Chapter 159 Cinnabar Exorcism

"Understood!"

With a formal bow, the two maidens standing to the left and right of True Man Leiling immediately brushed aside the gossamer robes draped over their shoulders. One was clad in shimmering purple, the other in radiant crimson.

After taking their leave of True Man Leiling, they departed the Golden Palace and headed toward Fengxi Village to apprehend the target.

Soaring through the air from the Golden Palace, they swooped down like a wisp of purple cloud and a streak of crimson rain. The seekers of the Dao who witnessed this spectacle could not help but cry out, "Immortals! Those are the immortals of Kunlun!"

Crying out in awe, they immediately fell to their knees in prostration.

Old Boundary Ridge.

Deep within the mountain temple of the Mountain Deity.

Daoist Priest Li, Niu Dahuang, and I had already returned to the temple.

The very first thing I did upon returning was to ask my grandfather whether he had managed to track down Weiyang's whereabouts after her rebirth. For even before we departed from the Woman's Dong Village, my grandfather had already initiated his investigation.

Hearing my inquiry now, Grandfather replied, "Child, I have found her!"

"Where is she?" I asked instantly.

"Fengxi Village."

I nodded. By this time, my grandfather's yin form had coalesced to a considerable degree. Although Mother Wang's speed in condensing her yin form with my grandfather's assistance did not quite match his, she had nonetheless achieved remarkable progress.

Once Grandfather told me the exact location of Fengxi Village, I prepared to set off immediately. Since the spirit tablets of Lin Xiaofeng and Bai Ningxiang were approaching the hundred-day mark of incense offerings, Niu Dahuang had to remain in the village, and neither my grandfather nor Mother Wang could leave the Mountain Deity Temple, meaning Niu Dahuang was needed for local duties.

Thus, Daoist Priest Li accompanied me, rushing at top speed toward Fengxi Village.

Fengxi Village lay at the northern foothills of the Funiu Mountains, nestled at the foot of Phoenix Mountain, a subsidiary ridge.

Originally, the mountain here had not been called Phoenix Mountain, but rather something like Chicken Coop Mountain, and Fengxi Village had borne a different name as well. However, because an empress had hailed from the village during the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed accordingly. Legend had it that the young woman had once been a tomboyish figure, dark-skinned and considered quite unattractive. Yet, during the imperial concubine selection, she experienced a bizarre stroke of luck: she tripped and fell, and when she stood back up, her large feet had miraculously shrunk to dainty bound feet, a golden bowl sat upon her head, and golden bricks lay beneath her feet. Overnight, she was transformed into an exquisitely beautiful maiden.

Being a mere legend, the villagers had undoubtedly embellished most of it. When Daoist Priest Li and I arrived at Fengxi Village, we discovered that Cinnabar powder had been scattered along the pathways leading into the village.

Cinnabar was used for warding off evil.

This suggested that something unusual had happened in Fengxi Village.

Daoist Priest Li and I decided to enter the village first to make inquiries and see if we could find any clues regarding Weiyang. Upon entering, we discovered that two different households in the village were holding funerals.

Every household had its doors tightly shut, and the villagers were divided into two groups, busy managing the funeral rites.

Daoist Priest Li's appearance, with his immortal bearing and transcendent aura, was far too conspicuous, so he had changed into plain clothes outside the village. The two of us went to the mourning households to ask around. However, seeing that we were strangers, the villagers paid us little heed, and when we asked if any young and beautiful stranger had recently arrived, they ignored us completely.

Feeling somewhat helpless, Daoist Priest Li and I noticed that at the first funeral household, the ones weeping were elderly people with gray hair rather than young descendants.

Seeing this, we knew immediately that this household was suffering the tragedy of white-haired parents burying a black-haired child.

And so, Daoist Priest Li and I headed to the second household, intending to make inquiries there and try our luck.

Yet, upon reaching the second place, the result of our questioning was much the same. According to the villagers, the deceased at this funeral was also a young person.

Fengxi Village was a picturesque place with pleasant scenery and a serene environment; I had noticed that the elderly residents here enjoyed great longevity. For two robust young people to die on the very same day naturally aroused suspicion.

Daoist Priest Li was far more sensitive to such occurrences. He remarked, "Lin Yi, don't you find the deaths of these two people rather peculiar?"

I nodded, agreeing that something was definitely amiss.

After observing the general situation, I realized the village was not particularly small, and finding Weiyang would take some time. Daoist Priest Li said, "Let us first search for Weiyang's whereabouts; we can resolve this matter along the way."

Daoist Priest Li's words made sense. With Weiyang's situation still hanging in the balance and these bizarre events occurring here, I felt uneasy at heart, and I figured Daoist Priest Li felt the same way.

Next, the two of us searched the entire Fengxi Village. Every door remained shut, and we saw no sign of Weiyang. However, when I had mentioned a young and beautiful woman while making inquiries at the funerals earlier, the villagers had reacted with extreme aversion. Did this imply that the deaths were related to a young, beautiful woman? Moreover, since my grandfather had already ascertained that Weiyang was in Fengxi Village, there should be no mistake.

