Chapter 93: Still Using Traditional Methods to Drive Away Ghosts?

Mei Family Village is located fifty miles south of Wentian City, situated in a position that is neither near nor far.

It is neither close to major traffic arteries nor does it have any special local food products; it has always been a tepid, small, unremarkable township that no one pays attention to.

But as a large family living in the suburbs of Wentian, the Mei family has always identified themselves as Wentianguo to the outside world.

They look down on country bumpkins from other places, and whenever they encounter them, they wish they could point their nostrils toward the sky.

Yet, they cannot squeeze into the expensive, prime real estate of Wentian City, and can only act as tyrants on this small, poorly-situated patch of land.

But all things considered, this place is close to Wentian City, and city defense soldiers often patrol the surroundings, so public order is good, and no vicious incidents have occurred for many years.

The Mei family actually managed to establish a connection with Wentian City in recent years!

Although it is only a city defense soldier, this is still a true resident of Wentian, and one with military duties at that!

But the Mei family believes that after another period of time, they will surely be able to open up a path into the inner city of Wentian!

Waiting for that day, they will be able to completely wash away the label of being outsiders, move into Wentian, and become true people above others.

For this reason, the patriarch of the Mei family has always sent the daughters of the clan to Wentian, on one hand letting them work in the city, and on the other, harboring the hope that they would be noticed by noble people.

And beyond that, life in Mei Family Village is dull, without a ripple, and would not change for decades.

Planting in spring and harvesting in autumn, men plowing and women weaving, working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

One can see the end at a glance, and it is impossible to escape for a lifetime.

The Mei family has nothing to complain about; their ancestors have long been used to it.

However, this is just a facade.

Mei Yongzhu, the patriarch of the Mei family, clearly knows that all of this is nothing but an illusory facade.

He understands that those clan daughters who left will never return.

He knows that his own busyness in the fields will not lead to a true harvest.

It is not because they yearn for the prosperity of the outside world, nor is it because the Mei family does not work hard.

It is useless.

Because time in Mei Family Village will never flow again; it has fallen into a cycle.

An endless cycle.

Every time the end of July arrives, a Demon will come to kill everyone!

And then, when he wakes up again, he will return to the endless repetition.

Constantly repeating, constantly being slaughtered, constantly restarting...

Mei Yongzhu can no longer count how many cycles this has been; apart from his own name, he can no longer remember anything else.

He has also tried to work hard, but the final result was always failure.

Mei Yongzhu finally gave up, simply doing nothing, lying at home waiting for death.

But on this day, a change came.

Lying in the courtyard quietly waiting for the Demon to slaughter him, Mei Yongzhu suddenly heard a strange sound.

It was a sharp sound he had never heard before, like a whistle blown through a leaf, but the sound was still very, very far away.

It seems, it came from the sky?

Before Mei Yongzhu could even open his eyes, he heard the shouts of his clansmen.

"Heavenly Fire!"

"Look at the sky!"

"Heavenly Fire has descended from the sky!"

Opening his eyes, he saw a fireball in the sky, growing brighter and brighter, crossing over Mei Family Village and scattering golden light across the sky.

And then...

Boom!!!

"Hahahaha!"

Click.

Ren Yidao laughed heartily while stuffing another Merit Grenade into the launcher.

Whoosh—

Bang!

Listening to the pleasant roaring coming from the plum forest over there, as well as the wandering souls scattering under the holy light, Ren Yidao could no longer restrain his expression.

Hehehe...

The corners of his mouth curled up wildly, and he let out a strange, chuckling laugh:

"Yes, yes, yes, that's it, scream even more miserably for me!"

His final shred of reason kept Ren Yidao from speaking even more villainous words.

But the scene before them was already enough to make Shi Xue, who was beside him, take her younger cousin and Yu Yu further and further away from Ren Yidao.

Not normal.

This Ren Yidao has something wrong with him!

Although it was not the first day she had known Ren Yidao, and she had a certain understanding of him.

But Shi Xue still found it hard to accept.

Every time she adapted to one thing, this guy would, without pause, do something new that made her eyes go dark.

"That Dharma Artifact... is it a firearm?"

It is not that Beigan does not have firearms used by mortals, it is just that they have not been vigorously developed.

In a world where immortal arts exist, the use of firearms has been greatly reduced.

