In a strange twist of fate, the villagers caused Yu Xiu to suffer, turning her into a widowed woman who was eventually responsible for their demise.
In reality, they harbored intense resentment towards Yu Xiu, which led them to perceive me and deem me as the vulnerable "Eight-Defeated Widow." Consequently, they harbored the intention to confront me.
But once the powerful "Eight-Defeated Widow" spirit appeared, they would again be in servitude.
So to go all out in entering the courtyard, so energetically confronting Fan Jie, was their display of "loyalty."
Absurd and comical.
Fan Jie's cries of pain grew increasingly fierce, with several ghosts having nearly half of their bodies penetrate his own.
I quickly sheathed my broom, took out the four rules mirror, and flashed it at Fan Jie!
Under the blinding copper light, the ghost smoke on Fan Jie's body dissipated, and he embarrassingly crawled towards me.
The pain in my hand became much more intense, making my breathing slightly heavier.
The four rules mirror was never a artifact that I could use casually due to my current strength, causing injury to my hand previously, and this time the injuries were even heavier from being possessed by ghosts while drawing symbols. That was the reason why I didn't immediately use the four rules mirror to forcefully expel the ghosts just now.
A sticky, flowing sensation emerged, as blood soaked into the thunder-struck wood on the back of the four rules mirror.
Fan Jie crawled to my side, sweating profusely on his forehead, struggling to get up, and looked outside the courtyard in a state of panic.
"What now…" Xuanying was even more uneasy.
The sedan chair's curtain moved without wind, and a slender woman stepped down.
Her eyes were exceptionally bright, very different from the Yu Xiu we were accustomed to.
"I'm on you."
"Please give it back to me, alright?"
Her tone was clear, with no heavy resentment.
However, I know that this is just an appearance. Even the childish Yu Xiu before could not show any fierce aura.
Moreover, even if I could now tear my own soul apart and pull out that strand, I wouldn't give it to her but to Xiu.
"Bad." I shook my head.
Suddenly, the surroundings grew extremely quiet. Her bright eyes gradually filled with a sinister resentment.
"We're not here to harm you."
"On the contrary, your physical body was returned to the Cripar Village by me. The red ghosts on the mountain have been suppressed by me. The two Daoists who previously tried to harm you were led into the mountains by accident."
"If you fight me, I'll have to use harsh measures, and you'll inevitably be damaged. You won't be able to compete with the other versions of yourself."
My words were rapid and decisive.
I judged that she must be the part of her soul that fought with the two Daoists surnamed Liu. The reason was simple.
In this situation, the rest of Yu Xiu's soul might not dare to appear. Only she dared!
At this moment, Old Gong emerged from the night pot, and his head began to swell almost invisibly. His mouth became so exaggeratedly large that an arm was puked out and fell to the ground.
The fingers of his arm gently tapped the ground, producing a faint clacking sound, similar to Wei Youming knocking on his desk.
Xuanying made hand gestures with both hands and summoned various things from the shadows beneath her, eager to leap forward at any moment.
The courtyard grew even quieter, as if we had reached a subtle balance with this part of Yu Xiu's soul.
"You, leave the village."
"Don't leave the village, I will kill you all myself if I have to. You want that weak me, but there are many things that can't be forgotten, and they can't be forgotten!" The malicious words came from Yu Xiu's mouth.
For a moment, my eyebrows furrowed even more, as if I had understood something.
Old Gong's eyeballs rolled around, and suddenly he said, "Alright, Master, let's go."
Yu Xiu retreated silently, returning to the sedan chair.
The ghosts around the sedan chair raised it and retreated into the mist.
I took a step towards the courtyard exit, Xuanying quickly followed me, and Fan Jie, whose steps were slightly unsteady, kept up close.
Wei Youming's arm segment dissipated silently.
The process of leaving the village was quick, with the sedan chair observing us from a slightly distant location the whole time.
Just as we were about to walk past the pagoda gate, I glanced at the washing stone slab again. In truth, I really wanted to see Xiu.
Previously, I believed that the biggest difference between her and the ones within the village was that she had a body and had been tricked by Old Qin.
This time, I realized that it was more than just that.
There must be another strand of goodwill in her body.
The rest of her soul couldn't tolerate her goodwill.
The reason for my direct walk was simple: even when I sent back Yu Xiu, I knew she might be filled with evil thoughts and unable to leave with us. I had to wait until my strength was sufficient before coming to find her.
There's no need to waste the strength of her remaining soul now.
Yu Xiu, who had already merged three times, could still merge again and again. No matter how powerful the Daoist surnamed Liu was, he could only weaken her, but she could still merge four, five, six, or even seven times!
The Daoist surnamed Liu must lose.
The Eight-Defeated Widow must always merge. This is our initial and most important goal.
Stepping out of the pagoda gate, a thick mist rose and completely enveloped the words "Cripar Village," swirling around them.
"Hu...hu..." Fan Jie took deep breaths and kept wiping away sweat on his forehead.
"Unscathed...Unscathed..." He murmured as if he had narrowly escaped a life-threatening situation.
I briefly explained my thoughts to Xuanying.
Xuanying nodded, pursed her lips, and then whispered, "I still lean towards weakening the evil thoughts. Maybe Xiu can..."
After a pause, she sighed bitterly, "That's too difficult. We're not capable of it. Maybe the two Daoists surnamed Liu can do it. By chance, I hope Xiu's evil thoughts are weaker, so that later when we find her, she won't be too indifferent to us."
At this moment, Fan Jie suddenly said cautiously, "Master... Maybe we won't need to come here in the future..."
"Hmm?" I furrowed my brow.
"You don't understand the Daoist surnamed Liu's methods. I saw a signal fire earlier. That thing is called a summoning order. Any Daoist surnamed Liu within a dozen miles would rush here. Forget about the Eight-Defeated Widow; even the Sixteen-Defeated would be gone..." Fan Jie said with a bitter smile.
My face turned pale instantly.
Just then, Lao Gong suddenly leaped up and landed on Fan Jie's shoulder.
"Fan younger brother, let's go that way." Lao Gong whispered.
"Ah?" Fan Jie was momentarily taken aback but still followed the direction Lao Gong indicated.
Xuanying and I exchanged a glance, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say. Even more than that, I felt a sense of powerlessness, as if I were at a loss for what to do.
Xuanying's eyes became red, and the moisture began to rise gradually.
"I'm trying to come up with a solution. Don't cry." My voice sounded unusually hoarse.
Time seemed to slow down, but I indeed couldn't come up with any good solutions...
Standing at the gate to block the way so that the Daoist surnamed Liu couldn't enter?
It's likely they will step over my body to pass through.
I don't know how long it has been, but suddenly, the mist around the pagoda gate has become thinner.
It's like a cloud of mist has dispersed, leaving a gap where another cloud of mist hasn't yet formed.
"Appear to be divine... something seems wrong... look at the characters over there... how did they change like that?"
Xuanying's tone was very dazed, and she stared blankly at the top of the pagoda gate.
I looked over as well, and my face changed abruptly.
The Cripar Village in front of us had turned into the Xiu Xiu Village!?
