Chapter 002: The Clear Wind Taoist

Yes, we have arrived. He then got out of the car, and I also looked around.

After getting off the car, I saw that it was parked in front of a three-story villa. This villa is extraordinarily luxurious, covering an area of at least around 1,000 square meters, and it is three stories tall. I stood there with my mouth agape, gazing at the villa, which must be worth at least a million.

Upon hearing this, Yang Hongjun's expression finally softened. He cast a puzzled glance at the old Taoist, then looked at me and said: "Little brother, it's not that I doubt your abilities; I am also unaware of this matter."

Continuing to observe, I still could not make sense of the situation. Originally, according to my intention, I would have burned it directly, regardless of whose corpse it was; any corpse that could be burned was a good corpse. However, Yang Hongjun was unwilling, insisting that they needed to leave his mother with a complete body. Therefore, we had no choice but to wait, not knowing when Yang's mother would rise. The Qingfeng Daoist, on the other hand, took a glance and then walked three meters away from the crystal coffin, bringing in a small wooden table from outside and beginning to set up the altar.

In the past, during the era when Maoshan and Longhushan were prominent, Daoism flourished across the land. However, by the time of the Republic of China, the number of disciples from Maoshan and Longhushan had significantly decreased, to the point of being sparse. During that chaotic period, there is a saying: "In times of turmoil, monsters will inevitably emerge." Indeed, during that time, monsters were rampant. Yet, how could the prestigious sects like Maoshan have enough manpower to capture these monsters and exorcise evil spirits? Nevertheless, solutions are devised by people. Thus, someone proposed to teach one individual in each region some basic Daoist techniques, which would effectively address local minor troubles.

Looking at the five talismans in my hand, I feel they are of no use at all. I cannot believe that if I were to summon a deity, I would be fortunate enough to invoke someone like Erlang Shen. I then glanced at the peach wood sword and black dog blood in my hand; these two items are quite effective against zombies. Soon, I will let Daoist Qingfeng charge ahead.

I noticed that he ignored me, and I wouldn't continue to approach him with a warm face to meet his cold rear. I greeted Yang Hongjun and began to wander around the villa on my own. To be honest, this villa is really large; just one room could overshadow my little wooden house. Inside, there are many peculiar treasures that look quite unusual, but they all seem very expensive, so I didn't dare to touch them. Who knows how much they are worth

Lin Hong'an sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat off upon hearing this, and quickly said: "We are all kindred spirits; let us work together to subdue demons and vanquish evil. After we finish, I will invite the two brothers to go out for singing and drinking."

Yang Hongjun and Lin Hong'an also ran to the second floor to hide. Before going up, Yang Hongjun repeatedly urged us to ensure that his mother would be reincarnated and find peace. Both Qingfeng Daoist and I nodded in agreement

It is said that during the Ming Dynasty, a fierce ghost emerged, causing havoc in the region. Later, a young Taoist priest, by sheer luck, invoked the manifestation of Erlang Shen and swiftly dealt with the ghost. Because of this, many Taoist priests at that time, regardless of the type of ghost they encountered, would directly invoke deities to address the situation. Some of these priests, however, faced significant challenges even with ordinary vengeful spirits, leading to numerous casualties among them. Eventually, this nearly resulted in the creation of a forbidden talisman, making this talisman a rather contradictory existence.

I nodded and began to prepare myself. The items I brought were not directly related to the *picture* book for exorcising souls; rather, I intended to subdue the zombie first and then wait for my master to return. This was my original goal. However, with the presence of Daoist Qingfeng, things became much easier. I took out five talismans: two "Talismans to Suppress All Evil Spirits" and three "Talismans to Summon Divine Generals at the Right Time." Speaking of which, my master primarily taught me talismans; he really didn't teach me much else. The function of the "Talismans to Suppress All Evil Spirits" was explained to me by my master: whenever a household is unsettled and ghosts appear, using this talisman will yield results. However, with Daoist Qingfeng around, things became much easier. I took out five talismans: two "Talismans to Suppress All Evil Spirits" and three "Talismans to Summon Divine Generals at the Right Time." Speaking of which, my master primarily taught me talismans; he really didn't teach me much else. The function of the "Talismans to Suppress All Evil Spirits" was explained to me by my master: whenever a household is unsettled and ghosts appear, using this talisman will yield results. In simple terms, it is a talisman to suppress ghosts.

Despite my reservations, I followed Yang Hongjun into the villa. Upon entering, I noticed that two individuals were already waiting inside. One of them, dressed similarly to Yang Hongjun, exuded the aura of a successful businessman. The other was clad in a Daoist robe, appearing to be in his forties or fifties, with a small tuft of beard, giving him a rather ethereal presence. I nodded at him, and he returned the gesture.

The temple is divided into two main categories: "Blessing Temple" (Yang affairs temple) and "Deliverance Temple" (Yin affairs temple). The Blessing Temple, as the name suggests, is for offering blessings and well-wishes to others. The Deliverance Temple is for the purpose of liberating malevolent spirits. It seems he intends to attempt a direct deliverance for Yang's mother, whose physical body has turned into a zombie, with her soul sealed within. After the direct deliverance, this zombie can be destroyed at will.

The invocation of divine generals is quite impressive; it is akin to inviting a deity to possess oneself, similar to a shamanic dance. However, the deities summoned in such dances are typically quite powerful, and one can selectively choose which deity to invoke

The "Summoning Talisman" is an uncertain factor; it is possible that summoning a powerful entity may not significantly affect the situation. However, if you are fighting a zombie and a coward possesses you, then you are finished. Moreover, the timing is also unstable, unless the talisman is crafted by someone with high Taoist skills, or a skilled practitioner summons a deity. Yet, those with high Taoist skills do not need this talisman, nor do they need to summon deities. When encountering any ghost or monster, they can simply deal with it swiftly. Therefore, this talisman is only useful for those of us with lesser Taoist skills for self-preservation, although it can still be particularly useful at times.

