Ita Era

Chapter 175 The Residence of a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination)
Ding Shi returned to Tianmen Village dejectedly. He had found a breakthrough in the advanced mission, and had convinced Feng Qiniang with a large amount of clues, half guessing and half speculating. He hadn't expected to get stuck on the topic of a partner. He should have known better than to mention that damned love. If he had said he was a member of the Divine Tree Protection Organization, maybe Feng Qiniang would have let him stay by the Divine Tree for a while.

I watched the meat stall on the cart at the village entrance for a while, chatted with my aunt about gossip, and then went home.

When Ding Shi reached Sanli Bridge, he felt very uncomfortable, as if he had thorns in his back. He looked back and saw that the fields, roads, houses, and villagers all seemed normal, but the feeling did not disappear. What was worse, it was not a psychological feeling, but a physiological reaction.

After crossing the Sanli Bridge back to Uncle Tiezhu's house, Cuihua was preparing her dowry. It consisted of simple quilts, sheets, and pillows. Depending on the customs, Cuihua also prepared lotus seeds and peanuts.

Tie Zhu was working hard, sweating profusely as he polished the coffin. Ding Shi drank a bowl of cold tea, picked up some sandpaper, and helped with the polishing: "Uncle Tie Zhu, will you still be a carpenter when we get to Banxi Village?"

Tie Zhu wiped his sweat and said, "I can make furniture, washbasins, buckets, anything."

Cuihua brought over a dozen freshly steamed potatoes: "Take a rest and have something to eat first." She sat down, picked up a potato, peeled it, and handed it to Ding Shi, saying, "This child has a very kind heart."

Ding Shi said with shame, "Thank you, Aunt Cuihua." How naive must one be to say they have a righteous heart?

Cuihua frowned, stared at Ding Shi for a while, then reached out and stroked Ding Shi's brow with her finger, causing his brow to furrow even more.

Cuihua touched her saliva to her lips with her right hand, brushed Ding Shi's hair aside with her left hand, drew a symbol on Ding Shi's forehead with her right hand, then leaned back and said, "Brother Tiezhu, look."

Tie Zhu noticed the faint black aura on Ding Shi's forehead and said, "Ghost Seal, Ding Shi, you've been targeted by a ghost cultivator. The ghost seal this ghost cultivator is using is actually a technique from the Huang family."

The Huang family possesses the art of controlling ghosts and has extensive knowledge of the ways of ghosts. The so-called ghost seal is a curse mark placed on a person by a ghost cultivator; it is harmless in itself and is equivalent to installing a locator.

Cuihua suddenly realized and said, "I knew it! Who else could change our Huang family's Soul Slave Talisman?"

Ding Shi asked, "Who is it?"

Cuihua replied, "Huang You, my father's junior sister."

This is a story of love turning into hate. Grandpa Cuihua found a baby girl and adopted her as his goddaughter. She grew up with Cuihua's father, learned skills together, and traveled the world together. Together they fought ghosts, eliminated evil, and saved people.

The adopted daughter falls in love with Cui's father, but Cui's father and mother are in love with each other. The adopted daughter becomes mentally unstable and begins to study ghost magic. In order to make Cui's father fall in love with her, she takes the souls of living people to make ghost weapons, and is expelled from the house by Cui's master.

Huang You and Tie Zhu had no deep-seated hatred for each other, so why did Huang You hide in Tianmen Village?

Cuihua said, "If it really is Huang You, with Huang You's strength, she wouldn't need to hide in Tianmen Village. She could just come to our door directly, and neither Tiezhu nor I would be her match."

Cuihua's explanation resolved a question that had been on Ding Shi's mind.

Liu Niang seized the body of a Taoist priest to resurrect her husband Zhang Dahe, while Tie Zhu seized the body of Wang Zhu to resurrect his daughter Cuilan. Therefore, Ding Shi assumed they were in cahoots. Now it seems this is not the case; they were from the same school, but each had their own methods.

Tie Zhu said, "Could it be that we're overthinking it?"

Cuihua said with certainty, "No, it must be her." Cuihua bit her middle finger and smeared the blood on Ding Shi's forehead, drawing a yin-yang symbol. Cuihua lit up the small circle in the yin-yang symbol, and the symbol began to rotate before disappearing quickly.

