Chapter Eleven: The Wicked Spirit

  Having taken in that young master from who-knows-where, Mu Yuan's heart was also quite delighted. With his interest piqued, joy was born, and the vigorous Long Life True Qi seemed to have made some invisible progress. His respect for his cheap master's wise decision had increased by a few more points.

  "This time, I've indeed encountered good fortune. Not only did I break through the third layer of Qi Refining, but more importantly, I've come to understand the benefits of worldly experiences. Humans originate from the mortal world and must transcend it as well. Once one begins to condense their Dharma body, all meridians will be connected, and all cavities will be filled. From then on, cultivation will become much easier, and only then can one truly be considered to have stepped into the threshold of spiritual cultivation!"

  Mu Yuan felt pleased in his heart and hummed a little tune on Long Xi's back, causing Mo Xue to give him a sideways glance.

  "Sister Mo, what are you planning to do next?" Mu Yuan asked in a low voice after hearing Mo Xue's laughter.

  Mo Xue lightly raised her head, "I'm also free, but I heard that in the Tian Du country, there's a place called Jue Long Valley. Recently, at night, there are often beams of light shooting into the sky and auspicious clouds gathering. It must be that some spiritual being is about to be born. Many cultivators have entered the valley, but none have gained anything. Why don't we also go and try our luck?"

  Mu Yuan smiled and said, "If there really is a spiritual treasure, I'm afraid it would have been snatched up by someone else long ago. How could it still be our turn?"

  Mo Xue shook her head, looking at Mu Yuan with a smile, "All spiritual treasures are self-willed and have their own masters. Those who are destined to meet will encounter them, but forcing it won't work. Maybe you and I just have good luck, anyway, it's nothing, let's just go see the world, it's also a good thing!"

  Mu Yuan said calmly, "Since it's like this, then go and take a look."

  After this battle, the two of them seemed to have become much closer, being fellow travelers of similar age. They then traveled together, and it didn't seem lonely at all.

  Juelong Valley is located in the southern border of Tiandu Country, surrounded by high mountains and steep ridges. It's thousands of miles away from where the two are, almost spanning half of Tiandu Country. Fortunately, the Dragon Rhinoceros is extremely fast, if it runs at full speed, it can arrive within a day. However, both of them are not in a hurry, riding the beast slowly, covering only a few hundred miles in a day. If they encounter cities, they stay in inns; if they happen to be outdoors, they camp and dine on the wind, which also reveals the demeanor of cultivators.

  Mu Yuan went down the mountain, originally having nowhere to go. He stayed at home for half a month and felt somewhat bored, so he went to the border to find Chu Fei. After a big battle along the way, he felt even more disgusted. He was originally a calm and composed person who didn't like to argue, but on the battlefield, everything he saw and heard was blood rain and stench, his heart was fed up. After saving Chu Fei's life, he left immediately.

  After ten years of cultivating the Tao, he also roughly knew the art of divination and physiognomy. Chu Fei's fate was not bad, and in the future, there would still be a general's fate, only with some ups and downs, but all were shocking without danger. Mu Yuan didn't worry about it either. Following Jia Bu's horse carriage was just to find something to pass the time, since he couldn't find anything, he didn't go out of his way to seek it out, and being carefree like this was better for his spleen and stomach.

  "Now I finally understand why there are often Taoist practitioners who play with the mortal world, even if it's you and me, we can also be considered as doing so elegantly!"

  It was noon at this moment, and the two were in a city inn called Fengming House. They chose a seat by the window overlooking the lake. The autumn was high and refreshing, the sky was clear and sunny, with no clouds for thousands of miles. It was just right to appreciate the scenery in the city. At this scene, Muyuan suddenly smiled and said.

  Mo Xue covered her mouth and smiled, "You and I are also considered to be among the gaming crowd, right? Those people are all highly cultivated seniors, you and I at most can be considered as novice cultivators who have just entered the door, it's really presumptuous to say that!"

  Mu Yuan smiled, "Cultivation doesn't matter whether it's high or low, what matters is the state of mind. Even if one can roam the world undefeated, if their heart isn't at peace, then it's all for nothing. They're not even comparable to us, these unorthodox cultivators!"

  Two people were chatting and laughing, when they heard a commotion downstairs, noisy and annoying. Mo Xue's eyebrows furrowed slightly, such a pleasant atmosphere was disrupted by the clamor, which was really unpleasant. Concentrating for a moment, she roughly made out what it was about.

  "I heard that the young wife of the county magistrate has gone mad again, wielding a knife and injuring several servant girls. It wasn't until the county magistrate called for someone to take her down that she was finally locked up in her room."

  Then there was a sigh, and afterwards countless people told what they knew. Mu Yuan and Mo Xue only then learned that the governor of this city, Liu Yuanshan, had four concubines in his household, among whom the smallest one was recently married, with a beautiful appearance, elegant manners, warm and gentle, and was quite liked. However, just a few days ago, she suddenly went mad, let her hair down, held a knife and injured people, and was locked in a room by Liu Yuanshan.

  Liu Yuanshan invited many doctors, but they couldn't find any illness, only a constant shouting and fierce expression. Liu Yuanshan was helpless, so he put up a notice to invite Taoist priests and Buddhist monks from outside the city, no one knows how many. It's strange to say that as long as there were Taoist priests and monks entering the mansion, this concubine's manic symptoms would slightly subside, but after a short while, they would immediately relapse, and the mania would intensify, driving away those who came to perform rituals to expel evil spirits.

