Destroy the Jiangshi

At this time, a large number of clansmen rushed over. They held torches in their left hands and handfuls of glutinous rice in their right, and nervous expressions appeared on every face without exception.

Wang Changsheng raised a brow and ordered, "Send someone to see what is going on at once. Only strike the Luo to sound the alarm if a Jiangshi has truly appeared."

Wang Qingshan agreed and immediately passed down the order. Several clansmen left after receiving their instructions.

A quarter of an hour later, the clansmen sent to investigate returned.

The result left Wang Changsheng not knowing whether to laugh or cry. It turned out that a clansman named Wang Yousheng had been awakened by the urge to urinate and gone outside to relieve himself. Just then, a garment was blown up by the strong wind and landed on him. Startled, he immediately began shouting, setting off a chain reaction.

Wang Qingshan looked somewhat embarrassed. After all that fuss, it had been a false alarm.

"Alright, alright, everyone go back and rest! Send a clansman to stand guard at Wang Yousheng's home. Hand the copper Luo over to someone else for safekeeping. Only strike the Luo to sound the alarm when you see a Jiangshi next time. Do not strike it lightly," Wang Changsheng instructed solemnly.

"Did you all hear Ninth Uncle? If you have not seen a Jiangshi, you are not allowed to strike the copper Luo indiscriminately. Go home and rest!" Wang Qingshan dismissed the clansmen, and they each returned to their homes.

Wang Changsheng returned to the room and meditated to restore his energy.

Before long, Green Stone Town became peaceful once more.

At the hour of the tiger, the night was deep and still, and most people had entered the land of dreams.

Unable to resist his drowsiness, Wang Qiumao slowly closed his eyes and went to meet the Duke of Zhou.

In one courtyard, Wang Yousheng rushed out of the house, clutching his abdomen with both hands as he sprinted toward the latrine.

The latrine was not far from the courtyard gate. The gate seemed not to have been properly bolted, and as a gust of chilling wind swept in, it blew the gate open.

"Damn it, what rotten luck. First I accidentally struck the Luo, and now my stomach hurts too. Did I step in dog shit yesterday or something?" Wang Yousheng grumbled.

Because he had accidentally struck the Luo, his elders had severely scolded him, while those of his generation mocked him for being timid. It had left him burning with anger.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Youyi, I'm in here. Wait a moment," Wang Yousheng said impatiently.

Boom!

The door was smashed to pieces, and a figure pounced at Wang Yousheng.

Before Wang Yousheng could even react, his shoulders were gripped tightly by the other party. Then, a sharp pain shot through his neck.

He let out a shrill scream and tried to push the other party away, but it was useless.

Before long, Wang Yousheng lost consciousness.

The figure released Wang Yousheng, revealing a pair of sharp fangs. It was none other than Wang Qingyan, who had turned into a Jiangshi.

It turned around and hopped toward the house.

Before long, a scream rang out from inside the house.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a straw mat, his eyes slightly closed.

A crisp ringing of bells suddenly came from outside.

Wang Changsheng had tied several red cords around the vicinity of the house, with bells tied to each cord. As long as someone approached the house, they would trigger the red cords.

An eerie cry rang out, and the door was smashed open. A Jiangshi rushed inside—it was Wang Qingyan.

Wang Changsheng had opened his eyes the moment the bells rang.

Roar!

The Jiangshi gave a low roar and pounced directly at Wang Changsheng, carrying a stench that was nearly unbearable.

Wang Changsheng's expression changed slightly. He grabbed a handful of glutinous rice from the rice pouch tied to his body and scattered it at the Jiangshi.

The glutinous rice struck the Jiangshi's body, immediately producing a burst of green smoke. The Jiangshi let out a miserable cry.

The Jiangshi roared and clawed at Wang Changsheng with both hands.

At this moment, Wang Qiumao had also been frightened awake. Upon seeing the Jiangshi, his face turned deathly pale.