Cuihua said, "The ghost seal has been broken, but I don't think you're the only one she's targeting."

Ding Shi asked, "Assuming it really is your aunt Huang You, who has been living in seclusion or hiding her identity in Tianmen Village for at least three years, what is her purpose?"

Tie Zhu and Cui Hua thought for a long time, then shook their heads repeatedly, rejecting each idea. Killing them would be a simple matter for Huang You. But why did he modify the Soul Slave Talisman?
Ding Shi, driven by self-interest, offered his opinion: "What if we resurrect your master?" Their master was Huang You's unrequited love.

Cuihua: "That's unlikely. The Huang family's ghost-controlling technique can only seal evil spirits into the bodies of living people. My father was buried immediately after his death, so he wouldn't become an evil spirit."

Ding Shi asked, "Could it be that she followed your father to Tianmen Village a long time ago, and after your father died, she began to use the Yin energy of this place to start her own experiments?"

Cuihua was alarmed: "Then she has to trap my father's soul within seven days of his death. Then she has to find a suitable body for him. But this method is different from ghost-controlling techniques. Our Huang family's ghost-controlling techniques always target evil spirits, not ordinary souls."

Ding Shi said, "You arrived at Tianmen Village eighteen years ago, so she had eighteen years to conduct experiments in this Yin-filled place." Ding Shi believed he was right; such patience in doing something meant it had a profound impact on her. Through her narration, it becomes clear that Huang You's greatest wish was to be with Cuihua's father. Even if they couldn't be together, Huang You still wanted to resurrect her lover.

Love is something even more powerful than metaphysics.

Ding Shi said, "We tourists might be the containers she has her eye on. Xi is the failed experiment, and the Taoist priest is the successful one."

Cuihua still denied it: "The reason why Cuilan was able to be resurrected is because Cuilan is a ghost of obsession, not an evil ghost. Evil ghosts have no reason. If the Cuilan in my original body was an evil ghost, even if she were resurrected by borrowing Wang Zhu's body, Wang Zhu would go completely mad."

Ding Shi said, "That's right, this further proves that my guess was correct. Cuilan is a ghost of obsession, but Zhang Dahe is an evil ghost. The first time, Huang You stuffed Zhang Dahe's soul into Xi Jiu's body, and Xi Jiu died as a result. The second time, Huang You succeeded. Zhang Dahe's soul replaced the Taoist's soul, and not only did he not go crazy, but it also fit perfectly."

Ding Shi said, "Next, Huang You may attack us and use our bodies as vessels to resurrect your master."

Cuihua shook her head repeatedly: "My father would never allow this to happen. Even if we can escape divine punishment, we can't escape the underworld's reckoning."

Ding Shi said, "If your father and Huang You cooperate with each other, theoretically speaking, they would be immortal."

Tie Zhu denied it: "My father-in-law is an upright man and would never accept being resurrected."

Ding Shi said, "But you all accepted it."

Tie Zhu was stunned. Yes, they accepted that their daughter had been resurrected in someone else's body, and they had gone to great lengths to make it happen.

Cuihua was resolute: "As a mother, I can stand against the world to protect my child. My father is different. For the sake of his principles, he can give up everything, including his family. His principles are selflessness and dedication to the world; he's what people call a good-natured person."

To be precise, it should be the Virgin Mary.

There's a saying that in prosperous times, monks open their doors to amass wealth, while in chaotic times, Taoist priests descend the mountain to save the world. Taoism emphasizes non-action in helping the world, stressing proactive engagement during times of chaos. Buddhism, on the other hand, emphasizes cause and effect and reincarnation, thus finding its place in prosperous times.

Ding Shi said, "But the problem is that Huang You doesn't know that."

Cuihua was speechless for a long time before saying, "If you guessed correctly, Huang You needs at least three things. The first is a magical artifact to imprison my father's soul. The second is a vibrant environment for casting the spell, definitely not Tianmen Village. The third is my father's remains."

Ding Shi wasn't too concerned about whether Huang You could revive Master Cuihua; he was more concerned about the players Huang You had targeted. There were already very few left, and now they were being ambushed by ghost cultivators—and it was only the fourth day.

