MMLZ CH2
Hope the kid can handle it.
In the courtyard, lying on a rattan chair under the sun, Master Jiu held the peach wood that Xu Yan had brought back from town. He was planning how to divide it up and make several simple peach wood swords for the three disciples to practice with.
Looking back toward Xu Yan’s room, Master Jiu sighed inwardly.
Although he already had two disciples, he still hoped that Xu Yan would inherit his legacy. Among the two disciples, Qiu Sheng was restless by nature and would likely leave over time. Wen Cai was simple-minded and honest—well-suited for guarding the Yizhuang, but his pace of learning Daoist arts was painfully slow.
Xu Yan, on the other hand, was obedient and sensible. He was steady, not impulsive like Qiu Sheng, and had great comprehension and the ability to endure hardship.
Ever since he started learning the basic martial art form, Xu Yan had practiced daily without fail—even in the rain—something neither Qiu Sheng nor Wen Cai could match.
Qiu Sheng had potential in martial arts, but as a Daoist, mastering spells was the true foundation. As for Wen Cai…
Master Jiu didn’t even want to comment. Wen Cai had been learning from him for years, yet still couldn’t draw even the simplest talisman.
“Tomorrow, I’ll start teaching Xu Yan how to craft talismans.” Having made up his mind, Master Jiu continued working with the peach wood in his hand.
Around 4 PM, Wen Cai woke Xu Yan, as they needed to head to Lijia Village, which was ten li away. Dinner was served early, and after eating and resting briefly, Master Jiu packed the prepared materials into a bag and left the Yizhuang with Xu Yan.
“Master, is it a ghost or a demon we’re dealing with in Lijia Village?”
On the way, Xu Yan, using his curious nature, asked Master Jiu.
Despite being a modern intellectual, Xu Yan didn’t treat Daoist magic as mere superstition like other foreign-returned scholars. He asked questions eagerly and studied diligently. This made Master Jiu more and more satisfied with him.
As long as Xu Yan asked, Master Jiu was always willing to explain everything.
In those days, if anything out of the ordinary happened, rumors would quickly spread—and they’d all say one thing: “It’s haunted!”
In the case of Lijia Village, the source might really be a ghost… or it could be a demon, or even a zombie.
“They say it’s a haunting. We’ll need to investigate to be sure.”
Master Jiu replied, “Remember this: As a disciple of the Maoshan Sect, never rely on hearsay. Always verify the truth, or it could lead to disaster.”
“Master, among ghosts, demons, and zombies, which is the strongest? Which is the hardest to deal with?”
This was a question many would wonder about. Even though the supernatural beings were deeply tied to cultivation, people still speculated—which of the three is the most dangerous?
Master Jiu gave a patient and heartfelt explanation:
“It all depends on their cultivation. But in general, demons are the easiest to deal with.”
“Why?” Xu Yan asked in surprise.
One would assume that demons, being rare and hard to cultivate, would be more formidable. So why were they easier to deal with?
“Because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is dissipating. It’s hard for demons to cultivate, so their levels are usually low. Ghosts and zombies, however, are different—especially those born in places filled with yin energy; they can be extremely powerful.”
Master Jiu sighed at the mention of spiritual energy. It wasn’t just demons having a hard time cultivating—Daoists were too. Each generation was weaker than the last. If it weren’t for earning merit by exorcising spirits and demons, cultivation would be even more difficult.
As they talked, the master and disciple duo arrived at Lijia Village just as night fell.
With no entertainment in those days, most villagers would be resting by sundown. But Lijia Village was brightly lit. Everyone was gathered at the ancestral shrine, their faces filled with fear and anxiety.
“He’s here! Master Jiu is here!”
In the area around Renjia Town, Master Jiu was well known. People often sought his help for any strange incidents—even if they wished they didn’t need to.
As soon as Master Jiu and Xu Yan entered the village, they were surrounded by nervous villagers, all speaking at once.
“Quiet, quiet everyone!!”
Raising his hand, Master Jiu shouted, “Someone tell me clearly—what exactly happened?”
“Make way! Let Master Jiu through!”
The village chief pushed forward, urging the crowd to settle down. “Master Jiu, you don’t know. Our village was peaceful until suddenly we were haunted. Several people have already died… It’s terrible.”
“Don’t panic,” Master Jiu calmed them. “Just tell me how it all started. I will definitely take care of the evil.”
Xu Yan stood behind his master, listening to the chief’s heavy sighs—and started getting goosebumps. So it really is a haunting!
“It started a few days ago. We were building a new road and accidentally dug up an old grave near the path. We didn’t think much of it and planned to re-bury the bones properly. But that very night, strange things began to happen.”
The chief sighed again. Building the road was supposed to be a good thing, but instead, it brought disaster. Several people had died—and every one of them died horribly.
“Could you take me to the grave?” asked Master Jiu.
Just hearing the story wasn’t enough; he needed to examine the grave site. The village chief immediately ordered some young men to escort the pair.
“Strange…”
The grave was still exposed, exactly how it had been left after the incident.
Master Jiu examined the area with his compass but didn’t detect any strong ghostly energy. He even picked up some soil and examined it. “It seems to be just an ordinary grave. Why would it cause ghostly attacks?”
Usually, only graves with extreme yin energy—or the restless spirits of those who died in great anger—could birth dangerous ghosts. A regular grave, once respectfully reburied, shouldn’t cause any problems.
“Do you know who the grave belongs to?”
He asked the young men who had led them there.
“N-no, we don’t.”
The young men were clearly uncomfortable. If the chief hadn’t ordered them, none of them would’ve come. Now, they were tense and constantly looking around, clearly terrified.
“Master, what’s wrong?” Xu Yan asked curiously.
Master Jiu put away the compass, frowning. “If I’m right, the ghost might not be from this grave at all. It may have come from somewhere else.”
The grave was within the village’s boundary, but there was no tombstone, and no one knew who was buried there. Some old graves, without descendants to maintain them, gradually get forgotten over time.
“Take me to see the victims.”
Since the grave didn’t seem to be the cause, the next clue would have to come from the bodies of the deceased.
“In a place with weak yin energy, it’s rare for powerful ghosts to appear—let alone harm people. Don’t be like those fraudulent exorcists who hear one rumor and act recklessly for money.”
Weak yin energy?
Xu Yan looked around. He still felt a deep chill all over. But then again, it was the middle of the night, in the wilderness, and next to a grave… No wonder his hair was standing on end.