Chapter 6: Qi Eating Spirit (1)

As Zhou Xin and Changsheng walked side by side through Chaoyuan Gate, a paper crane flew toward them through the air.

It circled above Zhou Xin’s head, and Immortal Linghe’s voice came from it.

“Come to the quiet room.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the paper crane dissolved into scattered light and vanished like smoke.

Zhou Xin: “...Why is Immortal Linghe only looking for me?”

Changsheng bit into his candied hawthorn. “Senior Sister, you didn’t do anything wrong. What are you afraid of?”

How had she not done anything wrong?

She had done plenty wrong!

Forcing a smile, she changed the subject. “What spell was that just now?”

“Paper crane voice transmission.”

“Is it hard to learn?”

“Not hard. Changsheng learned it right away!”

The quiet room was west of Chaoyuan Gate. Changsheng had to return to the Pavilion of Welcoming Immortals, so he was not going the same way as her. He waved.

“Senior Sister, hurry along. Don’t keep Immortal Linghe waiting.”

Zhou Xin grabbed Changsheng by the collar and pulled him back.

“Junior Brother, you’re coming with me.”

Changsheng: “?”

Changsheng: “Fine, I’ll go. But why does Senior Sister look like she’s marching to her death?”

*

Inside the quiet room.

Immortal Linghe was organizing books in the library. Zhou Xin dragged Changsheng inside and stood against the wall.

Keeping her face cold, she tried her best to maintain the original owner’s aloof persona.

“Immortal, why did you summon this disciple?”

“I heard from Vice Minister Shen that you suffered backlash while sealing the Fox King last night and have now lost all your memories?”

“...Yes.”

Zhou Xin’s heart leapt into her throat. Testing the waters, she asked, “Did he say anything else?”

At this, Immortal Linghe looked over with a deep, unreadable gaze.

“What else would there be?”

“...Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Guiltily, she rubbed her nose.

After studying her for a long while, he withdrew his gaze and continued putting books into a Qiankun pouch.

“At present, you possess a body full of Daoist power, yet you do not know how to use it. If you encounter another demon or evil spirit, what will you do?”

“...This disciple does not know.”

He rose and walked over, handing the Qiankun pouch to her.

“These are all books you once studied. Take them back and read them carefully. If there is anything you do not understand, come ask me.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “As for the Bureau of Astronomy, I will request leave on your behalf. You may focus on secluded study for now.”

“Yes.”

Zhou Xin accepted the Qiankun pouch and quietly let out a breath of relief.

“Have you handed the sealing vessel over to the Court of Judicial Review?”

“Not yet.”

She took out the sealing vessel and passed it over.

Immortal Linghe accepted it, lowered his eyes, and examined it for a long while. Then he murmured, “Reveal.”

The bronze seal lit up from within with a glow of red light.

Immediately after, a nine-tailed fox appeared on the floor out of thin air. It was covered in blood, riddled with wounds, and already dead.

Changsheng let out a curious “Huh?” and crouched down, blinking his large eyes as he looked closely.

“So this is the King of Ten Thousand Foxes?”

“Do not underestimate it. Nine-tailed foxes are skilled in illusions. Capturing one is no easy matter.”

Immortal Linghe extended two fingers and probed near the fox’s abdomen. Suddenly, he lifted his eyes and looked at Zhou Xin, his gaze sharp as fire, as if he wanted to see straight through her.

“Is its demon core with you?”

Zhou Xin: “?”

Almost instinctively, she answered, “No!”

After a moment of silence, Immortal Linghe raised his hand and lightly touched the space between her brows with two fingers, examining her spiritual consciousness before withdrawing his hand.

“Forget it.”

He sealed the Fox King’s body back into the bronze vessel.

“Perhaps someone took the Fox King’s thousand-year demon core while you were unconscious.”

“What would they take it for?”

Immortal Linghe’s expression changed slightly.

“The Fox King’s escape from the Demon-Sealing Tower last night was likely deliberate. That person used it to lure you into acting, then took the opportunity to steal the thousand-year demon core. They may intend to use it to increase their cultivation. Such forbidden arts violate the Way of Heaven and will invite divine punishment.”

“Could that person be the same evil cultivator who used baleful energy to attack the hamster demon?”

“Most likely.”

Zhou Xin still wanted to ask more, but Immortal Linghe had already risen and left, heading straight for the alchemy room.

So Zhou Xin returned to Water Cloud Retreat, arranged all the books from the Qiankun pouch on the antique shelf she had just bought, and obediently went into seclusion to study.

