Knife splashing

Chapter 770 Jinhua Cat Demon
"Vixen?"

Kuai Da Yi chuckled upon hearing this, then looked at the little white fox Chu Qi beside Lü San and said with a smile, "We have the real thing here, Brother Lü, why don't you go and bring it back to keep little Chu Qi company..."

"Woo~"

Before he could finish speaking, the little white fox rushed forward and began tearing at his clothes.

Upon seeing this, Yu Hailin felt a pang of unease and got up to take his leave.

Having learned about the Twelve Zodiacs, he had given them many benefits and brought a large sum of money, but he didn't expect them to still have such an attitude, making jokes and clearly not wanting to take on this job.

Wang Daoxuan opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

They had other important matters to attend to and genuinely dared not accept the offer.

"Wait a minute!"

Just then, a voice rang out from outside the cabin; it was Li Yan, who had rushed back.

"Brother Yan is back?"

Everyone stood up one after another.

The wealthy businessman Yu Hailin's heart stirred, and he looked at Li Yan with anticipation.

He had gathered comprehensive intelligence, so he naturally knew that Li Yan was the leader.

The others didn't say much either, knowing there must be a reason why Li Yan was involved.

“Master Yu, we can take this job.”

Li Yan looked at Yu Hailin and said in a deep voice.

Yu Hailin was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Young Hero Li! Thank you, all you immortals! If you can save my child, I will give everything I own..."

"Not urgent."

Li Yan interrupted him, "We can forgo the consultation fee, but there is one condition."

"Within two days, you must obtain for us an official exit permit for waterways so that our large ship can sail to Nanjing without hindrance. Is that possible?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Hailin hesitated. Although he was extremely wealthy and had connections with the Grand Canal and the navy, Yangzhou was under martial law at the time, and obtaining an official travel permit was no easy task.

However, his son's life hung by a thread. After a moment of struggle, he gritted his teeth and said, "Yes! The naval commander is my brother-in-law. He's currently in the city discussing defense with the Grand Canal Commander. I'll risk my reputation and spend a fortune to get the special approval token tonight! Please rest assured, young hero and all the immortals!"

"it is good!"

Li Yan nodded and said, "Since Master Yu is so straightforward, we won't waste any more words."

"Sister Long, Wu Ba, Sha Lifeng, Kuai Dayou, Kong Shangzhao, and Fatty Lin, stay on the ship and guard the large ship and Lin Yaozong, and wait for the token. Daoist Wang Daoxuan and Brother Lü, come with me to the Yu residence."

He looked at Wang Daoxuan and Lü San, who nodded in agreement.

They have long been working together seamlessly to catch demons and exorcise evil spirits, and can handle most situations.

The luggage in the ship's cabin is valuable and needs to be guarded.

Seeing their decisive and swift actions, Yu Hailin felt even more hopeful. He quickly ordered his servants to prepare a sedan chair and led Li Yan and the other two away from the bustling dock, heading towards the Yu residence in the city.

The sedan chair traveled through the city of Yangzhou in the night.

Without the hustle and bustle of the docks and riverbanks, the streets and alleys of the city seemed much quieter due to the martial law, with only the footsteps of patrolling soldiers and the faint barking of dogs in the distance.

Inside the sedan chair, Yu Hailin seized the time to recount in detail his son Yu Qing's ordeal.

"My son Qing'er is seventeen years old. He is an honest man and studies at Anding Academy. A few days ago, he and some classmates went to visit friends at 'Bixia Abode' by Guangling Lake outside the city."

"The hermitage was located deep in the mountains, a secluded and beautiful place, a perfect spot for elegant gatherings. But after staying overnight, he returned the next day looking dazed, mentioning that during his nighttime stroll in the hermitage, he had encountered a fairy in white. The fairy claimed to be a hermit in the mountains, and upon seeing Qing'er's outstanding talent and beauty, she immediately fell in love with him..."

At this point, Yu Hailin's face was full of anxiety: "At first, I thought it was just a teenage dream, but who knew that after Qing'er came back, she lost her appetite, became extremely thin, smiled foolishly at the bronze mirror every day, and often stared blankly at the window, saying something like 'she is waiting for me to keep our appointment'."

Wang Daoxuan seemed to be deep in thought, stroked his beard and said, "Please don't be offended, Master Yu. We are just speaking the truth. Over the years, we have traveled all over the country. Many things that seem like we are possessed by evil spirits are actually due to other hidden reasons. Does your son have an affair with any woman, and you disagree with it?"

They've seen this kind of thing far too often.

Just like true cultivators, there are actually very few of them in the entire land of China. They are rarely seen by ordinary people in the mundane world, and most people will never encounter situations where they attract evil spirits in their entire lives.

Many people make grand promises, but when they actually go there, it's a completely different story.

Some sorcerers and shamans would often try to take advantage of the situation to swindle money, but they are no longer the same as before and are too lazy to waste time, so they ask directly.

"If that's the case, then it's alright."

Master Yu said in a trembling voice, "My child talks to himself in the shadows of the corner every night, behaving strangely, like a madman. We have consulted several doctors, but they all shook their heads and said that he was possessed by an evil spirit, and that it could not be cured by medicine."

