Deep within the secluded temple courtyard stood an ancient well, covered by a bluestone slab. A Dharani scripture blanket lay draped over the slab, and four chains stretched from the well’s edge to the hands of Arhat stone statues positioned at each of its four corners.

An old monk with a white beard sat cross-legged in front of the well.

This area was already off-limits to tourists, and recently, the abbot had even strictly forbidden any monks in the temple from approaching it.

As the sun set in the west, the old monk’s shadow stretched long, until another figure stepped onto it.

The old monk opened his eyes, exhaling softly. “Donor Liu, you’ve finally arrived.”

Aunt Liu dropped the large bag she was carrying onto the ground. She walked up to one of the stone Arhat statues, grabbed a chain, and pulled it back.

With a clatter, the other three chains moved in unison, releasing the four stones that sealed the well’s center.

Aunt Liu walked to the edge of the well, uncovered the Dharani scripture blanket, and casually tossed it aside. Then she lifted her foot and, with a thud, kicked over the uppermost bluestone slab.

The old monk said nothing more, quietly picking up the blanket.

Aunt Liu didn’t immediately descend into the well. Instead, she looked at the old monk and asked, “What are you still doing here?”

The old monk replied, “Since Donor Liu has entrusted this here, it is this poor monk’s duty to personally guard it.”

“Mind your own business.”

“Donor Liu, this is our temple’s well.”

“During the Qianlong period, my Liu family ancestors used this well to suppress a corpse demon. Later, they ordered their attendants to establish a temple here to guard it. If you consider it carefully, old monk, the first abbot of this temple, your grandmaster, also worshipped my Liu family’s Dragon King. So, shouldn’t this temple belong to my Liu family?”

The old monk replied, “Donor Liu is absolutely correct.”

“Heh, I thought an old monk like you would tell me, ‘times have changed’.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” the old monk said frankly. “As long as my worldly cultivation is incomplete, I have no face to meet the Buddha.”

“Move aside.”

The old monk raised his hand: “Donor Liu, please retrieve that item first.”

Aunt Liu waved her hand. A black shadow darted out from an unknown corner, scurried up from her feet, and finally reached her palm. With a flick of her wrist, the object disappeared.

The old monk exhaled deeply, stood up, and left with the blanket.

He was there to watch something, but not what was in the well. Instead, it was the object placed by the well.

If that object were to lose control and cause disaster, everyone in the temple would likely end up blackened from head to toe, collectively journeying to the Western Paradise to meet the Buddha.

After the old monk left, Aunt Liu jumped into the well. Soon, she pulled out Yin Meng, who was completely naked.

After placing her at the well’s edge, Aunt Liu lightly rubbed her fingernails. A peculiar fragrance emanated and wafted to Yin Meng’s nose.

Yin Meng opened her eyes.

“Master…”

“From now on, revert to your previous address.”

“Aunt Liu.”

Aunt Liu nodded, her fingers tracing Yin Meng’s pale, smooth skin. She smiled as she felt its texture:

“Now this is how a girl from Sichuan and Chongqing should look.”

Yin Meng asked, “Aunt Liu, weren’t I supposed to soak for a day and a night?”

No girl could resist the temptation of having better skin.

“Someone asked me to pull you out early.”

Yin Meng immediately nodded: “Of course.”

“I brought you a few sets of clothes. Choose one to wear now, and take the rest with you. Your old clothes were too old-fashioned; even country old aunties dress more fashionably than you.”

Yin Meng chose an outfit from the bag and put it on. She straightened up and ran her hands through her wet hair, pulling it back. There was a youthful and carefree elegance about her; she was, after all, very young.

“Aunt Liu, thank you.”

Her grandfather was a man, and her parents had left her life very early. In Aunt Liu, Yin Meng found a maternal presence.

“No need to thank me, it’s what I should do.”

Aunt Liu stretched, feeling little reluctance but immense relief. These past few days had truly put her through the wringer.

“Mengmeng, remember, when you look for a partner in the future, find someone who can cook.”

“Okay.”

“If you ever pick the wrong person, just cook them a meal yourself.”

