Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 378 : The Hungry Ghost Festival (3)

Chapter 378: Chapter 378 : The Hungry Ghost Festival (3)

With practiced ease, Qiao Wei drew a talisman from his sleeve and slapped it against the man’s forehead. The air crackled with a subtle hum of energy as he began his chant.

"Aaaarghhh!!! AAARGHHHHHH!!!"

"Spirits of the unseen realms," Qiao Wei’s voice resonated, "I, Disciple Qiao Wei of Wushan Temple Sect, call upon your aid. Release this soul from its earthly tether and guide it towards peaceful rest. Let it find solace and leave this vessel unharmed at once. RELEASE!"

As his voice echoed through the room, Qiao Wei channeled a surge of spiritual energy, pushing it towards the man with a firm, controlled movement.

The man stumbled back, the two spirits within him fighting for control.

"ARGHHHHH!!! AHHHHH!! I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE! THIS BODY IS MINE! MINE!"

"Your clinging only brings suffering to you," Qiao Wei countered, his tone firm yet laced with compassion. "Move on to the Underworld and reincarnate into a new life."

The man, possessed by the lost spirit, thrashed about wildly, his eyes filled with a desperate longing for life. But Qiao Wei stood resolute, his hand forming a seal that pulsed with golden light. He unleashed a series of shimmering orbs at the man, each one infused with the power to sever the spirit’s hold.

"IF YOU FORCE ME TO LEAVE, I AM GOING TO TAKE THIS MAN WITH ME!"

The possessed man screamed, a chilling mix of defiance and fear. He lunged towards his own chest, driven by the lost spirit’s desperation.

But before his fingers could touch any flesh, a golden streak flashed through the air. It was a droplet of tea, momentarily solidified by Zhang Fengxi’s spiritual power. It struck the possessed man’s wrist with an audible cracking sound.

The man howled in pain, his hand twisted at an unnatural angle.

"MY HAND! MY HANDDD!!!"

Qiao Wei acted swiftly, his Immortal Binding Rope* whipping around the possessed man, binding him with its radiant energy.

Subdued by the rope, the man lost his fighting spirit and fell to his knees like a broken puppet.

Qiao Wei then pulled the man towards him, his grip firm but gentle.

"Thank you," Qiao Wei said to Zhang Fengxi, a grateful nod acknowledging the latter’s swift intervention.

A smile played on Zhang Fengxi’s lips as he drained the teacup.

An exorcism by a human cultivator was rather interesting to watch.

"It was nothing," he replied. "What are you going to do now?"

"The most important thing to do right now is to dispel the spirit out of this man’s body. Prolonged exposure to otherworldly influences might affect this man’s karma and ruin his life."

Qiao Wei straightened his posture and looked at a sea of faces that surrounded them.

His gaze landed on a woman, who was sitting at the side of the street with a little girl in her embrace.

"Madam, excuse me. Do you happen to know this man?"

Qiao Wei extended his hand and gallantly helped the woman to her feet.

The woman was unable to rip her gaze away from the bound man.

"He... he is m-my husband... I left him alone because my daughter wanted to buy a doll..."

Once she started talking about her husband, she immediately broke into heart-rending sobs. "Master, what is going to happen to him?"

"I will expel the spirit out of his body, and then he will be as good as new. For now, let us all go inside a building. I cannot perform an exorcism with so many people watching."

The wife nodded stiffly to indicate her approval.

Subdued by the Immortal Binding Rope, the possessed man was no different from a living puppet. He offered no resistance when Qiao Wei pulled him up and dragged him into the roast meat restaurant, heading to the second floor.

Qiao Wei made the wife and child wait in one chamber, while he and Zhang Fengxi worked on the possession case in the adjacent chamber.

The table was pushed to a wall, and the possessed man was made to kneel at the center of the room.

Qiao Wei took out a small qiankun pouch and handed it over to Zhang Fengxi.

"Sir Zhang, if you don’t mind, can you help me out?"

Zhang Fengxi took the qiankun pouch from Qiao Wei and weighed it in her hand, "What should I do?"

"When I say ’now’, please open the pouch and suck the malevolent spirit into it."

"Sure."

Qiao Wei’s breath caught in his throat as he drew more talismans. With practiced ease, he launched them into the air, the yellow paper fluttering like autumn leaves caught in a spiritual vortex. They pirouetted around the possessed man, a shimmering web of power trapping the entity within.

Qiao Wei’s hand flew to his chest, forming a protective screen in front of him and Zhang Fengxi before he began chanting the spell. His voice, a resonant gong, echoed through the air, each word a hammer blow against the unseen foe. The possessed man, his face distorted into a grotesque mask, writhed and convulsed, his screams tearing at the fabric of reality.

After some time, red wispy mist started to pour out of the man’s mouth. It resembled an angry snake, aiming to pounce at the one who dared to disturb its plan.

"Now!" Qiao Wei shouted when the red mist shot toward him.

Without delay, Zhang Fengxi opened the pouch and sucked the red smoke in. The red mist made a screeching sound as it struggled against the detainment.

Alas, the combined forces of the pouch suction and Qiao Wei’s endless chanting rendered it powerless. Soon, it was swallowed whole, leaving only a faint echo behind.

"Thank you for the help, Sir Zh..."

A blooming crimson bloom, shockingly vivid against the white silk, blossomed across Zhang Fengxi’s robe. Qiao Wei’s heart lurched, a cold dread gripping his chest. "Sir Zhang!" he cried, his voice echoing the sudden terror in his eyes.

"You are hurt...!!!"

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Author’s note :

*One of the regular items being used in a cultivation world. It can be used to incapacitate anything from god to ghost.