Chapter 77 This is too much of a coincidence. I don't think the meteor is that mysterious...

The tiger charged into the middle of the crowd and began to roar wildly.

One after another, streams of yin energy and sharp arrows continuously spewed out from the tiger's mouth.

To avoid the arrows formed from condensed Yin energy, everyone had to scatter.

In mid-air, the five elements' spiritual light emitted by the magical artifacts and array plates was dazzling. Meteor led his people over and guided them to form an evil-slaying array.

Fortunately, when they dealt with the evil spirit last time, the cultivators from various sects had already formed the Five Elements Exorcising Formation, and they were all very skilled at it now.

With everyone working together, they finally suppressed the tiger formed from the vengeful spirit within the formation.

Although some cultivators were unable to dodge in time and were injured by arrows formed from yin energy, none of them suffered fatal wounds.

The tiger was corroded by the pure energy of the Five Elements Exorcising Formation, and its body was shrinking continuously, yet it continued to roar and charge wildly within the formation.

Meteor was outside the formation, and he untied a soul-binding bag from his waist.

"Senior Brother Meteor, what's going on? If this tiger is truly formed from a yin spirit, why can it appear in broad daylight?"

Meteor turned around and looked at the crowd, his expression not relaxing despite having caught the tiger.

He opened his mouth, seemingly unsure where to begin.

Soon, there was no need for him to explain, because within the Five Elements Exorcising Array, the tiger that had been shrinking continuously had become about the size of an ordinary adult wild dog.

Then, right before everyone's eyes, its fur degenerated, its bones deformed, and it curled up on the ground, clutching its tiger head with its paws, kicking its legs in agony.

Finally, it let out a reluctant "howl" and in the blink of an eye, it degenerated into a naked, weak child.

The child huddled in the center of the formation, hugging himself, looking at the group of cultivators surrounding him with terrified expressions, trembling violently.

It quickly opened its mouth and let out a human howl.

He cried out, "Help! Help! Father, Mother, save me—"

"ah--"

The meteor dispelled the formation, and a gentle wood spirit enveloped the child. It tenderly yet forcefully drew the child into its soul-binding pouch.

Upon seeing this, the crowd gasped in astonishment.

"What's going on...wasn't it a tiger? How did it turn into a child?"

"Could it be an illusion? Or a disguise technique?"

"When this child was a tiger, he was filled with yin energy and could directly devour the souls of living beings for his own use. But when he became a child, he had no yin energy at all."

"I can only sense the presence of living people. Is this a human, a ghost, or a tiger?!"

Meteor tied the opening of the soul-binding bag and hung the soul-binding belt back on his waist.

He looked at the crowd again and said, "They are changgui (伥鬼)."①

"Changgui?"

The meteor's voice was like a clear spring, explaining to everyone: "The vengeful spirits of tigers are the vengeful souls of those killed by tigers. After death, they transform into the tigers' servants and are driven by them."

"Is there a tiger's den in these mountains? How can such a small child become so powerful?"

A cultivator approached Meteor and asked, "Senior Brother Meteor, my senior brothers and the others followed you here first. Where are they now? Did they go to the mountains to hunt tigers?"

Meteor looked at the cultivator, his expression revealing just the right amount of compassion: "Fellow Daoist Guan, I'm sorry, your senior brother has been injured and is currently recuperating in the village. I'll take you to see him later." Meteor picked up the sword from the ground and returned it to the cultivator with the injured foot.

Raising his voice slightly, he said, "Fellow Daoists, please follow me. I will explain the current situation to you in detail..."

Just as Meteor was about to lead everyone into the village, Zhan Kui, who had just seen the tiger and was faster than a dog, leaped out of the woods and jumped onto Meteor's back.

"Senior brother! Why didn't you even look for me? What if I've been eaten by a tiger!"

Bitao watched as the meteor quickly froze in place. A moment later, as if shaking off a demon from behind, she threw Zhan Kui to the ground.

