Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 78 A Contest of Daoist Techniques

The two left the inn and came to an open space outside the town.

Xuan Qingzi took a deep breath, held the copper coin in his palm, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

The copper coin trembled slightly, then slowly rose and hovered about a foot away from the palm of the hand.

It rose higher and higher, flew farther and farther, drawing a beautiful arc in the air, and finally landed thirty paces away.

"good!"

The two young Taoist priests behind Xuan Qingzi applauded and cheered.

Xuan Qingzi smiled slightly and looked at Zhou Ning: "Young Master Zhou, it's your turn."

Zhou Ning took out a copper coin from his pocket and placed it in his palm.

He closed his eyes, concentrated his true essence in his palm, let the true essence envelop the copper coin, and then used his divine sense to guide the flow of the true essence.

The copper coin slowly rose and hovered three inches from the palm of the hand.

Unlike Xuan Qingzi's copper coin, it didn't fly very high; instead, it flew quickly forward, skimming the ground.

Ten steps, twenty steps, thirty steps, forty steps...

The copper coin flew fifty paces before landing on the ground.

Moreover, it didn't fly straight out, but instead took a detour, drew a circle, and finally landed steadily in the designated spot.

Xuan Qingzi's expression changed.

Although his copper coins flew far, their trajectory was singular, and their spiritual energy fluctuations were unstable.

Zhou Ning's copper coins not only flew farther but could also change direction in mid-air, demonstrating that his mastery of the art of manipulating objects far surpassed that of his own.

"Young Master Zhou, you have quite the skills."

Xuan Qingzi forced a smile and said, "This humble Taoist concedes defeat."

Zhou Ning cupped his hands in greeting: "You flatter me, Daoist Master."

Xuan Qingzi was silent for a moment, then said, "Young Master Zhou, I have a request to make."

"Please speak, Taoist priest."

"This humble Taoist has traveled south in search of a rare medicinal herb. I've heard that Young Master Zhou has visited Yunmeng Marsh and Cangmang Mountain. Could you perhaps tell me where the medicinal herbs are located in those two places?"

Zhou Ning shook his head: "Daoist Master, spiritual herbs are rare treasures, obtained only by those with the right fate. I cannot tell you their exact location, as it might harm you. Yunmeng Marsh and Cangmang Mountain are both very dangerous; with your cultivation level, going there would likely be disastrous."

Xuan Qingzi's expression darkened further: "Young Master Zhou, are you looking down on this humble Taoist?"

Zhou Ning said, "It's not that I look down on you, it's just the truth. Daoist, your cultivation is not low, it's about the same as mine. But your manipulation of objects still has a lot of room for improvement. The demonic beasts of Yunmeng Marsh and the guardian spirit beasts of Cangmang Mountain are not things you can handle."

Xuan Qingzi snorted coldly.

"Young Master Zhou underestimates me. I've cultivated for thirty years; what storms haven't I weathered?"

Zhou Ning sighed.

"Since you insist on going, I won't stop you. But please remember, if you encounter danger, don't fight it head-on; preserving your life is the most important thing."

Xuan Qingzi did not answer and turned to leave.

Two young Taoist priests followed behind him. After walking a distance, they turned back to look at Zhou Ning, their eyes filled with resentment.

Zhou Ning shook his head and returned to the inn.

He didn't want to make enemies, but some things had to be made clear.

The path of spiritual practice cannot be traversed by mere stubbornness.

After Xuan Qingzi left, Zhou Ning stayed another night in Qingshan Town.

The next morning, as he was preparing to return to the mountain, he suddenly heard a commotion in the street.

Stepping out of the inn, I saw a group of people gathered around the notice board, pointing and gesturing.

Zhou Ning went over and saw a red paper posted on the notice board with the following text written on it.

"The Wang family in this town is haunted. The cries of weeping never cease at midnight, and the family is filled with fear and unease. If any master can exorcise this ghost, we are willing to offer one hundred taels of silver as a reward. Contact person: Master Wang, residing in the large house at the east end of town."

Zhou Ning shook his head after reading it.

It's haunted again.

