Drawing Talismans

She chased it for a long way, until the fierce ghost's aura vanished.

Bai Yujun stood on the town street, puzzled. How could such an obvious fierce ghost disappear without a trace? Every fierce ghost was formed from someone who had died with immense resentment and refused to enter the underworld. Fine if she could not sense it—but why was there no reaction from the compass either? No matter where a fierce ghost went, it carried an aura of terror with it. It could not simply vanish.

Unfortunately, she had not properly studied spells back on the mountain. All she could do now was flip through manuals at the last minute.

Someone!

Under the moonlit night, a person approached from the far end of the street. Looking at him, Bai Yujun found him somewhat familiar. He seemed to be the black-clad man she had encountered during the day.

Sure enough, she sensed a cold, gloomy aura that made a snake uncomfortable. The man glanced at Bai Yujun, then lowered his head and hurried away.

Bai Yujun ignored him. If she had guessed correctly, that black-clad man was either a Rogue Cultivator or a disciple from some sect traveling abroad. She had no intention of clashing with him.

After searching for a long time without finding any clues, she had no choice but to return to the ruined house.

Early the next morning.

With her Book Box on her back and a weapon at her waist, Bai Yujun arrived at the wealthy household that had been ravaged by the fierce ghost.

The maids and servants had long since fled with whatever valuables they could carry. The nearby wealthy families who had intended to profit from the disaster did not dare come to seize the dead family's estate. Who knew whether that would draw the fierce ghost to them? News of the haunting last night had spread wildly through town, and with Limbs and Amputations strewn all over the courtyard, who would dare approach?

Still, it was no good to simply leave that pile of corpses lying in the yard. Whenever the wind blew, the stench rushed up their noses and made their brains ache.

After discussing it, several local gentry simply hired a few old bachelors to gather the bodies and throw them into the mass grave. The reward was a sack of grain and a piece of meat. No one specified how large the meat would be, but quite a few old bachelors were willing to take the job.

In ancient times, old bachelors were called widowers—men with no family, no property, no wife, no children, the sort who could fill their own stomachs and have no one else to worry about. With no descendants or family standing to burden them, they dared do anything. Hearing that there was grain to take and meat to eat, a group of widowers immediately came running to work. They were not afraid at all. Carrying dustpans, they shoveled up all the Limbs and Amputations, bits of flesh, and whatever else in one sweep, stuffed them into sacks, tossed them onto carts, hauled them to the mass grave, and casually dumped them there.

Bai Yujun arrived just as the widowers were shoveling up the minced flesh, working with great enthusiasm.

To a fierce snake, mere scraps of flesh and corpses were nothing frightening. She picked a clean spot in the courtyard to step on and entered to inspect the place.

When the laboring men saw a beautiful woman arrive, they immediately stared hard. Yet they did not dare go too far. That Daoist robe was not something to provoke, so they could only feast their eyes.

She had not come to this courtyard to idle about. She pulled several yellow Paper Talismans from her Book Box, examined the layout of the buildings, and pasted talismans onto the pillars beside the main hall entrance. Then she placed talismans on the surrounding walls and side rooms as well.

The workers whispered among themselves.

"What's that pretty little Daoist Young Lady doing?"

"Maybe she's putting up talismans to catch ghosts. But why hasn't she even set up a ritual altar or Altar Table? I remember Immortal Zhang needing to prepare all sorts of things before performing a rite."

"Keep it down. She's an immortal maiden from an immortal mountain. Even the officials have to treat people like her with great respect."

Bai Yujun could not be bothered to listen to their nonsense. She simply went on placing talismans at key locations.

Those slain by a fierce ghost could easily turn into evil ghosts themselves. She would first put up the talismans to prevent trouble when their souls returned on the seventh day. She had not received many talismans when leaving the mountain and did not dare waste too many. She considered finding someone to teach her how to draw talismans once she had the time.

Thinking of drawing talismans, she looked at the patterns on the Paper Talismans in her hand. They seemed... not very complicated.