He had completely lost all the demeanor of a celestial leader as the head of the Wenxin Pavilion. After throwing Zhan Kui to the ground, he not only didn't help her up, but even took several steps back.

His prediction was correct. Zhan Kui did not fall to the ground. He staggered a couple of times, stood up straight, and immediately opened his arms to pounce on him again.

"Senior brother! I've missed you so much these past few days!" Zhan Kui rushed up and hugged Liu Xing's neck.

Unable to dodge, Meteor was so anxious that he threw away his sword, grabbed Zhan Kui's shoulder with one hand and pinched Zhan Kui's jaw with the other to stop Zhan Kui from biting his face.

It seems that no matter what happens, the meteor can handle it calmly.

Even when betrayed by the cultivators of the Wenxin Pavilion in the illusion of the evil spirits, and having half of his neck cut off, he could still persuade people to lay down their weapons without changing his expression, while spitting blood.

This was the first time Bitao had ever seen such a "fully human" expression of terror on Liuxing's face.

He was already thin, and now the fine veins on his forehead were bulging and throbbing, showing how utterly broken and helpless he was.

"Junior sister... calm down."

He held Zhan Kui in his grasp, as if Zhan Kui were the man-eating tiger.

"Did you miss me, senior brother?" Zhan Kui pouted. "Give me a kiss..."

Meteor took a deep breath, held it, and took two steps back. He grabbed Zhan Kui's chin with his hand, using his long arm to pull him far away, and answered with a stiff smile, "...I want to."

Through his strained, somewhat gritted voice, Bitao heard his true inner voice—Get out.

The scene was somewhat inappropriately comical, and everyone's expressions were a mix of laughter and tears.

Bitao stared at Liuxing's face and only now understood why Zhankui had "sacrificed himself"—it was for the things she had entrusted to him.

The meteor looked completely different from before.

He used to be like a living corpse or a demon. Even though he spoke with a calm and composed voice, his appearance was so terrifying that it made people feel sorry for him, as if they were seeing withered flowers and trees and the setting sun.

Although he is still emaciated, the ghostly aura around him and the bluish-black, deathly color on his face have completely dissipated.

He was already gentle and refined, with a tall and upright figure. With the ghostly aura fading and his true colors revealed, he was truly like a jade tree in the wind, or a pine tree and orchid.

Bitao stood in the crowd and silently raised her hand to rub her cheek.

So Zhan Kui was willing to "change the key" with his lips, and now he wants to kiss me again; he is essentially still a lecher.

And it's quite obvious that Meteor wasn't very willing.

"Junior Sister!" Meteor really didn't want so many people to continue watching the spectacle, so she raised her voice slightly and said, "Can we talk about this privately?"

Seeing that the man was angry, Zhan Kui stopped making a scene.

Meteor straightened his clothes, picked up his sword, regained his composure, and led the group into the village.

There was a stone mill platform at the village entrance. He explained the current situation to everyone.

The meteor used a tree branch to draw a picture on the ground: "Tigers gather here in the mountains, and countless evil spirits roam."

"After the 'Changgui' transforms into a human, its yin energy becomes indistinguishable. It can walk in broad daylight and is no different from an ordinary person. It uses deception, pleas for help, and even forced abduction to capture villagers and people in the surrounding towns and send them to the mountains to be eaten by tigers."

"Dozens of villages and towns have been affected. The people gathered in the villages now are not the original villagers, but people whose relatives have been taken away."

"The local government's soldiers also intervened, but ordinary people have no chance against ghosts, especially those that can transform into tigers and spew sharp blades. They might even be captured, causing unnecessary casualties. I have already sent those soldiers away."

Meteor looked up at the crowd and said, "I led men into the mountains, and we've killed several tigers in the past few days, but the vengeful spirits still linger..."

"Although a single changgui is not difficult to deal with, once you enter the mountains, you may encounter a group of changgui. If they all transform into tigers and attack, it will be extremely dangerous."

"Moreover, there are still many civilians in the mountains who, because their relatives have been kidnapped and abducted, are so anxious that they ignore advice and rush into the mountains to search for and rescue them."

