I remained silent.
I could tell that Old Gong was angry; he usually wouldn't have such strong objections to me, nor would he complain so much. It's just that I couldn't explain any more or clearer.
Different paths, no need to cooperate?
This sentence is indeed applicable here.
As I saw Ho Yu and the others walking in the direction of Wuling, I took a step and followed them.
Crowds parted to let a path, and Wu Bing collapsed on the ground, his face pale without blood, making him look extremely embarrassed.
Tao Zhi beside him was equally surprised.
Beside them, there were many things scattered on the ground, including talismans, Ba Gua mirrors, compasses, and some turtle shells, as well as dissolved coins.
"Xiao Wuzi, you almost wet your pants, that's not good. Don't be afraid, what is there to be afraid of? There are many people here. They can protect you well."
The words of Old Gong sounded a little strange to me.
Wuling panted heavily and then suddenly stopped, staring and saying, "Old Gong, are you alright?"
"Of course, I'm fine. I was played by someone in an unnecessary way, but thank goodness, I have Buddhist sutras on me." Old Gong hummed and leaped out of the night pot, landing on my shoulder. Then his face appeared with fine and complicated Buddhist sutras.
Wuling was stunned, and he didn't say a word.
Tao Zhi remained silent as well, his eyes reflecting a sense of fear from what had just happened, and he also looked around the surroundings.
"It's okay, Wuling, don't be afraid. There are so many real people here. Nothing will go wrong."
The four elders who had come with them immediately helped Wuling get up from the ground.
The other disciples also seemed to be left with a lingering fear.
"He... why did he target me..." Wuling seemed to be terrified, and he still couldn't calm down.
"He probably isn't targeting you on purpose. We were going to make a move on him, and he wanted to mislead us by making it seem like he was attacking your brothers, using this as a smokescreen to escape while the chaos ensued." Mao Su spoke up, his expression carrying a hint of caution.
It was Liu Yu Jie who spoke next, saying, "Jin Yang, you have caused too much trouble. Besides the plague ghost, there's also a demon of this caliber among the evil ones. It's very tricky. It seems we can't leave just yet."
My heart suddenly jumped, and I had a bad feeling coming up.
"It's not a problem. I know where he hides. It's a ghost raised by a Yin-Yang master named Song Fang. A few days ago, my friend Xian Shen and I eliminated Song Fang, but we couldn't handle that ghost."
Tang Wu stroked his beard and continued, "We should go there immediately and eliminate him."
Including Ho You Tian, everyone nodded in agreement.
"If that's the case, there's no time to waste," said Zhang Cang Lang. "Senior Three, you and Little Friend Xian Shen show the way and point out the direction. With the plague ghost in hand, we have nothing to worry about. Let's take the initiative and eliminate this demon."
Everyone's posture was the same, a unified show of resentment against their common enemy.
Old Gong remained silent and disappeared into the night pot.
I felt a slight heaviness in my heart and forced myself not to let my face change.
"Exorcising ghosts... it's in our nature."
Earlier when I tried to intervene with Wei Yumin, I couldn't make a move or speak up. Now that they are leading the way…
Then it really would be the case of killing the horse after its work is done.
At least in this matter of the plague ghost, it can be considered as an act of gratitude turned against me.
"Wei Yumin, he's not at the previous location anymore," I finally spoke up.
"Mm?" Tang Wu raised an eyebrow with a hint of confusion, "Xian Shen, why do you know that?"
"I've been chased by him for a long time, so I know him well," I spoke again, trying to keep my tone calm and not reveal any signs.
In the mouth of the night pot, Old Gong licking his lips, his eyes became more lively.
He Xiao Tian frowned, showing complete trust in me, asking, "I am indeed clear about this matter. Where is Xian Shen?"
"After all, it's not in the previous place. I'm not sure where it is exactly. And, to avoid more problems at night, we should deal with the plague ghost first. We cannot get too far away from the disciples. That Wei Yumin wants to kill us and will use every means possible. Now that we've all angered him, it's best to stay put and wait for a chance." I said in a deep voice.
The disciples' eyes showed a lingering fear.
The elders remained silent, some with furrowed brows, others stroking their beards.
"What Xian Shen said does make some sense. The most evil ghost has a higher level than the plague ghost now. If we push him too hard, he might kill the disciples while we're not there."
"Yes, those are all the talented individuals from various Taoist temples. They can't be allowed to die."
"Especially for Wu Bing, we must protect him!" Old Gong's voice came out from the night pot.
Mao Sui and Mao Su nodded in agreement.
Liu Yu Jie, Zhang Cang Lang, and Tang Wu all agreed.
He Xiao Tian naturally had no other opinions and said, "Clean up the aftermath, retrieve the lost inheritance items from various Taoist temples that were dug up years ago, and we need to carefully count them."
"Are your Uncle Master's remains, Taoist Sui and Ssu, still okay?"
"We all saw you perform that move earlier. It was his only option. He was trapped alone by the plague ghost, and if he hadn't used that move, he might have died."
"It wouldn't have been so easy for us to deal with the plague ghost if he hadn't dispatched some of its ghostly bodies first."
In the midst of his words, He Xiao Tian looked at Mao Su and Mao Sui.
The two nodded in agreement before saying, "The corpse-resurrection technique of a Taoist master is not afraid of thunderbolts. It is better to retrieve the official teacher's corpse and have He Xiao Tian perform a ritual to remove the vengeance, earth energy, and malevolence on the official teacher's body. This is also a coincidence. Xian Sheng helped purify the official teacher once."
"While you take care of official business, I'll summon the night watchman and the on-duty city guardian to eat the plague ghost." Tang Wu added.
He Xiao Tian nodded, then said, "Let's handle the matter at hand first and discuss how to deal with the evil ghost later."
After saying that, he walked in the direction of the community unit building with Zhang Cang Lang, Mao Su, and a considerable number of elders and disciples.
Mao Sui then walked towards the corpse of the official teacher, but it was unclear what he intended to do.
Tang Wu took out a piece of night watchman jade and crushed it.
The night watchman did not immediately appear; he should be on his way with Uncle Huang.
Wuling faintly panted, found a place to sit down, but still couldn't snap out of it for a long time.
"You're a bit of a decent person, Old Gong!" Old Gong's voice was barely audible.
"However, you lied earlier and were caught by Wu Ling and Tao Zhi. That's difficult to deal with. Without lying, you can't explain it away, and the Director of the Ghost Academy is indeed still in his original position."
Old Gong's voice was so low that only I could hear him, and I had to lip-read to make it out.
I kept a calm face and did not even glance at Wu Ling.
There's gain and there's loss. By excusing Wei Youming, I'm trying to gain time, which will undoubtedly result in some loss.
There are no so many good things in this world, they all seem to be falling on me.
"Be careful, right. Also, try not to let the night watchman eat the plague ghost. Try to seal him as much as possible. If the plague ghost is eaten, his memory will be known to the night watchman."
"I'll go talk to the Director of the Ghost Academy. Don't let him hate you too, for saying you have the disease of being ungrateful."
Without a sound, Old Gong disappeared into the night pot, and no one noticed that he had vanished.
I felt a chill in my heart.
In this situation, Old Gong could only communicate with me in this way.
However, the night watchman is about to arrive soon. If something goes wrong at this moment, it would not be good.
And the reasons Old Gong had given were even more worrying and required vigilance and caution!
