Chapter 148: Oh, How I Love Taking Things from Kids!

Chapter 148: Oh, How I Love Taking Things from Kids!

The further he walked, the fewer rocks there were. He had reached a beach, and by the time the headlights in the distance became discernible, Chi Shen's feet pressed into the soft sand.

The sound of the waves grew louder, signifying his proximity to the vast ocean.

Suddenly, a rustling sound emanated from the sand. The circle of sand around Chi Shen shifted and wooden stakes shot up from the ground, forming a barrier around him.

Red symbols were painted on the stakes. Chi Shen, not recognizing any of them, chose to ignore the ominous signs.

Chi Shen remained unperturbed, not even pausing in his stride.

Amid the sound of crashing waves, an ancient voice chanted, "Lord of the City Temple, holder of the people's fates..."

A gust of wind suddenly swept in from the sea.

"Precious incense burns within the golden furnace, its smoky tendrils reaching the heavens..."

Flickering sparks appeared amidst the darkness ahead.

The salty sea breeze made Chi Shen squint as he looked in that direction.

There stood an altar. And in front of it was his great uncle, the eldest of the Bai family, Bai Hengqing.

Bai Hengqing originally wore a solemn expression, his eyebrows deeply furrowed as he stared intently at the incense burner before him. Under the illumination of the car lights, the shape of the incense burner was vaguely visible. The scant incense smoke rising from it was swiftly dispersed by the sea breeze. As the wind picked up, a look of joy suddenly spread across his face. In his hand, he held a golden scroll bearing the name "Chi Shen." As he chanted, he threw the scroll into a small cauldron ablaze with joss paper. The scroll ignited in an instant.

The sea breeze grew stronger. It seemed as if something dark was stirring beneath the sandy ground, but it remained at a distance.

In the darkness, many people stood with their robes fluttering wildly in the fierce wind. Holding lit incense, they bowed in all directions, following Bai Hengqing's chant.

Nearby, two individuals leaned against a car. One, his puffer jacket zipped to the top, nonchalantly sipped water from a thermos, while the younger one looked anxiously at the ongoing ritual.

They had driven the car here merely to provide lighting for Bai Hengqing's ritual.

The younger man cast a strange glance and said in an odd tone, "No one answered."

From their distance, nobody took note of his peculiar remark. The man sipping water paused, inquiring, "What do you mean?"

"You're not exactly... pure, so you tend not to participate in these matters." Having spoken, the younger man seemed to find his words awkward and hastily added, "I mean, your usual tasks differ from ours, so you might not be familiar with this process."

Wei Zhuo capped his thermos, his expression unchanged. He simply nodded, "Mm-hmm."

Swallowing hard, the young man glanced at Wei Zhuo apprehensively. Seeing no reaction, he continued, "In the past, when we performed rituals, invoking the City God would immobilize any fierce spirits present. The incense smoke would rise straight up, piercing the heavens. But just now, the smoke dispersed, becoming almost invisible in the wind. And after invoking the celestial deity... nothing happened, not even a reaction from the spirit by his side."

"It's as if... as if the City God didn't receive our summons."

Wei Zhuo nodded again, unsurprised, "The City God didn't dare to come."

"I thought maybe their ritual setup was too large... Wait, what?" The young man seemed to register Wei Zhuo's words, staring in disbelief.

"Perhaps there's no City God at all," Wei Zhuo remarked, placing his thermos back into the car.

The young man glanced towards the ritual area, murmuring, "We shouldn't speak of this."

Not far off at the altar, Bai Hengqing, noticing Chi Shen approaching, chanted forcefully, "Today, Chi Shen of Tongfu Garden in the harbor city, a lonely wandering spirit with no refuge, may a compassionate sage guide him, helping the lost soul return to his homeland—"

With the chant, Chi Shen realized what was happening.

Ji Xingchen emerged from his shadow, saying, "This is a ritual for guiding the departed. I've read about it in the Bai family's records."

Chi Shen chuckled, "They aim to guide me?"

"Seems like it," Ji Xingchen's voice wavered, but as Chi Shen gripped his wrist, the once dispersed spirit became whole again.

From the incantation, Chi Shen realized that this ritual was meant to grant him passage to the afterlife. Yet, evidently, it had no effect on him. Instead, it seemed to affect Ji Xingchen, who wasn't named or intended for this rite.

Chi Shen was about to comment when he suddenly halted and looked skyward.

"The gate..."

Chi Shen had approached the altar, standing just five meters away.

The closer Chi Shen got, the more Bai Hengqing's complexion deteriorated. Seeing Chi Shen's pause, hope surged in Bai Hengqing's heart, and he recited with renewed vigor, "The compassionate guide the lost, granting souls a return to their homeland!"

The wind whipped fiercely, nearly knocking some souls to the ground. Yet, the named spirits within the ritual circle, those listed for the city god, remained unmoved, their expressions unchanging, as if merely out for a stroll.

