I Can Recognize Everything, But the Information is Wrong
Chapter 495 - 457: Forcing the Ghost to Turn the Mill

Chapter 495: Chapter 457: Forcing the Ghost to Turn the Mill

The speculations of the people are varied, yet up to now, there are no leads on where Mei Xianfu currently is.

As night approaches, the countryside starts to quiet down.

Not only are there fewer birdsong in the forest, but even the flying locusts that linger during the day have burrowed into the ground to rest.

But this moment of complete silence is precisely the realm of the Evil Spirits!

"Everyone says they don’t know what happened in the village, and don’t know who kidnapped Xian’er. Since that’s the case—why not ask the deities and ghosts!"

According to Elder Zhang’s logic!

What humans don’t know doesn’t mean ghosts don’t know. As the saying goes, three feet above one’s head, there are divine spirits—which aside from True Gods, might also include ghosts.

"I’ve been immersed in the Funeral Dao within the Wenda Sect for a long time. Now there is a method to inquire the way from the spirits."

After speaking, he left the village and slowly flew towards the mountain peak.

Tian Lin followed closely with Cui’er, and soon arrived at the summit with Elder Zhang.

In this rescue of Mei Xianfu, Elder Zhang came swiftly. He had almost come here via the Transmission Array right after sunset upon receiving the letter from the Su family.

On the other hand, Elder Mei—

Tian Lin doesn’t know what went wrong with the letter sent to Elder Mei!

Or perhaps, Elder Mei was delayed by something?

If Elder Zhang hadn’t come, Tian Lin would have sent Cui’er to deliver the letter to the Goddess Sect personally.

"Most of these Evil Spirits lack intelligence and are extremely difficult to communicate with. How does the elder plan to inquire the way from them?"

Tian Lin looked at Elder Zhang, who took out a fire basin from his Storage Bag.

He placed it in front of him, and then took out bundles of grass paper from his Storage Bag.

Those grass papers quickly tore into strips in his hands, resembling the paper money stamped with Copper Coins used in folk traditions.

Elder Zhang is mid-stage Nascent Soul, revered in the Wenda Sect far more than Tian Lin. Even outside the sect, he is an esteemed figure.

Though Tian Lin is not his disciple, he unabashedly commanded: "You two remember to burn the money, while I first light incense to invite the Evil Spirits over."

Tian Lin received the paper money and watched as Elder Zhang inserted three incense sticks into the soil before the fire basin.

With the ignition of the incense sticks, Elder Zhang said, "Let the spirits enjoy the incense!"

At his words, a sudden gust of wind whipped up at the mountain peak.

The wind blew smoke drifting across the mountain, adding slight activity to the silent night.

Sounds of sobbing came from afar, and Tian Lin saw a few shabby-clothed Evil Spirits floating against the wind toward the fire basin.

Remembering Elder Zhang’s instructions, he hurriedly threw the paper money into the fire basin.

With the continuous burning of incense, more and more Evil Spirits were drawn by Elder Zhang.

These Evil Spirits surrounded the fire basin, watching the burning paper money transform into actual Copper Coins. Intent stirred in them, their ghost fires flickered, but none dared to step forward and seize them.

Having reached Tian Lin’s cultivation level, he feared Evil Spirits not at all.

But it was Cui’er’s first time seeing so many Evil Spirits encircle her, her complexion somewhat unnatural—as these Evil Spirits were different from those at the Immortal Sinking Pond previously.

During the disturbance at the Immortal Sinking Pond, most were merely weak remnant souls.

Those remnant souls could only harm mortals, whereas the weakest of these Evil Spirits here were Night Patrol Deities.

"Today, Zhang disperses wealth, commanding all ghosts to obey orders!"

Elder Zhang said: "I have a beloved disciple, born in the year Bing Chen, surnamed Mei, named Xianfu. Can the ghosts know her whereabouts? Whether the person is alive or dead now—if alive, bring her to see me, if dead, bring her corpse or soul to meet."

He suddenly pulled out a stack of talisman paper, which was thrown into the fire basin.

With a ’snap’, the talisman paper burned.

The Evil Spirits surrounding Tian Lin and others suddenly had a silver token, each the size of a talisman paper.

These silver token-bearing Evil Spirits left downhill without turning back, spreading in all directions.

"Though they do not know her whereabouts, they can inquire various spirits with my wealth; any clue, this old man will heavily reward!"

One talisman paper only drives one Evil Spirit, and at this moment, it is estimated that there are at least several thousand Evil Spirits gathered throughout the mountains.

Elder Zhang tossed stacks of talisman papers into the fire basin.

In theory, this fire basin constantly burning paper money and so many talisman papers being thrown in should have been filled long ago.

Yet now, the talisman paper disappeared the moment it was thrown into the basin.

And the ashes of the burning paper money in the basin were also vanishing in large quantities with the departing Evil Spirits. Therefore, although the paper money and talisman papers burned continuously, the ashes couldn’t fill the basin.

Thus, after Elder Zhang had scattered talisman papers for half an hour, and Tian Lin had burned paper money for the same duration, finally there were no more Evil Spirits on the mountain peak.

"If Xianfu is already dead and her soul hasn’t been destroyed by her enemies, presumably she should’ve been summoned."

Tian Lin dusted off the ashes on his hands and stood again beside Elder Zhang.

But Elder Zhang said: "That is not certain! Those spirits drawn by the smell of the wind were summoned by me, yet those against the wind cannot smell my burning incense, so there are still many Evil Spirits around here not summoned by me!

Before coming here, I had already attempted summoning souls but did not find Xian’er’s soul. So Xian’er might still be alive at this point, or she has been completely annihilated, even her soul might have been slain by enemies."

When mortals die, their souls often harbor remnants in the world, always with possibilities of reincarnation or possessing corpses.

But Cultivators, if utterly annihilated, can’t even pretend death and rebirth through possession, nor reincarnate.

Tian Lin did not know Mei Xianfu’s current state, though by their contract they are in a master-servant relationship. Yet this connection only sensed by her upon his death.

However, Mei Xianfu’s life or death, he couldn’t perceive at all.

"Let’s hope these Evil Spirits can help find clues about Senior Sister Mei."

Tian Lin thought, and could only say this.

But they waited on the mountain for long, and no Evil Spirit returned.

Elder Zhang’s brow furrowed deeper, unable to hold back saying: "I do not have the ability to create Joss Paper, so the paper money burned is merely fake money tricking the ghosts. Once time passes, these Evil Spirits will eventually wake up. If no clue within an hour, these Evil Spirits will wake and no longer be useful to me!"

Tian Lin was speechless, realizing that all along Elder Zhang had been fooling ghosts with fake money.

He thought again about the Joss Paper he carried, obtained from the Night Patrol Deities during the Immortal Sinking Pond incident.

"I happen to have some Joss Paper."

Tian Lin did not hide it but Elder Zhang said, "Save your Joss Paper, if needed, this old man also has some! But with so many Evil Spirits here, how much True Coin would be effective?

Better to use fake money to test the waters, even if only deceives for a moment! But if one fake coin works, its value is akin to a True Coin."

Another hour passed, indeed no Evil Spirit came to report.

By now the sky had lightened to a fish-belly white, visibly fewer Evil Spirits. The few occasionally seen now were those Day Patrol Deities able to walk during daytime.

Although there was no progress overnight, Elder Zhang was not discouraged. He said to Tian Lin: "Beiyed County does not only have this place with Evil Spirits, let us go see other places!"