Chapter 90

Young Jingjing lay on the ground, flailing her limbs, struggling and screaming incessantly, her face splattered with black dog blood.

It proved that high-quality materials, even when used in the simplest way, could still be effective.

Their own Little Black, lazy as it was, really took good care of itself, and the quality of the black dog blood it produced was absolutely top-grade.

“Uncle save me! Uncle save me! Brother Liangliang save me! Brother Liangliang save me!”

Jingjing began to call for help. She didn't sense any threatening aura from the young man, but his decisive and forceful actions frightened her.

When Li Zhuiyuan kicked Jingjing down, Xue Liangliang was stunned, and Luo Gong abruptly stood up from the sofa.

When Li Zhuiyuan threw the black dog blood onto Jingjing, Xue Liangliang and Luo Gong collectively took a step back.

When Li Zhuiyuan shouted that Jingjing was possessed by a spirit, and at the same time Jingjing was crying loudly and calling for help...

Xue Liangliang and Luo Gong, one on each side, each held down one of Jingjing's arms and one of her legs.

The two men from engineering backgrounds, one middle-aged and one young, instantly cleared their thoughts and knew what they should do.

The deep relationship between Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan went without saying. Even Luo Gong had seen many strange incidents in his engineering work, and he had personally witnessed Uncle Qin's methods in a hospital ward.

Jingjing saw that instead of saving her, these two men were helping the young man subdue her, and her eyes revealed intense anger and confusion.

"Clang!"

Teacher's wife, Zhao Hui, walked out of the kitchen carrying a freshly stir-fried dish. When she saw the scene in the living room, the plate in her hand immediately dropped to the floor.

“Auntie save me! Auntie save me! Auntie save me!”

Jingjing seemed to have finally found a reliable savior.

Teacher's wife Zhao Hui rushed over, asking as she ran, "What's going on? What's going on?"

Li Zhuiyuan: “She’s possessed.”

Zhao Hui, who was about to rush towards Jingjing, stopped, and then turned to look at Li Zhuiyuan:

“What should we do then?”

“Find a rope and tie her up first.”

“Oh, alright!”

Zhao Hui immediately went inside to find a rope.

Jingjing: “…”

Actually, Zhao Hui's reaction was quite understandable from an ordinary person's perspective:

Would you believe the young girl was possessed, or that the province's top college entrance exam scorer was mentally ill?

However, Zhao Hui's decisive and straightforward response also made Li Zhuiyuan realize something else: that in the days Zhao Hui had been taking care of her niece, she might have noticed something amiss as well.

The rope was found, and Xue Liangliang and Luo Gong worked together to tie Jingjing up.

Subsequently, Jingjing was carried into the side bedroom and placed on the bed.

Zhao Hui closed the window and drew the curtains, making the side bedroom seem very sealed off.

Then, all three of them looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Before they could speak, Li Zhuiyuan spoke first:

“An altar table, candles, offerings, yellow paper, yellow wine… If there’s no yellow paper, find me white paper and a brush or a pen. If there’s no yellow wine, beer or white spirits will also do.”

“Alright!”

The three responded in unison and all went out to prepare.

In the side bedroom, only Li Zhuiyuan and Jingjing remained, who, despite being tied up, was still frantically writhing and struggling.

Looking at the confusion in the young girl's eyes, Li Zhuiyuan retorted:

“Did you really think I would pretend not to know and deliberately put on a show with you here?”

Li Zhuiyuan had once taught Tan Wenbin that when you feel powerless to deal with a situation, you should pretend not to see the evil spirit.

During the time he first returned to his hometown in Nantong, Li Zhuiyuan had done exactly that.

At that time, he was even confused about walking into the netherworld and completely helpless when facing revenants, only able to choose to seek advantage and avoid harm, protecting himself.

Therefore, over the past year, he had continuously studied.

Knowledge changes destiny.

Now, when facing such malevolent entities again, he was no longer the boy who could only show a bewildered expression and play along.

Xue Liangliang and Luo Gong carried a table in, on which candles and other items were placed. Not only was there yellow paper, but also gold and silver ingots and ghost money.

Teacher's wife Zhao Hui's sister and brother-in-law had died in a car accident recently, so it was normal for her family to have these items stored.

After everything was set up, Zhao Hui's legs suddenly gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. Fortunately, Luo Gong quickly reached out to support her.

“My Jingjing, my Jingjing…”

Previously, she had been busy fetching the rope and arranging the offerings. Now that her hands were idle, her emotions finally surged.