Was their rite ineffective, or were they performing it wrongly? Or had the city god simply skipped his duty today?

Could it be that Chi Shen is still alive?

No—impossible!

His passage past He Lianhai was proof he was a spirit. A living being would have revived the old zombie with their yang energy. Even if the old zombie was no match for Chi Shen, he wouldn't have walked past so impeccably, not even a hair out of place.

Chi Shen must be a ghost!

Only a malevolent spirit would exude such a chilling aura. The coldness emanating from Chi Shen was more terrifying than any other ghost he'd encountered.

But where was He Lianhai?

Why hadn’t He Lianhai warned him that Chi Shen was coming?

Bai Hengqing realized he’d overlooked a horrifying possibility. Whether Chi Shen was alive or dead, He Lianhai should have informed him, offering strategies for a countermeasure. But he'd heard nothing.

Did He Lianhai fail to intercept him on the road, allowing Chi Shen to circumvent? Or had He Lianhai fled? Or, worse—could He Lianhai not even communicate?

Chi Shen's abrupt skyward gaze added to their unease.

Ji Xingchen too looked up, as did the entire Bai family present for the ritual. Yet, their view revealed only the pitch-black night, nothing more.

Bai Hengqing wasn’t sure what they were looking at. He suspected a diversion and quickly glanced down, finding Chi Shen still motionless. Panic struck Bai Hengqing as he cried out desperately, "The compassionate guide the lost, granting souls a return to their homeland, lost spirits without solace—"

Panic flashed across the faces of the Bai family members. Thick ghostly energy exuded from Chi Shen, merging with the dark mist swirling above the sands. They all dared not approach, focusing instead on defending Bai Hengqing as he continued the ritual.

"A white gate?" Amid the chaos, Ji Xingchen spoke calmly, his eyes turning red. His form started to dissipate, seemingly being pulled in that mysterious direction.

Chi Shen's expression darkened as he raised his hand, looking in the direction of the door and suddenly pulling back.

The grand door, which had opened slightly revealing a glimmer of inner light, suddenly halted as if stuck. It did not open further but abruptly closed, disappearing into the dark night sky.

Chi Shen stared at the spot where the door vanished, realizing something.

Of course, he had seen such doors before.

But now, it seemed only he and Ji Xingchen could see it. He understood he had the qualifications to pass through that door, but why could Ji Xingchen see it?

Chi Shen instinctively tightened his grip on Ji Xingchen's hand.

Ji Xingchen glanced down at their intertwined fingers, remaining silent.

The howling sea breeze suddenly ceased, eerily as if it had never blown. Bai Hengqing's chanting persisted in the background, his voice frantic with sweat pouring down, but Chi Shen and Ji Xingchen stood still, showing no sign of being exorcised.

Observing Chi Shen approach him in a few steps, Bai Hengqing began to panic.

This hastily prepared ritual ground was of the highest grade, invoking the City God to open a path and praying for celestial salvation to guide lost souls to the immortal realm.

But Chi Shen, the name he had written down, showed no reaction!

Could he not be a fierce ghost?

With this thought, Bai Hengqing blurted out, "You're enveloped in ghostly aura, are you still alive?!"

"Perhaps," Chi Shen, with a motion, knocked over the wooden tokens encircling him, dispersing the ghostly aura as he calmly replied, "I might be considered dead, or perhaps alive."

Shock registered on Bai Hengqing's face. Dark ghostly energies surrounded him, and had younger generations not pulled him away, he might have been consumed by the ominous aura.

Chi Shen upturned the ritual table, dust rising in a cloud. He snapped the peach wood sword, trampling on the soul-summoning banner, then turned to Ji Xingchen, asking, "Feeling better?"

Ji Xingchen silently looked at him, then at the hand that still gripped his wrist. Adjusting his glasses with his free hand, he replied, "Actually, once the door closed, I was fine."

"I have some questions for Second Master. Come with me," Chi Shen said, not waiting for Ji Xingchen's agreement and dragging him along.

Bai Hengqing backed away, wary of getting too close. Watching the ever-approaching Chi Shen, Bai Hengqing's demeanor remained defiant. Clenching his teeth, he declared, "Although I don't know why my exorcism ritual didn't affect you, my Bai family will never tolerate a malicious ghost causing chaos in the world!"

With these words, he suddenly threw open his coat, revealing an ancient-looking plaque tightly wrapped inside.

"This is the ancestral plaque of my Bai family's founding lineage. I've summoned it from our family shrine—if I can't exorcise you, I'll make sure your soul is obliterated right here!"

Bai Hengqing raised the ancestral plaque with one hand, anointing it with his own blood, while lifting a peach wood sword in his other hand: "Ancestors, show your might—"

*

Author's Note:

The ritual described in this chapter is inspired by and adapted from scriptures related to the City God's rituals.