Chapter 6

"Roar..."

The sudden blow made the old man scream in agony, and his body began to tremble violently. Dark greenish-black gas continued to surge from his body, struggling against the golden light from the Pure Yang Bagua.

However, the golden light of the Pure Yang Bagua was incredibly powerful. No matter how much dark greenish-black gas appeared, it melted like snowflakes under the golden rays.

In a few breaths, the dark greenish-black gas on the old man's body became increasingly faint, and his complexion turned from green to white. After a few more violent tremors, he fell silent.

Just as Jiang Le was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the old man's body suddenly became much heavier, pressing down on him forcefully.

"Cough, cough." The heavy pressure made Jiang Le roll his eyes and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

However, with the crisis of the corpse transformation averted, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy, having narrowly escaped death.

It was really, too difficult.

"Ha ha ha, good boy, good boy, you actually managed to defeat the corpse demon transformed by the extreme yin evil qi. If this news gets out, it will definitely shock the cultivation world. Ha ha ha ha, this is a huge gain." Mao Xiaofang floated over, laughing heartily, his excitement impossible to hide.

Jiang Le pushed the old man's corpse away and said irritably, "I suddenly feel regretful. Exorcising demons and subduing evil spirits is not something just anyone can do. It's a matter of risking one's life."

Mao Xiaofang narrowed his eyes and smiled, "That's not how you should look at it. You haven't been trained yet. If you learn the Daoist arts and use these magical tools, you can easily deal with minor ghosts and demons. Then you'll be powerful and stylish, like a god, wouldn't that be great?"

Jiang Le grunted, "I don't know when that will be."

Though he said that, his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

Although everything he experienced was very dangerous and terrifying, he felt a sense of enjoyment and excitement, a feeling of boiling blood. It seemed that his nature was not suited for a peaceful and stable life but rather for adventure and surprise.

What profession in this world could be more surprising than exorcising demons and subduing evil spirits?

"Alright, we're not done yet, don't be so petty." Mao Xiaofang chuckled, changing the subject.

Jiang Le was startled, "Don't tell me the old man will transform again?"

Mao Xiaofang shook his head, "No, that won't happen. However, his corpse has been transformed by the extreme yin evil qi and has the foundation of a zombie. It can't be left for long and must be cremated as soon as possible."

Jiang Le breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it didn't happen again.

"The cremation can wait. The old man has lived here for over ten years. Even if he didn't interact much with his neighbors, they are still familiar with him. His sudden passing will need some time for people to accept. However, the old man seems to have no other relatives. I plan to come over tomorrow, wear mourning clothes, and see him off." Jiang Le said seriously.

After all, he had inherited the old man's estate, so in a sense, he was his only relative.

Mao Xiaofang nodded in satisfaction, this boy's filial piety was commendable and worth cultivating.

Jiang Le then called over two neighbors who were relatively friendly to help with the old man's funeral arrangements.

Now, when someone dies, you can't just handle it casually. You need a death certificate. Fortunately, the old man was already ill, and his death had no external factors. With the help of the two neighbors, it wasn't difficult.

Everything was prepared, and Jiang Le realized it was already dark, almost ten o'clock.

"Oh no, it's so late. Mom must be worried. I need to go back." Jiang Le was alarmed, packed his backpack, and quickly left after informing the neighbors about the funeral arrangements.

Of course, before leaving, he took the yellow cloth bag left by the old man, as Mao Xiaofang required. It was essential for a Daoist to carry their tools. Otherwise, if they encountered trouble, they would be at a disadvantage without their tools.

The most important thing was the Pure Yang Bagua, which was the inheritance magical tool of Mao Xiaofang's sect and the vessel for his Daoist soul.

Of course, the feeling of carrying his master with him was, well, a bit strange.

Jiang Le's home was not far from the antique street, as this area was part of the old district of Qingyang City.

However, due to the development needs of Qingyang City, most of the old district had undergone new renovations, with high-rise buildings and wide streets being constructed. Only a small part retained the old district's appearance.

Jiang Le's home was in this small part.

Passing through a busy construction site, Jiang Le arrived at an old residential complex.

The complex was small, with only four buildings. From their dilapidated appearance, it was clear that these buildings were quite old, dating back to the 1950s and 1960s, with narrow and old-style apartments.

This was where Jiang Le grew up. Although outsiders might look down on it and find it dirty, Jiang Le didn't. This place held many of his cherished memories.

Entering the complex, Jiang Le glanced at a window on the second floor of Building 3, which was still lit. He felt both warm and heartbroken.

He knew without a doubt that his mother was waiting for him.

It was so late, and her health wasn't good. Why didn't she go to bed earlier?