Wang Changsheng raised both hands, and two crystalline Ice Spikes, each about a foot long, shot forth.

The two Ice Spikes struck the Jiangshi, but failed to pierce its body. They shattered, turning into a mass of ice fragments.

Wang Changsheng was somewhat surprised. This Jiangshi's body could actually withstand an intermediate low-grade spell. He wondered whether a Spirit Tool could injure it.

His gaze shifted as he brought out an egg-sized Blue Orb and struck it with a Hand Seal.

After spinning in place, the Blue Orb caused a large amount of blue light to appear out of thin air, forming a Blue Water Wall over a person tall and about two feet thick before him.

Without a second thought, the Jiangshi plunged directly into the Blue Water Wall.

The instant it entered the Blue Water Wall, Wang Changsheng flicked his fingers repeatedly. Five streaks of White Light flew from his hand and vanished into the Blue Water Wall in a flash.

Amid a sizzling sound, the Blue Water Wall froze into a White Ice Wall over a person tall, emitting wisps of white vapor.

The Jiangshi was frozen solid, becoming a massive ice sculpture.

Wang Changsheng flicked all ten fingers repeatedly, sending several Hand Seals into the Blue Orb. A large number of blue motes appeared, turning into a huge water sphere that enveloped the ice sculpture.

Wang Changsheng flicked his fingers repeatedly. Streak after streak of white light shot out and vanished into the water sphere. The sphere rapidly froze, becoming an even larger block of ice.

"Leave this place quickly. I'm going to burn down this house," Wang Changsheng ordered.

He had no fire-element Talismans on him, nor could he cast Fire Spells. He could only freeze the Jiangshi, then burn down the house and use blazing fire to destroy it.

He had long since devised this plan.

The valuables inside had already been moved away, and several water vats filled with water had been prepared in the courtyard in case the fire spread.

Wang Qiumao, his wife, and his concubines hurriedly carried the children and rushed out of the house.

Wang Changsheng took out a firestarter, lit the bedding, and retreated outside.

Before long, the flames grew stronger, soaring into the sky.

The ice melted amid the raging flames, and the Jiangshi broke free. A great wave of fire immediately swallowed its figure.

A shrill roar rang out, and the Jiangshi hurriedly tried to flee outside.

Earth Wall Technique! Wang Changsheng shouted softly. Dazzling Yellow Light appeared around his hands as he pressed them against the ground.

The Yellow Light flashed and vanished into the earth. Two Yellow Earth Walls, each over two zhang tall and more than two feet thick, rose from the ground and blocked the Jiangshi's path.

Wrapped in surging flames, the Jiangshi burned into ash.

By the time Wang Qingshan and Wang Qiusheng rushed over after receiving the news, the entire house had burned down. Because protective measures had been prepared beforehand, the fire had not spread.

When Wang Changsheng felt the time was right, he cast the Water Condensation Rain Spell and extinguished the flames.

"Qingshan, send people to investigate whether any clansmen were harmed. If there are victims, burn the corpses immediately."

"Yes, Ninth Uncle. I'll make the arrangements at once." Wang Qingshan nodded in agreement.

Less than half an hour later, the report came in. Two clansmen had been killed, one of them Wang Yousheng, who had died in the latrine. Both corpses had been burned immediately.

By then, dawn was approaching. After giving a few instructions, Wang Changsheng returned to the room Wang Qingshan had arranged for him and meditated to regulate his breath.

Come to think of it, if he had eight or ten Fireball Talismans on hand, he could probably have destroyed that Jiangshi in a single exchange. Unfortunately, he was too poor.

What puzzled Wang Changsheng was that he had sent a carrier pigeon to the Lineage that morning. Why had the Lineage still not sent anyone by evening? Could they not have received his message?

Wang Changsheng thought about it for a while, but truly could not figure out the reason. So he simply stopped thinking about it and closed his eyes to rest.