After all, even if you gave a mortal a Gatling gun, it would still be no match for unreasonable spells.

Cultivators rarely study firearms either; only a few people apply firearms to the crafting of Dharma Artifacts.

"Hahahaha!!!"

Hey, Soviet-style iaido, kid!

What palm thunder? What Plum Wood Sword? What black dog blood?

Not familiar, not familiar!

What era is this, and you're still using traditional methods to exorcise ghosts?

This fellow Daoist, come try this rocket launcher; the effect is excellent!

Everyone who has used it says it's good; we have never received a bad review or complaint.

Regarding the feasibility of physical exorcism, we can give you a detailed explanation here.

First!

Tracing the source, how exactly was gunpowder discovered?

As everyone knows, gunpowder was an accidental byproduct refined during alchemy.

So, who was doing the alchemy?

It was Daoists, from the Daoist religion.

Since gunpowder comes from the Daoist religion, and the Daoist religion has matching firearm techniques, why can't it exorcise demons?

By what right can it not exorcise demons!!?

Since gunpowder works, wouldn't a bullet filled with gunpowder have an even better effect?

From this, one can further deduce that an RPG Huojiantan, representing love and peace, art and nature, is simply the symbol of physical exorcism.

Reject feudal superstition, you must believe in science, my friend.

Not to mention, this rocket shell was also specially crafted by Ren Yidao.

Merit that saved the lives of a hundred people is compressed into a fist-sized space, with various scriptures engraved on the surface.

"Soldiers, move in formation," "Hallelujah!", "My pain is above yours!", "Shengguangbiyouzheni!", "Yuanyuanlizainitongzai!"...

Writing scriptures on every corner of it as much as possible, never leaving any loopholes.

That's not all; after the inscriptions are finished, the employees of the Merit Party are made to chant scriptures at it for three full days.

With this, a Merit Grenade that does not save the dying or heal the wounded, but wholeheartedly subdues demons and eliminates evil, is completed.

As for the matching Merit Liudan Fasheshe, how Ren Yidao pulled it out in a fantasy world...

Just kidding.

You are local natives, but I, Ren Yidao, am not.

I am a transmigrator, after all.

Understand?

A transmigrator!

Others can refine gunpowder in Western fantasy worlds, mess with steam engines and get close to witches, and incidentally develop silk stockings and such...

By what right can I, Ren Yidao, not use a rocket launcher!?

Although I don't understand the specific principles, I have seen the finished product.

Creating something from nothing is always the hardest part; I am just copying it like drawing a tiger based on a cat.

And don't worry about whether the specific structure conforms to science; as long as it can launch, it's fine.

Besides, if there is anything I don't understand, wouldn't it be fine to replace it with my invincible spells?

This is a fantasy world, after all; isn't it very reasonable for there to be some unscientific aspects?

I reckon it should be able to move here, and it probably can move here.

In short, under Ren Yidao's anticipation, this fourth tail truly became the shape he wanted.

Thus, the weapons transformed from the four tails currently possessed by Ren Yidao have all been displayed.

First tail, feather fan, named "Call the Wind and Summon the Rain," short-term efficient artificial rainfall.

Second tail, whip, named "Silk Touch," every lash can increase vitality.

Third tail, spiked club, named "Fatherly Love," clears worries to a limited extent.

Fourth tail, rocket launcher, named "Merit Messenger," delivers merit to the opponent.

In short, after figuring out Ren Yidao's weapons, anyone would involuntarily exclaim.

It really is specialized for accumulating merit and doing good deeds!

Whoosh—Bang!

"Daoist! Stop for a moment! Stop, stop!"

"Senior Brother, it's time, it's time to stop."

"Foster Father, I think so too..."

The constant calls from the three finally made the over-excited Ren Yidao hold down his right hand that was continuing to reload.

Tsk.

Why are happy times always so short?

Fine.

"The three of you, it's not that I don't want to stop, it's just that whenever I think about innocent masses being harmed while passing by here, my heart is filled with indignation."

"All evil will eventually be brought to justice!"

Ren Yidao, having composed his expression, explained to the three of them with a straight face:

"After all, one must finish the job of eliminating evil; if we accidentally let them loose to wreak havoc in the outside world, the consequences would be unthinkable!"

