Ita Era

Chapter 167 Ghost Mother
Ding Shi asked, "Did you draw all the soul slave talismans in the village, Uncle?"

Tie Zhu replied, "No, it was drawn by that little girl, Wang Zhu."

During the day, Sha Bi mentioned four houses, two of which were uninhabited. One house was inhabited by Feng Qiniang, and the other by Wang Zhu.

Tie Zhu lacked talent; he was unable to draw the Soul Slave Talisman in one stroke.

Before Cuilan died, Cuihua, following her father's instructions, gave away the spirit charms she had drawn to the villagers for free. After Cuilan's death, because Cuihua had imprisoned Cuilan's soul within her body, she could no longer draw charms.

At this time, Wang Zhu was only ten years old.

Because of societal perceptions, it was always publicly stated that Tiezhu was the one who drew the talismans. After Cuihua could no longer draw talismans, Tiezhu sought out Wang Zhu, who was known as the smartest girl in the village. Wang Zhu was an orphan who grew up on the village's charity. She was intelligent and had a sweet tongue, making her very popular with the villagers.

Tie Zhu explained the principle of the Soul Slave Talisman to Wang Zhu and also showed him the Soul Slave Talisman that Cui Hua had drawn earlier. Wang Zhu started by copying it and quickly mastered the drawing method of the Soul Slave Talisman.

Currently, Wang Zhu is the only person in Tianmen Village who possesses the Soul Slave Talisman. However, because Wang Zhu has not cultivated the proper method, the Soul Slave Talismans she draws only have a three-day validity period.

Tie Zhu said, "For the first two years, the Soul Slave Talismans drawn by Wang Yatou were of very poor quality. Fortunately, people didn't die every day in Tianmen Village, so the impact wasn't significant. It wasn't until Wang Yatou was 13 years old that a landslide occurred at the end of the village, killing four people. That's when I discovered that Wang Yatou's Soul Slave Talismans were evil."

Ding Shi handed the Soul Slave Talisman he had stolen from Zhao Di to Tie Zhu. Tie Zhu nodded: "That's right, it was drawn by Wang Yatou. Except for the character for 'slave,' it's all in Sanskrit, while my father-in-law drew it in tadpole script. I've always suspected..."

Tie Zhu thought for a moment and said, "Have you noticed that many villagers have empty, numb, and indifferent eyes?"

Ding nodded.

Tie Zhu said, "I suspect that there is a powerful figure behind Wang Yatou."

Ding Shi asked, "Isn't a wise person good?"

Tie Zhu said, "It should be a ghost cultivator. Tianmen Village is full of yin energy, which can be described as a paradise for ghost cultivators."

Ding Shi asked, "Do you think the villagers' personality changes are related to the ghost cultivators?"

Tie Zhu said, "Ghost cultivators worship evil gods, and I suspect that the villagers worship evil gods related to ghost cultivators. But as you know, because of the evil ghosts, villagers don't visit each other under normal circumstances, so I've only ever suspected it and don't have any solid evidence. I suspect that Wang Yatou is already a disciple of a ghost cultivator."

Ding Shi asked, "How many households are involved with ghost cultivators?"

Tie Zhu pondered for a moment and said, "It's half and half."

Ding Shi said, "I feel there are many ghost cultivator villagers."

Tie Zhu said, "No, some of the villagers you mentioned are refugees who fled here due to the war and famine of the past few years. They've already lost their spirit on the road. Take Zhu's family, for example. Before they fled, there were seven people, but when they arrived in Tianmen Village, there were only two of them. Everyone knows what he went through. He just buries himself in his work and never cares about others. He reacts very strongly to anyone who approaches his house or enters his yard. He and his brother never eat meat; they vomit at the smell of meat. If people like that can't get out of this situation, they're no different from the living dead."

Ding Shi nodded: "People like this need faith even more."

Tie Zhu sighed, "After Cui Lan's death anniversary, your aunt and I will leave this place. You should leave too. Whether or not there are ghost cultivators, Tianmen Village is not a good place."

Ding Shi said, "We might be able to find the divine tree and replant it. In a few years, Tianmen Village will become a paradise."

Upon hearing this, Tie Zhu couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Good, good, you young people are really bold. You helped me today and spoke so nicely, I'll help you out too."

Ding Shi laughed and said, "Uncle Tiezhu, forget it. You're just a novice."

