Chapter 5

The innkeeper had prepared the meal, and the old Taoist had just returned with the wine he had bought.

The two of them did not rush to eat. First, they took out the ancestral master’s tablet from the package and respectfully lit the incense and candles. The old Taoist then took out a talisman from his robe and placed it in front of the tablet. This talisman was made of yellow paper, with cinnabar-drawn symbols, and the edges were adorned with gold thread.

This was the most precious thing the old Taoist possessed, a talisman passed down by the ancestral master, used to save his life.

Then, he opened the wine gourd at his waist and took out a small gourd from behind. This small gourd contained wine, but not the cheap wine the old Taoist had bought from the market. It was high-quality Fenjiu, which he usually couldn’t bear to drink, reserving it only for the ancestral master’s offerings.

He pulled out the stopper, deeply inhaled the aroma of the wine, and then carefully poured a cup, placing it respectfully in front of the ancestral master’s tablet.

After that, the old Taoist began the daily practice with Li Chang'an.

When they finished, he carefully put away all the items, even pouring the wine back into the gourd.

Then, the old Taoist didn’t waste the small cup that had held the wine. He picked it up, smelled it, and took a sip of the cheap wine he had bought. Squinting his eyes, he looked intoxicated, as if he were drinking the fine Fenjiu from the small gourd.

Li Chang'an couldn't bear to watch.

"Can't you just rinse the cup with the wine and drink it?"

"You don't understand anything," the old Taoist said leisurely. "Rinsing the cup, you only get one cup. Smelling it, you can drink a whole gourd!"

After eating and drinking, the old Taoist slowly said:

"I inquired about the news while buying the wine. There are two jobs available in Yulin City now. One is at a Zhou family in the north of the city, where there is a haunting. I checked it out, but it’s just a lingering spirit, not much of a threat. The other is at a wealthy Zhang family. We’ll go there later to investigate."

"So soon?" Li Chang'an was surprised.

After the long journey, he thought they could rest a bit after entering the city.

"Too soon?" The old Taoist stroked his beard and glared at Li Chang'an. "Boy, I ask you, what is most important in the world?"

Li Chang'an thought carefully. After a month of traveling together, he had already figured out the old Taoist’s character. The old Taoist wasn’t very skilled, and he was even more timid, but he was very good at avoiding danger. He could sense danger from a distance and would detour if it was within ten miles.

The last time he冒险救了李 Chang'an, it was partly because of the rules of the ghost market and partly because the ancestral master had possessed him, making him take Li Chang'an as a disciple.

So, he confidently said, "Safety is the most important!"

"Rubbish!" The old Taoist spat. "Eating is the most important."

"Let's go." The old Taoist gathered his things. "We need to find money for the meal."

...

The two of them wandered around but didn’t go to the Zhang family’s front door. Instead, they entered a small alley next to the Zhang family’s residence.

The small alley was rarely used, which was convenient for the two of them. It wasn’t that they had any ill intentions, but their next actions were not very elegant and didn’t fit the image of a high-ranking person, so it was best not to be seen by others.

The old Taoist took out a talisman, made a hand sign, and chanted a spell. The talisman spontaneously ignited, and he drew circles under his nose with it, sniffing vigorously.

The old Taoist’s sect was called the Shangjing Sect, which originated from the "Taiwei Sanbu Bajing Ershisi Zhenlu." The term "jing" refers to the deities corresponding to different body parts.

The talisman the old Taoist used was the "Chonglong Yushen Talisman," his most skilled and relied-upon talisman, which could summon the nasal deity Chonglong to detect and locate ghosts.

The old Taoist was already lying on the wall, moving his head along the scent. Soon, he found a dog hole at the base of the wall, stuck his buttocks up, and inserted his head into the hole.

But immediately,

He pulled his head out, rolling and crawling away, his nose and mouth wrinkled, fanning the air under his nose.

Li Chang'an guessed, "It’s very smelly."

The old Taoist couldn’t answer, just nodding vigorously.

"Rotten corpse?"

The old Taoist shook his head.

"Yellow weasel?"

Still shaking his head.

Before Li Chang'an could guess further, the old Taoist finally recovered and said angrily, "It’s dog shit!"

"Uh..."

It seemed that having a highly sensitive sense of smell wasn’t always a good thing. Seeing the old Taoist suffering from the smell, Li Chang'an wisely decided to move on.

"Is there a ghost?"

"Yes."

The old Taoist’s skills were excellent, and he could find a clue amidst the overwhelming stench.

"Is it dangerous?"

"Just a minor ghost!" The old Taoist waved his hand. "Follow me to exorcise it."

Li Chang'an excitedly responded and turned to walk towards the Zhang family’s gate, but was immediately pulled back by the old Taoist.

