Chapter 144: Big Red Fish, Get Ready to Strike, and the Evil Spirit in the Ancestral Shrine

"Thank you, Uncle Zhong, thank you, Brother Yushu."

Xu Zheng, being a sensible boy, quickly propped himself up to bow in gratitude.

"It is only right that we do this."

"Entrusted by others, we carry out their task with loyalty."

Both of them remained modest, and Chen Yuwen took the opportunity to ask, "Xu Zheng, before you fell into the water this time, did you see anything?"

"Something strange?"

Xu Zheng was stunned at first, but quickly recovered and nodded, "Yes, I did. I saw a fish."

"A big, beautiful red fish."

"I was standing right on the bridge at the time when I suddenly saw a big, beautiful red fish stranded in the shallow water below. So, I went down wanting to catch it."

"Who would have thought that after I went down, it slowly swam a little bit toward the middle."

"Because the water wasn't deep there either, only reaching up to my knees, I followed it to try and catch it. But then my foot slipped, and I fell. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn't get back up."

"After that, I don't know what happened..."

Xu Zheng was not particularly young, around ten years old or so, so his account was quite clear.

"A big red fish?"

Chen Yushu frowned.

Without saying much more, he turned to look at the village chief, Xu Qing, and said, "My family is hosting a banquet today. We first invited Uncle Zhong, and then stopped by to invite you. Now that Xu Zheng has recovered, I would like to invite you to our home for a simple meal, if it is convenient for you?"

"Of course it's convenient."

"Let me tidy up a bit, and I'll come right over."

Had it been before, Xu Qing might have stood on ceremony and put on airs, but naturally, he would not do so now, so he hurriedly nodded in agreement.

With that, Chen Yushu did not linger at the Xu residence and walked out.

Uncle Zhong was the same. On the way back, a trace of curiosity appeared on his face as he looked at Chen Yushu and asked, "That talisman of yours..."

"A gift from a friend," Chen Yushu replied.

"A friend's gift?" Uncle Zhong was slightly taken aback.

"I have a good friend in town who, truth be told, has gained quite a bit of fame now. His name is Shi Hao."

"Before I returned, he gave me a few talismans for self-protection."

Chen Yushu was not intentionally hiding anything, but some matters were indeed hard to explain clearly, so he simply gave a casual reply.

"Shi Hao, the Soul Walker Shi?"

"I didn't expect you to be on such familiar terms with him. No wonder."

Uncle Zhong was stunned, a look of sudden realization instantly dawning on his face.

Hearing this, it was Chen Yushu's turn to be surprised.

He hadn't expected that Shi Hao's reputation was genuinely so significant now; not only did his father know of him, but even Uncle Zhong had heard of him.

As they spoke, the two returned to the courtyard of the Chen household.

By this time, Chen's father had already hurried out to greet them. In the house, several village elders had already arrived—some were uncles and senior relatives, while others were elders of higher seniority in the village. Upon seeing Chen Yushu, they could not help but offer words of praise.

Soon, Village Chief Xu Qing also arrived, making the atmosphere even more enthusiastic, and the villagers held Chen's father in even higher regard.

After all, being able to invite the village chief showed that they carried considerable weight.

As for Uncle Zhong, because of his amiable nature and frequent interactions with the villagers, he was not difficult to invite at all.

***

In the countryside, the scope of activities was limited.

Especially in winter, when the weather was cold, most people stayed indoors.

Chen Yushu's home had been bustling all day, but as night fell, it grew quiet and desolate.

Chen Yushu directly set up a sound-insulation array and stood in the courtyard to practice his martial arts.

Speaking of which, he had only learned this sound-insulation array after watching Zhao Yufeng tinker with it. Later, having acquired the *Detailed Explanation of Array Dao*, he gained a much deeper understanding and mastery of it, making it naturally much easier and smoother to set up.

The sound-insulation array he deployed could be adjusted in range—completely isolating his parents' rooms and the village inside and out so that no one else could hear a thing, while not affecting his ability to perceive movements outside in the slightest.

"After practicing for so long, the *Cleansing Evil Art* has finally reached perfection."

Chen Yushu was practicing the walking-yin techniques. As he executed a *Cleansing Evil Art*, he instantly felt the difference.

He realized that by this moment, he had cultivated the *Cleansing Evil Art* to the realm of perfection.

"The *Cleansing Evil Art* at the perfection level can not only achieve instant casting like the *Subduing Yin Art*, but its power is also vastly superior to when it was at the great success stage."

"If the great-success-level *Cleansing Evil Art* could dispel all the evil Qi within an evil ghost in a single strike, forcing it to transform into an ordinary wandering spirit with no remaining power to sustain itself..."

