Lord Bai the Fourteenth
A fox's cry rang out, sounding particularly eerie in the dead of night.
The already panicked villagers were even more frightened and scattered in all directions, creating chaos.
The disheveled peasant woman was kicked to the ground by Lu Bai and rolled twice. When she got up, she had grown facial hair resembling that of a fox.
Grandpa Tao came to his senses and, still shaken, bowed to Lu Bai.
"Thank you for your help, Young Master Lu."
Lu Bai returned his warm Smiling Face and then asked.
"You should be able to handle it, right?"
To be honest, he really didn't have much experience dealing with these strange and unusual spirits, so he still had to rely on professionals.
Moreover, the current situation is actually not very optimistic.
It can be noticed that the three apprentices offering incense have temporarily trapped the gray fox, but once the incense in their hands burns out, they will inevitably suffer the gray fox's revenge.
The Fox Immortal in front of him didn't seem like someone easy to get along with.
Realizing this, Grandpa Tao no longer hesitated and gritted his teeth, saying, "There's another way. Could I trouble Young Master Lu to protect me?"
Lu Bai nodded. "Then hurry up."
He had no way to deal with the spirits, but he felt that stalling for time shouldn't be a problem.
Upon receiving the reply, Grandpa Tao acted swiftly and decisively.
He sat cross-legged, took out a white thorn nearly twenty centimeters long from his bundle, and put it to his mouth, biting it with his teeth.
He placed a porcelain bowl in front of him, cut his fingertip with a dagger, and sprinkled a few drops of blood into the bowl. Then he placed a piece of smoked meat on top of it, and finally lit three incense sticks in front of the bowl.
With the preliminary preparations complete, Grandpa Tao's expression turned solemn. "The patriarchs sit in the center, and have something to say to you all. Each shrine displays its immortal tablets; the path to immortality is no easy matter, so do not let evil thoughts ruin your cultivation..."
Lu Bai glanced at him but didn't pay much attention, focusing most of his attention on the Fox Immortal in front of him.
Fortunately, the other side also seemed unsure of Lu Bai's capabilities and did not launch an attack rashly.
He was naturally happy with this, ideally to confront Grandpa Tao until he finished his fuss.
However, the peasant woman probably knew what Grandpa Tao was doing, and suddenly reached out and tore off her shirt.
She smiled charmingly and said, "Why bother, Young Master? It's not like we're dealing with each other for the first time."
"That's how it is," Lu Bai replied casually.
The peasant woman suddenly began to sob, her expression changing drastically, and she would occasionally take a couple of steps toward where Lu Bai was.
"We have no grudge against each other, Young Master, why don't you spare my life?"
Lu Bai twisted his neck and took a step towards the peasant woman.
Without any particularly remarkable behavior, it managed to force the Fox Immortal to stop.
"Young Master just know how to bully me."
The peasant woman wept bitterly, but still dared not attempt to do it.
It simply couldn't understand what was going on with Lu Bai.
He looks like an ordinary human being, yet there's something inexplicably captivating about him, and his arrogant and fearless attitude just doesn't seem right.
This delay was enough time for Grandpa Tao to become engrossed in burning Top Incense.
"... May the stars shine brightly upon your son, and may his future be filled with abundant blessings."
Grandpa Tao bit down hard on the long thorn in his mouth. "Fourteenth Master, please come out, I need to talk to you."
The next second, his head suddenly drooped down, stopping abruptly just before it hit the incense stick.
"Chirp chirp~"
Grandpa Tao twitched as he raised his head, making a strange sound as he muttered, "Calling me so late? I'll have to give you a piece of my mind tomorrow."
Lu Bai silently stepped aside, giving the stage to these immortals.
Grandpa Tao remained cross-legged, looking around with his head tilted left and right. "No wonder you called me, it's two members of the Hu family, hehe~"
So, these two immortals have barged in, they must not be very familiar with our rules. Today I must explain things to them clearly.
"This is my territory, Lord Bai the Fourteenth. If you two great immortals leave now, we can all live in peace. We can have the Incense Officer burner offer incense to you and politely send you off."
Most of the villagers hid in their houses, and the doors were locked.
The surroundings quieted down, with only the slight creaking of the wooden fence in the wind.
The incense in the hands of the three apprentices had burned out, and they held their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly.
The gray fox leaped to the farmer's side and bared its teeth at Grandpa Tao.
Seeing that the two Fox Immortal showed no sign of leaving, "Grandpa Tao" remained seated cross-legged, only his tone changed slightly.
"If you two insist on becoming enemies and forming a feud..."
The temperature inexplicably dropped, and exposed skin felt increasingly cold, sending chills down one's spine.
The two Fox Immortal exchanged a glance, as if they had made up their minds.
Both emitted a mournful roar at the same time, stirring up a cloud of flying sand and stones.
Under the cover of a large amount of gravel, accompanied by a sinister laugh, the gray fox pounced on Grandpa Tao first.
The peasant woman followed closely behind, her fingernails elongated, and one could vaguely see the shadowy outline of her hands against the backdrop of claws.
However, Grandpa Tao didn't even get up. He plucked two strands of hair from the top of his head, held them in his palm, and blew on them.
Under Lu Bai's somewhat surprised gaze, the two strands of hair shot out and grew longer in the wind.
Without any deviation, it precisely pierced both Fox Immortal.
The gray fox immediately collapsed to the ground, twitched twice, and then lay still.
The peasant woman also fell to the ground, but a white shadow shot out from above her head and rushed out of the village.
A single strand of hair then detached from the peasant woman's body, clinging to the white shadow like a maggot, and piercing through it.
"I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen."
Grandpa Tao shook his head.
Strictly speaking, "Xiangtou Dingxian" is only a rough generalization, and there are quite a few differences within it.
Set up an altar, place a niche, and paint an image.
Generally, if someone sets up an Incense Officer for themselves, they are considered Altar Immortal. However, if their cultivation is insufficient, even forcibly setting up a shrine will not be enough to suppress them.
And this Lord Bai the Fourteenth, despite the remoteness of the territory he governs, is of a very high seniority just from the title he's given.
Its shrine has all three essential items of the Altar Immortal; if it were to progress any further, it would be time to build a temple and a shrine for the immortals.
With such profound cultivation, dealing with two wandering immortals was a piece of cake.
Grandpa Tao picked up the smoked jerky from the porcelain bowl, sniffed it, and looked disgusted.
He casually tossed away the smoked jerky and made as if to leave, but then stopped inexplicably when he noticed Lu Bai sitting to the side eating melon seeds.
He scrutinized Lu Bai with a slightly appraising look, his eyes growing brighter the more he looked.
"What's your name, kid?"
Lu Bai still revealed his name, though he found it somewhat inexplicable. But since Grandpa Tao already knew it, there was no need to hide it.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing his name, "Grandpa Tao" beamed with joy.
"Lu Bai, what a good name! We're destined to meet..."
It wanted to continue the conversation, but then its face twitched, and it said helplessly, "If I don't leave soon, this kid's body might not be able to take it. How about this, you come to my dojo with this kid tomorrow, and we'll have a good talk."