Chapter 2, The Haunted Royal Family

Upon witnessing this scene, many people outside exclaimed in surprise, and the timid ones rushed out of the crowd to flee. The daughter-in-law from the Wang family sat down on the ground, crying even louder and shouting that she wanted to return to her parental home. Old Wang and his son did not dare to utter a word, crouching on the ground against the door.

Disciple ... ... the master does not know how to proceed ... ... the master is unfamiliar with the path

Having said that, he rolled up his tattered cuffs and turned to leave

Don't come over... Wow...

Everyone disperse, let the Daoist enter

The Taoist slightly turned his face, glanced at the crowd standing outside, and with a smug smile at the corner of his mouth, began to recite the incantation once more. He drew a peach wood sword from behind his back, faced a certain direction, and began to slash at the air indiscriminately.

There is still a little bit left to be completed, let me show you properly.

At the moment of contact, the old man suddenly grasped the other party, but then he awkwardly released his hold. Between his grizzled beard, his lips were pouted as if feeling wronged

There was something even more terrifying; the candles in the room inexplicably flickered between bright and dim, turning blue. Oh dear, a wind also picked up, causing the tiles on the roof to come crashing down

A short and stout Taoist priest, wearing a Taoist crown, holding a whisk in one hand, with a mustache quivering as he recites scriptures, while the other hand jingles a bell.

His vision was instantly elevated

He was originally a wandering sorcerer, dressed in a Daoist robe, able to go anywhere and, with just a few words and gestures, manage to secure food and drink. Occasionally, he would even earn some silver. He thought he could make a deal today as well, but unexpectedly, he encountered something genuine.

You all

Chen Yuan squeezed forward in the crowd, just in time to see the main hall directly opposite the entrance. This courtyard was square in shape and did not differ much from an ordinary courtyard

Another person nodded in agreement, cautiously took out a fire starter from their pocket, opened it, blew on it, and moved it away from the candle wick, as a large flame slowly brightened up.

Hoo.

The plump Taoist, nodding his head, let out a soft "hm". Everyone exhaled in unison, excitedly calling out to each other while holding up their lanterns.

You arrived late, unaware of how terrifying it was. Old Wang's father's spirit tablet suddenly cracked with several fissures, and then streams of fresh blood began to flow out. Old Wang's useless son and his daughter-in-law were both paralyzed with fear.

Having said that, the village head cleared a path and jogged up the steps, extending his hand towards the courtyard: "Master Sun, this is the place."

The stout man spread his hands, and the village head quickly handed over the bronze mirror that had been placed with him beforehand, then swiftly retreated back outside the door, peering in through a gap with a constable.

The Taoist priest, there is still one in the main hall, oh dear! The village head was so startled that he bumped into a constable. Everyone's gaze turned towards the front of the main hall, where a thin figure stood, suddenly twisting its neck.

Bring me my mirror

A sudden silence enveloped both inside and outside the courtyard

Disciple, are you alright? It's fine, it's fine... Huh, your cultivation... Why has your cultivation disappeared?!

The lantern fell to the ground with a "pop".

The next moment

The street was in chaos, with a crowd of onlookers swirling in the mist, pushing and shoving in panic, as some were knocked down and trampled, eliciting cries of pain from several individuals

Shadows of people were running chaotically in the white mist all around the street. Chen Yuan was bumped into several times and had no choice but to press against the wall to avoid them, searching his gaze for Zhao Bantou and a few senior brothers. He roughly spotted the old man running among several people and called out: "Master!"

Over there, the village head clapped his hands and stepped in to offer his congratulations. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in, causing the lanterns under the eaves to creak and rattle, as if something were being revealed. His smile instantly froze, slowly transforming into terror, and he retracted his foot with a "swish," tremblingly pointing behind the Taoist priest.

Funiu Town is not large, and when the voices of the people rise, the dogs guarding each household bark wildly.

The two individuals broke into a cold sweat, instinctively glancing towards the doors and windows of the back hall, where a shadowy figure stood. A constable raised a lantern, illuminating half of a gloomy face, revealing lips that curled into a cold sneer.

He patted the bronze mirror, and immediately a yellow talisman was affixed to the center. After placing it back into the yellow cloth bag, he flicked the dust away, presenting a rather ethereal and transcendent appearance. At this moment, the crowd, having just recovered from the shock of the Taoist's earlier display of magical prowess, hurriedly stepped forward to inquire.

Hearing the voices coming from afar, Chen Yuan felt dizzy and, in a daze, opened his eyes. In his field of vision was a night sky dotted with stars and the moon, as well as the face of an old man, his beard and hair gray, with an expression that seemed to gaze down at him with deep affection.