Tie Zhu said seriously, "I can't say anything else, but your palm light hand gesture is too childish. I can improve the hand gesture."

Without further ado, Ding Shi made hand seals, and Tie Zhu corrected each one. The deviations were minor, but the results were drastically different. The light that was originally sweeping out from the palm became a beam of intense light shooting down from above Ding Shi's head. The light from the palm lasted for two seconds, while the intense light was a one-shot deal.

"Well done," Tie Zhu said with satisfaction. "Choose a name for yourself."

Ding Shi: "His head was bald."

Tie Zhu swayed slightly, grabbed Ding Shi's shoulder, and said, "Let's try another one."

Ding Shi: "Light in mid-air? Light at high altitude?"

Tie Zhu asked, "How's the daily reading going?"

Ding Shi looked disgusted: Not very good.

Tie Zhu asked again: "Luo Hui? Po Qiong?"

Ding Shi: "Oblique light?"

Tie Zhu sighed and said, "Break the sky."

Ding Shi was about to speak when Tie Zhu firmly said, "Breaking the Sky, let's call it Breaking the Sky."

Ding Shi still wanted to struggle a bit, but Tie Zhu said, "The Palm Light was taught by your master, and Breaking the Sky is an advancement based on Palm Light. Instead of thinking about the name, you should think about why it advances." He didn't want to get entangled with Ding Shi about the name anymore.

Ding Shi was taken aback. Oh right, he had only changed some of the hand gestures, so how did the continuously emitted light become light falling from the sky?
Ding Shi had doubts. He had previously thought that Tie Zhu was a half-baked Taoist priest, so why was Tie Zhu suddenly able to guide him in hand gestures?
These thoughts flashed through his mind. Ding Shi lit Tie Zhu's water pipe and asked, "Uncle Tie Zhu, if I want to eliminate the ghost cultivator, what should I do?"

Tie Zhu took a deep breath of his water pipe: "I don't need to tell you the weaknesses of the ghost cultivator. If you can find him, you can eliminate him."

Ghost cultivators are similar to mages, capable of unleashing powerful attacks, but they are most vulnerable to close-range attacks. If Ding Shi gets close to a ghost cultivator, he can beat the ghost cultivator to a pulp before the ghost cultivator can unleash his ultimate attack.

Ding Shi nodded: "The most troublesome thing is finding the ghost cultivator. Can we start with Wang Zhu directly?"

Tie Zhu said, "I once thought of using some underhanded methods to force Wang Yatou to reveal the whereabouts of the ghost cultivator. But Cuihua told me that Wang Yatou has a ghost contract."

The so-called Ghost Contract is an evil technique used by ghost cultivators. It's a spell that uses the rules of evil spirits to kill and establish a contract. Wang Zhu is possessed by a ghost, and if she violates the contract, she will be devoured by the evil spirit within her.

Ding Shi asked, "My companion and I both know some rudimentary spells that can harm evil spirits. Could we remove the evil spirit from Wang Zhu's body?"

Tie Zhu pondered for a long time: "I'm not sure, but I think the Ghost Contract probably requires Wang Yatou to keep secrets related to ghost cultivation."

Ding Shi pondered for a moment: "Kidnap Wang Zhu, beat him up, and if we can't get him out, we'll scatter."

Isn't this just a mob? Tie Zhu couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Ding Shi said, "Compared to kidnapping, it's harder to extract a confession. We are all honest people, and we can't torture Wang Zhu like the villains do. Even if I'm ruthless enough, internal conflicts will immediately arise."

Tie Zhu seemed to have made up his mind, and said, "If you can expel the evil spirit from Wang Yatou's body, I will find a way to handle the interrogation. Although it will make Wang Yatou feel a little uncomfortable, it will be far less than the torture you described."

This is clearly a hidden quest. Considering that there are countless hidden quests in Peach Blossom Village, Ding Shi decided to sleep less and do more these days to uncover all the hidden quests in the village.

One needs to accumulate a great deal of unseen merit.

Tie Zhu reminded him, "You'd better perform the exorcism in the ancestral hall, because I don't know which family the evil spirit contracted within Wang Yatou belongs to. And there are no evil spirits in the ancestral hall."

