"Old Gongye's skills are fierce! I'm just an ineffective feng shui master, but in his hands, it becomes effective. This Yin Ghost Seal can draw one's attention! Before dawn, Old Gongye already instructed me to stick the seal on the widow... no... on Xiu Xiu herself. She won't fear the negative energy on the country roads. Subconsciously, she will feel a connection with her other soul fragments and be drawn to them." Fan Jie spoke fluently after taking a deep breath.
I finally understood.
My understanding of Old Gong's strength has been elevated to a new level. At the very least, he should not be weaker than the Yin-Yang master who nurtured Wei Youming.
"Please stick it on her back. Once applied, it will disappear," Fan Jie respectfully handed me the Yin Ghost Seal.
I took it and walked towards Yu Xiu, who was already standing by the bed.
The seal was placed on her back, and as expected, the paper seal slowly faded into invisibility.
The aura of Yu Xiu seems to have changed somewhat, but it's difficult to pinpoint the specific change.
"Then, shall we... depart?" Fan Jie tentatively inquired.
"Wait." I replied succinctly.
"Uh..." Nodding, Fan Jie asked if he could go back to his room and take a nap?
After a moment of contemplation, I said, "There are some things that I need to explain to you."
Fan Jie respectfully bowed and made a serious listening gesture.
I told him everything I had learned about the Ghost Grove and the Red Demon Village from last night.
Pausing for a moment, I got more straightforward and mentioned that my plan was to eliminate the Red Demon, asking him if he had any good ideas.
Fan Jie's forehead suddenly produced large beads of sweat, unnaturally saying, "Old Gongye told me... we will send Xiu Xiu to the Red Demon Village, and anything else we can get our hands on. His target is the female corpse inside. He wants me to cultivate a few of them properly, but he didn't say anything about dealing with the Red Demon himself..."
Fan Jie's reaction instantly made me realize that he has no good methods left.
However, I only asked casually, so it was within my expectations that he couldn't come up with anything.
After sending Fan Jie away from the room, I sat indoors and began to leaf through the True Method of the Four Codes.
The Four Regulations Mirror may not necessarily be effective against the Red Demon, but... I currently have only two talismans, and I don't have much cultivation. I'm afraid I can't unleash the full power of the Four Regulations Mirror.
I have mastered the symbol on the second page. Using a writing brush and inkstone I carry, I draw the symbol, which also comes in two. After drawing these symbols, I start to feel drained of energy, but after a short period of meditation using the Four Regulations True Heart's breathing method, my energy levels recover significantly.
By noon, Suisui came to knock on my door. First, she went to call Fan Jie for lunch. During this time, I asked Suisui about the Taoist Liu Ziyu's situation. Suisui then told me that last night, the reed mouse showed no reaction, and now that it was morning, the situation remained unclear. We won't know if they have left until it gets dark.
Fan Jie seemed puzzled and asked what other Taoist was being referred to?
Only then did I mention the incident involving the Taoist from last night.
Fan Jie swallowed hard and murmured, "Surnamed Liu... Sir, I suggest we do not follow them... It might lead to trouble."
I was slightly surprised and asked Fan Jie for the reason. Fan Jie then explained many things.
For example, the Mao family from Juqu Mountain, the Zhang family from Yunjin Mountain, the Bai family from the Four Regulations Mountain, and the Liu surname among the Qiang people... etc.
Miao Family?
My first reaction was to think of Mao San.
And I also thought of how the Youyang Ju had described Juqu Mountain.
It was about capturing Wei Youming and extracting the news from Juqu Mountain.
Mao San was probably just a coincidence. He is a scholar, not a Taoist.
As for the Four Regulations Mountain, I have had dealings with it.
The names of the different Taoist sects and mountain gates are so well-known!
Luckily, I only mentioned Jin Yang Changfeng Daoist Temple earlier. If I had mentioned the Four Regulations Mountain, it might have been exposed.
"Is that Taoist not easy to provoke? He seems rather simple and straightforward," Suisui mused and asked.
"Ah... Simple and straightforward? That's how it is for Old Master and you."
"It's fortunate that he didn't notice the true form of the Widow Xiu... Cough cough, Xiu Xiu. If he had, it would have been a life-and-death battle last night."
"The Liu surname Taoists differ from other schools. Other schools have their own bloodlines, passed down through the family line or adopted surnames. The Liu family, however, does not have such a tradition. They are all blood relatives through generations. The term 'simple and straightforward' applied to them means that they don't engage much in social dealings, communicate directly, say things as they are, and when they encounter ghosts or spirits, they become fanatics."
"Have you seen a mad bull? The kind that has to kill someone."
"They are the real Taoists with a cow's nose."
Fan Jie's words made him feel scared.
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Last night's Taoist might not have been skilled enough in his craft, but his elders back in his school are certainly not like that. If they really go to the Red Demon Village, we might have to hide. We should delay Xiu Xiu's entry until after they've left."
"That would be ideal. If Old Master plans to eliminate the Red Demon, and they succeed, we'll all be happy. If they don't, we can still benefit from the situation."
I completely understood Fan Jie's intentions and concerns.
In fact, after he said that, we still need to follow them, but we can't be too obvious about it. We should try our best to avoid drawing attention to ourselves.
After finishing our meal, we didn't return to the hotel but instead bought many things.
Everything was suggested by Fan Jie, including candles, waterproof lighters, energy bars, smokeless stoves, and a series of other items.
Fan Jie informed us that the village had been steeped in ghostly atmosphere for too long, and the food was filled with grievances and negativity. If there were many deaths within the village, it would inevitably be tainted with spirit toxins. Therefore, we would have to eat our own food.
This is indeed a common-sense issue, and Fan Jie taught both me and Suisui about it.
Subconsciously, I even thought about buying a chicken that had been raised for six years, but the thought was quickly dismissed. The use of kill arts requires coordination with one's destiny.
All the necessary preparations were put in order, and the items were all placed on Suisui's vehicle. We then went to the hotel to rest for a while.
I took a nap to ensure that my body and mind were fully charged.
Finally, it was dark.
Leaving the hotel and getting into the car, Suisui said that the Reed Mouse was already far from us, in the direction we had come from earlier.
Based on the distance, it seems they may have left last night.
That's good, as they've already traveled a bit, we can slowly follow them, and the problem shouldn't be too big.
The car headed towards the direction of the previous country road.
As we passed the row of mountains that looked like camels, Yu Xiu began to show a slight change.
A constant stream of white gas swirled around Yu Xiu, turning her eyes completely blue. However, the white gas could not affect her, and she showed no other signs of discomfort besides her eyes.
Old Gong's head popped out of the urinal, smacking his lips appreciatively while watching Yu Xiu.
Suddenly, he exclaimed.
I furrowed my brow, asking him what was wrong. Suddenly, he made a big fuss?
Old Gong then smacked his lips and said that he felt a scorching sensation.
There must be someone who's hard to deal with nearby. They've killed so many ghosts and spirits that their hands are numb from it, and they've become a divine killer whose presence even scares ghosts.
My pupil slightly contracted.
Fan Jie slapped his thigh and said, "Isn't that right?"
Old Gong was so frightened that his head shook, and he quipped, "Are you okay, Brother Fan?"
Fan Jie awkwardly smiled before explaining about the Taoist with the Liu surname.
Old Gong stunned for a moment, shook his head, and said, "What's the big deal about the Liu family? I don't know what you're talking about."
Fan Jie was taken aback and his eyes became unnaturally strange.
A slight sob came from Yu Xiu's direction.
