Chapter Three

While the boys set up the ghost-catching formation, the person watched them silently in a corner. Even though it had been 15 years since they last caught a ghost, the air around them buzzed with a familiar energy as they themselves hail from a clan with a long history of vanquishing ghosts, demons, and monsters.

 As they watched, they noticed the flags being set up differed from those usually used. So, they slowly sneaked up and took one of the flags off to examine. The quality of the flag was top-tier, and there was no doubt that the Feng clan spent a lot of time and effort producing it. However, what caught the person off guard was the type of flag that was being used. There were three types of ghost-summoning flags, each representing the strength of attraction for the formation. The ones that the disciples were using were to trap the strongest of ghosts. If they were trying to catch Xia Luli's mother, then using the weakest kind was more than sufficient.

 While examining the flag, one of the disciples noticed them and ran over.

 "Hey! You can't touch that!" the boy yelled.

 Startled by the sudden noise, the person jumped back and looked up to see all the boys heading to where they were standing. The young boy who had stood up for them before came over and asked.

 "Xia gongzi, could you please give this back to us? We need it for our formation."

 The person looked at the boy and then back at the flag. Shaking their head, they hugged the flag close and said.

 "No! I want this! This is my compensation!"

 "We're not the ones who owe you. Why don't you go to your uncle instead? Why are you coming here to cause a mess?!" said the boy who had scared the person earlier.

 "I don't care, I don't care! I want this! It's not like it's some top-tier stuff! Even I can do better!" the person yelled.

 Some of the other disciples snickered as they heard the nonsense the madman was spewing. Only the nice young boy didn't laugh. He reached out and pat the other boy's shoulder and said.

 "Chunlei, be nice to him."

 Chunlei looked back and said.

 "Huiyi, look at him-"

 Feng Huiyi only shook his head, and Feng Chunlei held back the rest of his comment. He then turned back to the person and tried to persuade him to return the flag.

 The person saw that the sun was setting quickly and decided that it was time to retreat. So, they threw the flag at the boys and ran back to the shed.

 Once the person was out of sight, Feng Huiyi picked up the flag. As he dusted it off, he noticed that the flag that they were using was the wrong one. He turned around to ask Feng Chunlei.

 "Why do we have the third-tier flag instead of the first-tier one?"

 Feng Chunlei quickly took a look and realized that Feng Huiyi was right. They, indeed, are using the wrong flag.

 "We must have taken the wrong one when we left. But it should be fine." Feng Chunlei said.

 Feng Huiyi felt uneasy about it, but as the sun was about to disappear, they had no choice but to go with it.

 When the person returned to their woodshed, they sat down and applied more medicine to their face. Leaning against the wall, they closed their eyes to get some rest. Xia Luli's body was already weak from a loss of blood. Without food and water, it would be very soon before the person collapsed.

 Even in my lowest moments, I still had food to eat.

 The person sighed as they thought about the life Xia Luli had to live before sacrificing her body to them. Soul summoning was already a dangerous ritual, but Wrath Ritual was even worse. The spell was ancient and was long lost; only a few records of them remain in the libraries of the major clans. The cost to perform it was just as bad as the consequences. Losing your soul was painful, but having it slowly melted away while still conscious was excruciating. One could only imagine what it was like in her last moments.

 Suddenly, they heard someone sneaking by the area. Cracking a small opening in the window, they saw a female figure quickly scurrying by. Upon a closer look, the person realized it was Xia Luli's biao jie. Although everyone was told to stay inside after nightfall, the young lady was dressed lavishly and had a full face of makeup on. Following the direction she was headed in, the person could see the silhouette of a tall man waiting for her.

  Ohhhh, I see. So you have a little date, the person thought.

 Seeing as it wasn't their problem, the person returned to their little corner to get some sleep. Unfortunately, around midnight, they were woken up from their slumber when the servants barged in and dragged them to the main hall. Upon entering the room, the person could see the aunt was crying tragically while her son was supporting her. The uncle furiously yelled at the young disciples for not doing their jobs properly, and all the boys could do was stand there and take the insults.

 Frustration bubbled within the person as they watched the boys being berated. Here they were, offering a helping hand to the family in need, yet the response they received was anything but appreciative. Instead of gratitude, shouts of anger and harsh curses filled the air, leaving the person to wonder how kindness had been met with such hostility.

 "Hey! Do you have no shame! These cultivators are here to help you, yet you're yelling and cursing at them instead!"

