The God I Worship at Home Came to Life

On the 30th day of the Yin Tide, Cheng Che woke with a start at the sight of the black idol beneath his sofa.

It had come to life.

It didn't leap down to grab him by the throat. Instead, it slowly turned its face toward him, as if waiting for him to replenish its incense.

Cheng Che was an office worker and programmer who hated trouble.

But when the Yin Tide came, the whole apartment complex became a haunted house: black fog chased people through the corridors, blood seeped from the walls, and his neighbors clung to him, crying for help.

He grabbed a flashlight and some copper wire and spent the whole night "exorcising spirits by physical means."

From then on, a crafting altar appeared above his head:

Broken flashlight + copper wire = Evil-Breaking Flashlight (Trait: Light);

Copper key + Well Seal = Yin-Seeking Compass that Guides the Way.

He didn't rely on his fists. Through "crafting + preparation," he gradually turned the whole street into a home he could protect.

But the longer he protected it, the more things seemed wrong:

The idol said he had been born to replenish its incense;

The five ancient wells on the street formed a formation;

The door leading to the "basement" was locked with his mother's name.

"Protecting the home" was a lie. "Sealing a god" was the truth.

Worship wasn't superstition. Someone had entrusted him with the incense offerings of an entire city.