This once highly sought-after luxury building now stands alone in the old city, as if it had died many years ago along with that fire.
But today is an exception.
A crowd of people has gathered at the entrance of this daunting building.
"Lu Fei!"
Lu Fei was examining the building when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
He turned his head and saw Jing Jian running towards him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't have enough time to find a suitable evil object."
"It doesn't matter if it's just a day or two." Lu Fei noticed the peachwood Seven Stars Sword in his hand, "Hmm, this sword has been modified?"
"I went to Master Mo, and he helped me with it. He said the person who originally made the sword had terrible craftsmanship, wasting this old peachwood."
Jing Jian was like a child who got a new toy, excitedly showing Lu Fei every detail.
"Look, these Seven Stars, this tassel, this..."
"Master Mo's work is truly impressive!" Lu Fei exclaimed, "Then you'd better work hard. If you can't find any evil creature, this sword will be mine! Turning a regular magical sword into a treasure, I would really make out like a bandit!"
"That can't happen! I will definitely find a suitable evil creature for you!" Jing Jian hugged the magical sword as if it were a precious treasure.
"By the way, how do you feel after taking the medicine prescribed by Elder Luo? Is your body feeling any better?"
"That Elder must be a master! After just one dose of the medicine, I felt the stagnant energy in my body become smooth!"
Jing Jian looked delighted and lowered his voice, "Yesterday, I took the opportunity to try absorbing the power of the demon core, and it was much faster and more stable than before..."
As the two were talking, they heard someone shouting loudly nearby.
"All fellow practitioners who have signed up, please come over and gather."
It was the voice of Vice President Xu.
The two turned their heads and saw Vice President Xu, flanked by the cold-faced woman and the burly man, striding up the steps of the building, smiling and waving to everyone.
The two followed the crowd to gather.
"Dear fellow practitioners, this year's requirement is very simple; just stay in this building until dawn tomorrow, and you can join our association!"
As soon as Vice President Xu finished speaking, the crowd erupted into an uproar.
"Is that possible? So simple?!"