Chapter 435: Chapter 373: Yang Cha
With his heart pounding, and not long after, Yang Xiao, who was walking at the forefront, finally caught sight of the ancestral home’s silhouette in the distance. Yet, he felt no relief, for returning to the ancestral home meant that it was time for Tong Han and Mi Shu to stand nightwatch in the ladies’ chambers.
This was no ordinary night. Once there, danger was more likely than safety, but if they did not go, the not-quite-human, not-quite-ghost Taoist behind them was not an easy matter either. In Yang Xiao’s view, the Taoist’s most important task tonight was, in fact, to escort Tong Han and Mi Shu back.
Without asking, it was certain this was the Du Family Patriarch’s plot. That old bastard was always the most cunning.
As Yang Xiao contemplated ways to escape, he walked towards the front gate of the ancestral home, but stopped after just a few steps because he noticed the footsteps behind him had halted.
It wasn’t just one person, but the footsteps of everyone had disappeared. Yang Xiao held his breath, slowly, ever so slowly turned his head, and saw that the others had also maintained almost the same posture, turning to look back. Standing at the end of the line, Wuma Haoming stood stiffly, a twisted expression on his face, body slightly trembling as if he was about to cry the next second, but he didn’t dare to move since a hand was resting on his left shoulder.
The hand was a ghastly bluish-black color, with dry and distinct knuckles, obvious patches, and wrinkles on the back. It seemed to belong to someone on the brink of death.
The group immediately realized that this body must have also been snatched. But before they could ponder further, the next moment took them aback. They saw the Taoist let go of the lantern pole, allowing the lantern to fall to the ground, and then reached behind to draw a long saber from his back.
EVeryone who saw this was frightened, and Wuma Haoming, realizing something was amiss from the expressions of the onlookers, knew that if he could just turn around and face the other, perhaps disaster could be averted. But with a hand pressing down on him, he felt as if he was frozen, utterly unable to move.
He strained to look with his peripheral vision. Although he couldn’t see the Taoist due to the limitations of his field of view, he could make out a shadow on the ground. A short while later, his breathing halted, for he noticed that the shadow of the Taoist had raised a long, straight object.
He knew what it was—a sharp long saber.
"Swoosh—"
He even heard the sound of the saber cutting through the air, and he promptly closed his eyes. Then there was a "thud," a dull sound of a human head hitting the ground.
However, after a moment, Wuma Haoming didn’t feel anything special. There was no pain anywhere on his body, and gradually, the hand on his shoulder moved away, and he regained control over his body.
Once his arms could move, his first reaction was to feel his neck. Luckily, his head was still there, and there was no blood on his neck.
Wuma Haoming didn’t understand what was happening, but Yang Xiao and the others had seen everything clearly from beginning to end. The Taoist did strike with his saber, but not at Wuma Haoming. Instead, he aimed at the side. Immediately after, a human head rolled out from the swollen embrace of the Taoist.
The head rolled on the ground a few times and stopped, facing Yang Xiao and his group. It was the head of an elderly person, with a bun still tied at the back, but the visage was ghastly. The eyes had been gouged out, leaving only two dark, bloody holes. Moreover, the lips, nose, and ears had all been cruelly cut off. The sight of multiple wounds was shocking, and the flesh on the head was still twitching slightly, indicating that, like Sui Chengguo and the others, it was subject to the village’s rules and had not yet fully died.
Wuma Haoming, having narrowly escaped death, didn’t dare to look back and headed straight towards Yang Xiao and the others. The Taoist, after a brief malfunction, picked up the head from the ground stiffly, carrying it in one hand and the saber in the other, step by step following Yang Xiao and his party.
Upon reaching the front gate of the ancestral home, the Taoist placed the elder’s head in the middle of the stairs at the entrance and set the saber aside. Then he sat cross-legged in front of the head, his hands forming a spell, and his mouth beginning to chant indistinctly as if reciting scripture.
Yang Xiao held his breath and listened carefully, managing to understand some of it.
"The human path is elusive, the immortals’ way is vast, the ghost path is joyous, one should enter the realm of life. It is noble to ascend on the immortal path, and it is the end to be on the ghost path. The immortals’ way often brings fortune, while the ghost path often brings misfortune."
"The high and pure spirits are beautiful, lamenting in the vast emptiness. I only wish the way of heaven to be fulfilled, not willing for the human path to be exhausted. In Beidu Quan Miao Mansion, there exists a horde of countless ghosts. Its sole desire is to thwart human schemes and cut off the gates of human life."
"Ode to the cavern Chapter of the common people, aiming to Capture North Luo Feng. Binding the chant, the spirits of monsters, cutting down the blade of six ghosts. The heavens are vast, and my path is on the rise every day!"
...
After speaking for several minutes, the Taoist suddenly stood up, grabbed the saber, and slashed at the head from a distance several times. The head began to tremble unnaturally, the muscles distorting as if undergoing extreme agony.
The Taoist tore off his own clothing, revealing a tattered Taoist robe underneath. Then, with his hands forming a spell, he continued to recite scriptures at the head.
At this moment, Cheng Cha quietly tugged at Yang Xiao from behind and slowly retreated, gathering everyone together, "The scripture the Taoist is chanting is the ’Du Ren Jing.’ The head on the ground is his master; even this body was stolen from his master. This guy abandoned the cultivation path and murdered his master to join the ghost path."
"How do you know this?" Mi Shu couldn’t understand how he had analyzed so much in such a short time.
