Nangong Zhentian completed his ritual and turned to us. “Follow me if you are ready. Shi Yong suppressed the spirit last night, but I suspect she is still quite powerful. Do not,” He emphasized each word with a shake of his head, “Underestimate her.”

The four of us nodded one by one.

With no more pomp and circumstance, Nangong Zhentian crossed the red line. The four of us followed and soon we were climbing the stairs.

A cold wind took up around us upon crossing the ribbon. It only increased as we went further into the first floor hallway. Nangong Zhentian didn’t stop. His assistants both hesitated for only a moment. Wei Wei and I were held back a bit longer than them. After overcoming the shock, it felt like diving headfirst into a frozen lake, we were able to follow.

Fear bottomed out my stomach, something that I was loath to admit or show. We forged on ahead.

Nangong Zhentian first stopped by Xuan Hailin’s office. He waited until the rest of us caught up before hollering over the whining wind. “Was this the supervisor’s room?”

I nodded my head, casting a forlorn glance at the office’s locked door.

He stretched his hand out and placed it palm flat against the door. “It smells of incense and Yang air.” He said, this time much quieter. “She’s never been to this room.” He added after a moment.

I took a deep breath trying to prepare myself to invade the space of a dead man. Fortunately, Nangong Zhentian removed his hand and looked back towards his assistants. They moved closer when he spoke. “Place safeguarding amulets on each door!” He called to them and waited for nods. “Each one! Not a single one missed!” He cried over the wind.

The two went to work with a fever and every door on the first floor was covered in no time. I looked at the amulets blocking the spirit’s entry to the bathroom. “That’s not going to stop her.” I thought, but didn’t speak.

“That should hold her.” Liu Qing said when they were finished. I did everything I could not to contradict him.

The wind roaring from somewhere in the building subsided ever so slowly. We moved towards the end of the hall where the stairwell sat in darkness. Nangong Zhentian had barely placed a foot on the steps when he spun around. “Liu Qing! Go to my altar!” He shouted.

“I-“ Was all that the poor assistant could manage before he was overwhelmed.

“Go! Protect it with all of your strength! Don’t let anyone near it!” Master Nangong shouted. He dug into a pocket on the side of his frock and withdrew two purple amulets. “Take these.” He added and half pushed the man down the hallway.

Nangong Zhentian turned to look up the dark stairwell. I waited for him to take the first step, daring anything to come out at him. Nothing did. Instead, the Sky Master withdrew another amulet and brought it to his mouth. He whispered words I didn’t understand and then cast the amulet into the air. The amulet burst into flames and formed the familiar rope-like snake that I’d seen many times before. The snake writhed wildly in mid air before bolting towards the corner of the landing ahead of us.

“Is she there?” I almost shouted watching the snake dart and squirm into the corner.

The snake emitted a hissing cry as a wave of Yin air washed over it. Smoke billowed around it until I couldn’t make it out any longer. Nangong leapt the stairs in an instant and stooped where the snake had disappeared. When he straightened, a red hairband sat in his open palm.

I stared at the hair tie in unabated horror, while Nangong Zhentian let out a bark of laughter. “Are you playing tricks on me, you old hag!” He grinned like a mad man up the next section of stairs.

He clenched his hand over the hair tie. I watched with amazement as it burst into flames. He shook the smoldering ashes onto the floor and continued upstairs.

“What was that?” I called up to him.

“An illusion.” His assistant told me while turning to follow his master.

“Illusion?” I thought, “Is she really strong enough to have been playing games with us this whole time?”

I called ahead again, “Was there even a hairband in my room or has she been mind games this whole time?”

No one answered, but the two men stopped climbing the stairs. “I saw her in the library!” I shouted, all at once positive that something was wrong. “She’s stronger than these walls! Don’t you see?”

Nangong Zhentian turned and looked down at me, not unkindly. “She’s in your head kid. Don’t worry, she can’t get out of this building.” He pointed past me to the corner where the snake had thrown a fit. “That’s probably the corner where she died.”

“When this was a hospital..” Wei Wei added.

“Xu Liang,” Nangong spoke quietly, “Place a suppression amulet in that corner, and any other corner that feels..off.” He waved his hand to Wei Wei and I. “Come on, we’re almost to the eighty-flowers room.

I thought about the room ahead and felt a shiver dominate my body. The Sky Master ahead however, didn’t hesitate so neither could I.

Master Nangong reached the door ahead of us and bent to inspect the rusty lock. I came up next to him and cleared my throat as not to scare him. “There were nine ghosts here. I think they hid in this room to stay away from the old woman.” I whispered.

Nangong Zhentian nodded and said, "We need in there. Do you feel the Yin air?”

I didn’t respond, but I could feel it all right. It seeped through the miniscule space between door and frame like a poisonous fog.

“It’s locked..” I said lamely.

Xu Liang stepped between the door and me with a pocket knife gripped tightly in his hand. He placed it above the lock in the frame and began to wiggle it. The blade made shrill scraping sounds before emitting a righteous click. “It’s open master.” He whispered. “May I enter with you?”

Nangong Zhentian nodded. “Stay close to the door. We will push the Yin air back with our presence.” He closed his eyes and muttered an incantation. His hand turned the knob open the exact moment his eyes flew open.

The wooden door opened with an audible, "Creak..."

The sound penetrated every ounce of calm I’d collected. My blood went cold as a decrepit rotting smell wafted out of the eighty flowers room. My stomach rolled and my gag reflex began to work. Next to me, Master Nangong stared into the storm of dust motes.

“No one has opened this door in years.” He said.

“The Xuan Hailin’s a liar.” I would have said if I wasn’t trying to hold onto my breakfast.

The windows across the room were covered in thick yellowed sheets of paper that let in a noxious light.

“Is she here?” I managed without vomiting.

“Not..anymore..” Nangong Zhentian said with a shake of his head. “She was though, can you feel it?”

“Where did she go?” I asked.

Nangong Zhentian shook his head again. “Not down, that’s for sure. We’ve claimed the first floor. She can be anywhere though..this whole building is..her..” His voice was a low growl that sounded more entertained than afraid. I looked at him, only then realizing that he was enjoying this.

Wei Wei’s voice was pitchy and unused when he finally spoke, “How can we fight her if we can’t catch her?”

Nangong Zhentian snorted and rolled his eyes. “I have my ways.” He said simply. He then took out several thunder amulets and pasted them on the beds around the room. He whispered a soft prayer and kissed each amulet before placing them. I think he was blessing the girls more than the amulets.

We left the dark room and closed the door behind us.

The sound of running water filled the hallway. All of us turned towards the bathroom as one.

“She’s trying to get away!” I half yelled.

“There’s no way! She can’t leave! This is her place! This place is her!” I thought.

The four of us darted down the hallway towards the bathroom. Amazingly, Nangong Zhentian was laughing as he went. “You want to play do you?” He shouted in a cackle, “Let’s play!”

He swiped his hands in a Taoist rite and then slid one finger down the length of his sword, smearing it with blood. In the same fluid movement, he launched the sword forward with a shout, “Go!”

The blade burst with golden light and flew in the direction of the bathroom.

“Whoa.” Wei Wei and I said together. I’d heard Master Liu talk about flying swords, but I’d never seen it done!

“In the name of my heart, grant my blade supernatural sight!” Nangong Zhentian cried, almost gleefully, as the blade soared down the hall.