The Terror of Torn Clothes and the Obsession of Hundreds of Ghosts (Continued)
The moment the black energy swept over, Xiuxiu instinctively held the peach wood sword across her body. The faint red light on the blade suddenly surged, blocking everyone like a burning wall of fire. But this barrier was nothing but a piece of thin paper before the violent resentment of the White-robed Ghost. With a "swish", the red light shattered, and Xiuxiu was blown away by the blast, slamming heavily against the mottled wooden pillars of the theater. A mouthful of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, staining his chest.
"Xiu Xiu!" Lin Shen's eyes were bloodshot. He struggled mightily to break free from the vines, but the black tentacles seemed alive, tightening their grip. Sharp barbs had already pierced his trouser legs and dug deep into his flesh, sending a piercing chill through the wounds into his very bones. He could clearly feel his strength draining away along with his body temperature. The old wound in his chest ached intensely, and every breath felt like swallowing a handful of broken glass.
Chen Ba reacted the fastest. She grabbed the bronze compass fragments from her backpack, pressed three pieces of talisman paper on the fragments, and quickly ran her fingertips across the talisman paper while chanting an obscure spell: "The Mysterious Sect of Heaven and Earth, the Origin of All Qi! Command!" The talisman paper instantly ignited with a faint blue flame. She threw the fragments toward the dry well. The flame drew an arc in the air and landed in the place where the black air was the thickest, making a "sizzling" sound. The black air retreated a few inches in an instant like burning grease.
"Quick! Use your Yang Qi to suppress her resentment!" Chen Ba shouted, pulling a handful of sticky rice from his backpack and throwing it in the direction of the White-Robed Ghost. The sticky rice landed on the hem of the White-Robed Ghost's skirt, immediately sending up puffs of white smoke. She let out a shrill scream, her figure swaying violently in the black air. However, this brief suppression was only a drop in the bucket. New black air continuously poured out of the dry well, quickly overcoming the effect of the sticky rice. The White-Robed Ghost's laughter rang out again, carrying a bone-chilling chill: "It's useless! Buried in this well is a century of my resentment. Your tricks can't hurt me at all!"
Li Ye dragged his injured back, thrusting his broken trekking pole into the ground, and propped himself up. He pulled a handful of glow sticks from his pocket, snapped them, and threw them toward the crowd: "Catch them! Shine the light on her! Evil creatures are afraid of bright light!" The glow sticks landed on the ground, emitting a dazzling green light, illuminating the surrounding area shrouded in black energy. As expected, the white-clothed ghost's figure became noticeably more transparent under the green light, and the vines wrapped around Lin Shen's legs loosened slightly.
Lin Munan immediately seized the opportunity. He pulled out a flashlight from his backpack, switched it to the strongest setting, and shone it directly at the face of the ghost in white. The light beam penetrated the black air and shone on her drooping hair. Her face hidden behind the hair could be vaguely seen - a face so pale that it was devoid of blood, with deep eye sockets and dark purple lips. However, the corners of her mouth were stretched into a strange arc, as if she was laughing, but also as if she was crying. "Don't look at me like that!" The ghost in white screamed, waving her hand and sending out a black air. The flashlight was instantly enveloped by the black air, and with a "snap" sound, it shattered into several pieces.
Meng Yao was trembling with fear. She huddled in a corner, her hands clutching her head. But seeing Lin Shen and Xiu Xiu struggling to resist, she gritted her teeth and pulled a small sachet from her backpack. It was a peace charm her grandmother had asked her for before she left, filled with dried mugwort and cinnabar. Trembling, she tossed the sachet toward Lin Shen, "Brother Lin Shen! Use this! Grandma said it can ward off evil spirits!"
The sachet landed next to Lin Shen's hand. He immediately reached out and grabbed it, yanking the knot open and spreading the mugwort and cinnabar inside onto the vines. The cinnabar landed on the vines like a hot iron, and the vines instantly made a "sizzling" sound and quickly shrank back. Lin Shen finally broke free. He staggered to his feet, picked up the dagger on the ground, and rushed towards the white-clothed ghost: "A Xiu! Wake up! The person who hurt you a hundred years ago is gone. If you continue like this, you will only be consumed by resentment and will never be free!"
"Liberation?" The ghost in white stopped attacking. She looked down at her pale hands, with a hint of confusion in her voice, but it was soon replaced by madness. "I don't need liberation! Those people killed me, stole my purse, and made me stay in this dry well for a hundred years. Why should I be liberated? I want everyone who sets foot in Qingwu Town to go to hell with me!" As she spoke, she waved her hand again and threw out countless vines. This time, the vines were wrapped in black mist, looking even more sinister.
Xiuxiu struggled to her feet, clutching her chest. The red light from the peachwood sword, though faint, remained blazing. She looked at the white-robed ghost, eyes filled with pity. "Sister Xiu, your plight is pitiful, but you can't vent your anger on innocent people. We promised to bury your purse by the dry well, and we will do it. As long as you're willing to let go of your resentment, we can help you transcend and be reborn soon, allowing you to start anew."
"Start over?" There was a hint of trembling in Bai Yigui's voice. She looked at Xiu Xiu with complicated eyes, "Can I start over? I have been entangled in resentment for a hundred years. My hands are stained with blood, and my heart has long been filled with hatred..." Her voice became lower and lower, and the black energy on her body began to shake slightly, as if she was struggling.
At this moment, a strange noise suddenly emanated from the dry well, as if something was wriggling at the bottom. Immediately afterwards, a dark shadow shot out from the well, so fast that its outline was indistinct. It flew towards Bai Yigui's back and instantly penetrated her body. Bai Yigui's body suddenly stiffened, and her originally confused eyes instantly turned cold. She turned her head and looked at everyone, a strange smile on her lips: "Do you think that with just a few words from you, you can make me let go of my resentment? You are so naive... Today, none of you will leave!"
