Chapter 62: Magical Past Events (4)

The people who poured out were stunned by the scene before their eyes. Old Li was seen dragging the young master and striding into the courtyard, while the young master was clearly resisting, shouting something like evil Daoist, give me back my Shu’er.

Under the dim night light, no one could clearly see their expressions, but from their manner, it looked as if Old Li was casually strolling while pulling along a struggling living man, whereas the young master could only be dragged along passively, stumbling with his steps, clearly so weak after these days that his body had already been drained.

“Sir, should we go persuade that Daoist to let go of my son?” the Old Lady Zhao said, unable to hold back her heartache for her son.

Elder Zhao remained silent for a moment, then simply ordered loudly, “Light the lamps! Follow him!”

He did not stop Old Li, but instead followed behind him.

Old Li dragged the Zhao Family Young Master into the courtyard, stopping exactly at the spot where he had drawn the complex talisman in the morning and thrown down a piece of jade. The crowd gathered around, and before long three servants carrying large lanterns arrived, illuminating the area brightly.

The Zhao Family Young Master continued his endless shouting, calling out Shu’er over and over. Looking at him, if not for Old Li gripping his wrist, he would likely have tried to grab a blade and fight again.

The Zhao family had long grown used to him chanting Shu’er, so they did not stop him. Only Elder Zhao looked anxious, while Old Lady Zhao was full of worry.

They thought to themselves, I invited a master to capture a demon, so how did he end up targeting my own son instead? Although they were heartbroken, they had already suffered too much and could only endure it, hoping that Old Li could cure this so called illness at its root.

Old Li paid no attention to anyone else’s looks and said casually to the Zhao Family Young Master, “In a short while, your Shu’er will appear here on her own. Let us just watch.”

As he spoke, he pointed to a spot, which was exactly where he had drawn the talisman that morning.

The crowd was half believing and half doubting. Could this Daoist really have such abilities, even conjuring a woman out of thin air? Everyone knew Shu’er was the woman the young master kept talking about.

Only my master and the other two knew that Shu’er was actually a large yellow weasel, but no one said it out loud.

Li Lihou remained steady, with a faint sense of pride, and naturally disdained to explain. The facts would speak for themselves.

My master, meanwhile, was busy chatting with Chen Liren.

“Your master really has some true skill,” my master said sincerely in admiration.

“That is nothing,” Chen Liren replied proudly. “We have seen far more terrifying and strange things. There has never been anything my master could not solve. I will tell you slowly in the future. And what do you mean your master? Won’t he be your master too? Aren’t you already my junior brother?”

My master remained silent for a moment. He would never let go of his desire for revenge just because Old Li refused him. Even if it meant mutual destruction, he would not back down. That was his stubbornness.

He then asked, “What was in that bottle? How did it turn into a yellow weasel on contact?”

“Oh, all demons and spirits use some kind of illusion technique,” Chen Liren said carelessly. “My master says it is all about influencing the mind and creating hallucinations. Every illusion has its counter. The best way is to keep a clear and steady heart, but that is easier said than done. Another effective method against such tricks is filth, the dirtier the better. What my master just threw was black dog blood. Heh, if pushed far enough, even a ladle of dung would work.”

My master shook his head. “How can black dog blood be considered dirty?”

“Not dirty?” Chen Liren said. “What do dogs love to eat? They eat filth. So how is it not dirty? Also, black dog blood carries strong yang energy. All techniques are ultimately about the soul and spirit. Things like mental force or spiritual power, but the soul belongs to yin. When yang energy is strong, yin energy weakens naturally, so techniques fall apart. That is basically how it works.”

“Why does black dog blood have so much yang energy?” my master asked, very interested. He himself did not know why he was so curious.

“Why? I studied medicine,” Chen Liren said patiently. “Let me give you a simple example. In winter when it is cold, if you boil soup from a dog’s skull and soak your feet in it, your feet will not feel cold all winter and it can even cure frostbite. Tell me, is that not strong yang energy?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be learning Daoist arts? How did you become a medical student?” my master asked, very puzzled.

Before Chen Liren could answer, a sudden cry of alarm rose from the crowd, followed by commotion.

“It’s here!” Chen Liren said excitedly, pulling my master forward to the front.

My master looked closely, and sure enough, a lame yellow weasel, swaying like a drunk, staggered and stumbled toward the place where Old Li had drawn the talisman.

The crowd felt fear and quickly stepped aside to make way, but the yellow weasel seemed completely unaware of the people around it. It did not react or avoid anyone, simply walking its own path.

“Do you see it? Your Shu’er has arrived!” Old Li said calmly to the Zhao Family Young Master.

Elder Zhao’s face turned ugly, Old Lady Zhao went pale with fear, and the Zhao Family Young Lady nearly fainted. The moment she saw the weasel, she thought of the furry face she had seen in her dreams. She was almost certain that what she had seen in her dream was this very creature. Thinking of the furry thing that had touched her in the dream, and that dreamlike body, she nearly collapsed. If not for someone supporting her in time, she would have fallen.

The servants were also afraid, but with a master present and so many people around, they still stayed to watch the excitement, though they could not stop discussing it.

Under the lantern light, everyone saw the weasel clearly. It was more than twice the size of an ordinary one. From head to tail, its fur was a very pale yellow, almost white.

“This weasel is huge!”

“Look at its white fur. I heard from the old villagers that only very old weasels have that color.”

The crowd discussed among themselves, but one voice stood out the most, the Zhao Family Young Master. He shouted, “Are you all blind? That is not a weasel! It is this evil Daoist, this evil Daoist! I saw with my own eyes that he turned Shu’er into this!”

But with the truth right before their eyes, who would believe him?

The Zhao Family Young Master grew anxious and pointed at Old Li, cursing, “Evil Daoist, if you have guts, let me go! I will fight you! I will fight you to the death!”

“Brother, the face I saw in my dream is exactly this one. Master Old Li is not an evil Daoist,” the Zhao Family Young Lady could not help but speak up to persuade him.

Elder Zhao’s face turned dark. He walked over and slapped the Zhao Family Young Master hard across the face. “You have completely disgraced our ancestors. You are so obsessed with beauty that you cannot tell right from wrong. Do you only want to wait until you are killed, and drag the whole family down with you before you are satisfied? I will beat you to death, you unfilial son!”

As he spoke, Elder Zhao raised his fist to strike again, but Old Li stopped him. “Old Master Zhao, there is no need to be so upset. Demons are deceiving him. He cannot win against it. He will naturally wake up later. Nothing happens without a reason. Let us observe a little longer. How about that?”

Elder Zhao sighed, stamped his foot, and finally held himself back. The Zhao Family Young Master, however, remained stubborn, staring at Old Li with hatred. Old Li did not care at all.

At that moment, another wave of shock rose from the crowd, because something miraculous had happened. The yellow weasel finally ran into the talisman area, but once inside, it began circling around, unable to find a way out.

There were no obstacles at all, and a weasel was an extremely agile creature. How could it not escape? Everyone was amazed and began praising Old Li’s abilities.

Yet Old Li remained completely indifferent, as calm as ever, not even blinking.

In contrast, the Zhao Family Young Master became even more agitated. Ignoring everything else, he shouted, “Shu’er, I am here! Come out! Come out!”

“Shu’er, I am here to save you!”

After shouting this, the Zhao Family Young Master somehow found strength, broke free from Old Li’s grip, and rushed toward the talisman area.

Old Li looked at his own hand in mild surprise and murmured, “The word emotion is truly an obstacle in cultivation, yet how can it be so powerful?”