Still, such lavish spending from the Han family was rare. Li Yanchu accepted the five thousand taels and asked, "What exactly happened?" Meng Hai and the others looked on with envy. Five thousand taels! As expected of the wealthy and powerful Han Fortress. The middle-aged man said, "Tonight, my lady had a nightmare. A woman with disheveled hair holding a little girl by the hand stood outside the window staring at her. Blood flowed from all seven orifices, and her face was deathly pale. At first, we thought it was just a dream." "But after waking, my lady would drift between lucidity and confusion. She’d suddenly spike a fever, then it would vanish. She would cry, then laugh, and kept saying someone was in the room watching her. "We invited a sorcerer to perform an exorcism. At first, she calmed down, but moments later, that sorcerer was found dead! His face was as pale as death, and blood was streaming from his seven orifices! And his expression was frozen in sheer terror, as if he had seen something unspeakable." "When I heard from Meng Hai’s group that Daoist Master Li is a high Daoist master of the Central Plains, I came especially to ask you to expel the spirit and capture the ghost, to save my lady’s life!" When the middle-aged man finished, Meng Hai and the others finally understood the full story, and their expressions grew strange. There was fear in their eyes. This Han young lady had encountered something truly vicious. No wonder the Han family was paying so generously! Li Yanchu gave Meng Hai’s group a glance, then turned to the middle-aged man. "I’ll take the job." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁 The man’s eyes lit up with delight. "Good! Excellent! Daoist Master Li, you’re truly a man of real skill. Is there anything you need prepared?" Hearing that a fellow exorcist had died horribly, yet this Daoist Master Li still dared to take on the task, he must truly have deep cultivation skills. So Meng Hai and the others hadn’t been exaggerating. Li Yanchu shook his head. "Let’s go now, no preparations needed." Li Yanchu carried things like rooster’s blood, glutinous rice, talismans, purified water, soul-summoning bells, all on him. But at his current level, he rarely needed them. His own qi and blood were rich beyond measure, and his yang qi was far more potent than even the strongest, most vigorous rooster. Not that he made a habit of comparing himself to poultry. Li Yanchu took the divine artifact from Meng Hai’s hands and said slowly, "Mr. Meng, the deathly qi on you has been dispelled, and the misfortune is gone." Hearing this, Meng Hai and the others were overjoyed. "Many thanks for saving our lives, Daoist Master Li!" Li Yanchu waved his hand dismissively, then left with the Han family steward to go to the Han young lady’s room. Originally, the life-threatening calamity for Meng Hai’s group had been the party of the Great Magus Bantu from beyond the frontier. Now that Bantu himself had been burned to death by the divine fire of Li Yanchu’s Heaven-Illuminating Seal, their calamity was naturally resolved. Although Atamu was still lying in wait to attack the caravan beyond the frontier, that had nothing to do with Meng Hai’s destined misfortune. Most likely, they weren’t even on the same route. The courtyard where the Han young lady lived was exceptionally tranquil, radiating the air of a great household. At the moment, a number of burly guards stood outside with sabers in hand with their faces solemn. Even the maidservants inside were mostly trained in martial arts, assigned specifically to protect Han Zhilan closely. Unfortunately, this time what they encountered was not human. The middle-aged man’s name was Han Zhong, an old member of the Han Fortress and a distant cousin of Han Zhilan. Among the several stewards of the Han family, he was the one most closely connected to her, having only come to the frontier in recent years. Inside Han Zhilan’s room, many people had gathered, and the lamps blazed so bright it was like daylight. Han Zhilan, once a strikingly beautiful woman, now looked haggard as she huddled in bed, eyes filled with fear. Even when awake, she dared not close her eyes, for whenever she did, she would see that pale-faced woman with blood streaming from all seven orifices. Though Han Zhilan had trained in martial arts from a young age, and she was soft on the outside but strong-willed within, it took all her strength not to cry. And that was only when she was lucid. When her episodes struck, she had no awareness at all, though to others, it seemed as if she were talking to herself. And sometimes, another woman’s voice would come from her body. It was enough to send chills down the spine. When Han Zhong brought Li Yanchu in, he had already changed back into his Daoist robe. At this time, everyone turned to look. Han Zhilan, seeing Han Zhong lead a Daoist priest in, looked up, though her eyes were a little unfocused. Perhaps the Daoist’s attire really did offer a sense of security, for there was a faint glimmer of hope in her gaze. Only, Li Yanchu was not the white-bearded, ethereal-looking elder one might expect, but a young man of striking elegance, which made him seem... less obviously capable. Han Zhong introduced, "Daoist Master Li, this is my young lady, Han Zhilan." Li Yanchu gave a small nod and lifted his gaze toward Han Zhilan. Her complexion was dim, and black energy was clinging to her body. She was in much worse condition than Meng Hai had been earlier. This was the mark of something truly deadly clinging to her. He did not bother asking whether the young lady had recently encountered strange events, or people she might have accidentally offended, be it evil spirits or wild gods. Instead, his eyes swept coldly around the room. Li Yanchu’s unusual approach made the Han family members exchange uneasy glances. There were no chanting, no talismans, nor formal rituals. This young Daoist is certainly handsome... but could he be all looks and no skill? It was only natural for them to think so. After all, monks, Daoists, sorcerers, and shamans were expected to work through ceremonies, and they were used to such displays. But this young Daoist, upon entering, had simply looked around in silence, his gaze cold and assessing. Then, Li Yanchu walked to the bedside. Suddenly, Han Zhilan went berserk, and her mouth started spitting curses, as if she had become another person entirely. "Not good, she’s having another episode..." Han Zhong’s heart sank. The last time Han Zhilan relapsed, it had been horrifying, and it had taken a long time before she calmed. "Shut up!" Li Yanchu spoke softly. Han Zhilan suddenly fell silent, her whole demeanor settling down. Only a trace of confusion remained in her eyes. Han Zhong’s eyes widened. This works too?! Everyone else in the room was equally dumbfounded, staring at Li Yanchu in disbelief. The previous exorcist had spent an enormous amount of effort to bring the young lady back to her senses. This Daoist Master Li had done it with a single rebuke?! And what he did next surprised them even more: he reached out with his fingers curved. "Get out here!" Li Yanchu’s shout cracked like a thunderclap. The room’s temperature plummeted in an instant. Even with so many people gathered, their blood and yang qi strong, an icy chill still seeped into their bones. The Han young lady instantly grew weak, but her eyes cleared slightly. In Li Yanchu’s palm, qi surged like a tidal wave, and he dragged out a little ghost, blood seeping from all seven orifices. Its eyes blazed with venomous hatred, and it was clearly a fierce spirit. Li Yanchu’s expression was cold and severe. "If you don’t come out now, I’ll smash you until your soul is scattered and your spirit destroyed!" He looked to all the world like a villain holding a hostage. Many in the room didn’t quite understand what was happening. Then, a middle-aged maid suddenly burst out from the crowd. Clang! A sword thrust straight toward Li Yanchu’s back. No one had anticipated this turn of events. After all, this middle-aged maid was the most skilled in martial arts among Han Zhilan’s personal attendants, and he was loyal beyond question. But, the sharp sword never touched Li Yanchu; it stopped dead three chi in front of him. Primordial Chaos Technique, Qi Shield!