<h4>Chapter 1254: Chapter 1254</h4>


    "Brother, I feel so hot!"


    In the phone, Jiufeng’s voice came with a heavy breath.


    Coupled with her bold selfie, it made Lin Yifan’s anger rise.


    At this moment, the mountain vige was silent.


    Under the pitch-ck night sky, the crescent moon illuminated the path to her house.


    Arriving at the iron gate, he easily pushed open the ajar door.


    Just as Lin Yifan was about to go upstairs, a eerie cry startled him.


    Instinctively, he looked up; a pair of eyes were perched on the tree watching him.


    "Hoo hoo hoo..."


    The owl’s big, round eyes were even more terrifying in the dark.


    Apanied by a sound that was part cry, partugh, it made his scalp tingle.


    "Don’t fear an owl’s cry, fear an owl’sughter!"


    Lin Yifan mumbled to himself.


    The owl is also known as the soul-chasing bird, or death-knelling bird.


    Legend has it that wherever it appears, someone will soon die.


    Meeting it at such a time brought a sense of unease to his heart.


    "Good brother, the door isn’t locked,e quickly, I’ve been waiting long enough."


    Hearing sounds from downstairs, Jiufeng sent another voice prompt urging him.


    But just as he was about to follow the stairs up, his gaze instinctively turned to the east room on the first floor.


    This was originally Dong Jiufeng’s room; now his mother temporarily lived there after the old house was demolished.


    The lights were off, and there wasn’t a sound inside.


    Maybe she was tired from the mountain and slept early.


    Maybe the owl’s call heightened Lin Yifan’s alertness.


    He pressed against the window, straining to listen to any sound inside.


    "Mom... Mom..."


    The sound sent a cold sweat running through Lin Yifan.


    His mother’s breathing became irregr and lost all rhythm.


    Feeling something was wrong, he quickly rushed into the room, yanking the door open.


    Turning on the room light, he saw his mother’s pale face lying there.


    "I... my chest... hurts..."


    His mother used all her strength to squeeze out a few words.


    The suffocating feeling left herpletely powerless.


    "Mom, don’t worry, I’ll perform acupuncture first!"


    Lin Yifan hurriedly took out a needle box from his pocket and pulled out two silver needles.


    As the silver needles were precisely inserted into the acupoints, a bit of color returned to his mother’s paper-white face.


    Yet she stilly there, unable to move.


    "What’s wrong with Aunt?"


    Upon hearing the call from upstairs, Jiufeng quickly ran downstairs.


    "Acute heart failure!"


    Lin Yifan grasped his mother’s wrist, feeling the weak pulse beat.


    His deep-set eyes filled with perplexity.


    Ayer of ck mist covered his mother’s face, and its color grew deeper.


    This was the ominous death aura appearing before her end.


    From what he had seen before, his mother was supposed to have at least half a month of life left.


    But now, with the intensity of this death aura, it seemed unlikely she’d see the next morning’s sun.


    "Mom, what have you done these past two days?"


    "I heard there were matsutake mushrooms in the back mountain... went with a few aunts to find... maybe I was just too tired?"


    His mother weaklyy there speaking.


    "No, did you do something... wrong?"


    Lin Yifan frowned, as in just two days since he hadst seen her, her lifespan could not have suddenly shortened.


    Unless something morally wrong was done, causing a debt to the yin spirit, which would shorten life.


    "Wrong... today on the mountain... I identally stepped on a lone grave..."


    It turned out that when she was on the mountain today, she saw a patch of mushrooms and hurriedly squatted down to pick them.


    Who knew that as she gathered them, she stepped into a void, underneath was a thin coffin.


    It’s unknown how many years had passed since this unimed solitary grave wasid.


    "No wonder, you were already weak,cking energy, then disrupted by the evil aura."


    Lin Yifan sighed; decades ago many bandits were around Taoyuan Vige.


    Perhaps a deceased person was buried by a kind person, but only with grass mats and thin wooden boards.


    "Will anything bad happen to Aunt?"


    Jiufeng asked with genuine concern.


    Being kind by nature, and having a special rtionship with Lin Yifan, she naturally treated his mother with more warmth.


    "It looks like something serious, we’ll have to use the Life Extension Technique early, go call Feng Xian quickly."


    Lin Yifan grit his teeth.


    Shen Shiyao didn’t return to the vige due to school matters in town.


    "Alright!"


    Dong Jiufeng agreed quickly and went off to call Xu Fengxian.


    Meanwhile, Lin Yifan carried his mother out the door.


    "Yifan, you must not act recklessly, I’ve lived over fifty years, it’s not a loss dying, but you mustn’t have any further misfortune."


    His frail and emaciated mother looked anxiously at Lin Yifan.


    Years ago, the technique was used by his grandfather, and his health drastically declined.


    "Mom, rest assured, I’ve found a way to break the spell, you haven’t held a grandson in your arms yet, nothing can happen."


    After cing his mother on the rear seat, Lin Yifan rushed into the closed clinic.


    He took the porcin bowl and incense holder, cing them on the passenger seat.


    Arriving Xu Fengxian and Dong Jiufeng got into the car quickly.


    The pickup roared towards the pitch-ck ck Bear Valley Gate.


    Before long, the vehicle parked at the entrance.


    The so-called gate was actually a barrier formed by two stone cliffs.


    "Yifan, what do we need to do?"


    Supporting the weak mother, Xu Fengxian asked urgently.


    "First, let’sy my mom on the ground!"


    He collected water from the nearby river into two porcin bowls and ced them on a rock.


    Lin Yifan took out four sandalwood incense sticks, lit them, and inserted them into the incense holder.


    He then took two more sandalwood sticks and handed them to the two women.


    "Next, you’ll sit cross-legged, close your eyes, only open them when the incense burns out. Remember, during this time, yin spirits maye to steal life energy, so no sound should make you open your eyes, even if you hear me calling your name. Only when the incense burns out can you open them."


    Lin Yifan’s words made the two women very nervous.


    But they clenched their teeth and nodded.


    Following his instructions, they sat behind the mother.


    With their backs pressed against her body.


    "Passing yin spirit, quickly retreat..."


    Once everything was ready, Lin Yifan took out two stacks of yellow paper, burning them.


    After the ashes turned cold, he lit a red candle, cing it in front of his mother.


    He then took out collected strands of hair and wrapped them around the incense sticks.


    "Big Dipper’s nine stars, mighty celestial deity, rising to the golden pce, covering Kunlun, adjusting order, governing universe, great master of greed, heed mymand, repay yin debt with yang, transform void into reality..."


    As the incense and candle burned, Lin Yifan recited the obscure spell continuously.


    The ritual officially began as his fingers moved in gestures.


    Suddenly, the previously calm night stirred up a wind.


    The surrounding trees rustled, and the stars in the sky grew increasingly bright.


    The wind blew stronger, and before long it emitted rolling thunder.


    At this moment, not far from Taoyuan Vige, several shadows swiftly dashed.


    Moving silently, they soon arrived in the nearby position.


    Hundreds of meters away, they stopped and quietly watched the anomaly at ck Bear Valley Gate.


    Murderous intent filled the air.