The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 190 - 139 Clean House, Burn Fetus_2

Chapter 190: Chapter 139 Clean House, Burn Fetus_2

Hearing the drum sound, he immediately became filled with irritation and shouted angrily, "Which annoying ghost is pounding the drum in broad daylight, disturbing the peace!"

Saying this, he listened for the direction and was about to go out.

"Husband, don’t!"

The woman who had been sobbing hurriedly stopped him, pleading, "Those who live here are all not ordinary households. Our Xian’er is already bedridden with illness; please don’t cause any trouble."

Upon hearing this, the man clenched his teeth and let out a frustrated sigh, "When we moved here, we were just seeking some peace and quiet, I didn’t expect..."

As he spoke, from the side room, an old woman with bound feet ran out excitedly, "Master, the young master has fallen asleep."

"Oh?"

The man’s eyes lit up, and he and the woman quickly entered the room.

Inside, they saw a five- or six-year-old child lying on the bed looking pale and emaciated, his clothes in disarray, hands and feet tied, his chest covered with claw marks.

The child was sweating from his forehead, but his expression seemed much more relaxed, eyes tightly closed, even snoring lightly.

"Thank God."

The woman immediately knelt down and prayed towards the sky outside the door.

The man, lost in thought, asked, "Granny Liu, what happened just now?"

The old woman recalled for a moment and hurriedly said, "As the drum sound started, the young master seemed scared at first but then fell asleep."

After hearing this, the couple exchanged glances.

The man pondered for a moment, "It seems we’ve encountered a master..."

Saying this, gritting his teeth, he continued, "Wife, pack those tea leaves for me. I’ll go and see for myself."

The woman didn’t dare to delay and quickly prepared everything.

After picking up the items, the man followed the sound of the drums and arrived outside the courtyard.

As he drew closer, he discovered something odd.

Though the drum sound was as heavy as thunder, it oddly eased his heart, and his worries dissipated.

He became even more convinced, looked at the courtyard, and gritted his teeth as he stepped forward to knock on the door...

"Who are you?"

Staring at the strange man before him, Li Yan showed some confusion.

Although the man had already seen the Thunder Drum in the courtyard, he still hesitated upon seeing the young Li Yan, "My name is Zheng Xian, and I live here in this alley. May I ask if it was you who was drumming?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan, a bit helpless, "Did I disturb you? My apologies, I won’t drum anymore..."

"Sir, please save my life!"

Who would have known, just as he finished speaking, the man deeply bowed with hands clasped together, his eyes red, voice trembling.

...

The windows and doors of the room were all sealed, the light dim.

The candle flame flickered; the stove gurgled; the smell of medicine was strong.

Li Yan first surveyed his surroundings, then turned towards the young man on the bed and released the Yang Jue before nodding slightly at Wang Daoxuan.

He hadn’t expected his first business would be one that came knocking at his door.

The man named Zheng Xian was a clerk in the Chang’an Prefecture government office, responsible for managing archives and books.

Though a minor official, his ancestors had once been wealthy, and they still had a large ancestral home in Qunxian Square, but due to the family’s decline, they sold the home and moved here, keeping some savings for living.

His son seemed to be possessed, improved upon hearing the drum sound, and hence came seeking help.

Of course, some things had to be verified.

If the child was merely ill, they wouldn’t interfere, and would direct them to the Li family’s clinic.

Now, it looked like there indeed was a problem.

The air inside the room was turbid, Li Yan smelled an odd fishy scent that mixed with that of the child, very peculiar.

Seeing Li Yan’s signal, Wang Daoxuan also felt confident.

First, he looked at the window, then inquired, "Why keep it so tightly shut?"

Zheng Xian sighed, shaking his head, "For some reason the child, after the incident, can’t bear the light. He screams and yells and hits his head against the wall whenever he sees it."

"When did this start happening?"

"It was half a month ago, the child fell from a tree while being mischievous, and afterward, he was in a daze and went to sleep."

"I woke up in the middle of the night and found him sneaking food, and from then on, his personality changed drastically. He stopped talking, stayed in the room never going out, always eating at night or screaming..."

"Oh?"

Wang Daoxuan seemed to reflect, "Haven’t you sought help?"

"We have!"

Zheng Xian showed a helpless expression, "I am also aware of the matters of the Mystical Sect, I invited a master to examine him and he said it was a lost soul, but several rituals to recall the soul haven’t improved the situation."

"Daoist, what on earth is going on?"

Wang Daoxuan thoughtfully said, "Don’t worry, let’s first perform a ritual to see."

Having said this, he then set up a magic platform, took the child’s fingernails and hair, wrapped them in a Yellow Talisman, and placed it on top of the magic platform.

After doing these things, Wang Daoxuan placed a chicken egg on the child’s forehead and continually performed a mantra, rolling the egg up and down.

Li Yan watched closely, pondering in his heart.

Sure enough, when Wang Daoxuan took the egg away, he first boiled it, and then burned the Yellow Talisman wrapped around the nails and hair.

Peeling away the shell, a dark smudge of a mark starkly emerged on the egg white, resembling a mouse upon closer inspection.

