I am a wandering immortal in the mortal realm.

Wang Duangong was filled with regret for having actually attracted a ghost in broad daylight!

He... he was just performing a magic trick, but decades ago, he caused such a huge mess!

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Wang Duangong's collar was grabbed tightly by the Taoist priest, and due to the forward momentum, his whole body leaned backward, his hands flailing wildly in the air, and he kept howling.

The Taoist priest laughed and said, "Master, your magic is truly impressive; you've actually managed to summon a ghost. I observe that this ghost is quite ferocious, and there are many people here. I fear there might be a malevolent ghost harming them. Master, you should quickly take action and capture it. Why are you running away?"

Wang Duangong felt the eerie wind blowing from behind him, and he was so frightened that his soul seemed to leave his body, as if he had already witnessed the scene of him being devoured by ghosts.

Hearing the Taoist's words again, he became even more frightened and pleaded, "Taoist Master, we are all in the same profession. I was indeed disrespectful before. I can apologize to you here. Why must you be so cruel?"

The Taoist priest feigned ignorance: "I merely asked the Taoist priest to exorcise a ghost, how did this involve me? Besides, I hit it off with the Taoist priest at first sight, and I haven't felt any disrespect from him. I don't understand what you're saying!"

Wang Duangong's face turned red. He was over sixty years old. He had been scared half to death by a ghost, and now he was being fooled by the Taoist priest pretending to be stupid. He couldn't escape and was both angry and anxious.

Forget about maintaining a superior demeanor any longer, he gasped for breath and cried out, "What...what do you want in return for letting me go?!"

"Simple, just catch the ghost!"

After the Taoist transmigrated, he became incredibly strong. With just a light touch, Wang Duangong, an old man, had no chance to resist and stumbled backward.

"Ouch!"

He fell flat on his back with a thud, his old arms and legs throbbing with pain. He closed his eyes, cursing inwardly, "You damned Taoist priest, once I escape this calamity, I'll settle the score with you!"

When he looked up again, wow, what a huge ghost head! It was looking down at him, staring at him without moving!

"Oh my god!"

Wang Duangong screamed again in fright, rolled over, and crawled forward on all fours like a turtle.

The ghost opened its dark, gaping mouth, and a long tongue grew rapidly in the wind, soon reaching ten feet in length. In an instant, it wrapped around Wang Duangong's leg and dragged him backward!

"Help! Help!"

Wang Duangong gripped the ground with all ten fingers, just like a drowning person, screaming and howling incessantly, his face streaked with tears and snot.

But how could an old man in his sixties possibly compete with the strength of a ghost? He was dragged backward, his ten fingers leaving long scratches on the ground...

The alley was deserted, except for a few bolder individuals peeking through the cracks in the doors. When they saw Wang Duangong's pitiful state, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy, while secretly despising him: "Ha, that old bastard! He's always so high and mighty, daring to ask for a tael and eight mace for the funeral, with no room for negotiation. He really thought he had some real skills! Who would have thought he'd be so terrified of a ghost? Looks like a complete fraud!"

Then, looking at the Taoist priest strolling leisurely and composed beside him, the difference in their abilities became immediately apparent.

The Zheng family's doors were also tightly shut. Zheng Ren, clutching his chest, looked shaken and exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens! I've lived for over forty years, and this is the first time I've ever actually seen a ghost! I never imagined it could be so fierce and malevolent, appearing out in broad daylight. It seems the saying in the books that ghosts are afraid of the sun isn't entirely true!"

Zheng Baoyin chimed in, "Indeed, to be able to summon ghosts, it seems this Wang Duangong is no ordinary person."

The two of them recalled the appearance of the ghost outside: dressed in red, with black hair hanging down, a face covered in lividity, a long tongue waving, and an aura of blood rising from its body...

Suddenly I felt like something was wrong!

Zheng Ren glanced at his son and asked, "I remember Wang Duangong summoned Chen Jun's soul, right?"

"Yes!" Zheng Baoyin nodded, then, as if realizing something, her eyes widened instantly. "My God, isn't that ghost outside Chen Jun?"

