The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 31 Every family is in love
Paper figures carrying sedan chairs, covered in morning dew, traverse the Tianshan Mountains, while vermilion dragons twist and turn, riding the winds and mist.

Looking up at the frost-white peak atop the mountain, even Li Qing couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur of this mountain range, which stretched diagonally across the gateway to the southwest land, a feat that even ordinary birds and beasts found difficult to traverse...

If we divide Shanyang County, which is east of Tianshan Mountain, according to geographical divisions, it should belong to Qingping Prefecture in Lingnan.

The paper effigy had no face, and it moved three zhang per step. As the sedan chair swayed, one could occasionally glimpse the young man through the candlelight and curtains, his hand resting on the paper window railing, his elbow drooping and his eyebrows lowered, playing with the scroll of red book.

As the crimson dragon glided by, a few drops of dew clung to its scales, making it appear even more vibrant!

The gradually flattening area outside was Shanyang County. As Li Qing and his companion traveled, they saw that the villages were deserted, as if they had been devastated.

Just as we entered Shanyang, we saw white banners and rags, along with scattered joss paper, on the hills not far from the main road. The morning breeze carried them all onto the main road.

"This is……"

Upon seeing this, Li Qing couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

The paper palanquin crashed into the roadside bushes and immediately turned into wisps of smoke, disappearing without a trace. The next instant, the paper palanquin suddenly traversed hundreds of feet and appeared directly on the small hill.

Those were the soul-guiding banners traditionally used to guide the deceased during burials, lying haphazardly by the roadside.

Not far away was a newly dug grave. The soil on the ground was still damp and had not been filled in. The coffin that should have been in the grave was left on the side of the road and had not been placed in the grave.

It was as if the many coffin bearers hadn't even finished what they were doing when a major incident occurred, and they scattered and fled.

There have been ancient rules for funerals: the coffin should not touch the ground, and the procession should proceed straight without looking back.

Throwing the coffin horizontally on the ground is a major taboo, and it will make not only relatives but also the funeral director in charge of the funeral furious.

What could be so urgent that there wasn't even time for this final step into the tomb?
After stepping down from the paper sedan chair, Li Qing pointed with a single finger of his right hand, and a cluster of eerie blue fire instantly ignited on his index finger. He then slowly walked towards the cemetery.

There was a person inside the coffin, filled with the aura of death, and it had already passed the seventh day after death, with a sense of decay beginning to permeate the air. It seemed to be the person who had been buried there!
While still wondering, they suddenly heard a hissing sound coming from not far away.

Li Qing turned his head to look, but what he saw made him frown even more and feel somewhat alarmed.

"Is the ghostly calamity in Shanyang County really that serious?"

The candle's body swam across the hill, gazing at the old tree ahead and letting out a hiss. Following its warning, Li Qing slowly approached and witnessed the scene of the fierce battle.

On the old locust tree behind the hill, streaks of morning dew, tinged with reddish-brown blood, dripped down, turning the soil a dark reddish-black!
Looking up, one could see bloodied corpses hanging among the old branches of the locust tree, their cloudy, yellowish eyeballs drooping in their empty sockets, about to fall out.

The corpse had probably bled out long ago; the flesh, devoid of skin and bone, was an indescribable yellowish-white and dark brown. Only the drooping, withered white hair, with its mutilated scalp, swayed haphazardly in the eerie wind blowing across the hillside, a sight that made one want to vomit…

Their flesh had been stripped away, and the vines from the old tree had somehow somehow passed through the abdominal cavities of these blood-soaked corpses, as if they had grown naturally—it was incredibly bizarre!

"Is that the one ravaging Shanyang County a skinning demon?"

Puzzled, Li Qing turned her gaze back to the eerie, hanging corpse locust tree.

The wood ghost is a locust tree, which is inherently yin wood. If it is further tainted by evil spirits, it is extremely easy for it to change. Let alone such an old locust tree, it is even more impossible to keep it.

Smelling the faint scent in the air, Li Qing slightly raised her index finger, and the blue-green ghostly fire at her fingertip suddenly lengthened. With a flick of her finger, the fire in the stone instantly transformed into a long whip of flame.

With a loud crack, the whip struck the crown of the old locust tree, instantly igniting the menacing locust wood and burning the skinned, bloodied corpses hanging on the tree into a sea of ​​fire.

Judging from the scene, it seems that when the burial took place in this grave, a skinning demon was encountered.