"Wrong direction."

"Isn’t the Zhang family in that direction?"

"Where are you going? To the Zhou family in the north of the city."

"Ah?"

...

"The Zhou family’s lady is truly pitiful."

"Yes, her husband was idle when alive, and now he’s haunting her, making life difficult for her and her children."

A few aunts on the street were whispering, discussing the Zhou family’s lady, who was holding her young children, looking worried.

Unseen by them, a young man stood beside the Zhou family’s lady, looking at her and the children with a lingering gaze. Hearing the aunts’ gossip, he glared at them fiercely but quickly looked away, carefully observing the old Taoist, who held a talisman in one hand and a sword in the other, looking calm and composed.

The old Taoist beckoned to the male ghost, who reluctantly moved to the center of the courtyard, revealing his form.

"Scary!"

The people who had been gossiping were immediately frightened and scattered.

Instead, the Zhou family’s lady’s young child reached out his hands, calling out in a baby voice, "Daddy."

The Zhou family’s lady looked at the male ghost with a complex expression, calling out, "Husband."

The male ghost opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.

The old Taoist glared again.

The male ghost resignedly nodded, turned his back to his wife, and revealed his terrifying appearance.

The male ghost had owed a large gambling debt and was beaten to death to settle the account. His appearance was terrifying, and his body was covered in blood. The entire street was silent, and the Zhou family’s lady covered her children’s eyes, pleading, "Taoist."

The old Taoist nodded, raised his sword, and loudly chanted:

"Ten directions of all the heavenly beings, their number like dust, transforming in the ten directions, universally saving the heavens and people, gathering qi to accumulate merit, together saving the world..."

The male ghost, hearing this, was initially stunned but quickly knelt and began to kowtow.

It’s important to know that there are three methods for exorcists to deal with ghosts: driving them away, destroying them, and guiding them to the afterlife. Driving them away is the easiest and most common, while destroying them is the most thorough. Guiding them to the afterlife, however, consumes a lot of energy and spiritual power, and most exorcists wouldn’t do it lightly.

The male ghost, seeing that the old Taoist was willing to use his spiritual power to guide him, was deeply grateful.

In the chanting, the male ghost was guided to the afterlife.

After the ritual, the Zhou family’s lady, carrying a bamboo basket, approached the old Taoist and suddenly knelt, kowtowing.

"Thank you, Taoist, for guiding my husband to the afterlife. Our family has no savings, and the funeral expenses have depleted our resources. I can only offer these worthless items to cover the ritual costs, and I ask for a few more days to pay the rest..."

The old Taoist quickly helped her up, looked at the items in the basket, which were just some grains.

Seeing the children behind her, looking at him timidly, the old Taoist took an egg from the basket and laughed.

"A small matter, not worth mentioning. This egg is enough."

After saying that, he turned and his face turned sour.

After a few steps, he saw Li Chang'an approaching and immediately caught him.

"Where did you go just now?"

It turned out that Li Chang'an had disappeared as soon as the ritual began.

"I..."

Before Li Chang'an could finish, the old Taoist noticed a yellow paper in his hand and felt uneasy.

"What is this?"

Suddenly, a middle-aged man with a plump face and a rat-like mustache darted out and grabbed the old Taoist’s leg.

"Please save my master’s life!"

The rat-like man’s plea made the old Taoist understand that this was the Zhang family’s steward. Li Chang'an had just taken down the yellow notice and brought the steward along.

The steward had arrived at the right time, witnessing the male ghost’s appearance and the exorcism.

"Rest assured, as a Taoist, I will not let evil spirits harm anyone!"

The old Taoist’s stern words intimidated the steward. He then pulled Li Chang'an aside and whispered angrily, "What are you up to?"

Li Chang'an was surprised, "Master, didn’t you say it was just a minor ghost?"

"So what? Minor ghosts can still be dangerous!" The old Taoist pointed at the steward. "Go and decline this job!"

But Li Chang'an stood still and asked the old Taoist, "Master, how much did you get paid for the Zhou family’s ritual?"

The old Taoist’s face turned red, knowing that his act of pretending to be generous had been seen by his disciple, but he didn’t want to lose face, maintaining his authoritative demeanor.

"How did I teach you? Our sect is dedicated to saving the world and exorcising evil. What’s the point of talking about payment for rituals?!"

Li Chang'an sighed. On the journey, he had seen the old Taoist’s compassionate and soft-hearted nature many times. With the old Taoist’s skills, they wouldn’t have to live so frugally, but he was cautious and unwilling to take on big jobs, and he had a soft heart, unable to take money from poor families.

The old Taoist was a good person, but...

Li Chang'an looked at the old Taoist and said earnestly, "Master, we have no money left."