Everyone's Suppressing Ghosts: Others Contract Divine Weapons, I Contract Blank Paper

The knocking on the door was very soft.

thump.

But everyone in the testing room heard it.

Zhou Cheng held his phone, his fingers stiff, his face as white as paper.

Zhou Jianye's voice also stopped on the other end of the phone.

A few seconds later, suppressing his anger, he asked, "Who's knocking?"

No one answered him.

A series of hurried footsteps came through the phone, as if Zhou Jianye had gotten up and walked to the office door.

"Secretary Liu?"

A voice called out from afar, "Mr. Zhou, there's no one outside."

Zhou Jianye paused for a moment.

The next second, a second knock sounded on the door.

thump.

This time, it's even clearer than before.

The air on the phone seemed to have turned a few degrees colder.

Zhou Cheng's expression changed completely: "Dad..."

Xu Du looked at the white paper soul-guiding lamp.

When the light shone on the phone screen, a fine layer of water droplets condensed at the edge of the screen.

The water droplets slowly slid down, like someone had touched the phone with wet hands.

Lin Qingzhu snatched Zhou Cheng's phone and said, "Mr. Zhou Jianye, this is Lin Qingzhu, the director of the training department of Jiangcheng Town Ghost Academy. The old staff building incident has been listed as a temporary ghost case. Please bring the original project ledgers, temporary worker roster, and accident handling documents to the school before noon tomorrow to cooperate with the investigation."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Jianye gave a cold laugh.

"Director Lin, is it? I respect the academy and the Bureau of Spirituality, but my Zhou family's construction permits are complete. These are old issues from decades ago, and you can't just bring them up like that."

Xu Du suddenly spoke up: "President Zhou."

Lin Qingzhu glanced at him but did not stop him.

Zhou Jianye's voice turned cold: "And who are you?"

"Xu Du".

"So, it was you who acted like a ghost at school?"

"Whether it's a hoax or not, you'll know when you come tomorrow."

Zhou Jianye said coldly, "What if I don't go?"

Xu Du stared calmly at the increasingly heavy layer of condensation on his phone screen.

"The door will come to you."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Immediately afterwards, the secretary's panicked voice rang out.

"Mr. Zhou! Your office door number... why has the door number changed?"

Zhou Jianye's breathing became noticeably heavier.

"What has it turned into?"

The secretary said in a trembling voice, "Ten...seventeen."

No one spoke in the testing room.

Zhou Cheng's hand trembled, and he almost sat down on the ground.

In the old staff dormitory building, Chen Dayou died outside Gate 17.

Now, the door number of Zhou Jianye's office has changed to seventeen.

This is not a threat.

This is about finding your way.

Zhou Jianye finally stopped sneering.

He remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone before saying, word by word, "I will be there at noon tomorrow."

Xu Du said, "Bring everything."

Zhou Jianye's voice was grim: "Young man, you'd better think this is as serious as you say. Otherwise, I'll show you that the Zhou family is not something you can joke about."

Xu Du did not accept his threat.

"There's one more thing."

"explain."

"Don't open the door tonight."

There was another deathly silence on the other end of the phone.

The call was then disconnected.

Zhou Cheng leaned against the glass wall, trembling violently, as if his bones had been removed.

He had just felt that Zhou's Construction, the Zhou family, and his father were all sources of confidence he could boast about.

But now, that door has come to his father.

Lin Qingzhu handed the phone back to Zhou Cheng and said coldly, "You'll be on probation at school tonight."

Zhou Cheng suddenly looked up: "Me?"

"You are now tainted by the Zhou family's karma. You are not allowed to leave the school before the old staff dormitory opens tomorrow."

"But my dad..."

"Your dad will come."

Lin Qingzhu's tone left no room for negotiation.

Zhou Cheng gritted his teeth, but dared not refute any further.

Those two knocks on the door just now had shattered his courage.

Lin Qingzhu turned to look at Xu Du.

"And you?"

Xu Du was taken aback: "Me?"

"We'll be opening for the day's accounting at noon tomorrow. What are your plans?"

Xu Du thought for a moment and said, "We need some things."

"What?"

"Yellow paper, white cloth, red rope, half a liter of raw rice, three old copper coins, two old door nails, and preferably a bowl of well water."

The male teacher next to him couldn't help but say, "The college's materials database has all of these things."

Xu Du shook his head.

"The materials storage room is too clean."

The male teacher frowned: "Isn't clean enough?"

