Chapter 63: Midnight Soul-Stealing

“My god…”

Zhu Tiegan let out a breath, his body going limp as he collapsed to the ground.

He had heard many village ghost stories and seen witch doctors perform rituals, but such an eerie event as tonight’s was his first experience.

Beyond fear, a flicker of excitement rose within him.

No wonder the boss always fawned over Master Chen and ordered them to treat him with respect—any hint of disrespect meant the Three Knives and Six Holes punishment.

With someone this powerful backing us, what’s there to fear?

If I also start fawning, will he teach me an immortal technique?

Then, if I spot a nice little girl, I’ll bewitch her and drag her home; if I see a wealthy household, I’ll use a spell to steal their wealth.

Wouldn’t that life be as blissful as a god’s?

It’s no wonder this kid is daydreaming.

The Xuan Men holds the highest status in the Jianghu; not everyone gets a chance to interact with it, let alone someone like him—a lowlife scoundrel.

He had no clue about the rules and taboos within the Xuan Men, nor did he realize that the kind-faced old Daoist in the City God Temple was the most terrifying man in Xianyang City.

Zhu Tiegan wandered aimlessly in his thoughts outside the village.

Meanwhile, Zhou Peide followed closely behind, already prepared.

He led several disciples, dressed in black, wielding long spears and sharp blades, guarding the official road leading to Xianyang City.

They waited only for Li Yan to be lured out, then to cut him down in a frenzy of blades.

Zhou Peide had long entered the Dark Force realm; though his talent was insufficient to master the Transformation Force, his tendons and membranes thrummed with Dark Force, and every movement carried unpredictable variations.

This was the difference in power after entering the Dark Force realm.

When others attacked with Dark Force, he could neutralize and defend using the same force; those with shallow cultivation couldn’t sustain their momentum, their force would break, and they’d be killed outright.

In other words, he alone could handle Li Yan.

With a few helpers added, success was virtually guaranteed.

Zhou Peide stood sword in hand at the crossroad, his eyes steadily gathering murderous intent, waiting for Li Yan to chase after him so he could torture him to death!

…………

The moonlight was dim and hazy; the entire Shangyi Village lay in darkness.

Due to the tight deadline, everyone had worked from dawn till dusk, so as soon as the lamps were extinguished, they all fell into deep, snoring sleep.

“Woof! Woof!”

The village dogs seemed to sense something—they perked up their ears and sprang to their feet, but after barking a few times, they lay back down.

At the street corner, a tiny puppet crawled like a spider through the darkness, its dan role costume making it appear especially eerie.

All its yin energy seemed bound within its wooden body, so the village dogs sensed only an anomaly but did not continue to warn.

Outside Xianyang City, on the ritual altar, Chen Fakui sat cross-legged before it, eyes closed, fingers forming seals, muttering incantations without pause.

The puppet, under his command, darted swiftly through the dark alleys and soon arrived outside the Wan family mansion.

Hum!

Before it even drew near, the stone pillars at the gate trembled slightly.

These were hitching posts—almost every sizable household in Guanzhong had them.

But the Wan family’s hitching posts were different: carved atop them was a tiny stone lion, an ancient Qin-Han relic, and beneath them lay talismans to repel evil—ordinary malevolent spirits could not approach.

This was merely the hitching post.

On several brick carvings along the courtyard wall were inscribed “Glory to Ancestors, Prosperity to Descendants” and “Virtue Builds Reputation,” their archaic, weathered characters also ancient relics from the Tang era.

Furthermore, on the door, windows, central hearth, well, stove, and latrine were pasted Fengxi wooden deity paintings—this was the ancient Zhou tradition of the Six Household Deities.

This was a Jiangmen mansion—how could it be simple?

Those ancient relics had all been consecrated through incense offerings.

The incense of the Six Household Deities had never ceased, Ningju into divine Gang .

Not to mention the Jiangmen ancestral hall in the back courtyard.

When Li Yan first arrived at the Wan mansion, he sensed its extraordinary nature, which was why he felt safe leaving to drink with Zhao the Donkey.

Meanwhile, before the altar, Chen Fakui had clearly anticipated this—he suddenly opened his eyes, seized the peachwood sword from the altar table, and stuck a yellow talisman to it.

With his right hand forming a seal, he pointed forward.

Huh~

The yellow talisman immediately burst into flames.

The puppet, enveloped in a hazy mist, avoided the main gate and climbed up the side wall like a spider, without disturbing any of the mansion’s defenses.

On the courtyard wall, the puppet’s stiff face slowly emerged…

…………

In the darkness, Wang Daoxuan slept soundly.

On another bed, Sha Lifei snored thunderously, disrupting his meditation and leaving him no peace even in sleep.

But there was no choice—recently, every room was packed; many Jiangmen disciples even shared communal beds.

As guests, they were already privileged to have private rooms—how could they dare ask for more?

Both nights had been like this, and combined with the mental exhaustion from reading during the day, Wang Daoxuan drifted in a half-awake, half-asleep state.

