The Junior Sister (2)

The villagers shut the doors of the ancestral hall.

But the wooden doors had long since rotted, with cracks everywhere.

"Honored Daoists..."

The villagers in the ancestral hall were both frightened and at a loss. Their eyes kept shifting between Lin Jue and his companion, and Daoist Master Qing Xuan and his companion. In the end, perhaps they felt more familiar with Lin Jue and his companion after traveling with them, or perhaps they had gathered from the conversation just now that Lin Jue and his companion would be more dependable tonight. Their gazes settled on Lin Jue.

The Junior Sister held up a torch to light his way.

The two soldiers, clad in armor and carrying bows, looked imposing. Their faces were painted with bright colors, like the Dharma Protectors standing beside the Deities in a temple.

"Don't be afraid. There are plenty of us here. If we're careful, nothing will happen. We just have to wait for my Senior Brother to come back after dealing with the monster," Lin Jue reassured them. "But I'm afraid you'll have to put up with spending the night here in the ancestral hall. Don't go home, or you may run into trouble on the way."

"Yes, yes..."

Time passed bit by bit. Outside, there didn't seem to be a sound.

That seemed like a good thing; at least, it meant Third Senior Brother hadn't run into danger. But it also seemed like a bad thing; perhaps Third Senior Brother hadn't found them.

Suddenly, there were footsteps outside.

"Someone's coming?"

Lin Jue was just about to ask if Third Senior Brother had returned, but amid the footsteps, he heard a hint of sobbing and wailing.

"Oh, my son..."

The villagers in the ancestral hall were all startled. Some of them thought the voice sounded familiar.

Lin Jue took his Firewood Knife and went to the door of the ancestral hall. His fingers gripped the whistle stick tightly, and he drew a breath of Fire Qi up to his throat.

The Junior Sister naturally held the torch to light his way.

The two exchanged a glance. Even the Junior Sister seemed to be holding her breath, ready to let it out at any moment.

This young girl was unexpectedly reliable.

As Lin Jue thought this, he saw that Daoist Master Qing Xuan had also taken up a wooden sword and was standing nearby. The group exchanged glances, then each found a crack between the door planks and peered outside.

It was dim out there, lit only by the moon. Two figures stumbled toward them in the moonlight.

Lin Jue grew even more vigilant.

Only when they came closer did he realize they were a young girl and an old woman.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The two knocked on the ancestral hall's door.

"My son..."

The old woman cried out as she knocked.

Lin Jue was on guard, but Daoist Master Qing Xuan froze.

"What are you doing here?"

His tone made it sound as if he knew the two of them.

Lin Jue looked at Daoist Master Qing Xuan in confusion.

"They seem to be Master Zhang's elderly mother and younger sister." Daoist Master Qing Xuan wasn't sure either. "When we came here today, we went to his house first and met his mother and sister. Zhang Da had already gone out then. They wanted us to stay at their house, but we came to the ancestral hall instead."

The villagers behind them recognized the voice and hurried over.

"Why are they here?"

"There are Ghosts and Monsters outside!"

"Open the door, quickly!"

The villagers called out over one another.

"My son... Daoist! Daoist Master Qing Xuan! Open the door! Has my son been hurt?" The old woman cried out in grief, calling repeatedly. "I dreamed that the ghosts at the head of the village ate my son!"

"Sister-in-law, why have you come here in the middle of the night?" a villager couldn't help calling out. "It's dangerous outside!"

"I came to find my son! How is he? Where is he? Is he here?" The old woman could hardly get the words out, but her distress was touching.

"Ah..."

The villagers couldn't help looking at Lin Jue and Daoist Master Qing Xuan.

Even Zhang Da, sitting in a chair in the ancestral hall with his wounds just bandaged, recognized his mother's voice. He was so anxious that he almost sat up.

"Is that my mother?"

"Don't be anxious." Lin Jue held the door plank in place, looked back at the villagers, then at Zhang Da, and asked the people outside, "What is your son's name?"

"My son is inside? Is he inside? I heard my son's voice!"

"Madam, please tell us your son's name first."

"How is my son?"

"His name is Zhang Ling!" The young girl supporting the old woman was so anxious that she blurted out, "My elder brother's surname is Zhang, and his given name is Ling. His courtesy name is Shou Chang!"

"Where does your elder brother work?"

"My son..."