Luo Gong looked at Li Zhuiyuan and asked, “Xiao Yuan, can you do it? What do you need me to do next?”

“Teacher, after what happened at the river works in my hometown last time, my great-grandpa taught me some methods. I should be able to handle it. You…”

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the side bedroom door.

Luo Gong understood and said to his wife, “A-Hui, didn’t you tell me on the phone before that Jingjing was acting strangely in some ways? It’s good that we’ve found the problem now. For Jingjing’s sake, we shouldn’t get in the way now. I’ll go out with you and wait. Trust Xiao Yuan.”

“Mm-hmm.” Zhao Hui nodded vigorously, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and gave Li Zhuiyuan an apologetic smile. “Xiao Yuan, I’m counting on you.”

Luo Gong and his wife went out.

Xue Liangliang didn't leave, but stayed in the side bedroom. As he helped light the candles, he said:

“Our teacher’s wife is a very sensible person. Teacher is really lucky.”

“Yes, you’re lucky too.”

“Hey, kiddo, you’re never going to let this go, are you?”

“I’m serious.” Li Zhuiyuan pointed at Jingjing, who was still wriggling on the bed like a maggot. “She reacted with revulsion when she smelled the Bai family’s aura on you earlier.”

“Huh, does it really have that effect?”

“Like having a mothball in your pocket.”

“Xiao Yuan, can’t you choose a more elegant metaphor?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

The young man could be indifferent to the Bai family, but he could never like them, much less speak highly of them.

The day after tomorrow, Liu Yumei was moving, and it was also his own initiation ceremony.

How could the River Dragon King look up to "water rats" hiding at the bottom of the river, dreaming of daytime ascension?

“What’s next?” Xue Liangliang asked. “Should we call Runsheng and the others to come over?”

“No need.” Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “Her body’s age is even younger than mine.”

“Hehehe.” Xue Liangliang couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. “Go on, go on.”

Li Zhuiyuan held the yellow paper with his fingertips, lit it from a candle, and after waving it around twice, extinguished the yellow paper in a bowl of yellow wine.

“Since you understand human speech, I won’t enter the netherworld just yet. Courtesy before force. This is your last chance.

Leave the young girl’s body and enjoy these offerings.

Then, go wherever you please, and do not possess anyone or commit evil again.”

To make a malevolent entity voluntarily leave its host was the simplest method and caused the least harm to the host’s body.

Li Zhuiyuan was not Lin Shuyou; he didn't have the obsession to eliminate all evil spirits, because that would be exhausting.

Xue Liangliang nodded subtly beside him. He still remembered when Xiao Yuan had set up an altar in his own room and worshipped with him; his tone then had been much softer, akin to politely requesting.

But listening now, sure enough, his tone was different now that he had gained ability.

Jingjing stopped struggling, raised her head, looked at the young man, and demanded, “Who exactly are you?”

Li Zhuiyuan calmly said, “Any more nonsense, and I’ll proceed with the exorcism directly.”

Jingjing: “I can grant you this favor, but you must find me another woman born on an inauspicious day and hour for my new dwelling.”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Jingjing was overjoyed: “You agreed?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Go to hell.”

Jingjing’s expression suddenly turned vicious, and her eyes began to glow red.

Xue Liangliang suddenly felt dizzy, stumbled back two steps, and leaned against the wardrobe.

Li Zhuiyuan, seemingly unaffected, walked from behind the altar table to the bed. He smeared his fingers on the young girl’s body (since there was plenty of black dog blood on her anyway, serving as ready-made ink).

Forming his fingers into a crane shape, he drew a spell from the young girl’s brow to her throat, and then down to her abdomen.

Finally, he clenched his fist and punched the young girl’s abdomen!

"Thud!"

Blood-red patterns extended from Jingjing’s abdomen all the way to her brow.

“Aaaaaah!!!”

Jingjing let out a more piercing scream than before, and at the same time, her eyes alternated between fierce and bewildered.

Li Zhuiyuan had many other methods he could use, but fearing harm to the host, he could only use this clumsy method.

But it didn't matter. Thanks to the black dog blood having been splattered earlier, which had suppressed its arrogance, the clumsy method was sufficient.

Xue Liangliang recovered from his dizziness and moved closer. He could clearly see two expressions rapidly alternating on Jingjing’s face; the two seemed about to separate.

Jingjing spoke: “If I hadn’t possessed her, she would have died in the car accident long ago. If you drive me out, she will die!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “She has neither the aura of death nor lividity spots on her. She was already a car accident survivor. You merely snuck in when her three spiritual lights were dim. Do you take me for a child, trying to deceive people with such rhetoric?”