Wang Daoxuan couldn’t help but regret it.

Had he known, he’d have followed Li Yan up the mountain—at least he’d have gotten some peace.

Bang! Bang! Suddenly, he heard knocking at the door.

Then came a muffled call: “Master Wang, Master Wang…”

The voice was indistinct, somewhat like Li Yan’s.

This was the Soul-Calling Technique.

Ghosts calling out to people did not predict the future—they exploited spiritual vulnerabilities.

Just as Li Yan, worried about his grandfather, had heard his grandfather’s cries for help, Wang Daoxuan, half-asleep, now thought of Li Yan.

Naturally, he heard Li Yan’s voice.

“Oh, back already?”

Wang Daoxuan mumbled sleepily in response.

But as soon as he spoke, he shuddered violently—his heart cried out in alarm.

!.

Before he could react, Wang Daoxuan felt his body grow light, his vision blacken, and with a thud, he tumbled off the bed.

“Hmm? Master, what’s wrong?”

Sha Lifei woke up, rushed to help, but found Wang Daoxuan’s eyes tightly shut, teeth clenched, fists clenched, and utterly unconscious.

“Someone! Quick, someone!”

Amid the cries, lanterns flickered to life one by one in the pitch-black courtyard…

…………

Outside the village, Zhu Tiegan idly pulled up roadside weeds when suddenly he felt his body grow heavy, his spine turning icy cold again.

He froze, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

But having adapted, he was now bolder—he remembered Chen Fakui’s instructions and dared not turn around; instead, he leapt onto his horse.

He tugged the reins and galloped away.

Less than a stick of incense later, he saw Zhou Peide standing on the road, clasping his fists: “Third Master, it’s done. I’ll take my leave.”

Zhou Peide spotted the puppet clinging to Zhu Tiegan’s back, his eye twitched, he quickly stepped aside to let him pass, then gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Zhu Tiegan, riding the horse, was also a fool—he mistook Zhou Peide’s wary expression for admiration of his heroic demeanor tonight, and felt a surge of pride, spurring his horse to gallop faster until he reached the hill outside the city.

Seeing everyone waiting for him, Zhu Tiegan was even more triumphant.

Remembering the heroes in operas who stormed enemy camps alone, he leapt off his horse, took a formal step, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists, and delivered his line in operatic tone:

“Big Brother, I’ve fulfilled my mission!”

As he finished, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed with a thud, defecating and urinating everywhere.

Meanwhile, the puppet climbed onto the altar like a spider.

Chen Fakui glanced at it coolly: “No matter. It borrowed a bit of his human qi and life-fire to break the array—he’ll fall seriously ill after returning. Keep him away from wind and light, let him rest well; perhaps he’ll recover.”

Yuan Qu didn’t care whether Zhu Tiegan lived or died—he bowed respectfully and asked: “Master Chen, is that Li Yan boy dead?”

Chen Fakui shook his head slightly: “He’s not here. I’ve seized the life-soul of the Daoist beside him—he won’t fail to come looking.”

Saying this, he picked up a gourd on the table, inserted its mouth into the puppet’s, formed a seal, pulled the soul in, then quickly sealed the gourd’s mouth and stuck a yellow talisman on it.

Only after finishing did he turn and ask: “How’s the matter on the other side proceeding?”

Yuan Qu bowed quickly: “Master, the men I hired moved swiftly—they’ll have everything assembled tonight. I’ve already sent people to collect the goods.”

Chen Fakui nodded, about to speak, when suddenly his brow furrowed.

Huh~

A gust of yin wind swept past, causing the altar candles to flicker wildly.

Chen Fakui felt an inexplicable dread, immediately seized two crescent-shaped wooden objects from the altar, held them in his hands, raised them to his forehead, and bowed before the deity statue.

These were jiao cups—one side convex (yin), one flat (yang).

Shhh!

Shhh!

Shhh!

He cast it three times in a row, and each time both sides showed yin.

“Worse! The Ancestor is giving a warning!”

Chen Fa immediately turned pale, frantically gathering the ritual tools from the altar, blowing out the candles, and tearing down the yellow talismans.

After finishing this, he hurriedly pulled a sack from under the wooden table and turned to shout angrily: “Extinguish the fire! All of you, stand by me!”

Yuan Qu and several subordinates had no idea what was happening, but they dared not ask; they quickly gathered around the altar.

Chen Fa then poured white ash, salt, and other unknown substances from the sack onto the ground, drawing a massive circle around them all.

When he finished, he barked sharply: “Shut your mouths! Say nothing, no matter what you see—dare to make a single sound, and I’ll kill you on the spot!”

Hoo~

No sooner had he spoken than a violent wind surged from afar, and the sky seemed to darken.

Yuan Qu and the others, terrified, realized the air around them had turned bitterly cold; a layer of frost began spreading across the ground.

Then, countless footprints appeared upon the frost…

(End of Chapter)