Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The dense forest after the rain was thick with a heavy, muggy dampness. Water droplets clung to the leaves of ancient trees, then slid off the tips, and slugs left silvery, slimy trails deep in the leaf veins.

After the curse was lifted, Shen Xiyin, drained of strength, slumped in a daze against an old tree. Her thin undergarment faintly showed scattered finger marks on her inner thigh.

Her skin was too soft and fragile, and the curse marks in that area lingered stubbornly, fading only to come back like weeds that regrow after a spring burn—persistent and hard to eradicate. Thus, the repeated force of the exorcism had inevitably left marks.

Pei Su looked away, reaching over to retie her loosened skirt sash.

She hadn't come to yet, fine sweat still beading on her forehead, her breath uneven. Warm, humid air escaped through her slightly parted, moist red lips, brushing softly over the back of his hand.

Pei Su pulled his hand back, stood up, and walked away.

Night crept in, the rain-settled dust settled, and the clouds cleared, revealing a clear full moon hanging in the sky.

After night fell on Bujun Mountain, a thick fog suddenly rolled in, hiding the clouds and moon. Though it was already early summer, the damp, cold mist seeped into sleeves, raising an unnatural chill.

The immortal residence here was surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides, below which lay a bottomless abyss. You could only enter or leave the residence by Sword Flight, but with this thick fog, Sword Flight was out of the question. In other words, no one here could leave, and no one outside could get in.

Pei Ling was using a Message Paper Crane to reach Pei Daoqian, talking about the sudden appearance of an evil spirit in the mountain. The spiritual light on the paper crane suddenly flickered out, and a broken line from Pei Daoqian—"Be careful in everything"—came through before the connection went dead.

He tried to activate the paper crane again, but it wouldn't respond. He'd originally wanted to ask about the clan leader's whereabouts, but now that was impossible.

The memorial service began with the sound of a heavy bell ringing from the mountain peak.

Various sects, led by Bujun Mountain disciples, filed into the mourning hall one by one.

Just before entering, Pei Ling glanced outside and saw Bujun Mountain disciples in small groups, holding compasses to search for the evil spirit. It looked like they still hadn't found any trace of it.

Pei Jun patted his shoulder. "Come on, let's go. Hurry inside, don't hold up the ceremony."

Pei Ling acknowledged and followed his steps.

In the night-time mourning hall, candles burned bright. A gust of wind blew in through the open doors, making the flames flicker, plunging the room into shifting light and shadow.

At the front of the hall sat an open coffin, inside which lay the body of Master Yunxu, the owner of Wangyue Manor. This once-renowned Daoist master, famous across the sects, had lost all his former glory. Dead for over a month, his body was half-rotted, flesh decaying down to the bone, making it impossible to make out his former appearance or bearing.

The coffin was covered in talismans for preservation and soul-binding, and inside were burial items of antique jade and treasures, their spiritual light overflowing—rare, precious artifacts, showing the deceased's high status and distinction.

The ceremony began. Pei Jun looked toward the front of the coffin and saw Qu Wrymouth standing in the center among the deceased's relatives and friends. Usually, that spot was reserved for the deceased's closest family or dearest friend. This man was neither, yet there he stood.

Pei Jun muttered, confused, "Why's he there?"

Xie Yusheng replied in a low voice, "The head of the Luling Qu family was a close friend of the master. He's here representing his father."

Pei Jun said "oh" and didn't press further.

He glanced at Pei Ling, who was unusually quiet, and saw him staring intently at the area above the coffin—at the mismatched roof tiles, lost in thought.

Pei Jun was puzzled. "Is it that interesting to stare at?"

Pei Ling said flatly, "It's ugly."

Pei Jun was momentarily speechless. "Then why're you still looking?"

Pei Ling didn't answer, but he felt that the patched roof tiles right above the coffin gave off an unsettling, eerie wrongness.

Outside, the wind was fierce, rattling the window frames of the mourning hall, and tree shadows swayed wildly against the paper window screens.

In a daze, something seemed to rush into Pei Ling's mind like a gust of wind.

The newly patched tiles above the coffin, the disciples possessed after the thunderstorm, the burial treasures, the disciple obsessed with jade and antiques...

His pupils suddenly shrank.

"Damn it!"

His loud shout cut through the silent mourning hall. Everyone present turned to look at him.

Pei Jun was deeply startled.

Pei Ling was cautious by nature, and even his uncle, who rarely praised anyone, had commended him for his impeccable sense of propriety. To abruptly interrupt someone's memorial service wasn't like him.

"What's wrong with you?"

Pei Ling had no time to explain in detail, urgently saying, "Run, hurry, get out of the mourning hall."

The cultivators in the hall exchanged glances, but no one followed his instructions. Amid the murmurs, someone spoke loudly with a sarcastic tone: "The master's memorial service is not yet over, and you're already eager to leave. Is this the etiquette the Pei clan prides itself on?"

The speaker was the eldest son of the Luling Qu family, standing directly in front of the coffin.

Pei Ling ignored him, only saying to Luo Xuan beside him, "Seal the coffin, quickly seal the coffin!"

Luo Xuan, puzzled by his words, hesitated. "But the ceremony is not yet complete. Sealing it now would be disrespectful."

