The sudden anomaly was naturally not unnoticed by Ding Yun alone. When the purple-red moon appeared in the sky, heated discussions erupted online. After all, there were plenty of night owls these days. Many people slept at one or two in the morning. It was perfectly normal for them to discover the anomaly of the moon.
However, they only saw the surface phenomenon and not the reason. At this moment, they were discussing without worry whether the purple-red moon signified the appearance of a rare treasure or a millennium-rare astronomical spectacle. Some even joked, "Won't this be a spiritual energy resurgence? Will the Emperor's Fluid descend from the moon?"
Only the meteorological departments were in a panic, actively discussing and researching what was happening. They had already started drafting articles for external departments, explaining the colored moon from a professional perspective to avoid causing panic. A few years ago, when the moon bizarrely turned red, they had also managed to gloss over it in a similar manner.
However, as the bright moon continued to change color and the Yin energy grew increasingly dense, many strange events began to occur. For instance, animals sensitive to Yin energy started becoming agitated and violent. Or, some people who had recently died, whose souls had not yet dispersed or entered the underworld, gained power and the ability to manifest under the influence of the dense Yin energy.
Furthermore, some people with weaker constitutions felt a sudden, bone-chilling cold. Blankets and air conditioning were useless. Muttering a few words like "fu qiang min zhu" (prosperous, strong, democratic) actually seemed to help.
As related news kept being uploaded, coupled with people realizing that it was a special day, the traditional Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan Festival), many couldn't help but feel that these strange changes might be related to the festival. Discussions then ensued based on this, with some even citing ancient texts that suggested the moon turning purple-red might be an accidental overlap of the bright moon and the nether moon. However, most people didn't believe it and treated it as a joke.
Ding Yun's residence was not far from her mother Wu Hua's apartment, only a half-hour drive away. Upon arriving, she didn't knock to disturb them. Instead, she used her own key to open the door. Their family was like this: Ding Yun had keys to her mother's and elder sister's homes, and her mother and elder sister also had keys to Ding Yun's usual residence. They trusted each other, so it was normal to exchange keys. It wasn't a family relationship that had fractured to the point of extorting from each other or falling out completely.
Perhaps because Ding Yun had maintained Wu Hua's health well over the years, she was not woken by the Yin energy. She merely pulled her blanket tighter and continued to sleep, only occasionally frowning on her forehead. She was likely having nightmares or experiencing some discomfort, indicating that the Yin energy did have some effect on her, just not a significant one.
Regarding this, Ding Yun directly sent out a stream of spiritual power to dispel all the Yin energy on her and set up a protective barrier, ensuring she wouldn't have to worry about Yin energy intrusion for half a month. She then left without waking her.
She drove to her elder sister's house next. Ding Yun was not worried about her elder sister and brother-in-law, but primarily concerned about their child. Since the child was young, he was more susceptible to Yin energy intrusion, so Ding Yun naturally had to check on him.
Upon arriving at her elder sister's house, Ding Yun did not use her key to open the door. She saw that the lights in her sister's house were on, so she knocked and went in. As soon as she entered, she hung a spiritual warming jade on the child who was crying his eyes out. The spiritual warming jade was a mutated form of fire spirit stone, a gentler variant usable by ordinary mortals, making it easy to dispel Yin energy.
As expected, the child stopped crying the next second and said he didn't feel cold anymore, that the jade his aunt gave him was warm, and his body felt warm too.
"Sis, what's going on?" Seeing that the child no longer complained of cold, Ding Gui breathed a sigh of relief and immediately asked Ding Yun with great curiosity.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure, but it's likely different from the popular scientific understanding. We'll have to wait and see for more details. It's hard to say for now. However, you can both take a day off tomorrow, pack your things, and move to my place. If nothing happens, consider it that I miss Xiao Bao, and you all can come visit me. If something does happen, it'll be safer to be together. That way, I won't have to run back and forth. Oh, and Mom too. I won't inform her, you can bring Mom over to my place later."
Ding Yun was unsure if this overlap of Yin and Yang spaces was an accident or if it would continue long-term, so she could only give a vague explanation. However, Ding Gui felt that Ding Yun might be unable to disclose details or had to keep them confidential. Coupled with her complete trust in Ding Yun, she didn't press further and simply nodded in understanding. She then proceeded to coax the child to sleep. Ding Yun, too lazy to return, stayed in their guest room for the night to rest and recuperate, planning to discuss matters further the next day.
The next morning, as the sun rose, the vast solar power quickly dispelled the Yin energy that had accumulated overnight. Many people who were weak and felt like they were freezing to death, and for whom blankets and hand warmers were useless, desperately followed the instructions of some online metaphysics experts and went out to bask in the sun. If it felt effective, the news spread like wildfire. Everyone who felt cold went out to sunbathe.
This phenomenon, combined with the strange events of the previous night, quickly shifted the online discussion from scientific explanations and jokes to genuine explorations of metaphysics and the uncanny.
"Oh my god, I inexplicably feel an intense cold in my body. Air conditioners, thick clothes, and hand warmers are all useless. Isn't this exactly what some movies depict as Yin energy entering the body, or spirits possessing people? Feeling comfortable after sunbathing means dispelling Yin energy. This world is no longer scientific!"
"It must be a spiritual energy resurgence..."
"No, it's more likely a resurgence of the uncanny. My dad said that last night, something happened. Three elders who were guarding the ancestral grave were sent directly to the funeral home, and several others are still in the hospital."
"It seems all the live streams exploring real haunted houses yesterday were wiped out. The few who are okay didn't actually go to haunted houses, but to a themed escape room."
"Oh my goodness, is there still hope in shaving one's head to become a monk or a Taoist priest now? Can I still make it? Is it useful?"
"My deskmate always tells me her family is a corpse-herding family. Can I get on their good side now?"
"If the bodies are being herded, there might be hope."
"Um, to be honest, if a resurgence of the uncanny really happens, we should be thankful for cremation. After all, many legendary uncanny methods rely on human remains. Without remains, wouldn't that reduce the occurrence of the uncanny?"
"I'm done talking with you guys, I'm going to cultivate immortality."
"Does anyone have any ancestral cultivation manuals? Quickly contribute them! This is a great deed for the country and the people, saving the world. It will accumulate immense merit."