"So what did Wang Duangong recruit?"

"I don't know either!"

The two looked at each other in bewilderment. So Wang Duangong had been busy for so long, scaring them half to death, only to deliver something that wasn't what they expected?

Zheng Baozhu interrupted their conversation, saying, "Forget about ghosts for now, Big Brother is still outside! What if he comes back and bumps into a ghost?"

"Oh right, boss!" Zheng Ren slapped his thigh, then immediately felt annoyed, thinking of Zheng Baojin, whom he had sent out to find Zhuang Ping. "No, I have to go out and inform him. We can't let him fall into a trap!"

He unlatched the door and was about to rush out when Zheng Baoyin grabbed him from behind: "Dad, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to find your older brother. If anything happens to him, your father will never have a peaceful life again!"

Zheng Baoyin quickly reassured her, "There's no need for you to go, I'll handle it!"

He had just stood up when Zheng Baozhu grabbed him again. He turned around, puzzled, and asked, "Little sister, why are you pulling me?"

Zheng Baozhu rolled her eyes at him: "Why are you so impulsive and reckless? You don't consider the consequences at all. You're the best fighter in our family. If you leave, what if that ghost breaks in and harms our parents?"

Zheng Baoyin thought for a moment, then broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "Little sister, what do you suggest we do?"

He also knew that he wasn't good at using his brain, so he always preferred to listen to the ideas of his younger siblings.

The third brother is weak and the fourth brother is slick; listening to them is easy to suffer losses. But the younger sister, who has been educated for a few years, comes up with ideas that suit his taste.

Zheng Baozhu said, "Simple. You stay home and protect our parents, I'll go outside to find my older brother!"

"You?" Zheng Baoyin shook her head vigorously. "The men in the family are all still here. How can you, a girl, be allowed to take their place?"

"What's wrong, young lady? What did she do to offend you?" Zheng Baozhu's phoenix eyes flashed with anger as she scolded, "Second brother, have you forgotten who settled all the trouble you caused in the workshop before?"

"This...this..." Zheng Baoyin scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Little sister, you know, that's not what your second brother meant!"

"Hmph, of course I know that's not what you meant!" Zheng Baozhu sneered. "Besides, I have another reason: I have a better relationship with the Taoist priest, so if anything happens, I can ask him for help!"

Zheng Baoyin thought of the Taoist priest who couldn't be dragged away earlier and suddenly realized that it made a lot of sense.

Since the other party didn't seem afraid at all, they probably had something to rely on, and might even have magical powers.

But he still didn't want his sister to take any risks, so he said, "That's right, isn't there still the fourth brother? He's very shrewd; we can send him to find the eldest brother!"

"Alright, alright!" Zheng Baozhu said impatiently. "Second Brother, let's stop arguing. You know Fourth Brother, he's a total coward. If we let him go out to find Eldest Brother, he'd probably wet his pants at the sight of that ghost!"

At this point, she added with some confusion, "By the way, what's Fourth Brother doing? He's always so eager to join in the fun, but he hasn't left the house at all today!"

When Zheng Baozhu asked this question, the people in the courtyard exchanged glances and also felt that something was amiss.

Mother Zheng shook her head and said, "I don't know. I have no idea what he's been up to lately. He's been leaving early and coming home late these past few days, and he hasn't even eaten dinner at home. He didn't get home until very late last night, so he's probably still asleep!"

Zheng Baozhu raised an eyebrow and immediately reminded him, "With Fourth Brother's temperament, we can't let him associate with any shady characters or go gambling outside, can we?"

Zheng Ren waved his hand: "Your fourth brother is a bit lazy and greedy, and he likes to play tricks sometimes, but he would never dare to gamble!"

"It's better to be safe than sorry! Who can say for sure about these things?" Zheng Baozhu sometimes found her father's inexplicable confidence frustrating, but she still warned him in a low voice, "Even if he doesn't gamble, others will drag him down with them. Once he starts, Fourth Brother will definitely get deeper and deeper into it!"

