Chapter 8: Deceiving the Ghost!

Chapter 8: Deceiving the Ghost!

It failed!

Though Li Yan was reluctant to admit it, he had no choice but to accept the outcome.

Yesterday, while preparing the ritual, he had already sensed the gist of the method and roughly figured out its principle.

In simple terms, it was about deceiving the spirits.

This method had a long history and came in many forms.

The most common one in folk practice was when a boy or girl was born under certain taboo conditions, and out of fear that they wouldn't survive, the parents would raise the boy as a girl and the girl as a boy.

The method Wang the Widow taught was similar, but even more advanced, involving trapping the spirit in a chicken's belly and burning it at noon to dispel the calamity.

Li Yan didn't know the deeper principles, but it was clear that the spirit wasn't fooled.

Looking at the chicken's entrails, now a mush, Li Yan felt a chill.

Being possessed by that thing was truly terrifying.

Even the Substitute God Statue might not hold up for long.

He didn't dare to be careless and immediately burned and buried the rooster, then prepared again according to the method.

As Wang the Widow had said, the ritual needed to be performed for two consecutive nights.

Perhaps it would succeed tonight.

The waiting was always the hardest part.

Finally, as night fell and all was quiet, Li Yan tied another rooster to the door and returned to his room, digging into the ground.

The moonlight was even brighter tonight.

Unlike the previous day, as midnight approached, a cold wind suddenly arose in Li Village Fortress.

This wind swirled from side to side, carrying dust and leaves, entering the village and avoiding the Village Earth Shrine, spiraling toward Li Yan's house.

In Wang the Widow's home, the candlelight flickered dimly.

The little girl had woken up but remained within the red circle, holding a duster and making a strange gesture, as if listening intently.

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she stared intently at the door, muttering incessantly.

Wang the Widow's face turned pale.

"Bad, the child is in danger!"

...

The cold wind swirled and soon reached Li Yan's house.

The wind swirled on the ground, carrying dust.

If an ordinary person saw it, they wouldn't be surprised, as such small dust devils were common during sudden weather changes.

But the rooster tied to the door sensed the danger, its feathers standing on end, flapping its wings and jumping, trying to break free.

However, the cold wind knocked it to the ground.

Soon, the large rooster floated up, as if lifted by an invisible hand.

With a crack, the rooster's head and legs twisted and bent, its body and droppings falling to the ground as the wind swirled around it.

The wind seemed weaker now.

Angered by being deceived twice, the wind swirled in the air, carrying leaves, and flew toward Li Yan's house.

But before it could get close, it was repelled.

Thud!

The "Hundred Battles Indomitable" plaque hanging at the door made a dull sound.

This noise was much louder than the previous two nights.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

After three consecutive collisions, a crack appeared on the "Hundred Battles Indomitable" plaque.

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

The wind also seemed weaker, no longer attempting to force its way in but circling around the house.

In the darkness, the wind howled.

Under the ground in the side room, Li Yan held his knife, alert.

He couldn't hear the outside noise, but he could feel the presence of the thing.

The chill on his back was becoming more noticeable.

What's happening tonight?

It seems different...

Just as he was puzzled, he heard a voice.

"Child, where did you go?"

It was faint and slightly aged, the voice of his grandfather, Li Gui!

Oh no!

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

He had prepared for the past two nights, adding Tuckahoe and Schisandra Berry to the porridge to calm his mind and spirit.

His grandfather had suffered from insomnia and nightmares, so he had followed the doctor's prescription, which helped him sleep soundly.

His grandfather, though a fierce soldier in his youth, had been in poor health since his father's death, and couldn't withstand any shock.

He hadn't dared to tell him about dealing with the evil spirit.

But now, something had gone wrong.

As Li Yan panicked, he suddenly remembered Wang the Widow's warning.

This method had taboos; no matter what he heard or saw, he must not appear, or it would fail.

Was it real or fake?

Li Yan forced himself to calm down and listened carefully.

Finally, he noticed something odd.

The voice was faint and echoed in his ears.

If his grandfather had woken up and found him gone, he would have pushed the door open and searched the room.

The pit he had dug was obvious, right by the bed, easily visible.

But the voice continued to echo without any movement.

It was a trick!

Li Yan made his judgment, feeling a chill.

The spirit had such abilities?

Soon, the voice faded.

Rustle!

Suddenly, the door threshold shook violently.

It sounded like something was shaking the door frantically.

Then, his grandfather's voice came again.

"Who is it?"

"Ah! Save me!"

The voice was pitiful, as if in dire straits.

Li Yan's forehead broke into a sweat, unsure.

He couldn't take the risk!

At that moment, a thought flashed in his mind, and he moved his mouth to the bamboo tube, pushing it to his nose.

Luckily, the oilcloth prevented dust from entering his mouth.

Through the tube, Li Yan took a deep breath.

His sense of smell was exceptionally sharp, able to distinguish even the faintest odors.

The earthy smell, the decay of old furniture, the fried meatballs on the table...

He identified each scent.

The unique, bloody stench of "Blind Third Elder Wolf" was there, but very faint, indicating it hadn't entered the yard.

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

Li Yan relaxed, cursing the spirit's cunning.

If he hadn't cultivated his Spirit Root, he would have been deceived!

Various sounds came and went, and Li Yan relied on his sharp sense of smell to avoid being tricked, though it exhausted him.

Finally, the sounds faded away.

After some time, the distant sound of roosters crowing reached his ears.

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief and broke through the earth.

But as his head emerged,

he felt a chill.

The room was dark, and through the paper windows, he could see the sky was still dark.

It was past midnight, but not yet time for the roosters to crow.

He had been tricked!

Li Yan was filled with regret.

He couldn't believe he had fallen for it at the last moment.

Thud!

Just then, a loud noise came from the yard gate.

This time, he heard it clearly, not an illusion, but something hitting the plaque.

Li Yan didn't hesitate, breaking through the earth and rushing out of the room with his knife.

According to Wang the Widow, the spirit would leave when the roosters crowed at the end of the hour of the Tiger and the beginning of the hour of the Rabbit.

It was almost time, and the Substitute God Statue might help him survive.

Thud!

Another collision, even louder.

The wooden gate shook violently.

Li Yan stood with his knife, his eyes filled with determination.

Old sayings go that ghosts fear the wicked; years of martial training might give him an edge.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

The rooster on the wooden perch stretched its neck and crowed loudly, the sound echoing.

The collisions outside stopped.

Neighboring roosters also began to crow.

Through the door crack, Li Yan could smell the "Blind Third Elder Wolf's" stench quickly fading.

The collisions with the "Hundred Battles Indomitable" plaque had weakened the spirit's scent, causing the village dogs to bark wildly as it passed.

Even so, Li Yan didn't act rashly.

He waited until the sky turned a pale white before stepping outside.

As expected, the rooster tied to the door was dead again, in a worse state than the previous day.

The spirit's anger was clear.

Li Yan's face was grim, feeling no joy at his narrow escape.

He had witnessed the spirit's cunning and terror the previous night.

What should he do next?

Crack!

The "Hundred Battles Indomitable" plaque finally gave way, cracking from the bottom, and the incense smell quickly dissipated.

Li Yan sighed.

The treasure that protected his home was now destroyed, adding to his misery.

At that moment, something fell from the plaque's crack, clinking to the ground. It was three Hex Coins.

Li Yan picked them up and examined them carefully.

The Hex Coins were round with a square hole, and the patterns were different from the usual ones. One side had a relief of an armored divine general surrounded by small runes.

The other side had the sun, moon, and stars carved on it...

Moon, star, sun, and dragon.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end