An evil wind, as if appearing from nowhere, blew and settled on the water surface surrounding the pavilion.
Several old servants looked around nervously, fearing that something terrifying and unknown might suddenly appear.
Even Old Master Zhao’s face was solemn. The old man, who had roamed the martial world for decades, felt somewhat uncertain facing a ghost that was likely in the late Enlightenment stage.
This was different from the enemies he had encountered before. It had no physical form and its methods were bizarre, making it a being that ordinary means could hardly deal with.
Among them, Zhao Yuebai appeared relatively calm. His fair, delicate face was full of curiosity, and he showed no anger towards the malevolent entity that had caused him so much trouble for days.
“As expected of a dirty evil spirit, only daring to plot underhanded schemes.”
Seeing that the surrounding evil wind remained calm, Old Master Zhao couldn’t help but utter a sarcastic remark.
However, no matter how he mocked and ridiculed, the evil entity still did not reveal itself, merely stirring the evil wind in circles on the lake.
Under the cloak of night, the sound of the swirling evil wind was somewhat unnerving, inexplicably sending a chill down one’s spine.
The old man frowned. This evil entity seemed determined to hide in the shadows without showing itself, yet it was unwilling to leave, persistently hovering within the elegant courtyard.
However, he was not in a hurry. Dragging out time like this only brought benefits and no harm.
After about half an incense stick’s worth of time, a sharp glint flashed in Old Master Zhao’s eyes, and a cold smile appeared on his face.
Almost simultaneously, the evil wind on the lake suddenly intensified, its howling churning up waves that rushed towards the pavilion in the center of the lake.
“Finally can’t hold back anymore?”
Old Master Zhao snorted coldly.
Just as he spoke, from the four shores of the lake, warriors emanating vitality suddenly climbed over the courtyard walls and swiftly flew towards the lake.
Each of these warriors held a yellow paper talisman and carried a bronze mirror, on which various runes were drawn with cinnabar.
The group seemed well-prepared, having made all arrangements from afar before quietly approaching the courtyard.
However, despite their caution, they were still detected by the evil entity. Thus, this entity, which had been lurking in the shadows, immediately launched a long-prepared attack towards the pavilion in the center of the lake.
As the evil wind howled, the churned-up waves were dyed a murky gray color, instantly evoking a sense of disgust at the mere sight.
Several servants attending the old man and the child suddenly lifted their heads, their eyes flashing with a sharp light, and a surge of robust vitality erupted from within them.
The five elders, who had always appeared as old servants, now exuded a formidable aura of fearlessness.
They stepped forward in unison, surrounding Old Master Zhao and Zhao Yuebai, and then, facing the circling malevolent energy, let out a deep roar and unleashed a powerful punch.
A torrent of wind, imbued with thick vitality, erupted with Yang energy. With a single punch, they actually forced the evil wind to recoil.
The vitality of martial artists in the Jianghu was not only a delicacy for evil spirits and ghosts but also their natural nemesis. There were even instances where dozens of martial artists’ vitality caused powerful ghosts to vanish into thin air.
As the evil wind on the lake was repelled, more than a dozen martial artists arrived at the lake’s edge. They ignited the talismans with their own vitality, and within moments, flames resembling lamp wicks appeared.
Seeing this, many martial artists immediately raised their bronze mirrors. The flames, refracted by the mirrors, transformed into over ten beams of bright yellow light, each shining onto the evil wind on the lake.
As these light beams fell one by one, a gray figure appeared within the evil wind on the lake. It was roughly the size of an adult young man, its long robe tattered, and its disheveled hair obscured its face.
It seemed to be terrified of the light refracted by the bronze mirrors, frantically dodging left and right. Finally, it let out a piercing shriek and lunged towards the pavilion in the lake.
Facing the vitality-filled punches of the martial artists in the pavilion, it did not dodge, allowing them to land on its body, causing its gray energy to dissipate. However, it maintained its forward momentum.
In just a few breaths, the evil entity reached the outside of the pavilion. It glanced at the angry martial artists and the very close Old Master Zhao.
Although the old man’s knowing smile suddenly made its heart skip a beat, it had no time to worry about that. It could only charge headlong towards the fair-skinned young master of the Zhao family.
However, at this moment, a light emanated from the four pillars of the pavilion, and several talismans appeared out of thin air. The spiritual energy within the talisman cores connected with each other, forming screens of light that enveloped the entire pavilion.
The evil entity slammed into the golden light screen, letting out piercing screams and cries. Large swathes of gray energy erupted from its body; this was its very essence, akin to the blood within a living being.
