Mass Grave

The old Taoist immediately stopped what he was doing when he saw everyone had arrived.

"You guys, come over here."

"Each of you, release a bit of blood. I need to set up an altar and perform a ritual."

"Only your masculine vital blood has sufficient vital energy, making it most effective against anomalies!"

The eight of them saw this and didn't know what to say.

Qin Bo, however, had a strange expression. He had already lost too much blood last night, and now he had to give more.

However, he couldn't refuse, especially since it was for finding Li Dong.

He picked up a knife and cut a small slit, and soon the few of them had filled a bowl full of blood.

The old Taoist took the blood and went to his altar.

On the altar were two straw dolls, with Li Dong and his wife's birthdates written on them.

The old Taoist mumbled a bunch of gibberish, then reached into the blood and smeared it on the faces of the straw dolls.

The moment the blood touched the faces of the straw dolls, the originally stiff dolls twitched anomalously.

The corners of their mouths stretched open in an exaggerated arc, as if they were silently sneering.

"Hmm?!"

"Why is the masculine vital blood so effective this time?"

The old Taoist glanced at the group, his gaze lingering on Qin Bo for a moment, but he couldn't figure out why.

Suddenly, veins popped out on his forehead, and he grabbed the peach wood sword, stabbing it fiercely into the chest of one of the straw dolls.

Blood seeping from the tip of the sword snaked along the wood grain, dyeing the sword with eerie runes.

"Hurry, hurry as the statutes command!"

"Appear!"

With a loud shout, blue flame suddenly erupted from the entire altar, several feet high, engulfing the two straw dolls instantly.

A shrill scream came from the flames, a sound like the wails of Li Dong and his wife, mixed with the sharp cries of a child.

Qin Bo felt a chill down his spine.

He looked up and was horrified to find the beams of the mourning hall covered in dense blood handprints, dripping a foul-smelling, sticky liquid along the rafters.

He saw the blood handprint slowly extending from inside the house, leading straight out the door.

"Ghost Infant Resentful Spirit!"

The old Taoist recognized the origin of the blood handprint at a glance.

"They're being misled by the Resentful Spirit. Look, the blood handprint has already spread out, heading towards the back mountain!"

As he spoke, the old Taoist whirled around, grabbed the copper bell from the offering table, and shook it vigorously, the crisp sound of the bell exploding in the mourning hall.

"Let's go, follow me to save them. If we're too late, their lives could be in danger."

Before the sound of the copper bell had faded, the old Taoist had already dashed out the door, with Qin Bo and the other eight following closely behind.

Along the way, the old Taoist remained vigilant, watching the blood handprints on the ground as they continued to stretch out.

Gradually, the trail led towards the back mountain of Li Family Village.

Seeing this, the old Taoist asked, "Young man! Do you know where this road leads?"

"Taoist Master... Taoist Master, no one usually takes this road."

"If you walk for another two li, there's a mountain hollow. It's... it's..."

Li Ergou finally stammered it out.

"It is what?"

"It's a Mass Grave. A few years ago, there was a famine, and many people died. They were too lazy to bury them, so they were just thrown into the mountain hollow."

Hearing this, the old Taoist's expression instantly became grave.

He took out a copper coin sword from his cloth bag, the cinnabar rope tied to the sword trembling slightly.

"I see, no wonder there's a resentful aura mixed in with the stench of blood."

As he spoke, he distributed several yellow talismans to everyone.

"Keep these talismans close to your body. If you see anything unclean later, don't run around."

The group continued to move forward along the blood handprint. The sky had darkened at some point, and thick clouds obscured the moonlight, making the surroundings even more eerie.

Li Ergou kept feeling like there were rustling footsteps behind him.

But every time he turned around, he saw nothing but the tense faces of his companions.

"Brother Bo, did you hear something?"

Li Ergou couldn't help but ask Qin Bo in a low voice.

"No, nothing! What did you hear?"

"Hehe, neither did I. Maybe I'm just too nervous."

Qin Bo stared at the old Taoist the entire way.

Since this old Taoist dared to go save people alone, he must have some cultivation, right?!

Originally, it was broad daylight, but as soon as they entered the mountains, the thick fog in the mountains became as thick as ink.

The old Taoist's expression turned solemn, and he stopped.

"Stop!"

The others immediately halted.

The old Taoist took out a handful of copper coins from his waist, and lightly rubbed them between his thumb and index finger.

The copper coins spun rapidly in his palm, emitting a soft buzzing sound.

After a moment, the copper coins fell to the ground with a "clatter." The hexagram showed three yin lines enclosing one yang line, like a gap in the gates of the netherworld.

He stared at the patterns on the copper coins, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"There are souls in the mist, and baleful energy hidden in the wind. This road... cannot be taken."

"Taoist Master! What's wrong?"

Seeing him muttering to himself, Qin Bo couldn't help but step forward and ask.

The Taoist Master's fingers traced over the hexagram, a pale white mist rising from his fingertips: "Three Yin locking Yang, the Yang energy is about to be extinguished.

"When we first stepped into this valley, the sun was obscured by thick clouds.

"Now even the wind smells of blood. This is not natural fog, but wandering souls taking shape by borrowing moisture."

"What does that mean?"

Qin Bo didn't understand the meaning of these words.

"It means we've arrived at a gathering place for wandering souls!"

The Taoist Master looked serious as he gazed at the gray expanse ahead.

"Then Taoist Master, what should we do next?"

"This old man's cultivation is insufficient, and I'm afraid I can't protect you. You should all go back!"

"Really?"

"Of course, it's true. Go back!"

With that, the old Taoist plunged into the thick fog without looking back.

Little did he know, he didn't notice Qin Bo's expression.

It was one of extreme joy.

Resentful spirits! Speak of the devil!

Perfect for replenishing my lifespan...

No, I mean saving people. Li Dong is kind to me, and I'm not an ungrateful person!

"Bro Bo, let's go! We might lose our lives!"

Li Ergou's words startled Qin Bo, who was secretly rejoicing.

He then realized that the old Taoist had disappeared.

"Oh... okay, let's go, get out of here."

Qin Bo nodded, signaling for the others to leave quickly.

Everyone turned and ran, not caring whether the old Taoist lived or died.

Li Ergou turned around and sighed.

"Ah, Bro Bo, what kind of misfortune has befallen the Li family? Uncle Li just passed away, and now something happened to Dong-ge and his wife. Could it really be that anomaly?"

Seeing that no one answered him, he turned his head and realized that Qin Bo was no longer behind him.

"Bro Bo?!"

"Huh? Bro Bo? Oh no!"

"Run! Bro Bo is gone! There's a ghost!!"

Li Ergou was shocked, and fear instantly flooded him like a tide.

He ran frantically towards the village, shouting as he ran.

The others who were with him heard Li Ergou's shouts and felt a tightening in their hearts. Their steps became even more frantic.

They couldn't care less about Qin Bo at this point, only wanting to escape this terrifying place as quickly as possible.

As for Qin Bo, he had already stepped into the thick fog when the others turned to leave.