Thunder Sound Venerable

The little girl froze where she stood, looked at her empty hands, and widened her eyes.

"Ah..."

A groan came from beside her. It was the old man on the bed inside the room, letting out a deep breath.

Hearing the sound, the little girl's face lit up with joy, and she scrambled toward the bed on all fours.

The old man's eyelids twitched a few times before he slowly opened his eyes.

The night quickly passed. Dawn gradually brightened, a red sun rose, and the raging wind and rain outside had already ceased.

The door creaked open.

Warm light streamed in. The world outside was clear and bright, and most of the mist around the mountain village had dispersed, with only a faint remnant lingering far away.

The little girl had changed into a faded red cloth outfit, starch-whitened in places. Carrying a heavily patched bundle on her back, she supported the old man as they slowly emerged.

The old man wore a somewhat tattered gray robe. His complexion looked better than it had during the night, but he still had difficulty moving and leaned on a wooden cane polished smooth with use.

The two left the house and headed toward the village entrance.

The old man seemed extremely frail. By the time they reached the village entrance, he was already panting.

"Ah, ah..." The little girl made two sounds, then raised a hand and gestured a few times.

"Grandpa is fine. Though that Long-Haired Ghost has been eliminated, the ghostly aura around the village has yet to disperse. Sooner or later, it will attract other ghosts and monsters. We must leave at once." The old man in gray rubbed the little girl's head.

The little girl nodded obediently.

They continued onward. After only a few steps, a streak of blue light descended from the sky and landed not far before them, revealing a graceful figure.

The newcomer was unexpectedly a Daoist nun in white, appearing to be in her thirties. She had an oval face, fair skin, and striking features, but her expression was icy. She exuded a fierce, murderous aura rarely found in women and held a white fly-whisk in her hand.

"What dense ghostly aura. It has nearly formed into ghost mist. But why is there no sign of the ghost that occupied this place?" The Daoist nun in white looked around and muttered to herself.

The old man and little girl were stunned at the sight of the white-robed Daoist nun descending from the heavens.

"Are you people from this village?" The Daoist nun in white approached, looked the two over, and asked.

"This old man greets you, Immortal Maiden." Having finally recovered his senses, the old man was about to kowtow to her in delighted gratitude.

However, his body was unwell. The moment he bent over, he began coughing uncontrollably.

The little girl hurriedly freed one hand to pat the old man's back, but she was young and weak, and supporting him with only one hand was difficult.

"Sir, there is no need for such courtesy. This humble Daoist is Thunder Sound Venerable of Floating Cloud Mountain. While traveling through this place upon the clouds, I sensed ghostly aura gathering here and descended to investigate." With a sweep of her left sleeve, the Daoist nun steadied the old man's body from afar. She raised her right palm upright and returned the salute.

"Yes, yes. Whatever the Immortal Maiden wishes to ask, this old man will certainly answer truthfully." Having caught his breath, the old man nodded hurriedly.

The little girl hid behind the old man, clutching his sleeve and watching the Daoist nun in white curiously with wide eyes.

"Judging by the situation, you should be villagers here. Was this place attacked by a vicious ghost?" The Daoist nun glanced at the little girl's bundle and asked.

"Yes. My surname is Sun, and everyone calls me Old Sun. This is my granddaughter. The two of us were born and raised in Zhang Family Village. Our village once worshiped Yellow-Tailed King as its guardian. Though the villagers lived hard lives, we were safe and undisturbed by ghosts or savage creatures. But Yellow-Tailed King suddenly died during a thunderstorm a month ago. After that, a Long-Haired Ghost came and stole souls and killed people in our village every night. The other villagers either fled long ago or were gradually slaughtered by that ghost. Only my granddaughter and I survived." Old Sun sighed sorrowfully.

"Yellow-Tailed King?" The white-robed Daoist nun raised an eyebrow.

"It was a yellow dog that had become a Monster." Old Sun hesitated before answering softly.

"Oh. If a Demon Race Monster can protect the common people, that is not an improper path. Since it died during a thunderstorm, it must have failed its transformation tribulation by borrowing the power of heavenly lightning and perished." The Daoist nun slowly nodded.

Old Sun did not understand her words, nor did he dare ask her about them.

"You are one old and one young, neither of you possessing vigorous vitality. How is it that everyone else in the village was harmed, while only the two of you survived?" The Daoist nun looked at them, a sharp glint faintly appearing in her eyes.

"Well... Yellow-Tailed King placed his shrine near my home before his death. Perhaps although the King has passed on, his lingering blessings still protect my household. Also, this old man had some black dog blood at home, so we were able to hold on until now." Caught off guard by the question, Old Sun answered hesitantly.

The Daoist nun in white shook her head, clearly unconvinced. Her gaze swept over the two of them before settling on the little girl.

"Hm!" The Daoist nun's gaze suddenly sharpened. She examined the little girl from head to toe, then flicked a finger through the air.

A beam of pure white light shot from her fingertip and vanished into the little girl's brow in a flash.

The little girl's body stiffened, and her eyes immediately turned hazy. A faint, crystalline white light appeared on her little face and flickered without cease.

"A naturally born White Tiger Fiend Body! No wonder she could resist the ghostly aura's invasion for so long. Good, very good..." A trace of delight flashed through the white-robed Daoist nun's eyes.

The white light on the girl's face quickly faded, but her cheeks turned bright red. Her body went limp, and she collapsed unconscious.

"Great Immortal!" Startled, Old Sun tried to catch the little girl, but he too nearly lost his balance.

"Do not panic, sir. She has merely fallen asleep. It is nothing serious." The Daoist nun reached out to support the old man and explained gently.

Only then did Old Sun let out a breath of relief.

"It dared slaughter an entire village. This fiend is truly audacious beyond measure! Do you know where that Long-Haired Ghost hid during the day? I will go there now and eliminate it, to bring peace to the wronged souls of Zhang Family Village." The Daoist nun's face was shrouded in killing intent, and a frightening azure glow faintly shone from her.

"Thank you for your kindness, Immortal. But according to my granddaughter, that ghost attacked the village again last night and was eliminated by a young man passing through." Old Sun said gratefully, tears welling in his eyes.

"What did that person look like? Did he have any distinguishing traits?" After a moment of surprise, the Daoist nun transferred the fly-whisk from her left hand to her right and asked with some curiosity.

"This old man has been bedridden these past few days and remained unconscious throughout last night. I did not see him. Once my girl wakes up, Immortal Maiden may ask her." Old Sun shook his head.

The Daoist nun nodded and did not dwell further on the matter. She continued,

"Though that ghost has been eliminated, this is no longer a suitable place to remain. The two of you should leave with me first, and find another place to live."

"Yes, thank you, Immortal." Overjoyed, Old Sun bowed in thanks.

With a sweep of her fly-whisk, the Daoist nun summoned a mass of white cloud from thin air. It lifted the three of them into the sky, and they soon vanished beyond the distant horizon.