Ding Shi became curious: "Uncle Tiezhu, whose ancestral hall is it?" Tiezhu replied, "It originally belonged to the Zhao family. The Zhao family once produced a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who held the rank of third-grade official. Later, he retired and returned to his hometown to establish a clan school. He also funded the construction of the ancestral hall. However, due to the constant warfare over the past century, and the fact that the Zhao family was not a prominent surname in the village, it is now considered the village ancestral hall. There are no ancestral tablets enshrined inside; it serves as a place for villagers to discuss matters."

Ding Shi understood; they were afraid of taboos if they demolished it, so they left it as is for the village elders to use for meetings.

……

Ding Shi and Tie Zhu talked late into the night. Although Tie Zhu was only a novice, his father-in-law was a highly accomplished and experienced man who had traveled extensively. While Tie Zhu lacked his father-in-law's knowledge and skills, he could still speak fluently about Taoism and ghost cultivation.

The two chatted until the early hours of the morning, drinking countless cups of tea, before finally waiting for Shabi to return.

As soon as Sha Bi, covered in mud, entered the courtyard, he collapsed. Ding Shi and Tie Zhu rushed over to check on him. Tie Zhu, disregarding the dirt, ran his hands over Sha Bi's body and said, "He has multiple injuries, quite serious. You stay with him, I'll go call the village chief."

"village head?"

Tie Zhu explained, "The village chief was a military doctor who stayed in the village after being injured during the Northern Expedition. He was also the only doctor in several villages around us."

Ding Shi understood somewhat: "No wonder the village chief runs a funeral parlor, sparing no effort to collect the bodies of soldiers sent from the front." Many people respect soldiers simply for the sake of respect, or out of necessity. The village chief, however, had no respect for the soldiers, only a sense of camaraderie.

Tie Zhu went to the right wing, where his belongings were stored. Without wearing his Taoist robes, Tie Zhu grabbed his wooden bell and went out. Every ten seconds, he shook the bell as he headed towards the funeral parlor at the village entrance.

Twenty minutes later, the village chief returned carrying a worn-out medical kit and an iron rod. Ding Shi had already washed Sha Bi clean. Sha Bi had more than a dozen wounds all over his body, but fortunately none of them were deep. The most serious was a broken left arm, as well as a head injury, a bruised calf, and other external injuries.

The village chief used gauze and wooden strips to immobilize Sha Bi's left hand, and then gave him some sulfonamide anti-inflammatory pills. Tie Zhu tried to pay, but the village chief refused, telling Sha Bi to go to the funeral parlor himself to pay the three dollars for the medicine after he woke up. During the war, anti-inflammatory drugs were as precious as gold.

The village chief didn't exchange pleasantries with Tiezhu and Dingshi, and left quite readily. For safety's sake, Tiezhu still escorted the village chief back to the funeral parlor.

When Tie Zhu returned, Ding Shi had already stuffed the shovel into the left wing and gone to the left wing himself. After a busy day, Ding Shi fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

The next day, when Ding Shi went out, he saw Sha Bi sitting at the door of the side room. With the blessing of the divine doctor, his injuries and illnesses had been completely cured, but he was in very poor spirits.

Ding Shi wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but just then Cuihua called for dinner. Sha Bi stood up listlessly, didn't even look at Ding Shi, and went to the kitchen.

Breakfast was porridge and dried radish. Tie Zhu apologized, "Just eat whatever you like this morning. I'll go to the village entrance this morning and buy a few pounds of meat so your Aunt Cuihua can cook braised pork."

Cuihua seemed to have no recollection of what happened last night and had returned to her sluggish state.

Ding Shi said, "I'll go for a walk later. Foolish dagger?"

The fool, looking sickly, said, "Mind your own business."

Ding Shi asked in surprise, "Didn't the miracle doctor cure your brain?"

Sha Bi rolled his eyes, not wanting to speak. The divine doctor could heal injuries and illnesses, but he had been lost in the illusion for a long time, exhausting a great deal of his energy and spirit. The reason he was able to escape was because he was exhausted and fainted. After waking up, he found that his body was too weak to move, and only then did his mind have room to think.

Seeing Ding Shi pacing back and forth not far away, keeping his distance and not running away, Sha Bi finally realized that he had entered a damned illusion.

After breakfast, Ding Shi went out full of energy, while Sha Bi sunbathed at the gate of the courtyard. Cui Hua took the dirty clothes to the stream, and Tie Zhu told Sha Bi to watch the house while he went to the village entrance to buy meat.

