With virtue

The yin energy filling the room, under the thunder, melted away like snow being poured on boiling water. The scattered shadows in the corners were shaken and fled in all directions. Even the doorpost where the cinnabar beam talisman was located trembled twice.

Jiuyan was closest to him and was struck by the thunderous sound. Her ears rang, and it felt as if a thousand gongs were ringing in her mind at the same time. Her entire ghostly body trembled violently, and the seductive power she had just gathered was shattered.

This is why he is not afraid of seductive arts. He has a righteous spirit within him, and Zhao Yunshu constantly uses thunderous sounds to cleanse his inner world, so this kind of external evil, seductive arts, cannot invade him in the slightest.

She screamed, covered her ears with her hands, and her whole body was filled with ghostly energy. Her charred skin revealed its true form, and there was no trace of her previous seductive charm.

"Master Dao! Master Dao! This humble woman will tell you anything, she will tell you anything!" Jiu Yan cried out in a shrill voice.

The Nine Beauties were originally female spirits; how could they withstand the thunderous sound?

Of course, this wasn't real thunder, but just something emitted by a human body. If it were real thunder from a thunder magic technique, even hundreds of Nine Beauties would be instantly reduced to ashes.

How could these vengeful spirits withstand the power of heavenly thunder?

Even so, it had already shaken Jiuyan's soul and caused her unbearable pain. In life, she was burned and her bones were crushed, and after death, she was tormented in the flames every day. But all those pains combined could not compare to the thunderous sound that pierced her body just now!

So she immediately kowtowed and promised to tell him anything.

The young Taoist priest put the Six Jia Talisman back between his fingers and said, "Alright, since you're willing to talk, then tell me who's behind you and why you've gathered in this Dingzhou area."

Jiuyan knelt on the ground, her eyes darting around, but she kept saying, "Master, please understand, I will tell you now. This matter must begin from the beginning. I was originally a respectable woman from Xingzhou. My parents died when I was young, and I was sold into Pingkang Ward by that heartless village elder. It was not that I willingly degraded myself."

"Get to the point," Zhao Yunshu urged.

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll get to the point!" Jiu Yan trembled with fright and hurriedly said, "After I died, I became a vengeful ghost and wandered around for several years. Then I met the Three Yin Elder. That old man coveted my beauty, and I also wanted to use his magic to stabilize my soul, so we traveled together. Later, we ended up in Dingzhou, where we met the Dream-Fulfilling Master..."

Zhao Yunshu interrupted her at this moment: "What is the background of that monk? Why are the three of you gathered together?"

Jiuyan quickly replied, "That monk is a disgraced disciple of Anguo Temple. He is skilled in water and fire arts and can also control snakes. Although the Three Yin Elder and I have some unorthodox methods, I fear sunlight and he fears yang energy. It is best to act only at night. Yuanmeng, on the other hand, is a living person and can walk freely during the day. He is also skilled in water and fire arts and can make porcelain for the kiln. He is quite respectable in Dingzhou City and is perfect for concealing our whereabouts."

"He provided us with hiding places and living people, and we collected resentment to refine that valiant serpent for him. It was simply a matter of each getting what they needed. As for why we gathered in Dingzhou... Daoist, please understand, this was not started by me!"

These nine beauties solemnly promised to tell everything they knew without reservation, but when it came to their mouths, it all turned into rambling nonsense. They described every matter in great detail, but they always went around in circles and never got to the point.

Her voice was soft and sweet, and she spoke slowly. As she spoke, she kept glancing at Zhao Yunshu's expression, as if as long as she was respectful enough and humble enough, she could gradually get through this critical juncture.

However, although her flirtatious gaze did not fall on the young Taoist priest, her peripheral vision kept glancing behind Zhao Yunshu.

On the doorpost where the young Taoist priest had pierced the iron sword, the cinnabar talisman was slowly fading, and the awe-inspiring righteous energy that had suppressed the entire scene was now three or four parts weaker than before.

Jiu Yan rambled on and on, repeating herself endlessly, while her mind raced with calculations.

This spell can't last forever. If she can just buy a little more time until its power is exhausted, this haunted house will no longer be her prison. Then, even if it means taking another thunderbolt, she'll make her escape...

Zhao Yunshu listened to her rambling without interrupting or scolding her.

This female ghost was spouting nonsense, and even the young Taoist priest noticed her inconsistencies. For example, her relationship with Yuanmeng was definitely not like that, and the Three Yin Elder and she did not come to Dingzhou by chance before meeting Yuanmeng.

But it doesn't matter.

Jiuyan continued rambling, and seeing that the cinnabar talisman's runes had dimmed to a mere glimmer, she was overjoyed, but her face grew increasingly sorrowful, her voice trembling with tears: "Master Daoist, I am nothing but Mei Sanniang's dog! How could she possibly confide in me? Master Daoist, you are discerning; if I have uttered a single falsehood, may I be struck dead by heavenly lightning!"

Halfway through her sentence, she caught a glimpse of the last ray of light from the rune about to go out, and the corner of her eye couldn't help but curl up her lips. Her ghostly claws were secretly gathering power, waiting for the rune's power to dissipate before she could launch a sudden attack!

Just then, Zhao Yunshu calmly reached into his robes, pulled out a brand-new cinnabar talisman, and waved it in front of her.

The talisman paper was stained with blood-red cinnabar, the characters were clear and full, and it was brimming with spiritual energy, just like the one that had been first pasted on.

Jiu Yan's pupils suddenly contracted, and the smile that was about to bloom on her lips froze on her face before it could even take shape.

Her lips moved a few times, but she couldn't utter a single word, like a hen with its neck being choked.

Zhao Yunshu ignored him and walked straight to the doorpost, peeled off the old talisman and pasted on the new one.

The cinnabar runes suddenly lit up, and the red light once again entered the roof beams. The awe-inspiring righteous energy that filled the room rose again like the receding tide, enveloping the entire house once more.

Jiuyan's knees buckled, and she was forced to kneel on the ground again.

The young Taoist priest dusted off his hands, turned around and looked at her, still with that same grinning expression.

"You want to stall for time? Hehe." The little Taoist chuckled, "Don't worry, you lowly maid, I have plenty of talismans. Let's see if you can stall any longer."

"However, my patience is also limited." Zhao Yunshu took out the Six Jia Talisman again: "Before it runs out, just say what I want. If I don't hear what you want, this one will be stuck on your head in a moment."

Jiuyan lowered her head and remained silent for a moment.

On that ghostly face, distorted by the slap, resentment and malice surged several times, but were ultimately suppressed by fear.

As if finally resigned to her fate, she slumped her shoulders, knelt on the ground, and whispered, "Please ask, Daoist Master, I... will answer whatever I know."

"It's still the same question," Zhao Yunshu repeated calmly, "Who's behind you? Why are you all gathered in Dingzhou?"

Jiuyan took a deep breath, and dared not play any tricks this time. She answered honestly, "Replying to the Daoist, about half a year ago, Mei Xian, also known as Mei San Niang, suddenly found me and said that a big event was about to happen in Dingzhou. The big shot behind her needed manpower and asked if we were willing to serve her. After the event was completed, she would allow us to join her ranks and learn the Daoist arts."

"Although I am a wandering ghost, I know that observing the Dharma is the true threshold of cultivation. The Three Yin Elder spent his whole life but failed to enter the gate, and Monk Yuanmeng was even willing to give up his life for observing the Dharma. Since Fairy Mei has offered such a higher price, how can we refuse? We immediately agreed and followed her to Dingzhou."