Siheyuan: Tathagata's Palm suppresses the entire courtyard!

"I...what should I do?" He gritted his teeth and finally couldn't help but whisper to the empty room. He knew very well that all this was unusual and it would be difficult to figure out these things by himself. He needed someone to help him, or at least someone he could talk to.

The image of Lao Wang suddenly flashed through his mind. The colleague who was always calm and liked to study the old Beijing culture might be able to give him some advice, at least to keep him from being isolated and helpless. Thinking of this, Xu Mingjie felt a little comforted, and he immediately took out his mobile phone and dialed Lao Wang's number.

"Beep...beep..." The sound of the phone being connected was unusually clear at night, as if every sound was amplifying the anxiety in his heart. Finally, Lao Wang's hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello? Who is this?"

"Lao Wang, it's me, Xu Mingjie..." His voice was trembling, and he tried to sound calmer. "I want to talk to you about something. Is it convenient now?"

Lao Wang seemed to sense the tension on the other end of the line, and there was a hint of worry in his voice: "It's so late, what's the matter? You don't sound right."

Xu Mingjie took a deep breath and tried to organize his words: "I...I feel like something is not right at home these days. There are always some strange things happening. Those things you mentioned before about the courtyard house may...maybe there is really something I don't know."

Lao Wang was silent for a moment, and then his voice became even deeper: "Mingjie, don't scare yourself. Siheyuan is an old house, and it is normal for some old places to make noises. Besides, don't take those legends too seriously."

"But this time is different," Xu Mingjie interrupted him, his voice hurried, "I really feel that there is something here. It's not just the sound, I also... I also found a basement with some very strange things in it. I don't dare to go in alone again."

The other end of the line fell silent again. Xu Mingjie could sense that Lao Wang was thinking, perhaps weighing whether to continue the conversation. Finally, Lao Wang's voice sounded again: "Where is the basement you mentioned? Are you sure it is part of your courtyard?"

"I... I'm not sure, but it's in the corner of the yard. I pushed away a loose wooden board, and there was a tunnel underneath. At the end of the tunnel was a basement. Lao Wang, I've never heard of such a place here. I really don't know what to do." Xu Mingjie said with a hint of pleading. He really needed someone to help him sort out these things.

Lao Wang's voice became serious: "Mingjie, listen to me. Don't touch that place now, and don't go to that basement again. Let's meet early tomorrow morning. I'll bring some things over and we'll take a look together."

"Okay, tomorrow morning." Xu Mingjie agreed, feeling a little relieved. Having Lao Wang's company seemed to give him more courage.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Mingjie lay on the bed, trying to fall asleep, but the knocking sounds and the cold air of the basement still lingered in his mind. He knew he had to hold on until dawn, and Lao Wang might give him some answers, or at least share some of his fears.

The night was long and hard, and Xu Mingjie almost stayed awake until dawn. The morning sun shone through the window into the room, and he felt a long-lost warmth. Despite this, his heart was still filled with uneasiness. The yard in the morning looked no different from usual, but he knew that there were unknown dangers hidden under all these appearances.

Just as he got up to wash up, there was a light knock on the door. Xu Mingjie's heart tightened, but then he thought it might be Lao Wang. He walked quickly to the door, opened it and saw that it was Lao Wang standing outside, holding an antique wooden box in his hand.

"Mingjie, how did you sleep last night?" Lao Wang asked as he entered the door, with a hint of concern in his tone.

"I didn't sleep much, Lao Wang. My mind is full of all those messy things." Xu Mingjie smiled bitterly and let Lao Wang into the living room.

After Lao Wang sat down, he looked around the layout of the courtyard, as if he was carefully examining every corner. He put down the wooden box and sighed: "Where is the basement you mentioned? Take me to see it."

Xu Mingjie nodded and took Lao Wang to the place where the tunnel entrance was found last night. He pointed at the wooden board and said, "It's right here. There's a tunnel underneath."

Lao Wang squatted down and carefully examined the wooden board. He knocked on it lightly, and it made a hollow sound. Then he looked up at Xu Mingjie and asked, "Are you sure you didn't encounter anything strange when you went down there last night?"

"No," Xu Mingjie shook his head, "but I felt something was wrong there, as if something was watching me."

Lao Wang was silent for a moment, then he gently lifted the wooden board, revealing the tunnel entrance below. He took out a small oil lamp, lit it, and put the flashlight aside: "Let's go down and take a look."

Xu Mingjie's heart skipped a beat, and he almost wanted to refuse the proposal, but he knew he had to face it. The two of them slowly climbed down the tunnel together, the faint light of the oil lamp swaying in the darkness, casting a vague shadow.

The basement still looked the same as last night, deserted and eerie. Lao Wang walked in front, holding up the oil lamp and carefully shining it around, as if looking for something. Suddenly, he stopped in front of the wall where Xu Mingjie saw the words last night, and his expression became solemn.

"This word... is indeed not simple." Lao Wang muttered to himself, turned around and said to Xu Mingjie, "You know, this may be some kind of taboo symbol, or a warning."

"Warning?" Xu Mingjie's heart rose to his throat again. "So what should we do now? Should we leave here, or...?"

Lao Wang frowned, obviously hesitating. He hesitated for a moment and said, "We have to leave, but before that, we need to figure out the origin and meaning of this basement. Otherwise, who knows if these strange things will follow you."

Xu Mingjie couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling, and asked quickly: "Then what should we do?"

"You said you've been hearing those sounds recently, right?" Lao Wang nodded and continued, "These sounds may be some residual spirit activities, or they may be the echoes of certain events. If we can find the source of the sound, maybe we can know what happened here."

Xu Mingjie's heart became heavier as he listened to this. He suddenly realized that this matter was more complicated and dangerous than he had imagined. He felt that he was being pushed forward by an invisible force and could no longer turn back.