The Problem

"Please help me, True Man Ling!" You Su pleaded earnestly.

"Driving out evil and dispelling calamity is a cultivator's duty." True Man Ling spoke with righteous conviction. "But I have a question to ask you as well."

"Please ask, True Man."

"If your family has been deeply corrupted by evil and I am forced to kill them, would you blame me?"

You Su fell silent for a while, lowering his face without revealing any emotion.

"If True Man can help them escape their sea of suffering, I can only be grateful."

"Good. I will do everything I can." True Man Ling stroked his white beard in satisfaction.

"True Man, should we find some helpers? As far as I know, there are several Condensing Water Realm cultivators in Chuyun City. They should be able to help."

An imperceptible glint flashed through True Man Ling's eyes. He gave You Su a sidelong glance. "You don't trust me?"

"How could I? This junior is only worried..."

"If we are facing an evil spirit of the Flesh and Blood Type, surrounding it and overwhelming it with force is effective, because they are mostly like savage beasts. Evil spirits of the Five Elements Type all possess elemental powers; some dissolve into water, while others hide within fire. The key is to sever the element sustaining them. As for evil spirits of the Dream Master Type, they are exceptionally cunning and abnormally sensitive to the slightest movement around them. A gathering of cultivators would cause the concentration of Mystic Qi to rise abnormally, and it would certainly notice us ahead of time."

"Escaping would be the least of our concerns. It might even infiltrate the attackers and bring about the catastrophe of the entire army being wiped out. Thus, when dealing with an evil spirit of the Dream Master Type, the proper solution is to trap it with Formation Technique and Talisman Technique, not to assume that more people are always better. Besides, cultivators who have never even seen an evil spirit with their own eyes might not be reinforcements at all, but hidden dangers."

"I see. This junior was ignorant." You Su looked shaken, then respectfully said, "If True Man Ling needs me to cooperate in any way, please give me your orders."

"You're very clever. Rather than saying that you're cooperating with me in this exorcism, it would be more accurate to say that I'm cooperating with you." True Man Ling spoke earnestly. "I will secretly set up the Myriad Ghosts Hidden Array. Once the array is complete, the evil spirit within will have nowhere to hide. Once an evil spirit of the Dream Master Type can no longer skulk and evade, it will be like a turtle in a jar. But the key to this array lies in the final step, which must be performed within the array. If I reveal myself inside it, I will alert the enemy. Therefore, you will be the one to carry out this final step."

With that, he took out a pile of objects from his Universe Bag and placed them beside You Su. "There is a lamp, seven lamp wicks, and three sticks of Dragon Sandalwood Incense. No later than the Hour of the Tiger the day after tomorrow, you must find an opportunity to light these seven wicks in your residence, then use their flames to ignite the incense. Once all three sticks have burned out, silently recite, 'Heaven is round and earth is square, by the Nine Chapters of Law, I command with my brush—let the myriad ghosts lie hidden.' Once I sense it, I will form the array myself. Success or failure rests on this one move. Do you remember?"

"I remember!"

His voice was so resolute that anyone who heard it could feel the overwhelming sense of mission within You Su.

"Whether they can be saved depends on you." True Man Ling's expression was solemn, but he did not want to place too much pressure on the youth, so his expression and tone softened slightly. "All right, go. Remember to remain true to your original heart. There's no need to live in constant panic, but neither can you let down your guard. After the day after tomorrow, everything will get better."

"Thank you, True Man. You Su will remember." You Su put away the objects, bowed, and rose to leave. He could not stay for too long.

True Man Ling watched until You Su's back finally vanished at the alley's mouth. He then lifted his cup and swirled the remaining flower tea before draining it in one gulp, as cheerfully as if he were drinking celebratory wine.

You Su returned to the sect. His junior sister had already gone to sleep, so he carefully hid the pile of objects in his room before preparing to begin his daily cultivation.

When he passed the main hall where Mistress was staying, You Su stopped and looked toward the tightly shut door.

Mistress had not left her room for several days. Although this was nothing unusual, he still wanted to say a few words to her. He wanted a response from Mistress, wanted to confirm whether she was safe—or whether she still existed at all.

Recalling the several conversations he had shared with Mistress over the past eight years, without exception, she had spoken only to point out flaws in his sword forms.

Each time, Mistress needed only a few glances to pinpoint the crux of his problems. Every piece of guidance had benefited him immensely.

He felt that Mistress's attainments in swordsmanship must be extremely high. If she possessed cultivation, her strength would certainly be extraordinary.

You Su prided himself on his comprehension of the Way of the Sword. In his eyes, the sword True Man Ling had wielded that day had been no different from a beginner's. Yet standing before the sword of Mistress in his dream, he had not even possessed the courage to flee.

After hesitating at the door for a long while, You Su still could not think of what to say. Everything seemed abrupt and contrived. He was afraid of disturbing that cold, vortex-like monster, and even more afraid of offending Mistress, serene as a lotus.

As he hesitated, You Su was about to give up when a clear, cold voice came from inside the hall:

"Is something wrong?"

Those two simple words made it feel as though winter snow had appeared in the eighth month.

You Su was not stunned for long. A hint of delight appeared in his eyes as his firm Adam's apple bobbed. "Mistress, You Su has a question to ask."

"If it concerns your master, there's no need to ask."

"No. It's only a confusion of mine."

Mistress fell briefly silent. "Ask."

"If an enemy's realm is far higher than mine, yet I must defeat him, what should I do?"

"When your master was flying high and acting arrogantly, did he ever ask about the other party's realm?"

You Su carefully thought back. His master truly had never seemed to care about anyone else's expression when acting. But was his master really that powerful?

His master could not even fly, which meant his master's realm was certainly below the Feather Transformation Realm. And there were several Condensing Water Realm cultivators even in this little Chuyun City.

"Master wouldn't ask."

"Immortals pursue immortality and carefree ascension, not sweeping across an age as invincible beneath the heavens. Thus, realm is not equivalent to combat strength. When an enemy appears, you must first trust the sword you have swung countless times with your own hands. Only then will you possess the strength to fight. If you truly cannot defeat him, hide. A gentleman may wait ten years to avenge himself."

"But if I couldn't defeat him ten years ago, how could I defeat him ten years later?" You Su had always scoffed at such a saying.

"Of course you still couldn't defeat him. But ten years later, your master will return, and he will avenge you."

You Su could not imagine that his iceberg-like Mistress would actually joke, yet her serious tone sounded nothing like a jest.

"Then would Mistress avenge me?"

The scene once again fell into a brief silence.

"I have no cultivation."

Her clear, cold voice revealed no other emotion.

"Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Mistress. I'm going to practice my sword."

You Su bowed toward the hall door. Mistress responded with silent assent.

The conversation had been exceedingly simple, but You Su had already obtained the answer he wanted: when facing a powerful enemy, hesitation was the only wrong choice.

And Mistress would not deceive him. If she said she had no cultivation, then she truly had none.

From here on, he would have to rely on himself to face the dangers ahead.