CHAPTER 18: CHAPTER 12: THE TEST

Sang Que never intended to stay here long, so there was no need to ask too many questions and add to her troubles. Once she returned, she would forget everything here and continue to stay by her mother’s side.

"But there’s one thing I want to ask: how did you recognize me right away? Do we look alike?"

Kou Yushan looked at Sang Que with a complex expression for a moment and sighed, "You don’t actually look like your mother. When she left, she said when you appear in the future, you’d be noticeably different from people here."

"You might even bring things from another place, making you easy to recognize. She wanted me to help you if I saw you. Didn’t you leave a dagger here the other day?"

Sang Que frowned. Did this mean her biological mother knew she would travel here from the modern world?

Or perhaps her biological mother was the previous holder of the Yansheng coin, freely traveling between the two worlds?

Was Yan Daozi staying in Black Mountain Village to investigate this?

Sang Que couldn’t help but feel curious, but she quickly stopped herself from thinking further.

These matters had nothing to do with her. Yan Daozi surely had a bigger plan, and her biological mother’s scheme to bring her here was something she couldn’t involve herself in. She needed to extricate herself quickly.

"What does Mountain Ghost mean? Since it has the character ’ghost’, why are those things called Evil Spirits?"

Kou Yushan lowered his voice, "Ghost was a former title of God. Calling those things ghosts is disrespectful to the Ghost God, so they’re called Evil Spirits. However, there are particularly powerful and terrifying Evil Spirits still termed as ghosts. I can’t quite explain the specific reasons and differences."

"The Witch Temple worships the Witch Lady, who possesses the power of the Mountain Ghost. It was originally the National Temple until more than twenty years ago when it was suddenly deemed a lewd cult, and an Evil God, prohibiting any worship."

"Let’s talk about Yan Daozi then."

The village lay ahead, the noon sun fiercely shining, with no one in sight outside. Passing by the small courtyard of blue bricks where Yan Daozi lived, Sang Que paused and listened to Kou Yushan briefly explain Yan Daozi’s background.

Kou Yushan was unaware that Yan Daozi had resigned from the Evil Suppression Bureau, assuming he was still with the court’s Evil Suppression Bureau, as written in the Ming Zhang Notes.

Kou Yushan said Yan Daozi was still part of the Taoist Sect, possessing certain Daoist skills, able to draw exorcism talismans and create some exorcism magic artifacts. Regarding the Evil Spirits he controlled, Kou Yushan knew little.

Before Ming Zhang’s violent death, most village matters were handled by Ming Zhang under Yan Daozi’s instructions. Besides talisman painting, Yan Daozi never directly took action.

Only during the Corpse Nest incident did Kou Yushan see Yan Daozi use the power of Evil Spirits, causing the walking dead to shatter into pieces suddenly, losing their power.

Beyond that, Kou Yushan knew nothing.

Sang Que speculated that Yan Daozi probably couldn’t recklessly use the power of Evil Spirits. Hence, he avoided doing so whenever possible, as each action might backfire, requiring a ’blood ritual’ to stabilize such backfire.

It seemed she couldn’t casually attempt to tame Evil Spirits. Methods must be mastered first.

Passing by the Liu Family, Sang Que paused again, seeing the menacing, clawed old locust tree in the yard, recalling her first time traveling over.

On the dirt road walked by, deep dark marks from a large amount of blood seeping into the soil could still be seen.

Two spots: one belonged to the Liu Family couple, the other to Ming Zhang.

Kou Yushan beside her said, "The Liu Family was also pitiful. The only daughter was forced to death by Yan Daozi, and finally, the couple died at the hands of Evil Spirits, their bodies gutted, hearts dug out, missing an arm, a tongue, and a pair of eyes. It was horrific."

"Wasn’t there a son named Liu Tianyou in the Liu Family? Don’t you remember?" Sang Que asked Kou Yushan.

Kou Yushan, startled, frowned and shook his head, "If you hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t recall. Ming Zhang also asked if the Liu Family had a son. It seems to be another disaster caused by Evil Spirits."

"In Black Mountain Village, such Evil Spirits are rare. Most of the time, as long as doors and windows are tightly closed at night, staying indoors and not going out on cloudy rainy days, and not venturing into cold areas by day, one wouldn’t encounter too powerful Evil Spirits."

Kou Yushan continued walking, living towards the head of Black Mountain Village.

Sang Que followed behind, taking just two steps when she suddenly heard a soft thud as something fell. She frowned and turned back, discovering a blood-stained book under the shadow of the old locust tree.

In the blink of an eye, the book vanished as if it had never existed.

Sang Que looked away, seeing white lanterns hanging on the door of the Liu Family’s opposite house, probably the house of Li Weiming, who had given birth to twins.

Not far ahead, the neighboring house also hung white lanterns.

Kou Yushan glanced and sighed heavily, "It’s the He Family’s young daughter, favored by Yan Daozi, who perished last night."

Sang Que mourned silently. With Liu Caifeng of the Liu Family dead, Yan Daozi clearly chose this household’s young daughter for a blood ritual.

Taking a deep breath, Sang Que changed the topic, "Where’s the nearest Evil Suppression Bureau?"

