Exorcising Evil

That was Qi Yuxian.

Zhang Jian was slightly taken aback when he saw Qi Yuxian. His eldest cousin had hurried away earlier; he had never expected to find her quietly weeping here.

Qi Yuxian sensed someone's arrival and hastily raised her head. When she saw Zhang Jian, she froze briefly, but she remained poised and gracious.

Though her face was streaked with tears like pear blossoms in rain, her beauty did not diminish. Instead, she wiped away her tears and smiled.

"Little brother Zhang, you saw it all!"

Zhang Jian gave a wry smile and nodded. "I happened to pass by. I never expected to run into Sister Yuxian. Has Sister Yuxian encountered some difficulty?"

His expression was earnest.

Zhang Jian's face was solemn, without the slightest trace of mockery, and Qi Yuxian felt much better for it.

Her lovely eyes rested on Zhang Jian as she shook her head slightly.

"Thank you, little brother Zhang. I merely recalled some sad matters and was stirred by them."

Qi Yuxian was unwilling to say more. After chatting with Zhang Jian for a few moments, she straightened her clothes and turned to leave.

Watching Qi Yuxian's departing figure, Zhang Jian fell into thought.

"It seems Eldest Aunt's illness is far more serious than usual?"

He looked toward the center of the flower bed.

Zhang Jian did not act at once. The Qi family and the Zhang family were bound by ties that could not be severed, and what was more, this was an attack by an unorthodox evil art. He ought to do something.

Yet Zhang Jian did not immediately dig out the buried iron can.

Though destroying the object used in the Nightmare Suppression Art could break the spell, if the root of the evil was not removed, it would remain a hidden danger.

Zhang Jian glanced at the place where the object of the Nightmare Suppression Art was buried.

It would be best if someone else discovered this matter, rather than him, an "outsider."

After all, family shame must not be aired abroad!

As Zhang Jian pondered, deep within the inner residence—

One courtyard was surrounded so tightly by the Qi family's retainers and private soldiers that not even water could pass through. Qi Yi was discussing the matter with an old Daoist in purple robes.

It was Heavenly Void Daoist of Iron Immortal Abbey.

His medical and Daoist arts were both exceptional, and he enjoyed considerable renown in Fengyang Commandery.

After Heavenly Void Daoist had treated her, he had already seen certain clues. The old Daoist spoke bluntly.

"My old friend, do not blame me for failing to warn you. Your eldest daughter-in-law bears no small measure of sin upon her. Otherwise, she would not have brought down such a calamity!"

Qi Yi stroked his beard and sighed. "It is also my old wife's fault. Her heart has always been too soft, and thus the household has known no peace. But the urgent matter now is to save Madam Zhou's life!"

At the mention of Madam Zhou, Qi Yi's face darkened somewhat. Madam Zhou's status was unusual: she had been born into Dingyuan Marquis's estate. The Dingyuan Marquis's estate in Haojing was a founding military house, its influence far surpassing that of a prominent clan like the Qi family.

The Qi family had been able to navigate the treacherous currents of Fengyang Commandery and remain on good terms with all sides, avoiding disaster, largely because they relied on Dingyuan Marquis's estate.

Otherwise, that forceful commandery governor would likely have pressed them even harder long ago. How could he have remained neutral all this time?

No matter how grave Madam Zhou's mistakes were, he could only hold his nose and endure them.

"Since that is so, I shall set up an altar and perform the rites, first driving the evil presence from your eldest daughter-in-law!"

Heavenly Void Daoist sighed. "Madam Zhou has suffered two layers of harm. One is the Mother-and-Child Vengeful Fiend. That Mother-and-Child Vengeful Fiend should be within the Qi family's inner residence; once found, it can be eradicated. The other is the Nightmare Suppression Art. It is precisely that art which has suppressed her soul, leaving her muddleheaded and crazed!"

At the side, a group of disciples wearing Purple Sun Daoist robes had already prepared the various implements for the ritual altar.

The altar faced the gate of the courtyard directly.

Heavenly Void Daoist wore a purple Daoist robe. As he stepped onto the altar, a bronze bell covered in countless runes appeared in his hand.