"You wouldn't want to regret one day in the future that you didn't give your all today, leading to innocent people dying miserably because of it, would you?"

Yu Yu: "..."

Li Lingling: "... Uh."

Shi Xue looked expressionlessly at the solemn and earnest-looking Ren Yidao, then looked at the plum blossom grove behind him that had already become a scorched earth.

Go ahead and say it.

Say whatever you want.

No matter what you say now, I will never believe you!

Speaking so sanctimoniously...

You are clearly just doing this for your own amusement!

Observing the expressions of the three, Ren Yidao sighed in his heart.

His own daughters are more obedient.

This one called Shi Xue is not easy to fool.

"Let us go over and check the situation."

After speaking, Ren Yidao took the lead and headed straight for the former site of the plum blossom grove.

He still had things left unfinished.

"It's just that I don't know if I can find that plum tree Senior Brother Jian mentioned... Hmm?"

His footsteps paused, and Ren Yidao squinted as he looked at the scene ahead.

The entire scorched plum blossom grove remained, but in his eyes, it had transformed into a completely different appearance.

He saw trees.

A forest of many trees, completely intact!

Silently taking a step back, the scene before Ren Yidao's eyes vanished instantly, and before him remained the miserable scorched earth.

Taking a step forward again, then a step back... After doing this back and forth three times, Ren Yidao finally confirmed that the position he was in was the boundary line between the Array and the outside world.

However...

Watching the three who had already walked deeper than him while he was repeatedly testing the mechanism, Ren Yidao raised an eyebrow.

They cannot see it.

Only he himself can see the scene within the illusion.

Touching the wooden box in his bosom, Ren Yidao was lost in thought.

"Miss Shi, please take the two Junior Sisters and wait behind me."

Upon hearing these words, Shi Xue did not ask for the reason, but quickly pulled the two of them back to the position designated by Ren Yidao.

Once everything was settled, she asked in a low voice:

"Is there still a problem here?"

"Yes, the situation here is even more complicated than I thought."

Jian Xinxin, to dare to find such troublesome work for me to do.

You really are something!

Feeling the wooden box in his bosom growing hotter, Ren Yidao did not explain further to them, but stepped forward directly and broke into that illusion which had lasted for over a hundred years.

"Wait until I return, you are definitely going to drink this flower wine!"

"Hahahahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Haha!"

Ren Yidao:?

After passing through the forest in the illusion, before Ren Yidao could find anyone to ask, he saw a madman.

A madman who was completely out of place with everyone else around.

While others were running away in panic, he was laughing.

The middle-aged man's face was charred black, his clothes were severely damaged with over a dozen scorched marks, but he did not care at all.

He was kneeling on the ground, laughing loudly and pounding the ground with force.

"Change! The change has come!"

"I am going to be liberated! We are finally going to be liberated!"

"Great, great..."

After finishing his laughter, the man began to sob and cry uncontrollably.

Ren Yidao stood to the side and watched for a while, then shook his head and sighed in disgust.

A middle-aged man's tears or whatever, they are truly the most boring.

"This benefactor, why are you wailing here?"

Putting on a kind smile, Ren Yidao asked Mei Yongzhu:

"Do you have some unspeakable hidden trouble?"

"If you can, could you tell me about it? Perhaps I can help you solve it."

Upon hearing the voice by his ear, Mei Yongzhu slowly raised his head.

He looked at the face of the youth beside him, and it took a long time for him to come back to his senses.

"You, who are you?"

"Me? I am just a passing ordinary Daoist."

Daoist?

"Daoist, Daoist... Daoist!!!"

Mei Yongzhu muttered, repeating over and over in his mouth:

"If it is a Daoist, if it is a Daoist..."

Standing up with a *whoosh*, Mei Yongzhu grabbed Ren Yidao's palm and pulled with force!

"Daoist! Save us! I beg you, Daoist!!!"

Giving Ren Yidao no chance to refuse, this middle-aged man with a somewhat hunched figure erupted with astonishing strength from his body, dragging him away directly.

Oh?

Looking at the thin, bony knuckles of the other party gripping his palm, Ren Yidao raised an eyebrow.

The next moment, he recovered his smile and said cheerfully:

"Benefactor, there is no need to be so nervous; I will certainly help you all."

Yes, I will certainly help you all.

In my own way.