This is now settled

We have already ascertained... well, it is best to invite a sorcerer here.

Fragmented words piece together a simple narrative. Old Wang should be Old Wang's father, who had been bedridden for a long time. His mental state was still good, but he suddenly passed away seven days ago. How could someone who found it difficult to get out of bed manage to hang himself?

"Indeed, it has only been a short time since his death, and today marks the seventh day, yet such a strange incident has occurred."

With a flick of dust, he casually took out three sticks of sandalwood incense from a bamboo tube, lit them with a candle, and after offering them in a circle, placed them on the ground. To everyone's astonishment, the three sticks stood upright without falling, which drew exclamations of wonder from the onlookers outside the courtyard, even Chen Yuan was somewhat surprised.

Only Chen Yuan in the crowd frowned, looking increasingly strange.

I just do not know what that sneaky figure looks like

It turned out to be a mad old man

Before long, a series of footsteps and voices emerged from the direction of the alley, drawing the attention of the crowd. Chen Yuan also looked over from within the throng, and what caught her eye first was a round, protruding belly clad in a gray-black robe appearing at the corner, followed closely by the rest of the figure.

This caused the village head behind to receive applause and cheers from a group of onlookers.

Old Wang and his son, seeing a glimmer of hope, quickly rose to their feet, bowing and making gestures of respect, earnestly requesting the Taoist priest to exorcise the malevolent spirits from their home and restore peace to their household

Disciple

The stout Taoist raised his hand, then flicked the floating dust as he stepped over the threshold, coming to a stop in the courtyard, singing loudly in a manner reminiscent of a famous tune.

Could it really be that there are ghosts

Ladies and gentlemen, the monster has been captured by me and confined within the law mirror

The constable walking on the right, illuminated by the light of the lantern outside, looked at the blood-soaked table and the cracked spirit tablet, feeling a chill in his heart. He instinctively nudged his companion with his elbow and reminded him, "I think we should light the candles first..."

Chen Yuan felt a bit anxious while listening, fearing that there might truly be a ghost. In her line of sight, the two constables who had entered the courtyard had now stepped into the main hall, cautiously approaching the central offering table with their hands resting on the handles of their knives. A pool of blood was dripping from the edge of the table, falling drop by drop to the ground.

With a muffled bang, the courtyard gate suddenly collapsed, and a plump figure flew out, colliding with four others as they tumbled onto the street. A thin, ragged figure leaped over the courtyard wall, exclaiming, "How fun! Go take your revenge." With excited sleeves swirling, a thin mist rose and spread with the wind.

Goo.

Only the old Wang with a crooked neck in front of the door was seen, and the ominous energy immediately dispersed, vanishing without a trace in an instant

The stout man was startled, causing his entire body to twitch, and his hat instantly stood upright.

I will go, I will go! A Taoist priest happened to arrive in town a couple of days ago, and he possesses some skills. I will invite him here right away

The best course of action is to leave; preserving one's life is of utmost importance, and one cannot stay here!

The corpulent man rushed over, dragging his heavy body, and forcefully knocked on the courtyard door several times, stamping his feet in anxiety. Turning his head, he saw in the center of the courtyard a thin figure standing in the darkness, staring at him intently. It was the old Wang, who had hanged himself, floating towards him in the posture of hanging.

A constable swallowed hard and slowed his pace

The stout Taoist swallowed his saliva and turned to walk towards the courtyard gate. Over there, the village head and three constables had already pulled the door shut with a loud 'bang', shouting through the door panel: 'Taoist, you can rest assured in exorcising the ghosts! We will guard the gate for you and will not let any malevolent spirits escape!'

Outside the courtyard, pairs of gazes were directed towards them. One of the constables straightened his chest and cleared his throat, adjusting his expression.

Taking two steps, she paused and turned around, casually brushing her messy hair aside, and looked at Chen Yuan with a serious expression

The old tree in the courtyard swayed its branches and leaves, while the stout man gazed at the darkened central hall and side rooms, his whole body trembling slightly. He swallowed hard, and beads of sweat trickled down his chubby face

You little demon, how dare you act so recklessly here? Aren't you afraid of being utterly terrified?

The village chief stood beside, imposing with arms crossed, reprimanding the chaotic crowd

A master is indeed a master

Consciousness gradually becomes blurred

Not far away, amidst the white mist, the shadow standing against the courtyard wall suddenly stiffened, and upon a closer look, it was a young man who let out a cry.

