The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

As the morning mist dissipated, Lu Yao pushed open the ancient gate of Xianyun Temple on Mount Qingcheng with a creak.

She picked up a broom, yawned, and began her daily routine of sweeping.

After the spiritual energy was restored, although more people went up the mountain to seek divine guidance and divination, and to look for "fate with immortals," Xianyun Temple did not gain much fame and was far less lively than the much-hyped Daguan Temple.

Today, Chen Xuan, unusually, did not sunbathe on the back mountain. Instead, he changed into a clean dark blue Taoist robe, neatly tied his hair with a wooden hairpin, and sat at the "fortune telling and divination" table on one side of the side hall.

A faded blue cloth was spread on the table, and a divination stick container was placed on it.

A few yellowed old books, an inkstone, and a writing brush—it looked no different from the Taoist priests in ordinary temples who told fortunes and interpreted divination slips.

Lu Yao then proceeded to the main hall to meticulously wipe the offering table and incense burner in front of the deity statue.

She had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage and felt an inexhaustible amount of energy, so she was enthusiastic about everything she did.

Occasionally, when worshippers come in to offer incense, she will imitate the abbot of Qingxuzi Temple and return the greeting in a proper and respectful manner, which amazes some of the older worshippers who think that this young girl is quite clever.

As the sun rose higher, a few pilgrims began to climb the mountain.

Most of them are residents from nearby villages and towns, seeking peace, inquiring about their future, or simply hiking and resting at the temple.

People occasionally stopped in front of Chen Xuan, either to draw lots or to ask him about everyday matters.

He always remained calm, answering questions in a few words. His words were plain, yet they often touched people's hearts, leaving the questioners thoughtful and thoughtful as they left.

Around noon, a man in his forties, wearing faded work clothes, with a worried face and heavy eye bags, hurriedly entered the side hall.

He first bowed haphazardly before the statues of the Three Pure Ones, then his gaze swept around and he saw Chen Xuan's side. After hesitating for a moment, he still walked over.

"Daoist... Daoist Master,"

The man's voice was hoarse, filled with exhaustion and unease. "Could...could you take a look at my house? Something strange has happened at home."

Chen Xuan looked up at him.

The man's forehead was faintly bluish, his eyes were dark-rimmed, and a faint yet chilling and sinister aura clung to his body.

This is not just a matter of bad luck or mental unease.

"Sit down and talk."

Chen Xuan pointed to the stool in front of the table.

The man sat down awkwardly, unconsciously rubbing his trouser legs with his hands, and began to speak: "My surname is Zhang, my name is Zhang Jianguo, and I live in Zhangjiagou at the foot of the mountain."

"My family has been honest and upright for generations, and we have never done anything wrong."

"But starting last month, something... has been wrong at home."

He swallowed hard, his face showing fear: "First, the chickens and ducks we raised at home would die for no reason in the middle of the night, their necks would be broken and their blood would be sucked dry."

"At first we thought it was a weasel, so we reinforced the fence and put in traps, but it was no use at all."

"Later...later my wife started having nightmares. In her dreams, there was always a woman in red clothes whose face she couldn't see, choking her and saying that she had taken over her place."

"My wife is so frightened that she has a nervous breakdown and can't get out of bed."

Zhang Jianguo's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, his voice trembling with tears: "Then, my son... my son is only eight years old. A few nights ago, he got up to use the bathroom and came back saying that he saw an aunt in a red dress smiling at him in the yard."

"The next day, he developed a high fever, talked incoherently, and even after being taken to the hospital, they couldn't find anything wrong. He would vomit after taking fever reducers..."

"Master, tell me, what kind of evil spirit have we encountered? Is it... is it because my father's grave was moved last year and not done properly, disturbing the ancestors?"

He looked at Chen Xuan expectantly, as if grasping at a straw.

He also visited other places in town that were said to be very effective, spending a lot of money to get talismans and have rituals performed.

But it was of no use at all; the strange occurrences in the house only worsened.

Lu Yao, who was wiping the offering table nearby, also heard it and curiously stopped what she was doing, looking over here.

Now that she has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, her spiritual senses are sharp, and she can vaguely sense the unpleasant aura emanating from Zhang Jianguo, but she doesn't know how to deal with it.

After listening, Chen Xuan did not show any surprise on his face, but simply nodded slightly.

"It's not the work of our ancestors."

He spoke calmly, "The yin energy on you carries the smell of water and resentment, yet it is mixed and impure, neither a vengeful ghost nor a spirit."

"Are there any old wells, abandoned ponds, or anything unusual unearthed recently during construction near your home?"

Zhang Jianguo was taken aback. After thinking carefully, he suddenly slapped his thigh: "Yes! There's an old well! Right behind my yard!"

"That well has been abandoned since my grandfather's generation, and the wellhead is covered with a stone slab."

"Last month, when the village was repairing the road, a truck transporting materials accidentally cracked a stone slab!"

"I didn't pay much attention at the time... Master, are you saying... it's something from the well?"

"Most likely."

Chen Xuandao said, "Wells are connected to the earth's veins, but if they are abandoned for a long time and do not flow, they easily accumulate yin and obscure energy."

"If, by chance, something evil or resentful has fallen into it, over the years, nourished by yin energy, it will form a kind of 'well spirit' that is somewhere between a ghost and a monster."

"It is formless and intangible, yet it can use yin energy to influence the surrounding living beings, create illusions, and absorb yang energy and essence."

"Your house is right next to the well, so you're the first to be affected."

Zhang Jianguo's face turned deathly pale: "Well... Well Demon? Then... what do we do?"

"Master, you must save my family! I'll give you any amount of money!"

He hurriedly reached into his pocket and pulled out a few crumpled banknotes.

Chen Xuan waved his hand: "Money is just an external thing, no need for it. Since you're here, it must be fate."

He hesitated for a moment, then said to Zhang Jianguo, "Go back and prepare three things."

"A basin of rooster blood that is over three years old, taken at noon."

"The seven peach wood nails must be taken from peach trees that are more than ten years old and located in the southeast direction."

"Find another piece of uncarved natural bluestone, about the size of your palm."

Zhang Jianguo quickly memorized: "Rooster blood, peach wood nails, bluestone... Got it, got it! And then?"

"This evening, as the sun sets, the yang energy gradually fades and the yin energy begins to rise, which is precisely the time when the well spirit is active."

Chen Xuan continued, "You splashed the rooster's blood onto the crack at the wellhead."

"Then, use peach wood nails, according to the orientation of the Big Dipper, to nail them into the ground around the well opening."

Finally, place that piece of bluestone in the center of the crack at the wellhead.

He paused, looking at Zhang Jianguo: "After you've done all this, no matter what noises you hear in the well or what strange phenomena you see, ignore them. Immediately take your family out of the yard and go to a neighbor's house to stay for the night."

"Go back and check again after sunrise tomorrow."