The old man's calm words struck me like a thunderclap.
Suddenly, I realized that I had overlooked something.
When my master told me about this, he said that a friend of his had asked him to do it.
Looking back now, someone like my master could not possibly have had ordinary friends.
I cupped my hands in greeting and said to the old man, "So you are also a master. I was being presumptuous."
The old man tapped his pipe and said in a muffled voice:
"I wouldn't presume to call myself a master; I merely possess some discernment. However, I was still mistaken!"
The old man paused, then turned his gaze to Li Huai and continued in a hoarse voice, "I thought you would be in a sorry state after getting through this, and that this guy named Li Huai might even die there. I didn't expect that you all would escape."
Hearing this, Li Huai became somewhat angry and pointed at his nose, asking:
"Since you think I might die, why don't you make a move?"
The old man shook his head and said solemnly:
"You overestimate me. I just have a pair of yin-yang eyes. I don't know how to set up formations, so I can't deal with those demons and monsters."
"Uncle Ge, don't be modest. Although some people are born with the ability to see ghosts, to live to such an old age with such an ability is definitely a lie."
I stared straight into the old man's eyes and said firmly.
Seeing my certainty, the old man sighed deeply and said with a touch of melancholy:
“Alas, now that things have come to this, I will not hide it from you anymore. In fact, I was also a Taoist priest when I was young. I followed your master and was his little follower for a while.”
Hearing this, I was somewhat incredulous and looked at him in surprise.
This old man looks to be in his sixties or seventies, while my master is only in his forties or fifties. He even served as my master's follower.
Seeing my surprised expression, he seemed to guess what I was surprised about and explained:
"You might think I'm much older, but I'm actually only in my forties. It's just that I've been affected by some evil magic, which makes me look so old."
Hearing this, Luo Tianhe, who had been silently listening to our conversation, couldn't help but look up at me.
He knew that I had faced that situation before.
But I don't understand why Liu Sandao taught me how to go from old to young.
Logically speaking, a prestigious sect like Master Shi should be much more reliable than him, so how could he not cure his illness?
I didn't keep my confusion to myself; instead, I asked him directly.
After I recounted my journey of aging and how I became younger, he exhaled a long puff of smoke before saying calmly:
“It’s different. Your situation was very different from mine when you got old. I got old because I lost my lifespan.”
Lost your lifespan?
In that case, it seems there really is no other way besides those evil and crooked methods that can plunder one's lifespan.
No wonder this old man lives in seclusion in the mountains.
"Alright, alright, stop talking about me, I'm used to it. But you guys, you've seen this evil spirit too, are you confident you can take her down?"
A flicker of pain crossed the old man's eyes as he changed the subject, indicating that he didn't want to discuss the topic either.
I gave a wry smile:
"I did manage to deal with the seventeen hanged ghosts, but I'm not entirely confident about dealing with that evil spirit."
After a pause, I added:
"At least with my level of cultivation, even if I had ample time to prepare and set up the formation, it would be difficult to eliminate that evil rice dumpling! It seems that I can only rely on the rice dumpling-giving ceremony to be held tomorrow night."
The old man nodded, his expression softening slightly.
"This kind of ritual, passed down from generation to generation, naturally has its reasons. I will also participate in the ceremony of sending away the zongzi tomorrow, hoping to send away this evil spirit and never return, so that no one in the village will die again."
At this point, Li Huai suddenly couldn't help but ask:
"Uncle Ge, are you also someone born on May 5th with an extremely unlucky destiny?"
No wonder he asked that question; the old man always seemed to be targeting him, as if it were perfectly normal for him to die at any moment, given his fate.
But this old man didn't seem like such a mean person.
Unless he has an extremely deep understanding of this kind of fate, or even if he himself has this kind of fate and has experienced countless crises in his youth.
Hearing Li Huai's question, the old man glanced at him sideways and said irritably:
"That's right, I was born on May 5th."
I nodded in understanding. No wonder Uncle Ge was all alone and never married.
So that's the reason. He was afraid that if he got married, he would also bring misfortune to his wife and cause her to die.
"Since you, Uncle Ge, also have this kind of fate, I'm a little confused. Brother Yan clearly said that my fate is extremely strong, and that I would kill a normal person, so why do you always feel that I might die at any moment?"
Li Huai looked puzzled.
The old man had finished smoking the pipe that was dangling from his mouth.
He took off his pipe, stuffed some more tobacco into it, lit it, took a satisfying puff, and then answered Li Huai's question.
"You said it yourself, the only people you can bring death to are ordinary people. When you're with ordinary people, you naturally seem to have an extremely strong life."
"But if you follow a skilled cobbler like Chen Yan, the demons and monsters you encounter will all be extremely powerful. You're full of yin energy, but you don't have the ability to counteract it, so of course you'll die easily!"
Hearing this, Li Huai finally understood.
No wonder he went with me to various places to catch ghosts before, and his life was on the line several times.
He wore a bitter expression, but didn't regret his choice.
After all, I saved his life.
Li Huai may not say it, but he knows it in his heart and has always wanted to repay my kindness.
So even if I were to face a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, he would come with me without hesitation.
"Now you understand, that's why I can live a peaceful and secluded life in this small mountain village."
The old man glanced at Li Huai, then continued:
"But when faced with such a powerful and cunning evil spirit, I dare not get involved at all. I can only ask Master Li Qingxiao for help, because if I get involved, I might become a hanged ghost before you even arrive!"
After hearing what the old man had to say, Li Huai and Luo Tianhe both felt relieved about his previous indifference.
This old man must have had a very difficult youth.
According to his theory, he must have suffered a lot when he followed Master Zhang Qingxiao in his youth.
Now that he's in his forties, he looks this old.
If it were them, they might do the same thing as him.
If you can stay out of other people's business, then just stand by and do nothing.
But the old man couldn't resist and insisted on joining us for tomorrow's rice dumpling-giving ceremony.
He wanted to personally send away the evil spirits that were plaguing the village.
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