Upon closer inspection, Tu Hongye is actually quite good-looking, like a porcelain doll, except that his clothes are a bit rough and he is a little thin.
Well, it seems she hasn't given this child any decent food, yet he's still grown up like this. It means the little apprentice is sturdy and easy to raise.
The spiritual sense circled around Tu Hongye's body once, then focused on his forehead.
"Master, shouldn't we go release the ghosts?"
A pair of large, dark eyes seemed to have looked right up into Xiang Wan's forehead, which startled her.
Her spiritual senses quickly receded, and her little apprentice was already lying on his back on her lap, looking at her.
This little brat, instead of sleeping properly, who is he trying to scare in the middle of the night?
"I've already told you, we're not some evil spirits or heretics, so why would we release ghosts to scare people?"
"But the ghost has already gone back."
"What?"
Looking at Tu Hongye's cloth bag, it was already flattened beyond recognition.
"Why did you release that Wang woman?"
“I didn’t put it in. There’s a hole at the bottom of the cloth bag. You made it specially, Master, so that the ghost wouldn’t be able to escape. You even made it bigger.”
Upon careful consideration, Xiang Wan realized that there was indeed such a thing.
Since the original owner couldn't see ghosts, and wanted to find something for his apprentice to do, even if it was just for show, he picked up a rag and tied it into a bag.
I remember Tu Hongye asked him back then, what did the original owner say? Oh, Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, let the ghosts crawl around to learn their lesson, catch them and release them, release them and catch them again, they still have food to eat, and the ghosts won't retaliate, it's a win-win situation.
If Xiang Wan didn't have the original owner's memories, no one would believe that this master and disciple weren't liars.
With a sigh, Xiang Wan said softly, "Never mind, let's sleep a little longer. Someone will probably come looking for us at dawn."
Xiang Wan's guess was correct. After Wang Shi crawled out of the cave, she hesitated whether to tell Xiang Wan and the others. But when she saw that the two of them didn't react, she floated directly towards Ping Datou's place.
To be honest, that old Taoist priest did have some skill, managing to drive Wang out. However, he only managed to get her out by making a bell that gave her a headache while he was casting a spell.
But now that the old Taoist priest was resting, no one dared to stop her. Wang Shi, familiar with the place, went to stay by Ping Datou's bedside again.
If a ghost stays around for too long, the yang energy in a person's body will be eroded by the yin energy, especially at night. Ping Datou was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt a chill on his neck and goosebumps all over his body. He got up and saw the old Taoist priest sleeping soundly in the next room. He thought to himself, "The Taoist priest is still here, so there shouldn't be any ghosts."
After lying down again, he had a dream in which his own mother was sitting at the head of his bed, staring at him without blinking.
Ping Datou broke out in a cold sweat and woke up to find it was already daylight. Yang got up and noticed her husband looked unwell; he was covered in a cold sweat and had dark circles under his eyes—clearly he hadn't slept well. But they had slept together that night; how could her husband be like this?
"Big Head, what's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"Quickly, go and fetch Master Wuxiang! The ghost hasn't left; she's still right next to me!"
This greatly surprised Yang.
I had only heard Ping Datou say that he might have encountered a ghost when he went out, but now that ghosts have entered the house, how can I not panic?
"Big Head, didn't the Taoist priest say he had already driven the ghost away?"
“He’s a fraud. Maybe he’s the one who released the ghost. You go find the Taoist priest, and I’ll get the neighbors to keep an eye on him. We absolutely can’t let him get away.”
The couple went their separate ways, and by the time Xiang Wan was found by Madam Yang, half the morning had already passed.
Since they arrived in the middle of the night, no one saw them. If it weren't for the long wait and some unease, they would probably still be waiting at the temple.
"Fellow Daoist, we meet again."
This time, when Xiang Wan was invited back, Ping Datou dared not neglect her again. He first gave the master and apprentice a hearty meal, and then went to the back hall to see Old Wang, who was surrounded by three neighbors.
After one night, Wang Laodao went from being a figure of honor to being disliked by everyone. Only he himself could understand the bitterness and hardship he had endured.
When he saw Xiang Wan arrive, Old Wang didn't give her a friendly look. He had a sour face and didn't say a word.
After dismissing the guards, Xiang Wan said to the old Taoist priest, "I know you are not without ability, but this ghost is obsessed and this karmic debt needs to be settled to solve the problem once and for all. I wonder if you could lend me a hand and help me to revitalize Taoism?"
What are you going to do?
Xiang Wan pursed her lips and remained silent, keeping everyone in suspense.
Ordinary exorcisms are usually performed at midnight when the yin energy is at its peak. However, Xiang Wan chose two or three in the afternoon, which is the hottest time of day.
She had Ping Datou seal all the windows of the main house with white paper, sprinkled a layer of incense ash on the ground, and then found two or three neighbors to stand in a corner of the house. Among them was the old man Ping, the same old man from the beginning.
At that time, the old man sat in the evening seat, but soon became restless. It was probably because he was stimulated by Wang's yin energy, or perhaps he was just feeling guilty.
Xiang Wan's baggage was spotless. Because she had involved the old Taoist priest, it seemed like he was trying to salvage his reputation. So, he had to lend Xiang Wan whatever he had in his pocket, even if he was unwilling.
Apart from Yang, everyone in the house was a man.
Xiang Wan held the peach wood sword and muttered some incantations, but no one heard her except for Tu Hongye, who was relatively close to her.
The little apprentice was quite good. When she heard her recite the entire Three Character Classic, she didn't even frown. Her serious expression almost made Xiang Wan lose her composure.
The apprentice is better at putting on airs than the master, so Xiang Wan is under a lot of pressure.
After reciting the incantation, Xiang Wan used her peach wood sword to stick up the yellow paper talisman provided by the old Taoist priest. She quickly swung it around the room, then struck it against the compass. The talisman burst into flames upon contact with the air. Xiang Wan took a sip of yellow wine and spat it into the flames, sending the fire directly towards the center of the room.
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