"Without the appropriate emotional catalysis and moderate interference from the insect corpses, Hú Zhéxiān would not have taken us up the mountain. He would certainly not have died, and we wouldn't be able to find these two people."
"If it were not for the loss we suffered on this journey, Lao Gong, being someone who doesn't like to lose out, wouldn't have felt the need to ponder whether he could do more."
"Let's put humans aside for a moment. Just talk about ghosts. The formation of ghosts is the initial indignation and attachment."
"He is angry, he is unwilling, and he reaps the rewards, just as if his current level of being a real ghost and a spirit depends solely on eating ghosts? If that's the case, why hasn't the ghost pavilion produced a true ghost eater? The pestilence ghost can eat more ghosts, so why hasn't it become a real ghost eater and been subdued?"
"I originally thought that Mao San would still be outsmarted.
But I didn't expect that his answer was more logical and convincing than Wu Jinluan, and it also made people think deeply...
He knows so much about ghosts, and he buys corpses as well; thus, he is also very knowledgeable about bodies.
Even he is still studying how to make a Taoist's corpse manifest an inner ghost.
What is he doing? Is there something great that he is trying to achieve?
In the aspect of zombies and ghosts, is there anything else that he doesn't know?
For a moment, Wu Jinluan didn't know how to respond.
The other gentlemen were similarly silent.
"We should still go back first," cautioned Xiang Ke carefully. "Even Han Master doesn't know about all the strange and evil practices on this Jiading Mountain. If he knew, he wouldn't have gone up alone to investigate the White Wolf Cave."
This can be seen as giving Wu Jinluan an exit.
Wu Jinluan is indeed a character. He knows how to handle things and let go when necessary.
He lowered his head slightly and said, "Sorry, I was too superficial."
"No harm done," said Mao You San with a wave of his hand, not bothering to take anything to heart.
While everyone was on their way down the mountain, they also carried up the corpse of the old hunchback woman.
As for Hu Zhi Xian's body, it could only be left in that rat hole.
As Mao You San put it, it was because the rats were poisonous. He had understood Hu Zhe Xian's death from the beginning, not just due to blood loss and injuries, but also due to poisoning. Carrying the body down would also harm the people of Yuanxian Taoist Temple.
As for this, there were no objections from anyone.
During the descent, the sky grew brighter.
The Yuanxian Taoist Temple is backed by a mountain, so we didn't enter through the main gate; we just climbed over the wall.
Inside the rear hall, there were almost no one there, so we went straight to the front hall.
Indeed, Hu Zhe Xian's disciples were all in the front hall.
When they saw us return, their expressions first lit up with joy, but upon seeing the body of the dwarf old woman, they all looked confused, with expressions of shock as well.
No one had seen Hu Zhe Xian, and everyone was somewhat uneasy, always looking back at our rear, as if waiting for him to appear.
"Your former leader has died, killed by her," Wu Jinluan said bluntly. Then, the master who was carrying the body of the dwarf old woman dropped it roughly.
"And, there are two of us who have been affected by the spirit influence and are currently not in our right minds. Could you all give us a hand?" Wu Jinluan looked at Hu Jiang and Hu Li, who had invited us to the Taoist temple earlier.
The two of them stood there, their minds troubled by the news of Hu Zhe Xian's death. It took them a while to react.
They walked over to He Lin'an and the two of them, took out a small wooden cylinder from their chest, and waved it near their nostrils.
He Lin'an and the other two shivered, came to their senses, and looked around in confusion, completely unaware of what had happened.
The other disciples surrounded the corpse of the dwarf old woman, their eyes filled with extreme grief and anger.
Not only humans, but there were also foxes emerging from their bodies, all staring straight at the corpse.
"Please, Sir, do enlighten us on everything..." Hu Jiang bowed and his voice trembled, yet he remained respectful.
Wu Jinluan summarized everything that happened on the mountain in a concise manner, focusing on the key points, and tried to describe Hu Zhe Xian's death status in a more refined way.
As they are all spirit mediums and Taoist priests, a single thought was enough for them to understand the torment that Hu Zhe Xian endured in her final moments.
Xiang Ke and the other two were missing, they had gone to the backyard again, the reason was simple, our speed of going down the mountain couldn't match Han Jing, who wasn't here, he must be in a certain room or somewhere in the back hall.
"The personnel sent by Tiecha Mountain are on their way, and they should be here shortly." Hu Li, struggling to contain his anger and grief, said in a trembling voice.
The other disciples were mostly silent, with more grief.
"Take a rest. With this change of events, the hidden creatures should not repeat their tactics," proposed Mao You San.
"We will strictly guard the entire Yuanxian Taoist Temple and ensure that no spirits interfere with you all."
"If any spirits cause trouble, they will definitely have something wrong, and you all can be decisive in dealing with them!" Hu Jiang spoke with certainty.
They are indeed decisive.
And, the trouble on Jiuding Mountain is indeed significant.
The Taoist priests from the five elements inside the Dianfu Mountain are the same as those they serve, and they can't tell who has a problem by looking at their faces. It's hard to say which one is problematic.
Who knows if there are some problem-hitting Hu family spirits in the Yuanxian Taoist Temple?
In the midst of my thoughts, I opened my mouth and shared my judgment about the relationship between the five-element Taoist priests inside and the White Wolf Cave.
This caused everyone to remain silent and be on high alert.
Hu Jiang and Hu Li asked us to rest again, saying that once the main lineage of Tiecha Mountain arrived, we would need to help together to clean up the rebellion on Jiading Mountain.
We did not linger in the front hall; everyone returned to the back hall and their respective rooms.
I didn't go see Han Jin at the front hall.
Xiang Ke and the other two naturally told everything they saw and heard tonight.
And, after the people from Tiecha Mountain arrive, Han Jin should explain everything as well. Naturally, I will be able to know more in detail.
After this sleep, there was no disturbance, and we slept until the afternoon.
I then folded my legs into a lotus position and focused my mind. I used the four principles of the "Xinzheng" method for a while to practice breathing, and only then did I leave the room.
The masters had all woken up early, and they were gathered in the courtyard, squatting on the ground, arranging something with pebbles in their hands.
Wu Jinluan stood by watching.
Upon seeing me, he approached and performed a respectful bow.
"Mr. Wu is too modest," I shook my head, my tone matter-of-fact.
"Rites are rites, haha." Wu Jinluan laughed and then said, "Spirits are indeed not affected by feng shui arrays. Feng shui itself may even benefit them. Vitality is good, but death energy is not bad either. The world is vast and diverse, but these disciples still harbor a sense of dissatisfaction and wish to perform some deductions and attempts."
I was about to speak.
Wu Jinluan continued, "Although we are powerless against spirits, once we enter the White Wolf Cave to deal with humans, the situation may be different. Perhaps it's worth trying once. Feng Huai Gǔ still has some means."
"Mr. Wu, are you sure?" I slightly furrowed my brow.
In fact, I think Wu Jinluan suspected what I was going to say, and he deliberately stopped me.
"Ah...," Wu Jinluan breathed out a foul breath and then said, "If it really turns out to be useless, we will definitely not go up. We won't add any trouble to Luo Daozhang and his team. Staying here is close enough to you as well. We can react promptly in case of any incidents. However, we do have some means. At critical moments, even an immortal will find it hard to endure!"
