The Locust Tree Became a Spirit

Zhou Yan sat inside the carriage with his eyes closed, concentrating. He paid no heed to what was happening outside.

Last night, he had first dealt with the drunkard, then spent the rest of the night worrying over the Yakshas Meditation Method. He had barely gotten any rest.

Although cultivators could go a night or two without sleep and be no worse for it,

Zhou Yan was cautious by nature. With another evil spirit to deal with, he took the opportunity to rest and recover as much energy as he could.

Sometimes, even the slightest difference could lead to two completely different outcomes...

After an unknown length of time, Zhou Yan heard someone speak outside. By then, the carriage had already stopped.

"Dharma Master Zhou, we've arrived. Please get down."

As the middle-aged steward spoke, he slowly lifted the curtain.

Zhou Yan climbed out of the carriage and saw a vast mansion before him. It took up nearly half a street. Two imposing stone lions stood at the entrance, and the plaque above the gate bore the two bold, flowing characters "Yue Mansion," clearly the work of a renowned calligrapher.

"Yue Mansion?!"

Zhou Yan mused to himself.

No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall which influential figure surnamed Yue in Shen City could own such a lavish mansion.

That alone showed how far beyond his imagination the family's status was.

"Dharma Master Zhou, please come in," the middle-aged steward said.

Zhou Yan nodded slightly. Though surprised, he showed no sign of being intimidated and walked calmly into the mansion.

His composure surprised the middle-aged steward.

The mansion had been built under the guidance of an expert, in a location with excellent feng shui. It exuded an almost oppressive presence.

Ordinary wealthy merchants would feel uneasy here, let alone officials visiting for the first time.

Yet Zhou Yan, a commoner, remained perfectly calm. It was quite unexpected.

The middle-aged steward didn't let his surprise show. Instead, he respectfully led Zhou Yan into the mansion, through a series of corridors, and straight to the rear courtyard.

As Zhou Yan followed him, his brows gradually furrowed.

He had been inside the mansion for quite some time, yet he had seen few signs of its owner.

"Dharma Master Zhou, this is one of my master's country houses. He only stays here occasionally and is away most of the time," the middle-aged steward explained, apparently having guessed what was on Zhou Yan's mind.

"Oh, I see."

Zhou Yan paused briefly, his expression still composed.

But a storm was rising inside him.

He knew that the more chaotic the times, and the more precarious the lives of ordinary people, the wider the gap between rich and poor became.

Still, he hadn't imagined that such a vast mansion would be merely one wealthy family's country house. It was enough to leave him shaken.

The Yue Family was clearly no ordinary family. He would need to be careful.

The middle-aged steward led him all the way to a garden.

Calling it a garden seemed inaccurate to Zhou Yan. It looked more like a small forest, covering several hundred square meters and filled with all kinds of plants and trees, as well as various birds and beasts. It was practically an entire ecosystem.

Even though Zhou Yan considered himself well-traveled, he couldn't help swallowing when he saw a place like this inside the mansion.

All right, even a modern man like him could be a country bumpkin.

Most importantly, this was only a country house.

Zhou Yan had always considered himself steady and cautious, but in that moment, he couldn't help feeling intensely resentful of the rich.

"Dharma Master Zhou, this forest has been restless lately, and some strange things have happened. That's why I asked you to come take a look," the middle-aged steward said.

Zhou Yan gathered himself, nodded, and stepped forward.

He silently recited the incantation and cast the Dharma Eye Curse.

His vision soon changed. Everything he looked at was shrouded in gray, as if covered by a veil.

Amid the haze, however, a distinct mass of yin energy appeared.

Zhou Yan quickly went over to investigate and found a huge locust tree, more than ten meters tall and so thick that five or six people would be needed to encircle its trunk.

"This locust tree must be several hundred years old. No wonder it became a spirit," he thought.

It was almost certainly the locust tree spirit that had caused the strange occurrences.

Zhou Yan reached out and touched the tree. A chilling cold immediately invaded his body.

His expression changed, and he snatched his hand back.

Yet his hand had already begun to show signs of frostbite.

"Dharma Master Zhou, what's wrong?" Seeing Zhou Yan recoil, the middle-aged steward's face changed. He hurriedly asked what had happened.

Zhou Yan shook his hand. His blood and qi surged through his body, and the condition of his hand quickly improved.

"It's nothing. I've found the cause. That locust tree has become a spirit."

The middle-aged steward looked toward the tree. A startled expression appeared on his face. "How could such a huge locust tree be here? We'd never noticed it before."

Prominent families knew quite a bit about demons and spirits.

They were therefore careful about such things themselves.

Whether they kept chickens and dogs or grew plants and trees, they would slaughter or cut them down once they reached a certain age, all to prevent them from becoming evil spirits.

That was why the middle-aged steward was so surprised that such a huge locust tree had appeared.

"That's not surprising. The tree must have become a spirit long ago, so it knows how to avoid danger. Besides, this forest is quite large. Anyone who went in to prune the trees was caught by a Veiling Technique. The locust tree can also move around, which is why no one ever noticed it..." Zhou Yan explained.

He had suffered a minor setback, but he had learned something in the process.

The locust tree's roots had gradually taken control of most of the ground beneath the forest. Cutting it down would be no easy task.

Besides, the tree had already sensed the danger. Even a cultivator like him had nearly been injured by it.

An ordinary person had no chance of cutting it down.

The middle-aged steward still sent several strong young men from the household to try. But as soon as they approached, the yin energy chilled them to the bone.

Even when they managed to get close enough to swing their axes, they couldn't harm the tree at all. Instead, sparks flew when the axes struck it.

It was as if they weren't chopping a tree, but a steel pillar.

At that, the middle-aged steward finally believed Zhou Yan and understood that cutting down the locust tree wouldn't be easy.

"Dharma Master, what should we do now?" the middle-aged steward asked respectfully.

Zhou Yan looked at the tree and said calmly, "Wait until nightfall. The locust tree spirit is bound to appear. Then I'll kill it. Once it loses its supernatural powers, cutting down the tree will be easy."

The middle-aged steward hurriedly replied, "We'll do as you say, Dharma Master."