Calling Ritual

"I don't know what the five spirits of red, yellow, white, willow, and sorrow represent. The old people in the village just mentioned them casually, and I remembered it."

"The time I saw them was when someone in the village was possessed. The person was on the ground barking like a dog. The spirit-caller just happened to be passing by the village and came over to take a look."

"As for what happened after that, I'm not sure. I just remember that the possessed person was fine the next day and went back to work in the fields."

Li Huowang listened to Xiao Man's fragmented account of the spirit-calling ritual, and silently mulled over it.

"So, the spirit-calling is kind of like what Daoist priests do, right? Exorcising evil and preventing disasters. Does their power also come from the things like Old Lord You?"

"Since the spirit-caller has to interact with others often, they should be easier to talk to than the monks of Zhengde Temple, right?"

At this point, Li Huowang wasn't afraid of these so-called spirit-callers being too powerful. His concern was that they might be too weak to deal with Dan Yangzi. After all, it would be impossible to fight an entire group alone.

The creaking of the donkey cart finally faded, bringing Li Huowang back to the present. He saw that everyone else had gone into the forest to gather firewood and water.

Looking up at the sky, Li Huowang realized that the sun had begun to set, and it was time to rest.

He didn't just sit idle. He took out his sword from behind him and began digging a small hole in the ground. The blade was extremely sharp, and in no time, he had dug a hole about the size of a human head.

Nearby, the fool had already prepared a black pot from the donkey cart and set it down over the hole.

Soon enough, after making a few more openings—one for the firewood and the other for the smoke—his little earth stove was ready.

Compared to rice, noodles were more practical; they were easier to store and cook.

Once the water in the pot started to boil, Li Huowang added large bundles of longevity noodles that they had bought at the small town by the checkpoint.

He then picked some dandelions from the roadside to use as vegetables, and each person got a salted duck egg as a source of protein. Everyone was soon served a hearty bowl of noodles for dinner.

Li Huowang broke the duck egg in his bowl, revealing the golden yolk that sizzled and bubbled in the hot broth, making the soup glisten with a layer of oil. The sight alone was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

He scooped up a portion of the soft dandelion stems and slowly chewed them. The taste was slightly bitter, and the texture was somewhat similar to spinach.

He had never known that dandelions were edible before, but seeing the old monk from Zhengde Temple enjoy them so much had taught him that they were a type of wild vegetable.

Blowing on the hot steam, Li Huowang took a big gulp of the soup, feeling warmth spread through his stomach, making him feel comfortable and at ease.

As he ate, Li Huowang couldn't help but think of the old monk from Zhengde Temple.

"I wonder how he's doing... He's so blind and clueless that he should be doing well in that kind of environment."

A pair of chopsticks placed the duck egg yolk in Li Huowang's bowl. "I don't eat egg yolk," said Bai Lingmiao softly, sitting next to him.

Li Huowang nodded silently and took a bite of the noodles, slurping them up with a satisfying noise. "I have a Daoist bell, do you remember? The one I brought back from Qingfeng Temple?"

"Mhm."

"I'm going to tell you how to use it. If anything happens to me, remember to use it to save yourself."

"Okay."

"First, you need to shake it. When you do, you'll feel dizzy. Just hold on, then grab a handful of dirt and put it in your mouth..."

As night gradually fell, Li Huowang's bowl was empty, and his instructions were complete.

Bai Lingmiao took the bowl and chopsticks from his hands and walked toward the small stream in the forest.

Li Huowang gazed at her slender figure, and without realizing it, she seemed to transform into a girl in a red high school uniform—the silhouette of Yang Na.

He shook his head vigorously, and Bai Lingmiao returned to her usual self. Li Huowang felt a surge of annoyance and lay down on the ground, staring at the gradually darkening sky filled with stars.

The night deepened, but Li Huowang stayed awake for the first half of the night. His sleep had never been good, or perhaps it had never been good to begin with.

Li Huowang poked at the fire with his sword, adding a piece of firewood to the blaze.

Shaking it off, he looked at his weapon in the firelight.

This sword, which could slice through iron like mud, was really wasted in his hands. If it wasn't used to dig holes or poke the fire, it was hardly serving its purpose. Now, the sword tip was completely black and looked quite ugly.

The only time it had drawn blood was when he used it to cut his own throat.

"Longming Shixiong... if you saw your precious sword like this, would you be furious?" Li Huowang muttered to himself as he sheathed the sword back behind him.

"Swoosh~" A faint sound came from behind him, and Li Huowang suddenly jumped up, grabbing a burning piece of firewood and tossing it toward the sound.

The bright flames flickered, and in the dim light, a shadow flashed. The fire landed at the feet of a pair of embroidered shoes.

The shoes were very red, a red so vivid it was almost unsettling.

"Who's there! Come out!" Li Huowang shouted, waking the others from their sleep.

When they saw the pair of embroidered shoes in the distance, they were immediately terrified and all jumped up, drawing their swords and knives.

"Hehehe, don't be hasty. It's just a misunderstanding," a friendly voice called out.

A man, in his fifties with graying hair, emerged from the dark forest.

He was dressed simply, with patched clothes indicating that he was likely not wealthy. He carried a small bundle on his back and a dirty old drum with colorful ribbons tied to it at his waist.

Facing the weapons of Li Huowang and the others, the man explained, "I was just traveling at night. I saw some light up ahead, so I came over to take a look. I didn't expect to run into you all."

When Li Huowang's gaze was fixed on the embroidered shoes, the man continued, "It's okay, that's my wife. She's shy, ah, Goose, come over here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the pair of embroidered shoes slowly moved forward from the darkness, and a woman in bright red and purple clothes, with her face covered by a red veil, appeared at his side.

Her clothes were as bright as the ribbons on the drums, and the sight of her standing still in the middle of the night made the air seem unnaturally cold.

"This is your wife?" Li Huowang, still holding his sword, asked, his tone skeptical. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if the man was carrying a zombie.

At that moment, Xiao Man hurriedly approached and whispered, "Li Shixiong, he's a spirit-caller."

The moment those words left her mouth, Li Huowang's vigilance shot up to its peak.

"Yes, that's right! We are spirit-callers. I'm the Great Spirit, and my wife is the Second Spirit."

Seeing that no one in the group responded, the man continued, "What? You don't believe me? Well, I'll give you a little performance, ahem~"

Before Li Huowang could stop him, the man opened his mouth and shouted loudly, "Please—God—come!"

The strong call echoed far into the dark forest.