Chapter 180: Let’s Switch To Another Game
Xuan Xia meant that since she and Yan Wentao had already done the work of burying the fuse, the final task of lighting the fire should be left to Daoist Master Qin.
Emphasizing that everyone gets a share in participating.
Upon hearing this, Daoist Master Qin gently tugged at the corner of his mouth with a smile, gesturing for the two to step back.
Only after the two approached him did Daoist Master Qin activate the incantation.
“Will burning the house really work?” Although Yan Wentao had participated, he was still not entirely sure.
After all, as a good youth of the Five Talks and Four Virtues, Yan Wentao had never entertained the idea of drawing talismans to burn houses.
This was in the illusionary scenery; if it were outside, it would be arson!
Xuan Xia could only tell him: “Wait and see.”
Yan Wentao: “……”
As the incantation was cast, exceptionally fierce fierce thunder suddenly arrived.
Heavenly thunder hooked onto earthly fire, and in the instant they connected, it immediately drew a line of fire, rushing straight toward that cluster of dilapidated stilted houses.
Just as the flames were about to lick the stilted houses, a shrill screech pierced the eardrums.
A ghost wearing a Nuoxi Master ghost mask leaped out from one of the small buildings, shooting toward the fire-starting Daoist Master Qin like a shuttle.
Yan Wentao shouted: “It appeared!”
Was this ghost mask hiding in the stilted houses all along?
If they weren’t burning the building now, who knows how much longer it would have hidden!
It might even have been waiting for them to check the small building alone, then launch a sneak attack, taking them out one by one.
Yan Wentao shuddered at the thought and immediately assumed a fighting stance, preparing to deliver a head-on blow to this ghost wearing the Nuoxi Master ghost mask.
The ghost’s speed was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, it was upon them, its two hands splayed wide with fingers extended, each fingernail long and black—if grabbed, the injury aside, it would feel utterly filthy.
Without thinking, Xuan Xia dashed in front of Daoist Master Qin, raised the tree branch in her hand, and with the incantation in her mouth, swiftly drew a Daoist talisman in the air.
Every stroke of the Daoist talisman glowed with a golden luster under the incantation’s power.
As the ghost’s hands touched the Daoist talisman, it let out a miserable scream and was flung several meters away, landing directly in the talismans array that Xuan Xia and Yan Wentao had drawn.
A sharp miserable scream rang out again.
It was also the ghost’s scream that brought Xuan Xia back to her senses.
Incredulously, she looked at the tree branch in her hand, then toward the ghost, never imagining that the Daoist talisman she had drawn in haste would have such great power.
It even startled her herself.
As soon as the ghost fell into the talismans array, it was immediately enveloped by earthly fire and heavenly thunder; it tried to escape that area but couldn’t crawl out no matter what.
The earthly fire and heavenly thunder mercilessly engulfed it, scourging and burning this evil thing with the most ferocious power.
Yan Wentao sniffed, “Did you smell that? It seems like the scent of roasted suckling pig.”
Xuan Xia looked at him with indescribable exasperation, “Daoist Master Yan, do you even know what roasted suckling pig smells like?”
Yan Wentao coughed, “I was just making a comparison—it’s the roasted meat aroma. Boss, didn’t you smell it?”
“I smelled it.” Xuan Xia replied grumpily.
Not even looking at where the smell was coming from.
Xuan Xia glanced again at the ghost rolling and wailing in the talismans array amid heavenly thunder and earthly fire, figuring it couldn’t escape, then turned away and looked back at Daoist Master Qin.
Upon turning, Xuan Xia was stunned; Daoist Master Qin had a taut expression, looking unhappy.
Just as Xuan Xia was about to ask what was wrong, Daoist Master Qin spoke first: “Don’t do that next time.”
“Ah?”
“No matter what happens, ensure your own safety first—don’t block in front of me. I’m just mobility-impaired, not incapable of self-defense.” Daoist Master Qin’s voice was stern, matching his expression, momentarily like a disciplinarian, making one inexplicably timid.
Xuan Xia was stunned, then said “Oh” and added: “I didn’t think much earlier; I’ll remember next time.”
After the lecture, Daoist Master Qin put away his unhappy expression and said: “Thank you for your selfless bravery just now.”
At the end, he even showed a bit of a smile.
“……You’re welcome.” Xuan Xia was bewildered by his shifting attitude.
But to be fair, the smile looked quite nice.
After digesting Daoist Master Qin’s words and his smile, she finally spoke again: “Daoist Master Qin, this thing shouldn’t pose a threat anymore, right? The building is burned, but nothing seems to have changed—should we go somewhere else to find the formation eye?”
Daoist Master Qin pondered without immediately answering Xuan Xia.
Xuan Xia looked elsewhere, thinking about where to search for the formation eye next.
Daoist Master Qin furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, his line of sight suddenly fixed on the ghost still stubbornly trying to escape the thunder and fire.
“Its performance just now was different from what you described.” Daoist Master Qin said.
Xuan Xia followed his lead, comparing the two instances of behavior, quickly realizing they were indeed different.
The first time, it was very direct, just like back in the Taoist Temple—it charged straight at Yan Wentao, yelling only “accompany it.” But this time, hiding in the small building without showing itself until sensing danger before rushing out, the behavior was like it had evolved.
“Indeed very different.”
The two exchanged a glance, then Daoist Master Qin raised his hand, channeling several more bolts onto the heavenly thunder and earthly fire.
Daoist Master Qin showed no mercy, so the ghost screamed even more miserably.
Yan Wentao couldn’t help shaking his head pityingly, though his pity ended there.
After Daoist Master Qin struck again, not long after, the ghost’s screams gradually weakened; just as it seemed about to go silent, the illusionary scenery correspondingly changed.
The stilted houses swallowed by the sea of fire were like suppressed by something—the flames slowly died down and were soon extinguished.
But the already burned building structure didn’t recover; in the next second, it suddenly crumbled apart into floating black ash, which then scattered everywhere in the sky.
As the black ash blotted out the sky, the three suddenly heard Ren Yaozhe’s voice again.
Ren Yaozhe snorted heavily and said: “Your methods are quite cruel—really doesn’t match your identities.”
Hearing this, Xuan Xia snorted too, “He has the nerve to criticize us? These days, anyone dares to claim the moral high ground!”
But just as Xuan Xia finished her complaint, the black ash came alive, suddenly swirling into a mass and rushing straight at Xuan Xia and the others.
This time, Daoist Master Qin stepped to the front; just as he was about to confront the black ash, Ren Yaozhe’s voice came again.
“Let’s switch to a different game.”
With those words, the black ash scattered upon reaching them, wrapping around the three like black mist.
Visibility was obstructed for the moment.
But in that instant, the next second, Xuan Xia clearly felt the surroundings had changed.
Though the darkness remained.
But this darkness was different from what the black ash brought.
Xuan Xia immediately said: “No way. The one in this scene died even more thoroughly than that Nuoxi Master ghost mask earlier— it can still restart?”
Happy Lantern Festival. Have you eaten tangyuan? Seen the lanterns? After being busy through the whole Spring Festival, I’m finally done and can update with peace of mind.