Once everyone had left, Sha Bi narrowed his eyes, showing no sign of dejection whatsoever. He darted into the right wing like a wildcat. Tie Zhu's work gear was stored there, and the room was locked. In Sha Bi's hand was a small piece of soft sheet metal he'd taken from Tie Zhu's carpentry work the day before. He kneaded it to make it harder, and 20 seconds later, he pried open the lock.

Five minutes of searching yielded no results. Sha Bi locked the door and slipped into Tie Zhu and Cui Hua's main room. While he was ransacking the place, he was unaware that someone was leaning against the door, quietly listening to the sounds coming from inside.

……

The players gathered at Ji Shan and Ji Yue's new house. Ji Shan had already woken up, eaten the breakfast his wife had brought, and was reviewing yesterday's events with the other players. Only the Confucian man Xi Jiu and Sha Bi were absent.

Ding Shi asked Sha Bi for leave, and everyone was quite worried about Xi Jiu. Ding Shi told Xi Jiu about the matter in a piecemeal fashion.

Ding Shi said: I was worried about Liu Niang's safety. Therefore, even though I saw Liu Niang leading Xi Jiu to the main room and closing the door, I still went to peek.

Who would believe that? Not only would they not believe it, but Ding Shi would also become someone despised by the group. Therefore, this part has to be cut.

Ding Shi started talking about ghost cultivators.

As soon as Ding finished speaking, the monk chimed in, "Yes, there are ghost cultivators in the village. I discovered them yesterday afternoon. My neighbors are a couple with a son and a daughter. Yesterday afternoon, the daughter came to my house for help, saying that her father was hitting her mother. I went there with the landlord and accidentally discovered a picture of an evil god in their main room."

The monk used a twig to draw the image he saw: a monster with a tiger's head, dragon's feet, and a woman's body.

Xiao Ni, being knowledgeable and experienced, said, "This is the Ghost Mother of the South Sea. Legend has it that the Ghost Mother gives birth to ten ghosts a day, which she eats up in the evening."

Ding Shi asked, "Enjoy the pleasure of childbirth?"

Several girls turned to look at Ding Shi, who immediately apologized for his slip of the tongue: "Sorry, sorry, I misspoke."

Xiao Ni said, "The Ghost Mother is definitely an evil deity. The fact that they kept the Ghost Mother's portrait means that this family must be her followers."

Everyone looked at Ding Shi, who clearly had the most information. Ding Shi didn't hold back and explained to everyone the ghost cultivation content that he and Tie Zhu had discussed.

Yuan Yue said, "Wang Zhu is our neighbor. Last night, we could faintly hear ghostly weeping coming from her house."

Yuanshan added: "This morning we chatted with the landlord, who said that Wang Zhu works the night shift. During the day, Wang Zhu rests at home and cooks, and then goes to work at the funeral parlor in the evening."

The monk asked, "Then why didn't she just stay at the funeral parlor?"

Ding Shi said, "It sounds like this ghost cultivator lives in Wang Zhu's house."

The Confucian woman, Dongcheng, said, "People who work the night shift usually take a nap. Shall we start after lunch?"

In January, the suggestion was rejected: "There are many residents nearby. What if she screams if we try to exorcise the ghost?"

Yuanshan patted his silly wife: "We can gag her."

Ding Shi said, "Yuan Yue is right, but I'm not worried about her screaming. I'm worried that there are ghost cultivators in her house. Yuan Yue, do you think you can find out more information? It would be best if you could lure her into the mountains."

Yuan Yue is confident: "Okay."

The monk said, “I suggest we divide the work. Ji Yue, you accompany Ji Shan to find a new place to live. The Daoist nun and Ding Shi go and check on Xi Jiu’s situation. Little nun, you and Yuan Yue inquire about Wang Zhu’s living details, and it would be best if you could make contact with her.”

The idol-like Taoist priest interjected, "I have plans for today."

They exchanged glances, and the monk continued, "Alright then. The rest of us, Dongcheng, Yuanshan, and I, will try to analyze the characteristics of the Ghost Mother's followers based on our knowledge of them, and then dig out all the followers in the village."

After assigning tasks, the monk said, "Let's meet here before lunch. Does anyone have any objections to this arrangement?"

No one objected, and everyone dispersed.

(End of this chapter)