  Finally, someone sighed, "I thought Fengming Prefecture was always at peace, I didn't know how such a thing could happen. This person must have invited evil spirits, otherwise how could it be like this!"

  "Yes, it's been many days since Prefect Liu's notice was posted, but no one dares to take the challenge anymore. If things continue like this, what can be done?"

  Mu Yuan found it interesting and leaned in close, saying to Mo Xue in a low voice, "Sister Mo, why don't we go take a look?"

  Mo Xue looked at Mu Yuan with interest, smiling and saying, "I didn't think you still had the leisure to join in on the fun. Anyway, let's go take a look. If it's really an evil spirit causing trouble and its cultivation isn't that great, we can get rid of it easily and consider it a good deed."

  The two men consulted for a moment and then settled their bill and left. They inquired about the route and arrived at the gate of the county government office.

  The gate of the prefect's mansion was quite eye-catching, and as soon as the two approached, the servants at the entrance immediately came up to them. Seeing that although the two were young, they had a certain air about them, and Mo Xue was extremely beautiful, they didn't dare to be negligent and immediately asked their purpose.

  Mu Yuan flicked his long sleeve, and at this moment he was wearing a wide, dark green Taoist robe with broad sleeves hanging down, truly having an air of elegance and refinement. With a composed tone, he said, "The two of us have come to drive out the evil and expel the demons. You go in and report."

  The servant's face suddenly showed a look of surprise and delight upon hearing this, and he hastily said, "Please wait for a moment, sirs. I will go and announce your arrival."

  But in a moment, a middle-aged Confucian scholar wearing gray clothes rushed out with an urgent and surprised expression on his face. He had three long whiskers under his chin and an air of literature about him. Seeing the two men, he hurried forward to greet them, clasped his fists together and said, "Two sirs, please come in and rest for a while."

  Mu Yuan and Mo Xue exchanged a smile, went inside with the governor, had a cup of tea, and then spoke straightforwardly about their purpose.

  As soon as he mentioned this, Liu Yuanshan let out a long sigh and recounted the recent events. "I thought my family was also a family of scholars with a good reputation, always doing good deeds and avoiding evil ones. Since I became the county magistrate, I have been cautious and fearful of making mistakes. Who would have thought that such a thing would happen in my own home? It's truly lamentable!"

  Mu Yuan saw Liu Yuanshan's emotions and felt somewhat unconvinced in his heart, but said on the surface, "Sir, your words are too serious. Since ancient times, good and evil have not coexisted. Where evil spirits reside, there must be a strong righteous energy that provokes hatred and jealousy. This shows Sir's clarity of mind. Let's go take a look at Madame's illness first and then make plans!"

  Liu Yuanshan saw that Mu Yuan's words were polite and courteous, and his appearance was also somewhat handsome. With this outfit, he had a rather transcendent and calm demeanor, which immediately gave Liu a good impression. He bowed and said, "This concubine of mine has never dared to let her out, thank you two for following me!"

  Mu Yuan nodded at Mo Xue and said, "Trouble you, sir, to lead the way!"

  As he walked out of the main hall, turned left into the corridor, and continued on to the backyard, Mu Yuan only then realized that this county governor's residence was actually quite large. In the courtyard, a clear spring flowed in from somewhere, pouring into a small lake at its center, where several golden-scaled fish darted about, occasionally leaping out of the water, reflecting the sunlight, their scales shimmering brightly, dazzling to behold.

  There were still some bamboo flowers by the water, but they were not in season and couldn't be appreciated. In the middle of the lake, there was a pavilion with long corridors connecting to the shore on both sides. Inside the pavilion, there was a stone chair, which made Mu Yuan sigh, "Government officials really know how to enjoy themselves. Such a wonderful place, taking a boat ride on a summer day is truly like being an immortal, so carefree and happy."

  After passing by the lake, I finally arrived at Liu Yuan Shan's residence. Still turning around, at the last edge of the Liu mansion, I only saw a dark green pavilion with tightly closed doors. From upstairs came faintly transmitted angry shouts and curses, sharp voices like crying, giving people a sense of despair, heart-wrenching feeling.

  Upon arriving at this place, Mu Yuan's heart suddenly stirred, and the Longevity True Qi instantly circulated to his eyes. A green light flashed, and his pupils shone like jade stones, as if veiled by clouds and mist.

  But in an instant, the pavilion changed in Mu Yuan's eyes. Under the originally clear sky, a faint mist seemed to surround the pavilion, and inside the house on the upper floor, there was a hidden black air, a resentful emotion transmitted from the black air.

  Mo Xue also felt something was off when she arrived at this place. She opened her Tian Xin True Qi and sensed that it was different. Seeing the root of the matter, she exchanged a glance with Mu Yuan, nodding to herself in secret.

  "It's all right, just a mediocre ghostly object." Mu Yuan let out a long sigh in his heart and turned to Liu Yuanshan, saying, "Please trouble yourself again, sir, to get some cinnabar and yellow paper for me to perform the ritual."

  Liu Yuanshan hastily agreed and asked again as he was leaving, "May I ask if the immortal still needs the wooden sword of the altar?"