The Mirror Master

By the time Lu Bai’s group arrived at the Zhou Family residence, the area was already packed with people.

The haunting at the Zhou residence had kept the town’s residents up all night. Now, hearing that Daoists of the Profound Sect had arrived, many came over to watch the spectacle, whispering among themselves.

"I can’t believe it. Madam Zhou always looked so kind and benevolent, but she was an old witch raising a Little Ghost. Who would have thought?"

"Tch, I knew there was something off about Madam Zhou long ago."

"Yeah, right."

"Don’t be so quick to dismiss it. If Madam Zhou was truly virtuous, would her youngest son have died prematurely? She must have done too many wicked things and suffered karmic retribution."

Lu Bai pushed through the crowd and peered into the Zhou residence.

He saw a young man and woman in Daoist Robes, surrounded by a group of men from the Government Office. Judging by their backs, they didn’t seem very old.

"Crime scene! Unauthorized personnel, stay back!"

When Lu Bai squeezed to the front, a few government constables at the Zhou Family’s entrance stopped him, their faces cold as they spoke.

Xiaodie, following behind Lu Bai, squeezed through as well.

Seeing the people inside, she suddenly called out, "Daoist Li! Daoist Li!"

The female Daoist up ahead paused and looked over at the sound of her voice.

When Xiaodie saw her, she quickly waved.

"Xiaodie?"

The female Daoist recognized Xiaodie and smiled, waving back before whispering a few words to County Captain Liu Feng beside her.

Liu Feng waved to the government constables, signaling for them to let her in.

Xiaodie shot Lu Bai a smug look and walked inside.

A constable held his saber horizontally, still intending to block Lu Bai.

"We’re together," Lu Bai said quickly.

The constable glanced suspiciously at Xiaodie. Seeing she didn’t object, he turned a blind eye and let Lu Bai pass.

Chen Tieshan and the others were a step too slow and were stopped outside.

Lu Bai followed Xiaodie toward the group.

As he got closer, Lu Bai finally got a clear look at the male and female Daoists.

The young male Daoist was about twenty years old and stood tall and straight. He carried a Peach Wood Sword on his back, wore a simple, gray-green Daoist Robe, and had his hair tied in a pine-patterned Daoist topknot. His features were clear and handsome, his expression calm, and his eyes held a restrained, inner light.

The young female Daoist beside him was a few years younger, around Xiaodie’s age. She also wore a gray-green Daoist Robe. Her face was pretty and delicate, with a hint of youthful naivety, and her bright eyes and pearly teeth gave her a lively look.

Standing side by side, the man and woman truly exuded the transcendent aura of immortals.

"Xiaodie, where is Sister Luo?" the young female Daoist asked.

From her tone, it was clear she and Luo Qing were old acquaintances.

"Something came up at home, so my lady went back first. And this is..." Xiaodie’s gaze fell on the young male Daoist.

"This is Senior Brother Yu. His Cultivation is far superior to mine. Master was worried about me coming down the mountain alone, so he had Senior Brother Yu accompany me to look out for me," the female Daoist gave a simple introduction.

"Greetings, Daoist Yu."

Xiaodie quickly bowed in greeting, a hint of reverence in her eyes.

Despite their youth, even the County Magistrate would have to address them respectfully as "Daoist."

Daoist Yu nodded with a faint smile.

The group exchanged a few pleasantries. No one paid any attention to Lu Bai, much less introduced him.

Lu Bai didn’t mind. He just stared thoughtfully at the Peach Wood Sword on Daoist Yu’s back.

’It seems Peach Wood Swords really do have the power to ward off evil and exorcise ghosts. I wonder why my Peach Wood Sword had no effect on that Ghostly Creature last night.’

At this thought, Lu Bai’s heart suddenly lurched.

’I left in such a hurry last night, I forgot to grab the Peach Wood Sword!’

But then, a second thought occurred to Lu Bai.

So many people had died in the Zhou Family residence. Everyone’s attention was on the escaped Ghostly Creature; no one would notice a single Peach Wood Sword.

’One tiny mistake.’

Lu Bai could only console himself silently. ’After all, it was my first time committing the crime. A few slip-ups are inevitable. It’s understandable. I’ll be more careful next time...’

