After finishing all that, Zhang Enpu picked up a stone from the ground and started writing and drawing on the dirt. Liu Dashao had no idea what the old man was up to, so he simply watched from the side.
“Master Liu, tell me, wasn’t Xiushui Village peaceful before? It’s only been recently—these past few months—that strange things have been happening frequently, right?” Zhang Enpu asked without lifting his head.
Liu Dashao thought for a moment and nodded. “Yes, only in the past few months. Everything’s been really bizarre.”
“Oh!”
“So what exactly happened?”
“First,” Liu Dashao recalled, “I went with Guoqiang and a few others to the Wuxian Lingguan Temple. After we returned, they all encountered evil spirits and lost their senses. Old Madam Fan said they were bewitched by a snake spirit. It took her a lot of effort to finally cure them.”
“The Wuxian Lingguan Temple? Where is that?”
“It’s on the nearby haunted graveyard. It’s been there for ages, but now it’s abandoned and no one lights incense there anymore.”
Zhang Enpu nodded and used the stone to write the words “Lingguan Temple” on the ground.
“What happened next?”
“Then…” Liu Dashao thought for a moment. “Then there was Ah Lan, that girl from the village. She hanged herself, and somehow turned into a vengeful ghost. Fortunately, Old Madam Fan managed to help her soul pass on. But strangely, even after her soul was laid to rest, her corpse turned into a jiangshi—a hopping vampire—and now she’s become a Handan drought demon.”
“Ah Lan…” Zhang Enpu furrowed his brows and wrote the name “Ah Lan” on the ground.
“Where was her body originally buried?”
“I think it was on the dam,” Liu Dashao replied. “Not too long ago, there was even a construction team repairing the dam. Oh, now that I think about it,” he suddenly slapped his head, “I remember hearing some villagers gossiping that Ah Lan had some kind of inappropriate relationship with one of the construction workers and even the village head. One night, that construction worker was on duty and actually got scared to death!”
“Oh? There was such a thing?”
“You bet there was!” Liu Dashao nodded repeatedly.
Zhang Enpu smiled and wrote “dam” on the ground. After finishing, he fell into deep thought.
After a while, he seemed to understand something. “It seems that the dam and the haunted graveyard are quite suspicious.”
“Old Madam Fan also mentioned something like that,” Liu Dashao added. “She said it seemed like someone had set up a formation. She said the yin energy there was many times stronger than outside.”
“Ah! That explains it!” Zhang Enpu clapped his hands together. He used the stone to circle the three words he had written and connected them together.
“We’re going to the Lingguan Temple now to deal with those creatures, and then we’ll check out the dam,” he said, picking up his Celestial Sword and preparing to leave.
“Master, what exactly did you figure out? You’re being so mysterious,” Liu Dashao muttered.
Zhang Enpu paused and said calmly, “If we don’t stop the source, the evil in the village will only get worse and more uncontrollable. Exorcising demons is like prescribing medicine—it must treat both the symptoms and the root cause!”
“So what do we do?”
“You lead the way!”
“Seriously? We’re really going?”
“To the Wuxian Lingguan Temple!” Zhang Enpu smiled.
After turning around the mountain, they had already walked for about ten minutes. The village houses were far behind them now, and in front were grave mounds without tombstones, and crows cawing from tangled branches.
“Master…” Seeing the familiar surroundings, Liu Dashao recalled previous events and his psychological trauma kicked in. He tugged at Zhang Enpu’s robe.
“Hehe, what’s wrong? Scared?” Zhang Enpu smiled knowingly.
“More or less. I’m telling you, that temple is really creepy,” Liu Dashao muttered. “I even saw those five Lingguan statues smiling with my own eyes.”
Liu Dashao thought saying this would make Zhang Enpu reconsider, but the old man showed no reaction at all and continued walking at his own pace.
“Master, Master…”
“What now?”
“Did you hear what I just said?” Liu Dashao asked.
“I heard it,” Zhang Enpu replied.
“Then… are you really going inside?”
“Of course. The statues smiling, the candles going out, and people encountering evil spirits—these are just minor tricks by local spirits. Nothing to worry about. I’ll go in. You wait outside,” Zhang Enpu explained.
