Chapter 6

The fat steward went ahead.

When the master and apprentice finally arrived at the Zhang residence, the main gate was wide open. Upon seeing the two figures, a group of people rushed out and respectfully welcomed the master and apprentice into the mansion.

From the scene, it was clear that the Zhang family had been severely affected by the ghost.

Entering the main hall,

the old Taoist priest surveyed the people inside. Although most of them looked haggard, there were no signs of being affected by evil or plague on their foreheads.

He looked at Li Chang'an, who also shook his head, as his eyes had not seen any ghosts either.

The notice clearly stated that the ghost was haunting the head of the Zhang family.

So Li Chang'an directly asked, "I wonder where Mr. Zhang is?"

The group then led the two to a side room.

In the side room, several grand chairs were placed, and a man dressed in fine clothing was leaning weakly on the main seat. His face was pale, his eyes sunken, and it was obvious that he was not long for this world. No wonder he did not come out to greet them; this must be the Mr. Zhang who was being haunted by the ghost.

The old Taoist priest was about to step forward to greet him.

Li Chang'an pulled him back and pointed to Mr. Zhang's shoulder, where a small ghost with greenish-black skin and a swollen body was sitting, playing on its own. It would occasionally press its dark blue mouth against Mr. Zhang's ear, and when it puffed out its cheeks, Mr. Zhang would shiver.

The old Taoist priest took out a talisman from his sleeve, this time a "Spirit Bell Talisman" used to invoke the eye spirit. He waved the talisman in front of his eyes and looked at Mr. Zhang's shoulder, his expression immediately becoming serious.

Mr. Zhang still had some strength to speak. He had been tormented by the ghost and, seeing the old Taoist priest's serious expression, could not help but ask worriedly, "Daoist Xuanyi, is this ghost also... very difficult to deal with?"

The old Taoist priest did not answer directly, saying, "It's very fierce."

Hearing this, Mr. Zhang's disappointment was evident. He sighed, "For no reason, what kind of ghost wants to take my life?"

"What kind of ghost?" The old Taoist priest chuckled, "Of course, it's your daughter."

Mr. Zhang's expression did not change: "Daoist, don't joke around."

"Joke?" The old Taoist priest countered, "Hasn't Mr. Zhang drowned any infants in recent years?"

Hearing the old Taoist priest's words, Mr. Zhang was stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, there was a hint of relief in his eyes.

In the primitive times when productivity was low, the practice of drowning female infants was common in most regions, even among wealthy families. It seemed the Zhang family was no exception.

Mr. Zhang, with a last glimmer of hope, asked, "Is there no other way? I beg you, Daoist, to save my life."

To his surprise, the old Taoist priest gave a completely different answer.

"Who says there's no way? I will set up an altar!"

In this world, Taoists and monks have always been the main forces in exorcising evil spirits, but monks have never been able to compete with Taoists. Why? Because when Taoists can't handle something, they can set up an altar and invite their ancestors and deities to assist them.

There is a saying in the industry: "There is no problem that can't be solved by setting up an altar. If there is, then set it up higher." This saying was coined by Li Xuanyi.

He instructed the people of the Zhang residence to prepare the items needed for setting up the altar.

Li Chang'an leaned in close to the old Taoist priest and asked,

"Is this ghost really so powerful that it requires setting up an altar to deal with it?"

On the way, the old Taoist priest had only mentioned setting up an altar, never actually doing it, mainly because he was afraid.

"Setting up an altar may not even work." Unexpectedly, the old Taoist priest's earlier confidence wavered. He sighed and pointed at the ghost infant, saying, "What a sin, that little child must have been reborn into the Zhang family many times, each time being drowned. After so many deaths, it has accumulated such a deep grudge!"

Li Chang'an pursed his lips and, after a moment, continued, "What kind of altar will you set up?"

Setting up an altar is not a casual matter. Each type of altar has its own specific talismans, ritual objects, procedures, and scriptures, all of which are closely guarded secrets of the various sects. The Shangjing Sect, being a small sect, only has a few types of altar rituals.

The old Taoist priest had roughly explained this to Li Chang'an before.

"Will you use the 'True Spirits Suppressing Demons Altar Ritual'?"

The old Taoist priest turned to look at the ghost infant for a long time, his expression uncertain. Finally, he sighed and said, "Let's use the 'Pardon and Transcendence Altar Ritual.'"

...

...

The Zhang family's side courtyard.

The courtyard gate was tightly closed.

In the northeast corner of the courtyard, an altar was set up with all the necessary items: flags, name plates, talismans, and scriptures. The master and apprentice stood by the altar, ready for action.

On the other side of the courtyard, Mr. Zhang lay on a chair, exhausted and already fast asleep.

"Master?" Li Chang'an pointed at Mr. Zhang.

"No problem." The old Taoist priest waved his hand, "It's better for him to be asleep than awake."

Then, he signaled his apprentice to get ready, stepped in the Seven Star Step, and recited the scriptures: "Primordial Supreme Deity, true talisman commands. Primordial Great Truth, Five High Venerables. Great brightness in the microcosm, shining through the eight gates. The Five Elders command, no darkness remains unheard..."

After performing a section of the ritual, the old Taoist priest gave a nod.

Li Chang'an, who had been waiting for a long time, quickly placed a small wooden basin in the center of the courtyard. The basin contained fresh human milk and frost sugar, two things that children find very attractive, to lure the ghost infant away from Mr. Zhang so that the old Taoist priest could perform the ritual.

The old Taoist priest made a hand sign.

The ghost infant seemed to smell something and crawled down from Mr. Zhang's body, making its way to the basin.

Under the tense gaze of Li Chang'an and the old Taoist priest, the ghost infant first sniffed the milk, circled the basin a few times, and finally, unable to resist, dove into the basin.

The milk contained a specially prepared talisman water, which made the ghost infant feel dizzy.

With a major step of the plan completed, Li Chang'an was about to exhale the breath he had been holding when he heard the old Taoist priest's urgent shout.

"Quick!"

The old Taoist priest had already thrown a talisman, waving his hands and reciting the scriptures: "Vermilion Bird ascends, divine power within. Four mountains stabilize, ghost soldiers flee..."

Li Chang'an, startled, took a step to the side of the ghost infant and used a red thread to tie it up. To avoid waking the ghost infant, he did not tie it too tightly, just enough to secure it, and then nailed it to the ground with a wooden peg.

Up close, Li Chang'an noticed that the ghost infant's greenish-black skin had faint white patterns, and its body was swollen to more than twice its size, but its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were not covered by the swelling. However, its eye sockets were empty, and its mouth had no tongue, making it look even more terrifying.

When Li Chang'an stepped back, he felt a chill on his forehead and wiped it, finding it covered in cold sweat.

With everything done, only the final transcendence remained.

The smooth progress of the previous steps made the master and apprentice feel a bit relieved, and the transcendence went smoothly as well.

With the help of the deities invoked by the old Taoist priest, the ghost infant's fierce aura gradually dissipated, and its body slowly transformed from a swollen, dead appearance to that of a normal infant.

After a while, only the lower half of the ghost infant's body remained swollen.

But suddenly,

"Ghost!"

A scream broke the silence.

It was Mr. Zhang, who had just woken up. Upon opening his eyes, he saw a baby with a swollen, purplish-blue lower body and instinctively screamed.

Realizing his mistake, he quickly covered his mouth.

But it was too late.

The ghost infant had already been awakened!