The situation left her no time to think. After only a few words, the Yin Wind suddenly shifted and surged in strength. The old Thatched Hut in the yard swayed as though it might collapse at any moment.
A wave of intensely unsettling, icy aura poured in.
Li Xinyi's gaze sharpened. Vengeful Spirits survived on a breath of Resentful Qi, and their strength was tied to it. Such overwhelming momentum meant this Vengeful Spirit's resentment ran extremely deep. It might not be easy to deal with!
Li Chu remained utterly unruffled as he looked toward the courtyard gate.
The true master had arrived.
A lone girl appeared there, dressed in a red skirt as bright as blood. Her hair hung loose, completely obscuring her face.
Her frail little figure inspired a touch of pity.
The two stepped into the courtyard, and Li Xinyi warned him once more, "Do not make a move unless I say so."
Li Chu obediently nodded.
Since he was getting paid anyway, he was happy not to act and to learn how a professional exorcised evil.
"Brother killed me."
"Mother killed him."
"Father killed Mother."
"I killed Father."
Though they could not see her mouth move, a child's nursery rhyme still echoed through the wind.
Li Xinyi had fallen for it by accident earlier, but now she guarded her Spiritual Platform tightly and gave it no opening to exploit.
She looked at the Vengeful Spirit before her, her eyes carrying a trace of pity.
The illusion just now had likely been everything she had experienced. This little girl was the greatest victim of all.
But Li Xinyi also knew she absolutely could not go soft.
No matter how pitiful someone was, once they became a Vengeful Spirit, they were no longer pitiful.
Normally, Vengeful Spirits remained where they had died. This little girl's case was slightly unusual. The place of her death was not far away, and all her resentment was concentrated in this courtyard, so she still returned here.
Anyone passing by this place at night in the future might be harmed by her.
Being softhearted toward a Vengeful Spirit was being cruel to even more innocent people.
At that thought, her gaze suddenly turned sharp.
Then a faint question drifted from the wind. "Do you have family?"
The little girl was asking.
Li Xinyi knew this was the Vengeful Spirit choosing whom to take revenge on.
Vengeful Spirits did not kill just anyone.
Like the First Wife from before—her resentment was directed at men, so she only killed men. It seemed this Red-Clad Girl's resentment was directed at family.
One could not lie when answering a Vengeful Spirit's question. She could hear the truest answer in one's heart.
So Li Xinyi shook her head. "No."
She was an orphan and had grown up in her sect. Strictly speaking, her master and fellow disciples could count as family. But in the little girl's understanding, they probably did not count.
The little girl turned toward Li Chu on the other side. "Do you have family?"
Li Chu paused before answering, "In this world... not anymore."
"Oh."
The Red-Clad Girl answered softly and turned away, seemingly about to leave.
The Yin Wind that had howled around them for so long also began to fade.
There was no one here whom her resentment targeted, so she was leaving. It just so happened that neither of them had family. If someone had answered yes, it would probably have been a different scene.
"Don't let her leave!" Li Xinyi cried urgently.
This Vengeful Spirit was already very powerful. If they allowed her to leave unchecked, who knew what trouble she might stir up?
Li Chu also knew a little about resentment. At the Xue residence the other day, he had tried to dissipate the First Wife's Resentful Qi with words.
Though he had failed.
But if the situation were reversed, perhaps it would be simpler.
His thoughts spun like lightning as, based on her question, he guessed how to stir her resentment and keep her here.
So he gathered himself and called gently, "Little sister..."
The Red-Clad Girl ignored him completely and continued walking forward. Her figure gradually faded, on the verge of vanishing.
Then Li Chu said, "Your mother is dead."
Her footsteps stopped, and her figure stiffened.
Seeing that it worked, Li Chu continued, "You are an orphan."
The Yin Wind rose again! Coldness swept over them! The little girl turned around, her red skirt beginning to flap wildly!
