Chapter 9: Wu Shi is Arrested

As night gradually fell, Xu Daoyan continued his cultivation. By midnight, the ghosts indeed returned. A strong wind rose, howling continuously, scattering everything on the ground. Farm tools clattered and many wooden doors and windows made loud noises.

"I cannot accept it, I defended my country, but the women in my family betrayed me."

"Any woman who dares to betray my brothers will be killed without mercy."

"I died unjustly..."

This time, two qi-eating ghosts appeared, wailing until dawn before leaving. Many people were still in shock, trembling with fear. Xu Daoyan didn't even open the door, too lazy to deal with it, as he wanted to see what tricks would come next.

The night left many people restless, unable to sleep peacefully. As soon as it was light, they went to the village chief, asking Daoist Jia to take action.

However, upon searching, the village chief said that Daoist Jia was about to leave because the ghosts were too powerful, and he might have to pay with his life.

"If you want Daoist Jia to act, you must pay more money." This statement made the already poor villagers, who had only a little savings, naturally unwilling.

Wu Shi was also frightened, but not to the point of mental breakdown.

Xu Daoyan, as if nothing had happened, continued his cultivation on the back mountain at dawn. That day, he hunted wild rabbits and mountain chickens, eating a lot, about twenty pounds of meat, which he found just right.

On the fourth night, the same thing happened again. Many villagers could no longer bear it, feeling tormented. If this continued, they would not be able to sleep well every night, living in fear. Many people proposed to pay more money to Daoist Jia to drive away the ghosts.

However, some still disagreed. The village chief could only sigh, saying it was a matter for everyone, and without agreement, the money would not be enough, and Daoist Jia was unwilling to take the risk.

On the fifth night, those who disagreed were also tormented by the ghosts, frightened to the point of wetting themselves. The next day, they all agreed.

On the sixth night, three qi-eating ghosts appeared at once. Ordinary villagers could only hear their voices but not see their forms. Xu Daoyan, through the open windows and doors, could see their twisted and grotesque faces, white faces with fangs, which were very terrifying.

"I defended my country, but my wife betrayed me like this, I died unjustly." The earliest qi-eating ghost began to wail.

"If you don't hand over that woman, tomorrow night, my brothers will lead the ghost soldiers to destroy your entire village."

"Kill, kill, kill..." The sharp ghost cries echoed in all directions.

At this moment, Daoist Jia appeared, holding a peachwood sword, facing the three qi-eating ghosts. He said, "I am not your match, but I know you died unjustly, and you deserve justice. You say your wife betrayed you, what is her name?"

"Surname Wu, I have forgotten her name, I died so unjustly." The qi-eating ghost roared.

"She cheated on me with others soon after I left, and they had a child, who is now twelve years old."

"Alright, I will have this thoroughly investigated. When the time comes, I will use the blood sacrifice ritual to hand them over to you for handling. From now on, you must not harass this village. Are you willing to swear a heavenly ghost oath?" Daoist Jia shouted.

"Agreed, give us an answer by midnight tomorrow!" The qi-eating ghost said, then left with the other two.

After the three qi-eating ghosts left, countless villagers knelt and worshiped Daoist Jia.

Daoist Jia sighed, "I can only help so much. Tomorrow, have the village chief list all the families who served in the military twelve years ago, and thoroughly investigate. There are so many people surnamed Wu in this village, it won't be easy to investigate."

Cai, the village chief, came from Shiyun Town and was not from this village. Most people in the village were surnamed Wu, including Wu Xiaobai's parents. Xu Daoyan did not think of his own family, knowing his mother was innocent and could not have done such a thing.

However, he did not realize that others could turn even baseless accusations into reality.

That day, Xu Daoyan, as usual, went to the back mountain to cultivate. Over the past few days, continuous day and night cultivation had improved his Rejuvenation Technique, allowing him to heal minor wounds within three breaths without leaving scars.

At this moment, the life-generating qi in his liver had grown to the size of a small puddle.

His lifespan had increased to two hundred years, reaching the upper level of the seventh rank.

The middle level of the seventh rank is from 160 to 190 years, and the upper level is from 190 to 210 years.

"The seventh rank and the sixth rank are a significant divide. Many people spend their entire lives unable to reach the sixth rank due to the limitations of their diet and cultivation methods. Although you don't eat well, there's no need to worry!" the old beggar said calmly.

