Qi Yu retracted her control over her magical abilities, continuing to feign the appearance of an ordinary young girl.
If that old woman had truly been in contact with the fox spirit and the bear spirit, she would have acted against Qi Yu at the opportune moment.
With this thought, Qi Yu turned back and headed back.
When she returned to the residence, the old woman was furiously beating her second daughter with a broom, cursing as she did so:
"You damned wench, you good-for-nothing! Didn't I tell you to keep the guest here properly? What have you done? You let her go! Did you say something you shouldn't have to that girl? I'm telling you, if you've messed things up, I'm not done with you! I'll skin you alive!"
"I didn't,呜呜呜" the second daughter wailed, rolling on the ground from the blows. She eventually cowered in a corner, tightly hugging her head. Meanwhile, the elder daughter, named 'Laoda', was diligently plucking chicken feathers, not even glancing over, as if she had long grown accustomed to such scenes.
After beating her second daughter, the old woman, panting, sat on a nearby stool, still clutching the broom.
The second daughter was about to speak when she turned and saw the figure standing at the doorway. She paused, and then an inexplicable surge of anger welled up in her eyes.
Why had this foolish girl returned?!
Hadn't she dragged this foolish girl out of the room earlier and urged her to run precisely to get her away from here?!
The second daughter was furious, a nameless rage brewing within her, but with nowhere to vent it, she could only turn away, looking at the ground in silence.
In contrast, the old woman's previously flushed face froze upon seeing Qi Yu walk in from the doorway. She then forced a smile and quickly went over, "Oh, my dear girl, I was just looking for you. I was wondering why you weren't calling out anymore. Where did you go?"
As she spoke, the old woman pulled Qi Yu to sit in the seat closest to her, her hand tightly gripping Qi Yu's as if she had grasped a lifeline, unwilling to let go.
Qi Yu's smile remained unchanged. Pretending not to notice the resentful gaze of the second daughter, she cheerfully said, "I just went to find a privy. Oh, and I was wondering if there are any temples nearby where I could pray or offer incense? My sister back home is injured, and I've been thinking of finding a place to pray for her. It would be wonderful if there was such a place."
Qi Yu said this deliberately, her eyes conveying a hint of sincerity as she spoke.
The old woman's eyes darted around for a moment before she nodded thoughtfully, "You know, there actually is such a place. But it's on a very distant mountain. Oh dear, that place is quite far. Are you sure you can manage? You'll have to go up the mountain with me."
Qi Yu nodded, indicating that she didn't mind and was happy to go up the mountain.
The second daughter couldn't hold back and, squatting in the corner, gritted her teeth and cursed, "Idiot."
The old woman clearly heard this curse and immediately frowned, saying, "Scram."
After chasing the second daughter out, the old woman's expression returned to its previous sternness, and with a benevolent smile, she began to tell Qi Yu about going up the mountain.
Qi Yu cooperated wholeheartedly, "Don't worry, no matter how arduous the climb, I'm not afraid. My goal is to go up the mountain and pray for my sister. If you know of a particularly efficacious mountain, that would be even better, as you are more familiar with this area."
The old woman repeatedly said "Good" several times, then turned, took two incense sticks, and went outside to kneel and pray for a long while, chanting earnestly.
Qi Yu watched the entire process from the side, as if observing an ordinary person offering incense and praying to Buddha.
Her expression remained unchanged, her demeanor unaltered.
Seeing this, the old woman naturally took Qi Yu for an ordinary mortal girl.
Therefore, her actions of offering incense and praying became even bolder. After lighting the two incense sticks, she even performed a ritualistic circling motion.
Little did she know that every one of her movements, every detail, was being observed by Qi Yu.
Qi Yu found her actions somewhat amusing.
This was not the act of ordinary incense offering to deities, nor was it the worship of Buddha. This was an invocation of ghosts and spirits.
As the old woman's actions grew more bizarre, a chilling wind suddenly swept through the surroundings, followed by a wave of black mist.
To mortal eyes, this mist appeared as ordinary thick fog, a wisp of white smoke, seemingly harmless.
But in Qi Yu's eyes, this black mist was infused with a potent demonic aura, almost stinging her eyes.
Qi Yu rubbed her eyes and, resting her chin on one hand, watched the old woman summon those demons and monsters.
After a short while, a knock sounded at the door from outside.
The old woman happily scurried to open it.
A man and a woman slowly entered.
The man was tall and slender, wearing a black cloak, while the woman was alluring and enchanting, her face adorned with a peculiar, heavy makeup.
The old woman invited them to sit down and then quickly went inside to prepare a freshly slaughtered chicken for a meal.
After braising a pot of chicken and cooking rice,
The old woman placed the chicken in front of the young couple first, letting them eat, and then introduced Qi Yu beside her:
"This girl came to my home because she got lost. Look..."
The old woman pulled Qi Yu's arm, gesturing for the couple to look at her, and chattered on, speaking many words that a normal human wouldn't understand.
The couple examined Qi Yu with a scrutinizing gaze, even pinching her arm as if they were quite satisfied with the "merchandise."
Qi Yu, resting her chin on one hand, watched the fox spirit and the bear spirit in front of her engage in their demonic chatter with the old woman. Growing impatient, she finally snapped her fingers in the air.
Instantly, a transparent film-like barrier appeared around the house.
The old woman, Laoda, La'er, and the young couple were all trapped within the barrier.
Si Qing and Yan Hua, who had been observing from the air, saw the barrier appear below the village and knew it was Qi Yu's signal. They descended immediately, appearing in the courtyard.
The old woman, Laoda, and La'er, being mere mortals, could see nothing. They only noticed the young couple's expressions change suddenly, and they turned to leave, but found they couldn't.
Qi Yu, now dressed in a silver-white long gown, appeared in the thatched hut and slowly walked towards the couple: "You two, I've been watching you for a while. Come, it's time for us to depart."