Chapter 8

It failed!

Although Li Yan was unwilling to accept it, there was nothing he could do.

While preparing the ritual yesterday during the day, he had vaguely grasped the essence and roughly guessed the principle behind this method.

To put it plainly, it was about deceiving ghosts and gods.

This method has a long history and comes in many varieties.

The most common practice among the folk is when a boy or girl is born and, due to some taboo, the parents fear the child won't survive, so they change the method: raising a boy as a girl, or a girl as a tomboy.

The method taught by Widow Wang was like this, and even went a step further: taking advantage of the moment the Cold Altar Chang soldier was trapped in the chicken's belly to burn it at noon to resolve the calamity.

Li Yan did not know the deeper principles.

But clearly, that thing hadn't fallen for it.

Looking at the organs churned into paste inside the chicken's belly, Li Yan felt a slight chill in his heart.

To be so terrifying after being possessed by that thing.

I'm afraid the substitute statue won't be able to block it many more times.

Not daring to be careless, he directly burned and buried the rooster, then prepared again according to the method.

According to what Widow Wang said, this method must be performed for two consecutive nights.

Perhaps it will succeed tonight.

The waiting time is always somewhat long.

After finally enduring until nightfall and everything was silent, Li Yan tied another rooster outside the door, turned back to the room, and burrowed into the soil.

The moonlight tonight was even brighter.

Unlike yesterday, as the Hour of the Rat approached, a sinister wind suddenly rose within Li Family Fort.

This sinister wind blew erratically, carrying dust and fallen leaves, entering from the village entrance, avoiding the Earth Temple there, and swirling toward Li Yan's house.

In Widow Wang's house, the candlelight was dim.

The young girl had already woken up but still remained within the red circle, holding a horsetail whisk and performing a strange movement, seemingly listening intently.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, staring fixedly outside the door, her mouth muttering incessantly.

Widow Wang, standing to the side, turned deathly pale in an instant.

"No, that child is in danger!"

………

The sinister wind swirled and soon arrived in front of the Li residence.

This wind swirled on flat ground, carrying flying dust.

If ordinary people saw it, they wouldn't find it strange, because when the weather changes suddenly and the wind blows, such small whirlwinds carrying dust are quite common.

But the big rooster tied at the entrance seemed to sense the danger descending; its feathers stood on end, and it flapped its wings, jumping up and down, trying to break free.

However, struck by the sinister wind, it fell directly to the ground.

Not long after, this sturdy big rooster suddenly floated up, as if supported by an invisible giant hand.

With a 'crack', the chicken's head and feet were all twisted and crooked, and the carcass fell to the ground along with chicken droppings, while the sinister wind rose again from the ground.

Only, the aura was clearly much weaker.

Seemingly furious from being deceived repeatedly, this sinister wind swirled in the air, rolled up fallen leaves, and flew toward the Li residence from the side wall.

However, before it could get close, it was bounced away.

Boom!

The "Hundred Battles Mighty" plaque hanging at the entrance emitted a muffled sound.

This movement was much louder than the previous two nights.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After three consecutive collisions, a crack appeared on the "Hundred Battles Mighty" plaque with a 'crack' sound.

This time the crack was deeper, and the lacquer peeled off with a rustle.

And that sinister wind seemed to have weakened significantly; it no longer forced its way in, but circled around the Li residence.

In the dark night, the sinister wind whistled.

In the soil beneath the side room, Li Yan held his blade, concentrating and on guard.

He couldn't hear the movement outside, but he could feel that the thing had arrived.

Because the icy sensation on his back was becoming increasingly obvious.

What's going on tonight?

It seems a bit different...

Just as he was puzzled, he suddenly heard a voice in his ear.

"Child, where did you go?"

Vague and slightly weathered, it was exactly his grandfather, Li Gui!

Terrible!

Li Yan's hair stood on end, and he felt panicked.

He hadn't been completely unprepared these past two nights; he had added herbs like Poria and Schisandra to the porridge to nourish the heart and calm the spirit.

For a time, his grandfather's health had been poor, suffering from insomnia and vivid dreams, so he had filled a prescription from a physician; every time he took it, he could sleep soundly until dawn.

Although the old man was a fierce soldier in his youth, his spirit was wounded when his father died, and his health had been deteriorating over the years; he couldn't handle any fright at all.

Naturally, he didn't dare to say much about dealing with evil spirits.

He didn't expect a mishap to occur at this time.

Just as Li Yan was panicking, he suddenly remembered Widow Wang's warning.

This method has taboos; no matter what you hear or see, you cannot rashly appear, otherwise, all previous efforts will be wasted.

Is it real or fake?

Li Yan forced himself to calm down and listened carefully.

Finally, he discovered the trick.

This voice was vague, constantly echoing in his ears.

Logically, if his grandfather got up and saw he wasn't there, he would definitely push the door open and search inside the room.