Yin Meng returned to the Liu family home. She pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in, seeing Li Zhuiyuan and Ah Li sitting under a flower trellis. Both the boy and the girl had their heads tilted up, using the starry sky as a chessboard.

Li Zhuiyuan shifted his gaze, looked at Yin Meng, then shifted it back to continue his game. Still, he offered a two-word comment: “Whiter.”

Yin Meng smiled and asked, “Have you eaten?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “That’s a rather frightening question.”

Yin Meng quickly waved her hand: “No, no, Aunt Liu went to buy groceries. She’ll be back to cook soon.”

“That’s for Grandma and Ah Li; we probably won’t make it in time to eat.” As he spoke, Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze turned to Tan Wenbin, who was running along a distant path.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, I’ve arranged everything.”

“Thanks for your hard work, Brother Binbin.”

Li Zhuiyuan turned to Ah Li: “I’m going out. I’ll bring you a gift when I come back.”

Ah Li nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the bone ring on his left ring finger. He really liked it, but unfortunately, his body would continue to grow, and eventually, the ring wouldn’t fit anymore.

But it didn’t matter; he could just dig another one out of the remains of the dead.

As the young man walked out of the courtyard gate, he paused and looked back. The girl under the flower trellis was still watching him.

Li Zhuiyuan reached up and touched his own face.

He was mentally prepared that his demeanor would once again become tense during the upcoming period.

The young man strode forward.

Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng, who were following behind, exchanged a look. They both understood the unspoken message: Brother Xiaoyuan would be away from Ah Li for a while, and they had to be careful not to make mistakes, especially not to act foolishly.

Tan Wenbin’s arrangements were very thorough.

He arranged the sparring grounds at an open space by the river outside the school infirmary.

Moreover, he had pre-ordered food from Old Sichuan and brought chairs.

When Li Zhuiyuan and the others arrived, someone was already sitting there, having lit the alcohol block under the grilled fish tray. All the food containers were open, and the person was eating heartily.

Tan Wenbin: “Hey, Ah You, why are you already eating by yourself?”

“Who knew when you guys would arrive? You’re too slow.”

Under the moonlight, Lin Shuyou looked up. He had already painted his face with a traditional mask.

Then, he looked at Li Zhuiyuan, pointed at Runsheng, and asked, “Hey, if I beat him, I won’t be able to get the secret technique from you, right? So, do I have to intentionally go easy and lose to him, heh heh.”

Li Zhuiyuan also looked at Lin Shuyou, and said calmly: “Repeat what you just said.”

Lin Shuyou hesitated.

Before and after painting his face, his personality would undergo a drastic change, currently very close to symptoms of a personality disorder.

Moreover, the more docile Lin Shuyou was before painting his face, the more unruly he would become afterward.

The two ‘him’ would only move towards opposite extremes.

But even the masked version of him had full memories, so he was equally aware of Li Zhuiyuan and the Dragon King family behind him.

His own power was far inferior to theirs, and he still sought precious secret techniques from them. He truly had no right to be so arrogant in front of them.

Lin Shuyou: “How about this: you give me the secret technique, and I’ll listen to you.”

Tan Wenbin stepped forward and slapped the back of Lin Shuyou’s head: “Look at you, getting so ambitious, trying to negotiate conditions now.”

Lin Shuyou had been clinging to them every day recently, which was a bit annoying, but the little goodwill he had managed to build with Brother Yuan had been completely squandered by this kid in just a few moments.

Lin Shuyou instinctively turned to look at Tan Wenbin. Though there was anger in his eyes, it wasn’t excessive; even the masked version of him had a somewhat special attitude towards Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin: “What are you looking at? Speak properly!”

Lin Shuyou looked at Li Zhuiyuan again and said, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

He said it verbally, but his tone and gaze, combined with the masked appearance, conveyed the attitude of a street thug outwardly complying but inwardly defiant.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Use your full strength against Runsheng.”

As he spoke, Li Zhuiyuan looked at Runsheng: “Don’t go for killing blows.”

Runsheng: “Okay.”

Lin Shuyou shot up as if ignited like a firecracker. He felt insulted and said indignantly, “I’ll listen to you, and I’ll give it my all.”