"Look at the talisman on his left shoulder—that’s a life-extending talisman. The one hook and six crosses on it represent an extension of thirteen years of life. If a person from the Taoist Sect commits a grave sin like betraying their order, they have to reduce their lifespan by thirteen years. I think this master and disciple pair probably passed by here by chance and, sensing something unusual about the feng shui, came into the village to investigate. Unfortunately, they fell into the treacherous hands of the Du Family Village. The master would rather die than cooperate with the beasts of Du Family Village, but the disciple, in order to save himself, discarded his Taoist principles, killed his master, and even stole his body to become a Ghost Cultivator."
Cheng Cha turned his head to look at Wuma Haoming, "The reason you survived just now must also be because the old Taoist had an influence on the Ghost Path, saving your life."
"Those of the Taoist Sect often follow the Cultivation Path and forbid the Ghost Path, but the difference between immortal and ghost is merely a thought away. If one’s Taoist heart is compromised, the possibility of falling into the Ghost Path is very high. The Ghost Path focuses on severing fate and cutting off life’s gate. Those who achieve great success in their practice are neither human nor ghost, neither immortal nor divine, neither alive nor dead, neither careful nor annihilated. Look around here; this place is practically a paradise for the Ghost Path. No wonder his Taoist heart was damaged."
"Speak something we can understand," Wuma Haoming urged with a morose face, almost on the verge of a mental breakdown after that knife attack, "Just tell us what we should do next. Do you have any ideas?"
"If we can’t, then we’ll fight them. That knife is a good item, filled with heavy Evil Qi. I’ll go snatch that knife, sneak up from behind, and chop down the Taoist. After taking back the body, I’ll immediately reattach the old Taoist’s head and see if we can revive him." Clearly, this old Taoist was no ordinary person; reviving him would be a huge help for them now.
But Cheng Cha shook his head, "That won’t work; it’s too risky. And the old Taoist’s face has been completely destroyed. Even if we could bring him back, I fear he won’t be a match for the beasts of Du Family Village."
Yang Xiao and the others agreed. After all, even when the Taoist was alive, he couldn’t outsmart the sinister schemes of the people from Du Family Village—there would be even less chance now.
"Then what do we do? We don’t really have to hand over Tong Han Mi Shu, do we?" Wuma Haoming shrank his neck; he also didn’t want to see Tong Han Mi Shu march to her death.
"No need, I’ll go in your stead." Cheng Cha cracked a vicious grin, patting his swollen belly where Quan Doufeng’s head was still stuffed.
"You’re thinking of using Quan Doufeng’s head to divert their attention?" Yang Xiao began to understand, "But how will you get away?"
"I have my ways, there’s no time to explain," said Cheng Cha. At this moment, the Ghost Taoist Priest’s movements were getting slower, indicating that the ceremony was nearing its end.
Since Cheng Cha had a plan, Yang Xiao didn’t waste words. "How do we need to cooperate with you?"
"I need that knife. One of you help me get it, then find a place nearby to hide. After I get away, I’ll come to find you." Cheng Cha’s explanation was brief and to the point.
Tong Han agreed to the task of getting the knife. Surprisingly, the matter went smoothly. She always maintained her posture facing the Taoist to keep herself in a "not visible" state, didn’t greet the Taoist, and directly picked up the long knife from the ground. The knife was the one Du San used to kill, and the Taoist seemed to be engrossed in the head, not noticing the theft of the knife.
As the Taoist was distracted, the group began to move. Wuma Haoming ran over and found the lantern that the Ghost Taoist Priest had abandoned, where the candle was still burning but only had a little bit left.
Yang Xiao, holding the lantern, accompanied Cheng Cha towards the courtyard gate, "Can you manage alone?"
Cheng Cha patted Yang Xiao on the shoulder, smiling in an attempt at levity, "A crowd’s of no use here, pure skill work."
"Alright then, take care of yourself. We’ll wait for you outside," Yang Xiao also didn’t waste words.
After a moment of silence, Cheng Cha spoke again, "Don’t wait to die; if I can’t make it out, you all should leave. Escape with whoever can, and surviving will be revenge for me."
Averting his gaze, Cheng Cha looked towards the candle in the lantern. The flickering flame seemed as though it might go out at any second, "Let’s use this candle as our timer. If it burns out and I haven’t come back, you immediately leave. And if... if it’s not too much trouble, when you get out, please make a trip to Yun Qi City, to the Ru Lin Academy’s Yang Family, and pass on a message for me—tell them Yang Cha won’t be coming back."
The Taoist’s ritual was also drawing to an end. Cheng Cha, holding the knife, ran quickly into the courtyard gate. As his foot crossed the threshold, the Taoist stood up straight, gazing after Cheng Cha’s departing figure, and uttered in a stiff, icy voice, "Two people, the Patriarch requires two people tonight."
Indeed, the Ghost Taoist Priest could only recognize the number of people, not their sex, allowing the first step of the plan to proceed. Meanwhile, Yang Xiao, with the others, hid in an alley a few dozen meters away from the courtyard gate, silently waiting.
Though they were already quite distant, for the sake of caution, they all maintained their posture facing the Ghost Taoist Priest. No one knew if this ghostly being might suddenly turn back for an attack,
But the Ghost Taoist Priest at the courtyard gate paid them no heed. Upon confirming that "two people" had entered the mansion, he picked up the severed head from the ground, stuffed it into his ragged Taoist robe, then began walking with stiff steps towards the interior, his figure quickly disappearing from view.