"The Evil Suppression Bureau is only set up in the capitals of each state. Some large counties have branches, but the Evil Suppression Bureau is seriously short-staffed, so our Tangyuan County has no branch. Wangshan City has an Evil Suppression Bureau, but it’s very far, impossible for ordinary people to reach."

"Why?"

"The journey is too long. Even though there are post stations along the way for overnight stays, should any mishap occur, and we can’t reach the station before nightfall, we would surely die in the wilderness. The villagers of Black Mountain Village have never traveled far; the furthest they’ve gone is to Tangyuan County or nearby villages within a day’s reach. No matter how hard and trying life is here, at least there’s land to cultivate, shelters to protect against the elements and evil spirits. It’s difficult, but we can survive."

Sang Que nodded. In these times rampant with evil spirits, a place of refuge is vital for survival, and indeed, it cannot be easily abandoned. However, Sang wondered how weddings were conducted in such circumstances.

These matters were unrelated to the current situation, so Sang temporarily set aside his curiosity.

"Do you have any books on evil spirits? The kind that records the characteristics and murder patterns of various evil spirits?"

Upon hearing this, Kou Yushan’s expression suddenly turned anxious. He glanced around and lowered his voice, "Never mention such things again. The court forbids anyone to record matters concerning evil spirits in any form. If caught by the Evil Suppression Bureau, everyone involved will be implicated. It can only be passed down orally by the village elders."

Sang Que frowned, not quite understanding this approach. Recording the details of evil spirits and making everyone aware of their murder patterns would improve the villagers’ survival rates, wouldn’t it?

Kou Yushan explained, "I didn’t understand before, but as I grew older, I slowly realized that the court has its reasons for doing this. Some evil spirits I saw as a child are now almost forgotten and rarely seen."

"Perhaps the more people know about evil spirits, and the deeper the understanding they have, the more rampant and powerful they become. However, new evil spirits continue to appear, leaving us powerless. It’s best to hear and see less, be less curious, avoid places we shouldn’t go, and not touch things we shouldn’t touch."

Sang Que seemed to ponder, vaguely sensing an important point but struggling to sum it up plainly as though asked to summarize a central theme in class.

If it were mom, she would certainly zero in on the main point with a single sentence.

"Then tell me about the evil spirits you know which are active around the village."

As Kou Yushan spoke to Sang Que, he led her to an earthen house at the village entrance. Across from Kou Yushan’s house was the residence of the old village head’s family of Black Mountain Village.

Kou Yushan’s home was very tidy; in the yard, there were some wooden posts for practicing martial arts, and a hunting bow hung on the inside wall. Upon seeing it, Sang Que casually took it down.

Grasping the bow with her left hand and pulling the string with her right, Sang Que straightened her back; the bowstring formed a line with the eyes, suddenly sharp like an eagle.

The bow was heavier and more demanding than modern hunting bows, but with practice, she should regain her feel and accuracy.

Turning around after pouring water, Kou Yushan saw Sang Que fully drawing his bow, her posture upright and expressionless, and he was stunned.

That bow could be fully drawn by only him in the village, yet Sang Que, although not short, looked slender and surprisingly strong?

A heroine among women!

Kou Yushan scratched his head, "Have you practiced?"

Sang Que put down the bow, "Yes."

It was a pity. Kou Yushan mentioned Yao Yuniang’s gentle nature, so she couldn’t break the character; continuing to feign weakness might better lower Master Yan’s guard.

After learning much about Black Mountain Village and its evil spirits from Kou Yushan, Sang Que accompanied him to visit the village head and nearby neighbors to get familiar with them and solidify her identity.

As dusk approached, Sang Que thanked Kou Yushan for his hospitality and aid, took the firewood knife he gave, and set off alone to Master Yan’s residence to ’apprentice’ herself.

As she approached the small yard at the end of the village, Sang Que heard waves of pleas and cries from afar.

"Master Yan, we’ve given you our little girl, and now that Fourth is in such a state, you can’t just stand by and watch him perish."

"Please, Master Yan, save our Fourth! I’ll do anything for you, He Baosheng!"

At the gate, Sang Que saw a middle-aged couple holding an unconscious little boy who looked about seven or eight years old.

The couple knelt before Master Yan, pleading tearfully.

Misfortune preys on those destined to suffer!

Upon seeing Sang Que, Master Yan’s irritated brows relaxed, and his eyes brightened.

"It’s merely a matter of a spirit collision causing soul loss. By chance, today I have taken a new apprentice; she shall perform the passing the Yin ritual to summon the soul for your Fourth."

Sang Que stood at the gate in a daze, tempted to withdraw her foot and pretend she had never been here.

"You are called Yuniang, aren’t you? Though I have a mentor-apprentice bond with you, if you fail to impress, this bond is unlikely to hold. At this moment, I’m giving you a test."

"If you can successfully summon back the soul of He Family’s Fourth, I shall accept you and teach you authentic Taoist techniques. Come in now, and I will explain the summoning of souls in detail."

Master Yan turned into the house, while He Family’s woman Qin Fangru cradled the child, sobbing and gazing fixedly at Sang Que, full of worry and fear.

He Family’s man He Baosheng clenched his fists, eyes reddened with anger, shooting a skeptical look at Sang Que.

Lowering her head, Sang Que followed Master Yan inside, realizing that the fate of He Family’s child was being used as a trial for her—how sorrowful.

And she, at this moment, had no other choice.