Then, he left his seat and moved to the open space.

Runsheng walked over.

Tan Wenbin returned to Li Zhuiyuan’s side and quietly asked, “Brother Xiaoyuan, Ah You’s condition is getting more and more outlandish. Is there any way to treat this kind of mental split?”

“Brother Binbin.”

“Hmm?”

“Why do you think I would know how to cure it?”

“I… in my heart, Brother Xiaoyuan, you know everything, hahaha.”

“His personality influence comes from the White Crane Boy spirit. So, treating just him isn’t enough; the spirit itself needs to be treated.”

“But why do I feel that his master and his grandfather’s symptoms weren’t nearly this exaggerated?”

“He is naturally spiritually sensitive, making it easier for him to sense Guan Jiangshou spirits, and thus more susceptible to their influence. Moreover, he can currently only invoke the Boy. Later, when he can invoke the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease, the personality influence will be even more pronounced.”

“Brother Xiaoyuan, is there a way to cure them?”

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t speak.

Tan Wenbin thought Brother Xiaoyuan couldn’t be bothered with such matters.

In reality, Tan Wenbin’s words had given Li Zhuiyuan some inspiration, and he was deep in thought.

Ahead, Lin Shuyou began his trance.

His vertical pupils opened, and his entire demeanor suddenly changed.

But the White Crane Boy’s first gaze was not directed at Runsheng, who was about to fight him, but at Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin felt a murderous intent sweep over him, sending a chill down his spine. Ever since he learned the art of ‘walking the underworld,’ he had become extremely sensitive to such phenomena.

“Damn, why does he want to get me?”

“Because you stabbed him last time.”

“Spirits hold grudges?”

“You just called them spirits; their predecessors were all ghost kings and generals.”

Runsheng pointed to himself: “Your opponent now, is me.”

The White Crane Boy’s gaze darkened slightly. He lunged forward, creating an afterimage with three swift steps, and upon reaching Runsheng, swung his fist at Runsheng’s face.

“Thwack!”

Runsheng raised his right hand, blocking the punch in front of him.

When Tan Wenbin previously arranged the fight, he specifically told Lin Shuyou not to bring the trident, and Lin Shuyou, before painting his face, was very obedient.

Of course, Runsheng also didn’t bring his Yellow River Shovel; he was similarly empty-handed.

At this point, both sides were in a stalemate.

Blood-red light swirled in the White Crane Boy’s vertical pupils. He felt angry because an ordinary person had actually blocked his punch, and seemingly with ease.

He began to exert continuous force. The riverbed beneath his feet gradually sank, and the same happened under Runsheng’s feet. At the same time, there was a faint sound of wind around Runsheng’s right arm and shoulder.

The White Crane Boy lifted a leg, and Runsheng did the same.

“Thud!” “Thud!”

Each side kicked the other.

Then, because their hands were still tightly interlocked, the result of each kick was that both were sent flying and landed face down on the ground.

Even then, their hands remained locked.

Immediately after, the White Crane Boy and Runsheng simultaneously got up and lunged forward, trying to gain the upper hand. It only resulted in a powerful collision between their shoulders.

“Bang!”

After the collision, each reached with their other hand to grasp the other’s opposite shoulder, then turned their heads to clamp down on the other’s hand.

The two rolled on the ground, tumbling all the way into the river.

The White Crane Boy emerged first, but as soon as he did, Runsheng slammed him back into the water.

Their struggle underwater stirred up a large amount of spray. Runsheng, who was clearly more adept in water, gradually gained the upper hand.

However, the White Crane Boy’s vertical pupils began to glow.

Runsheng suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. Although he could overcome it, the speed of his punches and kicks became slightly sluggish as a result.

Li Zhuiyuan made a mental note: this was the first time he had actually seen a Guan Jiangshou spirit use its powers.

After taking several punches from the White Crane Boy, Runsheng let out a low growl, his eyes turning red. The effect of the vertical pupils was dispelled, and his punches and kicks regained their speed, allowing him to turn the tide once more.

