"My dear mother…"
Zhu Tiedan let out a long breath, his body going limp as he collapsed to the ground.
He had heard many eerie village tales and witnessed shamans and sorcerers perform their rituals, but tonight's uncanny events were a first for him.
Amid the fear, a trace of excitement stirred within him.
No wonder the gang leader fawned over that Master Chen, insisting they treat him with utmost respect, with a punishment of three stabs and six piercings for the slightest disrespect.
With such a formidable figure backing them, what was there to fear?
If he, too, curried favor with Master Chen, might he be taught some immortal technique?
Then, if he fancied a pretty village girl, he could charm her senseless and whisk her home. If he spotted a wealthy household, he could conjure a spell to siphon their riches.
Wouldn't such a life be as blissful as that of an immortal?
It's no surprise this rascal let his imagination run wild.
The Mysterious Sect held the highest status in the martial world, and not everyone had the chance to encounter it—let alone a lowlife thug like him.
How could he possibly understand the sect's intricate rules and taboos? Even less could he imagine that the kindly-faced old Taoist in the City God Temple was the most terrifying figure in Xianyang City.
While Zhu Tiedan indulged in wild fantasies outside the village, elsewhere, Zhou Peide was hot on his trail, fully prepared.
Leading a few disciples, clad in black and armed with long spears and sharp blades, Zhou Peide guarded the official road to Xianyang City.
They waited for Li Yan to be lured out, ready to hack him to death in a flurry of blades.
Zhou Peide had mastered the Hidden Strength stage years ago. Though his talent was insufficient to wield Transformative Strength, his muscles and tendons thrummed with power, every movement infused with Hidden Strength, versatile and unpredictable.
This was the difference in mastery after entering the Hidden Strength stage.
While others might attack with Hidden Strength, he could counter with equal force, neutralizing and defending. Those with shallow skill, unable to sustain their energy or chain their strikes, would be beaten to death in an instant.
In other words, Zhou Peide alone was enough to handle Li Yan.
With a few helpers, their plan was all but foolproof.
Sword in hand, Zhou Peide stood at the road's junction, his eyes brimming with killing intent, waiting for Li Yan to pursue and meet his brutal end.
…
The moonlight cast a ghostly glow, and Shangyi Village was shrouded in darkness.
Rushing to meet work deadlines, everyone toiled from dawn to dusk, so the moment the lamps were extinguished, they fell into deep sleep, their snores echoing without cease.
"Woof! Woof!"
A village dog seemed to sense something, its ears pricking up as it leaped to its feet. But after a few barks, it lay back down.
At a street corner, a small wooden puppet crawled through the darkness like a spider, its opera-costumed form eerily out of place.
Its body radiated yin energy, yet it seemed confined within the puppet, so the village dogs sensed only a faint disturbance and did not continue their alarm.
Outside Xianyang City, atop a ritual altar, Chen Fa'kui sat cross-legged, eyes closed, hands forming intricate seals, his lips murmuring ceaselessly.
The puppet, as if guided by his command, darted swiftly through the shadowed alleys, soon arriving outside the grand Wan family estate.
Buzz!
Before it could approach, the stone pillar at the gate trembled faintly.
This was a hitching post, common among prominent households in Guanzhong, but the Wan family's was unique. Atop it sat a small carved stone lion, an artifact from the Qin and Han eras, with a protective talisman buried beneath. Ordinary malevolent spirits could not draw near.
And that was merely the hitching post.
On the surrounding walls, brick carvings bore inscriptions like "Glory Before, Prosperity After" and "Virtue Builds, Fame Stands," their ancient, weathered script hailing from the Tang dynasty.
The gate, doors, central ridge, well, stove, and latrine were all adorned with woodblock prints of the Six Household Deities, a tradition of worship dating back to the Zhou dynasty.
This was the grand estate of the Craftsmen Sect—hardly an ordinary place.
These ancient relics had been consecrated with incense offerings.
The Six Household Deities, sustained by ceaseless worship, had gathered divine aura.
Not to mention the Craftsmen Sect's ancestral hall in the rear courtyard.
When Li Yan first arrived at the Wan estate, he sensed its extraordinary nature, which was why he felt at ease leaving to drink with Zhao Donkey.
At the ritual altar, Chen Fa'kui, clearly anticipating this, suddenly opened his eyes. He grabbed the peachwood sword on the table, affixed a talisman to it, and formed a seal with his right hand, pointing forward.
Whoosh!
The yellow talisman burst into flames.
The puppet, as if enveloped in a faint mist, bypassed the main gate and approached a side wall, scaling it like a spider without disturbing the estate's protective arrangements.
On the wall, the puppet's rigid face slowly emerged…
…
In the darkness, Wang Daoxuan was fast asleep.
On another bed, Sha Lifei's thunderous snoring shook the room, disrupting Wang's focus and making even sleep restless.
