I let out a shout, simultaneously releasing my Dao aura.
Those were mere stray souls, the weakest kind of specters.
Upon hearing my cry and feeling the aura emanating from me, they all retreated in terror.
In front of Li Da Niu's house, dozens of lonely specters were densely packed.
At this moment, they quickly scattered in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished without a trace.
Seeing how powerful I was, scattering so many ghosts with a single shout, Li Da Niu was astonished:
"Dao, Daoist Master, you have great skill!"
I smiled at Li Da Niu, not taking it as a big deal.
At my current realm, if I couldn't scare away a few stray souls, it would truly be a waste.
"Let's go! We'll return the soul!"
With that, I continued to lead Li Da Niu forward.
After a short while, we arrived at the main gate.
On the gate, two protective talismans were affixed to the left and right.
These were the ones we had just drawn.
I knocked on the door and called out to the house:
"Qiu Xi, Xiao Yao, we're back!"
As soon as I finished speaking.
Xiao Yao's voice echoed from inside:
"Coming, Senior Brother Qin!"
A sound of footsteps followed, and then Xiao Yao appeared, looking out through the gap in the door.
She didn't open the door immediately.
Instead, she asked back:
"Senior Brother Qin, where did we first meet?"
Lao Mo rolled his eyes:
"Xiao Yao, it's really us. Why are you testing us with questions?"
I smiled, not minding.
After all, with so many ghosts surrounding the house just now, being cautious was not wrong.
I immediately replied:
"The Second Academy, I jumped out of the window back then."
Hearing this, Chen Yao happily said:
"Correct answer, I'll open the door for you now."
With that, she quickly unbolted the door and opened it wide.
Then, we saw Xiao Yao inside.
"Senior Brother, you're finally back. So many ghosts were outside just now, wanting to get in. It was so annoying," Xiao Yao complained.
Lao Mo and I, one on each side, first covered the protective talismans on the door.
We let Li Da Niu enter.
Then we closed the door and said:
"Yes, we saw them just now. They were all scared away. Once Li Da Niu's soul returns, everything will be fine."
Xiao Yao's cultivation was not high, but she could feel that ghosts had entered the courtyard.
Knowing that we had brought Li Da Niu's soul back, she didn't ask further and nodded.
Then, we walked into the house.
In the main hall, there were still more than ten villagers.
They were huddled together fearfully, each holding a yellow talisman.
Seeing us enter, they all stood up.
"Daoist Master!"
"Daoist Master, has Niu Wa's soul returned?"
"Daoist Master, can Niu Wa still be saved?"
"..."
The villagers spoke one after another, most of them being elders of Da Niu.
Li Da Niu looked around, still shouting:
"Third Uncle, Second Aunt, Fourth Uncle, I'm back..."
But no one could hear him.
I responded for him:
"Everyone, Li Da Niu's soul has returned, and he is by my side. He will wake up shortly."
After speaking, I gestured for Li Da Niu to enter the house.
Lao Mo, meanwhile, threw the four-tailed fox in his hand onto the ground:
"Everyone, it was this demon that lured away Li Da Niu's soul.
We have now slain it."
The villagers had already noticed the fox in Lao Mo's hand when we entered.
Upon hearing this, they were all astonished.
They gathered around.
"Heavens! Truly an evil creature, with four tails?"
"My grandfather used to say that a fox demon with one tail had a hundred years of cultivation. With four tails, this demon must have had four hundred years of cultivation!"
"The Daoist Masters are truly skilled, to kill a fox spirit with four hundred years of cultivation so easily and emerge unscathed!"
"..."
While astonished, the villagers continuously praised Lao Mo and me.
Lao Mo enjoyed hearing such praise and waved his hands with a smile:
"Minor issue, minor issue, this is what we are supposed to do."
While Lao Mo was handling things outside, I had already taken Li Da Niu's ghost into the inner room.
Inside the room, Qiu Xi, Li Da Niu, Grandpa Li, and Grandma Li were all present.
By the bedside, there was an oil lamp.
This was a life-sustaining lamp.
As long as this lamp did not extinguish and Li Da Niu's lifespan remained, his physical body would not die.
"Daoist Master, you're finally back..."
Grandma Li said with a tearful voice.
"Daoist Master, how is it?"
Grandpa Li also asked.
Li Da Niu kept speaking:
"Mom, I'm here!"
"Uncle, I'm back!"
Again, he was speaking alone, and no one could hear him.
I nodded:
"We're back!"
Then, I said to Qiu Xi:
"Qiu Xi, light the incense!"
Qiu Xi responded with a "Mm" and performed the task skillfully.
After lighting the incense, she handed it to me. I took the incense and, in front of everyone, circled Li Da Niu's soul:
"Pure and clean, a propitious return of the soul!"
After doing this, I signaled for Li Da Niu to return.
But Da Niu didn't know how to proceed and asked me:
"Dao, Daoist Master, I, what do I do?"
"Just lie down in your body. Your lifespan is not yet over. Your soul will automatically be drawn into your body by the physical form."
I said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Li Da Niu hurried forward.
He then lay back down onto his own body.
At that moment, nine spectral figures appeared.
These were the spectral forms of the three souls and seven spirits, also known as the Nine Manifestations of Soul Return.
Once the three souls and seven spirits returned to their proper places, Li Da Niu would be fine.
Everyone watched, including the villagers from outside, who all rushed in.
They all wanted to see if we had truly brought Li Da Niu back.
One minute, two minutes.
Just as most people were becoming anxious, Li Da Niu slowly opened his eyes, appearing extremely exhausted.
"Mom!"
The first word he uttered upon opening his eyes was to his mother.
Seeing Li Da Niu awake, Grandma Li could no longer contain herself:
"My son! My son, you're finally awake. You worried your mother to death!"
With that, she embraced Li Da Niu.
This scene caused all the villagers present to nod in admiration:
"What skill!"
"Although the Daoist Master is young, he possesses true ability!"
"With a few Daoist Masters here, the evil spirits in the village will surely be cleared out!"
"..."
Everyone discussed animatedly, continuously praising us.
Unlike Lao Mo, I didn't respond with hearty laughter.
In my heart, I knew that this fox demon was merely an appetizer, and the ghost tomb was just an interlude and prelude.
The real test still lay with the ghosts within the ghost tomb in the back mountain.
Such dense Yin ghost energy would surely birth more than just three yellow-clothed ghosts.
This matter would likely require contacting my Martial Uncle and Senior Cangsong, and other elders, for assistance.
Just as I thought this, my phone rang.
Picking it up, I saw it was Yun Long calling.
I assumed they must have arrived.
"Hello!"
"Brother Qin, where are you guys?
We've arrived. Why are there so many stray souls in this village? Is everything alright?"
Hearing Yun Long's words, I immediately replied:
"The situation might be quite serious. Have you entered the village? I'll come to meet you. We'll discuss it in detail when we meet..."
---
As the writing is in its later stages, there has been an issue with the outline design.
The update frequency will decrease during this period.
Wusheng will strive to write a high-quality continuation in the following chapters for everyone.