Liu Zhuang Xian

“Brother Wuxi, if you don’t let me go see, I’ll make a fuss all night! Let me go! Let me go! I’ve never seen real exorcism and demon subduing before!”

He tossed and turned under the blanket, making the bed creak and groan, but he couldn’t get up because of the bamboo branch pressing on him.

Suddenly, the bamboo branch lifted.

Lu Xiaochan sat up abruptly. “Brother Wuxi, are you letting me go watch the excitement?”

“If you go, don’t regret it.”

“What would I have to regret?” Lu Xiaochan put on his shoes and socks, only realizing they were on the wrong feet after he stood up.

He was too lazy to switch them, and was about to run towards the door when Shu Wuxi blocked him with the bamboo branch.

“Put your shoes on properly.”

“Sigh…” Lu Xiaochan had to take off his shoes and switch them to the correct feet.

By this time, almost all the villagers from the town had gathered at Wusi Winery carrying torches.

The crowd was three layers deep inside and out, and Lu Xiaochan couldn’t squeeze through at all.

But he relied on listening, not seeing, anyway.

The Chen family had sent servants to assist the Immortal Lord.

The Immortal Lord wore a graceful and elegant long robe, stroked his beard, and pointed to the entrance.

The Chen family’s servants immediately tore down the tavern’s dilapidated door.

At that moment, the villagers gasped in unison and involuntarily stepped back, almost stepping on Lu Xiaochan’s feet.

Shu Wuxi said, “Are you holding on tight?”

Lu Xiaochan nodded: “I’ve been holding onto the bamboo branch…”

Before he could finish speaking, he felt his body lighten, heard the sound of tiles under his feet, and Shu Wuxi had already brought him to the roof opposite the tavern.

“Wow… this is really the best spot to watch the excitement!”

Lu Xiaochan sat down, resting his chin on his hands.

His brows furrowed as he closed his eyes and sniffed hard.

“Why do I smell… the scent of blood?”

Inside the tavern, Hu Tu had already been beheaded. His body was chopped into eight pieces, internal organs scattered everywhere, blood flowing like a river, too gruesome to look at.

And Wang Dayong was actually crawling on the ground, like a wild beast, gnawing on Hu Tu’s corpse.

Ren Erniang had fallen by the windowsill, originally trying to crawl out, but her arm had been chopped by a cleaver. She had already fainted, either from excessive blood loss or from terror.

On the ground, Wang Dayong’s shadow, with fang-like projections, wavered with the light of the villagers’ torches, as if it might surge up from the ground at any moment and tear everyone present to pieces.

The faint-hearted had already thrown down their torches and run away.

Only the innkeeper remained at the front, unwilling to see his tavern destroyed like this. He shouted. “Please, Immortal Lord, quickly exorcise and subdue this evil spirit!”

The commoners behind him also joined in the plea.

“Immortal Lord, our Lushu Town has been peaceful for decades! We can’t let it be ruined like this!”

“We can’t allow this evil spirit to run wild in our Lushu Town!”

“We beg the Immortal Lord to use his magic! Immortal Lord, save us!”

Sitting up high, Lu Xiaochan also felt puzzled.

“I’ve grown up here since I was little… We’ve never had evil spirits visit our Lushu Town before!”

“That’s because Lushu Town originally had a great warding spell against evil, preventing evil spirits from invading,” Shu Wuxi answered.

“What? A great warding spell? Where? Where?”

“The Huijue cliff to the east of the formation, the Handan River to the west, the Xuyu Forest to the south, the Hukou to the north, along with the hundred-year-old locust tree in the center of the formation, when connected, form the great exorcism spell of the medical path – the Tailing Qingyuan Spell.”

Lu Xiaochan had heard from the old beggar that there were many cultivation sects in the world, each with different ways, including different methods of exorcising evil spirits.

The Buddhist path excelled in Sanskrit, the Sword Master of the Xuan Sect used sword formations, while only one sect had truly succeeded in the medical path, that was the Tailing Pavilion. If their disciples encountered evil spirits, they would use spells.

Lu Xiaochan slapped his thigh. “Oh no! That fake Immortal Lord gave bad advice! He told the Chen family to cut down the old locust tree! They made it into coffin boards!”

“So the great exorcism spell has already been broken. For those hungry evil spirits, Lushu Town is now a grand feast.”

Lu Xiaochan paused. “Does this mean… from now on, Lushu Town will never be peaceful again?”

“Without evil thoughts and improper desires, there’s no reason for evil spirits to invade.”

Shu Wuxi’s meaning was clear: you reap what you sow. Don’t blame others.

The Immortal Lord stood at the tavern door, his scalp tingling.

He could see at a glance that the evil spirit possessing Wang Dayong was extremely fierce.

Wang Dayong had been poisoned by his wife and her lover, his hatred and anger were sky-high, and now the power of the evil spirit “Chongyuan” was very strong.

He stepped back, turned his head to see the villagers surrounding him with torches, countless eyes staring at him, demanding he drive away this evil spirit.

If he fled now, the angry villagers would likely beat him to death.

He had no choice but to try his best.

“What evil spirit dares to cause trouble here! Quickly state your name!”

