Evil Spirit

Wu Tao gripped his Iron Sword and stood by the door. Unless whoever was outside identified themselves clearly, he would not open it.

The next second, he heard Zhang Li's slightly trembling voice. "Fellow Daoist Li, it's me, Zhang Li."

Wu Tao did not open the door at once. Thoughts flashed through his mind before he asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, what was the first thing I said to you?"

"Hello, I'm the one who moved in yesterday? Fellow Daoist Li, could you open the door..." Zhang Li's voice was filled with fear.

Wu Tao let out a breath. It was Zhang Li.

With a clatter, the door opened. Zhang Li stood outside in only her underclothes, her entire body trembling faintly, fear written across her face. Looking at Wu Tao, her lips quivered as she said, "Li Mo, I'm scared!"

"Come in first." Wu Tao glanced at the night behind Zhang Li. Not a single resident of New Virtue Alley had come outside; every one of them had their doors bolted tight.

He pulled Zhang Li inside and firmly shut the door.

The bean-sized lamplight shone on their faces, making it plain to see that neither could suppress the terror in their hearts.

Being weak was the original sin. Wu Tao sighed inwardly, then did his best to steady his emotions and comfort Zhang Li. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, emotions are contagious. If you're afraid, I'll be even more afraid. My cultivation is lower than yours."

His words calmed Zhang Li a little, though barely. She slowly shook her head. "I've never fought with spells before, and I don't know any combat spells..."

Wu Tao pondered for a moment before making his decision. "Stay here with me tonight. One of us can keep watch while the other sleeps. I'll take the first half of the night, and you sleep first. Then you can relieve me for the second half."

There was no other choice.

Hopefully, this was not too serious, and the Patrol Squad responsible for protecting the rogue cultivators could resolve it quickly.

Zhang Li said nothing. She looked at Wu Tao's calm expression, climbed onto his bed, and closed her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep so she would have the energy to take over for the latter half of the night. At a time like this, she knew she could not hold him back.

Wu Tao sat in a chair, watching the candle flame dance. His mind was stretched taut as he kept constant watch on the sounds outside.

Fortunately, the night passed quickly.

Nothing happened.

Wu Tao was groggily awakened when Zhang Li pushed him. He got up, rubbing his swollen forehead, and saw her haggard face. Zhang Li had kept watch through the latter half of the night. The first thing he asked upon waking was, "Was everything all right during the second half?"

Zhang Li shook her head.

Wu Tao rose, took the Iron Sword from Zhang Li's hand, and said, "Stay inside. Don't go out. I'll head outside and find out what's going on."

"Mm, be careful."

Wu Tao left the house. Residents had already emerged onto the streets of New Virtue Alley, and those who knew one another had gathered in twos and threes, seemingly discussing last night's screams. He pretended to pass by, hoping to overhear something useful.

"It's confirmed. An Evil Spirit appeared in New Peace Alley next door. One person died."

"An Evil Spirit? Has it been caught?"

"Not yet. We need to be more careful at night. It'd be best for everyone to gather together and watch each other's backs..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Tao felt only dread. An Evil Spirit again.

To make sure the news was true, he asked around several more times. At last, he confirmed that an Evil Spirit had indeed appeared.

He hurried home and told Zhang Li, "I've found out clearly. An Evil Spirit appeared in New Peace Alley next door, and one person died. I have something urgent to do outside. You can either go home or rest here. Evil Spirits rarely act during the day, but you should still be careful. Don't sleep too deeply."

"Fellow Daoist Li, wait... Are you going to buy Evil-Breaking Talismans?" Zhang Li grabbed his arm.

Wu Tao nodded. "I need to hurry. Once an Evil Spirit appears, I'm not afraid the shops will jack up their prices while the fire is still burning—I'm afraid they'll sell out. Someone has already died. We can't place all our safety in the hands of the Patrol Squad..."

Zhang Li said nothing more. She quickly ran back to her own room, then came running back with a Spirit Stone Bag in hand. She offered it to him and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, this is all my savings—ninety Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Take them and buy Evil-Breaking Talismans with all of it. We need to get through this hurdle first."

Zhang Li's actions made Wu Tao regard her even more highly. He did not waste any more words. Taking the Spirit Stone Bag, he told her to wait for his return, then rushed out and sprinted all the way toward the Marketplace.