"Old ritual items are not afraid of being old, but of having no roots."

Xu Du explained, "In the case of debt, new copper coins are not as good as old copper coins, purified water is not as good as well water, and standard talisman paper is not as good as yellow paper that has been imbued with human energy."

The male teacher was stunned.

Lin Qingzhu did not question it.

She remembered the three mysterious nails on the wall.

That thing was just written on the duty roster.

But the outside world accepted it.

"Are you going home to get it?"

"Um."

Lin Qingzhu was silent for two seconds, then took out a small black card from her pocket and handed it to him.

"Temporary pass. Return to school before 10 PM tonight."

Xu Du accepted it.

"Thank you, Director Lin."

Lin Qingzhu stared at him, her tone suddenly becoming serious.

"Xu Du, I don't care what kind of old rituals your family has. Once the door to the old staff building opens tomorrow, behind it won't be just Chen Dayou, but thirteen dead souls. If you can't hold on, just say so in advance. The academy can seal off the building and wait for the Spirit Management Bureau's professional team to arrive."

Xu Du asked, "Can it be sealed off?"

Lin Qingzhu didn't say anything.

She knew, of course, that sealing off the building was just a delaying tactic.

The door has been found to the Zhou family.

If the debt is not cleared, the door will open sooner or later.

Xu Du picked up the white paper soul-guiding lamp.

"I'll give it a try first."

Lin Qingzhu glanced at him.

"You may try."

She lowered her voice.

"But remember, you are a student, not a formal exorcist from the Bureau of Spirits. If the situation gets out of control tomorrow, I will take over immediately."

Xu Du nodded.

"clear."

Lin Qingzhu then looked at the teachers.

"The old staff building is sealed off. Shen Li has been sent to the infirmary for observation, and Zhou Cheng is staying at school. All teachers on duty will be assigned to additional patrols tonight, and no one is allowed to approach the northwest corner."

"yes!"

Several teachers immediately responded.

Outside the testing room, the way the students looked at Xu Du had completely changed.

At first, it was ridicule.

What followed was surprise and doubt.

Now, there's an added layer of inexplicable fear.

A penniless man who couldn't afford the popular town items used a discarded white paper lamp to light a ghostly lamp, sealed a strange door, and even dug up old accounts from Zhou's construction company from decades ago.

This is too bizarre.

That's outrageous.

Xu Du ignored those gazes.

He wrapped the white paper lantern in black cloth, carried it in his hand, and turned to walk out.

Just as they reached the door, Zhou Cheng suddenly spoke.

"Xu Du".

Xu Du stopped.

Zhou Cheng's face was pale, and his lips were white.

"If my dad really comes tomorrow, will those things come after me?"

Xu Du glanced at him.

Are you scared?

Zhou Cheng gritted his teeth: "I'm not afraid, I just..."

"You've just discovered that the Zhou family's black card doesn't necessarily only bring prestige."

Zhou Cheng's face stiffened.

Xu Du didn't continue to mock him, but simply said:

"Don't leave the academy tonight."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and left.

……

Outside the Zhengui Academy, it was completely dark.

The main hall was still brightly lit; the signing day was not over yet, and many students were still queuing up.

Someone excitedly hugged the Soul-Suppressing Bell that had just been successfully contracted.

Some people came out of the testing room looking dejected.

Someone argued with their family over a popular local item.

As Xu Du passed through the hall, many people looked at the black cloth bag in his hand.

The news spread very quickly.

"Is it him?"

"That white paper lamp in the abandoned warehouse?"

"I heard the town's success rate is 5.3?"

"Really? Can abandoned structures really be this tall?"

"Director Lin personally took him to get tested, how could it be fake?"

Xu Du did not stop.

It takes about 20 minutes by bus to get from the college to Nanqiao Old Street.

Nanqiao Old Street is a well-known old street in Jiangcheng.

It's a bit busier during the day, with shops selling incense, candles, paper offerings, funeral clothes, wreaths, old woodenware, and old copper coins all crammed together here.

At night, when the streetlights go out, it looks eerie.

Xu Du's house is located at the very end of the old street.

The storefront is very old.

The plaque had four characters written on it:

Xu's Paper Crafts.

A dim yellow light bulb illuminated the shop.

As soon as Xu Du pushed open the door, the woman behind the counter looked up.

The woman was in her thirties, with a thin face and her hair casually tied up. She was pasting a paper horse in her hand.

"Why are you so late?"

She is Xu Du's mother in this life, Shen He.

