Watching He Wei wildly rolling on the ground, letting out heart - rending wails, and constantly begging me for mercy, my heart immediately softened.
Was the yellow talisman given to me by Second Uncle too powerful, or was this spell too fierce? Could it be that He Wei would be completely annihilated?
Although I didn't like He Wei very much, and even disliked him a bit, after all, we were dormmates. I had never thought of beating him until his soul was scattered.
"Spare me, Lin Yuan, please! I'm in so much pain. It feels like I'm being torn apart," He Wei pleaded, his voice getting louder and louder, and he even barely struggled to kneel up.
"I can spare you, but you have to promise me that you won't pester Zhang Xiaoman anymore and go to be reincarnated quickly," I said.
He Wei nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at rice, agreeing without thinking.
Seeing that he had agreed, I didn't want to make things difficult for him anymore, so I reached out and peeled the yellow talisman off He Wei's back.
When the yellow talisman was removed, He Wei convulsed a few times like he had been electrocuted, then vanished.
Only after He Wei's ghost disappeared did I heave a long sigh of relief. It had gone more smoothly than expected—I had finally exorcised him.
Just then, I suddenly noticed Zhang Hu standing beside me wore an odd expression. His eyes were misty and glazed, fixed unblinkingly on Zhang Xiaoman as if admiring a stunning landscape, not even bothering to move his gaze.
Zhang Xiaoman was indeed beautiful—any man would find her attractive—but the problem was Zhang Hu and Zhang Xiaoman...
How could he wear such an expression...
A jolt of realization struck me. Oh no—I'd been tricked by He Wei!
Zhang Xiaoman's body was covered in the ghost talismans I had drawn, but Zhang Hu had none. After I removed the yellow talisman, He Wei hadn't left—instead, he had possessed Zhang Hu.
"He Wei, you..." I shouted at Zhang Hu.
"Giggle, giggle..." Zhang Hu let out a sinister laugh, but his mouth didn't move at all.
"He Wei, you tricked me!" I shouted angrily at him. I never expected to be deceived during my first exorcism, and by a ghost who had just died not long ago. The image of that old woman from the other night flashed through my mind—are all ghosts this cunning?
Zhang Hu remained motionless, still giggling "giggle, giggle" in a sinister voice that sent chills down my spine.
"He Wei, be smart and leave now. Go reincarnate after the seventh night— I don't want to be too harsh on you!" I roared at Zhang Hu.
Zhang Hu suddenly turned his head and glared at me fiercely. "Reincarnate? Where am I supposed to go? If I don't find a new substitute, will that female ghost let me leave?"
At He Wei's words, I was stunned. Was he talking about the female ghost who had dragged his soul away that night? Did he need a substitute to reincarnate? Why choose Zhang Xiaoman? Didn't he like her?
As if reading my confusion, He Wei stared at Zhang Xiaoman and muttered eerily, "I want to take her away precisely because I like her. Even as a ghost, I must have her and be with her. Besides, if it weren't for her, how could I have offended that female ghost in the mass grave? How could I have died? This is all because of her!" He Wei spoke while pointing viciously at Zhang Xiaoman.
After hearing He Wei's words, I could only let out a cold laugh. To think he was so detestable in life, and even more loathsome as a ghost. He'd clearly disrespected the spirits in the graveyard and offended the female ghost there, leading to his own death—but now he shifted the blame to others. And claiming that "love" means destruction? That's not love; it's pure selfishness!
I didn't bother wasting more words on him. This time, I wouldn't show mercy. Since he was so unyielding, I had no choice but to use all my skills to obliterate him, ensuring he could never be reborn.
But before I could act, He Wei suddenly waved his hand. Tables and chairs flew toward me as if controlled, smashing into my face before I could react. I was sent flying backward and crashed heavily to the ground.
Dazed and disoriented, I tried to force myself up, but before I could steady myself, He Wei charged over and kicked me hard in the stomach. I collapsed to the floor, spitting up mouthfuls of blood. My abdomen burned with pain, leaving me unable to move, as if set ablaze.
At this moment, He Wei unfastened the belt from Zhang Hu's waist, tied me to the fallen table, and let out a sinister giggle: "Lin Yuan, want me to put on a good show for you?"