Then Li Chu added the final line, "Everyone in your family is dead."
The Quality Triple Combo.
Though it sounded as if he were Spitting Fragrance, he had merely stated the facts calmly.
With a thunderous boom, all the fence rails before the little girl exploded!
Her resentment had been ignited!
Li Xinyi shot Li Chu a glance, unsure whether she should praise him for doing well or blame him for going too far. The Vengeful Spirit had stayed, but she had now entered a complete berserk state!
Fortunately, Li Xinyi had prepared in advance.
As she watched the Red Figure pounce toward them, Li Xinyi formed a sword seal with her fingers and shouted, "Go!"
Whoosh—
An Azure Streamer carrying a Talisman tore through the air and struck the Vengeful Spirit directly!
Bang—
The Vengeful Spirit let out a shrill scream. Her black hair flew wildly, yet her face remained concealed.
After she was struck, a massive Talisman Phantom appeared in midair and stamped itself onto her small body, winding around her like a Spider Web.
What burst from her was not blood, but a dense mass of Black Mist!
"This Talisman is called the Six Jia Seal. It is used to restrict her movements."
Seeing that her strike had landed, Li Xinyi relaxed slightly and explained it to Li Chu.
Then she formed another sword seal. Whoosh—
Bang—
"This Talisman is called the Blazing Sun Flame Talisman. It uses the fire of the sun to scorch ghostly creatures!"
Bang!
"This Talisman is called the Yellow Court Exorcism Talisman. It specializes in dispelling an Evil Ghost's Yin Qi!"
Bang!
"This Talisman is called the Kui Xing Overworld Talisman. It combines Gang Sha Power to crush and kill!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Eighteen Sword Activation Talismans came one after another, like streaks of meteors, battering the Vengeful Spirit in midair until Black Mist continuously erupted from her, nearly engulfing the Red Clothed Ghost Shadow completely.
Li Chu clicked his tongue in amazement, envy rising in his heart.
So gorgeous, so dazzling, so imposing.
She held the ghostly creature in the air and beat it back and forth, blasting out clumps of Black Mist. It was full of visual impact.
Though he did not know why Li Xinyi had not killed the Vengeful Spirit after so long...
She probably had her own reasons.
He had not seen much. Perhaps he simply could not understand.
In truth, Li Xinyi was also muttering to herself. All eighteen Sword Activation Talismans had been used—why was this Vengeful Spirit not dead yet?
An Ordinary Vengeful Spirit might have died three times over by now.
She had set up eighteen Sword Activation Talismans merely to be safe. In reality, she had thought seven or eight would be enough.
The Talismans had been issued by Facing Heaven Pavilion, but the Azure Talisman Sword was a Magic Treasure she had bought herself, and it was not cheap!
Who would have thought she would use them all here?
Even more unexpectedly, the Vengeful Spirit still was not dead!
Thud.
The Sword Activation Talisman Array had finished erupting, and its control duration had ended. The little girl's body fell into the center of the courtyard.
Judging by how weak she was, she was not dead, but she was not far from it.
Only then did Li Xinyi feel relieved.
With a flick of her wrist, dazzling silver light flashed. A Flying Sword gleaming with sword light instantly appeared and hovered before her chest, where she caught it in one hand.
Seeing Li Chu looking at it, she added, "This is a Flying Sword Bracelet. Magical Artifacts that have undergone refinement can be turned into accessories and worn on the body."
"Not bad."
Li Chu voiced his praise for the first time. He genuinely thought it was good. Carrying an Iron Sword on his back every time he went out was actually quite troublesome...
If not for his friendly appearance, a less attractive Daoist carrying a blade would be driven out of many places.
Hearing this, Li Xinyi performed a beautiful sword flourish. As she walked toward the little girl, she said, "This sword is called Autumn Rain Begonia. It is Master Mo's work from Sword Casting City. If not for my master's connections, I could not have bought it even with money."
As she spoke, she reached the Vengeful Spirit.