"Therefore, we must not only subdue all the evil spirits and find all the tiger's lair to eradicate them, but also identify the truly lost souls in the mountains and bring them safely out of the mountains..."

Bitao watched Liuxing carefully sketching a map on the ground, lost in thought.

Meteor pointed to the map and explained to everyone with great seriousness: "I have already led people through this part, destroyed twelve tiger dens, and killed more than forty tiger cubs."

"Tigers don't usually gather together; you've all probably heard the saying 'two tigers cannot share one mountain.' But tigers gather in this mountain range, and even reproduce in large numbers out of season. I suspect there must be a spiritual vein beneath the mountain range."

The mention of spiritual veins caused a hint of excitement to rise in the expressions of the cultivators.

Cultivation has not discovered any spiritual veins for a long time. If there really is a spiritual vein in this mountain, it makes sense that the tigers are unusually gathering and entrenched here.

Before the human race declined, the mountains where spiritual veins were discovered were always teeming with flourishing trees and teeming with wild animals.

Meteor concluded, "I have already informed you of the risks of this mission, and the reward is one hundred Earth-grade spirit stones."

"Fellow Daoists, you may still come and go as you please. If you are willing to join us in driving away evil and slaying tigers, Wenxin Pavilion will be grateful for your great benevolence and righteousness in helping each other and protecting the people."

"Fellow Daoists, you have arrived weary from your journey. Let us rest for now, and tomorrow morning we will set off in teams, carrying ample exorcising tools..."

After finishing speaking, Meteor stood up and asked the cultivators from the Wenxin Pavilion beside him to record the list of those who were willing to stay and go into the mountain together.

The reason why everyone chose to take on this mission was partly because Meteor was personally leading the team, and partly because of the one hundred Earth-grade spirit stones.

Now there's an even bigger surprise: if the entire mountain range is a spiritual vein, wouldn't everyone who participates in the exorcism benefit from it?!

Therefore, only two people rode back in the end, while the rest signed up to stay and discuss team formation that night.

Wei Danxin stayed close to Bitao the whole time. The moment the tiger charged, he rushed in front of Bitao, using his body to shield her from any arrows of yin energy that might come flying at her.

Seeing that Bitao seemed lost in thought, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "What are you thinking about? Are you afraid of tigers?"

Upon hearing this, Bitao turned her head to look at him, her peach blossom eyes shimmering, and whispered, "A little, but with my husband here, I'm not afraid of anything... My husband will protect me, right?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Danxin didn't blush or feel hot-faced. Instead, she straightened her back and restrainedly hummed in agreement.

Feeling very proud because of the trust placed in him, he grabbed Bitao's hand from behind and gently kneaded and comforted her.

Bitao held Wei Danxin's hand and stroked it, then looked up at the sky.

The sky is clear and cloudless today. The weather is exceptionally good.

When Bitao first saw the tiger grow larger after devouring the souls of the man and the horse, she immediately concluded that the tiger, which could spew arrows of yin energy, was a treacherous accomplice.

Besides the characteristics of the changgui that Liuxing and the others mentioned, Bitao also knew that after the changgui transformed into a tiger, if it could not devour living souls to replenish itself in time, it would quickly run out of energy and revert to human form, making itself vulnerable to being slaughtered, even if it was not surrounded and attacked.

All that is needed is to destroy the tiger's den in the mountains that controls the evil spirits, and the evil spirits will wither and die quickly, like a tree whose roots have been cut off.

Nowadays, people mingle with evil spirits. When these evil spirits don't transform into tigers, they lack yin energy and are not easily distinguishable.

Moreover, Meteor said that there were countless accomplices and ghosts, and more than a dozen tiger dens were destroyed, and more than forty tiger cubs were killed, but only a small part of the mountain was left. How many tiger dens are there?

Bitao sorted out her questions one by one, but what puzzled her the most was not these questions.

The unusual gathering and reproduction of tigers may be due to ghosts or monsters, or even intentional captivity, but it is definitely not because of the presence of underground spiritual veins.