"It has switched wombs."

Wang Daoxuan’s expression remained serene as he stroked his beard. "The child was scared, causing the three souls to disperse. Just as it so happened, a mother rat nearby was giving birth, so the child’s soul entered the animal’s womb and fought over the physical body with it."

"And being incomplete, its own soul is also affected, resulting in behavior and habits somewhat similar to those of a mouse."

"What... Daoist, what should we do?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xian quickly inquired.

"It’s no bother."

Wang Daoxuan let out a wry smile. "It’s just a switch to an animal’s womb. A single ritual can resolve it. If it had switched to a human womb, I would have been powerless."

With that said, he turned his head to look at Li Yan. "Brother Yan, this task requires your intervention. Ordinary people would likely not be able to locate it."

"No problem."

First, Li Yan memorized the fishy smell on the child, then he performed the Yang Jue and began to walk through the various rooms and courtyard of Zheng Zhengxian’s house.

Ultimately, he arrived at a woodshed in the backyard and pointed to a corner outside of it, "Right here, start digging."

"Quickly, get to work!"

Zheng Xian had already called an old servant to assist, and the two of them swung their hoes, digging frantically, and indeed discovered a nest of mice.

The mother rat had already fled, leaving behind several tiny mice squirming about.

Having received orders from Wang Daoxuan, Zheng Xian did not hesitate. He first took out a large, black umbrella to block out the sunlight, then used a hoe to kill all the baby mice, before stacking wood and Yellow Talismans on them and setting them aflame.

Meanwhile, Wang Daoxuan also began performing the soul-summoning ritual.

Li Yan could sense a chilling yin soul aura rising and wandering to and fro under the black umbrella.

With a swoosh!

He closed the black umbrella in one swift motion and quickly walked inside the house.

After opening the black umbrella again, as Wang Daoxuan rang the Shaking Bell to summon the soul, that chilly aura flashed by and entered the child’s body.

The child’s eyelids quivered rapidly.

Seeing this, Wang Daoxuan knew the child’s soul was unstable, and immediately took out a red rope, tying a knot on each of his hands and feet to suppress the soul.

Finally, the child slowly opened his eyes. Though still looking frightened, there was now a sparkle in them, and he said softly, "Mother..."

"My dear child."

The woman was so overjoyed she burst into tears and quickly embraced her child.

"Mother, I dreamt I was in a mouse’s nest..."

"Don’t be afraid. It’s all over now, all over..."

Watching the scene unfold, a slight smile appeared on the corners of Li Yan’s mouth.

When it came to slaying fierce ghosts and capturing yin criminals, he might have a slight edge, but in terms of helping ordinary people with their problems, Wang Daoxuan was clearly more at ease.

"Thank you, Daoist. Thank you so much."

Zheng Xian was beside them, his eyes red, thanking him repeatedly.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "It’s a trifle, yet your son’s three souls are unstable. It would be best to perform a ritual for the three souls of longevity and also visit the City God Temple for a longevity lock."

"Yes, yes, whatever the Daoist suggests."

Zheng Xian, with joy beaming across his face, nodded repeatedly.

It was at that moment that Li Yan felt a gaze upon him. He spun around abruptly to find it was the child whose condition had just improved.

When the child noticed Li Yan’s attention, he quickly buried his head in his mother’s embrace.

"Mother, I’m scared!"

"What’s wrong, my dear child?"

"That uncle over there, he has a tiger next to him..."

Li Yan was stunned, exchanging a look with Wang Daoxuan.

...

Winter days are short; as early afternoon reached the hour of the rooster (5:00 PM to 7:00 PM), night had already fallen, and snowflakes began to drift down from the sky once more.

As Chang’an’s busiest marketplace, Pingkang Square was lined with long lanterns on both sides of the street. The brothels and taverns were brightly lit, and the faint sounds of music and singing could be heard.

Walking along the street, Li Yan thought back on the day’s events and still found them somewhat extraordinary; he had witnessed the child’s awakening to divine powers.

Indeed, the child had awakened the Eye Divine Power.

A rare Ghost God Yin Yang Eyes at that.

Having just awakened, he was able to see the ethereal shadow of the Divine Tiger Token.

It’s known that when the Divine Tiger Token, a kind of Magic Artifact, isn’t in use, it conceals its aura and is invisible to ordinary people.

The child’s talent was simply astonishing!

Upon Wang Daoxuan’s advice, Zheng Xian had gone to the City God Temple.

With only one child, whether he was to join the Taixuan Orthodox Sect or seal away his divine powers to live as an ordinary person was up to the Zheng Family to decide.

Perhaps, the fate of the Zheng Family would change as well...

With these thoughts, Li Yan quickened his pace, heading towards Huawei Building, the largest brothel in Pingkang Square.

From a window on the second floor of a brothel next to him, a woman holding a pipa sang, "Mountains stand with each other; clouds love one another; dreams never reach the purple robe and the golden belt~ A simple hut, wild flowers bloom; what concern is the rise and fall or success and failure of others, joy is also found in a humble alley and a simple gourd~"

The song lingered, ancient capital’s lanterns bright against the falling snow...