This was called the Soul-Seizing Bell. Heavenly Void Daoist needed the aid of this ritual artifact from Iron Immortal Abbey to perform a special technique known as the Soul-Summoning Method.

It was no heterodox art, but an orthodox method.

With the ritual artifact in hand, he could reduce some of his spiritual power expenditure. As he stepped through the pattern of the Dipper, spiritual power surged in his hand, and an invisible ringing drifted out from within the residence.

The bell's chime was crisp and clear, carrying far into the distance. Yet the courtyard had long been surrounded by a group of seasoned soldiers, so others could not enter. Even if they found it strange, they had no way to investigate.

As soon as the chime rang out, it immediately stirred a wave of invisible, sinister spiritual energy within the courtyard.

In an instant, Heavenly Void Daoist's gaze locked onto a well in the corner of the courtyard. Eight command flags stood around it, while the mouth of the well was covered in countless densely packed demon-suppressing runes. It had long been sealed.

An incomparably frigid aura suddenly gushed forth from the well.

"What a sin. Mother and child both perished—this truly defies heaven and reason!"

Seeing the frigid spiritual energy spewing from the well, Heavenly Void Daoist's eyes showed a trace of pity. He had long known that the Mother-and-Child Vengeful Fiend lay hidden at the bottom of the well. It was a fierce ghost born only when a wronged mother and child died together and were buried in yin ground. Mother and child were one body, exceptionally formidable.

If not for his special friendship with Qi Yi, Heavenly Void Daoist would never have taken on such troublesome business.

At that moment, an incomparably shrill cry seemed to rise from the depths of the well. The piercing sound made the eardrums of everyone inside and outside the courtyard ache faintly, while filling their hearts with agitation and confusion.

"How presumptuous!"

Qi Yi channeled his breath and shouted. At the same time, he raised a seal high in his hand. As soon as the seal appeared, Heavenly Void Daoist faintly sensed an invisible aura of dragon and tiger being drawn forth. Like a raging torrent, it crashed toward the well, dealing the Mother-and-Child Fiend within a crushing blow.

"The aura of dragon and tiger can be used like this?"

Perched atop the courtyard wall, Zhang Jian watched this scene with astonishment in his eyes.

When he heard the bell ringing from deep within the Qi residence, he had taken the chance to sneak over.

Naturally, he saw Qi Yi and the old Daoist from Iron Immortal Abbey.

The power radiating from that dragon-and-tiger aura was astonishing. Especially after being enhanced by an official seal of unknown rank, the force it unleashed was at least ten times greater than that of Zhang Kui, a Subordinate Ninth Rank county commandant.

Even Zhang Jian felt a sense of pressure from such power.

"With the imperial court at its height, it truly is an immense pressure upon cultivators!"

Zhang Jian thought to himself. Fortunately, he was not merely a cultivator who had just stepped through the gates of the Great Dao; he had also entered the path of the imperial examinations.

He could be considered to have one foot within the imperial court's system.

Cultivation and officialdom did not conflict.

At this moment, he watched Heavenly Void Daoist seize the opportunity to completely seal the well.

"This old Daoist does have a few tricks up his sleeve!"

Zhang Jian was rather surprised. This sort of experience in magical combat was precisely what he lacked. Although his pure-yang spiritual power was immense, and his strength might even surpass Heavenly Void Daoist's, he lacked such methods. Combined together, those minor spells could produce many marvelous effects.

At present, he only knew the Soul-Cleansing Spell and the Minor Wind-Thunder Technique.

Their destructive power was indeed formidable.

But they could not trap an enemy.

Just then, Zhang Jian's ears twitched, and his gaze turned toward the water at the bottom of the well.

From deep within the Myriad Worlds Spirit Orb came a muttering voice.

"Big brother, this crazy woman brought her child to stay in our home. She's really too annoying!"

Then another voice sounded. "Since someone is summoning souls, let's take this opportunity to drive them out for good!"

"Something is going to go wrong?"

Zhang Jian's heart stirred. In the next instant, the shrill wail from the forbidden ground suddenly intensified severalfold. The web of rune energy spread across the well erupted with cracks, then exploded in the next moment.