Drawing talismans required cinnabar, which Bai Yujun did not have. Nor was there any in this wiped-out family's storeroom. She could only settle for soot ink instead. She casually took a brush from the household study. Whether it worked or not, she would draw them first—just practice for her brushwork.

The workers in the courtyard watched as the young lady carried soot ink and a brush to the main gate.

The brush was enormous, the sort used for practicing calligraphy. Ghosts knew why some rustic country nouveau riche had such a thing displayed in his home; it was probably more likely meant as decoration. Still, it was convenient for Bai Yujun to draw talismans with. Carrying a large bowl of soot ink to the gate, she silently dipped the brush in ink and drew talismans under the watchful eyes of many townsfolk...

Both gate doors were covered in enlarged Talisman Seals. The townspeople surged forward, begging her to bestow talismans upon them to take home and keep their families safe. Bai Yujun immediately slipped away like oil under her feet, pondering as she walked.

"Talismans drawn by a snake demon... should work, right?"

Whether the talismans worked or not, something happened in town again that very night.

Another gentry household was massacred. Some maids and servants had survived in the wealthy household from the previous day, but this family was completely dead. Even the big guard dog had had its internal organs torn out!

Word spread wildly through town that the fierce ghost was killing people.

After noon had passed, the town's gentry, wealthy households, and landlords all fled without a trace. Anyone could see that both killings had targeted rich families. If they did not run, their own homes might be next. Those with relatives went to seek shelter with relatives, while the rest simply ran for their lives. This did, however, leave several large houses and a small amount of grain for the surrounding Refugees.

Bai Yujun felt that the fierce ghost was truly giving this snake no face at all. It was outrageous.

Night fell once more. Bai Yujun stood on high ground with her weapon in hand, sweeping her gaze across the area. The town was especially quiet tonight. Those who could not escape huddled trembling beneath their blankets, praying to gods and immortals. Of the talismans she had pasted at the first wealthy household that had been exterminated, two had been stolen by someone—probably to ward off evil at home.

Sitting on a rooftop, she took out a piece of smoked meat and stuffed it into her mouth. As always, she did not even chew before swallowing it whole.

Time crawled by, and many people could no longer endure their exhaustion, falling into deep sleep.

Bai Yujun did not blink.

Suddenly, the compass moved! The needle trembled for a moment, then abruptly pointed in one direction. Bai Yujun seized her weapon, used her lightness skill, and raced toward where the needle pointed.

A figure floated in the air in the distance. It was the fierce ghost with disheveled hair—but tonight, its clothes had turned red...

Only upon closer inspection did she realize the fierce ghost was male. Earlier, seeing its hair hanging loose, she had thought it was a female ghost. Its face was grayish white, its eyes like those of a dead fish, and its feet did not touch the ground as it drifted about. Its continuous slaughter had already raised its level. Evil cultivators advanced incredibly fast and easily, but the drawback was becoming walking corpses—mad, violent, and savage. Even demons disliked them. One could imagine how detestable they were.

Bai Yujun was excited. Yes, excited.

Once, others had shouted at her, "Demon, hand over your life!" Today, she could finally shout openly and honestly at this Ghostly Entity, "Evil ghost, do not flee!" Perhaps one day, she could even shout, "Humans, do not flee!"

"Evil ghost!"

There was a reason people said not to utter the word "ghost" at night. Ghosts were especially sensitive to its sound. The moment Bai Yujun shouted those two words, "evil ghost," the fierce ghost immediately turned and charged at her, cackling strangely as it came. Better to hear a ghost cry than hear one laugh—once this thing started laughing, it was definitely no good sign. Just look at those nails; they were nearly as formidable as pangolin claws.

She could test the sword move she had just learned. Drawing her heavy ruler, she circulated her demonic spirit and infused the weapon with spiritual energy.

"Tai Xu Sword Intent!"

The heavy ruler chopped straight down at its head. The sharp force of the blow forced the fierce ghost to retreat hastily. She was using a ruler; Tai Xu Sword Intent was the name of a Chunyang Cultivation Method that Bai Yujun had borrowed.

After driving back the fierce ghost, she kicked off with both feet and charged forward!