Could the deceased have some connection to Weiyang?

That was impossible; at least, I refused to believe it.

A small stream, perhaps four or five meters wide with babbling water, flowed past the edge of Fengxi Village. Since we could find nothing in the village, we had no choice but to follow the stream. We failed to find Weiyang, but by the riverside, we spotted an old woman.

Armed with a wooden mallet, the old woman was beating a bundle of hemp with great exertion. I walked over, squatted down, and asked, "Granny, are you a local of Fengxi Village?"

"That I am, young man. You look unfamiliar, not from around here. What brings you to these parts?" she asked, not pausing her pounding. I had seen Mother Wang beat this kind of hemp before; in the old society, it was used to make shoe soles. Nowadays, nobody did that anymore, so it was mostly used to make hemp-soled paper shoes for the elderly—funeral shoes.

Could she perhaps be a shamaness?

I paused for a moment and said, "Indeed, I'm not from this village. I'm just here looking for someone. I was wondering if a stranger has recently come to the village—a woman, quite pretty."

Hearing this, the old woman stopped her mallet, looked up at me, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Who are you people?"

I glanced toward Daoist Priest Li. Although he was not wearing his Daoist robes, those with a discerning eye could still perceive his transcendent, otherworldly demeanor.

I answered, "We are both Daoist priests."

Hearing this, the old woman turned her head to look at Daoist Priest Li once more. A smile graced her features, and she pointed to a nearby rock, gesturing for us to take a seat.

It seemed she really did know something. I sat down, while Daoist Priest Li remained standing.

"Two people died in the village. You've seen that, haven't you?" the old woman asked.

"We saw it. What happened?" I inquired.

"The two who died were named Wu Xiaogang and Chen Ligen. Both were young fellows who inexplicably lost their lives overnight. Just a few days ago, a woman truly did come to the village—just as you described, quite pretty. Chen Ligen's family has a large house, so they took her in. Word has it that Chen Ligen and his wife treated the young woman quite well; Chen Ligen's wife regarded her like a younger sister and even said she would help find her a husband in due time. But the day before yesterday, for reasons unknown, Chen Ligen's wife flew into a rage and drove the woman out of their home.

"With nowhere to go, the woman was taken in yesterday by Wu Xiaogang, a bachelor who lived all by himself. I reckon Wu Xiaogang wanted to make her his wife. Who would have guessed that early this morning, Wu Xiaogang was found dead? His cousin went to invite him for a drink and found him dead in his bedding. Meanwhile, Chen Ligen died as well. Their appearances in death were both horrifying—how should I put it?—they looked as if every drop of life had been drained right out of them.

"Tell me, honored Daoist priests, did you come to the village to rid it of this pestilence?" Having finished her account, the old woman posed this question, her tone carrying both inquiry and entreaty.

Yet, the old woman's words left me somewhat disoriented. Even if the Book of Life and Death had rewritten Weiyang's destiny, I refused to believe she would harm people in such a manner.

There was definitely something fishy about this affair.

Seeing that I remained silent, Daoist Priest Li spoke up, "That is correct. The two of us have come to the village precisely to eradicate this evil!"

"That is wonderful! Otherwise, regarding the deaths of Wu Xiaogang and Chen Ligen... I am merely a shamaness; at most, I can craft hemp-soled paper shoes for them or read incense fortunes. But an evil spirit that harms men—how... how could I possibly keep it in check? Wouldn't you agree?" At this point, the old woman even showed a hint of agitation.

It appeared the troubles in the village had completely stumped her. No wonder she had been by the river, hammering away at the hemp with such intensity; she must have been at her wit's end.

"Granny, have you seen that woman yourself?" I asked.

The old woman nodded and replied, "I've seen her, and I even spoke with her. I asked her where she was from and what her name was, but she didn't know a thing."

Here, the old woman frowned slightly and added, "Since both of you are Daoist masters, you should be able to see that I am a shamaness. I could tell that she is certainly not an evil spirit, but an ordinary person. Moreover, when I saw her, there was no sign that she had been possessed by any malevolent entity. Isn't it the strangest thing? Of all places, the two households that gave her shelter are the ones whose occupants were murdered."

Hearing this, I became certain that the person the old woman had seen was, nine times out of ten, Weiyang. Following her rebirth, Weiyang was like a blank sheet of paper and surely remembered nothing at all. Yet, the baffling question remained: why had Wu Xiaogang and Chen Ligen died? Furthermore, it appeared they had died from having their vital essence sucked dry.

If Weiyang was definitely not the one harming people, then a genuine evil spirit must be lurking in the village.

At that moment, recalling the peddler's final warning, I immediately asked, "Granny, have you seen that woman again today?"

If she hadn't, I feared the evil spirit might have already taken Weiyang away. The thought filled me with anxiety.

However, the shamaness replied, "I haven't seen her today, but I sprinkled cinnabar powder all around every path leading out of the village early this morning. If any evil spirit had left the village, I would certainly know. Since I haven't detected any movement on that front, it means the evil spirit is still inside the village."

So that was it. No wonder there was cinnabar powder scattered along the paths when we entered—it had been scattered by the shamaness.