Pei Ling asked seriously, "Which is more important, human lives or the ceremony?"

Luo Xuan replied, "Human lives, of course."

Pei Ling said, "Then act quickly."

Luo Xuan still hesitated. "But..."

There was no time to delay. Pei Ling urgently shouted, "The most yin and poisonous evil entity in the mountain is currently lying in that coffin."

The murmurs in the mourning hall abruptly ceased after these words, plunging into an eerie silence.

The person lying in the coffin now was once a righteous leader who had exorcised countless evils, a man of unimpeachable virtue and brilliance—how could he possibly be associated with the word "evil"?

In the dead silence, Pei Ling's voice rang out.

"Why have the mountain disciples exhausted every means to exorcise the evil, yet it still persists? Because the evil entity is something they would never think to touch."

The cool wind rushed in through the open doors, tearing at the soul-binding talismans on the coffin.

"The three disciples who died from possession, besides being from the same sect and all falling victim at the zi hour, shared another commonality: they all went to the same place and did the same thing before they died."

Luo Xuan was slightly stunned. "You mean..."

Pei Ling said, "They all went to the mourning hall and all approached Master Yunxu's corpse."

Xie Yusheng, who had been silent on the side, spoke up at this moment. "If you're referring to the first disciple who died, that's true—he was responsible for attending to the master's daily needs and did come into contact with his corpse before death. But what about the second and third?"

He paused and added, "The second disciple who died was on duty in the mourning hall that night, but many disciples in the mountain have guarded the hall. Why did only he meet with trouble?"

Pei Ling said, "Ordinary disciples on vigil mostly stand at the front of the hall and don't easily approach the coffin. Even if they do something, it's usually during the day when yang energy is strong, making it harder for evil to invade. But the second disciple was different."

"The night he died, there was a thunderstorm that lasted until nearly the zi hour. The rain damaged the roof tiles directly above the coffin, and water seeped through the leak, soaking the coffin. A disciple who respected his master would inevitably do one thing after the rain stopped."

Pei Jun realized, "Ah, cleaning the master's coffin."

Pei Ling nodded, "Correct. That disciple happened to approach the evil spirit during the hour of midnight, when yin energy is strongest, and was thus accidentally infected by the evil aura."

At this, the disciple who had guided them earlier asked, "What about the other Brother Lu? The third disciple who died suddenly. He neither kept vigil nor approached the master's body."

Pei Ling countered, "No, he did have contact."

His gaze slowly shifted to the coffin: "When the disciple who finished his vigil that night found him, it was not far from the mourning hall. The hall and the disciples' dormitory are far apart. In the dead of night, when most disciples were already resting in their quarters, why would he be there?"

A cultivator in the hall asked, following his train of thought, "Why?"

Xie Yusheng mused, "Because of antique jade artifacts."

Pei Ling confirmed, "Exactly."

"Master Yunxu, like that disciple, was fond of collecting antique jade artifacts, including several highly valuable treasures. Those treasures are now placed in his coffin as burial goods."

At his words, the crowd's attention shifted to the treasures inside the coffin.

"This disciple was obsessed with antique jade artifacts and naturally couldn't resist Master Yunxu's collection. Unfortunately, Master Yunxu was really protective of these treasures and rarely showed them off. After he died, they were placed in the coffin with his body. With disciples guarding the hall day and night, he couldn't get a close look, and the act itself was borderline disrespectful to his master, so he hesitated to act."

Pei Ling's tone shifted: "But soon, these items would be buried with Master Yunxu, and he would never have another chance to see them."

He sighed, "On the night before the memorial service, his curiosity finally got the better of him, and he sneaked into the mourning hall. Taking advantage of the shift change and lax guard during midnight, he slipped in. He had his fill of the burial treasures but was tainted by the evil spirit and lost his life."

After he spoke, the cultivators in the hall looked grim, but someone sneered, "All this talk is just your speculation, without any solid evidence. You're slandering the departed master without proof..."

It was, unsurprisingly, the self-righteous eldest son of the Qu family from Luling. Before he could finish, the wide-open doors of the mourning hall suddenly slammed shut with a bang.

The sound of the doors closing echoed through the hall, and everyone held their breath in silence.

In the deathly silence, an eerie knocking on the coffin sounded, sending chills down everyone's spines. Almost immediately, a half-rotted human hand emerged from the edge of the coffin.

The hand slowly crawled along the coffin's rim, then lunged forward. Before anyone could react, it pierced the chest of the man standing at the front of the coffin.

The once-arrogant man went silent in an instant, blood gushing from his pierced chest and splattering on the ground, the thick smell of blood spreading from him.

It was already too late to seal the coffin.

Under the full moon, the evil spirit rose from the coffin, and chaos erupted in the mourning hall.

While turmoil raged at Bujun Mountain, it was eerily quiet within the Mind-Trapping Array.

Under the hazy moonlight, Pei Su lit a campfire by the ancient tree.

The surrounding moisture slowly evaporated in the flames.

Shen Xiyin had not yet awakened. She seemed to be dreaming, her cheeks flushed, her breath ragged, and murmurs escaping her lips in a daze.

"Elder... no..."

Pei Su, whose hand had been freed from the curse, clenched and unclenched it as he heard her murmurs. The branch he was using to stir the fire snapped in two in an instant.