 The uncle, already furious, turned to the person intending to beat them. Quickly dodging, the person scrambled around to see what the young cultivators were huddling around. Before them rested a body shrouded beneath a stark white sheet. Yet, a delicate, pale hand adorned with a jade bracelet that resembled the pendant once pawned was sticking out from under the fabric. This unmistakably revealed the identity of the deceased: the beloved young lady of the Xia family, lying quietly beneath the veil of death. The person couldn't help but shake their head at the sight before them.

 Xia Luli's aunt, who had been crying the entire time, suddenly rushed over and started beating and cursing at the person.

 "YOU! It's all your fault! You and your stupid mother are nothing but trouble!"

 The person was already in enough pain from all the unhealed wounds on their body, yet now they were being treated as a punching bag. Pushing the aunt away, they shouted.

 "How is it me and my mother's fault that your daughter is dead?! She's the one that did this to herself!"

 Everyone was stunned to hear what the madman was saying. How was it possible that the young lady had done this to herself?

 "You madman! How dare you say that about my sister!"

 With another person on the way to beat them, the person quickly hid behind Feng Huiyi.

 "Xia gongzi, please. We need to figure out what happened to the young lady first."

 "What is there to figure out?" -he shouted- "It was clearly this madman who did it!"

 The person stepped out and chuckled.

 "You're accusing me of killing your sister, but where's the evidence?"

 "You clearly want revenge! It was you who were yelling and screaming, saying that whoever messed with you again will be dealt with!"

 The person couldn't help but laugh again. The family clearly wasn't very intelligent. Without the support of the Jin clan, they would have long been on the streets.

 "Didn't you guys say I was accusing you and making stuff up earlier? How come it's now me coming to take revenge?"

 This left the family speechless, but Feng Huiyi and the others were still curious to know more.

 "What do you mean she did this to herself?" Feng Huiyi asked.

 The person tilted their chin to the corpse and said.

 "Just look at her. She clearly was out and about when she wasn't supposed to."

 Feng Chunlei quickly pulled off the sheet to reexamine the body again. To the young boys, nothing looked out of the ordinary. However, if one were to observe carefully, one could tell that things were amiss.

 "I don't get it," -Feng Chunlei said- "she looks normal to me."

 Shaking their head, the person went over and knocked the boy on his head.

 "Why did you hit my head?!"

 "Because you guys are clearly inexperienced. Take a look at her clothes. Is this something that a typical person would wear to sleep?" 

 The boys looked at her, and all said no.

 "Good, next question. Would a normal person wear a full face of makeup to bed?"

 Once again, the boys shook their heads.

 Continuing on with their questions the person asked.

 "How do you think she died?"

 It took a bit longer, but soon Feng Huiyi said.

 "It looks like she died from strangulation."

 "Correct. Now, can a ghost directly kill someone by strangulation?"

 This time, Feng Chunlei quickly jumped in and said.

 "No. This would mean that she was with someone when they got possessed and killed her, and judging from the handprint, it must belong to a man."

 The room suddenly went quiet. Everyone realized what the young lady had been doing at her time of death. The only question that remained was who the man she was with was and where he was now. Yet, before anyone could answer, a strong gust of wind blew in and took out all the light source. Less than a minute later, chaos erupted in the room. Servants were screaming, and the disciples were scrambling to relight the candles. The person quickly whispered a word, and light returned to the room.

 Looking around the room, many of the servants lay lifeless on the floor, and the mother was being strangled by the son. The boys quickly went over and tried to pull the mother away. However, with one swing, the son knocked all the disciples back. Before they even got a chance to get back up, the son had already snapped his mother's neck.

 "Don't come over here! Don't come over here!" the father yelled as the son slowly walked towards him.

 The person quickly went up to the son and slapped a talisman on his back to stop his rampage. Although the body itself had stopped, a cloud of black smoke escaped from the son's mouth and flew directly into the father's body. Realizing that the boys themselves could not handle the situation, Feng Huiyi turned to Feng Chunlei and said.

 "Quick, send out a signal flare!"

 "We're so far away from the clan! Do you think anyone will come here in time?!" Feng Chunlei yelled amid the chaos.

 "We don't have a choice! We need help from the elders!"

 The person trying to figure out what type of ghost this was came over to the two boys when they heard them talking.

 "Uh... are you guys trying to call for help? No need to. I can help." they said confidently.

 The two boys shared a glance and agreed that they couldn't trust the madman, so Fneg Chunlei quickly sent out a signal flare for help. Blooming in the sky was a bright red phoenix, the emblem of the Feng clan. Unable to stop them or protest, the person gave up. Looking back, the rest of the disciples were trying to set up a barrier to prevent the father from causing any more harm. However, the ghost possessing him was too strong for their level. Going on a rampage, the father would beat and strangle anyone within arms reach. Although the person did not want to expose themselves, they couldn't sit by and watch everyone die. So, they snuck into a corner and, raised their fingers to their lip and whispered.