"Sister! Don't kill me!"
The Red-Clad Girl suddenly crawled up and knelt on the ground, bowing her head deeply as she wept. "I'm so scared. Please, don't kill me, okay... I'll be good..."
Thinking of Xiao Yingying's timid appearance, Li Xinyi's descending sword paused, and a thread of compassion flashed through her heart.
But she quickly suppressed that compassion. The greatest mercy toward a Vengeful Spirit was to let her reincarnate sooner!
Yet it was precisely that instant of hesitation.
The little girl kneeling on the ground suddenly raised her head. The black hair covering her face automatically parted, revealing her features.
Bang!
Li Xinyi's mind was violently shaken.
What kind of face was that?
It was young and tender, yet broken and rotting, like a smashed watermelon. Black veins covered the savage flesh, and some unknown grotesque thing slowly writhed within them. It was terrifying beyond measure!
No!
A flash of alarm surged through Li Xinyi's heart. It was still an Illusion Technique!
Her face was real, but no matter how terrifying it was, Li Xinyi would not be frightened into blanking out.
This was still the Vengeful Spirit's trick!
Li Xinyi bit the tip of her tongue fiercely, forcing herself awake.
But it was already too late.
Smack.
The little girl had already reached out with both hands. Her slender arms instantly transformed into a pair of five-foot-long Azure Ghost Claws, clamping fiercely around Li Xinyi's neck!
Damn it.
In that instant of suffocation, these two words flashed through Li Xinyi's mind. She had still been too careless! She had not expected the Vengeful Spirit, after being battered by eighteen Sword Activation Talismans in succession, to still possess such power.
She struggled desperately, but under these circumstances, she could not mobilize her true qi at all, much less contend with those powerful Ghost Claws. The more she struggled, the farther her feet rose from the ground.
This was not the strength of a newly dead Vengeful Spirit at all. It was more like a ghostly creature that had cultivated for a hundred years!
Just as she thought she was about to die in despair, she suddenly heard a gentle question beside her ear.
"Miss Li, may I make a move now?"
Li Chu stood obediently beneath the eaves, watching the sudden turn of events as Li Xinyi carelessly fell for another trick.
Though Li Xinyi had repeatedly warned him not to act rashly, he felt that if he did not help, this beauty might die in the line of duty.
Out of courtesy, he still asked first.
Her answer contained only two words.
"Save... me..."
"Alright."
Li Chu calmly stepped forward, blandly drew his sword, and blandly struck with it.
If there was any difference from before, it was probably that this time the ghostly creature had someone in her grasp. His strike was therefore gentler, lest he accidentally injure Li Xinyi.
The tragedy of Half River Pavilion could not happen again.
Sshk—
A plain, unadorned sword light swept past.
The Red-Clad Girl might not even have noticed him drawing his sword. The instant the sword light landed upon her, her body began to crumble apart.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished into ashes and smoke.
Before this strike, every strange and sinister trick lost its meaning.
Li Xinyi fell to the ground with a bang, clutching her neck and gasping several times.
The icy, sunken Ghost Handprint on her neck did not affect her thoughts. She quickly turned her head and looked at Li Chu in astonishment.
He was leisurely sheathing his sword, as if he had merely done something insignificant.
She was also a sword cultivator, so she could sense the power of that strike. When that fierce sword qi had swept past her ear, even her soul had trembled involuntarily!
It was strong beyond description.
Trembling, she asked, "What is this sword strike called?"
She felt that such powerful sword qi could never come from an ordinary technique. It might even be some legendary forbidden sword art.
A name?
Li Chu blinked. He had never really considered that.
But seeing the earnest look in Li Xinyi's eyes, he could not refuse to answer. After all, she had just told him the names of each Talisman one by one.
After thinking briefly—
He slowly said, "This sword... is called a basic attack."
Thanks to Feng Weimian for the thousand-point reward.
Before you continue