I hope this child can endure it.
In the courtyard, Uncle Ninth lay on a rattan chair, basking in the sunshine. He held in his hand a piece of peach wood that Xu Yan had bought from the town, contemplating how to break it down and craft a few ordinary peach wood swords for his three disciples to practice with.
Glancing back at Xu Yan's room, Uncle Ninth sighed inwardly.
Although he already had two disciples, he still hoped Xu Yan would inherit his legacy. Qiusheng, one of his disciples, was restless and would surely leave after some time. Wen Cai, the other, was too careless and honest, suitable for guarding the Yizhuang but incredibly slow at learning Taoist magic.
Xu Yan was obedient, sensible, composed, and less impulsive than Qiusheng. He had a high aptitude for learning and was diligent and enduring.
Since learning fist position, he had practiced unwaveringly every day, even in the rain, a trait neither Qiusheng nor Wen Cai possessed.
Although Qiusheng excelled in martial arts, as a Taoist, magical spells were paramount. As for Wen Cai...
Uncle Ninth didn't want to comment. After so many years, Wen Cai still couldn't even draw the simplest talisman.
Uncle Ninth decided to teach Xu Yan how to craft talismans tomorrow. With that settled, he continued examining the peach wood in his hand.
At 4 pm, Wen Cai woke Xu Yan because they had to go to Li's Village, ten miles away, for a task. Dinner was served early. After eating and resting for a while, Uncle Ninth packed the prepared items in a bag and left the Yizhuang with Xu Yan for Li's Village.
"Master, is it a ghost or a demon haunting Li's Village?"
On the way, Xu Yan, inquisitive by nature, asked Uncle Ninth.
As an intellectual, he didn't dismiss Taoist magic as feudal superstition like other returnees from overseas. His inquisitiveness and diligence pleased Uncle Ninth more and more.
Uncle Ninth would teach Xu Yan whatever he asked.
In this era, any incident would quickly spread, often accompanied by the cry of "It's haunted!"
The protagonist of Li's Village's haunting could be a ghost, a demon, or even a zombie.
"It's rumored to be haunted, but we need to investigate personally." Uncle Ninth said. "Remember, as Maoshan disciples, we must not believe one-sided stories. Otherwise, it could lead to disaster."
"Master, which is the most powerful and difficult to deal with: ghosts, demons, or zombies?"
Many people were curious about this. Even knowing these spirits were related to their own cultivation, they speculated which of the three was the most troublesome.
Uncle Ninth was speechless and said earnestly, "It all depends on the spirits' cultivation. Generally, demons are the easiest to deal with."
Comparing ghosts, demons, and zombies, Uncle Ninth gave a fair answer.
"Why?"
Compared to ghosts and zombies, demons seemed harder to cultivate and form. Why were they the easiest to deal with?
"As the natural qi of heaven and earth gradually dissipates, demons have a difficult time cultivating and their powers are usually not too high. Ghosts and zombies, especially those from Yin-Sha places, have extremely strong magical powers." Uncle Ninth explained.
Speaking of natural qi, Uncle Ninth sighed. Not only were demons struggling, but Taoists were also facing a decline. If not for the merit in capturing ghosts and demons, their cultivation would be even more challenging.
With explanations along the way, the master and disciple arrived at Li's Village just before dark.
Without entertainment facilities, people in this era usually rested after dark. Yet Li's Village was brightly lit, with the entire village gathered at the ancestral hall, their faces tense, seemingly afraid of something.
"They're here! Uncle Ninth is here!"
Uncle Ninth was well-known in the Renjia Town area, and people would ask for his help in big or small matters, even though no one wanted such things to happen.
As Uncle Ninth and Xu Yan entered the village, they were surrounded by villagers, who spoke eagerly all at once.
"Everyone, be quiet!" Uncle Ninth shouted, raising his hand. "Who can tell me what happened?"
"Make way! Make way!"
The village head of Li's Village stepped forward to silence the villagers and clear the path. "Uncle Ninth, you don't know. Our village was peaceful until it suddenly became haunted. Several people have already died. This...alas!"
"Don't worry. Tell me the cause first, and I'll definitely defeat the demon." Uncle Ninth reassured the villagers as he began to gather information.
This was really eerie!
Standing behind Uncle Ninth, Xu Yan felt creeped out by the village head's lamentations. It was really haunted!!!
"It started a few days ago when we were building a road. We accidentally dug up an abandoned grave by the roadside. No one paid attention, and we planned to collect the bones and rebury them. But strange things started happening that night," sighed the old village head. Building the road was supposed to be a good thing, but who knew it would bring a series of misfortunes? Several people had died, and each death was gruesome and terrifying.
"Can you take me to see the grave?"
Uncle Ninth couldn't make a decision just by hearing the village head's story, so he proposed visiting the dug-up grave.
The old village head immediately sent a few young men to guide Uncle Ninth and Xu Yan to the site.
"Odd."
Since the incident, the grave remained in its dug-up state.
After checking with a compass, Uncle Ninth didn't find any place with strong ghostly qi. He squatted down and picked up some soil from the ground. "This should just be an ordinary grave. Why would ghosts be killing people?"
Usually, only extremely Yin-heavy places could spawn fierce ghosts, or those formed due to extreme hatred. Ordinary graves, even if dug up and reburied, wouldn't cause problems.
"Do you know who owned this grave?" Uncle Ninth asked the young guides.
"No, we don't."
The young men, assigned by the old village head, were reluctant to come. They were nervous and kept looking around.
"Master, what's wrong?" Xu Yan asked curiously.
Uncle Ninth put away the compass and furrowed his brow. "If I'm not mistaken, the ghost is probably unrelated to this grave. It might be from outside."
The grave was within Li's Village, but without a tombstone, no one knew the owner's identity. It wasn't strange that some old graves, without descendants to take care of them, were forgotten over time.
"Take me to see the dead."
Since the grave was fine, the key must be found in the dead.
"Places with little Yin qi rarely have powerful ghosts, let alone harmful ones. Don't be like those third-rate fortune-tellers, spreading rumors for money and causing trouble." Uncle Ninth warned.
Was there little Yin qi here?
Xu Yan looked around and felt uneasy. Indeed, being in the wilderness at midnight, near a grave, was naturally creepy.
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