Chapter 31: Chapter 31: So It Was You!
Wu Chang asked, "What do you mean?"
Liu Shan looked into the distance, recalling:
"Two and a half years ago, a monk passed through the village. That monk’s skin was as black as coal, his nose flat like garlic, his lips thick as lamb intestines, and his hair naturally curly, forming a coil like the Buddha’s topknot in statues. He stayed in the village for three days, boasting that he had a method to eradicate evil spirits."
Wu Chang raised an eyebrow, oh ho, this instance is international; a foreign monk has arrived.
"Indeed, foreign monks are skilled at chanting scriptures. He just said to give it a try, and you let him try?"
"It’s said that unusual appearances in life must come with extraordinary abilities. That black monk was full of oddities, and his skills were impressive. We thought he must be no ordinary person, so we let him give it a try."
Liu Shan said with regret, "Many had come before to attempt exorcisms, but even if they failed, it didn’t lead to disaster. Who knew that black monk would carry a cross wooden stick nailed with a little doll and enter the mountain alone? That night, the mountains shook violently."
"Not only did he fail to drive away the evil spirit, but he also provoked a mad mountain demon which chased the black monk here, broke his cross-shaped magical artifact in front of everyone, and beat him to death."
Wu Chang smirked and said, "Overstepping boundaries leads to such outcomes."
The cause of the instance contamination was found. The black guy wanted to complete the task by trying to eliminate the sealed BOSS-level evil spirit, but his actions were too conspicuous, attracting other demons in the mountains.
Not only did he cause the boss-level evil spirit’s seal to loosen, but his death also led the entire Huai Mountain to be contaminated by players. The instance gradually spiraled out of control, resulting in the current situation.
Liu Shan continued, "Since then, the evil spirit has been uncontrollable. Many mystics have attempted to exorcise it, but to no avail. Some were even influenced by the evil spirit, going mad and harming many villagers."
"It wasn’t until a year ago, a scholar passed by and helped improve the Exorcise Year Ritual, that we regained control over the evil spirit."
"The scholar said the ritual must be conducted at the end of the year during the transition from old to new for it to be most effective. But as mountain demons frequent the area, the improved ritual is barely holding. Though the date the scholar mentioned is a month away, the evil spirit has been increasingly attacking the villagers."
Wu Chang found this all quite normal. Over the past year, the contamination level of the Huai Valley Village instance increased significantly, naturally raising the difficulty of the instance, moving it towards B-level.
Using a C-level difficulty seal on a B-level difficulty BOSS, can it really work?
The reasoning is simple, but to make Liu Shan understand, Wu Chang needed to translate it into terms that natives of this plane could comprehend.
"Now that spiritual qi reappears, the world undergoes vast changes. The demons grow ever stronger, nourished by the spiritual qi. Using past methods to bind today’s demons is naturally hard to maintain."
Liu Shan realized, "I see, I fear repeating the black monk’s mistake, thus I dare not disobey the scholar’s instructions in the slightest. But Liu Wei, whom you met earlier, believes it cannot be delayed further and urges me to proceed with the Exorcise Year Ritual early."
"From what you say, is advancing the Exorcise Year Ritual not feasible?"
Wu Chang said slowly, "Exorcising demons and subjugating evil is about adapting to the situation. I believe advancing the Exorcise Year Ritual is feasible."
Upon hearing Wu Chang’s words, the stone that hung in Liu Shan’s heart fell, and he immediately said, "If that’s so, I’ll notify everyone tomorrow to discuss advancing the Exorcise Year Ritual."
Before Liu Shan left, Wu Chang suddenly remembered something and asked,
"Evil spirits and ghosts often have origins. Does the village chief know what initially caused the mountain evil spirits?"
Liu Shan furrowed his brow and shook his head, "I’ve never heard anything about it. Liu Wei is the most skilled hunter in the village, well aware of the affairs of the mountain. Perhaps he knows something."
After Liu Shan left, Wu Chang lay on the bed, pondering the next step.
The Moonlight Sanatorium, the only instance he had experienced, had a great impact on him, especially the instance’s hidden time limit for clearing, which still left him apprehensive.
