Siheyuan: Tathagata's Palm suppresses the entire courtyard!

Xu Mingjie looked at the murals carefully, feeling a sense of uneasiness. Although the patterns were already blurred, he could still sense an indescribable strange atmosphere from them, as if these paintings were hiding some dangerous secrets.

"Old Wang, this seems to be an ancient altar." Xu Mingjie said softly, trying to suppress the fear in his heart.

Lao Wang walked to the front of the mural, carefully studying the mottled patterns, frowning: "These patterns do look like some kind of sacrificial ritual. Perhaps this was once the site of a secret ceremony. Look, there are some symbols here that are very similar to the words we saw above."

Xu Mingjie walked forward and looked at the symbols carefully. Suddenly, he felt dizzy, as if the symbols were spinning in front of his eyes and becoming increasingly blurred. He shook his head violently, trying to wake up, but the dizziness was still strong.

"Mingjie, what's wrong with you?" Lao Wang noticed his abnormality and asked with concern.

"I... I don't know, I suddenly felt a little dizzy..." Xu Mingjie answered with difficulty, with a hint of panic in his voice. He knew that this was not ordinary dizziness, but the influence of some unknown force. He tried to concentrate and not let himself fall into that suffocating chaos.

Lao Wang quickly took out a paper talisman from his arms, gently pressed it on Xu Mingjie's forehead, and whispered something. Xu Mingjie felt a cool breath coming from his forehead, and the dizziness gradually subsided.

"Much better..." Xu Mingjie breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Lao Wang gratefully, "I was really scared just now."

Lao Wang put away the paper talisman, his face still solemn: "It seems that there is indeed some kind of power hidden here. We must act carefully."

At this moment, the thunder roared again outside, and then the whole basement seemed to shake, as if some huge force was hitting the courtyard. Xu Mingjie looked around in panic, his heart filled with fear and uneasiness.

"Lao Wang, let's get out of here quickly! Something is wrong here!" Xu Mingjie almost shouted, with a strong sense of urgency in his voice.

Lao Wang nodded and quickly led Xu Mingjie back. But just as they were about to leave the basement, the murals on the wall suddenly glowed faintly, and those vague symbols seemed to come alive, slowly moving on the wall, forming strange patterns.

Xu Mingjie felt a chill down his spine. He could hardly believe his eyes, but everything that happened before his eyes was so real. His heart was beating wildly, and he almost suffocated, as if the whole world was closing in on him, pressing him so hard that he couldn't breathe.

"Mingjie, don't panic! Come with me!" Lao Wang's voice sounded at this time, firm and calm, like a life-saving straw, allowing Xu Mingjie to regain some sanity.

Xu Mingjie and Lao Wang finally returned to the ground. The rain was still pouring outside the courtyard, and thunder was rolling in the sky, as if foreshadowing a greater disaster was about to come. Neither of them spoke again, and walked back to the living room in silence. Xu Mingjie felt weak in his limbs, as if he had just experienced a nightmare, but he knew that this nightmare was far from over.

He sat in a chair, closed his eyes, and tried to sort out his thoughts. What had just happened in the basement made him feel unprecedented fear. Those murals, those strange symbols, and that inexplicable dizziness all indicated that some supernatural power was stirring in the courtyard. He suddenly realized that all this might be beyond the capabilities of him and Lao Wang. They needed more help, or at least more people to share this fear and pressure.

Xu Damao's figure suddenly emerged in his mind. Xu Damao was his old friend for many years and one of the few friends in this courtyard who had grown up together. Although the two did not interact much on weekdays, Xu Mingjie knew that Xu Damao was an upright person and could be trusted at critical moments. He suddenly had the idea of ​​having a good chat with Xu Damao. Perhaps Xu Damao could provide some new ideas, or at least share some of his psychological burden.

"Lao Wang, I think we need to find someone to talk to." Xu Mingjie suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the room.

Lao Wang glanced at him and nodded: "You mean...Xu Damao?"

"Yes, Xu Damao." Xu Mingjie sighed, with a hint of fatigue in his tone. "He has been my friend for many years. I think he can help. Even if he can't solve these problems, at least he can help us analyze them and perhaps provide a different perspective."

Lao Wang pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement: "It's always good to have one more person to help. Contact him now and see if he can come over."

Xu Mingjie picked up his phone and called Xu Damao. After the phone rang a few times, Xu Damao's slightly lazy voice came from the other end: "Hello, Mingjie, what's the matter so late?"

"Xu Damao, it's me." Xu Mingjie tried his best to make his voice sound calmer, but he was still a little nervous. "I've encountered some complicated things here. I think I need to talk to you. Can you come over?"

Xu Damao was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, and then he spoke: "You sound so serious, what's the matter? You're not that scared, are you?"

"It's really serious." Xu Mingjie's tone became more urgent. "Come here first. I'll talk to you in person."

Xu Damao could tell Xu Mingjie was serious, and his voice became serious: "Okay, I'll be there right away."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Mingjie felt that he had finally taken a step forward. He knew that Xu Damao's arrival might not solve the problem immediately, but at least he was no longer fighting alone, and he felt more comforted.

The rain was still falling, and with the sound of thunder in the distance, the courtyard seemed even more deep and mysterious. Xu Mingjie looked at the rain curtain outside the window, his heart full of mixed emotions. He recalled the scene of playing in this courtyard with Xu Damao in his childhood. At that time, the courtyard was full of laughter and carefree times. But now, it has become a place full of unknown and fear, as if all the beauty has disappeared with the passage of time.

After a while, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard gate. Xu Mingjie stood up immediately, feeling a little relieved. He walked to the door, opened it, and saw Xu Damao standing in the rain, half of his body was wet, but his expression was still calm.

"What's the matter, Mingjie? You were speaking so anxiously on the phone. Are you in any trouble?" Xu Damao walked into the house, shaking off the rain on his body, his tone full of concern.