Chen Xu was in Shengyu Square, surrounded by the soft sounds of silk and bamboo, while festivities and dances were thriving. He stood next to a stall selling various ghost and god masks. The vendor was passionately saying, "Sir, the masks I have here have all been consecrated by the mages of Prefecture City Yuanxin Temple. Wearing them can scare off any evil, making them perfect for night walks. Buy one, and moving forward, whether you go to other places to study or take exams, you won’t have to worry about lacking useful items during night travels." Who sells masks like that? Chen Xu casually picked up a few masks, comparing and playing with them, seemingly listening intently to the vendor’s bragging. Yet no one knew his true attention was entirely focused three streets away at the Lin Mansion. A single Mud Ball Daoist Soldier enabled him to hear the words of ghosts and gods. He could hear sounds inaudible to ordinary mortals, and see things invisible to them. As for things that ordinary mortals couldn’t kill— He didn’t know if he could kill them himself, but if he were at the Lin Mansion, relying on the Fire Control Skill to slay spirits should be no problem. However, the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier seemed only capable of physical attacks and was not versed in magic. This was Chen Xu’s first time using a Mud Ball Daoist Soldier, and he was somewhat inexperienced in its usage. He merely sensed a mystical connection within him, allowing him to control the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier from miles away as if controlling an extension of his own limbs. Through the Daoist Soldier, he witnessed Lin Yuan being counterattacked by the malignant soul he had kept in the Soul-Losing Bell and listened to the wailing of the black fog. Never before had he so profoundly understood the saying, "What goes around, comes around." Some information revealed in Song Yan’s words further confirmed to Chen Xu that his preemptive actions were indeed correct. Under the long corridor, Lin Yuan’s body lay sprawled, with a blood hole at the center of his forehead. Several dark shadows pounced on him, and his face and body gradually bore strange bite marks and blue-shaded prints. His soul, not fully transformed into a ghost, seemed to be screaming at first, but gradually weakened. Finally, beneath the extinguished wind lamp, all sounds from Lin Yuan’s residual soul vanished, leaving only the black shadows jostling, fighting, and devouring each other. "What are you doing?" a black shadow screeched. "I’m eating you; you smell so delicious..." "Hehehe, I’ll eat you too..." Tangled and chaotic, a new round of struggle began again. From the black shadows’ jet-black bodies gradually glowed a harsh red light, and everything seemed on the brink of spiraling out of control. In theory, the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier should have completed its mission and retreated by now. As the saying goes, "Leave quietly after the deed is done, hiding your skills and fame." Chen Xu could even destroy this Mud Ball Daoist Soldier from a distance, like commanding it to jump into a pond in the Lin Mansion’s backyard, thus severing all connections cleanly. But standing by the mask stall, listening to the vendor’s chattering, "Sir, these are troubling times. Just recently, I heard about water ghosts appearing over in Pingshui Village. They specifically target passing ladies and children because their breath is weaker, and their souls are lighter, making them easier to lure by the water ghosts. As long as passersby are seduced into jumping into the water, the water ghost can find a replacement, freeing itself from its suffering. Those weak in body shouldn’t even go near the water. It’s hard times for the common folk, with hardships increasing the number of ghosts. In any case, it does no harm to keep more protection items; we were not blessed with favorable times, born in this era, and must therefore protect ourselves extra..." The vendor, having found someone willing to listen, was indeed speaking in a steady flow, like a never-ending torrent. Chen Xu listened attentively, but inexplicably, a pulse throbbed at his brow. He recalled a question posed by his teacher when he had just entered school: "Why do you read?" At that time, Chen Xu simply sought to change his destiny trodden upon by society and naturally held no lofty ideals. He didn’t dress up his answer with grand excuses, only modestly embellished the language to reply: "Master, I study to control my own destiny." Chen Xu still remembered the astonished expression on that old master’s face. Now, he not only read books but also embarked on the path of cultivation. Though still weak, he had at least begun on the road to controlling his own destiny. But, having set foot on this path, does he have to "do as I please, regardless of the looming deluge"? The Food Cauldron Celestial Book did not teach him to do so. The Food God Cultivation Technique Scroll also states, "Cook all the flavors of the mortal world, the first is to have clarity of thought." Now, turning and leaving made his thoughts unclear. Beside the mask stall, Chen Xu’s brow throbbed excessively, while within him, the power of the Divine Soul collided chaotically, and the Mud Ball Palace breathed and swelled. He felt his control over the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier had further strengthened. In his Dantian, the Innate Qi suddenly surged upward. Rushing past the Chest Center, leaping over the Heavenly Flaw. Driven by his heart’s impulse, Chen Xu incrementally boosted his Essence, Qi Blood, and Divine Soul by three points each. Utilizing the sudden surge in attributes, he finally grasped that strange thread in the void. Beside the Lin Mansion’s long corridor, the extinguished wind lamp swayed in the breeze. Above Lin Yuan’s corpse, the twisted black shadows consumed one another, seemingly growing stronger, with Evil Qi and Ghost Qi shooting skywards. Suddenly, a small figure of a longspear person, silently watching from the side, leaped forward with force. The small figure jumped seven feet high, wielding a petite body and a small longspear. The tiny spear, appearing toy-like, suddenly emerged like azure clouds from a peak, radiating golden sunlight. A flame, seemingly descending from the heavens, flared up fiercely at that moment, carrying the small spear as it pierced into the expanding dark shadow. The ghost screamed sharply and piercingly. Yet it was no match for the raging flames, soaring high into the sky. Outside the Lin Mansion, in the streets. A young Daoist, finally having brought a stubborn donkey to this mansion side, looked up at the house’s blaze, gaping in astonishment. "This... this... this... what kind of magic is this?" "Heavens above! This is Innate Qi! Does someone still in this mortal world dare to use Innate Qi?" "Which elder is subduing ghosts..." The young Daoist, wide-eyed, sought to discern something, unaware that a flash of demonic energy flitted by the mansion’s other side. The compass in the Daoist’s hand suddenly spun furiously, and the Daoist was even more startled: "This house not only has ghosts but demons too? Whose house is this? Such unlucky fellows! Oh dear..." He quickly stuck a Yellow Talisman on the donkey and mounted it, ready to pursue the demon. "I’ll block this demon for the elder. Surely, the elder, seeing my youth and cleverness, will teach me some advanced spells. Tsk..." But before the Daoist could indulge in his delight, the wildly spinning compass in his hand suddenly stilled. The demonic energy, just like that, vanished? Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