Since it was close-quarters combat, and both opted for a contest of strength, their moves were not graceful. The scene looked more like wrestling in water.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Brother Runsheng won.”

The White Crane Boy’s fighting habit was to immediately unleash all the strength of the medium’s body from the outset, holding nothing back and showing no mercy.

Runsheng, however, although he activated various localized qi seas during the fight, had not fully activated them all collectively. This meant he had been holding back the entire time.

Using that move might cause Runsheng to over-exert himself too severely. With a mission imminent, he needed to ensure his condition remained stable. However, the outcome of the fight was already decided because of this ace up his sleeve.

Next, it was a test of Runsheng’s endurance.

The White Crane Boy did not immediately choose to disengage from the unfavorable watery battleground. However, under continuous pressure, he had no choice. He took a punch from Runsheng, his body flying backward out of the water to land back on solid ground.

This slow reaction was not due to a lack of fighting ability on the White Crane Boy’s part, but rather to his arrogance.

Runsheng followed him out, continuing the fight on land.

The ears of the three spectators were filled with the resounding thuds of punches and kicks clashing.

Gradually, the White Crane Boy’s momentum began to decline, and his vertical pupils became harder to maintain.

“Brother Runsheng.”

Li Zhuiyuan called out. Runsheng stopped, took a few steps back, and began to breathe deeply.

With each deep breath, his clothes would cling to his body before rapidly expanding.

This was intentionally giving the White Crane Boy a chance to light the guiding incense.

Three guiding incense sticks were lit and inserted into the crane crown. The White Crane Boy’s strength recovered, and he attacked again.

Runsheng stopped breathing deeply and met him again.

Constantly punching, kicking, shouldering, and colliding, both sides were engaged in a primal test of strength and endurance using the most direct moves.

Tan Wenbin clicked his tongue: “Tsk tsk, Runsheng has improved so much.”

Before, all three of them were at a disadvantage when facing the White Crane Boy. Now, Runsheng alone could fight him to a draw.

Tan Wenbin also knew that what the White Crane Boy lacked was time. If one could endure, and the Boy couldn’t kill them, then his medium would surely perish.

When the three incense sticks burned out, the White Crane Boy’s movements again became sluggish, and his vertical pupils began to lose focus.

This time, Runsheng didn’t need Li Zhuiyuan’s reminder. He stopped first, retreated a few steps, then bent over, resting his hands on his knees. His clothes were now in shreds; what was once like a bellows was now strips of cloth constantly clinging to and being blown away from his body.

However, the sixteen wounds on his body, once inflicted by ‘coffin nails,’ did not open; they remained closed.

The ‘coffin nails’ were like the small auxiliary wheels on a child’s bicycle, allowing him to clearly understand the location and use of his qi seas. Runsheng deepened his comprehension of this through the battle.

Those wounds would also fully heal soon, but the qi vortexes would still gather there, performing the same function.

Tan Wenbin asked, “Brother Xiaoyuan, should we use the needles?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. He walked over to Lin Shuyou, who was now kneeling on the ground, about to exit his trance state.

The young man dabbed his finger with red mud, touched it to Lin Shuyou’s brow, then dragged it down his face, drawing a red line on his mask.

Then he re-formed his hand seals, and drew a circle on each of Lin Shuyou’s temples.

Finally, he pointed his finger towards an empty space, then flicked it towards Lin Shuyou.

Around them, a faint wind arose, carrying a chilling cold. This was malevolent energy.

Li Zhuiyuan had just set up a simple, almost one-time, ‘gathering malevolent energy array’ on Lin Shuyou.

Previously, he had used this array to try and stimulate the malevolent nature of the deceased.

Now, he was using the same method to stimulate the instincts of the spirit.

As the malevolent energy gathered, the red dot on Lin Shuyou’s brow turned black, and the black spread downwards, covering the red line.

Li Zhuiyuan retreated while beckoning with his hand: “Rise!”

Lin Shuyou opened his eyes again, and his vertical pupils reappeared.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan’s lips: He had succeeded.

This was a pleasure, no less than when his own hypothesis was proven feasible while studying books on his great-grandfather’s second floor.