Jingjing’s eyes suddenly showed an eerie green color, and her voice was no longer that of a young girl, but rather hoarse and gloomy:

“Leave a thread of connection between Yin and Yang, for future encounters. I’ll take another step back. Just send this body to my cave entrance, and I will leave on my own; I won’t cling to her.”

“Oh, where is your cave entrance?”

“It’s in…” Just as the words were about to come out, Jingjing paused. “You’re not allowed to follow! Let her walk there herself!”

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't be bothered to waste more words with it. He pinched the young girl’s philtrum, continuing to force the malevolent entity from her body.

“Fellow Daoist, are you really going to go to such extremes?”

“I have OCD.”

With his other hand, Li Zhuiyuan stroked downwards, first closing the young girl’s eyelids, then lifting her head slightly, and knocked three times on her forehead with his knuckles.

The young girl’s body trembled, her mouth opened, a wisp of black smoke shot out, the curtains fluttered, and the window opened, as if a gust of wind had passed through.

Jingjing’s body gradually relaxed, and cold sweat poured down her body, quickly soaking a patch of the bedsheet.

And from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, black pus-like fluid oozed out, emitting a foul, fishy odor.

Xue Liangliang immediately said, “It’s a revenant!”

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Xue Liangliang with some surprise: “Does your ‘family member’ also smell like this?”

It was normal for Runsheng and Yin Meng to smell it, but Xue Liangliang was a hydraulic engineer, not a body retriever.

“How is that possible!”

“Oh.”

“I didn’t smell it. Look at all this fluid pouring out of her. Isn’t that what a revenant does?”

“Actually, that’s not a lot of fluid.”

“Alright, then I misunderstood. I’m dense.”

After a pause, Xue Liangliang added:

“Also, she doesn’t have a smell.”

“Alright, Brother Liang, turn her over so she doesn’t choke or suffocate, and untie the ropes.”

Xue Liangliang first turned Jingjing over, and as he untied her, he asked, “Is she alright now? Can we call Teacher and Teacher’s wife back in? They must be worried sick in the living room.”

“No hurry, wait a bit longer.”

“Wait for what?”

“It hasn’t left yet.”

After Li Zhuiyuan finished speaking, he opened his eyes and perceived the netherworld.

The previous gust of wind and the movement of the curtains, door, and window were merely a trick of its eyes; it was actually still in the room.

Of course, even if it wanted to leave, Li Zhuiyuan wouldn't let it. He had merely pretended to be blind for a while earlier to prioritize checking the young girl’s condition.

In his netherworld vision, Li Zhuiyuan saw a black snake coiled on the ceiling above.

Oh, so it’s a corpse demon revenant.

In his memory, corpse demon revenants often possessed more intelligence than other revenants and were easier to communicate with, just like the Cat-faced Old Lady he encountered back home.

The black snake flicked its tongue. Originally leisurely, after its gaze met the young man’s, it was instantly alarmed.

Probably because after Li Zhuiyuan’s appearance, with the black dog blood, then the altar table, and drawing spells, all using folk methods, it had mistaken the young man for a "folk healer" from popular mysticism.

Just like how Blind Liu had used incense ash to massage and exorcise spirits from Li Zhuiyuan back then.

So, it had intended to wait for the people to leave before returning to the young girl’s body.

Now, it finally realized it had misjudged—this young man was capable of great things!

The black snake quickly slithered. This time, it was genuinely trying to escape.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his palm.

“Twelve Edicts of Fengdu — Four Ghosts Carry the Sedan.”

The black snake’s body was uncontrollable. It, which had been trying to escape, was forcibly pulled down, landing at Li Zhuiyuan’s feet, completely pinned to the ground, unable to move, as if a sedan chair pole was truly pressing down on it.

Li Zhuiyuan bent down and reached out to grasp the black snake in his palm.

In his netherworld state, he could feel the black snake trembling violently.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a small compass from his pocket. He had two types of compasses.

The purple compass was too large to carry around conveniently; it was usually kept in the dormitory, and Runsheng or Tan Wenbin would carry it when needed.

The small compass was one he carved himself, convenient to carry. Its drawback was a constant fixed error, requiring him to mentally correct it each time he used it.

This error seemed fixed, present from when he first made the compass, and even as his skill continuously improved, the compass’s error remained unchanged.

He walked to the altar table, picked up the bowl of yellow wine containing paper ash, and poured it over his palm.

