Hair Bristling with Rage! A Terror to Gods and Ghosts!

Mr. Zhou asked, and Fa Ming answered.

Each question and answer came with exacting precision.

At Fa Ming's words, Mr. Zhou grew even more certain of his guess.

He muttered to himself, "It fits. It all fits."

Master Qian had borrowed a ghost's fortune.

The question now was: who was this ghost?

Mr. Zhou sat where he was and said, "If the rumors are true, the one enshrined in that temple should be a god! Then where did he borrow the ghost's fortune? Unless—"

Unless the temple had not entirely lost its power.

Unless it could still keep the ghost pinned down.

But the ghost had gotten out, too. That was why Master Qian had borrowed its fortune and remained safe to this day—there was still a god pressing down on it, so the ghost could not escape and kill him.

What did that make it? A mighty dragon subduing tigers and leopards while a bystander reaped the rewards!

"The Dragon Pearl, this Dragon Pearl of feng shui—what on earth is it?"

At that thought, Mr. Zhou paced back and forth. He looked at his disciple standing there in a daze and asked, "Did you go inside that temple? Did you see what was enshrined there?"

Fa Ming shook his head. "Master told me to take a look from outside and come back, so that's what I did! How would I dare go in?"

Mr. Zhou studied his disciple closely and found no sign that he was lying. Even so, he checked him one last time, asking as if it had just occurred to him, "Where's the talisman I told you to wear? Let me see if it got wet."

Fa Ming dutifully pulled out the "sachet" hanging around his neck.

The talisman folded into a triangle was perfectly intact.

Only then did Mr. Zhou relax completely. He waved a hand and said, "You did well. Go prepare for the ritual!"

"All right, Master," Fa Ming said.

But on his way back, he could not help smacking his lips.

He missed the immortal wine he had drunk and the immortal medicine he had eaten in that courtyard.

Everyone in the large compound was busy, with no time for an outsider like him. Even the old woman had only led him to a side room for something to eat.

In the main hall...

That must have been the owner of the compound, mustn't it?

As Fa Ming saw it, anyone who lived in a compound that grand had to be a great lord.

For some reason, while he was drinking the immortal wine, he seemed to have seen the great lord reflected in the wine pot.

The great lord was tall and imposing.

His robes lay in layer upon layer over his body.

Beside him, the steps rose impossibly high. They even gave Fa Ming the strange impression that although the great lord appeared to be sitting in the main hall, he had actually gone beyond it, up those towering steps.

Pretty maidservants stood on either side, holding lamps, but for some reason, every flame was black and red.

Even their clothes looked a little like Master's ritual robes.

And yet, for some reason...

Even with his mind bewitched by a ghost, Fa Ming still felt something was wrong.

Because that great lord looked different from other people.

His eyebrows resembled long "longevity brows."

His whiskers hung down in long strands.

His whole body was arranged in a strange posture, rather like a... a house centipede?

But while he was thinking this, his Master had already taken out a bell and given it a shake!

Jingle!

At the clear sound, Fa Ming jolted. When he came to his senses, everything he had just been thinking vanished from his mind!

Following his Master, he went into the courtyard.

There, he watched his Master bolt the gate shut.

Then Mr. Zhou said gravely, "Everything's ready. No matter what happens outside, none of you are to open the gate. Understood?"

"Understood," everyone answered in unison.

Mr. Zhou laid out a circle of incense ash and said, "Good. Now it's flawless. Unless some calamity great enough to shake heaven itself appears,

this place will stand as firm as Mount Tai!

Besides, even if a calamity like that does appear, the City God watches over this place. It'll be fine. It'll be fine!"

He sounded as though he were reassuring himself. Then he faced forward, put on his patchwork-like ritual robe,

and bowed in worship to the distant immortals and gods!

Outside the gate!

By the time Mr. Zhou heard the commotion outside, Xu Feng and the Spirit-Bait behind him had already been engulfed in light!

Within that light, everything turned old and dim. The Qian Family mansion became a pair of dilapidated doors!

The doors stood wide open, and gusts of chilling wind poured out!

Once Xu Feng entered, Yin Virtue Protection took effect. He felt hands grabbing his arms and legs, dragging him back out!

"Benefactor, get back!"

"Benefactor, stay away from here!"

But though his Yin Virtue helped, it was not enough to get him clear!

A chilling wind swept around him, making his feet stumble as though it meant to pitch him through the ruined doors ahead!

At that, Xu Feng flew into a rage!

It was the instinctive response he had developed through his previous encounters with evil spirits.

He no longer needed to work himself up as he had before.

There was no windup. His fury had already set his hair bristling high enough to lift his hat!

Why wasn't he afraid?

Because he simply wasn't!

Why should he be?

Blood and vigor surged through his whole body, murderous force filling every inch! In a moment like this, men should not fear ghosts—ghosts should recoil from men!

Rage rose in his heart, and a sword formed in his hand!

Riiip!

First came the Sword-Finger Gesture! That textbook gesture nearly tore through the curtain of chilling wind! Xu Feng's form was precise!

It was not a gesture an ordinary Corpse Sewer should have known at all!

The Sword-Finger Gesture was one of the simpler Taoist hand seals.

Used outwardly, it could communicate with ghosts and gods and issue commands to heaven and earth.

Used inwardly, it could focus the mind and direct the blood and vigor!

That was how Xu Feng used it!

His fingers formed the gesture, and his blood surged!

Then came the curse!

They spoke of rage making hair bristle high enough to lift a hat. Xu Feng's hair truly stood on end, every strand of it.

It could have lifted his hat.

His face reddened like a dark jujube, and his eyes bulged like bronze bells!

There was an idiom about eyes widening until their corners split. That was Xu Feng now!

And then—

"Go fuck yourself!"

The foulest curse, the simplest pleasure!

With that one outburst, Xu Feng felt the blood and vigor throughout his body erupt through his sword-fingers! At the same instant, he heard a scream like a wail of agony!

The chilling wind around them vanished in an instant.

The scene stopped changing.

They were standing at the gate of the Qian Family mansion again, as though nothing had happened.

Only Xu Feng still held his fingers pointed ahead, staring forward!

And because of that single outburst,

the other Spirit-Bait who had been sent out all stared nervously at Xu Feng! The burly butchers, the once-reckless street thugs, and even the dregs who made their living doing dirty work—

all of them stared at him.

Wariness filled every gaze!

Even the street thug who seemed to fear nothing was no exception! He was brazen, not stupid. If he really were a fool, would there be a day when the Yellow River did not carry a River Drifter downstream?

He could throw his weight around with decent, law-abiding folk, but could he do the same with a desperate man who had nothing to lose?

Xu Feng had yet to realize that with that single display, he had made his name.

That was what it meant to make a name.

It was the first declaration that you had the skill to carve out a living in these parts.