The Immortal Lord shouted, mustering his courage.

Lu Xiaochan almost choked on his own saliva.

“Are there any evil spirits that would introduce themselves? Isn’t it up to you cultivators to identify what it is?”

Wang Dayong, who had been feasting, suddenly stood up straight, wiped the saliva from his mouth, his murky eyes suddenly turning black, a ferocious smile appearing on his face.

He walked step by step towards the Immortal Lord, while the Immortal Lord retreated step by step.

“Hee hee hee… Does the Immortal Lord know what I eat?”

The voice speaking now was no longer Wang Dayong’s rough voice, but a sharp and distorted one.

“Before Hu Tu was killed by the possessed Wang Dayong, he must have been full of resentment towards Wang Dayong who killed him, and Ren Erniang,” Shu Wuxi spoke. He seemed like a complete outsider, if Lu Xiaochan hadn’t wanted to watch the commotion, he probably wouldn’t have even bothered to speak.

“So… so the evil spirit consumed Hu Tu’s resentment and became even stronger?”

“Mm.”

Lu Xiaochan’s heart sank. He suddenly thought, if the evil spirit told all the villagers that the Immortal Lord was a fake, and killed one or two villagers to prove that the Immortal Lord had no ability to subdue evil spirits, the others would surely be filled with resentment towards this Immortal Lord!

Then if the evil spirit slaughtered Lushu Town…

It would be a real feast!

Lu Xiaochan wanted to tug at Shu Wuxi’s sleeve. Shu Wuxi clearly didn’t take this evil spirit seriously, if he intervened, the evil spirit would be unable to cause trouble.

“You… are you just going to watch it become more and more arrogant?”

“Since you enjoy watching the commotion, let it become more and more lively.” Shu Wuxi remained unmoved.

He didn’t care about the life and death of all things.

As Lu Xiaochan had anticipated, “Chongyuan” spread its hands and walked towards the group of villagers in the flickering firelight.

“Do you know – that this Immortal Lord is a fake?”

The villagers were stunned.

“Do you know, it’s precisely because he told the Chen family to cut down the old locust tree that had accumulated three hundred years of essence, breaking your town’s great exorcism spell, that I was able to come in?”

Wang Dayong’s head tilted at a twisted angle, the muscles in his neck looking as if they might snap, his expression eerie and ferocious, his mouth almost split to his ears, his teeth stained with blood.

The Immortal Lord’s shoulders trembled, and he was about to flee, but was blocked by the villagers.

“Immortal Lord! Draw your sword! How can you let this evil spirit be so arrogant!”

At this moment, “Chongyuan” was licking its blood-stained hands, about to kill villagers to provoke resentment!

Lu Xiaochan was so nervous he was about to stand up.

“Wouldn’t it be better if they all died?” Shu Wuxi spoke.

“What did you say?”

“Even if it’s spoiled food, they’d rather throw it away than give it to you. Don’t you hate them?”

“I’m blind, I can’t work, so I have no harvest. It’s normal for people to dislike me and not give me food!”

“That butcher beat you in the street, almost killing you, and not one person pleaded for you. Don’t you hate them?”

“I normally have no interaction with them, we have no relationship, so it’s normal for them not to interfere in my business.”

“Though they have plenty, they make you give away what little you have to fulfill their sense of kindness. Don’t you hate that?”

“Ah, if one doesn’t look out for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them…”

“If that’s the case, just watch obediently.” Shu Wuxi raised his bamboo branch and pushed Lu Xiaochan, who had stood up, back down.

What Lu Xiaochan truly couldn’t bear was seeing Lushu, where he grew up, become a dead town after being ravaged by evil spirits.

“Don’t worry, listen.” Shu Wuxi said.

Lu Xiaochan furrowed his brow, seemingly hearing the sound of tides surging from far away.

In the night sky, a figure came riding a sword.

“Is… is that Jiang Wuchao?”

The Minglan sword pierced through the heavy night, stabbing straight towards “Chongyuan”.

“Chongyuan” was holding a villager’s neck, about to twist it off barehanded.

The tip of the Minglan sword flashed with spiritual light, a sword formation opened up, and “Chongyuan” dropped the villager, letting out a roar. Hatred and resentment burst from its mouth, blocking the sword formation.

Jiang Wuchao urged on the Minglan sword, instantly forming three great formations.

The surrounding air currents were like boiling water, the tiles under Lu Xiaochan trembled, making crackling sounds.

The sand and stones on the ground seemed to be attracted by the three great formations, colliding with each other, making rustling sounds.

The torches in the villagers’ hands crackled and popped.

These sounds gradually merged into one.

“It’s the ‘Spirit Roar’ formation. He must be Ling Niangwu’s disciple.”

Lu Xiaochan got excited upon hearing this. “You know Ling Niangwu too? I heard he has 1,300 years of cultivation…”

“Even with 1,300 years, he’s only at the ‘Borrowing Power’ realm.”

Shu Wuxi’s voice was indifferent, even Ling Niangwu was nothing special in his eyes.

Lu Xiaochan couldn’t help but wonder just how powerful Shu Wuxi really was.