From childhood to adulthood, the three elders had forced Bai Xianxian to memorize scriptures and incantations countless times.
But she simply refused to recite them, and even when she did, because it wasn't of her own free will, the incantations held no power. Cultivation was never something that could be forced.
This was the first time she had ever chanted a spell.
It succeeded so easily that when Bai Xianxian opened her eyes, she didn't even register what had happened.
Then she was scared half to death by the sight before her. This was the first time in her life she had seen a ghost with her own eyes—the shock hit her like an assassin one-shotting the AD carry.
Old Mrs. Zhang sized her up. "A descendant of the Bai family?"
With a flick of her finger, waves of Malevolent Aura surged straight toward Bai Xianxian.
Bai Xianxian nearly fainted from terror at the sight. She screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to look again. Her body trembled violently—whether from fear or sheer shock—as she gripped the Six-Spirit Sword with both hands and slashed wildly in front of her with no technique whatsoever.
She hacked and screamed, her shrieks piercing through the barrier on the roll-up door and reaching Zhang Chong's ears inside the car.
Zhang Chong trembled uncontrollably. It's over, it's over, it's over! The immortal lady is screaming like that—something must have gone wrong!
Clang!
An invisible sword intent erupted like ten thousand blades unleashed at once. The Six-Spirit Sword, carrying immense spiritual power, slashed through the Malevolent Aura filling the courtyard. In an instant, the three elders, whose movements had been slowed by the aura, found themselves greatly relieved.
The Malevolent Aura permeating the courtyard was completely severed by Bai Xianxian's wild sword strikes. With the aura dispelled, all thirty-plus people collapsed in unison. Old Mrs. Zhang, seated on the offering table, finally stopped smiling.
"The Bai family actually has such a gifted descendant?" Her anger turned to delight. "Perfect timing—I'll use your Spirit Bone to reshape my body!"
She raised her hand, and countless streams of Malevolent Aura surged from her body once more, coalescing before her into a gaping blood-red maw that lunged at Bai Xianxian alongside her.
The elders shouted in unison, "Xianxian, be careful!"
The First Elder, already collapsed from exhaustion, his face drastically changing, let out a thunderous roar. He slammed his palm against the ground, forcing himself upright, and leaped forward, placing himself directly in front of the Malevolent Aura. The peachwood sword in his hand flicked up the Spirit Talismans stuck to the fallen Zhang family members' backs, and he formed hand seals as he chanted: "Supreme Mystic Prime Minister, supporting the faith across the three heavens. True transmission from Crane's Cry Mountain, wondrous secrets of Dragon and Tiger. Assisting the profound and embodying the Dao, the Celestial Master's decree—slay demons and subdue evil, heaven and earth clear and bright. Ten thousand demons submit, spirit of luminous intelligence. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes!"
What the First Elder recited was the Celestial Master Divine Incantation, passed down through the Bai family for a thousand years. Legend held that the Ancestral Celestial Master had personally imparted it to the six founding patriarchs of the Bai family, and its power was immense. The moment the incantation was spoken, it summoned the six patriarchs to possess the chanter, allowing the sword to strike across all six directions.
However, this incantation demanded an extremely high level of cultivation and mastery—just like the Six-Spirit Sword—and in all his life, the First Elder had never once succeeded in summoning it.
Yet at this very moment, the First Elder's body, which had been swaying from exhaustion, suddenly stiffened and straightened. The wooden sword in his hand radiated a fierce sword aura as he slashed directly at Old Mrs. Zhang behind the Malevolent Aura.
After a single scream of agony from Old Mrs. Zhang, both of them collapsed to the ground.
The First Elder was already at the end of his strength, unable to bear the divine power of the six patriarchs. Having poured every last ounce of his being into that single strike, he could no longer hold on—he spat out a mouthful of foul blood and fell unconscious.
The Malevolent Aura finally vanished completely from the courtyard. Old Mrs. Zhang, who had been strutting triumphantly moments before, now lay on the ground "half-dead," her form so faint it seemed on the verge of dissipating entirely.
Bai Xianxian snapped out of her terror and scrambled on all fours to the First Elder's side, throwing her arms around him as she cried and screamed. The First Elder, whose face had already been sickly pale, now appeared even weaker. When Bai Xianxian reached out to check his breathing, she could barely feel it at all.
