Little Stream Village

By the firelight, Lin Jue studied the enormous boulder before him. It seemed rather strange, yet it had simply blocked the road and stayed put. For a moment, he couldn't figure out what it was after.

He had heard of kindhearted Spirits and Deities who feared people might encounter danger and tried all sorts of ways to stop them from going forward. He had also heard of Spirits and Monsters using transformation techniques to toy with people, tire them out, and wear down their spirits until they gradually lost their courage—then strike.

He didn't know which this was.

Third Senior Brother was looking around.

The little fox stared straight ahead.

Everyone else was staring at Lin Jue.

After a moment's thought, Lin Jue stepped forward. "We're traveling by night to Little Stream Village. Why are you blocking the road, good sir?"

His tone was neither fearful nor angry.

When his words fell, silence settled all around.

There was only the crackling of the torches.

"Yin Ghosts are making trouble in Little Stream Village. We're going there to drive them out. If you're blocking us because you're afraid we'll encounter danger farther along the road, then please leave. We're going there to look for ghosts in the first place." Lin Jue thought for a moment before speaking, then paused. "We appreciate your kindness. When we pass this way again tomorrow, we'll offer you incense and candles."

There was no response from ahead. The boulder remained where it was.

Then a gust of wind blew by.

"Whoosh..."

The flames on the torches leaned to one side.

"True Person, maybe... maybe we should go around it?" one of the villagers said timidly.

But where would they go around to?

If it refused to let them pass, and they took another road, what was to stop it from following them?

Wouldn't that leave them even more helpless?

Lin Jue didn't explain or respond. After thinking a little longer, he instead stepped forward first, a trace of anger gradually appearing on his face.

"If you still don't leave, I'll take it that you're deliberately blocking the road and trying to harm people.

"Then you've picked the wrong people to mess with!

"To be honest, we come from Floating Hill Peak on Mount Yi. There are seven kinds of magic on our mountain, and my Junior Sister here is learning the 'Stone Pulverizing' technique. Have you heard of it? It turns stones into powder!"

Beside him, Junior Sister froze in surprise. Thankfully, her surprise was confined to her thoughts; not a trace of it showed on her face.

"As for that Big Tree just now..."

Lin Jue paused again and raised his right hand.

The thing in his hand reflected a bright gleam in the torchlight. It wasn't some Daoist Magic Artifact for exorcising demons, nor was it any other treasure. It was simply a razor-sharp Firewood Knife.

"My Senior Brother enjoys carpentry. I happen to be short one bookshelf and one daybed in my room. That tree looked like good timber!"

His voice remained solemn, echoing through the night.

For a moment, he carried such an air of authority that his words sounded like both a threat and the simple truth.

Everyone couldn't help looking at him, then at the boulder ahead.

Just then—

"Boom..."

The boulder burst into a cloud of Black Smoke and instantly blended into the night. Only in the torchlight could they see it slowly spreading.

"Wind, come—"

As the words fell, a gentle breeze rose.

The Black Smoke was immediately blown away.

"Let's go."

Lin Jue said quietly, then headed forward. He even took the torch from the villager at the very front and led the way himself.

Everyone instinctively looked at him and followed close behind, unable to resist sneaking glances into the darkness around them.

They walked several more miles without the Spirit appearing again.

Only when they were already close to the village did Third Senior Brother finally speak.

"Junior Brother, you've got some nerve. I was still thinking about how to make them retreat, and then you went and stared them down until they backed off."

"That's how ordinary people deal with Demonic Ghosts. My magic isn't well practiced, so I had to resort to this," Lin Jue replied honestly.

"That's not necessarily inferior to magic. Junior Sister, you ought to learn this trick from your Eighth Senior Brother. One day, when Master grows old and dies, and you leave Floating Hill Peak for somewhere else, whether you're facing people or dealing with Demonic Ghosts, you can't rely on magical abilities alone. Especially when you can't tell whether the other side is good or evil, and there's no need to fight." Third Senior Brother continued, "Besides, even if you learn a lot of spells, your options in Spell Combat will always be limited. Every spell has its strengths and weaknesses. Unless you're good at everything, the best way to win a Spell Combat is not to fight at all. The second-best way is to use your head."

"I understand!"

Junior Sister replied earnestly.