Seeing him laughing arrogantly over there, I just want to summon Erlang Shen to deal with you later. However, as much as I think about it, whether to summon a deity still requires careful consideration

Subsequently, everyone introduced themselves. It turned out that the man in the suit across from me was named Lin Hong'an, and the one in the robe was called Wang Hu, with the Daoist name Qingfeng Daoren. According to his self-introduction, he opened his Yin-Yang eyes at the age of five, began catching ghosts at eight, and exorcised demons at ten, which left me quite astonished. He then asked me which sect I belonged to, and I told him I was a Yin-Yang master. Upon hearing this, he looked at me with disdain and said, "Isn't it just that you've learned a bit of our superficial knowledge? You dare to come out and take on business? Just be careful not to encounter a powerful demon wind, or you might lose your own life." He then asked me which sect I belonged to, and I told him I was a Yin-Yang master. Upon hearing this, he looked at me with disdain and said, "Isn't it just that you've learned a bit of our superficial knowledge? You dare to come out and take on business? Just be careful not to encounter a powerful demon wind, or you might lose your own life."

Yang Hongjun was also startled and said, "It’s impossible, it wasn’t there this morning."

Ahem, I digressed. After chatting for a while about the transfer, everyone shifted their attention to Yang Hongjun's mother, who is essentially the moving corpse. At first, I didn't notice, but upon closer inspection, I found a crystal coffin in the middle of the living room, where Yang's mother was lying asleep. As we approached to take a look, I was startled to see two large fangs hanging from her mouth.

However, when I walked to a gate in the north with the *illustrated* book, I found the atmosphere inside particularly heavy with a chilling aura that made me shiver. Yet, the door would not open. I glanced at it in confusion and turned to go downstairs. It is better not to bring up anything that Yang Hongjun has not instructed, as I am aware of this to avoid bringing trouble upon myself. I am not some hot-blooded Taoist priest. That said, Qingfeng Daoist does possess some genuine skills. As soon as I came down, I saw that his Taoist altar was already set up.

"Have we arrived?" I asked, rubbing my eyes

I walked over and asked, "Hey, buddy, where's the preaching platform? How are we preparing to exorcise the demons later?"

Upon hearing Lin Hong'an's words, Qingfeng Daoist merely snorted. I have no objections either. It suddenly occurred to me why Qingfeng Daoist had such a strong opinion upon learning that I was a Yin-Yang Master. I recalled what my master had previously told me about the origins of the Yin-Yang Master.

Lost in thought, I soon fell asleep, only to be awakened by Yang Hongjun after a while. Looking at the sky, it was nearly completely dark.

Listening to Yang Hongjun's explanation, I certainly understood what he meant. To avoid overthinking, I quickly shook my head and said, "It's fine; having a fellow cultivator together will increase our chances." In truth, I wasn't very confident either. Hearing the person in a suit speaking, I felt that this old Daoist was quite impressive. Mainly, I was feeling uncertain myself, and with this old Daoist around, I hoped that I could just be a bystander later on.

In this manner, in every region, during prosperous times, and even in every village, there is generally a Yin-Yang master. However, the profession of a Yin-Yang master is quite eclectic, essentially a hodgepodge, as it is derived from many different schools. Consequently, Yin-Yang masters do not fall under the jurisdiction of any particular faction. It can be said that Yin-Yang masters and scholars form their own distinct group. However, the Maoshan sect feels uncomfortable with this situation. Indeed, I have taught you skills, yet you do not heed my guidance; why should that be acceptable? Therefore, the Maoshan sect and others only take action when formidable demons appear, and they generally refrain from exorcising demons and subduing evil spirits. As a result, they hold a particularly unfavorable view of Yin-Yang masters. Thus, in the end, Yin-Yang masters do not belong to any faction, and it can be said that they and scholars form their own distinct group. However, the Maoshan sect feels uncomfortable with this situation. Indeed, I have taught you skills, yet you do not heed my guidance; why should that be acceptable? Therefore, the Maoshan sect and others only take action when formidable demons appear, and they generally refrain from exorcising demons and subduing evil spirits. As a result, they hold a particularly unfavorable view of Yin-Yang masters.

In fact, Yang's mother should not be considered a true zombie. A true zombie is one that is cultivated in a corpse-raising ground, as such zombies are born from accumulated resentment. The body of this foster mother should have been animated by something like a black cat during the seventh day after death, which is why she has risen. In this case, it should not be too dangerous

He shot me a glare and said, "What does a little brat know? Just watch." After saying that, he ignored me and went back to his own business

"Why did you bring someone along? Who is this person?" Yang Hongjun said to the man in a suit beside the old Daoist, looking somewhat angry. It seemed that Yang Hongjun was unaware of their arrival.

Then we chatted a bit more in bits and pieces, just waiting for around 12 o'clock in the evening

Chairman, this master is truly skilled from Longhu Mountain. I exerted considerable effort to invite him down from the mountain.

The car had been driving for about five hours, and it was already five in the afternoon. We finally arrived in Anlan City, which is quite large, certainly much bigger than our small county town. Shaking my head, I realized that this was not the time to enjoy the scenery; I needed to think about how to deal with that zombie situation.

The Clear Wind Taoist glanced at the item in my hand and said to me, "Just stand by and watch for a while. If you feel really bored, try using the 'Summoning Divine General Talisman.' You might just summon a powerful character, haha"