Her eyes bloodshot, she whipped her head around to glare at Old Mrs. Zhang lying defeated on the ground, snatched up the Six-Spirit Sword, and charged at her.
The Second Elder barked sternly, "Xianxian, stop!"
The sword tip halted mid-swing. Bai Xianxian turned around, her face streaked with tears.
The Second Elder said in a low voice, "Xianxian, the Daoist path teaches salvation before destruction. To slay demons and bind evil, to liberate countless ghosts—that is the true way. Remember this!"
The proper procedure for dealing with a ghost was to capture it first, then perform a liberation ritual. Liberation meant sending the lingering spirit to the underworld to receive its judgment—whether to be reborn or punished was then the underworld's business.
Only if the ghost's obsession was too deep to be liberated and it insisted on committing evil should one kill it.
Bai Xianxian gritted her teeth but ultimately lowered the Six-Spirit Sword. A head timidly poked through the courtyard entrance—Zhang Chong peered inside with terrified eyes, still clutching the Spirit Talisman the First Elder had stuck on his car.
Seeing that Bai Xianxian was still alive, he let out a massive sigh of relief. He wanted to step inside but was afraid of the bodies scattered everywhere, uncertain whether they were alive or dead. Stuttering, he called out, "Immortal lady…"
Bai Xianxian, tears and snot streaming down her face, screamed at him in utter breakdown, "Call an ambulance!"
Zhang Chong fumbled frantically for his phone and dialed 120.
The Second and Third Elders had only sustained minor injuries, but the people lying throughout the courtyard, who had been invaded by Malevolent Aura, couldn't afford to wait while they sat in meditation. After sealing away Old Mrs. Zhang's soul, they began using the Heaven and Earth Purifying Divine Incantation one by one to expel the residual Malevolent Aura from the victims' bodies.
The Heaven and Earth Purifying Divine Incantation was one of the eight great Daoist incantations, with a wide range of applications. Bai Xianxian and Zhang Chong worked together to carry the unconscious First Elder to a chair in the courtyard.
The ambulance hadn't arrived yet. Bai Xianxian crouched on the ground, holding the First Elder's dry, ice-cold hand for a while. Hearing the two elders behind her chanting sutras in low voices, she told Zhang Chong to watch over the First Elder, wiped her tears, and stood up.
Bodies lay scattered across the courtyard, looking like the scene of a murder—utterly terrifying.
Bai Xianxian walked toward the nearest little boy, helped him sit up from the ground, and imitating the elders, chanted in a low voice: "Heaven and earth follow nature, foul vapors disperse. Within the cavern's profound mystery, radiant light fills the primal vastness. Mighty spirits of all directions, let me follow nature's course. By the sacred talisman's decree, proclaim to all the nine heavens."
A faint black aura seeped out of the little boy's body. He slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at Bai Xianxian before him.
Bai Xianxian smiled and patted his head. "You're okay now."
The little boy rolled his dark, glossy eyes, not knowing what had just happened. Combined with the malevolent aura having eroded his mind, he seemed especially sluggish.
The adults fared much better. Once they regained consciousness and realized what had occurred, they burst into wailing and crying, only to be calmed down again by the two elders.
A young mother rushed to Bai Xianxian's side, threw her arms around the dazed little boy, and laughed and cried at once, repeatedly thanking Bai Xianxian.
The Second Elder walked over and handed her a spirit talisman. "This is a Spirit-Soothing Talisman. Place it at the head of your child's bed; it will help him recover."
Daoist talismans came in a vast variety—from warding off ghosts to curing illnesses, covering everything imaginable. Different sects specialized in different talismans, and some folk traditions even had their own secret formulas.
The Bai family followed the lineage of the Celestial Master, particularly skilled in talismans for exorcising ghosts, warding off evil, and soothing the spirit. But this time, dealing with Old Mrs. Zhang had nearly exhausted the three elders' entire stock of talismans.
Before long, the sound of an ambulance echoed through the night.
The Second Elder stayed behind to comfort the crowd and handle the aftermath, while Bai Xianxian and the Third Elder accompanied the First Elder to the hospital.
The medical staff had already begun emergency treatment in the ambulance. Upon learning that the First Elder was ninety years old and had just vomited blood, their expressions turned grave. They said outright that the town hospital couldn't handle this—they needed to rush him to the county hospital.
Bai Xianxian clutched those dry, twig-like hands tightly, unable to do anything but cry.