The guests at the funeral immediately dispersed, and the skinless, bloodied corpses on the tree were clearly the older ones who had fallen behind because they couldn't keep up.

This place is still some distance from Shanyang County. Could it be that there's more than one vengeful ghost among the ghosts afflicting Shanyang? Or has it already gained the ability to roam freely in the wilderness?
Li Qingyuan looked again at the flame that had rolled up to a height of three zhang. The Stone Fire was most adept at the word "burning". Before long, only the trunk of the old locust tree was left burning with a huge fire. The six or seven charred corpses had all fallen to the ground, with only a few embers still flickering.

Since that was the case, Li Qing did not linger any longer and called "Zhu" to head down to the village at the foot of the mountain.

However, even when they go down to the countryside, the chilling atmosphere is just as pervasive and unsettling.

Among the rows of thatched and tiled houses, every family was dressed in white mourning clothes, and a white silk ribbon was hung in front of each door. The houses were completely silent, without a sound of chickens or dogs, and without any smoke or fire. There was no sign of human life.

It's like a ghost village in a deserted area on the banks of the Yuan River.

Surely this ghostly affliction shouldn't have caused such a huge uproar?

Li Qing's face turned pale and uncertain, wondering if this was a bit too frivolous.
The ghostly calamity that wiped out an entire village was simply hung casually in the outer courtyard of Tiannan Temple, and no one paid any attention to it.

What are the Taoist disciples of Wenfengtang in various prefectures and counties doing?
Even in broad daylight, when paper-carrying palanquins and candle dragons passed through the area, traveling for miles through the village, not a single person could be seen, which was truly eerie.

As we left the countryside at the foot of the mountain, near the earth god temple by the river, we finally found a few traces of human presence...

There were groups of three or five beggars scrambling for half a bag of millet in the temple, which seemed to have been stolen from a broken window of a house.

"You blind man, get out of the way! People from all around have gone to the Shanyang Ancestral Hall to pray to the Third Grandfather of the Ma family for help. If you have any guts, go and carry grain from each of the houses you have!"

"What the hell? Is he a reincarnated starving ghost?"

Beggars of all ages gathered around the bag of millet. The tall and strong young beggars were the first to rush ahead and quickly tore the bag of millet to shreds.

However, this beggar who brought the millet, who seemed like a local ruffian, was the most cunning. He generously shared it with everyone, instructing the temple beggars to pour the millet into a jar to steam it. Instantly, he gained some prestige among the beggars...

"Let's eat more rice, there'll be more after you finish eating. Later, who's coming with me to tear down those big houses' dog sheds, beat up those vicious dogs, and then move their houses out?"

The beggar, who had somehow stolen rice, watched the crowd scrambling for food, and a wicked thought suddenly struck him. He wanted to take this opportunity to gather some men and rob all the wealthy households in the village. "You bald-headed scoundrel, have you lost your mind?"

"The Zhao family's gate is right there. Why don't you go and try to steal something? See if they break your arms and legs when they get back!"

These sarcastic remarks instantly dampened the spirits of the beggars, who silently began to rummage through the millet in the jar.

These beggars aren't even qualified to make offerings to the ancestral spirits in the shrines of the dead. Heaven doesn't care, earth doesn't take them in, and they're not even afraid of any kind of ghostly calamity.

But the thought of those tyrannical wealthy families who employed servants and slaves immediately made them shrink back.

Ghosts might not affect you, but if you steal from wealthy people, they can really kill you!

The beggars, young and old, were all gathered in the temple, some shouting that they wanted to break into houses, others thinking about leaving for distant lands, creating a chaotic scene...

Li Qingyao stood silently outside the temple, and amidst the commotion, she learned the whereabouts of the villagers, who had sought refuge under the shrine and spirits of Shanyang.

Indeed, since the establishment of the Southern Dynasties, there haven't been many major threats to the destruction of villages. How could it be such a coincidence?

Having obtained what he wanted to know, Li Qing put away the eagerly awaiting paper and turned to head towards Shanyang County...

At this time, ghostly afflictions were rampant in the county. Ma San Taiye of the Ma clan appeared in dreams at night and manifested in the daytime. Such divine manifestation gave the people of Shanyang County, who were filled with fear, a bit more confidence.

The Ma Family Ancestral Hall instructed all families in the village to offer rice, flour, money, incense, oil, paper money, and candles, so that they might be blessed by Ma San Tai-yuan.