“We have invited some well-known Taoist masters in the city, such as Master Huijue of Tianning Temple and Taoist Zhou of the City God Temple, to come and see. They have performed many rituals and drunk several buckets of talisman water, but all of them have been ineffective.”

"His condition has worsened in the last two days. His eyes are unfocused, his face is as white as paper, and he has even started vomiting blood! He's talking nonsense, spouting mad tales about wanting to die and follow that fairy..."

At this point, his eyes were already filled with tears, and his voice was choked with sobs, "To tell you the truth, my son... my son has started to emit... a faint fox-like odor!"

"Fox spirit?" Lü San frowned slightly.

The little white fox, Chuqi, had been quietly perched on his shoulder. Now, as if sensing something, its small nose twitched slightly, and it let out a low, questioning growl.

Wang Daoxuan pondered and said, "I encountered a fairy in white at the monastery at night... and fell ill from her allure... According to the master's description, it seems that he was bewitched by a bewitching demon and had his vital essence drained."

"Fox spirits are indeed the most commonly heard of among this type of monster."

Li Yan lifted the sedan curtain and looked into the distance. "No rush, we'll know when we get there."

Before long, the sedan chair stopped in front of a magnificent mansion in the south of Yangzhou.

The words "Yu Mansion" hung high above the gate, and the dim lanterns created a repressive atmosphere.

The Yu family were major grain merchants, so their residence was naturally extraordinary. It was a large-scale Hui-style building with three courtyards inside and out, and it also incorporated features of Suzhou-style gardens.

However, Li Yan and the others didn't bother to admire the scenery and went straight into the inner courtyard, arriving at Yu Qing's room.

Before even entering, a strong, pungent, and indescribable faint fishy smell wafted into my nostrils.

The room was filled with expensive sandalwood incense, clearly to mask the odor.

Yu Qing lay on the bed, held down by several strong servants. His face was ashen and sallow, his eyes were sunken but staring at the ceiling with unusual excitement, his lips moved as if he were talking to someone he couldn't see, and his arms were covered with bloody scratches from his own scratches.

That strange smell was coming from him.

Li Yan stood at the door, sniffing lightly and quickly a few times.

He frowned slightly. "The smell is off."

This strange smell... it seems somewhat familiar.
It's described as fox odor, but it smells more like the urine of some animal mixed with the stench of stale fur!
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he remembered what he had seen on his way to Qionghua Tower.

"It's not fox odor, it's cat odor! A... musty smell of old stray cats!"

He is extremely sensitive to smells, far more so than the average person.

Upon hearing this, both Wang Daoxuan and Lü San's expressions tightened. "A cat?"

Wang Daoxuan seemed to have thought of something, and immediately stepped forward to Yu Qing's bedside. He pried open Yu Qing's mouth to look at his tongue, and then opened his eyelids to examine his pupils.

He made a hand seal with his fingertips, making a few strokes on Yu Qing's forehead and chest, and then closed his eyes to sense it for a moment.

Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning.

"Sir, take me to check the water tank in the kitchen and the well in your residence!"

Yu Hailin was puzzled, but he still immediately led the way.

Upon arriving at the largest kitchen in the mansion, rows of water vats and urns were lined up.

Wang Daoxuan dipped his finger into a little water from the vat, tasted it, then took out a cinnabar talisman, dipped it in water, and made a hand seal.

An animal-shaped watermark immediately appeared on the yellow paper talisman.

"Sure enough!"

Wang Daoxuan suddenly turned around and looked at Yu Hailin with a serious expression:
"Sir, have you offended anyone?"

"this…"

Yu Hailin frowned. "Although I believe in being kind to others, it's inevitable to offend people in business. Does the Taoist priest mean... that someone is trying to harm me?"

Wang Daoxuan nodded and said in a deep voice, "Have you ever heard of the 'Golden Flower Cat'?"

"Jin... Jinhua Cat?"

Yu Hailin was somewhat confused, and cupped his hands, saying, "Please enlighten me, Daoist Master."

Wang Daoxuan took a deep breath and explained rapidly:
"Indeed! This creature is not an ordinary wild cat that has become a spirit. It is a malevolent evil spirit unique to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, especially prevalent in Jinhua! It is recorded in detail in both 'Cat Garden' and 'Shuoting'."

"This cat needs to be raised for more than three years. Every full moon night, it will sit on the roof, open its mouth to the moon and absorb the essence of the moon. Only after many years can it become a spirit."

"After becoming a spirit, its fur often turns yellow with spots, hence the old saying in Jinhua, 'No one dares to keep a yellow cat!' During the day, it hides in deep mountains and valleys, deserted shrines and ancient temples, and at night it transforms into human form."

Li Yan asked, "Is it a cat ghost?"

He had seen the Cat Demon Technique a few times; it was commonly used by courtesans.

"Much more powerful than the Cat Demon!"

Wang Daoxuan explained, "The evil magic of cat demons is nothing more than harming living beings and using the malevolent energy of cats to cause trouble, but the 'Jinhua Cat' is a true demon."

"The most terrifying thing about this cat spirit is its extremely sophisticated art of illusion and bewitching people!"

