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

"If there is black ash at the wellhead, clean it up and pour it into flowing water."

"After that, the well opening was completely sealed with new stone slabs, and a willow tree was planted next to the well."

"Willow trees belong to the yin category, which can soothe the earth's energy and balance yin and yang."

Zhang Jianguo nodded repeatedly as he listened, even though some of the steps sounded a bit mysterious.

But Chen Xuan spoke clearly and confidently, which made him feel inexplicably more at ease.

"Master, is this... is that all? Don't you need to perform the ritual yourself?"

Zhang Jianguo was still somewhat uneasy.

Chen Xuan smiled faintly: "A mere well spirit can be easily subdued by using an object."

"Its body cannot be separated from that abandoned well. Pure yang chicken blood is used to break its yin energy barrier, peach wood nails are used to set up the Seven Star Yin Locking Array to trap its form, and natural bluestone is used to suppress its origin."

"Overnight, the formation will completely dissipate its yin energy, causing its soul to be scattered."

"If you do as I say, you can sleep peacefully tonight."

He spoke of it casually, as if he hadn't dealt with an evil spirit that had caused chaos and illness to the family, but merely cleared away a nest of ants in the corner.

Zhang Jianguo was skeptical, but he had no other choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.

He thanked them profusely, left the few banknotes, and hurriedly went down the mountain to prepare.

Lu Yao leaned closer curiously: "Senior brother, is that Jing Mei very powerful? You were able to handle it without me even having to go?"

"It's nothing special, it just gained some power by taking advantage of the location and the accumulated yin energy over the years, just to scare ordinary people."

Chen Xuan picked up the rough pottery teacup on the table, took a sip of water, and said, "The real trouble lies at the source."

"Why does that well gather such yin energy, even nurturing a well spirit?"

"I'm afraid the bottom of that well is more than just abandoned."

"Perhaps it was an ancient mass grave, perhaps a place where wronged people drowned, perhaps..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Lu Yao was already feeling a chill run down her spine.

"So... will Uncle Zhang and the others still have any problems in the future?"

"Do as I say, seal the well and plant willows to harmonize the earth's energy, and naturally there will be no problem."

Chen Xuan put down his teacup. "Many strange things in the world seem mysterious, but in essence, they are nothing more than an imbalance of Yin and Yang and a disorder of the Five Elements."

"Treating the root cause and guiding it back to the right path will resolve the problem."

He looked at Lu Yao: "Cultivation is not just about cultivating one's own magical power, but also about discerning the principles of the world."

"It is not enough to know what it is; it is also important to know why it is so."

Lu Yao nodded as if she understood, silently keeping her senior brother's words in mind.

In the afternoon, the Taoist temple returned to its tranquility. Chen Xuan remained seated, occasionally interpreting fortune sticks for worshippers, his words calm yet insightful.

Lu Yao continued her "cultivation"—cleaning the Taoist temple, practicing the subtle control of her Foundation Establishment True Essence, and occasionally stealing a glance at her senior brother's calm profile.

As the sun sets, the evening glow paints half the sky red.

At Zhangjiagou at the foot of the mountain, Zhang Jianguo, following Chen Xuan's instructions, completed all the steps with trepidation yet meticulous care.

When he placed the last piece of bluestone on the crack at the wellhead, even though there was no wind, he seemed to hear an extremely faint, resentful shriek coming from the bottom of the well, but it disappeared in an instant.

He was so terrified that he scrambled to his neighbor's house with his wife and children, and didn't dare to close his eyes all night.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Zhang Jianguo couldn't wait to run back to his own yard.

Around the well, the seven peach wood nails were still in place, but the color of the nails seemed to have faded a bit.

At the crack in the wellhead, the rooster blood that had been splashed had dried and turned black, and around the bluestone, there was indeed a thin layer of black ash that looked like it had been burned!

He carefully swept up the ashes, wrapped them in paper, ran to the river outside the village, and scattered the ashes into the flowing water.

The ashes dissolved instantly in the water, without even causing a ripple.

After doing all this, Zhang Jianguo felt that the inexplicable coldness and oppression that had been hanging over his yard seemed to have really disappeared!

Even the air feels much fresher!

Overjoyed, he immediately went to find someone to bring him new, heavy stone slabs to completely seal the well opening, and then specially transplanted a willow sapling to plant beside the well.

From that day on, nothing strange ever happened to the Zhang family again.

His wife's nightmare ended, his son's high fever subsided, and the family returned to their usual peace.

Zhang Jianguo admired the young Taoist priest at Xianyun Temple immensely, telling everyone he met that there was a true immortal at Xianyun Temple with great abilities who didn't charge money.

Although many people were skeptical, the reputation of "Master Chen of Xianyun Temple having real skills" quietly spread to several nearby villages and towns.

Of course, Chen Xuan on the mountain didn't care about any of this.

For him, it was nothing more than casually settling a small karmic debt, giving some guidance to his clueless junior sister, and a little interlude in his ordinary daily life.

........

"Have you heard? That strange thing that happened to Old Zhang's family was actually resolved by Young Master Chen from Xianyun Temple!"

"Really? Didn't they say their house was haunted and they had dead chickens, and even the hospital couldn't cure it?"

"It's absolutely true! Old Zhang said it himself. I did it the way the Taoist priest told me, and it was fine the next day! There was even a pile of black ash swept out of the well!"

"Xianyun Temple? That dilapidated... oh no, that little Taoist temple on the mountain? I've never heard of it being so efficacious before?"

"Don't judge a book by its cover! Perhaps they are a truly accomplished master, keeping a low profile!"

"I'll go burn incense and pray for a good luck charm another day..."

The image of Xianyun Temple among the local people is quietly undergoing subtle changes.

It gradually transformed from "that little Taoist temple with hardly any worshippers" into a place that "seems to be somewhat efficacious" and "has a very powerful Taoist priest."

Although it was far from being bustling with visitors, those who came up the mountain seemed to have a hint of awe and curiosity than before.

Chen Xuan and Lu Yao in the Taoist temple didn't care much about any of this.

They continued to live their ordinary lives of sweeping, practicing meditation, basking in the sun, and occasionally receiving worshippers.

"Senior brother, look! The Empress's autobiography has been updated!"

Suddenly, Lu Yao picked up Lingxiao's communicator, pointed at the content on the intranet, and exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Xuan suddenly said, "Wu Minghuang is about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

"what?"

Lu Yao was a little confused. "What does updating my autobiography have to do with breaking through?"

"You don't understand."

"In this era, for these geniuses, if they want to keep up with others, they must break free from the constraints of heaven and earth."

"The shackles of heaven and earth are not so easy to break; it requires the accumulation of prestige, merit, and fortune before there is any possibility of breaking them."

Chen Xuan explained, "At the same time, it also serves to sort out the soul, consolidate memories, and gain the recognition of the current world, but the premise of everything is that it cannot be faked."

Lu Yao suddenly realized, "No wonder those reincarnated geniuses all publish autobiographies, so that's why."

"Publishing an autobiography is fine, the problem is that some people don't want her to break through..."

Chen Xuan gazed at the horizon, his eyelids slightly raised.

The last sentence was somewhat somber and cold.