Siheyuan: Tathagata's Palm suppresses the entire courtyard!

Zhang Lili nodded: "It seems that your grandfather did encounter a similar thing in the past. How did he solve it in the end?"

Xu Mingjie continued to read the diary, but unfortunately, the diary stopped abruptly at a very critical place. The date of the last entry was blurred and the content seemed fragmented, as if his grandfather had written it hastily in an extremely nervous state. He finally mentioned going to a "specific place", but did not specify where it was.

"It seems that this clue has also been broken." Xu Mingjie said a little frustrated, but he was unwilling to give up easily. He knew that he was getting closer and closer to the truth, and he only needed the last piece of the puzzle.

Zhang Lili patted his shoulder and said softly, "Perhaps, that 'specific place' is the key to unlocking all of this. We can try to find some clues from grandfather's other relics and perhaps find the place he was referring to."

Xu Mingjie nodded. Although he was full of questions, he felt that he finally had a direction. Although there was still a lot of fog ahead, with his wife by his side, he felt that he was no longer so lonely.

Xu Mingjie and Zhang Lili were continuing to look for clues in the courtyard, trying to dig out more information about that "specific place" from the objects left by their grandfather. Just as the two were concentrating on flipping through the yellowed papers, they suddenly heard a hurried knock on the door.

"Mingjie, are you home?" A hoarse voice sounded outside the door, with a hint of anxiety.

Xu Mingjie frowned and recognized the voice of his next-door neighbor Jia Dongxu. Jia Dongxu was usually a middle-aged man who was not very enthusiastic and always a little cold. He suddenly came to the door today, which seemed a little abnormal. Xu Mingjie put down the documents in his hand and said to Zhang Lili, "I'll go see what's going on. You continue to look for it."

He walked quickly to the gate, opened it, and saw Jia Dongxu standing outside, looking a little flustered. "Brother Dongxu, what's the matter that makes you so anxious?" Xu Mingjie asked, with a sense of foreboding in his heart.

Jia Dongxu glanced at him, frowned, and said in a low voice: "Mingjie, I have something to talk to you about. Can I go in and talk?"

Xu Mingjie nodded, and became more and more confused. He asked Jia Dongxu to come in, and the two sat on the sofa in the living room. The atmosphere seemed a little dull. Zhang Lili continued to look for things on the other side, but she glanced towards the living room from time to time, and seemed to feel the tense atmosphere in the air.

After Jia Dongxu sat down on the sofa, he was silent for a moment, as if he was organizing his words. Xu Mingjie noticed his strangeness and took the initiative to ask, "Brother Dongxu, what happened? You are so anxious to find me, is there something important?"

Jia Dongxu raised his head and looked at Xu Mingjie with complicated eyes. He said in a low voice: "Mingjie, I know you have encountered some strange things recently. I heard some rumors... These days, there seems to be some strange movements in your yard."

Xu Mingjie's heart tightened when he heard this. Jia Dongxu's words were obviously not groundless. Could it be that the strange things in the yard had spread? He subconsciously glanced outside the door to confirm that no one was around, then lowered his voice and asked, "What have you heard?"

Jia Dongxu sighed, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: "You know, I usually don't like to meddle in other people's affairs, but I have to remind you in your situation. A few days ago, someone saw you wandering around the yard at night and heard strange noises. Everyone was talking about it in private, wondering if you had encountered something evil."

Xu Mingjie felt uncomfortable. He didn't expect that these strange things had attracted the attention of the neighbors and even started to cause all kinds of speculation and discussion. Although Jia Dongxu's tone was not malicious, his words still made Xu Mingjie feel uneasy. He didn't want his family affairs to become the topic of gossip for others, and he didn't want these things to affect the lives of himself and his family.

"Brother Dongxu, I understand everyone's concerns, but I can assure you that these things are not as complicated as you think." Xu Mingjie tried his best to make his tone calm, trying to reassure Jia Dongxu.

However, Jia Dongxu obviously didn't believe his explanation. He frowned and said, "Mingjie, you know, our courtyard is an old place. Several generations have lived together and are very familiar with each other. But what happened in your house recently is too abnormal. This kind of sound, not to mention me, other neighbors also feel that something is wrong. Are you sure you didn't touch anything you shouldn't touch?"

Xu Mingjie was speechless for a moment, and the image of the copper ball flashed through his mind. He knew that what Jia Dongxu said was not unreasonable, and what happened in the past few days was indeed very strange, but he was reluctant to say it, especially about the copper ball, because he thought that speaking out would only cause more panic.

"Brother Dongxu, I understand your concerns," Xu Mingjie said slowly, "but don't worry, I will handle these things and won't let them affect everyone. You don't have to worry too much, I will find a solution."

Jia Dongxu looked at him, as if he was trying to gauge the credibility of his words. After a while, he finally nodded, but his expression was still serious: "Mingjie, I believe you won't do anything rash. But if there is anything wrong, you must tell us in time and don't let things get out of control."

Xu Mingjie nodded gratefully: "I will, thank you for your reminder, Brother Dongxu."

Jia Dongxu sighed, stood up, and patted Xu Mingjie on the shoulder: "Okay, then I won't say much, take care of yourself."

After seeing Jia Dongxu off, Xu Mingjie returned to the house, feeling even more depressed. Jia Dongxu's visit made him realize that this matter was no longer just his personal concern, but had gradually spread to the entire courtyard, even affecting the relationship between neighbors. He sat on the sofa, pinched his temples, and felt a splitting headache.

"Mingjie, what's wrong? What did Brother Dongxu say to you?" Zhang Lili walked out of the house and saw Xu Mingjie's tired face, feeling a little worried.

"It's nothing, it's just... he also noticed the movement in the yard. It seems that this matter has spread, and everyone is talking about it." Xu Mingjie said helplessly, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Zhang Lili gently held his hand and said softly, "We have come this far and cannot back down. No matter what, I will accompany you to face these things together. As for the discussions outside, don't pay too much attention to it. The most important thing is that we must find out the truth of the matter."

Xu Mingjie looked up at his wife and felt a warm feeling in his heart. Her support was his motivation to persevere and not feel completely alone in the face of these unforeseen challenges.