Since the original owner’s Daoist foundation was profound, and Zhou Xin herself had a photographic memory, she learned extremely quickly. In seven or eight days, she had already surpassed Changsheng’s progress.

That day, after she mastered a healing talisman spell, Zhou Xin finally went to the dining hall. When she arrived, however, she found the doors closed. After asking around, she learned that the meal period had long since ended.

Sitting on the steps outside Yuanji Hall, she propped her chin in both hands and complained with a face full of resentment.

“Damn it. They close earlier and earlier every day. And I spent all my money on furniture. Looks like I’ll be starving again tonight!”

An elderly woman in plain clothes passed through Chaoyuan Gate, walking toward her through the evening light. She stopped in front of Zhou Xin.

“Daoist priest, may I ask where Immortal Linghe is right now?”

“Immortal Linghe is giving a scripture lecture in the Pavilion of Welcoming Immortals.”

Zhou Xin looked steadily at her.

“Madam, I see darkness between your brows and black energy lingering around your body. Forgive my boldness, but has something happened in your household recently?”

At this, the elderly woman widened her eyes in shock and delight.

“Daoist priest, you are absolutely right! Please, save my son!”

“Madam, do not panic. Tell me slowly what happened.”

The elderly woman’s surname was Shen. She was a widow living in Zunxian Ward and had a young son at home.

Some time ago, her son had caught a chill while napping.

It had only been a minor illness. Normally, one prescription should have cured him. Unexpectedly, the child’s condition had only grown worse and worse. They had seen every doctor they could, but nothing helped. Now he was bedridden and could no longer take in food or rice water.

Zhou Xin asked for the child’s birth details and calculated with her fingers.

Although the old Daoist who taught her had not passed down many talismans or spells, he had taught her everything he knew about divination and physiognomy. Zhou Xin had used those skills to make a name for herself in the modern world. At the very least, when she failed to catch fake ghosts and had no choice but to scam people, she could still bluff them into stunned silence.

But this calculation shocked her.

The Shen family’s child had an extremely yin birth chart, making him highly susceptible to attracting evil things. By all rights, he should not live long — and yet his fate showed longevity.

Since his life was not meant to end here, that meant this matter could be handled.

Still, Zhou Xin knew her own limits and did not dare act recklessly. She asked for more details, wanting to weigh the situation further.

“Madam Shen, is the child’s condition worse at night than during the day?”

“There is no difference.”

It did not fear sunlight, so it was not a ghost causing trouble. The child was still young, so it was unlikely to be deliberate revenge from a demon or evil spirit. What else primarily harmed people by stealing their vital energy, leaving them bedridden and near death?

She continued asking, “When you usually care for the child, have you noticed anything unusual?”

Madam Shen thought for a moment.

“Nothing particularly unusual. It’s just that every time I get near Tannu’s bed, I feel cold. Sometimes I also feel as if something brushes across my face. It feels chilly and a little ticklish.”

That sounded like an energy-feeding spirit.

Those things always bullied the weak and feared the strong. Zhou Xin had encountered them twice before, and both times, they had run away the moment she brought out her peachwood sword.

This was basically money delivered straight to her door.

She happened to be short on cash. No reason not to take the job.

She rubbed her fingers together and gave Madam Shen a meaningful look. Madam Shen immediately took out her money pouch and stuffed it into her hands.

Weighing it, Zhou Xin asked, “Madam Shen, do you have cinnabar and glutinous rice at home?”

“Yes, yes, we do!”

“I need to fetch something first. Madam Shen, please wait a moment.”

Zhou Xin returned to her room and took the newly carved peachwood sword, tucking it at her lower back.

Chaonanyi’s black-iron Seven Star Sword had broken. Immortal Linghe had originally wanted to forge her a new one, but Zhou Xin had refused.

A black-iron sword was sharp. It could wound others, but it could also wound her. She did not have Chaonanyi’s martial skill, so holding one would be useless. She insisted on using lightning-struck wood to carve a peachwood sword instead.

Immortal Linghe had said nothing. Once she finished carving it, he took the peachwood sword and personally added a layer of talismanic seals to it.

After fetching the sword, Zhou Xin went to the quiet room to pay respects to Immortal Linghe. Only after receiving permission did she follow Madam Shen to her home.

The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she saw a familiar figure carrying a bowl of medicine out of the main room.

The instant their eyes met, his expression darkened until it was even blacker than the shadow between Madam Shen’s brows.

His originally gentle look also cooled, as though covered in frost. His tone was as sharp as ever, like enemies meeting on a narrow road.