He initially intended to ignore it, but thinking of the people tormented by ghosts and monsters, he decided to go and see for himself.

He found the Wang family's house by following the address on the notice.

The house was very large, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and it was quite impressive.

But the courtyard had a gloomy atmosphere, and even sunlight couldn't penetrate it.

Zhou Ning knocked on the door, and an old servant opened it. He looked at Zhou Ning with some wariness.

"Who are you?"

Zhou Ning said, "I am a cultivator. I heard that your house is haunted, so I came to take a look."

The old servant quickly invited him inside.

Master Wang was a middle-aged man in his fifties, with a haggard face and sunken eyes, clearly tormented by ghosts and monsters.

"Young man, can you exorcise ghosts?"

He looked Zhou Ning up and down, somewhat suspicious.

Zhou Ning nodded: "Take me to see it."

Master Wang led him to the backyard.

There is an old locust tree in the backyard, and a dry well under the tree.

The well opening was covered by a thick stone slab, on which was pasted a yellowed talisman.

"This is it."

Master Wang said in a trembling voice, "Every night, weeping sounds come from the well. It's so mournful and terrifying that it terrifies anyone who hears it. I've invited several Taoist priests, but nothing has worked."

Zhou Ning walked to the well, squatted down, and examined the talisman.

The runes on the talisman were already blurred and the spiritual power had long since dissipated.

He removed the talisman and moved the stone slab.

A chilling aura emanated from the well, carrying a faint stench of decay.

Zhou Ning closed his eyes and used his divine sense to perceive the situation down in the well.

Down in the well, a weak soul wanders.

It was the spirit of a young woman, not filled with resentment, but deeply fixated on something.

"There's a person buried underneath."

Zhou Ning asked, "Who are you to your family?"

Master Wang's face changed: "What? Someone's buried? Impossible."

Zhou Ning said, "We'll find out when we go down and take a look."

He found a rope, tied it around his waist, and had Wang's servants lower him down.

The well was very deep, at least several dozen feet deep.

Zhou Ning descended to the bottom of the well and found a small space with a pile of bones in the corner.

Beside the skeleton was a white jade hairpin.

Zhou Ning picked up the white jade hairpin and climbed out of the well.

"Whose hairpin is this?" he asked Master Wang.

When Master Wang took the hairpin, his expression changed drastically.

"This...this is the white jade hairpin that my wife was part of her dowry. Why is it at the bottom of the well? Didn't she run away with someone more than ten years ago?"

"Your wife? How did she end up in the well?"

Master Wang's eyes reddened: "Twelve years ago, my wife disappeared. We searched for her for a long time, and then we heard that she had eloped with someone. I... I believed it. I never expected... I never expected that she would die in the well."

Zhou Ning frowned: "How did your wife die?"

Master Wang shook his head: "I don't know. I can't believe it until you produce the white jade hairpin."

Zhou Ning said, "The space inside the well is cramped, so it doesn't seem like an accidental fall. Moreover, there are no signs of struggle next to her remains. She must have been pushed in."

Master Wang's face turned deathly pale.

"Were you pushed?"

Zhou Ning looked at him and said in a deep voice, "Master Wang, is your death related to anything?"

Master Wang hurriedly waved his hand: "No, absolutely not, I... Although I have some conflicts with her, considering we were husband and wife, how could I harm her?"

Are you sure?

Master Wang lowered his head.

"I... I resented that she only gave birth to daughters. After I took two concubines, I rarely spoke to her. The day she disappeared, I only cursed at her a few times, and then she ran away. And then... she never came back. I heard she eloped with some random man, I..."

As he spoke, Master Wang looked ashamed.

Zhou Ning sighed.

It's yet another family tragedy.

"Your wife's spirit is trapped in the well because her obsession hasn't subsided. What you need to do is build her a grave and give her a proper burial. Visit her grave on holidays and festivals. Once her resentment dissipates, she will naturally stop causing trouble."

Master Wang nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Ning then performed a ritual to help his wife's soul find peace, allowing her to rest in peace.

It was already dark when we left the Wang family's residence.

It seems that Madam Wang's resentment will not be eradicated anytime soon.