The fire quickly ignited the nameless great tree.
We had intended to leave once the fire grew larger, but no one expected that at this very moment, streams of Yin souls would drift out from the great tree with mournful cries.
Upon suddenly seeing so many Yin souls emerge, everyone wore looks of astonishment.
From my mouth, I couldn't help but murmur, "So many, so many Yin souls…"
"One, two… At least thirty or forty, wouldn't you say?" Mo Ting counted beside me, appearing greatly shocked. After all, in all our time in this profession, we had never encountered so many ghosts at once.
Master and Daoist Tang, though frowning, showed no significant emotional fluctuation. They simply stood with hands clasped behind their backs, watching quietly.
After drifting out of the great tree, those Yin souls circled above our heads with "wuwuwu" sounds. Each one was a white shadow, and faintly, one could see human faces, all appearing to be in pain, as if struggling…
I watched these Yin souls hovering above our heads, gathering but not dispersing, continuously emitting mournful "wuwuwu" sounds. I had a feeling that these Yin souls might want to tell us something, or do something to us, so I became vigilant.
I turned to Master and Daoist Tang and asked, "Master, Daoist Tang, what do these Yin souls want? Why are they all inside that great tree?"
Daoist Tang narrowed his eyes, also observing these incessantly "wuwu"-ing Yin souls. He speculated at this moment, "Judging by their appearance, they seem to be stray wandering spirits, seemingly trapped…"
Master, looking at those Yin souls, spoke directly, "We'll know if we ask."
As soon as he finished speaking, Master formed a hand seal. Master's speed in forming seals was truly fast; even standing beside him, I couldn't see clearly. Finally, Master raised his hand and drew something in the air. It seemed to be a talisman, and he low-growled, "Hoo hoo yang yang, sun rises in the east. I command this talisman, to sweep away all ill fortune. Reveal yourselves!"
As Master's voice fell, a talisman silently flickered into existence before him. The talisman flashed its light and then dispersed. After this talisman was cast, the Yin souls circling in the sky began to plummet like shooting stars.
Upon landing, they transformed from mere white light clusters into solid ghosts. One by one, two by two, three by three, thirty or so ghosts appeared around us in the blink of an eye. These ghosts were of all ages, genders, heights, and builds. Each had a pale face and ashen pupils. Without exception, they were all the lowest class of stray wandering spirits…
After landing, these stray wandering spirits looked at their bodies with delight. Their pale faces showed expressions of excitement, and they looked at my Master with overwhelming gratitude.
"Ah! It's wonderful! We're free, finally free!"
"Finally, finally escaped!"
"Daoist, accept this old man's bow for your great kindness."
"Thank you, Celestial Master, for your divine intervention. This humble woman will never forget it."
"…"
The surrounding twenty to thirty ghosts all spoke at once. Their voices became very noisy, like a bustling marketplace. Mo Ting and I had never witnessed such a scene. With dozens of ghosts around us, we stood behind our Masters, warily observing them. But we could vaguely make out that these ghosts seemed to have been trapped within that tree. When the fire burned the tree, they came out. However, even after coming out, they couldn't leave. It was only when Master cast a spell just now that their shackles were broken and they manifested.
My Master looked at the many ghosts with considerable calmness, merely asking plainly, "Can someone tell me in detail what you all experienced? And why were you trapped in the tree?"
Upon hearing this, the ghosts couldn't help but exchange glances. Finally, a well-figured female ghost was nominated. She floated forward two steps, her feet not touching the ground. She gave a somewhat timid smile to Master and then said, "Celestial Master, I, your humble servant Fang Rong, know a thing or two. I implore Celestial Master to uphold justice for us and, afterwards, to send us to the underworld for reincarnation…"
Master nodded without interrupting her. Seeing Master nod, the female ghost's spirits lifted, and she became less timid. She began to explain, "Celestial Master. That demonic Daoist is called Daoist Crow. He has resided in this mountain for ten years and three months. He was originally a ghost like us, but he understood evil arts and knew how to cultivate. Upon arriving here, he claimed this mountain as his territory. Later, he found a corpse and successfully returned to life through it. No ghost in the surrounding area dared to provoke him. Furthermore, he can control many puppet corpses, making it hard to distinguish the real from the fake. We were captured by him and trapped in this evil tree. Firstly, to feed the water ghosts in the Yin pool, treating us as food. Secondly, for his cultivation of evil arts. Thirdly, every so often, he seems to send away a batch of ghosts, but where they are sent, I… I do not know."
This female ghost explained three points very thoroughly, in a structured and logical manner. It was remarkably detailed.
Master glanced at the female ghost and then pressed further, "How do you know such specifics?"
The female ghost, hearing Master's question, naturally did not dare to be negligent. She quickly replied, "A hundred years ago, I was harmed by wicked people. My remains were discarded within a cliff crevice in this mountain. From then on, I could not leave Crow Mountain. I am very familiar with everything here. I also knew when that Daoist Crow arrived. But seeing him capture ghosts everywhere, I hid in the mountain cliff's stone crevices. Because my corpse was there, I could hide myself well, so he never discovered me during these ten years. And I observed him in secret. It was only a month ago that he discovered me and captured me into the tree…"