“What is Lady Lingyun doing here?”

Madam Shen was surprised for a moment.

“So the Daoist priest and Fourth Young Master know each other?”

Shen Jibai answered coldly before Zhou Xin could speak.

“We don’t.”

With that, he carried the medicine bowl, turned left, and entered the side room beside the main hall.

Strange.

The main room was filled with black energy so strong it nearly reached the sky, and even Madam Shen was surrounded by it. Why had Shen Jibai not been contaminated at all despite going in and out?

Suppressing her doubts, Zhou Xin asked Madam Shen to prepare glutinous rice, cinnabar, and a bowl of well water. Then she entered the main room on her own.

There were windows on both the north and south sides of the room. Beneath the northern window stood a Luohan couch, and on it lay a child around seven or eight years old. His face was bloodless, and his breathing was weak.

Above him floated a mass of black energy, heavy enough to feel like storm clouds pressing down on a city.

Zhou Xin raised her hand and grabbed at the black energy. The cloud of energy held together without dispersing. It felt like silkworm silk — cool, smooth, and slippery.

It really was an energy-feeding spirit.

This thing specialized in exploiting weakness and feeding on the vital energy of the sick and injured.

“Why has Lady Lingyun come here?”

Shen Jibai’s voice came from behind her.

Zhou Xin immediately shot back, “Didn’t Vice Minister Shen say he didn’t know me?”

The other party was silent for a moment before saying, “I advise Lady Lingyun not to set her sights on Tannu. Otherwise, do not blame me for being impolite.”

“And what if I insist?”

Zhou Xin turned back to look at him and smiled provocatively.

“Chaonanyi!”

The moment he shouted, Madam Shen, who had walked up behind him, smacked him.

“Speak properly. Why are you yelling? With that temper, how are you ever going to find a wife?”

Shen Jibai: “…”

Zhou Xin rolled her eyes.

This man was cold-hearted and cold-blooded. It would be good enough if he did not stay alone forever. Find a wife?

In his dreams.

Madam Shen walked in carrying a redwood tray and kindly explained to Zhou Xin, “Daoist priest, please don’t take offense. Fourth Young Master is worried about Tannu, so he cannot help losing his composure.”

“This poor Daoist would not dare argue with an official superior.”

Zhou Xin took a talisman from her sleeve and held it between two fingers. She silently recited an incantation, and the talisman instantly burst into flame.

She dropped the burning talisman into the clay bowl of well water, then carried the bowl to the couch. Sitting down beside the child, she helped him up, pinched his jaw, and poured the talisman water into his mouth.

After the bowl of water went down, color visibly returned to the child’s face.

Madam Shen was overjoyed. She set the tray aside and leaned over the couch, calling his name.

“Tan’er, Tan’er!”

But in the blink of an eye, that flush faded completely. His complexion turned pale again — even paler than before. Even the color of his lips began fading from dark to light.

Madam Shen’s face turned pale as well. She suddenly grabbed Zhou Xin’s hand and asked urgently,

“Daoist priest! What is happening?”

Exactly!

Zhou Xin wanted to know too!

“Madam Shen, forgive me.”

Pretending to remain calm, Zhou Xin pulled the hairpin from Madam Shen’s hair, pricked the tip of her own left ring finger, and used the blood that welled up to draw a vertical mark from her forehead down to the space between her brows.

Then she closed her eyes, formed a hand seal, and chanted,

“The Way lies within heaven and earth; all forms endure. Heavenly Eye, open!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she abruptly opened her eyes.

Only then did she clearly see that the black energy coiled above Tannu was actually the dark hair of an evil spirit.

And the owner of that hair was an energy-feeding spirit with no facial features and pointed ears. It floated in the air facing the child, continuously sucking away his vital energy.

Sensing Zhou Xin’s gaze, it slowly turned its head, as if looking over at her.

“Madam Shen, step back!”

Zhou Xin quickly pulled Madam Shen behind her.

She drew the peachwood sword from her lower back, gripped the hilt in reverse, and held the blade behind her shoulder.

“Evil creature! Leave now, or don’t blame this poor Daoist for showing no mercy!”

Generally speaking, at this point in the process, an energy-feeding spirit would run away.

Unexpectedly, this one was not afraid of her threat at all. Instead, it started laughing nonstop.

“Hehehehe—”

Zhou Xin secretly wiped away a cold sweat.

What was going on?

This was not the same as what she had expected.

This, this, this…

Was it too late to run now?