There was no helping it. The recent workload had filled every room with people, and many Craftsmen Sect disciples were even crammed into shared bunks.
As guests, they were already fortunate to have a private room—how could they dare complain?
The past two nights had been like this, and combined with the mental strain of reading all day, Wang Daoxuan drifted in a hazy state between sleep and wakefulness.
He couldn't help but feel regret.
Had he known, he would have followed Li Yan up the mountain for some peace and quiet.
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door.
Then came a voice, calling, "Taoist Wang, Taoist Wang…"
The voice was faint and blurry, sounding somewhat like Li Yan.
This was the soul-summoning technique.
When spirits called to someone, they didn't prophesy but exploited the vulnerabilities of the human heart.
Just as Li Yan, worried for his grandfather, had heard his cries for help, now Wang Daoxuan, thinking of Li Yan in his half-dreaming state, heard his voice.
"Oh, you're back?"
Mumbling groggily, Wang Daoxuan rose to respond.
But the moment he spoke, a chill ran through him, and he realized something was terribly wrong.
Before he could react, his body felt light, his vision darkened, and with a thud, he fell from the bed.
"Huh, Taoist… what's wrong?"
Sha Lifei, startled awake, scrambled out of bed to help, only to find Wang Daoxuan with eyes shut tight, teeth clenched, fists balled, and consciousness gone.
"Help! Someone, help!"
As his cries rang out, candles began to flicker to life in the darkened courtyard…
…
Outside the village, Zhu Tiedan was idly plucking roadside grass when a sudden weight pressed down on him, and an icy chill crept up his spine.
His body stiffened, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
But having grown accustomed to the sensation, he was bolder now. Recalling Chen Fa'kui's instructions, he didn't dare look back, instead leaping onto his horse.
With a flick of the reins, he galloped off.
In less time than it takes an incense stick to burn, he spotted Zhou Peide standing on the road. Clasping his fists, he said, "Third Master, the deed is done. I'll take my leave."
Zhou Peide caught sight of the puppet clinging to Zhu's back, his eyes twitching as he stepped aside to clear the path. After the horse galloped away, he gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Zhu Tiedan, the fool on horseback, mistook Zhou Peide's wariness for admiration of his heroic display tonight. Feeling a surge of pride, he spurred his horse faster, racing to a hillside outside the city.
Seeing the group awaiting him, Zhu Tiedan grew even more smug.
Recalling the lone heroes of opera tales who stormed enemy camps, he dismounted with flair, struck a dramatic pose, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists, and intoned in a theatrical cadence:
"Big Brother, mission accomplished!"
With that, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed with a thud, bodily fluids spilling out.
The puppet, like a spider, scuttled up to the altar.
Chen Fa'kui glanced at it faintly. "No matter. He lent his mortal vitality to break the array. He'll fall gravely ill, but keep him from wind and light, nurse him well, and he might recover."
Yuan Qu cared little for Zhu Tiedan's fate. Bowing respectfully, he asked, "Master Chen, is that Li Yan dead?"
Chen Fa'kui shook his head slightly. "He wasn't there. I captured the soul of the Taoist by his side. He'll come to us."
With that, he picked up a gourd from the table, inserted its mouth into the puppet's, performed a seal, and quickly sealed the gourd with a yellow talisman.
Finished, he turned and asked, "How are things on your end?"
Yuan Qu bowed again. "Master, the people we found are swift. They should have everything ready tonight. I've sent men to collect."
Chen Fa'kui nodded, about to speak, when his brows furrowed.
Whoosh!
A yin wind swept through, causing the altar's candles to flicker wildly.
An inexplicable dread gripped Chen Fa'kui. He grabbed two crescent-shaped wooden divining blocks from the altar, held them to his forehead, and bowed to the deity's statue.
These were oracle cups, one side convex for yin, the other flat for yang.
Clatter!
Clatter!
Clatter!
Three throws, all yielding double yin.
"Trouble! The Patriarch warns us!"
Chen Fa'kui's face paled. He frantically gathered the altar's ritual tools, blew out the candles, and tore down the yellow talismans.
That done, he hurriedly pulled a sack from under the table and snapped, "Put out the fire! Stand close to me!"
Yuan Qu and his men, confused but obedient, gathered around the altar.
Chen Fa'kui poured a mixture of white ash, salt, and unknown substances from the sack, drawing a large circle around them on the ground.
When finished, he barked, "Shut your mouths! No matter what you see, not a sound, or I'll kill you myself!"
Whoosh!
As his words fell, a fierce wind roared from the distance, the sky growing ominously dark.
Yuan Qu and the others, terrified, felt an unnatural cold envelop them as frost began to spread across the ground.
Then, on the frost, countless footprints appeared…
*(End of Chapter)*