Ren Yidao was not deceived by the illusion.

From the very beginning, he was clear about the other party's identity.

This man is a Ghost Star, not a human.

However, this was not something unacceptable.

If a human makes a request, he can help.

If a Ghost Star makes a request, there is no reason for him to refuse without even listening.

Listening is never wrong; perhaps there might be an unexpected harvest.

"What you said... is it true?"

Looking back at the youth's faintly smiling face, Mei Yongzhu's expression also held some confusion.

Why is he not afraid?

No, why should he be afraid...

"True, it is true. I cultivate Merit, and I have never told a lie in my life."

Ren Yidao leaked a tiny bit of Merit energy, and Mei Yongzhu let go of his hand as if he had been scalded.

After being let go, he did not run away, and Ren Yidao walked to Mei Yongzhu's side.

"Benefactor, why have you stopped walking? Did you not want me to help you all find liberation?"

"Yes! Walk! Liberation! Liberation!"

Mei Yongzhu's expression changed again and again, finally transforming into that of a simple and honest middle-aged man, and he bowed gratefully toward Ren Yidao.

"The Daoist is truly a great benevolent person!"

"I dare not accept such praise, benefactor; why don't you tell me in detail about your predicament so I can help you... find liberation."

Saying the word "liberation" with profound meaning, Ren Yidao chuckled inwardly.

This gentleman, how much do you actually know about your own situation?

"My name is Mei Yongzhu, I am the patriarch of Mei Family Village, and we have for generations..."

Along the way to an unknown place, Mei Yongzhu told Ren Yidao a story.

The gist of the story was that the Mei family are good people, they have never done anything bad, and have always been diligent and conscientious.

Then, suddenly one day, a Demon killed his way over and trapped them in this illusion.

Every time the end of the seventh month arrives, he comes to kill them once, and then it cycles again.

This story was not pleasant to hear.

At least through Mei Yongzhu's narration, Ren Yidao could not hear anything interesting.

Not to mention the verbal tics he added to every sentence, such as "We Wentianguo people..." and "I don't know about other places, but here in our Wentianguo..."

Just how great of an obsession must you have!

Furthermore, Mei Yongzhu's story had many loopholes.

For example, where exactly did that Demon enter Mei Family Village from, what exactly did the Demon look like, or where does the Demon go after slaughtering everyone...

These details, which should have been the most basic, Mei Yongzhu knew nothing about.

It was completely unlike the heroic patriarch he described himself to be, who persisted time and again in despair to find opportunities to save his clansmen.

"So, where are you taking me now?"

"Ah... Daoist will understand once you see it."

Understand?

What would I understand?

While wondering, Ren Yidao followed Mei Yongzhu through the final woods.

!!!

He narrowed his eyes.

Ren Yidao saw a tree.

A massive plum tree that blocked out the Heaven.

The enormous canopy obscured the sky, casting a patch of shadow.

But it was not dark under the tree.

Because every plum blossom emitted a crystalline glow.

The plum blossoms were in full bloom, and as the wind blew, it was like snow falling across the sky, or perhaps a Flower Rain.

Raising his hand to catch a petal, Ren Yidao's expression was also somewhat dazed.

He remembered Jian Xinxin's words:

"Rest assured, the scenery there will certainly not disappoint you."

At that time, there was no longer any sternness on Jian Xinxin's face, but rather a look of gentleness.

Shaking his head, Ren Yidao chuckled softly:

"…Alright, I concede."

"This place truly did not disappoint me."

It's just that, I'm afraid I need to disappoint someone else.

"Daoist! Do you have a way!?"

Turning his head, Ren Yidao smiled and nodded at the expectant Mei Yongzhu.

"Yes, yes, after seeing this tree, I truly understand everything!"

What a simple and easy-to-understand situation.

"It's just that, my method will have a tiny bit of a difference from what you imagine."

It really is just a tiny bit.

"I can grant you release, but I have no way to save you, because..."

He shrugged his shoulders and said lightly:

"You are already dead."

"And you have been dead for many years."

Dead?

I am dead?

Mei Yongzhu's expression turned gloomy abruptly, and his gaze changed sharply!

"Impossible! You are lying to me! You are..."

Waving his hand at the about-to-turn-demonic Mei Yongzhu, Ren Yidao continued:

"Ah, stop!!!"

