"Village Chief Li, please don't rush. What happened? Take your time and tell us."
Qingyun recognized the man before him; he was the village chief of Dongping Village at the foot of the mountain. Huoyun Mountain also fell under his jurisdiction. Therefore, he often dealt with the latter, as some matters required his cooperation.
Yaoyao also stood up, softly calling out, "Uncle Li." She had a deep impression of this uncle; he used to visit often when the Old Daoist Priest was still alive. Not only that, but he would also come to request talismans and burn incense during festivals, making him an old patron of the temple.
When he first learned that the temple was to be closed, he sighed for a long time. The rice and flour for Yaoyao's pancakes were also sent by him.
"This is not something that can be explained in a short time, Master. If it's convenient for you, please follow me to the village to take a look."
"I'll tell you the details on the way, so we don't waste time."
The middle-aged man, Li Zhengqin, spoke with a tone full of pleading, clearly indicating that he had encountered significant trouble.
"Alright, then we'll talk on the way. Yaoyao, you also come along with Senior Uncle." Qingyun agreed without a second thought.
Aside from the saying that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, simply considering the latter's identity, it would be difficult to refuse. Of course, the real reason he agreed so readily was that his Senior Niece was present, ensuring his own safety.
Yaoyao herself had also received kindness from him. With this, the three immediately agreed and went down the mountain without delay.
On the way, Yaoyao also clarified the whole story. It turned out that the man's urgency was due to several children in the village suddenly becoming "possessed."
Their lives weren't in danger, and the town doctor had even taken their pulses, finding nothing wrong. However, they were all like lost souls, unresponsive when called, and occasionally breaking into idiotic, nonsensical smiles. This terrified their parents, and the villagers, knowing of his good relationship with the Daoist priest of Huoyun Temple, pleaded with him to invite the priest.
Li Zhengqin was also afraid that actual lives would be lost, which would inevitably implicate him. So, he didn't even eat two mouthfuls of rice before rushing over.
"Uncle Li, before they developed this condition, did they go anywhere specific, or do anything in particular?" Yaoyao, hearing "lost souls," her round eyes paused for a moment before she asked crisply.
Li Zhengqin didn't know that the truly capable person in Huoyun Temple was actually the small child before him. Seeing her speak now, he subconsciously looked at Qingyun, who casually said,
"Village Chief Li, just speak freely. My Senior Niece has inherited the true teachings of the temple and her Daoist cultivation is profound. Since she has asked, she will surely be able to help you resolve your troubles."
Li Zhengqin immediately showed profound respect upon hearing this. To think that even the junior generation of Huoyun Temple was so outstanding, the Master himself must be even more incredible. At this, he no longer feared that the trouble he encountered couldn't be resolved. Realizing this, he tried hard to calm down and organize his words.
"According to those families, they said they went to the abandoned rabbit farm behind the village..."
That place used to be a rabbit meat farm. Besides the breeding sheds, there was also a slaughterhouse. In the beginning, the factory was very prosperous, providing jobs for many villagers, and the villagers were very optimistic about it.
Who knew fate would be unkind? The factory owner's wife and her lover actually conspired to abscond with his money, completely cutting off the factory's funds. Moreover, at that time, to secure a large order, he had even taken out a loan from the bank. After that incident, the money was gone, the goods couldn't be produced, and his family was utterly destroyed... Under multiple blows, he couldn't cope and hanged himself in his office.
"Ah, when he was discovered dead, they said he had used blood to write a wall full of curses. His death was terrifying!"
"That woman truly committed a great evil, ruining such a good man."
Li Zhengqin said, his voice hoarse.
Because the matter was so eerie, the village later arranged for a ritual to be performed to pacify the spirit. The rites of transcendence lasted for a full seven days before they were completed. Later, as time passed, the incident was gradually forgotten, but the villagers still dared not go near that factory. Only those wild children, fearless as newborn calves, dared to wander into such places.
"Master, by rights, this shouldn't be the work of that person, right? We properly performed the rites of transcendence for him!"
And for so many years, all had been calm. If he had truly become a malevolent ghost, he should have appeared long ago.
Yaoyao shook her head and said, "Uncle, it's hard to say about this. Let's look at the situation first."
Regarding her uncle's mention of performing rites of transcendence, Yaoyao didn't speak in absolutes, because some malevolent ghosts wouldn't be transcended. Especially when the transcender's cultivation wasn't sufficient, it was easy to be deceived by the evil spirit.
But one thing the latter was indeed correct about: nothing had happened for so long, and this was not the patience an evil spirit usually possessed.
"Alright, then we'll see first." Li Zhengqin saw that she didn't wish to say more and consciously stopped talking.
...
The mountain was not far from the village, a little over fifteen minutes' walk. This was considering the village chief's age; otherwise, it would have been much faster, but it didn't make much difference, as no lives were at stake yet.
For convenience, the villagers had already gathered the affected children from various families at the village chief's house, which saved Yaoyao a lot of effort.
"Master, the people are inside the inner room. You'll see them soon..."
Li Zhengqin led them, speaking as he walked through his front door.
But his words suddenly halted as he saw his wife rushing out, her face filled with panic.
This sight made his heart skip a beat. For a moment, he disregarded the Master beside him and quickly ran to stop her.
"Old wife, what are you doing in such a hurry? What happened?"
When she was stopped, she was like a startled bird. After a moment, recognizing her husband, she first sighed in relief. Then, as if remembering something, her voice suddenly became urgent: "They've gone mad! Those children have gone mad! Husband, quickly think of something!"
As these words came out, Li Zhengqin was somewhat slow to react. His head buzzed. What did she mean, "gone mad"?
However, Yaoyao's expression changed. Her lips pursed, and her body vanished from where she stood.
After her movement, a loud bang came from the room ahead.
A figure was seen, as if struck by immense force, flying directly out. The height, just seeing it, was terrifying; if it actually fell and hit the ground, it would surely be at least half-crippled.
Everyone present turned pale with fright, and the middle-aged woman from earlier couldn't help but shriek.
Just as a tragedy seemed imminent, the flying figure was caught by Yaoyao, who had suddenly appeared. Although the impact force was immense, it could not overwhelm Yaoyao's strong physical body; she easily diffused it with a raised hand.
"Stand aside~" Yaoyao then placed the person behind her, ignoring the latter's shaken expression.
At this moment, her clear eyes stared fixedly at the doorway. Under her perception, the Yin energy in this room was so dense it was almost impossible to dissipate.
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