Calling Souls to Guide Ghosts

Village Chief Pan managed to maintain a relatively calm composure. I smiled and said, "Chief, you've got quite the nerve. You can remain this calm even after seeing something like this."

Village Chief Pan waved his hand again and replied, "Living in the countryside, I've seen plenty of bizarre things, so I was somewhat psychologically prepared. What should we do next?"

I cupped my chin, glanced at the time, and said, "Wait!"

"Wait?" Village Chief Pan asked, looking puzzled.

I nodded, picked up the Soul-Guiding Banner, and drew three more talismans. We waited inside the room until it was almost midnight. Only then did I stand up and hand the Soul-Guiding Banner to Xiuying and Village Chief Pan. They both took it with looks of astonishment and asked, "What is this...?"

Holding another part of the gear, I explained, "The mortal hour has passed, and midnight is approaching. Yin energy is thriving while Yang energy wanes. In a moment, you will come outside with me to call back the soul. Dongzi's soul was lured away, so it can definitely be summoned back. However, stepping outside later might be dangerous. Are you afraid?"

Upon hearing this, Village Chief Pan froze again and blurted out, "You've got to be kidding me. More of this?"

I nodded silently and looked at Xiuying. She met my gaze, shook her head, and said, "As long as we can save Dongzi, I'm not afraid of anything."

I uttered a word of affirmation, and Village Chief Pan gave a hesitant nod. I checked the time once more and said, "Let's go. We cannot delay any longer. My two brothers, I entrust this place to you."

With those final words, I turned my head and spoke to the two large black dogs. The dogs let out a few barks. I nodded and walked straight out the door. It was now precisely midnight, and every household had drifted off to sleep. Although calling the souls now might disturb the villagers, this was the only way I had left to save Dongzi. If my master were here, a single Nether Gate would solve everything. At this thought, I offered a bitter smile.

Village Chief Pan walked cautiously by my side. I glanced at him and Xiuying, then instructed, "Form a single file. Whatever I shout, you shout after me. Remember, no matter what sounds you hear or what you feel, pretend you hear and feel nothing. We will walk three circles inside the village, and three circles outside the village. Once Dongzi's soul returns, a fierce battle will follow!"

With a heavy frown, I finished my instructions as Village Chief Pan and Xiuying fell in behind me. I surveyed the surroundings, cleared my throat, and began to chant: "Wandering souls, where do you linger? Three auras descend, six souls return to the flesh. Dongzi's three souls, return quickly now, your family awaits you!"

After I chanted the first verse, Village Chief Pan and Xiuying joined in, though their voices were timid and soft. We kept chanting the soul-calling incantation as we paced back and forth through the village. I noticed lights turning on one by one behind the windows. Many villagers had woken up from their deep sleep; some cracked open their doors to peer outside, while others pressed against their windowpanes. I paid them no mind and continued the chant.

Soon, after we finished our third circle, a gentle breeze began to blow, rustling the sand on the ground with a soft soughing sound. From nearby, I heard a loud crash, as if some wooden rack had toppled over.

A wave of intense heat gradually rose in my right arm. I knew something was approaching. Village Chief Pan and Xiuying were startled by the sudden loud noise and tried to look back, but I instantly stopped them. Without turning my head, I said in a low, stern voice, "Don't look back! Keep walking! Something is following us!"

As soon as I spoke, Village Chief Pan and Xiuying were struck with terror. The onlookers peering from inside their houses also let out frightened gasps, quickly bolting their doors and windows and extinguishing the lights. Glancing back with the corner of my eye, I was shocked to discover a dozen ghostly shadows trailing directly behind us. These wraiths radiated intense grievance and hostility, yet they did not attack us—presumably kept at bay by the power of the Soul-Guiding Banner.

Taking the lead, I quickened my pace out of the village while continuing to chant. Gradually, I sensed a pure soul-energy drifting closer, hovering near my side. Then a second, and a third. A total of three souls had gathered around me. Village Chief Pan, being a man, handled the sight of ghosts slightly better, but Xiuying was entirely different. Upon seeing the three floating souls, she let out a piercing shriek. My heart skipped a beat, and a dark premonition washed over me: *Not good!*

Sure enough, the very next moment, Xiuying let out another cry of terror. The three souls by my side were startled and instantly drifted far away. I hurriedly whipped out three yellow talismans and flung them toward the sky where Dongzi's terrified soul was fleeing. I managed to reel Dongzi's soul back in, and with lightning reflexes, I flashed to Xiuying's side, grabbing her heavily by the shoulder. In truth, I wasn't just grabbing her; Xiuying had already been entangled by a vengeful ghost, drawn in by her two panicked screams. Twisting my wrist, I swiped away the ghost's hand and drove a fierce kick straight into its abdomen, sending it hurtling backward through the air.