I spat out a mouthful of blood and gave him a contemptuous look.
Now I felt no fear toward the ghost before me—only anger and disdain. I blamed myself for overestimating my abilities. Acting tough with insufficient Taoist skills had not only endangered myself but also this father and daughter.
Seeing my scornful expression, blue veins bulged on He Wei's pale face, and his glazed eyeballs seemed about to pop out.
"Hmph, what? Don't believe me? Relax, I'll definitely give you a spectacular show. Hehe..." He Wei laughed eerily, but since he occupied Zhang Hu's body, his laughter remained a lifeless, skin-deep curl of the lips.
As soon as I heard this, my heart jolted. I instantly realized his plan: he intended to use Zhang Hu and Zhang Xiaoman to...
"No! You can't do this! You're worse than a beast!" I shouted hoarsely, cursing myself for showing mercy earlier.
Just then, I suddenly remembered that yellow talismans don't necessarily need to be controlled by hand. As long as one reaches a certain level of Taoist cultivation, they can be controlled by mind and incantations, but hand seals must be used. Although my hands were tied together now, I could still form hand seals—my only worry was that my cultivation might be insufficient to control the yellow talismans on my body.
The essence of hand seals lies in pinching incantations, that is, the specific postures formed by the joints and fingers.
There was no time left for hesitation. I had to take a gamble—winning would avert the tragedy, while losing meant unimaginable consequences.
"The left hand represents goodness, belonging to yin. The right hand represents evil, belonging to yang. Yin and yang match, dividing heaven and earth."
Following this mantra, I continuously formed hand seals and quickly chanted the incantation: "With hands clutching the golden whip, heaven and earth move; with feet treading the Seven Stars and Five Thunder Clouds. The Six Ding and Six Jia follow me; I summon the heavenly troops. Heavenly troops and generals, earthly troops and generals, lunar troops and generals, solar troops and generals, water troops and generals, fire troops and generals, earth troops and generals—heaven and earth are balanced. Heaven has no vital energy, earth has no vital energy; heaven and earth are balanced. Let malevolent forces retreat! Ominous spirits and fiends shall not approach. Divine troops, act with urgency as per the imperial decree!"
After finishing the hand seals and incantation, the yellow talismans on my body showed no reaction at all. I immediately broke into a cold sweat from panic.
I swallowed hard, steadied my nerves, and repeated the hand seals and incantation. This time, to my astonishment, the talismans fell off my body but lay motionless.
Though not successful, this gave me confidence. I chanted the incantation and formed the hand seals again. In the blink of an eye, just as He Wei tried to crawl under the covers to attack Zhang Xiaoman, the yellow talismans shot through Zhang Hu's body like an arrow and incinerated into ashes.
As the talismans pierced Zhang Hu's body, a white shadow suddenly burst from his form. The shadow was engulfed in flames, writhing incessantly and emitting unbearable screams. I focused my gaze—it was He Wei's ghost.
Tormented by the fire, he thrashed and rolled on the floor, but the flames only grew stronger, consuming him entirely without showing any sign of dying down.
At this moment, He Wei suddenly pounced on me like a rabid dog. I struggled to flee, but tied to the table, I could barely move. He Wei slammed into me—no chance to dodge.
Just as I braced for a mutual demise, He Wei phased through me, then disintegrated into white ash that settled over my body.
"Is he truly reduced to ashes?" I mumbled, nearly collapsing. It was finally over. The weight in my chest lifted at last. My mercy had almost caused a catastrophe. Had I become an eternal villain, how could I face my dead family? I would have shamed the entire Maoshan sect.
It took ages to wriggle free from the belt. I then tidied up Zhang Hu—otherwise, anyone entering might misinterpret the scene. Oddly, no one came to help despite the commotion. Was the door soundproof, or had Zhang Hu ordered others to stay out, fearing Zhang Xiaoman's body would be seen?
No matter. The crisis had passed. I brushed the ash from my clothes, covered Zhang Xiaoman with a quilt, and stole a final glance—I doubted such a sight would cross my path again.
Just then, Zhang Xiaoman suddenly woke up and asked in a daze, "Lin Yuan?"
My heart sank. Why did she have to wake up now? Damn! This time, even jumping into the Yellow River won't clear my name.