The necromancer had already died once last night and wasn't tired of being alive yet, only to fall into the hands of Yan Shouyi and his companions again.
The previous night's encounter had made the necromancer understand that Yan Shouyi and the others weren't people who spoke empty words; they truly dared to kill!
To save his life, the necromancer had no choice but to think of warding off disaster with wealth:
"I've cultivated diligently for over sixty years and accumulated quite a few magic treasures and wealth. As long as you spare my life, all of it will be yours!"
To his surprise, upon hearing the necromancer's words, Yan Shouyi and the other two burst into laughter.
"Why, why are you laughing?" The necromancer shivered, finding their laughter more terrifying than their anger.
Long Feicheng stepped forward and kicked the necromancer, saying coldly, "You bumpkin, do you know who you're dealing with? Huh?"
He pointed at Yan Shouyi and said, "This is my eldest brother, Yan Shouyi, a descendant of Lu Ban. Magic treasures, elixirs, wealth—he has what you have, and more!"
Then he pointed at Lin Zitong, "This is my eldest sister-in-law, Lin Zitong, a descendant of the Lushan Sect, the eldest daughter of the Lin family in Licheng. She has beauty, money, and skill!"
"You think we're still coveting your measly money and magic treasures?"
The necromancer was utterly shocked, finally realizing he had provoked a group of "second-generation rich."
If he had known earlier that Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong held such statuses, he would never have dared to cause trouble for them, even if it meant death!
The necromancer asked Long Feicheng fearfully, "Then, what is your status?"
"Me? Hahahaha!" Long Feicheng laughed heartily. "I don't have any other status, just a good eldest brother and a good eldest sister-in-law. Is that enough?"
The necromancer was dumbfounded.
In his sixty-plus years of life, this was the first time he had ever seen someone take pride in being a lackey!
The villagers could no longer hold back their urges: "Shouyi, quickly kill this monster, lest more trouble brews and it harms the villagers!"
Yan Shouyi knew that delaying would do him no good. Thus, he directly summoned his Zanpakuto. Without giving the necromancer any time for explanation, with a swift movement of his blade, he severed the necromancer's neck!
The scene, which should have been incredibly bloody, was not as unbearable as everyone had imagined.
After the necromancer's head landed, it didn't bleed a single drop. From the severed neck, an intestine-like appendage emerged, wriggling like a horsehair worm.
Before anyone could react, the necromancer's head had already floated into the air, seemingly trying to seize the opportunity to escape!
Fortunately, Lin Zitong was quick-witted. She leaped high and kicked the necromancer's head back!
With a yelp, the necromancer's head bounced on the ground like a ball. Long Feicheng immediately released Combat Chicken Number Two!
Combat Chicken Number Two was a fierce hen. It swooped forward and pecked out the necromancer's eyes.
What was astonishing was that the blinded necromancer’s head began searching for his body.
Meanwhile, his body also crawled out of the coffin, fumbling around to find its head.
However, after a while, unable to find each other, both the head and the body gradually became exhausted.
Finally, the head rolled into a ditch, and the corpse collapsed in the field. Both quickly rotted away, leaving behind only two patches of mud, indistinguishable from human form.
Witnessing this, Yan Shouyi sighed faintly:
"This necromancer has practiced Yin arts for over sixty years, transforming his body into something neither human nor ghost, becoming a malevolent spirit. Now that he has lost his life, he rapidly decomposes into this state."
However, this was also fortunate, saving him the trouble of disposing of the necromancer's remains.
The villagers breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the necromancer dead.
However, though the necromancer was dead, the people he brought were still here.
Fearing that the necromancer's companions might also know sorcery, the villagers quickly bound them all securely.
However, Yan Shouyi could tell they were just ordinary people, incapable of causing any significant trouble.
But now that the necromancer was dead, these people could not be let go. Yan Shouyi instructed everyone to find a place to lock them up, strictly forbidding their release without his consent.
The village chief, thinking of the other villagers still in the mine, couldn't help but worry. He walked up to Yan Shouyi and said,
"Shouyi, this fellow was a demon. Are Mr. Zhou and the others also demons? And so many of our villagers are in the mine; what is their fate?"
Yan Shouyi comforted him, "Grandpa Village Chief, please don't worry. After dealing with this necromancer, we will definitely visit Uncle Jiang's mountain! As long as they are alive, I will surely bring them back!"
The village's young men were either in the city or in the mine. Even if the villagers wanted to accompany Yan Shouyi to the mine to seek justice, their bodies could not endure it.
At this moment, the villagers' only hope was Yan Shouyi.
