Volume One: The Outcast’s Journey – Blazing Demon-Slaying Blade Chapter Fifty-Four: A Soul-Lost Incident; The Evil Master Appears

Yang Chengzi had not seen Lu Qichang for two or three years. Upon arriving at Lu Qichang’s home, he instructed Chen San to escort the old woman back. Lu Qichang recognized Yang Chengzi at once; neither of them had changed much in the intervening years. Learning that Yang Chengzi’s group had neither eaten nor found a place to rest, Lu Qichang prepared a proper meal for them. With the help of Chen San and the others, the food was quickly ready. Though it was all vegetarian, at least there was soup and hot rice—simple fare, but still warm.

It was not that Lu Qichang was inhospitable. Though he was an outer disciple, his years studying Maoshan arts had cultivated a habit of eating vegetarian food. Now living alone, his house simply had no meat.

Yang Chengzi was quite accustomed to this meal. He had not tasted such pure vegetarian fare in a long time. The vegetarian dishes served in inns and taverns always carried a hint of grease; to those who ate meat, it was imperceptible, but for someone like Yang Chengzi, raised on vegetarian food, a single bite could reveal the hidden flavor. Still, traveling consumed much energy, and one had to eat well to keep moving, especially with the unlucky Chen San to protect.

After dining comfortably on hot dishes and rice, Lu Qichang began arranging accommodation for Yang Chengzi’s group. He had thought to find several households so everyone could sleep in beds, but it was already late. Lu Qichang’s house was spacious, newly renovated, and though he lived alone, there was ample room.

In the main hall stood two dining tables. One was reserved for ritual items. When Yang Chengzi and his companions arrived, Lu Qichang moved these things to the inner room. After supper, they moved the tables there as well, spread out several quilts on the floor, and with so much space, the hall could easily sleep a dozen people.

Lu Qichang wanted Chang Yu to sleep inside on the bed while he and Yang Chengzi caught up, but Chang Yu was frightened and insisted on staying by Yang Chengzi’s side. Yang Chengzi could only shake his head and let her be. Later, the master retired to the inner room, and after much settling in, the night was well underway.

Lu Qichang and Yang Chengzi talked at length. When Yang Chengzi spoke of the tragedy at Jingyao Village, Lu Qichang was deeply shocked, unable to believe such heartless sorcerers could decimate an entire village. His sorrow was mingled with anxiety for his own.

Yang Chengzi was equally worried; this village was too close, the nearest aside from Huifeng Town, and could easily become the next target.

Yang Chengzi inquired about unusual happenings nearby. As a Daoist, Lu Qichang handled most of the strange matters in villages and towns, so he was well informed. But most were trivial—domestic unrest, unlucky encounters, mismatched horoscopes, ghost marriages—matters so minor they hardly warranted attention from a Daoist.

One incident caught Yang Chengzi’s attention. Just days ago, villagers began showing signs of soul loss. In broad daylight, while working the fields, people would suddenly throw down their tools and dance madly. Even children playing in the village would roll on the ground in sudden fits, with no warning—madness overtaking them out of nowhere.

There were only three or five such cases, all occurring in recent days. Naturally, Lu Qichang was called first—older folk said it was caused by evil spirits and believed some talisman water from a Daoist would cure it.

Lu Qichang examined each case: all were indeed soul-loss. Calling back their souls restored their spirits without the need for talisman water. When questioned, none could recall what had happened.

Yang Chengzi listened with a grave expression. Lu Qichang sensed something amiss; as an outer disciple, he could handle village rituals, but his knowledge was not as deep as Yang Chengzi’s.

He ventured, “Do you think it’s not as simple as it seems?”

Yang Chengzi replied, “Do you know their birth dates and horoscopes?”

Lu Qichang shook his head. “I remember one—a boy from the village’s east end. His horoscope is mostly yin, but not entirely. Year, month, and day are yin, but he was born at noon. The others are ordinary, nothing remarkable.”

Yang Chengzi sighed. “If all this happened within these days, there are a few possible explanations.”

Lu Qichang stared wide-eyed at Yang Chengzi.

“The first possibility is the appearance of a ghost—one capable of seizing souls. But since you were able to call the souls back, this is unlikely.

The second possibility is a disruption in the village’s grand feng shui. We can check that tomorrow.

The third possibility is that someone has targeted this village, using simple sorcery to test your defenses. Another possibility is mere coincidence—a few people happened to lose their souls in these days. Which seems most likely to you?”

Lu Qichang could not sleep after hearing this. There was no need to guess about the village’s feng shui—no graves had been dug up, no roads dug or earth moved, so it should be intact. He patrolled the village daily, and any problem would have been noticed. Though he knew little of yin-yang arts, he was skilled at geomancy and divination. That left ghosts or something even more terrifying—humans.

