As the sun gradually moved westward, a village appeared before them. Within it, houses of varying heights were scattered around.
“You see, this is the village I was talking about,” Li Zhi smiled, pointing toward the black tiles ahead before continuing forward in large strides.
“Follow me. A fellow villager of mine lives here. It will be free if we stay there,” said Li Zhi.
The two carts pulled by donkeys followed along as Li Huowang gently motioned for them to follow Li Zhi.
As they walked on the yellow dirt path between the various houses, Li Huowang’s group looked around at their quiet surroundings; strangely, there was nobody in sight in the fields or the courtyards.
What’s going on? Where are all the villagers?
Li Huowang was puzzled.
Just as he was thinking, Li Zhi poked his head out from behind a corner in front of them, his old face full of excitement. "Hey! Come quickly! It’s quite lively over here! Looks like a grandpa is climbing the ashes! His face is all scratched up, and it’s getting quite interesting!”
“Climbing the ashes? What does that mean?” asked Li Huowang. However, nobody answered Li Huowang’s question. When he turned around, he saw that all of them had awkward expressions. Bai Lingmiao was so embarrassed that her head was drooping in shame.
“Senior Li, let’s not get involved. That’s their family matter,” said Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang glanced at her in confusion before moving toward Li Zhi’s direction in big steps.
As they turned the corner, it became clear that the entire village was gathered here to watch the commotion. They were all dressed in rural clothing and surrounding a house. Li Zhi was standing at the periphery of the crowd, tiptoeing and leaning on a person’s shoulder to get a better look.
“What does ‘climbing the ashes’ mean?” Li Huowang came beside Li Zhi and asked.
“It refers to a grandpa attempting to steal his son’s wife. Do you have another term for it in the region you are from? Actually, where are you from?” Li Zhi looked at Li Huowang, astonished.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang was left speechless after hearing the explanation. No wonder Bai Lingmiao had such an expression.
“Ah!” At that moment, a sharp female scream rang out from the middle of the crowd, causing everyone to step back in shock.
Through the gaps, Li Huowang saw a bizarre scene within the house.
A naked woman was lying on a wooden table, her limbs twisting as she writhed around like a snake, screaming and trembling.
“Oh, that’s not right. It’s not someone climbing the ashes, but someone being possessed,” Li Zhi lamented. At the same time, he placed his hands together and pushed through the crowd.
“Hey, please move aside, I’m a Shaman. Please move aside. Hey, who just stepped on my foot?!” shouted Li Zhi.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang was about to turn away but paused upon seeing this scene. “Is he going to use his shamanic techniques to exorcize the evil spirits?”
Li Zhi exerted much effort to push through the crowd before looking around and waving toward Li Huowang. “Hey! Taoist, come quickly; why are you so far away?”
Li Huowang thought about it for a moment, and then he also began to squeeze through the crowd.
This guy seems a bit out of place. We can use this opportunity to assess his powers. If he’s just messing around, then there’s no need to enlist his help to resolve my own issues. Otherwise, Dan Yangzi will just eat him up like the Buddhas.
When he reached the center of the crowd, he could see the situation more clearly.
There was something very obviously strange about the behavior of the woman lying on the table. She didn’t have the usual black pupils in the center of her good-looking phoenix-like eyes; instead, it seemed like she had five layers of eyelids.
There was an old and a young person standing beside her; they seemed to be the victims of the possessed woman.
“Taoist, will you handle this or should I?” Li Zhi whispered to him. “How about we go at it together, and you can request more money when it’s done. Then, we’ll split it up later. This way, we won’t even have to violate any of the Shaman’s rules.”
“No need, I’m not really skilled with exorcism. You can go ahead.” Li Huowang rejected. In the first place, he did not know anything about exorcism or other Taoist duties.
Li Zhi was astonished when he heard Li Huowang’s explanation. “You must be joking with me; you don’t know how to exorcize evil spirits? Are you sure you aren’t a fake Taoist?”
“Hurry up, the woman is almost going to twist her own bones apart,” said Li Huowang, pointing at the woman on the table.
The woman who was previously coiled up was now biting her lips, and blood was dripping down her chin. The joints of her limbs had even started to make creaking noises as they were twisted further.
It seems that ordinary people aren't as disconnected from these things as I had imagined. They just use evil spirits as a universal explanation.
What if Li Zhi wasn’t around today? What would they do?
Li Huowang wondered as he watched Li Zhi negotiating with the victims.
Li Huowang glanced at the old agricultural tools in the house, their bare feet covered in yellow mud, and their faces that were full of hardship. All this served to provide a simple yet harsh answer to his question.
It was the same thing that impoverished people do when they get sick—endure the minor ailments, bear with the major ailments, and lie down if it becomes unbearable.
"Cough~!"
The sound silenced the buzzing chatter of the crowd.
Thud~!
Li Zhi used a small stick to lightly tap the old drum hanging from his waist, causing everyone's hearts to tremble.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Summon~ the~ gods~!" shouted Li Zhi, his confident and loud voice drowning out all the other sounds around them.
At the same time, Li Huowang turned to look outside the house. The red light in the sky was gradually fading as the silent night approached.
“The sun sets in the west, oh~, the sky turns dark, oh~! Dragons return to the boundless sea, so that they can bring rain~ Tigers return to the mountains~ so they can sleep~ oh~...” Li Zhi began singing to the rhythm of the drum.
As Li Zhi sang lyrics that followed the rhythm of the drum, the mysterious Second Deity that had gone unnoticed so far began to tremble. The red veil on her head and the colorful cloth strips on her body also started to shake.
“Above are the seven-starred glazed tiles, standing on the octagonal purple-gold bricks. Foot on the ground, head into the skies. Stride forward successively to stand firmly in the camp. Offer incense, beat the drums, summon the Immortals~” Li Zhi continued to sing and beat the drums as he fished out a few incense sticks. He lit them and then placed them around the woman lying on the wooden table.
The woman’s hair was disheveled, and she bared her teeth like a beast. She was about to lunge forward, but pulled back and started wailing once she came into contact with the white smoke of the incense.
The white smoke wafting from the incense did not disperse, slowly swirling within the house. Soon, the inside of the house started to turn hazy.
Li Huowang’s eyes began to twitch, and he felt somewhat restless. He looked around to confirm that everything was normal before frowning slightly, pinching the back of his own neck, and taking two steps backward.
Burp~!
That was the first movement from the red-veiled woman. She burped before making a rustling sound from under that veil.
The onlookers were evidently taken aback, and the crowd began to disperse even more quickly than before. Those who were more timid used this opportunity to run home before the darkness of the night completely engulfed them.
On the other hand, when Li Zhi heard the burping sound, he glanced back and continued to sing while beating the drum. “Oh Immortal family~ I know you are coming~ You are mighty and powerful~ Please come quietly without a fuss~ This house is small, easy to crash around. It’s easy to handle when meeting gentlemen, but tongues will wag when meeting villains~ Oh~”
Chacha and Char's Thoughts
Trust me, this chapter gave us a brain aneurysm trying to translate that chant