Chapter 7

"Ghost!"

Upon hearing this exclamation, Li Chang'an immediately realized something was amiss.

The ghost infant lifted its head from the wooden basin, tilting it to look around. It soon realized it had been tricked by the Taoist.

Suddenly, it showed an angry expression, opened its mouth, and a low, piercing scream erupted from within, making people feel dizzy, chest tight, and nauseous.

Amidst this scream, it transformed back into a greenish-black, swollen form, turned around, and glared fiercely at Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang was so frightened that he fell backward along with his chair.

The old Taoist quickly shouted to Li Chang'an, "Quickly protect Mr. Zhang!"

However, the ghost infant twisted its body and lunged directly at the old Taoist.

Caught off guard, the old Taoist frantically grabbed the incense burner and talisman flag nearby and swung them at the ghost infant. Without any magical power, these items were just ordinary objects and passed right through the ghost infant, unable to stop it.

In the blink of an eye,

The ghost infant was already in front of the old Taoist.

"My life is over."

The old Taoist closed his eyes in despair.

At that moment, a hand reached out from the side and, in a flash, grabbed the back of the ghost infant's neck.

It was Li Chang'an, who had arrived just in time.

The boundary between humans and ghosts not only means that humans cannot see ghosts but also that they cannot touch each other under normal circumstances. However, during this time, Li Chang'an found that he could not only see the ghost but also touch it.

This was likely due to the "Spiritual Passage" ability he gained from the little yellow book.

And this ability saved the old Taoist's life today.

The ghost infant struggled in Li Chang'an's hand, its skin feeling wet and slimy, making Li Chang'an have to endure it and not let go.

But after a few struggles, the ghost infant suddenly stopped.

"What's going to happen now?" Li Chang'an was more worried than relieved.

Sure enough.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

With a series of joint cracking sounds, the ghost infant's head turned 180 degrees, facing Li Chang'an. Its mouth, which was previously a black hole, now looked more human, but when it opened, there was no tongue, only a layer of fine, saw-like teeth in the mouth.

One bite, and it could chew through not just flesh but bones as well.

The ghost infant opened its mouth to bite, and Li Chang'an quickly threw a small white object into its mouth. It reflexively closed its mouth, and its face showed a look of peace.

Li Chang'an didn't bring much when he crossed over, except for the little yellow book and a pocket full of peanuts, sunflower seeds, and milk candies from a banquet. After a month, only one Big White Rabbit remained.

Earlier, when mixing the talisman water with the milk, he had casually put some on the candy, and it turned out to be useful in this critical moment.

"Master!" Li Chang'an shouted loudly.

"Ah."

The old Taoist, still immersed in the previous danger, quickly came to his senses. He made a hand sign with both hands, holding the talisman pen with his thumb and recited:

"One stroke moves heaven and earth, two strokes summon the ancestral sword, three strokes make demons and ghosts flee a thousand miles."

Then, he dipped the brush in cinnabar and, without a second stroke, quickly drew a talisman on the ghost infant's forehead.

Finally, the ghost infant was subdued.

The master and apprentice, no longer daring to be careless, quickly continued the exorcism.

This time, everything went smoothly.

Finally, the ghost infant gradually disappeared in a glow of light.

Both the master and apprentice were so exhausted that they plopped down on the ground. Mr. Zhang had fainted again.

...

"The evil ghost that was haunting Mr. Zhang has been exorcised by the old Taoist. From now on, he only needs to rest and recuperate."

After calming down the Zhang family, they moved into a small courtyard arranged by the Zhang family and dismissed the servants. The old Taoist turned to Li Chang'an and said:

"Mr. Zhang probably doesn't have much time left. His vital energy has been almost completely drained, otherwise, the ghost infant wouldn't have been so easily exorcised by us."

As he spoke, the old Taoist took out the good wine given by the Zhang family and poured it into his large gourd, while lecturing his disciple on life experiences.

"This time, you've seen the danger. You should avoid taking jobs from wealthy families if you can."

"How can evil ghosts also discriminate against the poor and favor the rich?" Li Chang'an was puzzled.

The old Taoist sneered and whispered:

"Everything has a cause and effect. Evil deeds will have consequences. What can ordinary people do to incur such a curse? What can the rich and powerful do to incur such a curse? Look at the houses of the wealthy; there are always a few servants buried under them, and a few maids in the wells. Ordinary people's ghosts are just a nuisance, but for wealthy families, it can lead to the destruction of the entire household!"

The old Taoist became more and more agitated, and Li Chang'an thought to himself: I didn't realize he was such an old radical.

The old radical knocked on the table and concluded:

"The wealthier the family, the more dangerous the ghosts!"

"What about the blue-skinned ghost with the bounty on the city gate?"

Li Chang'an suddenly asked.

"That blue-skinned ghost is very dangerous!" The old Taoist said nonchalantly, shaking his head, "According to the notice, the blue-skinned ghost has already taken physical form, likely a powerful ghost, perhaps even a yasha. Your master's level of Taoism..."