Because I had initiated the attack, all the lingering vengeful spirits snapped to full awareness, fixing their malevolent gazes on the three of us. I stepped in front of Village Chief Pan and Xiuying, demanding, "Vile spirits! What gives you the audacity to come to the realm of the living and unlawfully shackle souls?"

One of the opposing ghosts locked its pale, blood-smeared face onto mine and let out a sinister, cackling laugh. "Heh-heh... This mortal owes us a debt. Why shouldn't we come to claim his soul?"

"Owes you? Owes you what? You're spinning utter ghost-tales—do you honestly think I'll believe that? I'll give you two choices: either I obliterate you right now, or you crawl back to the underworld!"

When I finished, the vengeful ghosts didn't retreat; instead, they burst into laughter. "In the late Qing Dynasty, this man incurred a debt at a gambling house. He promised to repay us once he had silver, but then he vanished without a trace. We thought he had fled, but we finally learned he died and reincarnated into the Zheng family. Today, not only am I collecting the debt, but I'm taking his life as well. Human boy, I advise you not to meddle in affairs that don't concern you, lest you forfeit your own life!"

Hearing this, I paused for a moment before letting out a cold, derisive laugh. I shook my head and said, "You're trying to collect a debt from the Qing Dynasty in the modern era—how should I even address you? Are your brains fried, or have you become utterly brainless from being ghosts? Wei Jiang can really spin a tall tale, can't he? The Qing Dynasty... Heh. Since that's how it is, there's nothing left to discuss. If you're eager to die, I'll gladly grant your wish."

The vengeful spirit glared at me with blood-red eyes and hissed, "Shameless braggart! You're still underestimating the situation. Heh-heh-heh-heh... Did you really think there were only a few of us here?"

At those words, my brow furrowed deeply, and I looked back toward the village. The sight that met my eyes left me utterly stunned. Countless vengeful spirits and wronged souls had manifested inside the village, storming into every house. The villagers screamed in sheer terror as they tried to flee, only to be slaughtered one by one beneath ghostly claws. Among them, I caught sight of a familiar figure—the village chief's wife, Shuangzi. Shuangzi was running frantically in terror, pursued closely by several vicious phantoms. Upon seeing this, Village Chief Pan shrieked at the top of his lungs, "Shuangzi!"

Frowning heavily, I turned my gaze back to the spirit in front of me and crooked my finger, dispensing with any further talk. The Tianyin Breaking Blade materialized in my grip. With a fierce sweep forward, a crescent-shaped blade of glacial light surged outward. The opposing phantoms proved no match for me; the piercing light cleaved them into wisps of grey smoke. Without pausing, I looked toward Shuangzi. Screaming in panic as she fled, her foot caught on a stone, and she tumbled hard to the ground, looking back in absolute horror as the ghost loomed above her in mid-air.

The phantom wore a wicked, sinister grin as its ghostly claws plunged downward. Shuangzi let out a piercing shriek, raising her arms to shield her face. Just as the claws struck, a spear wreathed in chilling light hurtled through the air, piercing straight through the center of the specter's chest. With a miserable howl, the ghost vanished on the spot.

I rushed forward and deftly caught the returning Tianyin Breaking Blade, then charged toward the other fleeing villagers. Village Chief Pan had already reached Shuangzi's side, hauling her to her feet. The moment she realized it was her husband, Shuangzi threw herself into his embrace, weeping uncontrollably out of sheer fright. Village Chief Pan offered a few comforting words before casting a look of utter shock and awe in my direction.

Standing amidst the chaos, my expression remained completely impassive. With the Tianyin Breaking Blade slung across my back, I flicked my wrist, sending a pair of interlocking black and white fish symbols spinning into the night sky. They expanded into a massive, towering black Taiji diagram that instantly flooded the nocturnal village with dazzling brilliance. Across the settlement, every single vengeful spirit let out a piercing shriek, clutching their eyes as they vanished into nothingness one after another.