"Freeze."

Their eyes glowed an ominous red as the words left their lips.

 Finally, the father stopped his rampage, and the ghost who possessed him was also trapped. The disciples were stunned at what they saw. What on earth could have made this ferocious ghost stop all of a sudden?

Carrying a tinge of suspicion, Feng Huyi turned to find the madman, only to see him hiding in the corner. When the madman saw Feng Huyi looking at them, an expression of fear masked their face, and they immediately ran over to the boys while screaming.

"Ahhhhh, this is all so scary! I... I want my mother!"

 "Xia gongzi, are you-" before Feng Huiyi could finish his question, the person interrupted and asked.

 "Have... have you guys caught Xi... I mean, did you catch my mother's spirit?"

 Feng Huiyi nodded and reached for the soul-containing pouch. However, when he looked back, he realized the pouch was no longer on his waist. Panic grew in his eyes as he asked.

 "Did your mother's spirit do this?"

Fear was still masking the person's face. However, not a trace of it could be seen in their eyes.

 "What time was it when you caught her?" the person asked.

 "Around 11pm," Feng Huiyi answered.

 "When did you find her body?" they pointed to the biao jie.

 "A little before midnight," Feng Huiyi responded.

 "And how long had she been dead when you found her?"

 This time, Feng Chunlei jumped in and said.

 "About half an hour."

 The realization struck all the boys that there was another ghost who was causing the chaos. One in which their skills were no match for. Panic rose in the boys again as they wondered if they could hold out until backup arrived. Before the panic had a chance to settle, the father broke out of the enchantment and started to go on a rampage again. Once again, a swing from the father sent the boys flying out of the hall into the front yard. The father then followed them outside to continue the fight. Despite their efforts, the young disciples were hanging on by a thread. No matter how hard they tried to subdue the father, he always managed to break free and cause more damage. One by one, their numbers decreased until only Feng Huyi and Feng Chunlei were standing.

The person who had been pushed out of the way was now standing among the various corpses of the family.

I don't want to expose myself, but if I don't do anything, these kids may die before their backup arrives.

As the person was scanning the area, their eyes caught the corpses lying around their feet. An idea quickly flashed in their mind. Their eyes began to glow red again, and two words quietly slipped from their lips.

"Awaken, Protect."

A few corpses rose up to their feet and quickly rushed over to the father. At first, the disciples thought that the fierce corpses were after them. However, seeing that they ignored them and were only after the father, they took the opportunity to retreat and rest.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the person's fierce corpses to be torn to shreds.

What?! They tore my puppets to shreds. Could it be-

"Huyi!"

Turning towards the boys, the person saw the father rushing towards them, arms fully extended out and ready to kill. Before the person had a chance to react, the earth-shattering sound of the guqin drifted in, followed by a light red spiritual wave. Upon impact, the father was frozen in place. As backup arrived, the person hid behind the door and peeked out to see who it was. The person landed between the boys and the father, guqin laying in his arms.

 With one flick of his hand, another red wave of aura flew toward the father. This time, he fell down and became unconscious. The black cloud of smoke tried to escape, but before it could, it was caught and trapped in the soul-catching pouch. Once the spirit was secured in the bag, the person turned to face the boys.

 "Jingfeng Jun!" they all shouted in excitement.

 "Feng Zhiyu!" the person thought.

 Memories of the past flooded in when the person saw someone from the past. However, they didn't have time to reminisce. So, they quickly made an escape. On the way back to the woodshed to collect their stuff, they found the finance room and took some money to help with the journey.

 With all the suffering I've had these past few days, I think this is a well-deserved compensation, they thought.

 When they returned to the woodshed, they took the herbs and mask and then headed to the horse stable to find a steed. Before mounting onto the black stallion, they took a leaf from a nearby tree and played a short melody. Less than a minute later, the spirit of a beautiful woman showed up before them. The spirit looked at the person with joy and sorrow in their eyes.

 "Luli... Is that really you?" the spirit asked.

 The person sighed and said.

 "No. Your daughter... she's gone. She asked me to help her get revenge for the two of you."

 Xia Luli's mother cried as she heard about what had happened to her daughter. The person wanted to comfort her but didn't know what to say, so they remained silent and let the mother cry to ease her broken heart. After calming down, the mother asked.

 "Will... will I be able to see her again?"

 Shaking their head, the person responded.

 "I don't know, but I do know that she would have wanted you to move on and find peace."

 With a gentle nod of acceptance, the mother thanked the person before fading into the night air, moving on to the next world. With Xia Luli's mother's spirit gone, the person mounted their steed and left the mansion.