After my incantation, Huang Qiniang's demonic soul was completely annihilated, posing no further threat.
Daoist Master Yunxia retracted his whisk and exclaimed, "Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate."
Then he addressed us, saying, "Qiu Xi, Xiao Qin did very well. Sometimes, one must not be swayed by the appearance of evil spirits and show undue pity."
Although Xia Qiu Xi had remained silent earlier, Daoist Master Yunxia, as her master, clearly perceived her thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Xia Qiu Xi did not argue. She glanced at me, then nodded slightly at Daoist Master Yunxia, "I understand, Master!"
Daoist Master Yunxia responded with an "En," and then said to me, "You young fellow, at such a tender age, you have already learned the Qiankun Array's Incantation Seal. Well done, very well done..."
Daoist Master Yunxia actually knew the cultivation technique I practiced. It seemed her relationship with my master was perhaps closer than I had imagined.
I rubbed my head, "Senior, you flatter me. It is all due to my master's excellent teaching."
Daoist Master Yunxia didn't say much more, merely taking a deep breath, "Alright, let us leave here as soon as possible!"
With that, Daoist Master Yunxia raised his hand, and a red talisman shot out, sticking to Huang Qiniang's true form. The next moment, fierce flames erupted, engulfing Huang Qiniang's corpse in an instant.
Seeing this, Old Mo and I looked on with admiration. It was a Flame Talisman, a truly rare sight.
Despite our surprise, everyone nodded. After all, the monster was vanquished, and there was no point lingering in this abandoned construction site.
We then turned and left the site. Daoist Master Yunxia used the same method to completely burn the corpses of the other two weasel spirits with a fierce fire talisman.
Upon reaching the outside, I asked Daoist Master Yunxia where they were staying. Daoist Master Yunxia said they were staying at a nearby hotel. Xia Qiu Xi had sensed demonic energy while they were out at the night market and had pursued it. During that time, she had lost contact with Daoist Master Yunxia, but fortunately, Daoist Master Yunxia arrived in time. Not only did she save our lives, but she also managed to injure the old monster Huang Qiniang, thus creating an opportunity to kill her.
The hour was now very late. After a few pleasantries, Daoist Master Yunxia took Xia Qiu Xi and left. She mentioned that tomorrow she would bring Xia Qiu Xi to visit my master and Old Mo. Old Mo and I both nodded, watching Daoist Master Yunxia and Xia Qiu Xi depart.
Tonight's ordeal had been truly dramatic. First, we encountered malevolent spirits in the cinema, and then we faced weasel spirits. Now, we all bore wounds. My neck ached and was already swollen. Old Mo's chest throbbed with pain from a kick. Xiao Mei had injured a leg, which was bleeding. And Xiao Mei had reverted to her fox form, now held in my arms.
Old Mo checked the time and then said to me, "Old Qin, it's already half past twelve. Shall we head back?"
Just as I was about to answer, my phone rang. I had a message. I held Xiao Mei with one arm and took out my phone with the other. I saw that Li Shiyao had sent me several messages. The earlier ones asked when we would return and if she should wait for us. The latest message said that the boss had closed up shop and she was heading home. She asked us to message her once we were done, and she would go home by herself. Seeing this, I suddenly remembered. When we left, we had said we would be back shortly and asked Li Shiyao to wait for us at the skewer shop. We had ended up delaying for so long. Old Mo and I had even forgotten about her. I quickly sent her a voice message, apologizing and telling her to go home and rest well, as we had just finished dealing with our matters...
After we exchanged a few messages, Old Mo hailed a taxi. We stood at the intersection waiting for a while, the cigarette burning my throat. I felt as if my windpipe had been crushed by Huang Qiniang.
After getting into the car, the driver glanced several times at Xiao Mei in my arms. He asked me what breed of dog it was. I could only smile and bluff, saying it was a Russian Pomeranian, a rare breed. Hearing this, Xiao Mei in my arms whimpered a few times at me, clearly not satisfied with my explanation. I quickly signaled to her. If Xiao Mei were to say anything, it might frighten the driver, which would be problematic.
Half an hour later, I said goodbye to Old Mo and got out of the car with Xiao Mei. The streets were deserted in the dead of night, but I no longer felt the fear and trepidation I once did. Instead, I had gained a more accurate understanding and perception of the supernatural. Only a minority of ghosts were harmful. Most ghosts were no different from humans, except that they were invisible to the naked eye.
Ten minutes later, I returned to my room. Although exhausted, I took out the medical kit and first bandaged Xiao Mei's leg. Then I took out a blanket and made a nest for her on the sofa. After I had finished, Xiao Mei mumbled a faint "Thank you" to me before lying down to sleep. I smiled, went to wash up, and then lay back down on the bed.
I looked at my Ghost Lifespan Money. Killing Huang Qiniang should have added at least one to two months of lamp oil. The grayish-brown Ghost Lifespan Money had turned dark brown again, totaling about one hundred and thirty to forty days of lamp oil. The harvest was quite significant. I took a deep breath, recalling the night's events. It had been a close call. However, I still felt that my cultivation and strength were too weak. Although I had the Wuchang Curse Seal, it couldn't entirely guarantee my safety. Therefore, I had to continue to work hard and improve my cultivation. Only with sufficiently high cultivation could I stand invincible and survive in this profession of life and death. As I pondered this, I drifted into a deep sleep. When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next morning...