Chapter 5: The Plot to Exterminate the Black Dog Spirit

The groom's family knelt for a long time without getting up, and they implored the master to find a solution. The master pondered for a moment and spoke to the family in such a manner. However, he then claimed that this matter was beyond his control and that he did not wish to intervene, turning away and ignoring the repeated pleas of the people.

This Master Zhang is not an ordinary person; it is said that he is a descendant of Zhang Daoling, the Celestial Master Zhang, and possesses an opened heavenly eye. Within a radius of over one hundred miles, whenever a family encounters some evil illness or strange disaster, or a village has a vengeful spirit or ghost, they all seek out Master Zhang for assistance, and he is remarkably effective. It is said that what truly made Master Zhang famous far and wide was the legendary story of his capture of the black dog spirit many years ago

As night fell, the family coaxed the bride into a state of drunkenness. At that moment, Master Zhang burst through the door, holding a gourd in his left hand and a peach wood sword in his right, shouting, "The Celestial Master is here, surrender at once, enter!" The bride trembled all over, moaning pitifully, resembling a dog barking... Just as the moment passed, Master Zhang raised the gourd towards the bride, quickly sealing its mouth, and with a cry, the bride fainted to the ground

Since then, Master Zhang's name became widely known, and he became a living deity within a radius of over one hundred miles

After the great immortal on the white-haired poplar departed, the white-haired poplar no longer cast its eerie and chilling shade, and gradually began to wither. However, no one dared to cut it down. From the day the leaves of the white-haired poplar started to turn yellow and wither, calamities began to unfold.

Big Fool's father, nicknamed "Hu Daring", could no longer tolerate the situation. He gathered more than ten young and brave laborers from the village, preparing to confront those water spirits and strange creatures at the old turtle's den during the peak of the midday sun.

Later, I invited monks to chant scriptures, Taoists to perform rituals, shamans to dance, and even called upon the Stone Guardian of Mount Tai... A considerable amount of money was spent, and many were busy, yet there was no effect. Instead, those monks, Taoists, shamans, and witches were either frightened into fleeing or fell seriously ill.

However, this enviable family soon faced misfortune. Just a few days after the wedding, the bride fell ill with a strange disease. During the day, she appeared normal, but at night, she became dazed and half-mad, retreating into the thatched room in the east wing and refusing to come out. No matter how much she was persuaded, she would not enter the main room. Even when she was forcibly brought into the main room, she would immediately cry and rush back into the thatched room, muttering to herself as if she were conversing with someone, alternating between laughter and tears.

Later, they sought out several shamans and witches, creating quite a spectacle and spending a considerable amount of money, yet the bride's condition remained unchanged, just like his nephew looking for a lantern—still the same

Of course, he is not a living deity, nor is he any kind of Zhang Tianshi! He might be able to drive away lonely souls and wild ghosts, but if he truly encounters a malevolent spirit with profound abilities, the outcome is hard to predict. For instance, those entities in the old turtle's den—who can say what the result would be for Master Zhang!

The mist could be heard laughing even more heartily, excitedly splashing the surrounding water, creating a cacophony of sounds! Meanwhile, Hu Daban's sharp fishing spear was surprisingly floating on the water, spinning around.

One night not long ago, the once hair-raising cries from the old turtle's den transformed into a chilling laughter. At first, it resembled a woman's laughter, but it was not a joyful or amusing laugh. Instead, it was a piercing, mournful cackle, dragging out a long, drawn-out tone, as if it were trying to tear through the darkness, exhausting and grating on the ears. It was akin to scraping a shovel against stone, causing one's heart to twist and one's liver and lungs to ache.

The people around were taken aback, and the groom's parents even knelt down to implore Master Zhang to exterminate the black dog and the *Tu* *Shu* spirit, to rid the people of their harm

After a moment, the bride slowly awakened, her eyes regaining their brightness. She claimed that during this period, she had been tormented by a dark-faced man to the point of exhaustion, feeling extremely fatigued, but now she was finally liberated

What is invisible is the most terrifying! Just as people were about to turn and run, the leader, Hu Daban, shouted, "Damn it, what the hell is this? Take this fork!" He picked up a fishing fork and hurled it into the misty water!

The family invited several renowned doctors, yet there was no effect whatsoever. During the day, the bride appeared normal, but she could not remember anything from the night before

When there was truly no way out, the village gentry and elders held a meeting and decided that every household in the village would contribute money to hire Master Zhang, a sorcerer from a hundred miles away, to perform a ritual to drive away evil spirits

In a moment of desperation, the family invited Master Zhang. Upon arriving at the house, Master Zhang drew a talisman, burned it to ashes, and poured it into a bowl of water for the bride to drink. Before long, the bride began to cry uncontrollably, sobbing as she said that she had been bewitched by a black dog spirit, which had compelled her to marry it

Since then, the villagers have been even more anxious and restless.

It is quite strange; originally, the sun was shining brightly, and the calm water surface was empty. As the birds chirped and the cicadas sang all around, suddenly, the water vapor slowly rose from the center of the old turtle's nest, followed by a misty, steamy appearance, which was truly eerie! Then, a chilling laughter echoed from that cloud of mist! Soon, men, women, large and small, like an army of thousands, filled the air with their uproarious laughter

Those cacophonous, eerie laughs sound a hundred times more terrifying than a person alone at night, listening to the howls of ghosts and wolves, and the roars of leopards and tigers in the deep mountains and forests! This is because it emanates from the depths of the night, from the unseen and intangible, a laughter that is not of humanity!

Master Zhang, however, showed a look of difficulty and said, "This black dog spirit possesses considerable abilities, unlike ordinary wandering souls or ghosts. If we fail to eliminate it, there will surely be future troubles! It would be better for you to seek someone more capable..."

It is said that over ten years ago, there was a newlywed couple in a neighboring village. The groom was tall and strong, an excellent farmer skilled in plowing, hoeing, and raking. The bride had willow-like brows and apricot-shaped eyes, renowned as a beauty comparable to Xi Shi within a radius of several dozen miles. They were truly a match made in heaven, with both talent and beauty.

On the evening following Master Zhang's departure, the groom's family said to the bride, since our two families are fated to be unrelated, we can only leave it to fate. Tonight, we shall hold a banquet to bid farewell to the bride.

Later, I heard Master Zhang say that the black dog spirit possesses considerable skills and is extremely cunning and clever. If there is even a slight hint of its presence, it will escape swiftly, making it difficult to capture again, which could provoke its anger and leave future troubles for people. It is essential to feign allowing the bride to approach it, so that when it is intoxicated and lets its guard down, we can catch it off guard and capture it effortlessly

Big Fool's father turned pale, cold sweat streaming down his face, and without looking back, he ran home. Once the leading figure fled, the crowd, like headless dragons, scattered in all directions

The woman's laughter did not cease, followed by the laughter of the elderly, children, men, women, hoarse, shrill, coarse, mournful, furious, and so on, a variety of eerie laughter rising and falling, as if it had been suppressed for many years and had suddenly erupted!

On the second day at noon, with the sun shining brightly and the yang energy at its peak, Hu Dadan took a sharp and polished fishing spear and led more than ten strong men armed with hoes, shovels, and clubs to the old turtle's den. They stood by the pit, eager to see what kind of fierce ghost or evil spirit dared to show itself in broad daylight and seek a confrontation.

The villagers are in a state of panic, unable to carry on with their daily tasks. Even when the sun is high in the sky, no one goes out to tend to the crops. By the afternoon, when the sun is still high, every household has shut its doors and windows.