Under such pressure, you still need to find a partner.

Tie Zhu comforted Cui Hua, saying that they couldn't control the matter, as they had never seen Huang You and lacked the ability to fight against ghost cultivators.

Ding Shi said, "Uncle Tiezhu, Aunt Cuihua, can you move as soon as possible? It would be best if you could leave together for the wedding tomorrow. Even if the conditions are worse, it's still safer than Tianmen Village. There are no finished coffins here, so we can ask other carpenters to take over."

Tiezhu and Cuihua said they needed to think it over, so Dingshi went for a walk in the village, leaving the couple with space to consider and discuss things.

The village had few rice paddies, and the villagers' main occupations revolved around funerals: some went up the mountain to cut timber, others did carpentry at home, some painted items at funeral shops, and still others made paper figures and folded paper ingots. With the women busy cooking at this time, the streets were nearly deserted, making the wandering monks stand out. The monk wore a white robe of an antiquated style, quite different from typical monk's robes. After walking for a while, the monk returned to the shade of a tree to rest, then rolled his eyes as he surveyed the world before him.

A child skipped over, and the monk squatted down to talk to him at eye level. The child gave the monk the windmill he was holding and skipped away.

The monk picked up the windmill and looked at it. The wind blew and the windmill turned. The monk looked at it as if he were mesmerized. Holding the windmill, he mechanically turned around and walked step by step toward the four-meter bridge, heading toward the west of the village.

Ding Shi, who was crouching on the three-meter bridge, noticed something was wrong, but he was hundreds of meters away and unable to stop the monk.

Ding Shi observed the terrain, jumped onto the ridge, and headed towards the monk. When Ding Shi arrived at the Four-Meter Bridge, the monk had already walked up the steep slope and was standing in front of a house.

This house was the most luxurious-looking one in the village, surrounded by a five-meter-high wall, resembling a mansion. In fact, it was the mansion of a scholar surnamed Zhao who had passed the imperial examination. However, the entire area was dilapidated, the house was mostly collapsed, and even the gate was only half intact. Apart from the towering walls, there was nothing remarkable about it.

Just as the monk was about to enter the mansion, Ding Shi chased after him and called out, "Monk!"

The monk didn't react, and a head flew out from the wall, heading straight for Ding Shi's face.

The Flying Head Barbarian is made using a secret technique by refining the heads of people who have died within seven days. Its head is as hard as metal, and its teeth are poisonous. Once it bites you, it is difficult to shake off.

Ding Shi didn't know what this thing was, but he knew it was no good. He kicked the flying head barbarian with his left foot. The flying head barbarian was very agile and dodged in mid-air, directly pouncing on Xiao Shi.

Ding Shi knew that his rash kick had exposed an opening, so he leaned back and used his right knee to deflect the flying head.

Just as he stood up, Fei Tou Man attacked again. Ding Shi threw a jab. The jab was fast and accurate, but the power was weak. Each punch that hit Fei Tou Man's face sent him flying two meters, but no more.

With his left hand forming a hand seal, Ding Shi shone a flashlight at the Flying Head Barbarian, which slowly retreated while emitting smoke. Two seconds later, the light in his palm disappeared, and the Flying Head Barbarian pounced again. Ding Shi used a jab to repel the Flying Head Barbarian once more.

At this moment, the monk had already reached the entrance hall.

With a fierce determination, Ding Shi feigned an opening, his jab missed, and Fei Tou Man bit at Ding Shi's shoulder. Ding Shi seized the opportunity to grab Fei Tou Man's hair with his left hand.

Ding Shi knelt on one knee, pressed down on Fei Tou Man with his left hand, and clenched his right fist with seventy percent of his original power, striking down with a clang. The fist shattered the skull, creating a black hole. Fei Tou Man's eyes lost focus.

Fearing he wouldn't die completely, Ding Shi punched the black hole again. Since it was hollow, the punch landed directly on the back of his skull.

Grabbing the black hole with both hands and using his strength, Ding Shi tore the flying head in two, then stomped on it a few more times. Only after confirming that it was completely dead did Ding Shi chase after the monk.

