and edged closer to eavesdrop. Hou Zhiyu treated him as just a shop hand, making no attempt to hide anything from him.She stated bluntly, "There's been a problem at my house, and I want to get some p...My brother lives in the small courtyard next door. Jiang Qiyun grabbed that paper figure and, instead of burning it with fire immediately, followed me to the next door.

I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Jiang Qiyun went straight in and opened the door from the inside.

My brother was fast asleep on the moon-shaped bed. He was sleeping alone and too lazy to pull down the curtains, so one could see him hugging his quilt and sleeping soundly. We walked in, but he didn't react at all.

I sat on the bed edge and pushed him hard: "Brother, brother... wake up!"

He was in his underwear, wearing sleep pants. I nudged him a few times, and he grunted twice before turning over to continue sleeping, pulling the blanket around himself like a pillow.

This doesn't feel right... He's pretty alert. If a burglar broke into our house, I could just yell and he'd jump up and swing his baseball bat at the thief.

If I were to look for him like this in the middle of the night, he would probably complain: "Why are you here instead of with your husband"

Now, he didn't even lift an eyelid, just hummed and muttered "Xiao Qiao…" then fell silent.

"Could he have been possessed by the paper man" I nervously looked at Jiang Qiyun.

The art of summoning spirits through paper figures is unknown when it originated, but there was a case three hundred years ago, and many county annals in the Jiangnan region have records of it.

During the Qianlong era, rumors of paper figurines causing mischief spread throughout the Jiangnan region. It was said that paper figurines would enter homes and cut off people's queue (topknot), those who had their queue cut would be imprisoned by their soul, becoming tools for others, and eventually their souls would dissipate and die.

After several counties experienced this phenomenon, the ruling class was alarmed. While the rulers tried their best to suppress panic among the populace, accounts of these events were still recorded in county gazettes and wild histories. Legends about paper figures committing murders and stealing souls spread among the countryside.

My brother is not a person who sleeps in. He is always full of energy and rarely oversleeps. Now he can't be woken up, could it be that something bad has happened to him

I looked at Jiang Qiyun, he touched my brother's Baihui acupoint with two fingers.

" ...He's being haunted." Jiang Qiyun frowned and said, "Try talking to him. Say some things he often says or things that are deeply memorable."

My brother often says things This old driver's words, I can't say.

What are some of his most memorable things

I racked my brain, trying to recall all the technical jargon he had mentioned to me.

"Bro, Mu Yunfan, wake up! Dalong got destroyed halfway by the enemy team!"

"..." No response.

There's also a teammate who lowered their IQ to bring girls along.

"...Still no reaction."

Jiang Qiyun frowned slightly and asked me seriously, "What are you talking about"

I… I'm talking about his pesticide for the deceased! Your Imperial Majesty has been busy from dawn till dusk, of course you wouldn't know what this is.

My brother didn't react at all. What nightmare could make him sleep so deeply

Jiang Qiyun frowned and said, "Then should I summon a divine beast to eat the nightmare But the divine beast will absorb the energy field here. Your grandfather spent a lot of effort cultivating longevity, if it's absorbed, I'm afraid the energy field won't work anymore."

I'm a bit helpless. If I really can't wake my brother, then I'll have to summon the beast that devours nightmares, but I don't want to harm Grandpa too much either.

"...Wake up, Mu Yunfan." I helplessly pushed his shoulders and said, "...Your five kills were stolen!"

This sentence works wonders!

My brother's body actually trembled once, then let out two snorts.

I quickly slapped his cheeks, twisting and pinching him awake.

"Little Qiao…" My brother rubbed his temples, waking up. He frowned deeply, his face serious: "Where's my phone"

I really want to punch him.

My brother looked at me in my nightgown, and Jiang Qiyun's three layers of clothing beside me were loosely and languidly worn on his body. He looked stunned and asked, "What are you two doing You don't sleep late at night and run into my room to do something Want to change rooms and experience a different feeling"

What do you mean by "experience"

He hurriedly reached for the phone beside his pillow: "I just dreamed that someone stole a kill from me... wait, I didn't even open the game..."

"...What else did you dream about" Jiang Qiyun suddenly asked coldly.

My brother hesitated for a moment before replying, “I had a dream about Xiao Qiao again, the Xiao Qiao from when we were kids… and I also dreamed about the scene of Mom passing away. There are so many things I can’t remember. How come I suddenly started having these dreams And they felt so real, like I was experiencing them all over again.”

Jiang Qiyun asked faintly, "Does your family have shamans These are all spells that shamans are good at."

That's unclear, some people are very good at hiding. We younger generations don't know much about what our elders do.

My brother has a splitting headache, sitting on the bed rubbing his temples incessantly.

I know the pain of nightmares. Last year, when Jiang Qiyun came to me, it took him seven days to force me to accept his Yin energy. He used nightmares as a method, and for those seven days, I almost daily "experienced" the pain of that night in my dreams. Even waking up the next day gave me a splitting headache.

"Bro, I'm going to find Auntie Zhang and get some wind oil essence for you to rub on." I got up and prepared to leave.

The house is empty. Though it's dark, I'm not afraid. I've lived here for sixteen years, and I know every doorstep by heart.

I arrived at the inner courtyard wearing Jiang Qiyun's wide-sleeved robe. For the convenience of serving my grandfather, Zhang Yi's room was next to my grandfather's.

A dim light flickered in her room, the only illumination in the entire house at night. It looked desolate. During the day, this place was bustling with people, but at night, it was deserted. He must have deliberately arranged things this way.

During the day, one should be energetic and lively, while at night, one should rest and recuperate in a quiet and peaceful environment. Is this not what Jiang Qiyun means by "deliberately creating an aura"

His outer robe was too big, I held onto the hem and walked to Aunt Zhang's door. Aunt Zhang seemed to be asleep, knocking had no response, so I gently pushed open a sliver of the door.

Seeing her lying in her clothes, sleeping on her side at the edge of the bed, with no blanket covering her.

Aren't we putting more work on her She has to cook, heat the bathwater, and clean our room...

"Auntie Zhang It's me, Xiao Qiao. I'm coming in now." I greeted her softly and stepped across the threshold.

Aunt Zhang was sleeping soundly. When I walked into her room, she suddenly jolted awake and sat straight up in bed.

I was so scared, my scalp went numb and I took several steps back!

Her movements were stiff and unnatural, every action strange.

And her head, twisted at such a strange angle!

Who sleeps with their head twisted 90 degrees

"Oh... Miss..." she twisted her neck, her face betraying nothing unusual: "What is it, Miss Not sleeping this late and coming to call me... Are you hungry, Miss I'll make you some supper."

She spoke as she got out of bed, her movements sluggish and far too slow compared to her earlier energy.

I stared at her blankly, my heart pounding. Could she possibly not be humanries at the Forgetfulness Platform served tea and wine, and distributed peaches from the peach grove.The little boy took a bite of the peach and smiled, “Queen Mother Xi Wang must be happy. After so m...