Chapter 1208: You Wait for Me

"This place was originally empty. You only arrived a month ago, and these imps followed suit almost immediately. Hmm—how did they get wind of this so quickly?" Fu Liushan mused.

No one present was slow-witted. Jiang Lishui quickly considered, "Are you suggesting there's an insider here?"

Even with the barrier in place, he instinctively lowered his voice.

He Lingchuan suddenly stated, "Old Woman Li is hiding in the kitchen right now, peering at us through the window."

He didn't need to turn his head; the Soul-Capturing Mirror would alert him automatically.

Jiang Lishui feigned a casual glance and indeed saw a figure, or at least something, flash past behind the kitchen door and window opening about two zhang away.

The thought of the old woman hiding in that gloomy corner, peeking at him with her small, mostly white eyes, sent a chill down his spine.

Fu Liushan retracted the barrier and called out loudly, "Old Woman Li! Old Woman Li!"

A few moments later, Old Woman Li pushed the door open and emerged, asking, "Are you planning to stay here for dinner?"

"Yes, we are," Fu Liushan replied with a smile, slipping a few copper coins into her hand. "Use this money as you see fit and stir-fry us a few hot dishes."

The moment Old Woman Li took the coins, she yelped, "Ow! That scalds me!"

Her grip loosened, and the copper coins clattered to the ground.

Both He Lingchuan and Fu Liushan watched her intently. They saw a faint blue wisp flash across her glabella, but nothing else occurred.

Dong Rui inquired, "What's happening?"

"Such profound cultivation," Fu Liushan murmured, "Even my Five-Vulgar Coins are ineffective. That entity is likely hidden either behind her glabella or in the Jade Pillow acupoint. It will probably require acupuncture to expel it."

He Lingchuan asked him, "Can the true form of Heavenly Venerate Xuanlu see us in real-time?"

Old Woman Li had been observing him an unusual number of times. This wasn't his imagination; the Soul-Capturing Mirror had already confirmed it.

"Very likely! Its cultivation is profound, and it might even be directly controlling Old Woman Li." As Fu Liushan spoke, he stepped forward, poking Old Woman Li's neck with his fingertip, and she immediately went numb.

Immediately, he took out two golden needles, ready to pinpoint the acupoints.

To his surprise, Old Woman Li blinked, suddenly broke free, and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm at him.

The two were standing very close. Fu Liushan, having anticipated this, quickly tilted his head and dodged. Old Woman Li seized the opportunity and ran backward.

In that instant, her movements were agile, not slow at all; there was no sign of her usual shuffling gait.

But how could she possibly escape? He Lingchuan caught up in half a step, grabbing the back of her neck and causing Old Woman Li to stumble backward uncontrollably.

Fu Liushan hurried over and inserted a needle into the Jade Pillow acupoint at the back of her head.

He Lingchuan, with his keen eyesight, noticed the tip of the golden needle glowing red, unsure what substance it had been dipped in.

Old Woman Li let out a loud shriek, then suddenly declared, "You are courting death!"

Her expression was one of exasperated fury, yet her tone was utterly sinister, creating a stark and unsettling contrast.

Fu Liushan moved to face her, staring intently and saying, "Heavenly Venerate Xuanlu? A rabbit doesn't foul its own nest. Why have you come to Jishi Village to devour people?"

"Heavenly Master?" Old Woman Li chuckled, a gap showing between her front teeth. "What are you to dare speak to me in such a manner?"

"My family has a connection with you. Twenty years ago, my father engaged you in combat. He was also a Heavenly Master."

Old Woman Li sneered, "I've killed countless Heavenly Masters. Which one was your father?"

"You didn't kill him; he ultimately died in a woman's bed," Fu Liushan told her. "But he also came to handle the murder cases in Jishi Village back then and made a pact with you: as long as the villagers worshipped you, you would not take lives here."