The monk stared blankly at the plaque above the entrance: "Passing down the family tradition of farming and reading."

As if he had seen something rare, the monk knelt down, craned his neck, and remained motionless.

A black mist, like silken cloth, flew out, first binding the monk's feet, then rising upwards, turning him into a black mummy in less than five seconds. The black light binding the monk turned into white light, and the black mist, like a pump, drew the white light to the other side.

A beam of light the size of a fist fell from the sky. Although it missed the black mist, the specks of white light that splashed off after hitting the ground struck it. The black mist hissed as if it had been doused with sulfuric acid, then vanished, and the monk, now freed from his restraints, collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Just as Ding was about to step forward, he saw five flying barbarians fly up from the dry well on his right, so he turned around and fled.

Threads of black energy shot out from the hall, heading straight for Ding Shi and binding his feet. Ding Shi crouched down and used his Force Cleave to sever the black threads. But in that brief pause, Flying Head Barbarian had already caught up.

"Senior, it's a misunderstanding. I'm your grand-disciple." Regardless of whether a conversation was possible, he addressed her respectfully. However, he received no response.

Ding Shi used a second-stage kick to send one flying head barbarian flying, then swept the four flying head barbs back and forth with his flashlight, freezing them in place. The light on his left hand continued to disappear, while his right hand performed eight hand seals in two seconds with superb skill, and then swept the flying head barbs again.

At this moment, three more flying heads flew up from the dry well, lined up with the other flying heads, and pounced on Ding Shi together.

I'm 20 meters from the gate, I'm going to die, I'm going to die.

Suddenly, a gust of wind came from behind, and Xiao Ni floated in, her right hand making a cross in the air: "God's Blessing." Her heart, like a core of intense light, flashed three times, emitting a faint white light that spread outwards, enveloping Ding Shi. The closer the flying head got, the louder the hissing sound became, unable to penetrate even a meter away from Xiao Ni.

"I can't move, take me with you!"

Ding Shi was very obedient. He grabbed Xiao Ni by the back of her collar with his left hand and turned to leave. Force exploded from the soles of his feet, propelling him forward. He leaped ten meters and then jumped out of the gate.

Outside the door, Ding Shi's first question wasn't about how he got here or what was going on, but rather a surprised inquiry: "Aren't you a nun? No, aren't you a Buddhist disciple specializing in True Qi?"

Xiao Ni said, "Before the era, I was indeed studying for a doctorate at a Buddhist academy. After the era, I am a magic-based class specializing in light magic."

Ding Shi was shocked: "But you're bald."

Xiao Ni said, "Being bald doesn't affect the use of magic. Enough talk, what's going on here?"

Ding Shi looked inside again and saw the monk still lying on the ground, while the nine flying heads hovered in the air. Ding Shi briefly explained what he had seen and heard, and finally said, "Huang You, a ghost cultivator with very high cultivation."

Xiao Ni asked, "Inside that pavilion?"

Ding Shi said, "I'm not sure. The monk was controlled near the Four-Meter Bridge. I didn't see any suspicious people."

Xiao Ni said, "Charge in."

Ding Shi asked, "Is it okay?"

Xiao Ni said, "I'll be responsible for dispersing them, but you can't leave my side by more than a meter."

Ding Shi: "I'll carry you on my back."

Xiao Ni: "Okay."

Without further ado, Ding Shi carried Xiao Ni on his back and ran into the courtyard. The flying barbarians swooped down like bombers. Xiao Ni muttered, "Eat more, drink less." With a flick of his finger, a circle of light appeared among the flying barbarians, with two words in the center: Dispel.

The aperture exploded, and the shockwave blasted away the nine flying heads.

Ding Shi chanted the incantation repeatedly, dispelling the flying demons time and time again, before carrying the little nun to the first hall. Inside, there was no one, only a marionette.

Threads hanging from the rafters suspended the puppets in mid-air. The puppets were lifelike, with lively eyes, and spoke in an androgynous voice: "You two little brats, how dare you ruin my important plans! I won't let you get away with this!"

A dispelling spell struck the puppet, and its spirit vanished instantly, turning it into a real puppet. The nine flying heads landed simultaneously, motionless.

(End of this chapter)