“So… I don’t have to go in?” Hearing that, Liu Dashao immediately felt relieved.
“Mm,” Zhang Enpu quickened his pace.
In front of the Wuxian Lingguan Temple, the plaque had collapsed, and spider webs hung everywhere. Whether it was due to the setting sun or light refraction, the entire temple exuded a ghostly aura, with the walls bathed in a dark red hue.
“You stay outside. Don’t wander off. I’ll come out soon,” Zhang Enpu hummed, patted Liu Dashao’s shoulder, and pushed the door open.
Inside the temple, everything was silent.
But the moment Zhang Enpu stepped inside, the two heavy doors slammed shut behind him without warning.
At the same time, the two candles on the broken altar, covered in wax tears, lit up with a faint glow, illuminating half of the five grotesque statues.
The wind blew, swirling leaves across the floor, brushing against Zhang Enpu’s Taoist robe. Shadows danced and twisted, fragmented and hideous.
“Hmph,” Zhang Enpu didn’t even look. He raised his hand, stepped forward with his left foot, drawing half a Tai Chi symbol in front of him. With his right hand, he slowly unsheathed his Celestial Sword.
“I, Zhang Enpu, the 64th-generation disciple of the Zhengyi Taoist Sect, am here. Demons and spirits, retreat at once!”
“Gigigiggle… hehehe…”
“Gigigiggle…” The five statues’ eyes glowed with eerie green light, and their mouths stretched wide, as if mocking him.
“Clang!!” That was the sound of the sword being drawn!
Hearing the chilling laughter from inside the temple, Liu Dashao’s body shuddered. Then came a series of screams and the sound of furniture falling over. Liu Dashao was about to shout for Zhang Enpu, but all sounds suddenly stopped.
Could it be… the old Taoist had met his end?
That was Liu Dashao’s immediate thought. But soon, his assumption was proven wrong, as the temple door opened again, and Zhang Enpu walked out unharmed, exuding the aura of an immortal.
Zhang Enpu raised his hand and tossed five plump objects hanging from his sword sheath onto the ground in front of Liu Dashao.
Liu Dashao looked down and saw five fat little animals: a pig, a fox, a snake, a weasel, and so on.
“What are these?”
“You don’t recognize them? These are the five things that scared you,” Zhang Enpu shook his head. “They’re just ordinary animals from Northeast China that have gained some spiritual power.”
“But weren’t they the Lingguan gods? I saw them smiling!” Liu Dashao argued in disbelief.
“Lingguan gods? Those are just wooden and clay figures carved by villagers. How could they come alive? They were merely possessed by these animals to scare you and make fools of you.”
“Master, you’re amazing!” Liu Dashao was now completely convinced.
“Hehe, just a small matter. Now, take me to the dam,” Zhang Enpu said.
When they arrived at the dam, Zhang Enpu’s expression changed dramatically. He kept calculating with his fingers, sighing repeatedly.
“No wonder… no wonder…”
“This is clearly the Jiuhuai Juyin Formation! With this formation, the negative energy from the haunted graveyard and its surroundings has been continuously trapped within the narrow confines of the dam. The accumulated resentment circulates endlessly here, making it a terrifying presence. Any mountain spirit or evil ghost here would gain power tenfold. No wonder that girl Ah Lan, even after her soul was laid to rest, turned into a hopping vampire. No wonder that within just a few months, the vampire became a feared Handan drought demon!”
At this point, all of Zhang Enpu’s previous doubts suddenly connected like a string, and all the causes pointed directly to this dam.
“But who in the world would go to such lengths to set up such a formation here?” Zhang Enpu muttered to himself in confusion.
Liu Dashao shook his head. His expression clearly said, “You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?”
“Master Liu, let’s go back and get the compass. This place is no ordinary one,” Zhang Enpu sighed deeply.
After the two of them returned to Xiushui Village, panting from the effort, they briefly explained the situation to the two village elders. Bai E’lai and Tian Guoqiang immediately offered to accompany them for support. After failing to dissuade them, Zhang Enpu gave up. After all, having a few strong men along might actually be helpful.
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