A young man could be seen trudging along listlessly, yawning.
He headed in the direction of the mortuary.
The young man's footsteps were light and unsteady.
It was as though he had no strength beneath his feet, and he could never find a steady rhythm.
He seemed to have lost all his strength just walking.
A strong gust of wind might have been enough to blow him over.
The person walking along the path was none other than Qiu Sheng.
Just as their gazes met,
the three of them seemed to sense one another and turned toward each other in unison.
Suddenly, they stared at one another.
In an instant, Qiu Sheng seemed unable to move his feet and could no longer take so much as a step.
He stood there dumbly in an awkward silence.
Uncle Jiu raised his brows and frowned as his energy circulated.
At that moment, he sensed Qiu Sheng's chaotic aura!
There's a problem!
Uncle Jiu thought to himself.
Qiu Sheng had lost most of his yang energy. No wonder he looked so dejected.
His eyes were dull, his spirit listless, and he looked half-asleep.
His limbs were limp and powerless, his vital energy and spirit completely drained.
He must have been bewitched by a Ghost or Monster last night.
Fortunately, he was still alive.
Uncle Jiu composed himself but did not speak. Instead, he glanced at Lin Fan meaningfully.
Lin Fan immediately understood. After all, he possessed the Eye-Opening Technique at Grand Perfection.
Naturally, he could see everything clearly.
"Qiu Sheng, are you going to tell me directly, or should I ask you directly?"
Lin Fan curled up the corner of his mouth and spoke with a hint of disdain.
"Senior... Senior Disciple Brother, tell, tell you what?"
Qiu Sheng replied as though nothing had happened.
Seeing this, Lin Fan got straight to the point. "Tell me where you went last night."
Qiu Sheng's eyes darted upward, and he pointed halfway toward the sky with his index finger.
He seemed to be thinking up an excuse.
His mouth had already opened, but he still could not say a word.
"All right. Go inside Ren Manor's main hall and help Wen Cai set things up."
"Okay, Master."
The moment Uncle Jiu spoke, Qiu Sheng seized the opportunity.
He slipped between the two of them and rushed into Ren Manor's main hall.
He looked as though he had just been saved.
"Lin Fan, you saw it too, didn't you?"
Uncle Jiu glanced at Lin Fan from the corner of his eye.
"Yes, Master. Junior Brother must have had a romantic encounter."
Lin Fan spoke with a hint of amusement.
Uncle Jiu's expression darkened. "Qiu Sheng may have escaped a great calamity, but a lesser one was unavoidable. His aura is extremely weak right now. His eyes are dull, his spirit is listless, and his limbs are powerless. He must have come into contact with something unclean last night."
Unclean? It should have been clean and hygienic.
Lin Fan had practically memorized every detail of the movie Mr. Vampire.
Naturally, Lin Fan knew that Qiu Sheng must have encountered Dong Xiaoyu.
That was why he had managed to survive the night.
If the one who had been separated had not been Qiu Sheng but Wen Cai,
then Wen Cai would certainly have been caught.
Otherwise, who had appeared here now would have been another matter entirely.
Whatever else one might say, the kid really did have good luck.
Lin Fan interrupted his thoughts and said, "Master, when soldiers come, we block them; when water comes, we dam it. Since Qiu Sheng has been entangled with her, that Ghost or Monster will surely appear again tonight."
"Come. Accompany me to buy the things. Setting up Ren Manor is the top priority for now."
Uncle Jiu spoke seriously.
The two of them then headed toward the street.
Night fell.
Inside Ren Manor's main hall.
The hall was filled with talismans of every kind.
After a full day of preparation, the four members of the master-and-disciple group finished setting up Ren Manor's main hall.
"Master, I'm done on my side. I have something to do, so I'll head back to my aunt's place first."
Qiu Sheng spoke up.
Uncle Jiu understood and replied, "All right. Go back early."
Qiu Sheng beamed at that.
He immediately hurried toward the door.
He had never looked this happy when returning to his aunt's home before.
Yet now, he was smiling especially brightly.
It seemed he was going to see the Ghost or Monster from last night.
Seeing this, Lin Fan and Uncle Jiu exchanged a nod.
As soon as Qiu Sheng left, Uncle Jiu put on his Taoist robe.
He hurriedly grabbed his Magic Tools and followed Lin Fan after him.
Seeing this, Wen Cai also hurried after them.
The three master and disciples followed Qiu Sheng around several narrow paths.
