The female ghost was unlike ordinary vengeful spirits; she harbored a desire for repentance, yet was beyond her own control.
She could still be saved, and I intended to help her, thereby earning more merit and lamp oil for myself.
Thus, after drawing the ghost-suppressing talisman on her forehead, the female ghost became as vacant as an imbecile.
She instantly ceased moving, her eyes closed, no longer screaming or struggling.
I picked up the bottle wrapped in clothes and covered the bottom with the Eight Trigram Mirror, then uttered a low command:
"Capture!"
In an instant, the female ghost on the ground transformed into a wisp of black smoke and drifted into my bottle.
Where she had been lying, a small round token bearing the inscription "Taishan God" remained.
I first sealed the bottle cap tightly, then reinforced the seal with talismans I carried.
With my current cultivation and the strength of a red-clothed vengeful spirit, my talismans and methods could only contain her for about one night at most.
Therefore, I had to take the female ghost back tonight to deal with her properly.
If she could be sent away, so be it. If not, I couldn't be blamed for being ruthless; I would have to kill her.
However, after affixing the talismans, I felt an intense chill emanating from the mineral water bottle, as if it contained heavily frozen ice water.
I held it with one hand, using my internal energy to resist the cold.
Meanwhile, Chen Long had already picked up the small round token.
"Young Master Qin, look at this."
I took it and examined it. Externally, the token didn't seem particularly special.
It was the material, however, that I couldn't identify.
It was very light, extremely light. To call it wood would imply a hardness it possessed, yet to call it metal would make it too light.
Most importantly, there was the inscription "Taishan God" on it.
"Could this thing be related to our lineage?"
I gazed at the token, murmuring to myself.
Though it was a mere guess, I truly felt it was possible.
Firstly, my master's master, my grand-master, hailed from this region.
Roughly calculating the time, this female ghost should be from the late Qing Dynasty, a century ago.
It was highly probable that it was my grand-master or another elder who had suppressed her, which was entirely possible.
However, I had never seen this token before, so this was merely my conjecture.
Whether it was true or not, I would have to return and ask my uncle to know for sure.
"This token is somewhat extraordinary. It might be related to our lineage. I'll take it back to ask my uncle."
Chen Long and the others nodded.
Then, they cupped their fists and said,
"Young Master Qin, we shall take our leave now."
"Alright!"
I echoed.
The twelve demonic souls cupped their fists, transformed into wisps of blue smoke, and re-entered the Purple Bone Vine, reappearing as animal patterns.
With the vengeful spirit captured, I began walking downstairs with the bottle.
The female ghost had mentioned that she was previously sealed within a stone coffin, with a City God Temple suppressing it.
This Longgang Mountain had only one City God Temple.
It must be the dilapidated temple where I had previously bought ghost medicine.
I never imagined that such a fierce spirit was sealed beneath that ruin.
Lost in thought, I had already reached the ground floor.
Seeing me descend from upstairs completely unharmed,
the young Daoist priest exclaimed in surprise,
"Qin, Fellow Daoist Qin! Did, did you resolve it?"
His tone was much more respectful now, and he even performed a customary fist salute according to our traditions.
I nodded.
"Resolved!"
The young Daoist priest gasped, looking somewhat disbelieving.
Chu Yue also smiled.
"I knew you would handle it perfectly!"
"It was quite troublesome, actually. But it's alright now. I've captured that female ghost, and she's right here."
As I spoke, I lifted the bottle in my hand.
Everyone's eyes widened, looking at the mineral water bottle, wrapped in a reflective vest and bearing a talisman, with a mixture of awe and fear.
At this moment, Mr. Niu, the portly man, stepped forward.
"Daoist Master, what, what exactly is going on? Is there a problem with the feng shui here? How did a vengeful spirit appear?"
Many workers also nodded repeatedly, eager to know the reason.
Without hesitation, I explained what I knew.
"It's not that the feng shui here is bad. A hundred years ago, a master sealed a vengeful spirit here, hoping to dissolve her resentment over time and guide her to liberation.
But you were excavating here, and you dug up the City God Temple, breaking open a stone coffin beneath it.
This is how she was accidentally released…"
Upon hearing this, some workers immediately spoke up.
"Yes, yes, that's right. A few days ago, they did dig up a stone coffin here. Old Chen and the others thought they'd found treasure. But when they opened the coffin, it was just a pile of rotten wooden sticks, nothing valuable at all."
"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember too. That stone coffin looked quite old and worn. There seemed to be some strange drawings on it, like ghost scribbles. I didn't realize they were used to seal a vengeful spirit."
"..."
With a few workers speaking up,
the surrounding laborers looked at me with admiration.
"This Daoist Master, at such a young age, possesses such skill. It's truly remarkable!"
"Indeed. So young, yet able to capture such a fierce ghost. His future is boundless."
"Daoist Master, are you married? I have a niece who's quite beautiful. How about you add her on WeChat?"
Saying this, a dark-skinned uncle showed me his phone.
Inside was a dark-skinned woman with a large mouth and a large backside, her eyes wide like copper bells.
"Uncle, is she okay?"
"How is she? Is she good enough? Don't mind my niece's large mouth; a large mouth means she can eat a lot, large eyes mean she can hold things steady, and a large backside means she can bear children, hehehe!"
"..."
Though the uncle meant well, I was truly not interested.
Besides, besides Qing Dai, perhaps no one else could enter my heart.
I politely declined.
At the same time, I said to the young Daoist priest,
"Brother, let's step aside for a moment!"
When the young Daoist priest heard me say this,
he became somewhat fearful.
After all, he had been showing off in front of me earlier, and now knowing my identity, he was naturally apprehensive.
The foremost among the younger generation in the world today.
Hailed as a super genius of the Central Plains Daoist tradition.
If I were to do anything to him, he wouldn't even know how he died.
Sensing his nervousness, I spoke again.
"Don't be afraid. I just have a few questions I'd like to ask you…"