Dealing with What Was Inside the Jars

The moment those words fell, even with Big Eye Ghost King's excellent self-control, he nearly lost his composure.

Ghostly qi swirled thickly around Big Eye Ghost King, though he struggled to keep his face calm.

Then he forcibly swallowed his anger and waved a hand. "Forget it. Leave him alone for now. I truly can't see through him.

"Take it out first and set it aside. We'll deal with the rest once everything else has been settled."

Martial Uncle nodded to Big Eye Ghost King. "All right. I'll first lay down a formation around us, then smash the jars directly. I'll leave the rest to you."

Big Eye Ghost King answered with a good.

Then Martial Uncle took out a handful of talismans and tossed them into the air. The talismans slowly spread out and formed a circle.

He then formed several hand seals, enclosing all the jars and pots in the courtyard.

"Atong, take that jar with the red seal outside the range of the talisman formation."

After Martial Uncle spoke, I nodded and picked up the jar, walking outside.

"Hey... hey, hey! Where are you taking me?" a voice came from inside the jar.

I said I was putting it outside for now and that we would see how Martial Uncle dealt with it later.

Without waiting for a reply from inside the jar, I found a relatively level patch of ground and gently set it down.

Then I strode back toward Martial Uncle and the others. The jar muttered something under its breath, but I did not catch it clearly.

After returning to where we had been standing, Martial Uncle had us gather together.

He asked Big Eye Ghost King whether he was ready, and Big Eye Ghost King nodded at him.

Then he took a palm-sized little gourd from his robes and said,

"Let's use my Mysterious Yin Gourd to seal them temporarily. Once I return, I'll find a place to help them cross over one by one."

The gourd was sleek and glossy, and it looked quite pleasing.

Big Eye Ghost King pulled out its stopper and tossed it into the air. The little gourd spun round and round in midair.

"That will do. Open the jars and let the Mysterious Yin Gourd suck them in."

As soon as Big Eye Ghost King spoke, Martial Uncle raised a hand, and countless bamboo stalks burst from the ground.

They shot toward those jars. For a time, the entire courtyard rang with the clattering crash of jars breaking apart.

Once the jars shattered, the things inside immediately revealed their true forms.

There were people from every dynasty. Some looked fierce and savage, while others appeared refined and scholarly.

There were several "rats" as large as ripe jackfruits, their tiny eyes glinting fiercely as they stared at us.

There were toads as large as washbasins, hopping about while croaking loudly.

There was every strange thing imaginable, a truly tangled profusion of species. For a while, roars and cries filled the courtyard.

What I found somewhat unbelievable was that one fox was licking the fur on the back of its paw.

Its expression was incredibly humanlike, and it kept shooting us flirtatious looks.

It disgusted me terribly, and the sight gave me quite a fright as well.

Nangong Yiyi had her little mouth open, her face full of shock, while Qianqian directly hid behind my back.

Suddenly, the little gourd floating in midair released a powerful suction force.

One after another, the things in the courtyard were sucked inside.

That fox also stopped throwing flirtatious looks at us, its eyes filled with panic.

It thrust both paws into the earth, struggling against the suction force coming from the little gourd.

But it was all in vain. Before long, it was sucked in as well. One ghostly thing even tried to pounce at us.

Big Eye Ghost King pointed a finger, and that ghostly thing immediately turned into a wisp of black smoke, suffering the fate of having its soul scattered.

Once everything was over, broken jars lay everywhere in the courtyard, leaving it in utter disarray.

Then the little gourd slowly descended from the air. Big Eye Ghost King caught it in one hand and put the stopper back in.

"I'll have to trouble you with this. Once I've finished my business, I'll come back to retrieve it."

Martial Uncle stepped forward and clasped his fists toward Big Eye Ghost King. The latter smiled and gave a slight nod.

Then Big Eye Ghost King raised a hand and pointed at the jar I had set outside. He asked Martial Uncle,

"How do you plan to settle this jar?"

Martial Uncle wore a conflicted expression and fell silent for a moment.

I hesitated, then said, "How about sealing him in the back mountain together with Qianqian's corpse?

"There's a seal there. He definitely won't be able to get out."

Martial Uncle's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying that would work.

Big Eye Ghost King also said, "I think it'll work. That place is quite good, mainly because that seal is very powerful."

"All right, then. I won't disturb you all any longer. There are matters at home, so I'll be setting off now."

Big Eye Ghost King clasped his fists toward us.

Martial Uncle also clasped his fists and nodded. "All right, go back first, then. I'll have to trouble you during this time."

Big Eye Ghost King nodded and said it was nothing.

Before leaving, he even said to me, "Kid, I think highly of you."

Then his figure flashed, and he vanished from where he stood.

"All right, everyone rest for a while. Once Atong's injuries have fully healed, we'll go settle Qianqian's corpse.

"Oh, right, Atong, bring that jar inside," Martial Uncle said.

I picked up the jar and carried it into the house.

"Kid, where are you taking me?" the voice inside the jar asked.

I said he would find out in a few days. Then I ignored him. After putting the jar away, I came back outside.

Qianqian asked whether we should clean the courtyard. Martial Uncle said there was no need. In a few days, everyone would be leaving, so there was no point.

After resting for several days, my injuries completely healed. I jumped up and down on the ground.

My body felt completely fine. Martial Uncle, Qianqian, and Nangong Yiyi were all very happy to see me like that.

"Make your preparations. After tonight, we'll set out for the back mountain tomorrow morning." After Martial Uncle spoke, we all nodded.

"Oh, right, Martial Uncle, can I wear my grandfather's Yin gathering token around my neck?"

Martial Uncle frowned. "Didn't I tell you that other people mustn't see it? Why can't you understand human speech?"

"That's not what I mean." With that, I took out two pieces of wood, each a circle larger than the Yin gathering token.

Their insides had been hollowed out, and I had carved flowers, birds, fish, and insects on the outside.

I placed the Yin gathering token on one hollowed-out wooden piece, then pressed the other hollowed-out piece over it.

With a snap, the two hollowed wooden pieces wrapped the Yin gathering token so tightly that not even a seam showed.

It was equivalent to giving the Yin gathering token a shell made of ordinary wood, so others would think it was merely an ordinary wood carving.

I looked up at Martial Uncle. "Would this work?"

Martial Uncle's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at it. It looked like an ordinary wooden carving, though the true Yin gathering token was hidden inside.

"You can do that? You really are a sly little imp." Martial Uncle laughed.

Then he took it from my hand to examine it. Its exterior truly looked like nothing more than an ordinary wooden carving.

The seams fit together perfectly as well. After looking at it for a while, Martial Uncle said, "All right. You can wear it around your neck."

Martial Uncle clicked his tongue in amazement while praising my craftsmanship. He said that if I ever stopped working in Underworld Practices,

I could open a wood-carving shop and would definitely make money. My face went black...

The reason I made this shell was because Qianqian and Nangong Yiyi lived inside the Yin gathering token.

And Martial Uncle had said the Yin gathering token could not be seen by others, so I could only put it inside my small space.

But if I put it in my small space, then whenever Qianqian and Nangong Yiyi came out of the Yin gathering token, they would be inside my small space.

I would have to open my small space once more to let them out.

In other words, whether Qianqian and Nangong Yiyi went in or came out,

I would have to open or close the Yin gathering token once, then open or close my small space once. It was extremely troublesome.

So while recovering from my injuries, I came up with this method.

Then I had Qianqian help me find two ordinary pieces of wood.

I carved them while recuperating, and now it seemed the result was not bad.