"Then the perfection-level *Cleansing Evil Art* at this moment is something even fierce ghosts cannot withstand; their entire body of blood-evil Qi will be thoroughly cleansed away, leaving not a trace behind..."

Chen Yushu could clearly feel the difference between the two.

That kind of power was like two completely different spells, with a massive disparity.

"Apart from the *Cleansing Evil Art*, the progress of my other techniques is also considerable."

"The *Qi-Observing Technique* has reached great success, the *Hidden Fragrance Technique* has reached minor success, and the *Seven-Star Steps* have also reached great success, nearing perfection."

"In addition, the *Divine Descent Technique* is at minor success, and the *Point-Yin Sword* has also just been cultivated by me to the realm of minor success..."

Chen Yushu's mood was quite spirited.

Each and every technique was making steady progress.

Especially the *Divine Descent Technique*.

He had deep personal experience of this technique's power. Previously, when it was only at the proficiency level, it was already capable of severely injuring evil spirits. Now, having ascended to the realm of minor success, its power was naturally even more terrifying.

As for the *Point-Yin Sword*, it was a rare long-range attack technique.

Previously, most of the techniques he mastered were close-range methods.

For instance, the *Subduing Yin Art*, the *Cleansing Evil Art*, and even the *Divine Descent Technique* could only deal with wandering spirits, ghosts, and deceased evil zombies within a range of two to three zhang. However, this *Point-Yin Sword* could directly strike opponents from beyond three zhang and up to ten zhang away.

Its deterrent force was extremely strong, providing a significant and much-needed supplement to his arsenal.

*Whoosh, whoosh!*

Suddenly, Chen Yushu noticed that Xiaohong, who had been staying in the room all along, suddenly hopped and bounded outside.

Chen Yushu was slightly startled, naturally understanding that this meant Xiaoyin had arrived.

Only Xiaoyin could make Xiaohong run out so cheerfully to welcome her.

As for other wandering spirits and ghosts, if any dared to approach, they would invariably suffer heavy blows from her little fists.

***

Then he turned his head and, sure enough, saw Xiaoyin running over cheerfully from outside the courtyard, also skipping and hopping along.

The two little ghosts first embraced each other with giggles, acting as if they had missed each other terribly even though only a day had passed. Then Xiaoyin quickly broke free from Xiaohong's embrace, ran right up to Chen Yushu, and familiarly reached out to tug at his sleeve.

"Brother Yushu."

"My older sister said to let you go to the village entrance in a little while," Xiaoyin said.

"Alright!"

Hearing this, Chen Yushu nodded.

He knew that Sister Shen wanted to deal with the evil spirit inside the ancestral temple first.

Indeed.

Even for him, his inclination was to take care of the one in the ancestral temple first.

An evil spirit, no matter how one looked at it, was much easier to deal with than an evil entity.

Only by resolving that one could he wholeheartedly deal with the evil entity beneath the bridge.

Without further delay, after confirming that his parents had already rested in their rooms, he stepped right out the door.

At night, the village appeared extremely quiet. At this hour, every household had turned off their lights and begun to rest.

Only occasionally would the barking of dogs, roused by some movement, echo through the air.

For instance, when Chen Yushu passed by the home of his next-door neighbor, Song Rentou.

This Song Rentou was originally a hunter who had half his face bitten off by a wolf and no longer hunted, but he still kept a hunting dog at home. At this moment, seemingly hearing footsteps, the hound continuously let out roars.

Fearing that it would wake his parents and disturb their rest, Chen Yushu simply cast a glare at the hunting dog.

*Awooo...*

That hunting dog instantly acted as though it had encountered its natural predator; it tucked its tail, quickly retreated into its kennel, and trembled violently, not daring to move even an inch anymore.

Xiaohong and Xiaoyin, following behind, seemed annoyed by its commotion and both ran over to mercilessly torment it, leaving the poor hound traumatized for several days straight.

Before long, Chen Yushu arrived at the village entrance.

From afar, he saw Liu Qiao'er standing at the entrance of the ancestral temple, her expression slightly taut.

"Can you tell?"

"This evil spirit is truly about to break out."

"It has squeezed all the 'spirits' inside the ancestral temple into the very corners."

"Even the incense offerings inside the temple have been entirely devoured by it. No wonder the seals from back then were broken so quickly."

"The power of incense fire is the best nourishment for evil spirits and entities. If we don't deal with it now, once the New Year arrives and everyone comes to burn incense and worship their ancestors, it will truly break completely through the seal and escape."