Lin Shen's heart sank. He immediately realized that the black shadow that had previously controlled the White-Robed Ghost had actually been hiding in the dry well! No wonder the White-Robed Ghost's resentment had suddenly become so strong; it turned out that she was being controlled by the black shadow. He gripped his dagger tightly and said to everyone, "Everyone, be careful! The black shadow is inside her. We must find a way to force it out first!"
Chen Ba nodded. She took out the bronze compass fragment again, stuck all the talisman papers on the fragment, and handed it to Su Wan: "Su Wan, chant the spell with me, use the power of the compass fragment to force out the black shadow!" Su Wan nodded immediately. She took half of the fragment, stood on both sides with Chen Ba, and began to chant the spell.
Two dark blue flames ignited from the debris and flew towards the White-Robed Ghost. They merged in mid-air to form a circular barrier, trapping the White-Robed Ghost inside. The barrier shimmered with golden runes, and its area was constantly shrinking. The White-Robed Ghost struggled frantically within the barrier, screaming and slinging countless vines in an attempt to break through. However, every time a vine touched the barrier, it was burned by the flames and quickly retracted.
"Hurry! Now's the time!" Lin Shen yelled. He, Li Ye, and Lin Munan rushed towards the White-robed Ghost, stabbing the shadow on her body with their daggers and hiking poles. The shadow seemed to sense the danger and struggled violently inside the White-robed Ghost's body, trying to escape, but the barrier held it tightly, preventing it from moving.
The body of the white-clothed ghost began to tremble violently. She looked at Lin Shen, and a trace of clarity flashed in her eyes: "Save me... Save me quickly... The black shadow is controlling me..." Her voice became weaker and weaker, and the black energy on her body began to slowly dissipate.
Lin Shen's heart moved. He immediately stopped his attack, took out the purse embroidered with mandarin ducks from his pocket, and handed it to the white-clothed ghost: "A Xiu, look, this is your purse. We brought it to you. As long as you can break free from the control of the black shadow, we will bury the purse by the dry well and let it stay with you."
The pouch's appearance was like a ray of light, illuminating the White-Robed Ghost's eyes. She reached out, attempting to grasp the pouch, but the shadow launched a final struggle, controlling the White-Robed Ghost's body and lunging at Lin Shen, attempting to snatch the pouch. Lin Shen was prepared. He dodged sideways, tossing the pouch to Xiu Xiu, then turned and stabbed the White-Robed Ghost in the back—the dagger, coated in cinnabar, pierced the White-Robed Ghost's body with a sizzling sound.
"Ah!" The black shadow let out a shrill cry and leaped out of the white-clothed ghost's body, attempting to escape towards the dry well. Chen Ba and Su Wan immediately increased the power of the spell, and the barrier instantly contracted, trapping the black shadow inside. The dark blue flames continuously burned the black shadow, and the shadow twisted in pain within the flames, quickly becoming fainter and fainter, eventually dissipating into a wisp of black smoke.
After the shadow vanished, the white-clothed ghost slumped to the ground, the dark energy completely dissipating. She lay on the ground, breathing weakly, her face still pale, though with a hint of color. Xiuxiu immediately ran over, placed the purse in her hand, and whispered, "Sister Xiu, we've eliminated the shadow. You're safe now."
The ghost in white opened her eyes and looked at the purse in her hand. Tears welled up in her eyes. She slowly sat up, looking at the dry well, her voice choking with sobs, "It's been a hundred years... I've finally escaped it..." She turned her head and looked at the crowd, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you... If it weren't for you, I might have been controlled by the shadow forever, living in resentment forever."
Lin Shen breathed a sigh of relief. He walked over to the white-robed ghost and whispered, "We promised to help you bury the purse by the dry well, and we'll do it for you now."
The white-robed ghost nodded, holding the purse, and slowly walked to the dry well. Lin Shen picked up a dagger, dug a small hole beside the dry well, gently placed the purse in it, and then covered it with soil. The white-robed ghost knelt on the ground and bowed deeply to the small mound of earth. Tears fell from her eyes again, but this time, it was not resentment, but relief.
"Okay," the ghost in white stood up, looked at everyone, and a smile appeared on her face. "My wish has been fulfilled, and it's time for me to go." Her body began to slowly become transparent, as if it was about to disappear into the air.
Xiuxiu looked at her, her eyes full of reluctance: "Sister Xiu, where are you going?"
"Go where I should go," the white-clothed woman said with a strange smile, "Only by letting go of resentment can I truly be liberated and be reborn. Thank you for making me understand that hatred can't solve any problems, it will only make myself more painful." After she finished speaking, her body completely turned into a ray of white light and disappeared into the air.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the White-Robed Ghost disappeared. Lin Shen looked at the small mound beside the dry well and said softly, "We've finally solved one problem. However, the crisis in Qingwu Town isn't over yet. That shadow is just one of the problems. We still need to be careful."
Everyone nodded. Although they had experienced a dangerous battle, everyone was injured and exhausted, but their eyes remained determined. They knew that the road ahead would be even more difficult, but as long as they united together, they would be able to overcome all difficulties, find the secret of Qingwu Town, and leave here safely.
The sun slowly rose, its golden rays casting a shadow across the cobblestone streets of Qingwu Town, dispelling the night's chill. Everyone packed up their belongings and headed towards their next destination, their figures stretched long in the sunlight. With unwavering faith, they continued on their journey to overcome their suffering.
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