He charged straight into the Yuanyou Talisman Pavilion and panted at the shopkeeper, "shopkeeper, I want to buy Evil-Breaking Talismans."

"The Evil-Breaking Talismans are sold out."

Damn it, I should have thought of that. The moment an Evil Spirit appeared, Evil-Breaking Talismans were bound to sell like wildfire. I was still a step too slow. I need to check the other shops. Thoughts raced through Wu Tao's mind as he headed straight for another shop that sold talismans.

He rushed through three shops in succession, but every one of them was sold out.

Just as Wu Tao began to despair, he found that the fourth shop still had Evil-Breaking Talismans for sale.

"Don't shove! Don't shove! Keep pushing, and I'll throw every last one of you out!" The shopkeeper struggled to maintain order, making the rogue cultivators line up to buy. Yet these rogue cultivators all lived near New Peace Alley. With their lives on the line, every one of them was frantic.

Still, cowed by the shopkeeper's threats, they no longer dared to push forward recklessly.

Wu Tao stood in line and watched the rogue cultivators ahead of him pull out their entire fortunes to buy Evil-Breaking Talismans. He could only pray they would not sell out—that they would leave even one for him.

At last, it was Wu Tao's turn. He hurriedly asked, "How much for one Evil-Breaking Talisman?"

"Thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones each."

"Give me four."

The price had indeed risen. Wu Tao gritted his teeth, took out the Spirit Stones, paid, accepted the Evil-Breaking Talismans, and stepped out of the line. Then he heard the shopkeeper shout again, "I said don't shove! From now on, Evil-Breaking Talismans are fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones each!"

He no longer paid attention to the ever-rising price of Evil-Breaking Talismans. He tucked them close against his body. Including the one he had bought earlier, he now had five, and his sense of crisis eased slightly.

Fortunately, I bought one before.

Back to square one in an instant. But there's no helping it—Spirit Stones can be earned again after they're gone, but once your life is gone, everything is gone. After this crisis passes, I need to stock up on more Evil-Breaking Talismans. The best solution would be to buy a Restriction that can avert and break evil, then refine a Magic Tool specifically for dealing with Evil Spirits.

Fellow Daoist Zhang is clear-headed too. She knows life matters more.

Wu Tao gripped his Iron Sword and headed home. Along the way, he encountered a rogue cultivator selling Evil-Breaking Talismans for sixty-five each, while someone beside him cried out in indignation.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, isn't the price of your Evil-Breaking Talismans outrageous?"

"Buy them if you want, get lost if you don't. What, you planning to rob me?"

Though the Loose Cultivator surnamed Chen looked unremarkable, he seemed to have something to rely on. No one truly dared to act recklessly.

Wu Tao turned himself into a transparent man, slipping quietly past and swiftly returning home. He lightly knocked on his own door, and Zhang Li soon opened it. She was already dressed.

When she saw Wu Tao return safely, Zhang Li visibly let out a sigh of relief.

Wu Tao slipped inside sideways and shut the door. He took five Evil-Breaking Talismans from his robes and handed three to her. "Evil-Breaking Talismans have risen to thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones each. By the time I left, they had already gone up to sixty-five each. These three are yours."

Zhang Li accepted them and carefully put them away. "It's good that you managed to buy them."

Wu Tao looked into her eyes and saw that she was even more exhausted. "You didn't rest while I was gone?"

Zhang Li shook her head. "I was alone, so I didn't really dare sleep. I wanted to wait until you came back before sleeping."

Wu Tao understood. Although Zhang Li had performed well in this matter, from keeping watch to taking out her Spirit Stones to buy Evil-Breaking Talismans, and had not thought to rely solely on Wu Tao, she was still a woman in the end. Whether physically or mentally, she was no match for a man.

With that thought, Wu Tao said, "Then don't sleep yet. Refine this Magic Robe first. It's a First-Rank Level 2 Wind-Speed Magic Robe. It can double your speed, so you can use it to flee for your life in a crisis."

As he spoke, Wu Tao took out two Magic Robes, giving one to Zhang Li while refining the other himself.

Zhang Li did not stand on ceremony. She knew that at this moment, time was life. Preserving their lives came first; words of thanks could wait. She hurriedly took it, sat on the bed, and began refining it.