The Soul-Snatching Bell

Ye Qianfan was so frightened that he nearly scrambled backward, but the Daoist hurriedly reminded him, "Don't be scared! Don't worry, either! You aren't human right now!"

"When those wandering ghosts see you, they'll only think you're a paper figure. You don't need to run!"

"They won't be interested in you!"

"Whew!"

Only then did Ye Qianfan draw a deep breath and meet that eye's gaze.

Though he called it meeting its gaze, in truth, he simply didn't dare move his eyes!

Fortunately...

The wandering ghost really wasn't interested in him. After looking at him for a while, she drifted away!

Only then did Ye Qianfan finally get a clear look at the owner of that red eye. She was an ordinary villager dressed in patched clothes, an old woman with a vegetable basket hooked over her arm, holding some wild greens and the like.

But the old woman floated rather than walked, which convinced Ye Qianfan that she was a wandering ghost, not an ordinary villager!

"Give me back my grandson's life!"

Just as the woman gradually drifted toward the far end of the alley, a trial participant who looked like an old Daoist happened to pass its entrance.

The woman instantly dropped her vegetable basket, stretched out both hands like a zombie, and charged at the old Daoist. Naturally, he noticed the strange old woman too!

"What foul creature dares act so brazenly before me!"

With that!

The old Daoist took out a bronze bell and shook it at the old woman!

"Ding!"

The deep clang of a bronze bell rang out through the night.

But it wasn't only the old woman who hurriedly covered her ears in alarm. The instant the Daoist shook the bronze bell, even Ye Qianfan felt as though his soul was about to leave his body!

Fortunately, Ye Fu hurriedly caught hold of Ye Qianfan, while the Daoist inside Ye Qianfan kept reciting the Soul-Stabilizing Charm.

Only then did Ye Qianfan's soul settle back into place!

"Don't listen! That's the Soul-Snatching Bell!"

The Daoist hurriedly warned Ye Qianfan.

Only after hearing that did Ye Qianfan finally realize that he had nearly been sucked away by the Soul-Snatching Bell in the old Daoist's hand.

He hurriedly asked, "Would it help if I used Ye Fu to cover my ears?"

"Well... I don't know either. Give it a try."

The Daoist didn't know whether it would work.

After all, Ye Qianfan wasn't a human now, but a soul housed inside a Paper Puppet. He had no experience with how a soul could cover its ears!

"Aah!!!"

However...

Before the old Daoist could shake his soul bell a second time, Ye Qianfan saw a big-headed baby dart out from behind him, seemingly out of nowhere, and sink its teeth into his neck!

The pain made the old Daoist's hands shake so badly that he couldn't even hold on to his Soul-Calming Bell. It fell straight to the ground!

"Clang!"

"Clang, clang!"

Without the Soul-Snatching Bell, the old Daoist was effectively unarmed.

With the ghost infant biting painfully into his neck, the old Daoist instinctively reached up to pull it off!

With that, nothing held the old woman back anymore. She charged madly up to the old Daoist and drove four black fingers tipped with long nails straight into his heart!

"Urgh!"

Under the two ghosts' combined assault, the old Daoist finally fell!

He let out a miserable scream. After killing him outright, the two ghosts, one old and one young, actually knelt over his corpse and sucked out his soul power.

Only then did Ye Qianfan silently swallow. He had guessed there would be danger outside.

But who could have imagined...

That evil entity had never intended to leave any of them a path to survival!

"Impressive, Brother Ye!" the wealthy merchant suddenly praised Ye Qianfan. "I knew your mastery of the Dao was profound, but I never imagined it had reached such heights!"

"Huh?"

Ye Qianfan turned back and stared at the wealthy merchant in utter bewilderment.

The wealthy merchant gave him a thumbs-up. "I saw that old female ghost's eye just now too. It gave me quite a fright! I was exchanging looks with Brother Shen, wondering how to deal with that thing!"

"To think you scared it away with a single look, Brother Ye!"

"You're so young, Brother Ye. You truly can't judge a book by its cover!"

"???"

Hearing this, Ye Qianfan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I was honestly just too scared to move when that ghostly eye suddenly appeared, okay? Aren't you letting your imagination run a little too wild?

"With Brother Ye in our group, it looks like we've got this trial in the bag."

Shen Lang nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Although Ye Qianfan wanted to explain, he had no idea where to start, so he simply skipped the subject. "There really are a lot of wandering ghosts outside! If we rush out recklessly like this, we'll probably be done for!"

"Going outside isn't impossible." Shen Lang rubbed his chin. "I have no other talents. My sole ability is to play a tune for beings of every realm. When those wandering ghosts hear my music, they become so absorbed in it that they forget to harm anyone!"

"That's a wonderful ability, Brother Shen Lang!" The wealthy merchant was delighted.

"But my ability is very limited. At most, I can keep it up for half an incense stick to a full incense stick's worth of time. I can't maintain it for long," Shen Lang continued. "So if we want to go outside, we need a precise destination. Otherwise, my meager cultivation certainly won't hold out!"

"That's easy!"

Drawing on Ye Fu's memories, Ye Qianfan picked up a paper talisman. "Let me perform a divination!"

"We'll ask the Patriarch to point the way. Once we find that evil entity's hiding place, things will be much easier!"

"This village isn't big, anyway. Wherever that evil entity is hiding, as long as we know its whereabouts, finding it certainly won't take a full incense stick's worth of time!"

"Good idea!"

Everyone nodded.

To perform a detailed divination, Ye Qianfan needed not only to chant but also to burn the paper talisman, so he simply skewered it on a twig and held it in the campfire to burn!

He didn't dare approach the campfire himself. If he caught fire too, that would really be quite a spectacle!

"Spirits of heaven, spirits of earth, Patriarch, manifest your power!"

"This disciple, Ye Qianfan, begs the Patriarch to show us a clear path and tell this disciple where the evil entity named Nini is hiding!"

Since he couldn't find a cup on short notice.

Ye Qianfan had to take a reasonably intact roof tile, pour some water into it, and then scatter the talisman ashes inside.

Soon...

The paper crane's ashes slowly swam through the water, gathering into two identical characters.