It was only then that He Lingchuan and the others understood the deeper history behind Jishi Village's worship of Heavenly Venerate Xuanlu.

Fu Liushan spoke each word distinctly: "I am here on my father's behalf to ask you, why did you break your promise?"

Old Woman Li was silent for a few moments, then suddenly asked, "Fu?"

"Precisely."

Old Woman Li sneered, "Times change. What agreement doesn't have an expiration date?"

She desperately tried to turn her head to look at He Lingchuan. "You, you've walked straight into the gates of hell. Just you wait!"

The words were steeped in malice, leaving everyone stunned. He Lingchuan, equally bewildered, asked, "Wait for what?"

"The Rashomon Armor! You bear the aura of the Rashomon Armor!" Old Woman Li cackled. "That's why you deserve to die. You cannot escape!"

Fu Liushan immediately turned to He Lingchuan, his expression subtly shifting.

Fu Liushan's feelings about He Lingchuan acquiring the Rashomon Armor had always been complicated, and now Old Woman Li had openly exposed it.

So, the Rashomon Armor is still with him?

How exactly did He Lingchuan deal with it?

Fortunately, there were few people present; besides He Lingchuan, Dong Rui, and Fu Liushan, only Jiang Lishui heard Old Woman Li's words.

"You are merely an evil spirit from the Howling Forest," He Lingchuan scoffed. "A mere ghost dares to falsely claim the title of Heavenly Venerate?"

The dragon scale memory, reproduced by the Great Square Pot, showed how magnificent the black dragon's form was, soaring into the sky and blotting out the sun, revered by the immortals as a "Divine Venerate."

Divine Venerates and Heavenly Venerates are powerful beings of that caliber.

What kind of cultivation does an evil spirit from the Howling Forest possess to be worthy of the title Heavenly Venerate?

After they left the border of Old Bo State, Nangong Yan rushed to silence them. His Feathered Guards were powerful and worked in perfect coordination because King Bo had invited a "Heavenly Venerate" clone from the Howling Forest to control Nangong Yan and the Feathered Guards on his behalf.

Before that entity was devoured by the divine bone necklace, it left a curse, vowing that its true form would not spare them.

Now, they were conversing with this "true form."

"Your soul is incredibly potent, a magnificent tonic!" The old hag cackled. "I will surely savor it completely, and I'll keep you conscious so you can watch yourself being devoured! I will take your Rashomon Armor as well!"

Ignoring her grand boasts, Fu Liushan took another golden needle and inserted it into Old Woman Li's glabella acupoint.

With a single insertion and withdrawal, the needle tip pulled out a small black worm, resembling a weevil.

He held the needle tip up to the evening sunlight, and with a soft hiss, the worm vaporized.

"There," Fu Liushan finally exhaled. "This is the soul-worm Heavenly Venerate Xuanlu planted in Old Woman Li. Once it's removed, it won't be able to see or hear us."

Old Woman Li shivered, opened her eyes, and looked utterly bewildered, unaware of what had just transpired.

"Immediately burn the willow wood statue in the back hall," Fu Liushan instructed, calling the others in and beginning to assign tasks. "This house can no longer be inhabited; it's best to dismantle it completely right away. If you don't want to go to that much trouble, then remove all the windows and place several mirrors inside to ensure that daylight can reach every dark corner."

"Did everyone hear that?" Jiang Lishui immediately dispatched men to work. "Go do it, all of you!"

Upon hearing this, Old Woman Li let out a loud wail, "Don't tear it down, don't tear it down! The Heavenly Venerate will punish me! You can't harm me!"

"This is a hateful object; it not only shortens your lifespan but also drains all your family's fortune and good luck!"

Dong Rui shot him a sidelong glance, thinking, *Well, now, that's some serious nonsense.*

But Fu Liushan, having traveled the countryside for many years, had a knack for persuading rural folk. He immediately continued, "Let me ask you, have you been experiencing nocturnal incontinence lately? At least once or twice within a week?"