The black snake immediately shriveled, as if drunk, losing consciousness.

Li Zhuiyuan tapped the black snake into his compass, then walked to the girl’s side, dabbed a little more black dog blood from her body, and drew a sealing spell on the compass.

According to Wei Zhengdao’s description in "Records of Orthodox Demon Subduing," typically, for such tasks, one would simply take out a pre-drawn sealing talisman and stick it on.

But just like with making his compass, Li Zhuiyuan had made no progress in drawing talismans.

Initially, Li Zhuiyuan suspected it was because he had no formal lineage, meaning, in the art of talismans, he hadn't been "enlightened" or formally initiated.

Later, he vaguely realized that this seemed to be similar to his difficulty in inviting deities — a certain aspect of himself was restricted.

According to the explanation in fate interpretation, it was probably like “the moon wanes when full, water overflows when filled to the brim”—one always had to symbolically leave some imperfection, otherwise, it could lead to premature death.

However, not having talismans was ultimately inconvenient. Li Zhuiyuan decided he could ask Ah Li to try drawing some talismans for him; the wooden flower scrolls she carved for him always had powerful effects.

Ancestral tablets and their materials only served to amplify effects. Otherwise, if merely holding a tablet was effective, everyone would be carrying one during fights.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the side bedroom door, walked out, and said to Luo Gong and Zhao Hui, who were sitting in the living room:

“Jingjing is fine now, but her body is a bit weak. It’s best to send her to the hospital for observation. She might experience some minor ailments like headaches or fevers in the near future.”

Zhao Hui immediately rushed into the bedroom to check on the young girl.

Luo Gong, relieved, let out a sigh and smiled at Li Zhuiyuan: “Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Yuan.”

“Teacher, this is what I should do.”

“However…” Luo Gong paused to choose his words. “Your abilities in this area, you’ll still have to keep them somewhat discreet from others in the future. When solving certain problems, you need to be discreet around outsiders. Otherwise, it might affect your future development.”

“Teacher, you’re not an outsider.”

“Heh heh.” Luo Gong patted the young man’s shoulder. “A good brain is truly enviable. Learning all this while also working on your graduation project.”

Luo Gong also went in to check on the child.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the balcony, took out his compass, roughly calculated the direction, and estimated a location.

Then, he walked to the telephone in the living room and picked it up, dialed the number for the Discount Store. Yin Meng answered the phone. Li Zhuiyuan gave her a time and location, asking her to inform Runsheng and Tan Wenbin to bring their equipment and meet him there.

The incident at General Temple, while spectacular, ultimately had a rather simple conclusion, and Runsheng wasn't even there that night.

This type of corpse demon entity, Li Zhuiyuan had already scoped out in advance; its strength was moderate, meeting his standards.

Xue Liangliang walked out at this moment, leaned against the wall, and said with some regret, “I really wish I could go with you.”

“Who brings a mothball to a fight?”

“Are you saying I’m useless and that I’d just be a burden if I came along?”

“Yes, unless you can summon her from the bottom of the river.”

“She won’t come out,” Xue Liangliang said with certainty.

“You trust her words that much?”

“I know, she’s scared. She told me that the River Dragon King’s family is already watching her.”

“Then, Brother Liangliang, next time you go back home to visit for me, you can tell her that the Dragon King’s family can be considered her maternal home too.”

Xue Liangliang raised his head, a proud smile on his face: “Oh, I have such standing, do I?”

“Mm-hmm, being a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family isn’t easy. It’s easy to be bullied if you don’t have anyone in your maternal family.”

“Hahaha, you brat!” Xue Liangliang laughed and chided, then reached out and put his arm around the young man’s shoulder. “Thanks, Xiao Yuan.”

“Don’t mention it. You’re the Great Chieftain.”

“What chieftain?”

The one listed as the top seat on the business license for the "bandit stronghold" of the Haihe University Discount Store was Xue Liangliang.

Luo Gong and Xue Liangliang first needed to accompany Zhao Hui to take Jingjing to the hospital, then the two of them had to rush to Huangshan overnight.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't ride in the same car as them, but chose to call a taxi for himself.

Sitting in the taxi, he watched the city’s nightscape.

He arrived at the destination and paid the fare.

Just as he turned around, he saw Runsheng, Yin Meng, and Tan Wenbin, carrying their equipment, under a streetlight ahead. The shadows of the three were stretched long, long.

Li Zhuiyuan turned around, waved, and called out:

“Let’s go, team building.”