To be honest, Daoist Xue had traveled far and wide for years. Though most of his work amounted to performing ritual ceremonies to scrape together a living, he had seen more than his share of uncanny things.
He had seen people who had simply run afoul of evil spirits, and others possessed by ghosts, but this was the first time merely looking at someone had frightened him.
Guan Xinrui looked at the Daoist below the steps beneath the eaves. His coarse yellow-gray Daoist robe had been washed almost pale, and a Divination bearing a gray-and-white square pattern was fastened over it. With a fly whisk in one hand and a Compass in the other, he simply stared this way, seemingly cowed by Guan Xinrui's official authority.
Of course, he might also have been frightened by the bailiffs. After all, the two men already had their hands on his shoulders and their grips around his arms.
"Hey, don't be rude. Let this Daoist go."
"Ah, yes!"
The two bailiffs hurriedly released him. Daoist Xue bit his tongue rather hard, the slight pain helping clear his head. When he focused on the County Magistrate again, things seemed much better.
The sensation from that first encounter also seemed to have vanished, but Daoist Xue knew it had been no illusion.
Fear!
Fear had already taken deep root in Daoist Xue's heart. That single fleeting glimpse had told him he had encountered something beyond his understanding today. Looking at the seemingly unremarkable County Magistrate now only deepened that conviction.
This is not something I can handle!
Daoist Xue hastily bowed a little, doing his utmost to maintain his composure, though beneath his Daoist robe his arms still trembled slightly from time to time.
"Please forgive this humble Daoist for being unable to salute with