Yang Chengzi had said that if souls could be called back, ghosts were unlikely. If it was people, then it was surely the sorcerers. The massacre at Jingyao Village was fresh in his mind; those killers were not far away. The thought made Lu Qichang swallow hard, afraid to follow it further.

Yang Chengzi closed his eyes. “When do you think they’ll make their move?”

“In these two days, five people lost their souls. I’ve called all five back. If they were really testing us, might there be more trials?”

Yang Chengzi kept his eyes shut. “Perhaps. If they want to test your strength, more incidents may follow. But if they only want to see how many Daoists are in this village, they may not need to test further.”

Lu Qichang was alarmed. “You—you don’t mean they’ll strike tonight?”

Yang Chengzi glanced at the sleeping Chang Yu. “It’s impossible to say. We must prepare for the worst.”

Lu Qichang’s back was drenched—not with heat, but cold sweat. As a Daoist, even an outer disciple, he knew well what sort of beings those sorcerers were.

For hundreds of years, Maoshan Daoists had devoted themselves, aside from battling fierce ghosts and monsters, to fighting those inhuman, ruthless sorcerers. Many brothers had perished in these struggles.

The thought that he might soon face such terrors made his heart tremble. Thankfully, Yang Chengzi was here; otherwise, with his own meager skills, the entire village might suffer.

Before he could steady himself, Yang Chengzi frowned. “They’re here.”

Yang Chengzi rose, slapped Chen San awake, then went to rouse the master in the inner room. Returning to the main hall, he saw the soul-alarm bell ringing.

Chen San, still dazed, had just been slapped and was about to curse, but the bell’s sound instantly erased his anger. He clutched his face in terror, staring at Yang Chengzi.

Yang Chengzi made a shushing gesture, forming a mudra with his fingers. The bell’s sound ceased at once. Chang Yu, hearing the commotion, sat up in fright, grabbing Yang Chengzi’s hand.

Master Suichang limped out, saw Yang Chengzi’s gesture, and asked no questions, closing his eyes to sense the situation.

Outside, the dogs began barking, but soon fell silent. Yang Chengzi took up the Shangqing sword, smeared it with finger blood, and the blade glowed red-hot as if forged in flame.

He spoke in a low voice, “I fear those who slaughtered Jingyao Village have come. I don’t know their numbers, but they’ve released three vengeful spirits, likely to attack the villagers.”

Hearing this, Chen San’s murderous intent flared. The corpses unearthed, the woman with her belly hollowed out, the three children’s bodies—all flashed before his eyes. Chen San clenched his fists till they cracked, his teeth nearly shattering, barely restraining himself from rushing out to fight.

At this moment, Master Suichang sat cross-legged, hands pressed together, eyes still closed. “Those without magic, behind me.”

This time, Chen San did not hesitate, retreating from the door to Yang Chengzi’s side. Lu Qichang fetched a peachwood sword and yellow talismans from the inner room, joining Yang Chengzi. Though neither ghosts nor sorcerers had appeared yet, everyone was ready for battle.

Yang Chengzi watched the door intently, speaking softly, “Chen San, call out the spirit tiger. This won’t be easy.”

Before he finished, the spirit tiger appeared. Chen San grinned wickedly, “Tiger brother, let’s kill to our heart’s content.”

The spirit tiger crouched, poised for action, exuding a sweeping force.

Suddenly, Yang Chengzi said, “They’re here.”

A black-red shadow passed through the door, swiftly heading toward them.

The master roared, “Leave it to me!”

No sooner had he spoken than the wrathful gold-eyed guardian appeared with a thud, grabbing the vengeful spirit. But the spirit was not easily subdued; its black-red aura surged like a serpent, wrapping itself around the guardian, seeping into its golden form like blood into gold.

Master Suichang remained calm, forming a spell. Golden scripture sprang up, spreading across the guardian, dissolving the ghostly aura wherever it touched. The entire guardian was enveloped, extending toward the spirit in its grasp.

Yang Chengzi was not idle. Since the enemy had struck, he responded in kind. He formed a seal with one hand, opening the celestial eye. Lu Qichang followed suit without hesitation. Chen San, born with ghost sight, saw everything clearly—if not for the master’s order, he would have unleashed the spirit tiger already, fight first, worry later.

Yang Chengzi lunged with his sword at the vengeful spirit. Black-red ghostly energy spilled out, but he ignored it. With a reverse swing, he unleashed a blazing sword aura, shattering the door in an instant. He was not trying to show off, but to ensure that, in the coming battle, he could clearly see what transpired inside.

Holding the glowing Shangqing sword, he said, “Let’s go—time to meet them.”