The pit he dug was very obvious, right in front of the bed, and could be seen at a glance.

Yet this voice echoed left and right, but there was never any movement. It's fake!

Li Yan immediately made a judgment, and at the same time, felt a secret chill in his heart.

This Cold Altar Chang soldier actually has this ability?

Not long after, the voice gradually dissipated.

Rustle!

Suddenly, the violent sound of the threshold shaking rang out again.

It was as if something was frantically shaking the door.

Subsequently, his grandfather's voice rang out again.

"Who is it?"

"Ah ah, save me quickly!"

The voice was miserable, as if encountering something ominous.

Li Yan broke into a sweat listening to it, also unable to be certain.

How could he dare to gamble on this kind of thing?!

!.

And just at this moment, a flash of inspiration struck his mind; he nudged his mouth upward and pressed the bamboo tube used for breathing against his nostrils.

Fortunately, it was covered with oilcloth, so the dust didn't fall into his mouth.

Through the bamboo tube, Li Yan took a deep breath.

His sense of smell was exceptionally keen; not only could he smell those special things, but he could also easily distinguish the scents of ordinary objects.

The smell of damp earth, the musty smell of old furniture, the smell of dried fried meatballs on the table...

Various scents were distinguished one by one.

The unique bloody, fishy stench of "Blind San" was also there, but it was very faint, clearly not having entered the courtyard.

And his grandfather's scent was not in the courtyard either.

Only then did Li Yan set his mind at ease, while secretly cursing in his heart.

This thing can even deceive people; it's truly cunning to the point of chilling the heart.

If he hadn't opened his spiritual roots, he would have truly been fooled!

Various sounds came and went; Li Yan relied on his amazing sense of smell to distinguish them and never fell for it, but it also exhausted him, leaving him mentally and physically drained.

Finally, the voice gradually disappeared and didn't appear again.

I don't know how much time passed, but vaguely, the sound of a rooster crowing came.

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief and broke out of the soil.

But just as his head emerged from the ground,

he felt a chill in his heart.

The room was pitch black; through the gaps in the paper-pasted windows, he could vaguely perceive the sky.

Although it was past the Hour of the Rat, it was clearly not yet time for the rooster to crow.

Fooled!

Li Yan's heart was full of regret.

He didn't expect to be tricked at the very last moment.

Boom!

Just at this moment, a loud noise came from outside the courtyard door.

This time he heard it clearly; it wasn't an illusion, but something hitting the plaque.

Li Yan no longer hesitated; he broke out of the soil, grabbed his blade, and rushed out of the room.

According to Widow Wang, this thing would leave at the end of the Hour of the Ox or the beginning of the Hour of the Tiger, when the rooster crows for the first time.

The time was almost up; perhaps he could hold on with the substitute statue.

Boom!

Another collision, the sound even louder.

Even the wooden door of the courtyard shook with a rustle.

Li Yan stood with his blade horizontal, the killing intent in his eyes constantly condensing.

Old sayings go that ghosts fear wicked people; he had practiced martial arts for many years, perhaps relying on the fierce, evil aura in his chest, he could cause damage to this thing.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Just at this moment, the big rooster at home jumped onto the wooden frame, stretched its neck, and let out a loud crow, the sound echoing in all directions.

The crashing sound outside the door also came to an abrupt end.

At the same time, the neighbor's chickens also began to crow.

Through the crack in the door, Li Yan could smell that the scent of "Blind San" was rapidly moving away.

Perhaps due to the collision with the "Hundred Battles Mighty" plaque, the scent of "Blind San" became extremely faint; wherever it passed, the village dogs all bristled and barked wildly.

Even so, Li Yan didn't act rashly.

Not until a hint of dawn appeared on the horizon did he push the door open and go out.

As expected, the big rooster tied at the entrance had kicked the bucket again.

Its state of death was even more miserable than yesterday's; clearly, that thing had been deceived repeatedly and was very angry.

Li Yan's expression was gloomy, without any joy of escaping alive.

He had truly witnessed the cunning and terror of this thing last night.

Next time, how should he deal with it?

Crack!

The "Hundred Battles Mighty" plaque finally couldn't hold on, splitting a long crack from the bottom, and at the same time, that scent of incense rapidly dissipated.

Li Yan sighed in his heart.

The treasure for suppressing the house was also destroyed; it really is 'when it rains, it pours'.

Just at this moment, some things fell from the crack in the "Hundred Battles Mighty" plaque, clattering to the ground; they were three copper coins.

Li Yan picked them up one by one and examined them carefully.

He saw that these copper coins were round with square holes, but the patterns were completely different from those used daily; one side had an embossed pattern of a divine general wearing armor, with tiny runes around it.

On the other side, the sun, moon, and stars were engraved respectively...

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(End of chapter)