After closing the courtyard gate, Shi Yue took out the Heaven Controlling Bead. After a brief moment of thought, he walked over to the Spirit Field, crouched down, and dug a hole.
"Hey, Shi brat, what are you doing? We can talk this out! Whatever it is, we can talk it out. Don't do anything rash!" Xiaoyaozi's voice sounded a little urgent.
Shi Yue acted as though he hadn't heard him. He wrapped the Heaven Controlling Bead in a brocade handkerchief, placed it in the hole, then covered it with dirt and buried it.
"Shi brat, have you gone mad? Why are you burying the Heaven Controlling Bead out of nowhere? Whatever it is, we can talk it through. Don't do anything rash!" Xiaoyaozi's voice grew even more urgent.
Shi Yue still ignored him. He placed a rock over the spot where the Heaven Controlling Bead was buried, then got up and left his residence.
Although Xiaoyaozi hadn't shown his fangs so far, Shi Yue was still worried that such an unknown entity might seize his body. Now that he had a thousand Contribution Points, he could go to Spring Hall and have Spiritual Patterns engraved on him to prevent Body Seizure.
As he pondered this, Shi Yue summoned the Leaf Magic Tool and flew off into the distance.
After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Shi Yue landed in a bamboo grove. A several-story pavilion stood about a hundred meters ahead.
The entire pavilion was built of wood, without a single stone.
A green plaque hung above the pavilion's entrance, bearing the three large green characters "Spring Hall."
The pavilion's doors were tightly shut. Beside them stood a person-high Wood Shelf, from which hung a green copper bell about the size of a washbasin. A small green mallet rested beside it.
Shi Yue had visited Spring Hall a few times before and was fairly familiar with the place.
He strode up to the Wood Shelf, picked up the small green mallet, and gently struck the green copper bell three times.
Three clear chimes rang out: "Dang, dang, dang."
The pavilion doors, which had been tightly shut, slowly swung open.
Seeing this, Shi Yue hurried inside.
Inside was a spacious hall. A Green Wood Table and a Wooden Chair stood in the center, and a ruddy-faced Green-robed Old Man sat on a bamboo chair, holding a thick book.
"This disciple, Shi Yue, pays his respects to Uncle-Master Chen." Shi Yue bowed respectfully.
"Mm. Tell me, what brings you here? Have you been poisoned, or have you been tainted by evil energy?" The Green-robed Old Man set down the book in his hands and asked coolly.
"This disciple may have picked up something unclean," Shi Yue answered honestly.
To be honest, Shi Yue didn't know whether he had managed to shake off Xiaoyaozi. He was worried that Xiaoyaozi might have left some sort of mark on him.
"Something unclean?" A flicker of interest appeared on the Green-robed Old Man's face.
He turned his hand over, and a palm-sized bronze mirror appeared in it.
"This Evil-Banishing Mirror can detect whether anything unclean is on you, but the process may be painful. You'll have to bear with it," the Green-robed Old Man said coolly.
"Yes, this disciple understands." Shi Yue nodded. His life was at stake, so he would endure it no matter how painful it was.
The Green-robed Old Man pointed the bronze mirror at Shi Yue and infused it with magic power. A beam of yellow light shot out, flashed, and vanished into Shi Yue's body.
As soon as the yellow light entered him, Shi Yue felt a warmth spread through his body. Then a piercing pain shot into his mind, and he let out an involuntary scream.
The Green-robed Old Man paid him no heed. He moved the mirror in his hand, and the yellow light began scanning Shi Yue's body inch by inch.
Shi Yue could only grit his teeth. A sheen of sweat appeared on his face.
A moment later, the Green-robed Old Man withdrew his magic power. He turned his hand over, and the mirror vanished. After glancing at Shi Yue, he said coldly,
"There's nothing unclean on you. You're perfectly fine. But since I've already examined you, I still have to charge you. Thirty Contribution Points."
"But this junior still feels uneasy, as though a Ghostly creature is always by my side. I can hardly sleep." Shi Yue let out a relieved breath, then recalled something and spoke somewhat hesitantly.
"If you're still worried, you can have some Spiritual Patterns engraved on your body. They can prevent Body Seizure. Low-tier Ghostly creatures will be annihilated the moment they touch you. It'll cost two hundred Contribution Points. With the earlier examination fee, that comes to two hundred and thirty Contribution Points. Pay first." The Green-robed Old Man spoke coolly. As he finished, he turned his hand over, took out a Silver Jade Plate, and made a few gestures over it.
"All right, then. Engrave the Spiritual Patterns on me." Shi Yue nodded in agreement. He took out his Identity Token and lightly swiped it over the Silver Jade Plate in the Green-robed Old Man's hand. Two hundred and thirty Contribution Points were deducted.
"Come with me." The Green-robed Old Man put away the Silver Jade Plate and ordered him. Then he stood up and headed upstairs.
Shi Yue nodded and quickly followed.
The Second Floor was a little narrower than the hall and completely empty.
"Sit down and take off your shirt." The Green-robed Old Man pointed to an empty patch of floor and ordered.
Shi Yue didn't dare delay. He obediently took off his shirt, baring his upper body.
The Green-robed Old Man walked behind Shi Yue and took a golden awl, a silver Talisman Brush, a Green Wood Box, and a thin booklet from his Storage Bag.
The Green-robed Old Man opened the booklet to a particular page. He used the golden awl to pierce a series of mysterious designs into Shi Yue's back, then wiped away the blood with a white cloth. After opening the Green Wood Box, he dipped the silver Talisman Brush into the golden liquid inside and drew more mysterious designs on Shi Yue's back.
Half an hour later, the Green-robed Old Man set down the Talisman Brush. Several dozen mysterious Golden Runes now covered Shi Yue's back, glowing with a faint golden light and looking quite extraordinary.
"All done. You can put your clothes back on. Remember, these Spiritual Patterns can prevent Ghostly creatures from possessing you, but only low-tier ones. They can't stop high-tier Ghostly creatures. Also, every time these Spiritual Patterns are activated, they'll consume some of your vital essence. If you don't need them in the future, you should wash them off. Licorice and plant ash will do the trick; urine works too." The Green-robed Old Man spoke each word carefully.
"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle-Master Chen." Shi Yue cupped his fists in thanks, put on his clothes, and went downstairs.
After Shi Yue left the pavilion, its doors closed by themselves again.
When he returned to his residence, Shi Yue immediately dug up the Heaven Controlling Bead.
"Shi brat, don't do anything rash. We can talk this out," Xiaoyaozi said as soon as Shi Yue dug up the Heaven Controlling Bead. His voice rang in Shi Yue's mind.
"You don't know what I went to do?" Shi Yue stared at the Heaven Controlling Bead, asking with a strange look on his face.
"You think I'm an Immortal reincarnated? How could I possibly know what you went to do?" Xiaoyaozi said, sounding a little displeased.
Shi Yue let out a relieved breath. It seemed his guess had been right: Xiaoyaozi was trapped inside the Heaven Controlling Bead and couldn't leave. As long as Shi Yue didn't carry the bead around, Xiaoyaozi had no way of knowing what he was up to.
"Oh, right, let me remind you of something. If someone asks how you managed to save up so much urine, what will you say?" Xiaoyaozi asked.
Before you continue