He quickly ran upstairs, opened the door, and saw a middle-aged woman sleeping in a wooden chair. It was his mother, Jiang Hua.

On the table beside her, there were three dishes and a soup, a simple but well-prepared meal.

It seemed that his mother had, as usual, prepared dinner and waited for him, but today's events had delayed him by over an hour.

Hearing the door, Jiang Hua woke up, blinked, and saw Jiang Le enter.

She quickly stood up and said, "Lele, you're back."

Jiang Le, somewhat annoyed, said, "Mom, if I don't come back, don't wait. Your health isn't good, you need to rest early."

Jiang Hua smiled gently, "I know my own body. It's just old age, nothing serious. By the way, why are you back so late? You usually come back around eight." She took his backpack.

Jiang Le sighed, "Something happened at my workplace."

Jiang Hua was surprised and worried, "What happened? Did it affect you?"

Jiang Le felt a warm feeling in his heart. No matter what happened, his mother always cared most about her son.

He shook his head and said, "It was our boss. He passed away."

"Ah! You mean the old man? I saw him this morning when I was delivering goods. He was trading with a group of people. I thought he was making a big deal and was happy for him. I didn't expect him to..." Jiang Hua was shocked, then her expression changed, and she continued, "I remember the old man moved to the antique street over ten years ago. He seemed to have no relatives. Who will see him off?"

At this, a look of sorrow appeared on Jiang Hua's face.

Old age is the most frightening when no one is there to see you off. It's such a lonely and sad thing.

Jiang Le looked at his mother and said, "Mom, when the old man passed away, he said he would leave his shop to me."

Jiang Hua was surprised and quickly said, "How can that be? You can't accept a gift without doing anything in return. You're not related to him, how can you accept his gift?"

Jiang Le hurried to explain, "We are related. He took me as his disciple and said it was a lineage inheritance. He was on his deathbed and said he couldn't rest in peace if no one took over the shop, so I didn't refuse."

Jiang Hua was stunned. Her son had such good fortune?

However, Jiang Le felt uneasy and frowned.

Jiang Le seized the opportunity and said, "Mom, I've already made arrangements. I'll take a leave of absence tomorrow and mourn for the old man for two days. This is the only condition he had for leaving me the shop."

"Mourn? The old man asked you to see him off?" Jiang Hua was even more surprised.

"Yes," Jiang Le nodded and said seriously, "Mom knows he was an old man with no family. I've worked in his shop for two months and have developed some feelings for him. I can't bear to see him leave this world so lonely."

Jiang Hua nodded, her expression softening, and said, "That makes sense. However, mourning is one thing, but the shop on the antique street is very valuable. It feels wrong to just accept it."

Jiang Le smiled. His mother had always been like this, never taking advantage of others.

But who else could he give it to? Let the government handle it? In the end, it would just be taken by some people and occupied by others.

"Mom, don't overthink it. This is a proper inheritance, and no one can say anything about it." Jiang Le reassured her, then sat at the table, sniffed, and changed the subject, "It smells so good. I can never get tired of Mom's cooking."

"Flatterer," Jiang Hua laughed and said, "Wait a moment, I'll heat up the dishes."

The dinner was as warm and cozy as always.

After dinner, Jiang Le was afraid his mother would see his injuries, so he washed up quickly and said he was tired, then went to bed.

He was indeed exhausted. After a day of studying and working, he had also fought and was covered in injuries. He was both tired and sleepy, wanting nothing more than to rest.

Just as he lay down, Mao Xiaofang suddenly appeared, startling Jiang Le.

Jiang Le couldn't help but say, "Master, it's the middle of the night. Shouldn't you be resting? Why are you out?"

Mao Xiaofang said proudly, "Of course, to teach you the Daoist arts."

Jiang Le was stunned. Teach him Daoist arts? In the middle of the night? Shouldn't he be sleeping?

Seemingly reading Jiang Le's thoughts, Mao Xiaofang grunted, "If you want to heal your soul injuries quickly, you must master the Daoist techniques as soon as possible. Of course, you can ask for rest, but I'll only say this once: you're still young and have the potential to be shaped. When you're older and your soul is fully formed, no amount of cultivation will heal your soul injuries. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Jiang Le was speechless. This wasn't deception, it was a threat.

But thinking about the pain of forgetting everything he learned, his mother's expectations, and the future of exorcising demons and subduing evil spirits, this small amount of fatigue was nothing.

Jiang Le gritted his teeth, "Alright, let's start now."

Mao Xiaofang smiled in satisfaction.

He wasn't deceiving Jiang Le. He had indeed started cultivation a bit late. Most sects or families could begin cultivation after the age of twelve.

However, Jiang Le had extraordinary talent, and with his guidance, he would not be much worse than others. Today would be the beginning of the revival of his sect.