Xu Daoyan did not say much, continuing his cultivation as usual. He desperately wanted to become stronger.

After seven days of cultivation, Xu Daoyan could now see everything within a hundred feet and his body's flexibility had greatly improved. The layer of film covering his muscles was like soft armor, protecting them.

As the sun set, the old beggar sat on a rock, looking at Xu Daoyan and said, "Daoyan, you should go back!"

"Not yet, I've left enough food for Mother. I need to continue cultivating!" At this moment, a dense rejuvenation qi surrounded Xu Daoyan within a radius of two yards, formed from the life-generating qi, misty and moist, able to penetrate into the body.

He had almost mastered the Rejuvenation Technique. The next step was to cultivate the rejuvenation qi. According to the old beggar, once he could cover a radius of a hundred feet with the rejuvenation qi, he could start cultivating the Rejuvenation Rain.

The Rejuvenation Technique could only heal wounds by touching them, while the rejuvenation qi, once activated, would surround every part of his body and the surrounding area. The Rejuvenation Rain could penetrate into his body, and the differences between the three were significant.

However, he understood that one must take things step by step, and eat one bite at a time. After being educated by the old beggar, he was no longer as impatient as before.

"You need to go back early today because your mother has been arrested." The old beggar said calmly.

"What did you say?" Xu Daoyan immediately stood up, his heart filled with shock and anger.

"Can't you see? Cai, the village chief, and Daoist Jia are working together to target your family. They can take advantage of the situation to extort money from the villagers and incite their emotions, making your family the scapegoat. Children are naive, they can't see through this!" The old beggar chuckled, not taking it seriously.

For the old beggar, it was a small matter, but for Xu Daoyan, it was a big deal. He immediately stood up and ran, picking up some pebbles and putting them in his clothes as he ran home.

Xu Daoyan now had considerable strength, with a punch that could deliver a thousand pounds of force. However, his body was not fully developed, and his bones and muscles prevented him from fully utilizing his strength.

In the village square, where villagers usually gathered, Wu Shi was tied to a wooden frame, surrounded by piles of wood. Many villagers shouted angrily, "Burn her!"

"Burn this woman, my savings are all because of her."

"If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be tormented like this."

Many people had to pay all their savings to drive away the ghosts, naturally feeling angry.

Wu Shi, tied to the wooden frame, was in tears, shouting that she was innocent, but no one believed her.

Beside her, the village chief, with twenty servants, sneered, "Still not admitting it? Fellow villagers, don't worry, wait for Daoyan, that little bastard, to come back, and we'll burn him too, sacrificing him to the dead ghost soldiers. Then we won't be disturbed anymore."

"It's all because of this woman, otherwise, my wife wouldn't have died!" This was Wu San, whose wife was weak and sickly. When the village was haunted, she died while he was away.

"Yes, burn her..." The villagers were extremely agitated, roaring in anger.

The situation was extremely dangerous. Two servants stood beside the wooden frame, holding torches, ready to throw them into the pile of wood. Once lit, the consequences would be unimaginable.

On the road, Xu Daoyan could hear the chaotic shouts of the villagers from a distance, his heart filled with uncertainty.

He sped up, running back, covering three to four yards with each step. After cultivation, his stamina was excellent, and he ran from the back mountain to the village with steady breathing, quickly reaching the village square. Seeing his mother tied to the high platform, he was filled with rage.

Seeing the villagers' agitated emotions, demanding his mother's death, Xu Daoyan was also boiling with anger, wishing to kill all the villagers who had gossiped about his mother. However, he knew that most of them were innocent, and even if they had disrespected his mother, it did not warrant death. He could not let his anger cloud his judgment.

He shouted loudly, "Villagers, listen to me! Cai, the village chief, and Daoist Jia are working together to deceive you. Don't be fooled by them. Those three ghosts are their pets, called qi-eating ghosts. They specifically target the weak and sick. The three old ladies who died, weren't they already sick, and no one was with them when they died?"

Xu Daoyan's voice was loud, and everyone could hear him.

"That's true," someone immediately said. In fact, the ghosts appeared at regular intervals, and Daoist Jia was a familiar face. Some villagers found it strange and, hearing Xu Daoyan, decided to stir things up to see what would happen.

The three dead people were known to be sickly, and Xu Daoyan's words seemed to confirm this, turning the tide of the situation!