“Senior Brother Yuanye?”
Lu Zheng looked again and realised that the figure beside Yuanjing was indeed his fellow disciple Yuanye, whom he had met before on Baiyun Mountain.
Though not as exceptionally talented as Yuanlin or a few others, Yuanye was still among the top of his generation and had long surpassed many seniors.
“I was returning from performing a ritual outside Dingshan Town when I encountered Senior Brother Yuanye being pursued by this ghost. So we came back together.” Yuanjing explained.
Yuanye’s face was pale. He looked very weak, but he still tried to stand straight and bowed in salute. “Greetings, Uncle Master Mingzhang. Greetings, Junior Brother Yuanzheng.”
Daoist Mingzhang quickly supported Yuanye. A stream of innate white cloud true qi flowed into him. “No need for formalities. Come back to the temple with me first.”
By then, Daoist Yuting had also arrived. Seeing the injured Yuanye and sensing the scattered yin qi, he gave a thumbs up. “Impressive. Let us hurry back to Baiyun Temple.”
Daoist Mingzhang waved his hand grandly. White clouds rose and carried everyone together toward Baiyun Temple.
They settled Yuanye in a side room and gave him a healing pill. After circulating his energy for a while, his complexion improved.
Only then did Daoist Mingzhang ask, “What was that ghost about? Why was it willing to lose a split soul avatar just to kill you?”
Clearly, Yuanjing had only encountered Yuanye and the ghost midway and did not know the details.
However…
Yuanye gave a bitter smile. “I do not know either. A few days ago, I arrived in Dingshan County and saw a woman entwined with yin qi, seemingly haunted by a ghost. So I lent her a jade ruyi artefact.
But the next day, I found my artefact showed no reaction, and the woman had fallen seriously ill. So I visited her home personally, preparing to set up an altar and trace the ghost’s malignant influence.
Unexpectedly, just as I detected a trace of its aura, it suddenly appeared and attacked me frantically.”
Yuanye spread his hands helplessly. “And that was it.”
“That ghost chased you hundreds of li, from Dingshan County all the way to Tonglin County?” Yuanjing asked in shock.
He had been chased by ghosts before. In his weaker days, he often fled, but ghosts usually only drove them away to prevent interference. Few pursued for dozens of li without giving up.
Yuanye nodded. “Exactly.”
“That should not be. Unless you took something belonging to the ghost?” Daoist Mingzhang asked.
Yuanjing spread his hands. “No. I had only just detected it when it started chasing me all the way.”
Yuanye now knew the pursuer was merely a split soul avatar. He could not help feeling lingering fear.
“That is strange.” Daoist Mingzhang also found it odd. “The opponent is an expert. That split soul avatar was willing to die to kill you. If not because you took its belongings, then perhaps…”
“Perhaps… you disrupted something very important to it?” Lu Zheng blinked. “Could it be that it was in the middle of an intimate dream with the woman when you suddenly interfered and ruined it?”
Yuanjing stroked his chin with a serious expression. “It does not seem impossible?”
Yuanye, “…”
Daoist Yuting was speechless. “Even so, would it sacrifice an entire split soul avatar?”
“Many people lose rationality in such situations.” Yuanjing analysed.
Daoist Yuting, an old bachelor himself, could not respond. He could only look toward Lu Zheng.
Then Daoist Mingzhang and Yuanjing also turned to Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng glared. “Why look at me? If anyone broke into my bedroom while I was with my wife, I would flay his soul and torment him for a thousand years!”
Everyone nodded in unison. No problem. Case closed.
Yuanye: (ง˙o˙)ว
Are you joking? It could not be, could it? Though the woman was indeed very beautiful, and she had been unconscious during his ritual, this reason seemed far too far-fetched.
Yuanye could not help scratching his head. “Am I really that unlucky?”
“You should hurry to the Three Pure Ones Hall and burn a stick of premium incense for the patriarch. That ghost only sent a split soul avatar to chase you. If its main body had come, I fear you would not have left Dingshan County.” Daoist Mingzhang said.
Logical and irrefutable.
However…
“That woman is still in danger.” Yuanye could not help saying. “Since the ghost just now was only a split soul avatar, does that not mean its main body is still entangled with her?”
“That is correct.” Daoist Mingzhang nodded. “Your uncle master will handle this matter. You rest and recover here.”
“Yes.” Yuanye bowed. “Then I trouble Uncle Master.”
Yuanye provided the details of the woman’s family in Dingshan County, then went to sleep. The group left the side room and gathered in the rear courtyard’s quiet chamber.
“Yuanjing, stay to look after him. Yuanzheng, come with me to Dingshan County.” Daoist Mingzhang said, then turned to Daoist Yuting. “Are you coming?”
Daoist Yuting nodded as if it were obvious. “Of course. I will guard you both. Even clearing some minor ghosts would help.”
“Good. No time to delay. We leave now.”
Daoist Mingzhang pinched a hand seal. A white cloud lifted Daoist Yuting and Lu Zheng into the air. The three headed straight for Dingshan County.
…
Dingshan County, He Residence.
When the three descended from the clouds, it was already past the hour of hai. The moon hung high in the sky.
However…
They saw the He family courtyard filled with white banners. Everyone wore plain mourning clothes. A wooden coffin rested in the rear room arranged as a mourning hall.
Miss He had already died.
Daoist Mingzhang’s gaze sharpened. He carefully sensed but detected not a trace of ghostly qi.
“What a cunning ghost! It fled quickly!”
Daoist Yuting formed a hand seal, enveloping the He compound in an illusion. Then he waved, opening the coffin to reveal Miss He’s true appearance.
Miss He’s face was pale, but her expression was peaceful. A trace of happy smile lingered at the corners of her mouth.
“Soul entranced in dream, spirit hooked and seized. The ghost directly drew out Miss He’s soul, transformed it into a ghost, and took it to the nether realm.”
As soon as Daoist Yuting finished speaking, Miss He’s tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, staring straight at the three.
The next instant, two black shadowy skulls flew from her eyes, one left, one right, shooting toward Daoist Mingzhang and Lu Zheng.
“How bold!”
Daoist Mingzhang and Lu Zheng each struck with a Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Talisman, shattering the skulls.
As the skulls broke, endless yin qi exploded, forming a shockwave about to spread outward.
“Not good!” Daoist Mingzhang’s expression changed.
If this yin qi burst free, everyone in the He family would likely die.
The opponent was truly vicious, having set a trap in Miss He’s corpse. Triggered by investigators, they would indirectly cause the deaths of the entire living He family.
Daoist Mingzhang hurriedly reached out. Lu Zheng also helped. Together, they gathered a mass of white cloud in the mourning hall, binding the yin qi.
After considerable effort, the two finally eroded the yin qi completely, successfully averting the crisis.
However, Daoist Mingzhang’s expression was grim. “This old Daoist will remember this!”