Old Woman Li was taken aback. "How did you know?"

"And does it always happen after you've worshipped the 'Heavenly Venerate'?"

Old Woman Li remained silent, but from her expression, it was clear to everyone that Fu Liushan had guessed correctly.

"Your health was originally decent. The Heavenly Venerate took a little of your vital essence each day, and you didn't perceive anything amiss," Fu Liushan said gravely. "But accumulating over time, even ordinary people cannot endure it, let alone someone your age. Right now it's just incontinence, but if you continue to worship, you will soon experience lower limb paralysis, heavy legs, and gradually become bedridden until you eventually pass away!"

The more he spoke, the paler Old Woman Li's face grew, for she, too, had noticed the very symptoms Fu Liushan described!

"Ghost King Xuanlu suffered a terrible death in life, transforming into a malevolent spirit filled with resentment, and harbors an innate hatred for the living. No matter how much you worship it, it remains an evil spirit and will not grant you special favor," Fu Liushan pressed, delivering a decisive blow. "Even your descendants will be entangled by it. Hmm, Old Woman Li, do you have grandchildren?"

"Yes, three, three of them are all at Yaopo."

Fu Liushan then took three yellow talismans from his pocket and handed them to her. "Tell them to stick these on the outer door and only remove them once the cinnabar spell on them fades."

With this combination of veiled threats and advice, Old Woman Li was so bewildered that she forgot to be angry and simply accepted the talismans.

Fu Liushan then asked, "Is anyone else in this village currently worshipping the Heavenly Venerate?"

"Ah..." Old Woman Li hesitated. "I, I don't know."

So there is? He Lingchuan stood behind Old Woman Li and subtly shook his head at Fu Liushan. The latter understood and didn't press further.

How big could this village be? If others also worshipped the Heavenly Venerate, Old Woman Li would surely know.

After Old Woman Li left, Jiang Lishui gave a thumbs up. "Master Fu is incredible. He even knew about the old woman's nocturnal... er, need to get up at night."

Fu Liushan merely smiled without speaking.

Dong Rui, recognizing Old Woman Li's ailments at a glance, chuckled, "Her vital energy is deficient, affecting her liver and kidneys. It would be strange if she weren't incontinent."

Fu insisted that she only experienced strange symptoms after worshipping the Xuanlu statue. Nonsense, Old Woman Li was so devout that she surely worshipped before going to sleep.

Such mystical mumbo-jumbo is utterly worthless once exposed.

Fu Liushan cleared his throat and turned to He Lingchuan. "What feud do you have with that entity? Why do these monsters always seem to pursue you?"

He Lingchuan offered a wry smile. "To be fair, they're always the ones who come looking for trouble with me."

In the ruins of the Golden Palace at Keling, the Rashomon Armor sensed the dragon scales on him and broke through its seal to seek him out. Here in Jishi Village, he was even more innocent, merely passing by to inspect his properties. Why, then, was he targeted?

He was just a passerby who wanted no trouble!

Alas, trouble seemed to have a knack for finding him.

Dong Rui subtly rolled his eyes. Weren't they here on a mission to eliminate the Ghost King? He Lingchuan should stop pretending to be innocent. "Since the Xuanlu evil spirit has a connection with your family, quickly tell us the inside story. Just how malevolent is this entity?"

The mission brief from Mount Ling was somewhat vague. Slaying demons, vanquishing devils, and capturing ghosts certainly sounded like a cultivator's duty. And judging by the mission itself, it exuded an air of righteous indignation.

However, ever since He Lingchuan received the mission, he had been pondering why Mount Ling would send him thousands of miles to eliminate an evil spirit from a distant land.

What was so special about this particular evil spirit?

"It's almost dark, which is perfect for ghost hunting. Let's go; we can discuss this while we make preparations," Fu Liushan said, looking at the sky, then at the mine. He then asked Jiang Lishui, "Are the mine tunnels damp?"