The old Taoist shook his head and fell silent, but he noticed Li Chang'an listening intently, almost taking notes.

"Huh? This kid usually just nods along when I talk, when did he become so serious?" The old Taoist thought to himself, "That's not right..."

Just as he was about to ask, he heard a noise of drums and trumpets from outside.

The old Taoist stood up and rushed to the door, pushing it open.

The small courtyard was crowded with people, including a few musicians making a lot of noise. At the front was a man in a green robe.

The man bowed to the old Taoist and said:

"I am the County Magistrate of Yulin, Wang Deyuan. I greet you, Master Xuanyi."

Master Xuanyi? Me?

The old Taoist was dazed and didn't return the bow. Wang Deyuan didn't mind; in an era where demons existed, there were many powerful monks and Taoists, so he assumed the old Taoist was a high-ranking one.

"The blue-skinned ghost has been terrorizing the countryside, and the people of Yulin are living in constant fear. Master Xuanyi, if you are willing to take on this challenge and eliminate this evil for the people of Yulin, I, Wang Deyuan, will be grateful on behalf of the people of Yulin!"

"Clang."

The old Taoist's eyebrows and beard trembled, and the gourd in his hand fell to the ground.

Eliminate the blue-skinned ghost? Me?

The old Taoist was confused.

"Last night, my master observed the stars and found out..." Li Chang'an stepped out from behind the old Taoist, "This ghost is actually a yasha from the underworld who escaped to the human world when the underworld was unguarded. It transformed into a beautiful woman to eat people, but it was just hungry and weak when it escaped. Now that it has eaten human flesh..."

His words made the crowd in the courtyard gasp in shock. If it was hungry and weak and could still eat people, what would it do now that it's full?

The old Taoist felt powerless at this scene.

The skill of using false threats was something the old Taoist had taught Li Chang'an, but what was this kid up to now?

Li Chang'an, seeing the effect, added more fuel to the fire.

"Yesterday, I consulted the local city god and learned that this ghost prefers to eat the tender flesh of young men and women."

At this, a few young men who had come with their fathers and brothers screamed in terror.

After a moment of chaos, a smart one finally reacted.

"Thud." He fell to the ground.

"Master Xuanyi, save us!"

With one person leading the way, a large group of people in the courtyard fell to the ground, shouting in a mess.

The old Taoist was speechless.

You're asking me to save you? Who will save me? What kind of disciple did I take in?

Li Chang'an ignored his master's bitter face and said with a smile, "My master is the head of the Shangjing Sect. A small yasha wouldn't dare to trouble him."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and walked to the old Taoist's side.

"Such a small task is naturally left to me."

The old Taoist's face suddenly changed. He finally understood what his disciple was planning.

He wanted to go alone to eliminate the blue-skinned ghost!

The old Taoist grabbed Li Chang'an and pulled him back into the room, closing the door and urgently asked in a low voice:

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

The old Taoist, with decades of Taoist practice, wouldn't dare to face the ghost, and Li Chang'an, who hadn't even started his training, was like a lamp in a latrine!

"Master." Li Chang'an knew this was hard to accept and explained, "I have my reasons for going."

"Master! Master!" The old Taoist didn't listen to Li Chang'an's explanation and said angrily, "I won't be a master to a dead man!"

"Do you know what's most important in our line of work?"

Li Chang'an recalled the previous conversation.

"Food?"

"Rubbish!" The old Taoist, agitated, spat out, "Of course, safety is the most important!"

In his excitement, the old Taoist kept poking Li Chang'an's head. Li Chang'an, knowing he was in the wrong, didn't dodge.

"Without your head, how will you eat?"

"Don't be reckless! Don't be reckless!" The old Taoist paced back and forth, "How many times have I told you on the way—don't be reckless!"

"The Chonglong Jade Spirit Talisman I taught you, other disciples use it to chase demons, but I use it to avoid them. They laugh at me for being cowardly, but in the end, only I survived!"

The old Taoist took out his small gourd and took a big gulp.

"I'm talking about your Uncle Xuanyao, who was reckless all his life and was eaten by a demon in his old age, leaving no trace!"

As he spoke, tears welled up in the old Taoist's eyes. He took another sip from the gourd, but this time, he looked at it with a hint of pain, took a small sip, and carefully sealed it and put it back in his pocket.

Li Chang'an hesitated.

Then, he silently spread out the notice and opened the little yellow book to the page about the ghost, placing them side by side.

The two images of the ghost, though slightly different, clearly showed it was the same ghost.

The old Taoist stared at the two images, finally understanding why Li Chang'an was so determined. He knew his disciple's obsession with this image, which he often looked at in his free time.

He suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table.

"If you want to get yourself killed, go ahead. I'll pretend I never had a disciple like you!"

With that, he stormed out of the room.

On the table where he had slammed his hand, a talisman drawn in cinnabar and outlined in gold lay quietly.

After a long while,

Li Chang'an walked out of the house and looked at the anxious crowd outside. He smiled and called over County Magistrate Wang, handing him a diagram.

"Please have this made as soon as possible."

"This is a magical weapon for exorcism!"