At that moment, Qiu Sheng was thinking only of the person he had met last night.
He had no idea that several people were following him.
A small red courtyard appeared before them.
The walls and gate were entirely red, and at night, they were especially alluring.
When Qiu Sheng reached the gate, his footsteps suddenly quickened.
He impatiently pushed open the gate and ran inside.
After Wen Cai entered the room, Uncle Jiu and the other two crossed over the wall and entered the courtyard.
The three of them crept forward slowly. From the room ahead came the sound of delicate conversation between women.
The master and disciples quietly moved to the window outside the room.
Wen Cai seemed eager to see everything inside clearly.
He then poked through the oiled paper covering the window with his index finger.
Inside the room was a beautiful woman.
She greeted Qiu Sheng with a smile and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Ah!"
Just as the two embraced, the woman suddenly cried out as though something had slammed into her.
She was sent flying several meters.
She crashed into the screen behind her and fell to the floor with a thud.
Seeing this, Qiu Sheng cried out anxiously, "Xiaoyu!"
"Stay away from me! What did you draw on your body?"
Dong Xiaoyu stared at Qiu Sheng with a frightened expression.
Qiu Sheng hurriedly opened his shirt.
A talisman to ward off evil had been drawn clearly across his chest.
"It must have been Master who drew it. He always worries that I'll run into something unclean."
Qiu Sheng hurriedly explained.
They said that lust was a blade hanging above one's head. If she were not a Ghost or Monster, why would an ordinary person fear a talisman to ward off evil?
Qiu Sheng had completely forgotten all reason. At that moment, his heart held only the woman before him.
He immediately grabbed his outer garment and wiped his body with it, rubbing the talisman away completely.
Then he carefully helped Dong Xiaoyu onto the bed.
Seeing Dong Xiaoyu injured, Qiu Sheng felt even more affection for her.
He took out a handkerchief and wiped the wound on her forehead.
Seeing Qiu Sheng act this way, Dong Xiaoyu finally lowered her guard and smiled faintly at him.
Uncle Jiu peered into the room.
He used willow leaves to open his eyes and looked carefully.
"Whew!"
Uncle Jiu almost cried out in shock.
Qiu Sheng was holding a handkerchief and wiping half of Dong Xiaoyu's face.
He had no idea that half of that face had already rotted and festered.
Under the room's lamplight, it looked even more horrifying.
Bewitched, Qiu Sheng remained completely unaware and continued wiping her face meticulously.
Uncle Jiu turned around and crouched down, then walked outside.
He placed copper coins on the ground and opened the Eight Trigrams Mirror.
Moonlight shone down through the center of the mirror.
From the base of the sword upward, the mirror absorbed the essence of the sun and moon.
He then picked up the copper coin sword and walked toward the room again!
"Bang!"
Seeing that Uncle Jiu was ready, Lin Fan kicked open the door first.
Qiu Sheng had already been bewitched unconscious on the bed.
Dong Xiaoyu rose at the sound and turned toward the door.
Uncle Jiu raised two fingers in a sword sign, holding the copper coin sword flat atop them.
As he shouted the incantation, he instantly thrust it toward Dong Xiaoyu.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several explosions rang out.
The Peachwood Sword rose, and Uncle Jiu leaped into the room amid the blasts.
Lin Fan and Wen Cai followed close behind.
Smoke filled the room before slowly dispersing bit by bit.
Dong Xiaoyu seemed to vanish along with the smoke.
The three master and disciples stared around them.
Dong Xiaoyu suddenly appeared in the doorway.
"Tap."
As she turned her head, the ends of her hair suddenly lengthened and lashed toward Uncle Jiu.
Caught off guard, Uncle Jiu had his neck tightly bound.
"Urgh!"
Dong Xiaoyu twisted her head and yanked Uncle Jiu to the ground.
Seeing this, Lin Fan immediately picked up the copper coin sword that had fallen to the floor.
With one quick step, he kicked toward Dong Xiaoyu.
Then, borrowing the force of Dong Xiaoyu's resistance, he flipped through the air and landed steadily beside Uncle Jiu.
"Yaaah!"
Dong Xiaoyu's face suddenly twisted viciously, and her hair exploded outward.
Her head tore free from her body, baring its fangs as it flew toward Wen Cai.
It seemed intent on ripping his throat apart.
Dong Xiaoyu began shrieking madly. "If I'm going to die, I'm taking one of your disciples with me!"
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