The female Daoist raised her left hand, pinched her face with considerable force, leaving her skin and flesh reddened.
Then, she pressed her chest with her right hand, her lips trembling slightly.
"Grandfather, give it your all. Lao Gong has been so long since I tasted meat."
The first half was excited as if his tone had changed, but the second half carried a hint of crying.
It's just like someone who's endured hard times suddenly tasting the sweetness.
I furrowed my brow and said, "Don't mess around. This is Four Regulations Mountain."
The female Daoist licked her lips, reluctantly lowering her hand.
"Better by a hundred times than that little woman with nothing," the words of Lao Gong's solemn promise echoed from the female Daoist's mouth.
"..."
"Grandfather, please wait. I'll bring out the iceberg missus for you." The female Daoist flashed a coy smile, then slunk off towards the entrance of the side door of the Daoist hall.
The world changes, but one's nature is hard to shift. Lao Gong truly shouldn't be a fortunes-almanac-wasting ghost...
Soon, the female Daoist disappeared from sight. I breathed out a sigh of relief and waited quietly.
Approximately six to seven minutes later, a figure hurried out of the door from earlier.
In a robe of white, the long hair hanging over her shoulders, a broom tied at her waist, a whip, and a string of peach-wood swords.
Si Yan still had a stern facial expression.
I gazed upon her, and suddenly felt my consciousness sway. Indeed, Si Yan's influence was still in effect.
"God Luo Xian." Si Yan bit her lower lip slightly, her gaze at me was extremely complex.
I looked at her back, and the female Daoist did not come out.
"Where's Lao Gong?" I asked first.
"Lao Gong?" Si Yan was puzzled, and then, her gaze turned cold: "That slut?"
I realized that Si Yan did not notice that the female Daoist had replaced Lao Gong's upper body.
At the same time, my heart sank slightly, and Lao Gong might be catting around in some corner, definitely doing nothing good.
Without saying anything to Si Yan, I opened the bag hanging from my shoulder, revealing the red and white porcelain night pot.
Gently touching the night pot with my fingers, I muttered, "Where does the wandering soul of Xiao Yao remain? The strange alarm in the cemetery and mountains, today I call upon the Five General of the Mountains to help! The land god of homes and stove gods, help find and retrieve the true soul, remove the entity, and build up spiritual energy! Open up the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Gate! A thousand child messengers will bring souls here! I issue an urgent command from the Supreme Lord Lao Jen!"
With the incantation, my fingers swiftly traced on the night pot, and as the incantation ended, a talisman formed!
Following that, Lao Gong's head appeared above the night pot.
His expression was dazed as he appeared above the night pot, and in the next second, he looked at me with a stunned expression, as if he had just realized something.
"Grandfather... I..."
Lao Gong's face turned red abruptly: "It was almost there. I was just about to..."
"Just this once, and it's not allowed again. This is Four Regulations Mountain." My face sank, and my tone became more stern and cold.
At that moment, a panicked shriek came from behind!
"Wind is tight, let's run!" Lao Gong's eyes flickered nervously, and his head went back into the night pot.
Si Yan bit her lip, she tightly watched my bag on my back and then looked at me, her face was extremely unnatural.
"I need to speak with you privately." I spoke up.
Turned around, walked towards the outside of the hall.
Si Yan hurried to follow me. The two of them left the Daoist hall.
"Come with me," Si Yan stepped over me and walked to the front.
All of the Daoist halls in Four Regulations Mountain are built around the mountain peaks, it seems that it's either up or down.
Si Yan led me away from the entrance of Four Regulations Mountain, and then walked west for a while before stopping.
The night grew darker, and Si Yan's face was slightly pale.
Lao Gong crawled out of the bag, his head landed on the ground, and he chuckled, greeting Si Yan with a nod: "Iceberg missus."
"Why do you want to meet me?" Si Yan bit her lip and whispered.
I pondered and said, "Do we need to avoid it? The female Daoist before seemed very hostile and resistant to me."
"The Elder Sister misunderstood." Si Yan showed a hint of bitterness and said: "Lately, my Daoist skills have slightly declined, and some of the senior and junior sisters have noticed some unusual things about me. Elder Sister thought it was you. And it just happened that you come from Jinyang..."
Si Yan's words made me even more confused.
She then explained that since leaving Jinyang, she had directly returned to Four Regulations Mountain.
At first, she asked Han Quci to stay in her room, but ghosts are after all ghosts. Sometimes when Han Quci appeared at night, there would be some strange and ominous occurrences that made the other disciples discover it.
Although she always covered up in time, there were always loopholes that led to the sighting of Han Quci's ghostly shadow.
Although Han Quci was a Daoist ghost, it wasn't as if he would be directly exposed. However, some rumors started to spread that she had been involved in an affair with someone and was entangled with him.
Only until I came did people misunderstand.
I suddenly realized.
Han Quci was not hidden in the flower pot; that was an illusion. The "Yi Zusi" questioned her heart, and based on my memory, she compiled the story.
"I actually wanted to see Han Brother," I told Si Yan truthfully.
Si Yan was stunned, and she suddenly realized.
"I'm sorry, I've been rather absent-minded lately."
"Come with me," Si Yan lowered her head and walked in a different direction.
About fifteen minutes later, a dense bamboo forest came into view.
As we approached the forest, a coolness seemed to emanate from it in waves.
As we entered the forest, we stopped in the center, and a person appeared quietly beside a few large and sturdy bamboo trees that looked like human thighs.
Isn't that Han Quci?
Han Quci had seemed dazed before, but upon seeing me, his expression suddenly lit up with excitement and surprise!
"Luo Brother!?"
He moved forward two steps but showed a face of pain and couldn't go any further.
I walked up to Han Quci, and he bowed to me with his fist.
I also bowed back with my fist, and then turned to look at Si Yan.
Si Yan was silent for a moment before saying, "It's not me. It's Han Brother who has trapped himself in a cage."
"Hmm... I say, young fellow, why all this trouble?" Lao Gong had been following us all along and stood a little way behind Han Quci. He didn't look at Han Quci but at the bamboo roots instead, saying, "Being a ghost isn't so bad."
"Bamboo flowers, spirits fly and dissipate. Just like that, you want to give up? Did you nurture the bamboo root as a place for your body and soul?"
My face expression slightly changed.
"Han Brother... you..."
Han Quci was stunned for a moment before lowering his head and saying, "Brother Luo, you have gained the opportunity to let Si Yan bring me away. However, I have already decided what I should do. In about ten days, this bamboo forest will bloom."
"If Brother Luo can come to see me off on that day, it would make my departure less lonely."
Looking up, Han Quci wore a relaxed smile on his face.
I remained silent for a long time.
Han Quci was slightly confused and said, "Brother Luo, why have you come to Four Regulations Mountain? Is it Si Yan sister who notified Brother Luo?"
Han Quci's gaze shifted to Si Yan as he spoke.
"It's not me."
"You, haven't you noticed that Luo Xian seems a bit off?" Si Yan bit her lower lip and said.
Han Quci was taken aback again and looked at me.
His expression slightly changed.
"Han Brother, do you really think that flying away and scattering your soul is liberation?"
"A Daoist really can't be a ghost?" I exhaled a sigh of relief and said seriously, "If I had a better way, what would you say?"