Xu Du closed the door.

"Something happened at the school."

Shen He glanced at him, then looked at the black cloth bag in his hand.

"What is this?"

Xu Du paused for a moment, then lifted a corner of the black cloth.

The pale light seeped through the gaps in the fabric.

The paper horse in Shen He's hand suddenly swayed slightly.

Her expression changed slightly.

"A blank paper soul-guiding lamp?"

Xu Du was somewhat surprised: "Mom, you know her?"

Shen He did not answer immediately.

She walked to the door, locked the door from the inside, and then pulled the curtain closed.

After doing all that, she turned to look at Xu Du.

"Where did you get it?"

"Academy Abandoned Town Warehouse"

Shen He's expression darkened further.

"You signed it?"

"Um."

"Have you turned on the lights?"

"I ordered it."

"Did you see something strange?"

"I've met you."

Shen He took a deep breath and lowered her voice.

"Xu Du, do you know that the Soul-Guiding Lamp is not something a living person can touch casually?"

"I know a little."

"You know nothing."

Shen He rarely swears.

Xu Du was stunned for a moment.

Shen He reached out to touch the white paper lantern, but stopped just before touching it.

"This lamp isn't for warding off evil spirits; it's for illuminating the way. It doesn't protect its owner, nor does it kill ghosts. It only recognizes one thing—whether the path is right or not."

She looked at Xu Du.

"If you're on the wrong path, it won't save you."

"It will take you with it."

Xu Du remained silent for a moment.

"I almost opened the wrong door today."

Shen He's eyes narrowed.

"What door?"

"Old staff dormitory building".

Shen He's expression suddenly changed.

She blurted out almost immediately, "The building in the northwest corner of the Jiangcheng Town Ghost Academy?"

Xu Du looked at her.

"Mom, you know?"

Shen He did not speak.

The room fell silent.

The unfinished paper horse on the counter, illuminated by the light, cast its shadow on the wall, resembling a kneeling horse.

After a long while, Shen He finally spoke.

"Your dad used to go to that building."

Xu Du's heart skipped a beat.

His father in this life, Xu Huai'an, disappeared three years ago.

In the original owner's memories, her mother rarely mentioned this matter.

Outsiders only know that Xu Huai'an was once a master of exorcism, but later got involved in a strange case and never came back.

The college archives state:

Suspected of having unauthorized contact with supernatural entities, he has gone missing.

Because of this incident, the Xu family's paper craft shop has been the subject of much gossip and criticism over the years.

What's so weird?

What attracts ghosts?

What do you mean, the Xu family men died by walking the path of the dead?

Xu Du originally planned to investigate slowly.

Unexpectedly, the first thing I did was run into the old staff dormitory building.

"What's Dad doing there?"

Shen He shook her head.

He didn't tell me.

"How did you know?"

"The night before he disappeared, he brought back an old house number."

Xu Du paused slightly in his breathing.

"What number?"

Shen He looked at him and said, word by word:

"Number 17."

The light bulb in the store suddenly flickered.

The light inside the white paper-drawn lantern swayed gently.

Xu Du gripped the lamppost tightly.

Gate 17.

Chen Dayou died outside Gate 17.

There are thirteen more dead souls behind the wall.

Before my father disappeared, he brought back the house number 17.

These things are connected.

Shen He walked behind the counter and took out an old wooden box from the bottom drawer.

The wooden box was wrapped with three loops of red rope.

She untied the red string and opened the box.

Inside was half an old doorplate.

The edge of the doorplate was burned, leaving only a broken number.

But you can still tell that it is the latter half of "seventeen".

"Your dad left it at home before he passed away."

Shen He's voice was a little hoarse.

He said, "If one day you light a lamp of darkness, I will give this to you."

Xu Du stared at the half-finished doorplate in the wooden box, not reaching out for a long time.

"Did he know I would light a gloomy lamp?"

Shen He shook her head.

"have no idea."

She looked up at him.

"But I hope you never order it."

After those words were spoken, the room fell silent again.

Xu Du looked down and saw the "Returning Gift Book" silently turning pages in his mind.

This time, there was no complete text on the page.

There was only one line of text, so faint it was almost invisible.

[Seventeen gates.]

[Half the door is in the sun, the other half in the shade.]

Do not open.

Xu Du stared at the last two words.

Do not open.

If it were anything else, he might hesitate.

But the door to the old staff building must be opened by noon tomorrow.