In a world where the cycle of reincarnation has collapsed, birds and beasts are almost extinct. If there were truly spiritual veins, this mountain forest would never be so quiet.

Bitao tilted her head back for a long time, but didn't see a single bird taking flight.

When they entered the village and met the people who looked anxious or desperate, Meteor, as the leader of the group of cultivators, stepped forward to negotiate with and appease them.

“Auntie, I know your eldest son is very strong, and I know you are really worried about your youngest son’s safety, but you also saw those tigers before. Some of them were not real tigers, but yin tigers formed from yin spirits.”

Meteor was extremely patient: "Even we cultivators can be harmed or even devoured by it if we are not careful. If your eldest son really comes into the mountains with us, in a moment of crisis, we will be struggling to take care of ourselves, and we may not be able to take care of your eldest son..."

Bitao was looking at the spectacular sight of a real tiger carcass on the ground.

It was a clever move for Meteor to have the tiger carcass, which he had painstakingly killed, brought out and displayed here.

Showing it to the public can alleviate their panic to some extent, prove that tigers can be killed, and soothe their anxiety about losing loved ones.

But it can also make them overestimate their abilities, like this old woman who keeps pestering Meteor, wanting him to take her eldest son into the mountains to save her youngest son.

The young tiger's body on the ground was almost intact, but the adult tiger's body had been disemboweled in some places, with missing and sunken areas in the legs and chest, indicating that it had been butchered and cooked.

As the number of birds and beasts in the area has decreased year by year, meat available for human consumption has naturally become a "rare commodity".

People even eat the carcasses of tigers that feed on humans...

Looking back now, it must have taken a lot of effort for the Taoist priest to get the pig's trotters for Bitao.

So where did Mother go?

As Bitao was pondering, she suddenly heard a familiar, beautiful voice and looked up to see Bingjing.

Bingjing was holding her husband's hand, anxiously negotiating with Liuxing.

"Meteor Pavilion Master, you should still remember me, right? My name is Du Man. I was with everyone when we slew the evil spirit Xi last time..."

"This is my husband, his name is Kang Ping'an!"

Ignoring her husband's staggering movements, Bingjing pulled him in front of Liuxing.

She said urgently, "My husband often ventures into these mountains, hunting birds and beasts to supplement our income. He is very familiar with the mountain paths. If cultivators form a team to hunt tigers, my husband can lead the way and avoid taking detours..."

Bitao looked at the ice mirror, her brows gradually furrowing.

Where is Bingjing's home again?

Last time, when she introduced her home address, Bitao didn't listen.

But this is too much of a coincidence.

A sensitive chord was plucked, and Bitao's gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces, her expression growing increasingly serious.

After the rooms were assigned for the night, Bitao, unusually, ignored even Wei Danxin and took the initiative to talk to Liuxing.

Meteor was busy with various tasks, assigning teams according to everyone's wishes.

To prevent a large number of cultivators from gathering and getting injured in the event of a group attack by the demons, their group needs to split into several smaller teams before tomorrow morning.

These teams do not completely separate in the mountains, but maintain a distance to watch out for each other, ensuring that they can flexibly surround and intercept any evil spirits they encounter.

Meteor had just sat down and taken a sip of tea when he saw Bitao come in. He naturally stood up and said, "Fellow Daoist Le, I was just about to send someone to call you and Fellow Daoist Wei."

"Come in and talk."

Meteor picked up the teapot, took a brand-new teacup, and poured a cup of tea for Peach.

His movements were fluid and graceful, probably because he looked good now, making everything he did extremely pleasing to the eye.

Moreover, her lips were bright red, indicating good health.

Is the Heavenly Grade Flowing Elixir Wine really that nourishing?

After sitting down, Bitao didn't drink tea, but instead asked directly without beating around the bush, "Senior Brother Liuxing, I heard from Tianbao that my mother went to Wenxin Pavilion to look for you. Do you know where my mother went?"