His task was only to participate in the Exorcise Year Ritual. What happens to the village afterward is not within his concern.
There is no time like the present; delays could lead to complications.
The villagers aren’t ready; certainly, the instance BOSS isn’t either.
Another crucial reason for supporting the early Exorcise Year Ritual stems from the Moonlight Sanatorium— the First Law of Mysticism.
The more people believe in its existence, the more powerful it becomes.
From Liu Shan’s description, it’s evident that the evil spirit was initially not very powerful; even when not bound by the Exorcise Year Ritual, it only made children and elders ill, mainly targeting such individuals.
But now, even suppressed by the Exorcise Year Ritual, it can still cause adult villagers to lose their souls.
The huge disparity is not merely due to instance contamination.
The prolonged fear of the villagers towards the evil spirit also strengthened its power.
In the month before the Exorcise Year Ritual, as the seal loosens, villagers’ fear intensifies; each passing day strengthens the evil spirit more.
From whichever angle, advancing the Exorcise Year Ritual is justified.
Wu Chang exhaled a long breath, closed his eyes.
Due to lacking Energy, using the Soul Cleansing Banner consumed much of his energy, necessitating recovery via sleep or the meditation method Chi Yuan taught him.
Following Chi Yuan’s method, he closed his eyes, emptied his mind, trying to detach his spirit from his body, to sense the spiritual qi drifting in the air, nourishing his spirit, replenishing the loss.
With high Inspiration support, his understanding was exceptional, quickly entering a state of Meditation.
In a daze, his spirit left his body, ascending higher and higher, akin to an out-of-body experience.
However, lacking the Daoist Orthodox Technique, he couldn’t control his out-of-body soul, only remaining in a semi-conscious state, letting his soul move following Inspiration’s guidance.
The soul drifted aimlessly, passing over a woodland, overhearing a conversation below.
"Big brother, this boy is different from the previous useless ones who came to the village, he has real skills, should we act?"
"No hurry, leave him until after the Exorcise Year Ritual."
"I worry he might run away midway..."
"You are too impatient. He is so proud of his sect and his abilities, he wouldn’t flee even if he ends up with mutual destruction with the evil spirit. Your actions are too rash; especially today’s incident, never again, never again."
"Understood."
Hmm? Seems like someone is plotting against him.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but in his semi-conscious state, Wu Chang couldn’t hear clearly.
He wanted to focus his spirit to see below, but his concentration was too intense, under the effect of the Will Attribute, directly waking him from Meditation.
Re-entering the out-of-body state, the two plotting figures were already gone and couldn’t be found.
Who was speaking?
"Who was speaking?"
"Wu Daxia, what are you saying? Is my boy’s condition serious?" A middle-aged female villager asked anxiously.
Wu Chang shook his head and said, "I was thinking about something else just now, don’t worry. Your child just has a slightly unstable soul along with a cold, I have stabilized his soul, just seek a doctor for regular treatment."
It’s no wonder many villagers support having the Exorcise Year Ritual early; many people have been possessed lately, and learning that Wu Chang has real skills, they all sought him out.
Just this morning, he saw seven patients, the longest possessed one was for two months.
But none of them were as severe as Liu Ning, nor did he see the red orb of resentment during treatments.
However, what concerns him more is not whether the evil spirit has already broken free, but who were those voices he overheard during his out-of-body experience before sleeping last night.
In a semi-conscious state, his hearing was already unclear, and those indistinct words were becoming more vague with time.
If he hadn’t been constantly recalling it, he would probably have completely forgotten those two voices.
Forget it, this time he will let those two go; now that he is on guard, he will have plenty of opportunities to catch them later on.
After sending off the villagers, without even taking a breath, village chief Liu Shan came to him.
"Wu Daxia, are you free now? Liu Wei and others will arrive soon, hoping to discuss advancing the Exorcise Year Ritual with you."
"No problem."
As they spoke, Liu Wei approached with several respected villagers, greeted:
"Wu Daxia, hope you rested well yesterday?"
Hearing Liu Wei speak, Wu Chang clapped his hands with joy and said,
"So it was you!"