"Lord Liu, please continue," Daoist Yu said as their group walked toward the Zhou Family’s Memorial Hall.

County Captain Liu Feng explained, "According to the Patriarch of the Zhou Family, after their youngest son died prematurely, his wife was beside herself with grief. Unwilling to let him go, she refined him into a Ghost Soul so she could keep her son by her side forever."

The young female Daoist’s brows furrowed deeply as she listened.

Xiaodie, too, found it horrifying.

’This Madam Zhou was an absolute madwoman!’

Corpses lay strewn about the Zhou residence, their deaths horrific.

Everyone had gathered for the wake last night, and there hadn’t been time to clean up yet.

After a short while, the group arrived at the Zhou Family’s inner hall.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Daoist Yu’s expression changed.

He formed a hand seal for a Technique, tracing several profound patterns in the air. He then lightly touched the space between his eyebrows and uttered a soft cry, "Open!"

Lu Bai could clearly feel an incredibly strange power permeate the surroundings after Daoist Yu performed the spell!

The onlookers all showed expressions of admiration.

This young man clearly had real abilities, unlike the frauds and charlatans who posed as monks and Daoists.

A glint of light flashed in Daoist Yu’s eyes as he scanned his surroundings, his expression growing more and more solemn.

"Senior Brother Yu, how is it?" the young female Daoist asked.

Daoist Yu frowned slightly. "The Ghost Qi is incredibly dense."

Everyone could hear the gravity in his tone.

Liu Feng couldn’t help but ask, "Daoist Yu, is this Ghostly Creature so troublesome that even you can’t subdue it?"

"It’s hard to say."

Daoist Yu shook his head, refusing to make any definitive promises in response to the question.

Daoist Yu suddenly asked, "With an evil spirit causing harm here, you must have notified the Evil Extermination Bureau, right?"

"We just sent a messenger," County Captain Liu Feng said. "However, it will likely take two or three days for anyone from the Evil Extermination Bureau to arrive."

The men from the County Yamen exchanged glances; they all sensed Daoist Yu’s intention to leave.

The young female Daoist said, "Senior Brother Yu, if this Ghostly Creature is really too difficult to handle, perhaps we should leave it to the Evil Extermination Bureau. They’re very experienced in these matters."

Hearing this, Xiaodie looked as if she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue.

"Hmm... Let’s take a look further inside."

Daoist Yu led the way toward the Memorial Hall.

The others followed closely behind.

Stepping into the Memorial Hall, Lu Bai immediately spotted the Peach Wood Sword lying in a pool of blood.

He glanced at the others.

Their attention was completely captivated by the horrific state of the numerous corpses in the hall; no one paid any mind to the Peach Wood Sword.

Daoist Yu walked a circle around the Memorial Hall. His gaze swept over the Peach Wood Sword, pausing for a moment before he shook his head.

"Senior Brother Yu, did you find anything?" the young female Daoist asked.

"It seems someone tried to fight the Ghostly Creature in this Memorial Hall last night," Daoist Yu said. "But this person’s skills were lacking, and they only had a half-baked understanding of certain things. In the end, they met a gruesome fate."

"How can you tell?" the female Daoist asked, a little curious.

"Look at this Peach Wood Sword on the ground," Daoist Yu explained. "A Peach Wood Sword can restrain evil spirits, but this one is smeared with Black Dog Blood. That’s just doing it all wrong.

Black Dog Blood contains Evil Qi. While it can break through evil, it can also break through magical techniques. When combined, they counteract each other, rendering this Peach Wood Sword a mere decoration."

"Oh, I see. That really is stupid," the young female Daoist nodded.

Lu Bai remained expressionless, but inwardly he was grumbling, ’Alright, that’s enough. Stop calling me stupid...’

He had only been in this world for a little over a month. He hadn’t even begun to master the Martial Dao, so how was he supposed to know so much about the ways of Cultivation?

When Xiaodie heard about the Peach Wood Sword smeared with Black Dog Blood, she suddenly recalled that Lu Bai seemed to be carrying such a sword yesterday. She couldn’t help but glance at him subconsciously.

But she quickly looked away, thinking to herself, ’Swords like that are pretty common. Besides, he was sleeping so soundly last night, how could it be related to him? And what’s more, Daoist Yu said the person from last night already met a gruesome end.’

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