For the first time, regret welled up in her heart—regret for not having studied the Dao more seriously.
If only she had gone in sooner.
If only she had accepted the family inheritance earlier, as the elders had urged.
She clearly possessed a talent others could only dream of. She was the only one who could wield the mighty Six-Spirit Sword. She could easily accomplish what her father had spent his entire life striving for…
Ghosts were terrifying, but losing the ones you loved most was even more so.
The road to the county town stretched endlessly long.
When they got out of the car, medical staff who had been notified were already waiting at the entrance. They took over the stretcher and hurriedly rushed it toward the emergency room.
Bai Xianxian followed behind. Perhaps from crying too long and lacking oxygen, her head spun. As she climbed the steps, she missed a step and nearly fell.
The Third Elder caught her with quick eyes and swift hands. He called her name twice with no response, then pinched the Shenmen acupoint on her wrist with one hand and chanted in a low voice: "Supreme celestial star, responding without cease, expel evil and bind phantoms, protect life and guard the body. Wisdom bright and pure, may the mind and spirit find peace."
Supported by him, she walked in, dazed and lost. Only after stepping into the elevator did she finally snap back to her senses. With swollen, red-rimmed eyes, she asked, "Third Elder, what happened to me?"
The Third Elder said, "It was your first time encountering malevolent aura, and with the fire of agitation attacking your heart, the yin energy disturbed your mind. But you're fine now—don't be afraid."
The hospital corridor in the early morning was eerily quiet, with only the light outside the emergency room glowing. Bai Xianxian stared at the faintly flickering red light, trembling with every breath.
The Third Elder suddenly called out, "Xianxian."
Bai Xianxian started as if frightened, whipping her head around. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut from crying.
The Third Elder looked at her and said, "Life and death are determined by fate. Do not cling too tightly. You must learn to let go."
Bai Xianxian realized what he meant. She pressed her lips together and shook her head frantically, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
The door to the emergency room suddenly swung open. A nurse rushed out and shouted, "Bai Xianxian? Who is Bai Xianxian?"
Bai Xianxian quickly stood up. "I am!"
The nurse said, "The patient wants to see you. Hurry, come in."
Bai Xianxian felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her from above, freezing her entire body stiff. Being called in at a moment like this—the meaning was clear without words.
The Third Elder gave her a gentle push from behind. "Go."
Bai Xianxian's hands and feet were ice-cold, her limbs feeling like they no longer belonged to her. But under the nurse's anxious gaze, she still sprinted into the emergency room.
The smell of disinfectant was thick and pungent. The First Elder lay on the operating table, an oxygen mask over his face, his eyes weakly open, straining to look toward the door.
When he saw Bai Xianxian run in, a flicker of light brightened his cloudy eyes. He called out in a hoarse voice, "Xianxian…"
Bai Xianxian threw herself at the side of the operating table, sobbing loudly. "First Elder, I'm here! I'm here!"
The First Elder's spirits visibly improved compared to before he saw her, and his voice became clearer. "Stop crying. Seeing you cry annoys me—"
Bai Xianxian wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I'm not crying! I'm not crying anymore!" But even as she said this, tears kept streaming down her face like a faucet that couldn't be turned off. "It's all my fault, First Elder, please don't die, it's all my fault…"
"It's not your fault, Xianxian." The First Elder held her hand, his grip firm and steady. "My time has come. I knew the outcome from the divination before I descended the mountain today."
Bai Xianxian suddenly remembered the strange reaction the First Elder had when he performed divination before the statue of the Ancestral Master.
So he had already prepared himself for death back then.
Those of the Daoist path carry a righteous spirit, unafraid of demons, unmoved in their Dao heart. Though they may die, they do not retreat.
Bai Xianxian gripped his hand in return, sobbing, "First Elder, do you have any last wishes? Tell me, I will—I will definitely fulfill them!"
She thought his last wish would surely be for her to take over the family legacy, to do the things they had always wanted her to do.
She was also prepared to accept her fate, to walk the path she should have taken long ago.
But the First Elder only looked at her, his grip softening, and said with a smile, "To have been able to summon the Celestial Master Divine Incantation before my death, I die without regret."
His hand slowly lowered, and he closed his eyes, whispering, "Dear Xianxian, do not feel guilty. Just… grow up well…"
Do not feel guilty, grow up well, and live the life you want to live.