Seeing Chen Yushu, Liu Qiao'er spoke with unusual solemnity.

The New Year was a major festival.

Every time this season arrived, every household in the village would burn incense, pay respects to the Buddha, and come here to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors.

This was the local custom.

The ancestral temple concerned the peace and tranquility of every household in the village. The more 'spirits' there were in the ancestral temple, and the stronger they were, the better they could protect their descendants to grow and thrive smoothly.

No one dared to be careless.

Especially since Beijiao Village had suffered that upheaval ten years ago, leaving the 'spirits' few and weak.

During their worship, every household would be even less sparing; not only would they light candles, burn incense, and proffer kneeling bows, but affluent families would also offer up sacrificial livestock—the great sacrifices.

These often brought tremendous benefits to the 'spirits' of the ancestral temple.

Once such offerings were made, it was equivalent to a walking-yin person of ordinary incense cultivation suddenly absorbing the concentrated energy of an evil spirit's essence, completely without the worry of backlash. Their power and strength could surge dramatically.

"I noticed it yesterday when I entered the village."

"I thought you would call me over that very night to get rid of it."

Chen Yushu nodded.

He could not help but employ his *Qi-Observing Technique* once more.

With the *Qi-Observing Technique* at great success, he could see even more.

Not only did he see the towering evil Qi within the ancestral temple and those extremely weak 'spirits,' but he also saw the steadily burning incense fire, which was continuously drawn along some ethereal trajectory directly into the sealed location of the evil spirit.

Furthermore, Chen Yushu could sense that the evil spirit within the seal was extremely powerful.

Years of sealing had not made it weaker; instead, nourished by the power of incense and faith, it had grown even more ferocious and formidable. Judging solely by its aura, it was no weaker than the corpse demon he had previously encountered in the Qiuhe Mountains.

"This evil spirit..."

"If it undergoes the baptism of that massive amount of incense and faith during the New Year, not only will it break the seal, but I reckon it might even take a step further and transform into an evil entity."

Chen Yushu could not help but assert.

"Indeed."

"So, we cannot wait any longer."

Liu Qiao'er nodded, her expression cold and her gaze deep as she said, "Ten years have passed. It is time to bring this to an end."

"What should we do next?" Chen Yushu asked promptly.

He naturally knew the relationship between this evil spirit sealed in the ancestral temple and the Liu family.

Originally, this evil spirit had been captured by Liu's grandmother for Liu Qiao'er's father to set up an altar and suppress spirits.

It was only because Liu's grandmother suffered a sudden mishap that the seal suppressing the evil spirit loosened, allowing it to escape, which triggered the great disaster of that year.

Consequently, Liu Qiao'er's father, who had a promising future ahead of him, paid with his life to reseal this evil spirit within the ancestral temple.

Standing before the ancestral temple at this moment, it was no wonder Liu Qiao'er revealed such complex emotions.

"What you need to do is not much. You only need to protect the 'spirits' inside the ancestral temple and prevent it from coming out to harm them."

"I will handle this evil spirit myself," Liu Qiao'er said with an icy tone.

"Rest assured."

Chen Yushu nodded, and then quickly added, "To prevent the commotion here from being discovered by the villagers and causing unnecessary trouble, I had better set up a sound-insulation array around the area."

"Very well!"

Liu Qiao'er fell silent for a moment and nodded.

With that, Chen Yushu swept his gaze around, took out his array disk, and quickly set up formations all along the perimeter of the ancestral temple.

***

Soon.

A new sound-insulation array, completely enclosing the entire ancestral temple within its boundary, was promptly deployed by him.

While setting up the sound-insulation array, Chen Yushu also casually pasted talisman after talisman along the surrounding walls.

These talismans were none other than Evil-Warding Talismans!

The function of an Evil-Warding Talisman was not only to ward off evil, but also to prevent wandering spirits and ghosts from passing directly through walls to enter.

Just like Xiaoyin back then, when she first entered his room, although she managed to pass through smoothly, it had cost her considerable effort and her speed had been much slower.

Following that, the two of them stepped into the ancestral temple together.

As for Xiaohong and Xiaoyin, they were instructed to stand guard outside the ancestral temple and immediately come and give warning if any special situation arose.

The moment they stepped into the ancestral temple, they instantly felt the surrounding temperature drop by several degrees.

At this time, it was already the winter season—a time of mountain chills, freezing weather, and frost-covered ground.

Yet here, the temperature dropped by several more degrees, which gave a clear indication of how heavy the Yin Qi was.