"Don't break down yet, I haven't finished speaking."

Mei Yongzhu:?

"Before you break down, are you interested in hearing me tell a story?"

He said:

"Another possibility for the story."

"Another possibility..."

Mei Yongzhu, whose face had almost transformed into a fierce ghost, froze, repeating Ren Yidao's words.

"Yes, a story that, while it might conflict with your memories, should be more reasonable."

Facing the extremely unstable Mei Yongzhu, Ren Yidao nodded and said:

"Then, since you aren't speaking, I will take it that you are willing to listen."

With a bewitching power in his voice, Ren Yidao spoke slowly:

"That was a small village called Mei Family Village."

The beginning of the story was the same, but the turning point appeared in the middle.

One day, their patriarch accidentally obtained a remnant of a cultivation manual.

He did not know what this remnant meant, but he understood the value of being able to cultivate toward immortality.

Thus, he hid this Secret Technique and began to practice alone according to its requirements.

Cultivation is inherently an act of defying Heaven to change one's fate, so it requires plundering the lives of other living beings.

From small animals like chickens, dogs, and rabbits, to sheep and pigs, and finally to oxen and horses...

The patriarch's cultivation progressed step by step, but his need for blood-food grew step by step.

Finally, he reached out toward his own clansmen.

From the elderly and frail clan elders, to the widowed women, to the children...

Finally, when more and more people went missing, and when the matter could no longer be covered up, he completely tore off his mask.

In one fell swoop, he slaughtered all his clansmen, completely turning them into blood-food for his advancement!

But a remnant is a remnant after all; the technique was flawed, leaving the patriarch trapped in this illusion forever.

He even regarded himself as a victim, waiting for someone to come and grant him release.

"Although it might differ from the facts in some parts, it is roughly such a story."

"And you are that Demon who destroys this place every so often."

Ren Yidao shook his head with pity.

"You, you are truly pitiful."

Having gone astray, in the end, you can't even remember who you are.

Pitiful.

As for how he arrived at this conclusion...

Looking down at the deep pit full of skeletons beneath his feet, Ren Yidao shook his head.

Yes, what you said before was right.

Once one arrives here, everything becomes clear.

From animals to humans, every corpse was pierced through by tree roots.

A skeleton clutching half a page of yellow paper knelt atop the pile of corpses, its body likewise pierced through by the roots of a plum tree.

This massive plum tree was built upon this mass grave, growing and strengthening by absorbing their nutrients.

Pfft.

Ren Yidao, who had been shaking his head, paused in his expression and slowly lowered his head.

A sharp branch had pierced through Ren Yidao's chest, protruding from his breast.

"Ah, this..."

Before he could retort, a great force surged from the branch, dragging him directly into the deep pit!

Meanwhile, Mei Yongzhu's expression back at the original spot was uncertain, and his figure was constantly shifting.

Old man, child, man, woman... his appearance changed continuously, finally turning completely into an amorphous black shadow.

"Release..."

Then the black shadow suddenly soared into the sky, crashing toward the Heaven!

Boom!

It was bounced back down by the Heaven, but the black shadow did not give up, instead charging up again!

And the sky of Mei Family Village, after being bombarded by volleys of Heavenly Fire, had already become fragile and unbearable.

Crack!

"Senior Brother has been gone for a long time, he should be fine, right?"

"Probably fine? He was so confident..."

Then, they heard a violent roar!

!!!

A massive Ghost Star shadow suddenly shattered the barrier between reality and the environment, crashing down into reality.

Roar!!!

"Go!"

Before the fear could arrive, Shi Xue was the first to react; unable to care about anything else, she grabbed the two of them and bolted, running wildly.

In their panicked flight, they heard a frantic roar.

"Release!!!"

Seven days since launch, I have also written ten thousand words a day for seven consecutive days, updating 72,000 characters.

I can't keep it up anymore, my body is about to give out; I've been in a state of brain-deadness all day, neither human nor ghost... like a walking corpse, unable to do anything but type, with nothing left but sleep, and even then, I likely can't fall asleep.

Starting today, I will no longer do ten thousand words a day; I will do 【daily amount】, and on weekends, I will see about adding updates.

I really need a period of recovery...

During this time, unless there are large tips, I really cannot add updates, *sob sob*.

So tired...