Otherwise, the thirteen dead souls would come out to find the Zhou family, and might also seek out innocent people.

The half of the doorplate left by the father is also clearly related to this matter.

He had no choice.

Shen He seemed to have seen through his thoughts, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Are you going back to the old staff dormitory building tomorrow?

"Um."

"Is it absolutely necessary to go?"

"We absolutely have to go."

Shen He closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she didn't try to persuade her anymore.

She turned and went into the back room.

A moment later, he took out a cloth bag and placed it on the counter.

"Inside are old copper coins, door nails, yellow paper, black ink, a well water bottle, and half a stick of incense left by your father as a guide."

She paused.

"Don't use new red rope. There's a bundle of old red rope drying in the backyard. It was used to tie paper horses and has been contaminated by the smell of the road. Take it with you."

Xu Du's throat moved slightly.

"mom."

Shen He didn't look at him, but kept her head down and continued pasting the paper horse.

"Don't thank me."

Her voice was very soft.

"After your father passed away, I always hoped that you would stay away from these things."

"But you brought back the white paper soul-guiding lamp today."

"Since the lamp has recognized you, I can't stop it."

The bamboo strips of the paper horse made a soft rustling sound in her hand.

"But remember this."

Shen He looked up, her eyes more serious than ever before.

"Existing customs are not a skill, they are a debt."

"You speak for the dead, and the dead will remember you."

"If you open a door for a living person, the door will recognize you."

"From now on, you need to think carefully before you take any step."

Xu Du was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I know."

Shen He looked at him.

"you do not know."

She reached out and pushed the half of the doorplate from the wooden box in front of him.

"Take it with you."

"If anything behind the door doesn't recognize your lamp tomorrow, take this out."

Xu Du asked, "What can it do?"

Shen He shook her head.

"have no idea."

"Your dad only said that this half of the doorplate can make door number seventeen stop for a moment."

Take a breath.

very short.

But in bizarre cases, a single breath can sometimes mean a life.

Xu Du carefully put away the half of the doorplate.

He then put the cloth bag on his back.

Before leaving, he stopped at the door.

"Mom, did Dad really disappear because of the old custom?"

Shen He paused for a moment.

The light bulb hummed softly.

After a long time, she finally said:

"He didn't disappear because of old customs."

"It's because he refuses to hand over the old customs."

Xu Du's heart skipped a beat.

He wanted to ask more, but Shen He lowered her head and continued making paper horses.

"Let's go back to school."

"Don't make things difficult for Lin Qingzhu before 10 o'clock."

Xu Du watched her retreating figure and ultimately did not press the matter further.

He pushed open the door and went out.

The night wind in Nanqiao Old Street was very cold.

Several incense and candle shops along the street had already closed, except for Xu's paper lanterns, which were still lit.

Xu Du took a few steps, then suddenly turned back.

Behind the curtain, Shen He stood there watching him.

When she saw him turn around, she didn't say anything, but simply raised her hand to tidy up the ever-burning lamp hanging by the door for him.

The lights flickered slightly.

It was like giving him a gift.

Xu Du slung his cloth bag over his shoulder and turned to walk towards the bus stop.

The white paper guiding lamp, wrapped in black cloth, rested quietly beside him.

But he could feel that the cold white light in the lamp was gradually getting brighter.

It was as if they knew that more than one door would be opened tomorrow.

……

At the same time.

Zhou's Construction Headquarters, East District of Jiangcheng.

In the chairman's office, Zhou Jianye sat behind a large desk, his face gloomy.

Three different nameplates have been put up outside the office.

The first piece becomes seventeen.

The second piece becomes seventeen.

The third piece, still, became seventeen.

The secretary stood to the side, her voice trembling.

"Mr. Zhou, how about... we go back to the school?"

Zhou Jianye suddenly looked up.

"Where are you going?"

"Who knows if the accounts from decades ago are true or false? A student, a few sheets of paper, and you expect the Zhou family to acknowledge the accounts of a dead man?"

He had barely finished speaking.

There was another knock on the office door.

thump.

The secretary was so frightened that she took a step back.

Zhou Jianye's face also turned pale for a moment.

But soon, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

"Go and invite Master Liu."

The secretary was taken aback.

"Master Liu? You mean...?"

"His master was the one who cleaned up that mess back then."

Zhou Jianye stared at the office door, his voice cold and menacing.

"Since the door is ringing again, let the person who knows how to close the door come."

A second knock came at the door.

thump.

Half of the office lights were off.