"My elder brother doesn't work anywhere! He's learning martial arts in the county!"

The young girl answered again. The old woman, however, had long since lost her wits and wasn't listening to anyone. She only knew to call out for her son and worry about him.

Lin Jue relaxed a little.

The villagers understood what he was getting at. One of the sharper ones helped by asking, "What was your late father's name?"

"Is my son still alive..."

"Grandfather died before I was born, so I can't remember. I think I heard Mother say his name was Zhang Hua..." The more urgently her mother called out, the more nervous the young girl became.

"That's right."

The villager who had asked confirmed.

Only then did they relax.

So they opened the wooden door.

The door planks had long since rotted. If Spirits and Monsters really came to attack, they wouldn't stop much; the largest gap was wide enough for the strange bird from earlier to squeeze through.

With the young girl supporting her, the old woman stumbled inside, crying as she went.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold, the young girl saw the three people at the door and was startled. The old woman seemed unable to see clearly and could only make out the light of the torch, so she paused and squinted toward them.

Then she looked farther into the ancestral hall.

Zhang Da had already stood up, leaning on a chair. The old woman could clearly see her son. Supported by the young girl, she immediately stumbled toward him.

"My son! You're alive! That's all that matters! I told you not to go, but you wouldn't listen. I dreamed you were eaten by ghosts..."

"Mother..."

Mother and son had been worried for each other. Their deep affection was plain to see.

"What brings you here?" Daoist Master Qing Xuan asked.

"My mother was terribly worried when Eldest Brother went out today, especially when he didn't come back for so long. I finally managed to get her to sleep, but then she suddenly woke up and said she'd dreamed Eldest Brother had been eaten by ghosts. It just so happened that I... I couldn't keep my mouth shut, and said I thought I'd heard a cry that sounded like Eldest Brother. Mother heard that, and saw that he still hadn't come back, so she insisted on coming to the ancestral hall to find the two Daoists." The young girl's account was fairly clear. "I told her there were ghosts on the road, but she wasn't afraid. I couldn't talk her out of it, so I had no choice but to bring her here."

The crowd listened, their feelings complicated.

Some marveled at the bond between mother and son: her son had been hurt, and his mother had somehow sensed it in a dream. Others were moved by their deep affection. Even if there were ghosts on the road, and that was enough to frighten most people away, how could it stop a mother?

Lin Jue's eyes flickered.

He couldn't help wondering if the evil spirit had been too afraid to enter the ancestral hall, yet resented Zhang Da, so it had sent a dream to Zhang Da's mother to wake her. Then it had used a mother's deep love to try to lure Zhang Da away.

He glanced at Daoist Master Qing Xuan.

It seemed that he was thinking the same thing.

Meanwhile, the mother and son had already clasped hands.

"My son, are you all right?"

"I'm fine..."

"You've been hurt, and you still say you're fine! How badly are you hurt? Is it serious? How did it happen?"

"It's only a minor wound."

"Oh, look at all that blood!" Zhang Da's mother was startled again, her heart aching for him as tears streamed down her face. "How can you just bandage it like that? Come home with Mother right away. Put some wound medicine on it, and we'll call a physician tomorrow."

Lin Jue grew vigilant as soon as he heard that.

"Madam, stay here tonight. That monster has probably set its sights on Zhang Da. He can't leave!"

"How can that be? He'll bleed to death here!"

"Mother, listen to the young Daoist."

"He's just a little Daoist. What could he know?"

"Mother, I'm not going back."

"If you won't go back, fine. I'll go home and bring you some wound medicine," Zhang Da's mother said.

"Madam, if there really is an evil creature outside, it must be trying to kill Zhang Da. If you go out alone without taking Zhang Da with you, the creature may attack you and use that to trick Zhang Da into coming outside."

"Oh..."

For a moment, the crowd was at an impasse.

Lin Jue lowered his eyes—

His little Fox was sitting obediently beside him, but it kept tilting its head and staring at the old woman, seeming utterly puzzled.

"Mother, stop being so stubborn!" The young girl beside them couldn't help speaking up. Whether she was worried for her brother or frightened by the ghosts, she was already crying. "Just listen to the Daoists!"

When people heard someone speaking, it was natural to look toward the voice. Besides, the young girl was crying so pitifully that nearly everyone instinctively turned to look at her.