“How dare you bring chaos to the Zhao family and harm my child…”
Old Master Zhao put away his cold smile, his eyes burning with furious anger. “You deserve to die!”
The white-haired wealthy old man suddenly erupted with astonishing power. His robust vitality, held in check, seemed to be merging with his bones and muscles.
He stepped onto the pavilion’s railing, then lunged towards the evil entity in mid-air. A yellow paper talisman from his sleeve smoothly fell into his palm.
A roar suddenly echoed through the night. The old man, like a slumbering lion, fully awakened in an instant. He unleashed a powerful punch forward, causing the surrounding wind to howl.
Vitality connected with the talisman core, and a phantom flame appeared out of thin air, enveloping his fist. He fiercely smashed it into the head of the evil entity.
*Bang!!!*
There were no more screams or wails. Before the evil entity could even react, its head was shattered by the old man’s ferocious punch. Then, its entire body suddenly collapsed, dissipating into countless gray wisps of air into the heavens and earth.
The old man lightly tapped the surface of the lake with his toes and then floated back into the pavilion, casually flicking away the remaining paper scraps.
However, at this moment, Old Master Zhao felt no joy in defeating the evil entity with a single punch. Instead, his face was filled with worry, and he couldn’t help but sigh softly.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps approached. The old man turned to see Ji Yuan, who was supposed to have left, and the young monk Hui Xin, returning to the pavilion with the servant Zhao Shengcai.
“Thank you, young Taoist priest, for your secret planning, which allowed us to eliminate this evil entity in one fell swoop.”
Old Master Zhao cupped his hands in a salute, his gaze sincere.
Beside him, Hui Xin chanted a Buddhist invocation, his eyes filled with admiration for the young Taoist priest.
Even he, who was part of the plan, did not know when this old and young pair had secretly communicated and set up such a trap for the lurking evil entity to fall into.
Hui Xin still couldn’t figure out when the young Taoist priest had quietly placed those talismans on the pavilion pillars.
However, compared to the admiration from those around him, Ji Yuan wore a wry smile.
He made a Taoist salute, apologized to Old Master Zhao, and then sighed, “Unfortunately, only a puppet was lured out. The true evil entity that is causing trouble in the manor and intending to harm the young master did not reveal any clues tonight.”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the pavilion was first stunned, and then they realized with understanding. It turned out that the evil entity they had just defeated was not the mastermind but a puppet sacrificed to take the fall.
After understanding the cause and effect, Hui Xin and the martial artists disguised as servants immediately had grim expressions, and the joy in their eyes vanished instantly.
Previously, they had truly believed that it was not that the evil entity was not strong, but that Old Master Zhao, who was half a step into the Muscle and Bone realm, was too powerful, and coupled with the talismans specifically designed to counter Yin and evil spirits, he could defeat it with a single punch.
“However, after this incident, I expect that the evil entity lurking in the shadows will not dare to act for some time.”
Ji Yuan smiled slightly, “During this period, Old Master Zhao should hurry and invite true experts from the Great Yu Dynasty.”
An evil entity in the late Enlightenment stage was beyond his capabilities. This time, it was due to secret planning and the Zhao family’s military strength calculating against the unsuspecting enemy that they could create a situation with overwhelming advantage.
Yet, even so, the opponent used an insignificant puppet to break their meticulously laid trap.
If Ji Yuan were to confront the evil entity head-on, with his meager cultivation at the early Enlightenment stage, without exhausting his foundation and revealing his trump cards, such as using the long sword ‘Yuan Bao’ and the white jade flying sword ‘Xiao Bai,’ he would have absolutely no chance of winning.
The only way forward was to inform the county yamen and invite a true expert among the registered cultivators of the Great Yu Dynasty, who was stationed in the prefectural city.
Old Master Zhao nodded. He would handle the arrangements upon his return. Fortunately, having roamed the Jianghu for decades, he had some connections in the prefectural city. It was likely that by spending some money, he could easily grease the wheels and invite an expert from the imperial court.
Thinking this, the old man’s worried expression suddenly vanished, replaced by a friendly smile.
He clapped his hands, and soon two servants who were already prepared, each holding a wooden tray covered with red cloth, quickly walked to Ji Yuan and Hui Xin.
Without needing the two to act, servants uncovered the red cloth, revealing neat piles of gold ingots placed on the wooden trays.
Upon seeing this, the two couldn’t help but marvel from the bottom of their hearts. The Zhao family was truly wealthy. They had already gifted gold worth tens of taels, and now they were presenting a full two hundred taels of gold ingots.