The long street remained in chaos. Zhao, the team leader, rushed out to the street with his apprentices, only to realize that one person was missing. He hurriedly instructed the eldest and second apprentices to go inside and search for the missing individual

I am the thirty-second generation disciple of the benevolent and virtuous Heavenly Master. Passing through this place, I have heard of the rampant presence of ghosts and the mischief of demons, and I have come here specifically to investigate

The hysterical screams could be heard clearly even through the courtyard wall. Three constables and the village head stood at the entrance, firmly holding the courtyard door, exchanging glances with one another, their faces revealing a look of respect.

Encountering a real ghost

In a moment of chaos, someone shouted: "Don't panic, don't panic, the village head has gone to invite the Taoist priest."

Chen Yuan's ears buzzed, and before he could see who it was, he heard the old man say: "Go!"

Chen Yuan stood among the crowd with Old Zhao and several senior brothers, watching the three constables questioning Li Zheng and Old Wang. As two of them entered the courtyard, the surrounding people began to murmur about what they had heard.

The next moment

Hiss... ? ... Why does it feel like the other party is just a con artist?

The stout man took the bell from his waist, ringing it with a jingling sound as he moved in a peculiar rhythm, muttering incantations. Several yellow talismans appeared in his hands as if by magic, which he tossed into the air, igniting with a loud "boom" as they were scattered.

Could it be that they have returned to seek revenge? No wonder a perfectly fine person would suddenly decide to hang themselves

"Run! The ghost from the Wang family's courtyard has come out!" someone shouted amidst the chaos

Tsk tsk... Could it be that Old Wang is causing trouble again

As he spoke, the elderly man in the gray robe had already bent down towards his lower abdomen. Chen Yuan's head was still faintly aching, and her thoughts were somewhat muddled. However, upon noticing the old man's actions, she was frightened and quickly bent her legs, instinctively waving her hand to push him away.

As he murmured softly, the candlelight in the main hall of the courtyard, which had been glowing, and the lanterns on the ground, flickering and swaying, suddenly extinguished all at once, plunging the entire courtyard into darkness in an instant

Shasha shasha shasha ... ...

At that moment, a gust of wind swept through the corridor, causing the newly lit candle flame to flicker low, casting a faint blue glow. In the distance, a dry, cold laugh could be faintly heard in the ears.

However, there was simply no time for the Taoist to think further. Old Wang's face turned pale, and his long tongue quickly drew closer to the depths of his eyes, frightening him so much that he raised his hand to cover his round face and shouted in terror

The two constables gripping the hilt of the knife felt their hairs stand on end. They exchanged a glance and nodded in tacit agreement, abandoning the lantern as they turned to leave. Once outside, they quickened their pace, swiftly crossing the courtyard. Upon seeing so many people standing there, they finally felt a sense of reassurance.

Listen, the Daoist is truly going all out, currently exerting full effort to exorcise the ghosts, you must not let down...

A hoarse and weathered voice faintly echoes in my ears, my body feels light and airy, as if I am floating up and down in water

Master

Chen Yuan pushed past a few people in an attempt to join Master Zhao, took a few steps forward, and suddenly felt a chill on her shoulder. Instinctively turning around, she saw a grayish figure diving down from the courtyard wall, with a wrinkled hand gripping her shoulder.

The Taoist priest is truly remarkable. So impressive

The plump man collapsed onto the ground, and in his line of sight, behind the drifting figure, there seemed to be another slightly more normal figure, also resembling an old man

What else is there?

Disciple, I can finally say that I have found you

"Daoist, have the vengeful spirits been captured?"

The village head, upon hearing the two constables speak thus, felt his legs go weak. Even if the ghost did not appear, it was said that being too close to a haunted residence could adversely affect one's health, and he wished to hide as far away as possible

Could it be that there really are ghosts

Please wait at the entrance for a moment

After a while, he regained his composure, his face glistening with sweat as he lowered the bronze mirror. He took out a handkerchief to wipe away the perspiration and nodded towards the crowd over there

The dim light illuminated the room, providing a sense of reassurance to the two individuals.

That was the voice of an old man. Suddenly, he turned around fiercely and shouted towards the open courtyard door, "Disperse!" The mist instantly shook out a circular outline.

In the hills not far from Funiu Town, on a grassy slope, the person they were searching for was just waking up in a daze

In an instant, the densely packed houses and buildings spun around in his vision, prompting him to quickly close his eyes. The chaotic voices rapidly faded into a blur, leaving only the sound of the wind howling in his ears

The old man's expression suddenly tightened, and his eyes widened with ferocity: "Tell me, who did this... I will slaughter his entire family!"

At this moment, the peach wood sword in the courtyard was retracted, and the stout Taoist grabbed the bronze mirror, turning around to step back and forth, shining it haphazardly in all directions. Using the lantern held by the yamen officer outside the door for illumination, it seemed as if a true light of the law was being emitted.