She couldn't help glancing at Lin Jue up ahead.

She knew how many abilities this Junior Brother of hers had: little more than Exhale Qi, Summon Wind, Wood Escape, and Exhale Qi again. None of them was particularly profound. In fact, she had been wondering how to deal with this Spirit that had suddenly appeared.

They knew nothing about the Spirit. They couldn't even tell whether it was one Spirit or two, let alone whether their spells would work.

Who would have thought her Senior Brother wouldn't use a single spell? He'd driven it away with nothing but his presence and a bluff about "Stone Pulverizing," a technique she hadn't even begun to learn.

Junior Sister thought it over carefully and memorized the lesson.

"You must understand: Daoist attainment is one thing, cultivation another, and ability yet another. Daoist attainment is the magical power you cultivate; cultivation is the virtue you accumulate and the character you nurture; and the spells and Divine Abilities you painstakingly practice are your abilities. There's no rule in this world that says people respect you more because your Daoist attainment is higher, nor that you'll win a Spell Combat just because your attainment is higher. Most of those seniors who live secluded in the mountains, cultivating their Golden Pills, aren't good at Spell Combat.

"Spells also counter one another, so there are few who always win. Take the Stone Pulverizing you're learning. Once you've mastered it, if you meet a Spirit formed from a stone, its natural hardness will make it difficult for most Daoists to deal with. But even if its Daoist attainment is several times higher than yours, it'll have a hard time withstanding a few slaps from you.

"Conversely, if you learn spells like Summon Wind or Paper Figures, then no matter how high your Daoist attainment is, you'll have a hard time dealing with an ordinary stubborn stone.

"..."

Third Senior Brother spoke as they walked.

He really sounded like he'd come to teach them.

But as they walked and talked, he pulled out his wine gourd and took a drink. Luckily, the wine was weak, so it was more like he was drinking for show.

Soon, they were nearing Little Stream Village.

"We're almost there."

A villager holding a torch studied the bamboo grove beside them, then said with a slight tremble in his voice:

"Once we get through this bamboo grove, we'll be at the village cemetery. If you want to wait until daylight, you can go around by the irrigation pond. At first, we used to go that way at dusk. Now we don't dare go near the pond at dusk, either. We don't dare leave the house at all. At least this side is a little better."

Lin Jue craned his neck to look ahead.

A winding path stretched before them. The bamboo grove wasn't large, but it blocked the way completely. In the darkness, they couldn't see a thing beyond it.

"How far is it?"

"Two or three hundred steps."

"Then let's go through the bamboo grove and have a look."

Lin Jue knew his Daoist attainment was meager and that he had only just begun learning magic. It would be best if he could burn away all the Yin Qi and lingering souls along the road, but he still needed to be on his guard.

So he held up his torch and slowly walked forward.

He wasn't exactly in the lead, either. His little fox was just a step ahead of him.

"Yip?"

The little fox called out again, stopped, and turned to look at him.

At the same time, Lin Jue heard some movement.

He carefully edged forward a few more steps, then suddenly saw a dozen or so lights ahead. Four or five were orange-yellow torches, while others were pale green will-o'-the-wisps, their light crisscrossing and illuminating the night sky. Though it was a summer night, mist still drifted through the woods. Its swirling paths were clearly visible between the trees, along with vague, unreal shapes wavering in the fog.

Shouts and curses drifted faintly toward them.

"Like the saying goes, ghosts don't easily barge into people's homes. You lot are getting bolder and bolder! You actually dared to come into my house! And you were all neighbors once, too. Bah!

"Eat this arrow!"

A tiny flicker of fire flashed through the night and vanished.

Then several more streaked through the woods, crisscrossing one another.

The shadows drifting through the fog scattered at once. Even the mist itself seemed to thin considerably.

"Dare to come into my house again and scare my old mother, and I'll call my friends over first. We'll dig three feet into the ground to find you, then haul over a pile of firewood and burn this whole forest to the ground!"

His words held both anger and boldness.

For a moment, Lin Jue could think only of Luo Seng.

Seeing this, there was no need to observe anything further. He hurried forward with his torch.

Seven or eight people stood in the woods, all young or middle-aged men. Three or four wore black clothes and carried sabers and bows. The others looked like villagers and carried hoes, Firewood Knives, and the like.