"The Taoist Master Bu Er did come looking for me. I am very grateful for the medicine he brought me, otherwise I would still be lying in bed, barely clinging to life, and I don't know how long I will live."

As Liu Xing spoke, he touched his neck. Following his movement, Bi Tao saw a horrifying scar on his neck that had healed but was still bright red.

Meteor looked at Bitao, raised his teacup, and gently tapped the edge of Bitao's teacup with the middle half of his own, saying, "Although the current occasion and situation are really inappropriate, I would like to congratulate Fellow Daoist Le and Fellow Daoist Wei on their upcoming marriage."

"The Taoist priest left me with healing pills, saying he was going to the capital of Wenchang Kingdom to find an old friend."

Upon hearing this, Bitao feigned anxiety: "You mean my mother went to the capital of Wenchang Kingdom? Did my mother say who she went to see? I'm about to get married, and she's been gone for over a month with no news at all!"

Meteor nodded: "That's exactly what the Taoist Master Bu Er said."

"They didn't tell me exactly who I was going to see, but..."

Meteor paused for a moment, then looked at Bitao and said, "Fellow Daoist Yue, please forgive me, but I also know a little about your mother's past. Perhaps I can give you an answer. Would you like to hear it, Fellow Daoist Yue?"

"Senior Brother Meteor, please speak freely," Bitao said eagerly, leaning forward.

She wanted to hear who was lying and whose lie was more believable.

Meteor said, "More than ten years ago, the Taoist Master Bu Er and a prime minister of Wenchang Kingdom pledged their love to each other and together they eliminated the evil spirits that were bewitching the capital. They were praised and admired by the people and became a popular story."

"Although their love was deep but their fate was short-lived, they still had fellow Daoist Yue. Now, fellow Daoist Yue has met her soulmate and is about to get married, while that Prime Minister... judging by his age, should still be alive."

"Presumably, the reason why Daoist Bu Er went to Wenchang Kingdom this time was not to rekindle their past relationship, but only to ensure that Fellow Daoist Le could have both parents present at his wedding."

Meteor seemed to understand perfectly. His expression was extremely gentle, and his voice was as clear as flowing water, touching the heart: "The hearts of parents all over the world are like this. I guess the delay is because the prime minister is busy with official duties. On your wedding day, I'm sure that even if the Taoist priest has to tie him up, he will take him with him."

“I noticed that Fellow Daoist Yue was worried and puzzled, so I mentioned the past without any intention of offending you. Daoist Bu Er possesses the Fire Spirit and has the cultivation of the highest level of Earth Rank. He is hard to find an opponent in this world. Fellow Daoist Yue has no need to worry.”

"If you are really worried... I can have someone remove you and Fellow Daoist Wei from the mission. The capital of Wenchang Kingdom is about seven days away from here, even if you travel day and night. Perhaps you can return with Daoist Bu Er before Fellow Daoist Le and Fellow Daoist Wei's wedding day."

After Liu Xing finished speaking, Bi Tao looked at him up close and couldn't help but admire him.

Regardless of whether this meteor is actually the reincarnation of that ancestor of the Xuanmen sect.

He truly deserves to be called the Master of Wenxin Pavilion; his methods of calming people's hearts are unparalleled.

This speech was humble yet measured, and its depth and nuance were just right, making it a truly pleasant listening experience.

Moreover, what Meteor said was at least much more truthful than what Wei Xiao, the leader of the Supreme Sword Sect, said.

The man that the Taoist priest Yue Junya had liked, or at least slept with, could not possibly be a country bumpkin. Only if he were a prime minister of a country who had helped her exorcise evil spirits would it be believable.

Furthermore, Meteor touched on one point that resonated with Bitao: with the abilities of the Daoist Master Yue Junya, as long as he didn't encounter that "Ancestor of the Mysterious Sect," he would indeed be hard-pressed to find an opponent in the world.

Moreover, Meteor had a final move, "retreating to advance," which meant allowing Bitao and Wei Danxin to leave on their own.