Even if your family has no surplus wealth, it doesn't matter. Grandpa Ma is merciful. We're all from the same village. Just put your fingerprint on the ancestral hall and sign an IOU!

This blatant accumulation of wealth, using it to provide offerings to the people, raises the question: can this ancestral spirit truly resolve the ghostly afflictions?

But that remains to be seen...

The Shanyang County government was already impatient. The evil calamity had been raging for nearly a month. If it dragged on any longer, it would delay the farming season, and they might have to borrow grain to survive again this autumn.
At least, when Li Qing entered Shanyang County, he could only feel an unseasonably desolate atmosphere, with many new graves along the roadside. But most of the dead were hastily wrapped in straw mats, hastily buried in a pit, and topped with a wooden plank as a makeshift tombstone.

Among them were many corpses lying naked on straw mats, exposed after being washed by the rain...

As they approached Shanyang, Li Qing put away all his supernatural abilities, carrying only a cold white lantern. Zhu Qiu nodded in accompaniment. There were no guards at the city gate, and although it was daytime, the journey was so quiet that only the sound of his own footsteps could be heard.

With a creak, the city gate was pushed open, and Li Qing and Zhu went directly into the city.

The county town had not been cleaned for who knows how many days. The main road at the entrance of the town was covered with mud, sand and debris, and grass sprouts were even starting to emerge from the cracks between the bricks.

If it weren't for the clean curtains of the surrounding grain shops and the heavy footprints at the entrance, he would have thought this was a ghost town.

Where have the people from Shanyang gone?

Standing on this empty street, Li Qing felt as if she had been transported to another world.

Passing through Shanyin County, the area appeared vibrant and full of life. But how could Shanyang, separated only by a mountain range, be so desolate?
Holding the half-finished talisman given to him by Ma Yuan, Li Qing continued eastward without stopping.

The Ma family is the largest surname in Shanyang. The oldest ancestral hall in the area is dedicated to a former county magistrate, known as Third Master Ma.

This is an ancestral spirit that is almost solidified and can travel during the day. It is no less than a top-grade Taoist disciple of Tiannan Temple and can already be called a ghost or god.

The county was under the jurisdiction of the current magistrate of the Southern Dynasty, but once he left the village, this Third Master Ma became the powerful and influential patriarch of the Yin Temple, whom no village dared to defy.

Whether it's a ghostly calamity in the county or a result of excessive and wasteful worship, we'll probably have to find the person involved to find out!

The sun was high in the sky, and the Taoist priest carrying the lantern and Zhu Caiqiulong had crossed half of the county town without seeing a single person.

Until the two of them walked away eastward into the distance...

In a corner of the North Alley of the county town, a Taoist priest in blue kicked open a wooden door, carrying a round head, and walked out of a house with sealed doors and windows.

He threw the ball-like head to the ground, and after it rolled twice, the head's eyes widened, its pupils darting uncontrollably in all directions, clearly indicating that it was no good.

The sorcerers, county officials, and others from the rear emerged one after another from the dark room, sighing with worry:
"There was no movement in the city last night, so the disaster has probably spread to other villages."

"Does Your Excellency know when someone from the Upper Temple will come to deal with this? This calamity has become far too great!"

A man draped in a blue tasseled sash crouched on the ground. Insects and grasses, scattered all over the ground, emerged continuously from the cracks in the stones, the eaves, and the wooden beams, quickly crawling back into the sleeves of this insect master.

He was the only sorcerer in the county, and one of the survivors who had come into close contact with the calamity.

"How could I know if anyone was coming when I was hiding from you all every day?"

The Taoist disciple in blue snorted coldly, feeling inexplicably annoyed by the foolish question.

Glancing at the ghost head on the ground, seeing its murky eyes still scanning around, the Taoist disciple made a hand seal.

The next moment, flames rose from his mouth and nose, carrying wisps of blue smoke and scorching heat. He blew this breath onto the head of the ghost that was peeking around, and in the blink of an eye, a huge fire broke out and burned it to ashes.

"The skinning demon is treacherous; if left unchecked, it will surely become a great scourge. The human skins it sheds are like vengeful spirits, roaming day and night!"

"This human-skinned ghost head, like the eyes of a demon, watches over all directions."

"Magistrate Gong, Tiannan Temple is too far from Shanyang. Send a message to Liuling Mountain in Qingping Prefecture. This skinning demon is probably about to cause a great disaster..."

(End of this chapter)