The fox demon's ghost was crushed beneath my foot, scattering into nothingness.
A wisp of white mist flowed into the purple bone vine, transforming into oil for my life-extending lamp.
Old Mo, meanwhile, grabbed the fox demon's corpse by its tail and hoisted it up.
"This menace deserved to die. We'll take it back later to give the villagers an explanation."
I nodded, "Mm."
Turning around, I looked towards the stunned villagers' souls not far away. Their souls were in a daze, looking like simpletons. This was the effect of the fox demon's seductive sorcery.
I approached one and formed a hand seal, touching his forehead.
"Disperse!"
A surge of Daoist energy flowed into his brow. The villager's soul trembled as if doused with a basin of cold water. The next second, his senses returned. Seeing me, Old Mo, and the unfamiliar mountain forest, his body instinctively recoiled two steps. He stammered, "Who, who are you? Where, where am I?"
"We are Daoists, here to bring you back. Come home with us now!" I said calmly, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
"D, Daoists? Home?" The villager looked at me fearfully, his face full of suspicion. He likely didn't fully grasp his current situation.
"What, you don't remember how you got here?" I took a puff of my cigarette.
The villager frowned, looking around at the strange surroundings, trying to recall. "I remember, I remember someone knocking. When I opened the door..." His expression changed drastically, and he said with horror, "After opening the door, that person's head, their head turned into a fox's head. Then, then I don't remember anything..."
Just as he finished speaking, Old Mo walked over, gesturing to the four-tailed fox corpse in his hand. "This wicked creature is what afflicted you! Come back with us now. If you delay, you'll be dead."
The villager looked at the four-tailed fox in Old Mo's hand, bewildered. "Dead? But, but I'm fine, aren't I? How could I be dead?"
It was clear he still didn't realize he was a soul. So, I explained truthfully, "You are currently a soul, separated from your body. Once your physical body dies, you will become a ghost, truly dead. Check if you have a shadow, if you feel light, and if your heart is still beating!"
The villager, hearing my words, felt himself over and looked down. Though the forest was dim, moonlight filtered through gaps in some places. After examining his state, he exclaimed in terror, "I, I really, really don't have a heartbeat, and, and no shadow..."
"Let's go! Your mother's eyes are almost swollen shut from crying," I urged.
The villager, completely panicked, finally believed me. "Okay, okay, I'll go with you..."
With that, Old Mo and I led the villager back. On the way back, we learned some basic information about him. His name was Li Da Niu. A few days ago, he and his father had gone to the mountains to repair a road and had witnessed the entire process of the ghost mound being excavated. His father had inexplicably hanged himself at their doorstep the day before yesterday. Before the mourning period was even over, he had been lured away by the fox demon. Simultaneously, he learned that Old Mo and I were from Wudang Mountain, sent to deal with the malevolent spirits, which made him trust us even more.
We returned from the back of the mountain. As we reached the village entrance, we noticed that the entire village was shrouded in a thick, oppressive ghost aura. The other end of the village, the direction of the excavated ghost mound, was even more intensely filled with this spectral energy. Under the sky eye, we could see billowing black smoke, like a chimney. The Yin ghost energy leaking from the edges of the ghost mound had all seeped into Li Family Village, making it appear like a ghost village at night, with exceptionally heavy Yin energy.
Old Mo and I had never witnessed such a situation before, and we both frowned. "Old Qin, that place feels rather malevolent! Such dense ghost energy, it's probably not just a few Yellow Robe Ghosts." Not only Old Mo, but I also came to the same conclusion. Such strong ghost energy, visible from this distance as soaring black smoke, indicated a formidable Yin evil within.
Checking the time, it was not yet 8 PM. According to the intelligence from the fox demon, those malevolent entities would appear at Hai Shi (9 PM - 11 PM). We still had a few hours to plan. For now, we could only escort Li Da Niu's soul back. The rest would be decided after consulting with Li Chun Long and others.
Thinking this, I said to Old Mo, "Stop staring, let's go back first." We then continued towards the village without further delay. As soon as we entered the village, we saw many ghosts drifting in the dimness. These souls had pale faces and vacant eyes, drifting aimlessly through the village like walking corpses. Upon closer inspection, they were merely wandering spirits, attracted by the Yin energy and drifting here from the surroundings. Having drifted for too long, these wandering spirits had lost their minds, moving with the wind like animated corpses.
Old Mo and I were accustomed to this, so we paid them little mind. But Li Da Niu, seeing them, asked curiously, "Huh! Why are there so many people in the village? They're walking around, what are they doing?" I glanced back at him. It seemed he hadn't yet adjusted to his current state and couldn't accurately distinguish between people and ghosts in what he was seeing. Therefore, I casually replied, "They're not people, they're all ghosts..."