The Two Gods

The sound of drums echoed through the low house. "Boom—Boom—Boom-boom—" The chant of Li Zhi continued as he beat the drum, his voice rising in the ritual.

"Help the soldiers, with my head under the roof and my feet on the beams, left hand holding the drum, right hand holding the whip—hey, cough, cough, oh hey—" Boom boom boom!!

Li Huowang stood aside, watching. As Li Zhi continued his chanting, the red veil of the "two gods" began to lift, revealing eerie and distorted beast-like shapes underneath.

At first glance, they seemed like animal heads, but there was something unnatural about them. They weren't any normal beasts, but rather grotesque, mutated versions of creatures. These figures slithered beneath the veil, flickering in and out of sight, their movements unsettling and unnatural.

The atmosphere in the room became increasingly strange as the fog thickened and the sounds from the chanting and drumming filled the air. Li Huowang rubbed his eyes, but when he looked again, the "two gods" were now moving in rhythm to the drumbeats, circling the woman on the Eight Immortals' table.

"Hit it three times, turn nine times, first three, then four, left five, right six—sixty-eight hits, hey~"

The woman on the table began to show signs of extreme distress, clutching her throat in agony, her voice trembling.

"Go away!! Go away!!" she screamed, her voice shaking.

"Move the soldiers! Invite the Yellow Sky King! Invite the Yellow Sky Blue! Invite the Yellow Sky Black, the mighty horse, the two spirits, and the quick-talking, tongue-lashing fiends—hey—" Boom! Boom! Boom!

The moment the words left Li Zhi's mouth, Li Huowang's annoyance grew inexplicably. There was a strange hum in the air, like murmurs from nowhere, but when he tried to focus on the sound, it vanished again.

He felt that whatever this "Old Immortal" was, it was something completely different from anything he had encountered before.

"How many gods can he summon? How many does he actually control?" Li Huowang's thoughts were interrupted as the drumming slowed.

Frowning slightly, he waved his hand, dispersing the fog before striding toward the table. But as soon as he approached, a dark shadow shot out of the mist, slamming into his face with a blur of motion.

Clang!

The sound of iron clashing rang out. Li Huowang's sword met a set of sharp teeth, which sank into the blade with a sickening screech.

The woman—her body now completely bare—was stronger than expected, her hands clawing at Li Huowang's face with ferocity, her bloodshot eyes almost popping out of their sockets as they glared at him with intense rage and murderous intent.

"Li Zhi!! What is this madness!!" Li Huowang yelled into the mist, trying to maintain his focus.

"Boom boom boom!!" Li Zhi's voice rang out from behind, his chant continuing as he shouted, "Old Immortal, please!"

The red veil flew up from the mist and covered the woman's face. As she struggled, the beast faces beneath the veil wriggled, and something seemed to pull the woman back into the fog with a force she couldn't resist.

As the terrifying scene unfolded, Li Huowang steadied himself, staying vigilant, gripping his sword and preparing to react. His mind was racing—what exactly was happening here?

After a moment, the chaos settled. Li Huowang noticed the woman who had been writhing on the table was now motionless, her body limp, a yellow pallor to her face, and cold sweat beading from her skin.

Li Zhi, on the other hand, remained unaffected, continuing to chant and circle with the now calm woman. His indifference was chilling.

"Old Immortal, take the horse, pull the reins, leave the cave and go to the mountain, oh hey—" Li Zhi finished with another drumbeat.

As the chanting died down and the fog began to clear, the strange, oppressive feeling in Li Huowang's chest began to lift. His tension eased, but his curiosity only deepened.

Li Zhi casually turned to him, grinning. "It's fine now. I was just a little distracted earlier. I knew you were here to help, so she was never going to get away."

"You were distracted? You can afford to be distracted in the middle of all this?" Li Huowang was baffled by Li Zhi's nonchalance.

"It was only fifty copper coins. You can't even get a bowl of noodles in the city for that much these days! The evil's gone, the woman's alive, what more do you want? It's all good. You'd be lucky if the spirit didn't take her."

Li Huowang tried his best not to roll his eyes, as he walked over to the Eight Immortals' table and observed the woman closely. Her condition was worse than it had seemed—she was in a state of extreme mental distress, her eyes devoid of life, her body trembling uncontrollably.

After inspecting the woman for a moment, Li Huowang didn't notice anything particularly out of place—no marks, no missing physical traits. But he couldn't help but wonder what exactly the so-called "Old Immortal" had claimed as payment for this "service."

"She doesn't need money, her body is untouched... Does the 'Old Immortal' demand payment of a different kind? Perhaps it's spiritual?" Li Huowang mused.

Just then, the family of the woman who had been afflicted rushed in, tears streaming down their faces as they embraced her in relief.

Li Zhi immediately went over to them, addressing them with a grin. "This young woman was in poor health, clashing with some negative energy. And your family's bad Feng Shui didn't help. You should hire a guardian spirit, just to be safe."

"Guardian spirit?" Li Huowang's ears perked up.

The elderly family members, still in shock, were too overwhelmed to refuse. "Yes, yes, we'll do whatever you say!"

Li Zhi took out a small figurine made of clay from his bag and began wrapping red threads around it. As he did, he chanted quietly, then climbed up a ladder to place the figurine on the rafters.

"Offer it incense on the first day of the new year, and every fifteenth day of the month. Got it? And the total cost is one hundred copper coins, including the tea money for the spirits."

Ignoring Li Zhi's insistence on his fee, Li Huowang approached the ladder. His eyes narrowed as he inspected the small clay figurine.

It was a simple piece, one that seemed to have been hastily crafted, but its eyes... the eyes seemed too lifelike. Looking into them made Li Huowang feel like he was staring into a living creature.

Suddenly, he saw something unexpected—the figurine's eyes seemed to move.

"Was that a trick of the light?" Li Huowang wondered.

A quiet, almost imperceptible voice whispered in his ear. "Don't look."

Li Huowang turned quickly, only to find himself face to face with the woman who had been covered by the red veil—the "second god." They were so close that he could feel her breath, and the red veil gently swayed with the movement.

His mind raced, filled with questions. Is she really alive? Why is she warning me?

He glanced back at Li Zhi, who was busy collecting his payment, and quietly asked, "Is there something you need to tell me?"

The woman's pale hands reached up, gently pulling the red veil back over her face. Without a word, she turned and swiftly followed Li Zhi.