Zheng Ren's expression gradually became serious. He paused, then nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. When I have some free time, I'll have your second brother follow him and see what he's up to. Right now, the most important thing is to inform your eldest brother of the situation. If all else fails, we can tell him to go hide at the Jade Emperor Palace!"

"Alright!" Zheng Baozhu turned to look at Zheng Baoyin. "Second brother, you don't mind if I go out to find eldest brother, do you?"

Zheng Baoyin pursed her lips, glanced at her father, and said in a muffled voice, "Since you've said that, what else can I say? Just be careful on the road; you're my only sister!"

"Okay, okay!" Zheng Baozhu said, touched but also annoyed. "I'm just going out to find someone, why are you making it sound like I'm going to my death?"

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Zheng's mother stepped forward and slapped her, scolding, "You brat, if you can't speak properly, shut up! How can you curse yourself like that?"

Knowing she was in the wrong, Zheng Baozhu stuck out her tongue and then took out a talisman from her bosom: "Oh right, the talisman my third brother asked me to buy, I've already bought it. Come on, let's split it!"

"No rush!" Zheng Ren suddenly reached out and pressed Zheng Baozhu's wrist, saying, "We don't know what the situation is like outside yet. You should keep these talismans. If one talisman doesn't work, you'll have extras to tide you over."

He then looked at Zheng Baoyu: "Third brother, you can give the talisman to your sister first. You shouldn't have any objections, right?"

Zheng Baoyu, always gentle and polite, nodded: "It was originally bought for the family. Given the special circumstances, I naturally have no objections!"

"No!" Zheng Baozhu's attitude was unusually firm. "I'll only bring one talisman; you all must keep the rest close to your bodies!"

Why?

Helpless, Zheng Baozhu had no choice but to keep it brief and recount what had happened at the Taoist temple that day.

Zheng's mother turned pale with fright and stammered, "You...you mean, our house also harbors evil spirits?"

"Although the Taoist priest didn't say it explicitly, that's roughly the gist of it!"

Zheng's mother's body went limp, but Zheng Baoyin caught her quickly.

"Could it be that Brother Zhuang's ghost is still haunting us and trying to harm us? We took in Cui'er and Qing'er to protect his bloodline, didn't we?" Mother Zheng said with tears in her eyes.

Zheng Ren's expression was also unpleasant, because all these strange events started with the Zhuang family's funeral. If he said that his elder brother Zhuang was innocent, it would be hard to convince people.

Especially the "official silver" that Zheng Baozhu just mentioned—he had seen this money once before, on the day of Zhuang Da's funeral. At the time, he thought it was money that Brother Zhuang had saved up and exchanged over the years, but now it seems that it is not that simple.

Could it be that Brother Zhuang is hiding something from me?

Zheng Ren's heart sank. Remembering that he had other important matters to attend to, he suppressed his emotions and said to Zheng Baozhu, "Go find your brother first. You keep the talisman with you. The situation outside is unclear right now, so be careful. If anything happens, remember to run to the Taoist temple!"

Zheng Baozhu counted out three talismans and handed the rest to Zheng Baoyin: "Let's split it in half, is that alright? If we really encounter a ghost that isn't afraid of talismans, carrying more won't help!"

Zheng Ren thought for a moment, then nodded: "Then go ahead, we'll wait for you at home!"

"good!"

Zheng Baozhu nodded, opened the door, and darted out. But instead of leaving immediately, she turned and headed towards the alley where the Taoist priest was.

Wang Duangong was being tortured terribly at this moment. His robes were tattered, his hair was disheveled, and there were marks on his body that looked like they had been whipped. He kept screaming and calling for help.

He was completely different from his previous air of superiority.

Zheng Baozhu was startled upon seeing this, and she quietly asked the man, "Taoist priest, why aren't you saving him?"

Although she also disliked Wang Duangong, if this man died in front of the Taoist priest, it would definitely ruin the Taoist priest's reputation.

But the Taoist priest chuckled softly, "No rush! No rush! I've placed a talisman to ward off evil spirits on him; he won't die."