The White Crane Boy glared at Li Zhuiyuan, clear murderous intent in his eyes.

As a spirit, revered in temples and having an unspoken agreement with their mediums—when summoned, they descend, borrowing the medium’s body to eradicate evil and accumulate merit—they were the masters, coming and going as they pleased.

But the young man before him was trying to overturn this established order!

The White Crane Boy clenched his fists and instantly rose from his kneeling position.

No one knew if he truly intended to strike the young man with that punch, because Runsheng didn’t give the situation a chance to develop in that direction.

Runsheng rushed up in time, knocking the White Crane Boy away. Then the White Crane Boy got up again and scuffled with Runsheng, repeating the pattern of the previous two rounds.

Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, focused on observing Lin Shuyou’s physical condition. The first time he fought a Guan Jiangshou spirit on the playground, Lin Shuyou was instantly severely injured after exiting the trance state.

At the time, Li Zhuiyuan suspected that the injuries had been suppressed and delayed.

But was that truly the case?

The dull and repetitive striking continued for a while longer. The difference was that this time Runsheng also clearly showed signs of decline, allowing the White Crane Boy to press him, with Runsheng only able to passively defend.

However, Runsheng’s decline stopped after reaching a certain point, like a downward parabola that gradually leveled out, rather than continuously falling until breaking down completely.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded to himself. This meant that in the future, when facing difficult opponents, Runsheng could still delay and hinder them, even if he wasn’t in peak condition.

The combination of the Qin Family’s Dragon-Gazing Method and body-refining techniques was indeed mystical.

In the latter half of this third round, Runsheng simply endured.

When the White Crane Boy once again fell to his knees with a thud, and his vertical pupils diffused again, Runsheng also knelt on the ground, hands braced, swallowing with difficulty, while his breathing grew much weaker.

“Brother Runsheng, are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Runsheng raised his head.

“Yin Meng,” Li Zhuiyuan called out, then walked towards the White Crane Boy again.

Yin Meng quickly rushed over and stood diagonally in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out, placed his palm over Lin Shuyou’s forehead, and said in a deep voice: “Four ghosts lift the palanquin.”

The Twelve Edicts of Fengdu: Four ghosts lift the palanquin.

Lord Boy, you want to leave, do you? Get back here and keep lifting the palanquin!

Lin Shuyou raised his head, letting out a sharp howl from his throat. The next moment, his vertical pupils returned, and his aura came back!

It worked!

The White Crane Boy threw a punch at Li Zhuiyuan. This time, he didn’t hesitate!

Four rounds now, four rounds!

For so many years, the rule was that the guiding incense would only extend the trance for one more round. But in this young man’s hands, it had already extended to four.

Moreover, the White Crane Boy remembered that this group of youths also had a set of talisman needles, which could extend it for another round, making it five rounds!

He had to die, he must die!

If such a technique were to truly spread, then these spirits, once lofty and supreme, might be reduced to mere tools for their mediums!

Yin Meng thrust both elbows out, deflecting the White Crane Boy’s punch.

The fist grazed past Li Zhuiyuan’s ear.

The young man’s expression remained calm as he began to retreat.

When the White Crane Boy threw his second punch, Runsheng arrived again and took the blow.

The two sides began their fourth round of confrontation.

However, the White Crane Boy’s fourth round was as strong as his first, while Runsheng could only passively take the blows from all sides. Although he could still hold on, if it continued like this, the White Crane Boy could easily break free from Runsheng’s entanglement.

In fact, Li Zhuiyuan, who had returned to the edge to continue watching, had already noticed the White Crane Boy’s murderous intent repeatedly sweeping over him.

He was waiting for an opportunity to break free from Runsheng’s entanglement and kill him.

“Yin Meng, let me see the results of your special training. Remember, don’t go for killing blows; just stall him.”

“Understood.”

Yin Meng rejoined the battle. Her combat skills hadn’t improved much, but her footwork was more agile than before. She must have had some kind of sachet hidden in her sleeve, as black mist continuously rose after she crushed it.

Ordinary black mist naturally couldn’t interfere with a Guan Jiangshou spirit, but Yin Meng’s black mist could make the White Crane Boy fall into a kind of miasma.

