Chapter 61: Second God

Chapter 61: The Second Deity

"Thump... thump... thump-thump..." Within the low, squat house, the drumming never ceased, nor did Li Zhi's chanting.

"I, the aide, bear the roof upon my head, tread the rafters beneath my feet, drum in my left hand and whip in my right, ai-he-ai-he-yo-ai..." "Thump-thump-thump!!"

Beside them, Li Huowang could see that as the chanting continued unabated, the red veil atop the Second Deity's head was gradually being pushed up by whatever lay beneath.

Through the crimson veil, Li Huowang discerned the emerging silhouettes of bizarre, bestial heads.

To call them beastly heads was inaccurate; none resembled ordinary creatures, all being severely mutated and deformed, bearing only a faint semblance to beasts.

These things flowed like water beneath the red veil, flickering in and out of sight, writhing incessantly.

The scene before him, shrouded in a hazy, ethereal white smoke, appeared profoundly eerie.

Li Huowang rubbed his eyes vigorously, only to find the Second Deity now stepping to the drumbeat, following Li Zhi toward the Eight Immortals table, which was entirely engulfed in white mist.

"One strike shakes it thrice... three strikes shake it nine times...

Three in front, four behind, five on the left, six on the right, sixty-eight strikes in all, ai~"

Amidst the hazy white smoke, Li Zhi and the woman circled the table, dancing one behind the other.

The woman seated at the Eight Immortals table began to clutch her own neck, her face contorted in sheer agony.

"Get out!! Get away!!" Her voice trembled with a hint of dread.

"I summon the troops... I invite Huang Tianba... I invite Huang Tianqing... I invite Huang Tianhei and Huang Tianhong, the grand courier, the second clairvoyant, the fast-tongued mimic, ai~" "Thump! Thump! Thump!"

As these words left his lips, Li Huowang felt an inexplicable surge of irritation welling up within him.

Just then, he heard some inexplicable noises rising from the surroundings, yet when he listened closely, they vanished without a trace.

Whatever the Old Immortal in Li Zhi's chants might be, it was certain to be unlike any entity he had encountered before.

"It sounds as though he can summon more than one immortal; just how many can he call upon at most?"

Just as he was deeply engrossed in this thought, the drumming gradually softened.

Frowning slightly, Li Huowang waved his hand to disperse the white smoke before him and strode purposefully toward the table.

Yet, to his surprise, as he drew near, a dark shadow suddenly shot out from the mist, leaving a trail of afterimages as it lunged straight for his face.

"Clang!" His razor-sharp longsword met the attack with a resounding ring, only to be gnashed by two rows of bloodied teeth the very next second.

The completely naked woman possessed astonishing strength, her claw-like hands desperately clawing toward Li Huowang's eyes.

Her bloodshot eyes now bulged grotesquely, nearly popping from her skull, while her trembling face was twisted with sheer malice and murderous intent.

"Li Zhi!! What in the world are you doing!!" Li Huowang shouted into the white smoke as he struggled to hold his ground.

"Thump-thump-thump!!" "Oooold Immooortal, ahhh~"

The summoning chant rang out once more, and the crimson veil spun out from the white smoke, landing squarely over the woman's face.

The woman struggled frantically, but to no avail, as the bestial faces on the veil writhed and burrowed into her mouth.

With a swoosh, she was violently yanked back into the white mist by some unseen force, while Li Zhi's chanting continued to echo from within.

"Oh, Old Immortal~ leaving the ancient cave and the mountain, grabbing a handful of yellow sand to seal the cave gate, riding the clouds on cloudy days, spinning whirlwinds on sunny days, riding clouds and spinning whirlwinds, coming and going without a trace of smoke~"

When the still-shaken Li Huowang raised his longsword and cautiously stepped into the white mist.

He found that the woman, who had been raving mad just moments ago, was now slumped limply over the table, her face sallow and drenched in a cold sweat.

