Chapter 1207: Fated to Meet from a Thousand Miles Away

Old Woman Li lived alone in a small house at the west end of the village. Though only in her fifties, she was gaunt and shriveled, looking closer to seventy. Her bowlegs caused her to walk with a slight wobble. All the villagers had fled, but she remained.

Jiang Lishui accompanied He Lingchuan to her door. He said to Old Woman Li, "This is Mr. He from our merchant guild. He also wishes to pay respects to the Heavenly Venerable."

At these words, Old Woman Li's expression relaxed. She opened the door and led the three of them toward the back hall.

The back hall was a chaotic mess, filled with all sorts of junk. Only the northern corner was neatly tidied.

A shrine was set up there, holding a statue more than a palm in height.

It was an old statue carved from willow wood. With time, half its color had faded, yet it was still clearly humanoid, though its hands had only four fingers. Its expression was fierce and menacing, with a red face and tusks. It stood on a pile of skulls, and a necklace of skulls adorned its neck.

Anyone seeing such a statue suddenly at night would be startled. Yet, Old Woman Li had lit a candle in front of it, illuminating the statue's face.

Only one candle was lit in the entire house; her own living area remained dim.

In front of the statue, incense was burning, and three plates of fruit were offered. Though the peanuts were a bit shriveled and the fruit somewhat wrinkled, it was clear Old Woman Li had done her best; there was little of value to offer in such a remote mountain village.

He Lingchuan cleared his mind and quickly lit an incense stick for the statue.

While offering incense, he thought of nothing. Only then did he ask Old Woman Li, "How do you know that the murders in Jishi Village twenty years ago were committed by the Heavenly Venerable?"

Old Woman Li pursed her lips. "The village invited a Celestial Master back then, and that's what he said. One year, the Heavenly Venerable personally descended from the mountain to apprehend people, and all human habitation within twenty *li* of the outer reaches of Howling Forest vanished. He saw it with his own eyes."

Dong Rui tried to point at the statue. Old Woman Li instantly slapped his hand, but he was quick enough to dodge. "How would you know what it should look like?" she snapped.

"This statue is quite old," she said. "It was brought here from Liuya Village over a decade ago."

The implication was that Old Woman Li didn't know who carved it.

He Lingchuan stared intently at the statue.

The moment he entered, he realized something was wrong with it; wisps of black mist coiled around its entire body.

An evil spirit.

Due to the blessing of Coiling Dragon City, he could perceive evil spirits more easily than others.

He walked back and forth a few steps in the back hall and noticed that no matter where he moved, the statue's eyes seemed to be glaring at him.

"Where is Liuya Village?"

"Thirty *li* to the northwest from here."

"Isn't that also close to Howling Forest?"

Upon asking, He Lingchuan learned that ten years ago, the master of Liuya Village had led over seven hundred villagers in diligently serving the Heavenly Venerable. The village was filled with statues of the Heavenly Venerable, varying in size and posture, but all with nearly identical faces.

"Why did you get the statue from there?"

"It's effective," Old Woman Li said matter-of-factly. "Everyone says inviting a fearsome deity to guard the house is very effective."

"Do you pray to it every day?"

"With so many lives lost, of course I pray."

He Lingchuan was about to speak when someone rushed in from outside and said to Jiang Lishui, "The Celestial Master is here."

Dong Rui interrupted, "You also invited a Celestial Master?"

Jiang Lishui immediately replied, "The patrols recommended him, saying Master Fu is best at capturing demons and ghosts. Villagers to the south also said that when rat demons plagued their homes, Master Fu easily dealt with them. Two years ago, when an invasive giant python demon ambushed and devoured people by the water, it was also Master Fu who resolved it."

He also had guards who possessed some supernatural abilities, but when it came to ghost-hunting, they still needed a professional.

"Fu?" Dong Rui chuckled. "Don't tell me it's Fu Liushan?"

Jiang Lishui exclaimed, "You know him too?"

Both found it amusing and exasperating. The Golden Flash Plains were vast; why did Fu Liushan have to come here of all places? "Invite him in," He Lingchuan said.

Soon after, a familiar figure walked into Old Woman Li's stone courtyard.

It was indeed Fu Liushan.

Many days had passed, but his clothes hadn't changed; he had only added a cloak, and his beard was still unkempt, just as before.

He was still holding that bell in his hand. The moment he entered the courtyard, the bell began to clang incessantly.

"Oh dear, quite fierce." He clapped a hand over the bell and looked up, then froze as he saw He Lingchuan and Dong Rui. "Huh? Why are you two here again?"

He Lingchuan smiled, "Isn't it a small world?"

Dong Rui grinned at him, "Fated to meet across a thousand *li*."

Fu Liushan scratched his head. "Who's in charge here? With you two here, why did you call me?"

He had personally witnessed the abilities of these two. He Lingchuan could even suppress the Rakshasa Armor left behind by the Golden Flash Empire; surely, dealing with trouble in a small village wouldn't be an issue for him?

"You're the professional," He Lingchuan said, gesturing with his chin towards the back hall. "Don't worry, you'll still get paid. We just arrived ourselves."

Jiang Lishui nodded vigorously beside them. "Yes, yes, you'll get paid."

As soon as he heard "you'll get paid," Fu Liushan felt reassured. His arduous journey of dozens of *li* over mountain roads, which had worn down a layer of his horse's shoes, would not be in vain.

But he was a shrewd man; one look at Jiang Lishui's attitude, and he knew He Lingchuan's status was higher.

It seemed a merchant guild had hired him to exorcise demons. So, was this fellow truly from the guild?

When did merchants become so skilled in combat?

Carrying these thoughts, he walked into the back hall and took a look, then gasped, "Xuanlu Heavenly Venerable?"

Someone recognized it. Old Woman Li nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, this is Xuanlu Heavenly Venerable."

"And this is a familiar image of Xuanlu Heavenly Venerable," Fu Liushan said, scrutinizing the statue. "To keep something like this in your home, Old Woman, you have a lot of nerve."

Not understanding, Jiang Lishui asked, "What is a 'familiar image'?"

Fu Liushan motioned for everyone to exit the back hall. He then found an excuse to send Old Woman Li away and cast a barrier before whispering, "'Familiar image' means a consecrated statue. This particular statue inside has been personally observed or even visited by Xuanlu Heavenly Venerable. It could very well have become his eyes and ears. If we speak in front of it, he might overhear us."

The two beside him listened with great interest; Fu Liushan's words were quite intimidating.

Dong Rui had traveled extensively and knew some rudimentary tricks for ghost-hunting and demon-subduing, but he was no match for a professional like Fu Liushan.

A chill ran through Jiang Lishui. "Are you saying Xuanlu Heavenly Venerable was just now, all along, watching us?"

"Perhaps," Fu Liushan shrugged. "Keeping an evil spirit in your home makes one prone to illness and premature aging. This old woman doesn't know the danger; she probably hasn't had the statue for very long."

He asked Jiang Lishui, "I heard this mining area has been abandoned for some time, and only recently did some — well, did people move in?"

In a place ravaged by war and chaos, these merchant guilds dare to do business; they truly value money over their lives.

"That's right, the villagers of Jishi Village had all fled long ago," Jiang Lishui replied. "We took over the mines in Rolling Stone Valley and recruited people from surrounding villages. It took us over a month to reorganize the mining area and resume extraction."