But no one saw the old woman raise her hand.

Her palm instantly transformed into a sharp bird's claw.

"My son..."

The bird's claw glinted coldly. Without warning, it swiped at Zhang Da's throat.

At a time like this, there was no chance to use any spell.

The only thing fast enough was a Firewood Knife.

"Swish..."

A Firewood Knife struck the "Zhang Da's mother's" bird's claw, knocking it aside. The claw raked across Zhang Da's face instead.

The crowd hadn't even reacted. They turned at the sound and looked toward Zhang Da's mother, then were all shocked by what they saw.

Even the martial artist Zhang Da had been completely off guard against his own mother. The "mother" had raked three bloody lines across his face.

"Puff..."

A soft pop sounded beside them, and Black Smoke burst out.

The crowd turned again, only to see that the "young girl" had transformed into a huge bird wreathed in Black Smoke, its eyes glinting with a ghostly green light. It beat its wings and flew toward the exit.

"Puff..."

Another soft pop sounded.

Zhang Da's mother also transformed into the same kind of huge bird. It too beat its wings, struggled into the air, and flew toward the exit.

"Don't let them get away!"

"You two heroes! Shoot the birds!"

The crowd came to their senses and sprang into action.

The wooden sword thrust at the birds, and the Firewood Knife came down again, grazing a strange bird and tearing away a few wisps of Black Smoke.

The Junior Sister spat out Yang Qi, making them dodge in panic.

The flames that burst forth drove them up toward the roof.

Arrows shot through the firelight. Some went thunk, thunk, thunk into the rafters; others struck the roof tiles with a clang, or flew off into the night sky.

Hoes and carrying poles waved wildly through the air.

The little Fox leaped as high as a person's knee. From a zhang away, it stretched out its claws, trying to swat at a bird.

The ancestral hall descended into chaos.

The panic was a good thing, too. There was no time to think or be afraid; blood surged through everyone's veins, as if it gathered strength from their numbers. Anger rose the same way, boiling amid the crowd's curses. Even ordinary villagers, faced with monsters that could transform and scheme, forgot everything else. They cursed and swung with all their might.

The strange birds were fast, and they could fly, so they dodged many of the attacks.

One strange bird found an opening and immediately darted out of the ancestral hall.

But the strange bird Lin Jue had struck with his knife had grown clumsy. Several arrows grazed past it in succession, and flames singed it. It could barely fly, and had no choice but to land on the rafters and use them for cover.

"My son...

"You piss on your own mother's head, curse her, and ruin her cultivation. I won't spare you even after I die..."

An old woman's hoarse voice rang out overhead.

Lin Jue acted as if he hadn't heard. He was already blocking the gaps in the door.

The two archers continued their heavy steps to the wall of the ancestral hall, searching for an angle. They nocked their arrows, drew their bows, and aimed at the huge bird on the rafters.

"Whoosh..."

An arrow shot out.

But the huge bird suddenly burst into smoke, nearly obscuring the entire ancestral hall. It reeked so badly that it even stifled the torchlight, leaving the room dim.

"Wind..."

"Whump..."

Wind and fire intertwined in the ancestral hall, dispelling the Black Smoke.

The torchlight brightened again.

The good news was that the huge bird had vanished from the rafters. The bad news was that there were now two Junior Sisters in the ancestral hall, both staring blankly at Lin Jue.

"Where's the strange bird?"

"Who are you? Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Senior Brother, what's going on?"

The two Junior Sisters wore identical clothes and had equally fair, delicate faces. Their expressions and tones were equally solemn and dazed, and their eyes were equally lively.

"..."

Lin Jue frowned as he looked at them, then sighed and said, "You've picked the wrong person."

Neither Junior Sister said anything for a moment.

That was true—

With the Junior Sister's personality and her intelligence, she wouldn't say something like "Senior Brother, it's really me" or "Senior Brother, kill her" at a time like this.

"Junior Sister, exhale a breath of pure yang energy."

"Senior Brother, I've used up all my energy."

"Senior Brother, I've used up all my energy."

The two voices rang out at the same time, and sounded identical.

"Huh?"

Lin Jue was rather surprised.

Then he opened his mouth and drew in a breath, before exhaling two breaths of pure yang energy, one onto each Junior Sister.

Yet neither of them reacted.

Now this was a little interesting.

It was still just a dying struggle.