Nearby, Li Zhi continued to circle the woman, leading his trembling, hiccuping wife behind him.

"If you wish to leave, I shall not stop you, I'll lead the steed from the Overlord's trough, first untying the reins then saddling its back, the Old Immortal cracks the whip and rides the horse~ back to the mountain, ai-hai-yi-hou-hei~"

Having sung this final line, Li Zhi reversed the drumstick in his hand and struck the center of the drum three heavy blows.

As the drumming ceased, the surrounding white smoke began to slowly dissipate, and the strange irritation in Li Huowang's heart gradually faded away.

"Everything alright? I got a bit distracted just now, but I knew with you out here, this thing wasn't getting away." Li Zhi still wore that look of utter nonchalance.

"Distracted? You dare to get distracted in a situation like this?" Li Huowang truly struggled to comprehend the man's logic.

"It's only fifty copper coins, how much does a bowl of noodles in the city cost these days? The evil spirit is gone and the person is still alive, what more do you want? It's already more than enough."

"If you want to blame someone, blame those who set the rules back in the day, what kind of rotten rules were they, are shamans just destined to be poor?"

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes at him, Li Huowang walked over to the Eight Immortals table and carefully examined the woman.

It appeared her mind had suffered immense torment; her lifeless eyes were filled with terror, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Looking around for a moment, Li Huowang did not see what the immortal Li Zhi spoke of had taken from her.

"Asking for no money, lacking nothing physically, could the payment this so-called immortal demands be something on a spiritual level?" Li Huowang mused to himself.

Just then, the afflicted family rushed in from outside, and upon seeing their family member restored to normal, they immediately embraced each other, weeping and laughing all at once.

At this moment, Li Zhi walked over and said to them, "This young wife just clashed with a malevolent aura and her body is weak, plus your family's feng shui is poor, I'm afraid more trouble will come knocking in the future, how about this, why don't you invite a Guardian Immortal?"

"A Guardian Immortal?" Li Huowang's attention immediately shifted to the topic.

"Yes, yes, yes! We'll listen to the master!" The terrified, bewildered old man dared not refuse at this point.

Li Zhi reached into his bundle and fumbled around, pulling out a small clay figurine.

Immediately after, he took out some red string and began to wrap it around the figurine, muttering something under his breath as he worked.

Once everything was wrapped, Li Zhi fetched a ladder and placed the object up on the roof beam.

"A grand worship on the first day of the New Year every year, and incense on the fifteenth of every month, understand? Alright, the tea money for the summoning and the money for the Guardian Immortal, one hundred copper coins in total. Pay up."

Ignoring Li Zhi as he demanded his payment, Li Huowang walked to the ladder and carefully observed the Guardian Immortal on the roof beam.

It was a clay figurine about a hand's breadth wide, looking as though it had been casually molded by hand.

Yet, peculiarly, its eyes were sculpted with extraordinary vividness; gazing into those eyes, Li Huowang felt as if he were truly locking gazes with a living creature.

Just then, Li Huowang suddenly saw the Guardian Immortal twitch inexplicably. "What's going on, are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"Don't look..." A tiny, delicate voice sounded from behind.

Li Huowang whipped his head around, instantly coming face to face with the Second Deity, still draped in the red veil.

The two were so close that Li Huowang's faint breaths caused the red veil to sway gently.

At this moment, a myriad of thoughts raced through Li Huowang's mind, "Is this person truly alive? Why is she telling me not to look?"

Li Huowang glanced at Li Zhi, who was counting copper coins with his head bowed, and asked in the lowest possible whisper, "Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Hearing Li Huowang's words, those pale hands with long nails gently pinched a corner of the red veil and slowly lifted it.

"Gulp," Li Huowang, clutching the Daoist bell tightly in his hand, swallowed with difficulty, feeling a surge of nervousness.

"Well, let's go, let's go find a villager's house and borrow a bed for the night."

The red veil was lowered back into place, and the Second Deity turned and quickly followed after him.

(End of Chapter)