The power of the talisman against evil spirits is not as great as that of the talisman for peace. He can draw ten of them a day. They can't exorcise ghosts, but they can save lives.

He had already guessed that the person who was slandering him in town was probably this Wang Duangong.

The Taoist priest considered himself magnanimous; if it were a fair competition and he was outmatched, he wouldn't say anything. But when faced with such slander and trouble-making, he wouldn't hesitate to take action.

The two are now essentially sabotaging each other's livelihoods; it remains to be seen who will prevail.

Wang Duangong also harbored resentment, knowing that the Taoist priest would not let the matter rest.

But now it seems that only the other person can save me.

Compared to my life, my career can wait.

He gritted his teeth, then suddenly cried out to the sky, "Taoist Master, save me! Taoist Master, I was wrong! I deliberately said your Taoist magic was ineffective. I instigated the villagers to cause you trouble. I don't know anything about summoning spirits. I was just swindling..."

Zheng Baozhu was stunned. Just then, the power of the Yin-avoiding talisman dissipated.

The ghost felt a faint barrier disappear, and immediately curled its long tongue towards Wang Duangong's neck.

The Taoist priest also made a move, slashing with his long sword, which struck the opponent's slippery tongue.

A sharp ghostly howl rang out, and the ghostly form flickered almost erratically before flying back at an even faster speed, collapsing to the ground, barely alive.

"Jun-ge'er, Jun-ge'er!"

Just as the Taoist priest was about to deal with the ghost, Chen Cuier suddenly appeared and stopped him: "Taoist priest, this is my only brother. If you destroy his soul, how will he be able to reincarnate?"

The Taoist priest was speechless: "Are you face-blind? Shouldn't you be able to tell the difference between a man and a woman? This is clearly a woman, and a hanged ghost at that!"

"A woman...a woman?"

Chen Cuier almost lost her composure, then suddenly felt a chill run down her spine as if something was pressed against her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it was that face covered in lividity!

"ah!!!"

Chen Cuier screamed loudly, but the female ghost let out a low growl and her tongue wrapped around the other person's throat with lightning speed, squeezing the other person's eyes until they bulged out.

"Sister Cui!"

Zheng Baozhu cried out in alarm. Seeing that the situation was not good, the Taoist also threw out his long sword, which shot away like the wind.

"ah!!!"

The longsword pierced through the ghost, and the opponent let out an even more mournful ghostly howl, its tongue involuntarily loosening its grip on Chen Cuier.

But she wasn't dead yet. Instead, she glanced at the Taoist priest, her gaze almost tangible, filled with a chilling resentment.

She had been vaguely afraid when the Taoist priest held a long sword, but now that his hands were empty, she was not without the strength to fight back.

Thinking of this, her ghostly aura surged, and instead of retreating, she advanced, lunging at the Taoist priest.

Shen Yuan was also furious, not expecting the other party to dare to attack him.

He took off his Taoist robe and stepped forward, shouting, "The Qi of the heavens is vast and my Tao is flourishing! How dare you be so arrogant? Take this punch from your Taoist master first!"

He draws talismans every day to hone his spiritual light, and now he has quite a bit of spiritual charm. He is truly not afraid of such evil spirits when facing them head-on.

To the female ghost, even a fist seemed to gleam with golden light.

The female ghost tried to turn and run away, but it was too late. Her tongue had already been grabbed by the Taoist priest, pulled in front of her, and his fist slammed into it...

The town of Linquan was haunted in broad daylight, and the Jade Emperor Palace, the town's leading Taoist temple, couldn't sit still any longer.

Sect Leader Xuan Qingzi led a full thirty disciples, carrying various talismans and magical artifacts, and hurriedly arrived.

Before even entering the alley, screams could be heard.

Xuan Qingzi's expression changed, and he realized something was wrong. He rushed over and, turning a corner, saw—

A strong, muscular man with a topknot, like a savior descending from the heavens, was beating a female ghost mercilessly.

His fists pounded the ground with ferocious force, and he cursed under his breath, "Is it prosperous or not? Is it prosperous or not? Tell me, is this Taoist priest prosperous or not?!!!!!"