However, it would take seven days to travel from here to the capital of Wenchang Kingdom, even traveling day and night. So, the round trip was completed without any delay and would indeed be able to make it in time for the wedding.

But what if the Taoist priest is already on his way? What if they've taken the wrong path?

Bitao smiled, all her worry disappearing: "I'm relieved to hear that from Senior Brother Liuxing. My mother hasn't written to me yet, and I was worried she wouldn't be able to make it back in time."

"As for the capital of Wenchang Kingdom, we won't go there. I presume Mother is already on her way back."

"Since a pack of tigers is causing trouble here, we cultivators have a duty to do our part. Before getting married, I also want to accumulate some more merit for myself."

"Fellow Daoist Le is truly righteous." Meteor stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Bitao, and showed great approval and respect for her.

She really doesn't look like a fallen immortal who has been reborn after possessing another's body.

Moreover... if what he said is true, then what Wei Xiao, the leader of the Supreme Sword Sect, said is false.

Wei Xiao deliberately told a lie that would be exposed as soon as Le Junya returned, and lured Bitao here. What was his intention?

Could it be that Wei Xiao was the one who was possessed and reborn?

Bitao emerged from the shooting star, recalling how the Heavenly Realm had been thrown into turmoil by that meritorious immortal position, and Wei Xiao happened to be Shui Ling…

"Peach Blossom!"

Zhan Kui, looking like a ghost, poked his head out of the dark room and beckoned to Bi Tao who was passing by.

"Come on, come on..."

As Bitao walked to the door of the room, she saw Guanghan's figure flickering through the window.

Bitao's expression was indescribable: "...You two should keep a low profile for a bit."

Zhan Kui waved to Guang Han, but Guang Han didn't even leave through the front door. She nodded to Bi Tao through the window and climbed over the back wall.

Zhan Kui grabbed Bi Tao's arm and said, "I want to be on your team tomorrow!"

Bitao glanced at her and said, "Otherwise, who do you want to be with? Koi Fairy is definitely in my team." Zhan Kui chuckled and then leaned close to Bitao's ear and said, "I don't think Meteor is that Xuanmen Ancestor."

Bitao had just dispelled some of her doubts, but she had analyzed it from multiple perspectives. Why was Zhan Kui doing this?

Bitao raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to explain.

Zhan Kui said, "According to your deduction, that Xuanmen patriarch was arrogant and reckless. He abandoned his immortality and descended to the mortal realm. After descending, he regretted his decision and became a fallen immortal who brought disaster to the world. He even broke the Reincarnation Bridge."

"How could someone like that let me touch him inappropriately, or even kiss him?"

Bitao: "...You kissed him again?"

Zhan Kui: "Yeah! I stripped his clothes off, and he stopped struggling in the end. He looked like he absolutely adored me. If we weren't going to do an exorcism together tomorrow, I might have slept with him if we had lingered a bit longer tonight."

"So I don't think he is."

Bitao: "So you did it on purpose when you ran up to him and hugged and kissed him in public before."

Bitao patted Zhan Kui's head and praised him when he should: "Not bad, you know how to do something worthwhile besides having affairs."

"Hey! It was just something he said on the spur of the moment! But his performance was so immature, all he did was open his mouth and close his eyes, he couldn't even respond, it was so boring!"

Zhan Kui argued vehemently, "If it were a patriarch of the Xuanmen sect, surely he wouldn't be so incapable of even kissing?"

Bitao: "...That makes some sense."

That seems to rule out the possibility of it being a meteor?

After all, judging from the information pieced together by Bitao, that Xuanmen patriarch didn't seem like the type to be forced and manipulated by a woman...

This method of exclusion left Bitao somewhat bewildered.

Now that his suspicions have been ruled out, who should we suspect next?

Zhan Kui said enthusiastically, "I can continue to help you test the waters!"

Bitao remembered the face of Wei Xiao, the leader of the Supreme Sword Sect, and almost bit her tongue. She didn't dare to tell Zhan Kui anything.

Zhan Kui going to test Wei Xiao? That scene is too beautiful for Bi Tao to even imagine.