It was probably similar to the effect of a ‘homeward net’—invisible and imperceptible to the victim, yet truly effective.

With Yin Meng’s involvement, Runsheng’s pressure greatly reduced. The two of them, working together, re-established a balance with the White Crane Boy.

Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, focused on observing the White Crane Boy’s condition.

The first time on the playground, with normal trance and guiding incense, after two rounds, the trance ended, and Lin Shuyou was severely injured.

The last time, when facing Granny Yu’s attendant—the old woman—it was two basic rounds plus talisman needles, totaling three rounds. The trance ended, and Lin Shuyou was almost paralyzed, reaching a critical point. He only recovered thanks to timely life-extension from his family back home.

Now, it was the fourth round.

And in the previous three rounds, the damage Runsheng inflicted on you was definitely no less than that inflicted by the old woman last time.

Yet you were still full of vigor.

So, suppressed injuries? That’s not a thing.

Lord Boy,

You have a way to transfer your own power down to maintain the functioning of this body. But in the past, you would only exploit the medium’s body, unwilling to expend your own!

In other words, in the previous instances, if the White Crane Boy hadn’t been so stingy, and had transferred even a little power to maintain Lin Shuyou’s body, Lin Shuyou wouldn’t have had to suffer so terribly every time.

Mediums act with a martyr’s mindset, vanquishing demons and defending the righteous path. But these spirits have their own selfish motives.

The injuries are borne by the medium, the lives are lost by the medium, and the bulk of the merit is taken by the spirits. This is not a partnership at all.

Li Zhuiyuan murmured, “I really don’t like this kind of game.”

The fourth round ended.

The White Crane Boy swayed again, and his vertical pupils once more diffused. But this time, he turned his head to look at Li Zhuiyuan.

He seemed to be waiting for the next round.

If the young man gave him another round, he felt he could change the situation.

Li Zhuiyuan ignored him. Instead, he walked to the dining table, picked up a bottle of soy milk, opened it with a bottle opener, and took a sip.

The White Crane Boy said hoarsely, “Do you know you’re playing with fire?”

Li Zhuiyuan raised the soy milk bottle, as if toasting him from afar: “Fire? You’re not worthy.”

“Thud…”

The White Crane Boy, having failed to receive talisman needles or any other method to prolong the trance, left Lin Shuyou’s body. Lin Shuyou’s mask fell off, and he fell face down onto the ground.

Tan Wenbin jogged over and helped him up.

“Hey, hey, hey, Ah You, are you still alive?”

Lin Shuyou weakly opened his eyes: “Brother Binbin…”

“Pfft, I wasted all that emotional buildup for nothing.”

Tan Wenbin cursed as he rolled up the other’s opera costume, and seeing the mask imprint on his belly still intact, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Shuyou struggled to raise his hand: “Why… didn’t you use the needles…”

Tan Wenbin couldn’t answer this question.

Lin Shuyou continued: “Since they weren’t used… can… can you give them to me…?”

Like leftover dishes from a banquet, he wanted to pack them up and take them home.

Tan Wenbin looked up at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over, carrying his soy milk.

Upon seeing Li Zhuiyuan, Lin Shuyou became excited. Even though his current state wasn’t suitable for such emotion, he couldn’t control himself.

At that moment, the young man holding the soy milk was a god in his eyes!

Counting the unused talisman needles, five times, five times, five times! That’s more than double their family’s traditional duration!

If the young man could teach these methods to him, and he could take them home and pass them on, then how many fewer people would Guan Jiangshou spirits have to sacrifice when eradicating evil in the future?

As for sitting at the head of the table at New Year’s Eve dinner or getting a dedicated page in the family genealogy, those were secondary. Because whoever could double the sect’s inheritance, a hundred years later, their ancestral tablet would be placed side-by-side with the patriarch’s.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a set of talisman needles and placed them on Lin Shuyou’s chest. Lin Shuyou clutched them.

“Before I leave this time, I’ll write down a Gathering Malevolent Energy Array for you. You can look at it while you recover. Understand as much as you can.”

Upon hearing this