Siheyuan: Tathagata's Palm suppresses the entire courtyard!

The next morning, Xu Mingjie bought some fruit as an excuse to visit and came to Jia Zhang's door. Although he was still a little nervous, he knew the importance of this conversation. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door gently.

"Who is it?" Jia Zhang's voice came from inside the door, with the same defensiveness as always.

"Aunt Jia, it's me, Mingjie." Xu Mingjie tried to make his tone sound more relaxed, and then added, "I brought some fruits to see you."

The door opened a crack, and Jia Zhang poked her head out. Seeing the fruit in Xu Mingjie's hand, her expression eased a little: "Hey, Mingjie, come in."

Xu Mingjie breathed a sigh of relief, walked into the house, put the fruit on the table, and said with a smile: "Auntie, how are you recently? I know you like to eat some fruit, so I bought some for you to try."

Although Jia Zhang had a mean personality, she was still very happy with this small favor. She smiled and said, "You are a very thoughtful child. Come, sit down and talk."

Xu Mingjie sat down, observing Jia Zhang's expression, thinking about how to bring the topic to the point. He knew that Jia Zhang was very wary of the outside world, so he had to find a suitable entry point.

"Aunt Jia, you have lived in this courtyard for so many years, you must know a lot of old things, right?" Xu Mingjie asked tentatively, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

Jia Zhang was slightly startled, a trace of doubt flashed in her eyes, but she quickly returned to normal: "Hey, there are so many things about this courtyard, some of which you young people may not know."

Seeing that she didn't refuse, Xu Mingjie felt a little relieved and continued, "I've been hearing people talking about the past recently, especially the legends about this courtyard house. I'm quite curious. Auntie, can you tell me about it?"

Jia Zhang glanced at Xu Mingjie, as if weighing his motives. After a moment, she finally spoke: "Actually, there are indeed some things in this courtyard that are hard to explain, especially some things about the older generation. There are really many things that outsiders don't know."

Xu Mingjie's heartbeat began to speed up. He knew that Jia Zhang's words might contain key information. He tried his best to stay calm and nodded to show his interest: "Auntie, I really want to hear those old stories you talked about."

Seeing his sincere expression, Jia Zhang finally said slowly, "In fact, a lot of strange things happened in this yard in the early years, especially about that basement... I heard that someone disappeared there before, but the matter was suppressed later and no one dared to mention it."

Xu Mingjie was shocked, but he tried to suppress his shock and asked casually, "Missing? That was a long time ago, right? How could anyone dare to go to a place like that?"

Jia Zhang sighed, her eyes revealing a complicated expression: "It happened a long time ago. I don't know the details, but I heard that... those missing people seemed to be related to some ancient rituals. You know, people in the past were superstitious. They would rather not talk about some things, and they dare not delve into them."

Xu Mingjie felt a chill on his back. It all seemed to echo the symbols and murals he had seen in the basement. Could this courtyard really be related to some ancient ritual? The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, but he knew he couldn't show it yet.

"Auntie, these things are really strange." Xu Mingjie said softly, trying not to look too nervous. "Now, do you think there is anything wrong in this yard?"

After hearing this, Jia Zhang suddenly fell silent, as if she was thinking about something. After a while, she slowly spoke: "Mingjie, in recent years, there have indeed been fewer incidents in the courtyard, but if you feel that something is wrong, you have to be careful. Young people nowadays don't understand the old rules and are prone to getting into trouble."

Hearing this, Xu Mingjie was more certain that Jia Zhang might know much more than she said. He decided to try again to see if he could get more information: "Aunt, are these old rules you mentioned related to the basement? I've heard some rumors that it used to be a taboo place."

Jia Zhang's face suddenly became serious, and her voice lowered: "Mingjie, some things are best not to touch. I know you are a smart child, but smart people can also be confused sometimes. Don't ask about the basement anymore, and don't explore it anymore."

Xu Mingjie had a strong doubt in his heart, but he knew that Jia Zhang's attitude had already shown that she would not reveal more information. He didn't want to anger her, so he could only suppress his curiosity for the time being and nodded: "Auntie, I understand, I will be careful."

Jia Zhang's expression eased a little. She glanced at Xu Mingjie and sighed softly, "Young man, you should remember the degree of everything. Knowing some things may not be a good thing. If you know how to take a step back, you may be able to protect yourself."

Xu Mingjie forced a smile, but he was even more confused. He left Jia Zhang's house, thinking over her words in his mind. Although he did not get a clear answer, he was sure that the secrets in the courtyard were far more complicated than he had imagined.

Back in his room, Xu Mingjie felt exhausted. He knew that he had touched some hidden corners, but he still had a long way to go to get to the truth. He had to be more cautious and smarter to find a way out of this complicated situation.

Xu Mingjie is a middle-aged man with an easygoing personality. He is cautious and gentle. He lives a regular life every day. He exercises in the yard in the morning, then goes to work in a nearby company. In the evening, he likes to sit in the yard and drink tea, enjoying the peace. However, this peaceful life was broken on a late autumn night.

That night, Xu Mingjie was sitting in the courtyard, drinking freshly brewed Longjing tea. The night sky was dotted with stars and the breeze was blowing. He felt very comfortable. Suddenly, an inexplicable chill came over him and he shuddered. It was still late autumn, why did it suddenly feel so cold? Xu Mingjie looked around, but found that the courtyard was still normal, without any abnormality. He shook his head, thinking that he might be too worried, so he got up and prepared to go back to the house to rest.

Just as he pushed open the door, a strange sound came from the corner of the yard. It sounded like something rustling, and Xu Mingjie suddenly became nervous. The sound was very slight, as if the wind was blowing through the leaves, but it didn't seem like it. Out of curiosity, Xu Mingjie quietly walked to the place where the sound came from - the southeast corner of the courtyard. There were usually some old furniture and sundries piled there, and no one usually went there at night.