Chapter 446: Spirit Medium

Chapter 446: Spirit Medium

The two spirits lowered their eyes to gaze at the golden ring around their wrists, their voices trembling slightly. "Senior Brother Li."

Tears had soaked through the red veil, leaving five streaks of varying sizes on the crimson fabric—perhaps signs of excitement, perhaps sorrow.

Bai Lingmiao could not fathom her. There was a mist surrounding her, making it impossible for him to see her true emotions with his ability of forgetting all worldly concerns.

Li Huowang looked at her with a complex expression. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and lifted a corner of the red veil.

He had seen her many times before; naturally, he wasn't frightened by her appearance now. But there was something different about her now compared to the past.

On that half-face of a beast, other traces of wild animals were fewer, while the silver-white fur of a fox dominated.

The short quills between the white fur lay as flat as possible, as if trying to make herself look more appealing this way.

Li Huowang stared in bewilderment at her human half of a face and the resentful gaze upon it—this gaze was too much like Bai Lingmiao's from before. He felt as though the Bai Lingmiao who had always accompanied him from Qingfeng Monastery had reappeared before him.

When Li Huowang unconsciously reached out to touch her cheek, the scales beneath the fur gave his fingers a slight sting, bringing him back to reality.

No, she wasn’t her. The past Lingmiao would never forgive him.

As Li Huowang’s hand slowly descended, it was seized firmly by the five fingers of the two spirits, whose nails were sharp and pointed.

But when the two spirits opened her mouth wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth and a forked tongue, she suddenly gave up instead. She pulled the red veil over her face and left, choking back sobs.

Li Huowang did not follow. He watched silently as the two spirits disappeared into the darkness, then let out a long sigh.

Although he knew that the two spirits were also part of Bai Lingmiao, just with different distributions of the ten emotions and eight sufferings, he didn’t know how to treat her. To treat her like Bai Lingmiao? Two Bai Lingmiaos? Li Huowang felt deeply uneasy.

When he returned to the lively banquet hall, still lost in thought about the tear drop near the giant beast eye of the two spirits, he suddenly realized that his bowl was already full of chicken pieces.

Beside him, Bai Lingmiao picked up a pair of chopsticks and placed a sprig of chives on top of his dish. “Finished talking? Eat quickly. This feast is held especially for your welcome.”

Li Huowang reached toward the table with his right hand but didn’t pick up the chopsticks—he took the wine pot instead.

Pouring himself a full cup, Li Huowang drank it down in one go.

The drowsy intoxication of regaining what was lost once again enveloped his mind. That tingling sensation on his scalp made him feel somewhat better.

To be honest, he had no experience dealing with such matters. In the past, he was just a high school student.

"Why does everything have to be so complicated? Can’t things just be peaceful?" Li Huowang muttered to himself, pouring another cup.

Before he passed out, Li Huowang finally understood the issue. These emotional troubles existed in the past too, but back then, he was caught between life and death, reality and illusion—there was no time to think about trivialities.

The banquet ended. Li Huowang, half-drunk and half-asleep, felt as light as air, floating above clouds.

After a while, the smooth silk beneath him and the familiar fragrance reminded him that he had returned to Bai Lingmiao’s private chamber.

Instinctively, he reached out and embraced a soft body, stroking the hairpins woven through her hair. He leaned down and kissed her.

Bai Lingmiao walked along the winding dirt paths of Niu Xin Village, where windows glowed with candlelight. Every household was bustling with joy, discussing how to divide the leftover meat over several days.

"Miaomiao, life has gotten much better than before. Even after the feast, there are still leftovers," said Chun Xiaoman beside her with a smile.

"To make a horse run, you must feed it grass," Bai Lingmiao replied indifferently, walking toward the Bai Family Ancestral Hall in the distance.

"And besides, it doesn’t cost much. The Lü family troupe earns enough silver to last them. Honestly, I never expected the Lü family troupe to earn even more money singing their opera in Daliang."

"Yeah, the last time, an old man had a funeral, and reportedly, he specifically requested the Lü troupe to perform three days of opera at the altar. Who knows what he was thinking?"

As they spoke, Bai Lingmiao and Chun Xiaoman entered the Bai Family Ancestral Hall, skillfully turning the Three-Bad Monkeys mechanism and slipping through a hidden door.

The great hall below was lit by oil lamps, and the hurried chanting echoed up the empty steps.

"Heaven round, earth square, call forth gods to descend and become spirit medium. Heaven urges, earth urges, ancestors ride clouds and return. Ancestors ride horses, come to the altar to raise the spirit medium..."

When they entered the hall, they saw Lü Xiucai dressed in a paper belly band covered with scriptures, holding a triangular white lotus flag in one hand and a short sword with thorns on both ends in the other, continuously striking his own head with the sharp points.

"Left eye becomes sun, right eye becomes moon, sun and moon shine clearly. Disciple sincerely comes to worship..."

The thorns on the sword had already broken his scalp, crimson blood dripping slowly from his forehead, covering his face entirely. His excited expression was particularly terrifying.

"Divine spirit of this altar, descend swiftly. Body becomes god, god becomes body, open path of mountains and rivers. Step by step to guide, inch by inch to support the child. Raise the spirit medium, enlighten the soul, speak with golden mouth and reveal truth!"

With his final shout, he raised his right foot and stamped hard three times on the ground. All fell silent.

Looking at the furious, staring Lü Xiucai standing motionless like a statue, Bai Lingmiao frowned slightly. With a sharp "clang," she drew Chun Xiaoman's sword from her waist and slashed toward Lü Xiucai's waist.

But when the blade struck his body, it unexpectedly rang out like metal hitting stone.

Not satisfied, Bai Lingmiao tried again several times, only managing to leave shallow scratches.

Chun Xiaoman's sword had been given to her by Li Huowang. Though it couldn’t exorcise demons or slay ghosts, it could cut through iron like butter.

Yet this blade could only cause such minor damage to Lü Xiucai—it was clear that he had become invulnerable to blades and bullets.

Lü Xiucai, overcome with excitement, examined his body closely, his heart filled with joy beyond words.

How many hardships had he endured, how many beatings had he suffered to achieve this divine power! And now, seeing this moment come true, he felt every pain was worth it.

Suddenly, his expression turned grim and fierce. His hands trembled uncontrollably as he held the short sword and triangular white lotus flag.

"Damn it! You old bastard! You dare to hang me up and beat me! Don’t stop me! Today I’ll get revenge! I’ll tear that old bone apart piece by piece!"

"You—!" Chun Xiaoman started forward, but Bai Lingmiao stopped her with a gesture. "We won’t stop you. Go ahead. Your father will be drunk tonight and sleep soundly."

Lü Xiucai roared and raised his sword, swinging it wildly as he rushed toward the hidden door.

But as he neared the exit, his steps grew slower, and his curses rose to a louder pitch. "None of you stop me!! Today I’ll kill that old turtle!"

(End of Chapter)