When they saw Lin Jue and the others, they grew wary.

"Who's there?"

Some even pointed their bows at them.

"It's me! Zhang Da! We're back!" one villager hurriedly called out. "We've brought three True Persons from Floating Hill Temple!"

"Oh..."

Only then did they lower their bows.

The two groups of torchbearers gathered together.

The man leading those in the woods was in his twenties, dressed in black and carrying a bow. He'd been furious just moments ago, but when he saw the newcomers, he was quite polite.

"Uncle Three, why did you come back by night? Good heavens! You really did invite True Persons from Floating Hill Temple!"

"These three True Persons are all genuinely capable. On the way back, we ran into a Monster blocking the road, and the True Persons scared them off with just a few words!"

"Is that really so? Then please, True Persons, take a look at once! This is one of the cemeteries in our village where ghosts are causing trouble. How do we drive them away? These ghosts are getting more and more brazen. They've even dared to go into people's homes!"

The torches lowered together, illuminating the ground ahead.

Lin Jue couldn't help looking down.

It was a poplar grove.

The trees stood far apart, their trunks straight. Between them were a number of crude grave mounds, along with traces of fire. The ground had clearly caved in, and in some places they could see planks buried in the earth, in others the exposed roots of poplars, or pitch-black holes.

"Zhang Da, didn't you say we should wait for the True Persons from Mount Yi and Mount Qi Yun? Why did you bring people here to fight ghosts again?"

"What choice did I have? Didn't I tell you? Last night, a ghost actually went into my house. It stood outside my old mother's window and nearly scared her to death! I was still up on the mountain. Brother Wang Er came running over early in the morning, and I nearly thought I'd have to come home for my mother's funeral! Thankfully, she wasn't frightened to death, but she still hasn't recovered. If it had happened to you, could you have put up with it?"

As he spoke, he even walked over and kicked a stone on the ground, sending it into a sunken pit ahead.

The villager fell silent.

Of course, he could have put up with it. He didn't have Zhang Da's abilities, nor did he have friends who were just as strong and well-trained, ready to come help whenever he called.

Still, to blaze up in anger for his old mother, charge into the cemetery at night, and curse the Yin Ghosts to their faces—he had some mettle.

No one could say a word against him.

"But why did the ground cave in?"

"This afternoon, I brought some firewood over and set a fire here, hoping to burn them all to ashes. While it was burning, the ground collapsed. I didn't think it would fail to get rid of them, but they still came out tonight. Good thing they did. This time, I put fire on the arrowheads..."

Before he could finish, dark shadows suddenly rose all around them.

As if enraged by his words, the shadows that had just been scattered by their fire arrows gathered again and drifted around them, even charging straight at them.

"They're back again?

"Good! Come on!"

Zhang Da wasn't afraid in the slightest. He charged forward with his fists swinging.

Ghosts were normally incorporeal, so ordinary people and blades couldn't strike them. But people had blood and Yang Qi, and some also had Killing Intent. With vigorous blood and strong Killing Intent, they could strike and injure ghosts.

But before he could reach one, a burst of flame exploded nearby.

"Boom..."

Flames burst through the woods and surged in every direction.

Almost all the ghostly shadows in a wide semicircle ahead of them were burned away in a single sweep.

Lin Jue turned to look behind him.

Three or four ghostly shadows were there, too. Junior Sister had scattered two or three with Yang Qi from her mouth. The last one had been charged by the little fox cub, which seemed able to touch it. The cub clumsily bit and fought with it, letting out a small growl that sounded surprisingly fierce.

It seemed to be holding its own with ease.

But just then, a shadow flashed beneath the ground.

It was extremely hard to spot, visible only in the firelight. It emerged from underground like a ghost and rushed toward Zhang Da up ahead.

"You mangy bastard!"

Zhang Da had practiced martial arts, and his reflexes were quick. Though he had been facing the other ghostly shadows, he had still noticed this sudden attack. He immediately tried to dodge and block, even looking for a chance to counterattack.

Unfortunately, the shadow was too fast. He was holding a bow instead of a saber. He thrust the bow forward, but left a gap.

The shadow slipped straight through it.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out. The shadow sped away and vanished into the night.

When they looked at Zhang Da again, several claw marks had appeared across his chest.