"When encountering a man, she transforms into a beautiful young woman of sixteen or seventeen, with stunning looks and captivating charm, using her beauty and gentle words to bewitch his mind; when encountering a woman, she transforms into a handsome and talented scholar, brimming with literary talent, able to compose poems and write about the moon and wind, and even fabricate memories to make the victim mistakenly believe that they have encountered an old friend and soulmate and that they are in love!"

"As for their methods of harming people, they are even more insidious!"

Wang Daoxuan's expression was solemn as he pointed to the water vat. "Just now, I examined the water in the vat and found extremely faint yet filthy traces of malevolent spirit energy. This demon must have secretly sprinkled its demonic urine and filth into your drinking water source during the time your son stayed in his hut or later when it infiltrated your residence!"

"This cat urine contains an extremely heavy demonic curse. If a person drinks this water, their vital essence will be slowly eroded by the insidious curse, gradually becoming 'unseen,' until their yang energy is exhausted, their essence and blood are depleted, and they die from emaciation!"

"This poisonous curse is insidious and unpredictable, and difficult to discern. It is often confused with fox spirits and cannot be broken by ordinary exorcism talismans. No wonder the Taoist priests we consulted earlier were helpless!"

"The 'white-clad fairy' your son encountered at the hermitage was not a cultivator at all; she was most likely the Golden Flower Cat Demon in disguise!"

"It first appeared to bewitch and entice people, then cast this sinister spell, using both methods simultaneously! Now his illness has penetrated to the bone marrow, causing him to vomit blood and suffer mental anguish, which are dangerous signs of the cat curse in its later stages!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Hailin was struck dumb, his face turning deathly pale.

He knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice hoarse and desperate: "Immortal, save my Qing'er! Immortal, save my Qing'er! If you can get rid of this demon and save my son, I am willing to give half of my family's fortune!"

Li Yan pulled Yu Hailin up and said coldly, "Master, there's no need to worry. Go quickly and get the travel permit. I'll handle your son's life and the trouble in your household..."

Before he finished speaking, the little white fox Chuqi, who had been lying quietly at Lü San's feet, suddenly bristled and let out a sharp, piercing "Yo--!" howl.

He then suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on a dark shadow of a tree outside the hospital wall.

Immediately afterward, a man who looked like a steward stumbled in, his face filled with terror, and gasped, “Master! Something terrible has happened! Just now… just now a maid saw two… two eerie green lights in the grotto in the rockery in the west garden! They were like… like will-o’-the-wisps dancing!”

"It's terrifying! And... we just found... Mrs. Zhang in the backyard, the old Zhang's wife who delivers firewood to the Zhang family, heavily pregnant... We heard strange screams coming from her room just now, and now... now she's gone!"

"It's Cat Demon Fire!"

Wang Daoxuan said urgently, "Quickly, we can't let it escape! If it eats the blood essence of a pregnant woman's fetus, it can conceal its aura and become difficult to capture!"

"I go!"

Li Yan let out a low shout and his figure shot out of the room like an arrow.

He followed the direction of Chu Qi's scream and the direction the butler pointed, heading straight for the back garden.

Wang Daoxuan quickly pulled out several talismans from his robes and stuffed them into Yu Qing's mouth. He then said urgently to Yu Hailin, "Quickly, go find Wugu. I will protect your son's soul. San'er, help me with the ritual!"

Lu San originally wanted to follow Li Yan in pursuit, but after hearing Wang Daoxuan's instructions, he could only stay behind and whistled at the sky.

"twitter!"

A cry of an eagle echoed in the night sky, and the falcon took flight as winter approached.

As for the little white fox, it also followed suit and ran towards the direction where Li Yan disappeared to help.

Soon, Yu Hailin had his servants bring the five grains, while Wang Daoxuan had already tied amulet coins with red string and circled around Yu Qing.

After receiving the five grains, he scattered them while chanting and making hand seals: "Five grain spirits, swiftly display your mighty power! Demons and evil spirits hide their shadows, bewitching hearts and bringing misfortune, night demons cannot escape, daytime monsters lie dormant, cinnabar dispels illusions, black rice suppresses calamities, the three souls return to their places, the seven spirits are at peace..."

This is an ancient ritual to soothe the soul using the five grains.

Grains symbolize the essence of heaven and earth and can attract the guardian spirits of the home, forming a simple cage to prevent Yu Qing's soul from being taken away.

But to truly eradicate the problem, we need to look to Li Yan's side.

…………

Swish!
Li Yan used his Divine Speed ​​Technique to leap and bound across the rooftops.

In the darkness far ahead, two phosphorescent flames surged at an astonishing speed.

Even with his Swiftness Technique used to its fullest extent, he still couldn't close the distance.

She really is a fairy!
Li Yan felt a chill run down his spine.

The biggest difference between fairies and vengeful ghosts is that fairies have physical bodies and can use supernatural powers.

Due to bloodline and circumstances, supernatural powers also come in many forms.

This "cat demon fire" must be some kind of escape technique.

I never expected to encounter such a troublesome fellow so soon after arriving in Jiangnan…

(End of this chapter)