Some villagers worriedly said, "That mine must be a dangerous place, and you are not familiar with it. You also don't know what kind of demons and monsters Mr. Zhou and the others are. If you go there rashly, you might be in danger..."
Thinking that the matter of the mine might endanger Yan Shouyi, they couldn't bear to let Yan Shouyi and his companions go alone.
Jiang Ting stepped forward, "Brother Yan, Sister Lin, I am familiar with that place. I'll lead the way for you!"
Lin Zitong immediately refused, "Silly girl, the mine is dangerous. Even if we go ourselves, we can't guarantee our own safety. If you come along, you'll only be a burden."
Yan Shouyi agreed, "You cannot go."
"Then what will you do? Someone has to lead the way, right?" Jiang Ting said anxiously, "I'm very brave and not afraid of demons and monsters!"
Lin Zitong gently patted Jiang Ting's head and said softly, "Don't worry, we have someone to lead the way."
Even Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng did not understand what Lin Zitong meant by this.
Then, Lin Zitong shook her Soul Summoning Bell at Yan Shouyi, and he immediately understood.
He took out a piece of Yin wood and said, "If you can summon the necromancer's soul back, I will lock him in the Yin wood, and he can lead the way for us."
"That's exactly what I meant," Lin Zitong said with a smile.
This couple wasted no time. Yan Shouyi took out a carving knife from his satchel and quickly carved the Yin wood into the rough shape of a sparrow.
Meanwhile, Lin Zitong sat cross-legged and began to shake the Soul Summoning Bell.
Jingle!
The bell rings once, lone spirits and ghosts depart with the wind.
Jingle!
The bell rings twice, travelers coming and going, do not linger.
Jingle!
The bell rings thrice, the deceased hear the command and return quickly!
Lin Zitong suddenly opened her eyes and took out the Red God Umbrella she had been carrying on her back, instantly opening it.
Beneath the red umbrella, a shadow formed in the daylight. Black mist from the surroundings converged within the shadow, gradually taking on a human shape.
Upon closer inspection, it was a miniature version of the necromancer. His soul was only palm-sized, small enough for Long Feicheng to stomp on and kill.
The necromancer, just summoned, looked around in confusion.
Then he suddenly realized and roared, "My first seven days haven't even passed, and you've already gathered my soul? Are you truly planning to not let me go even in death?!"
Lin Zitong smiled, "You've harmed so many people. Letting you die so easily would be too simple."
At this moment, Yan Shouyi's sparrow carving was finished. He placed the sparrow in front of the necromancer and said, "Go in yourself, or do you want me to beat you and stuff you in?"
Having fallen into Yan Shouyi's hands twice already, if the necromancer still couldn't recognize the situation, he would be truly foolish.
Thus, the necromancer sighed and silently crawled into the sparrow.
Yan Shouyi bit his finger, dripped a drop of blood onto the sparrow's forehead, and chanted:
"Yefu Tou Zhu, Jin Ru She Hun. She Fu You Yu, Yong Jie Wu Sheng!"
The blood transformed into countless threads, binding the sparrow's body, and finally turned into talismans covering the sparrow, completely locking the necromancer's soul within its body.
This was the ultimate skill of a Lu Ban descendant: Yin Wood Soul Locking.
After a short while, the wooden sparrow seemed to come alive, shaking its head and attempting to flap its wings.
This scene amazed the villagers of Chen Family Village. If city dwellers saw this, they would likely take photos and post them online. However, the villagers of Chen Family Village, aside from amazement, had no other thoughts.
In their eyes, Yan Shouyi was their savior who protected their safety, so they wouldn't think of taking pictures for attention.
Yan Shouyi carried the sparrow and said to Jiang Ting with a smile,
"With him leading the way, you won't have to risk accompanying us."
The necromancer surely knew many secrets about Mr. Zhou, and keeping him alive was of great use.
Seeing this, Jiang Ting no longer insisted. The necromancer was indeed more useful than her.
The villagers were still very worried, so Yan Shouyi became even more eager to enter the mountain.
However, there were still some matters to attend to.
He walked over to the three coffins and looked at the mummified corpses inside. They had likely been drained of blood by the necromancer before dying. If left unattended, there was a possibility of reanimation that night.
Therefore, after obtaining the consent of the deceased's families, Yan Shouyi burned the three corpses on the spot.
Once they were reduced to ashes, there would be no possibility of reanimation.
After handling these matters, the villagers were immensely grateful to Yan Shouyi, each praising him and saying that they hadn't doted on him in vain over the years.
After all this commotion, it was already noon.
After a hurried lunch, Yan Shouyi and his companions packed their belongings, ready to enter the mountain and investigate...