The Dao Rises a Foot Higher

(Brain storage)

"Whoa, fellow traveler, that move of yours was incredible!"

Just as Hu Tao had no idea how to deal with such an assault, her first thought upon seeing a golden shield similar to Lin Yiyi's form around her was that the young man had stepped in to help.

Zhongli smiled faintly behind her. Since he was at the back of the group, naturally no one noticed his braid glowing faintly.

What? Why could Teyvat's elemental power block attacks that did not originate from Teyvat?

Oh, sorry. It simply could not block Rifthounds, but that did not mean it could not block other attacks from beyond Teyvat.

Thus, the old ghost could not break through either side for the moment. Furious and frustrated, it had no choice but to withdraw its formation and look for another opportunity.

How could Lin Yiyi give it time to catch its breath? He put away the Bagua mirror, sprang from the ground, and charged at the old ghost with lightning speed.

Perhaps the latter was too old to react in time. It could only hastily defend itself, summoning wave after wave of black mist to attack Lin Yiyi.

Lin Yiyi held a talisman between the fingers of each hand. They glimmered with faint golden light and possessed the power to ward off all poisons. Any sinister energy that attacked him, no matter how vicious, would vanish into ashes the instant it touched them.

By the time the talismans' spiritual power was exhausted, Lin Yiyi had already closed in on the old ghost. He activated the Daoist power within his body and engaged it in close-quarters combat.

Because they existed in different dimensions, Lin Yiyi had to rely on Daoist secret arts to ensure he could touch ghosts. Ordinary people naturally could not.

It was merely a foul-smelling old man past his prime. How could it possibly beat Lin Yiyi in a close fight?

The old ghost let out a savage roar and immediately clawed at Lin Yiyi.

"Whoa, still going strong at your age?"

Lin Yiyi sneered. With another open-handed block, he easily stopped the seemingly terrifying strike.

Then came the classic parry-and-counter. His left fist shot forward, swinging toward its face.

The old man was already hunched over and frail-looking, held together only by a breath of resentment. Even though he could still command the towering resentful energy around them, after taking that punch, he never imagined the attack would come from that direction.

Lin Yiyi then forcibly pulled its arms apart and attacked straight down the middle without hesitation, repeatedly hammering its chest with a flurry of straight punches—the rapid chain punches often seen in movies and TV dramas.

Then Lin Yiyi abandoned any concern for martial ethics or Daoist etiquette. He pressed it to the ground and rained down punches.

The living had their path, and ghosts had theirs. Humans and ghosts walked different roads and owed each other nothing.

No matter who you had been in life, whether you enjoyed a sterling reputation or lived so miserably you could not lift your head, the instant death came, all your fame, fortune, and status vanished like smoke.

We disciples of the Daoist sect walk this world and spend our lives fighting the countless evils under heaven.

If you endangered the human world, then we had the responsibility and duty to correct your wickedness.

Even if you possessed heaven-reaching abilities, we still would not fear you.

The devil might rise a foot, but the Dao would rise ten feet. To follow the Dao and sacrifice one's life for righteousness—that was true attainment.

Only after the old ghost had been beaten until not a trace of black energy remained around it, and Lin Yiyi was certain that most of the resentment filling its body had been beaten out of it, did he take several steps back and ask coldly:

"And now? Who's killing whom?"

The old man struggled to his feet. Just as it was about to roar again in defiance, a red-and-gold spear pressed against its throat.

For the first time, the old evil ghost showed fear. When it met those icy eyes, even as a wronged soul and vicious ghost, it did not dare so much as breathe loudly.

The young man holding the Staff of Homa said coldly, "You wouldn't listen no matter how I tried to reason with you. You just had to bring this upon yourself."

Lin Yiyi snorted. "Weren't you acting pretty arrogant just now? Did you really think I was playing around with all these Daoist arts?"

The old ghost's throat was pinned tightly. It could feel that the energy contained within this strange spear was enough to scatter its soul and annihilate it completely. It did not dare make the slightest rash move.

"Happy now? You've been beaten so badly you barely look like a ghost. I tried to persuade you from the start, but you wouldn't listen..."

"I'll listen! I'll listen! I was blind and offended you, Daoist master. Please be magnanimous and spare this little ghost!"

With a thud, the old ghost dropped to its knees. Where had its former fierceness and hostility gone?

Lin Yiyi said nothing more. Once he was sure the old ghost no longer dared entertain any thoughts of resistance, he picked up the backpack from the ground and took out a small cup of water.

Then he looked at Yang Shenglong and Luo Ren, who had been scared into wetting their pants. Pinching his nose with a disgusted expression, he said, "You two should hurry home."

"I thought it would be a female ghost and figured your strong yang energy would let us finish this quickly. Turns out it's a man. Bringing you along was less useful than bringing a few girls."

"When you get back, do not tell too many people about this. If you recount what happened, use your judgment and leave some parts out."

Yang Shenglong and Luo Ren nodded. Swearing that they would not reveal what had happened today, they covered their pants and left.

Much, much later, the two of them began studying mysticism and entered the Buddhist order.

But that was a story for later.

Lin Yiyi looked at Zhou Cai, the last one who still appeared relatively calm. "You're pretty brave, aren't you?"

The moment he finished speaking, another whiff of urine hit his nose.

The lively and cheerful Hu Tao hurriedly covered her nose. The composed and steady Zhongli furrowed his brow slightly, while the aloof, socially anxious young man looked utterly speechless.

This kid really could not take a compliment?

Lin Yiyi returned the borrowed Staff of Homa to Hu Tao. Then he poured the water from the cup into Chen Yue's mouth and pinched the spot beneath her nose. The girl gradually woke up.

The young man rose to his feet, looked at the wronged soul and vicious ghost beside him, and snapped:

"Why aren't you getting lost? Waiting for me to beat you until your soul scatters?"

"Even in death, you won't rest in peace. If I see you again, I'll catch you and toss you into an oil cauldron. In your next life, be a proper human being. Hear me?"

The old evil ghost wore a miserable expression, turned into a wisp of black smoke, and fled in a panic. A few days later, it was absolved by an ascetic monk traveling down the mountain.

Zhou Cai gulped down air. "My god, this has completely reshaped my understanding of the world."

"It's hard to imagine that in an age where technology is so advanced, demons and evil spirits really still cause trouble."

Seeing Hu Tao and Zhongli tending to Chen Yue, Lin Yiyi said to the younger man:

"The world is vast, and anything is possible."

"Once you see more of it, you'll realize this world is far more complicated than you imagine."

Lin Yiyi looked at the tall and short figures in the distance, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

There were even people who had crossed over from other worlds.

Later on, this materialist who had never believed in ghosts or gods began promoting Daoist teachings everywhere. He also treated it as a way to spread traditional culture and accumulate merit for himself.

Whenever he attended banquets or drinking gatherings, he would tell clients and colleagues about his strange experiences.

"What happened to me in high school was incredibly bizarre. That night..."

Of course, those were stories for later as well.