This was the effect caused by the leakage of the evil spirit's Yin-sha Qi. Ordinarily, the aura of the 'spirits' in an ancestral temple would only feel gentle and warm; it would never produce such a phenomenon.

Next, Chen Yushu once again plastered the surrounding area with Evil-Warding Talismans, before naturally walking over to a corner inside the ancestral temple—the spot where the village's 'spirits' were gathered.

This was precisely the innermost corner of the ancestral temple.

A total of seven spirits huddled closely together, and the space available for them to shift or move was extremely limited.

"You've suffered."

Looking inside, Chen Yushu spotted one or two familiar faces.

They were all elderly villagers who had passed away in recent years. Among them was even a grand-aunt of his own clan. He remembered that when he was a child, she used to give him candy—the long, white, sesame-striped candies wrapped in multiple layers of paper. She would take it out with trembling hands, unfold the paper wrapping, and hand him a piece...

Yet not long after, he heard the news of her passing, which had filled him with a sense of melancholy at the time.

Seeing her again now, appearing before him in the form of a 'spirit,' a surge of emotion involuntarily stirred in his heart.

Then, his gaze flickered as he looked toward the baleful Qi that continually compressed their living space. With a flash of his eyes, he stepped out the Seven-Star pace.

As he completed his final step,

*Boom!*

Instantly,

A vast expanse of baleful Qi was squeezed out by the boundless terrestrial energy, greatly alleviating the compressive pressure those baleful forces exerted upon these seven 'spirits.'

On the other side,

Liu Qiao'er stood in the center of the ancestral temple, gazing at the individual memorial tablets arranged within. Directly beneath the tablets lay a black wooden box.

Inside the box was actually the sealed evil spirit.

Her father's original idea had been to rely on the numerous 'spirits' of the ancestral temple to suppress it, and then gradually wear it down completely little by little.

However, during that battle back then, the 'spirits' within Beijiao Village had been wiped out far too thoroughly.

As a result, that plan could not be realized. Instead, with no 'spirits' guarding it for a prolonged period, the entity seized the initiative and absorbed a great deal of incense faith.

Later on, as 'spirits' gradually returned to reside in the village, it was already too late.

The usurper had already occupied the throne.

"Heaven and earth are natural, defilement is scattered; the caverns within are mysterious and void, brilliant and bright is the Supreme Primordial. The divine powers of the eight directions make me natural; the talismanic decrees of spiritual treasures universally announce to the nine heavens. Qianluo Dana, the Cavernous Vault of Supreme Mystery, slaughters demons and binds evil, saving myriads of people..."

Liu Qiao'er rapidly chanted incantations under her breath, and at some point, a sword had appeared in her hand.

A golden ritual sword.

This ritual sword looked very ancient, and there was even a streak of red on it, resembling something like rust.

She chanted softly while waving the ritual sword in her hands. To an ordinary observer, it might have felt somewhat like watching an old Daoist priest performing a ritual dance.

Yet in Chen Yushu's eyes, it was completely different.

To him at this moment, Liu Qiao'er's incantations and the golden ritual sword in her hand were completely harmonized with the surrounding heaven and earth.

He could distinctly perceive the spiritual particles in the surroundings rapidly becoming active and then linking together.

"Go!"

Then, with a soft cry from her lips,

She thrust her sword forward.

*Boom!*

That black wooden box instantly seemed to be struck by a terrifying force, shattering apart rapidly.

"Ah..."

A miserable scream instantly rang out.

*Boom!*

Simultaneously,

The baleful Qi that had previously merely permeated the surroundings slowly surged forth violently.

A terrifying oppressive force erupted outward in that very instant.

The already quite chilly temperature in the surroundings plunged drastically once more.

*Creak, creak, creak...*

The wooden structures within the temple even emitted crisp cracking sounds due to the boundless cold, as if the very air was about to freeze solid.

Then, Chen Yushu saw a figure of enormous height, resembling a general from a battlefield, appear before them.

An evil spirit!

This was the evil spirit that had been suppressed within the ancestral temple, and it had finally emerged.

It wore what looked like a suit of armor, held a long spear in its hands, and wore a helmet on its head; however, its body and face were covered entirely in black bristles.

A mountain ghoul?

This turned out to be a mountain ghoul evil spirit.

Its true form was a mountain ghoul, an existence that was neither quite beast nor quite demon to begin with.

Having transformed further into an evil spirit, it appeared all the more bizarre.

For some unknown reason, it manifested in the image of a battlefield general.

Yet there was no doubt about it—the aura emanating from its body was exceedingly formidable, far surpassing ordinary evil spirits and falling no short of the corpse demon Chen Yushu had encountered previously in the Qiuhe Mountains.