[Vol. 6] Chapter 6: The Missing Talisman
“Possessed? What kind of joke is this… Are you sure?”
Hurrying down the road, Zeng Xianzhi couldn’t help but repeat Zeng Zhuang’s earlier claim, his face full of confusion and disbelief.
The woodcutter, running ahead of him and the curious priestess who had decided to join the commotion, turned back with a panicked expression and shouted.
“Village Chief, when have I ever lied to you? It’s real. There’s really so kind of evil spirit! Otherwise, how could Ergouzi have gone mad out of nowhere?”
There was no ti for debate. The three had already made it halfway across the village, arriving in front of a small thatched hut.
Several other villagers, dressed in coarse cloth garnts, were gathered there, embroiled in a chaotic struggle. Or rather, it was a one-sided effort to subdue one person, as several n worked together to hold him down on the ground.
“What’s going on? Stop this at once!”
Faced with the scene before him, Zeng Xianzhi didn’t need further explanation from Zeng Zhuang. As the village chief, he rushed forward, attempting to break up the fight with his commanding presence.
Clearly, Zeng Xianzhi held significant authority in the village. The mont he spoke, the struggling villagers turned to him, relief evident on their faces.
“Xianzhi, you’re finally here! We… we’re not bullying Ergouzi. He’s possessed!”
“I understand. Hold him steady so I can examine him…”
Noticing that sothing was indeed amiss, Zeng Xianzhi approached the man being pinned to the ground. Despite the combined efforts of several people, Ergouzi still writhed and thrashed violently, his face disheveled and grimy from the struggle.
Squatting down, Zeng Xianzhi reached out, intending to inspect him.
“Argh!”
To his shock, Ergouzi, as though truly possessed by so beastly spirit, snapped at him with his teeth like a rabid dog. Even restrained, he tried to bite at Zeng Xianzhi’s hand. Startled, the village chief quickly pulled back, his expression growing more serious.
“Erratic behavior, dull eyes, and a tendency to bite and growl… These are exactly the signs described in the books for soone possessed by a [Dog Demon]. He’s really been possessed, but how is that even possible with the talisman in place…?”
Muttering to himself, Zeng Xianzhi instinctively looked up toward what he assud was Ergouzi’s house, the simple thatched hut nearby. His face imdiately darkened.
The door and paper windows of the house…
Were completely bare.
“This is outrageous! Who removed Ergouzi’s protective talisman? What kind of joke is this!?”
At Zeng Xianzhi’s furious outburst, the villagers exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to respond.
Finally, one of them awkwardly shook their head and said, “Village Chief, why would any of us ss with the talisman? It was perfectly fine yesterday. We only rushed over when we heard the commotion. By the ti I arrived, it was already like this…”
“……”
Zeng Xianzhi’s scrutinizing gaze swept across the crowd.
“When did Ergouzi’s condition start? Who got here first?”
Before the question fully left his mouth, the woodcutter standing beside the priestess nervously raised his hand.
“Uh, Village Chief, that would be .”
Zeng Zhuang quickly explained further.
“After leaving you and the Lady Fairy earlier, I thought the day was still young and decided to head into the mountains to see if I could gather so sweet potatoes or fruit for the festival preparations. But halfway there, I suddenly heard screaming from this direction…”
“I rushed over, only to find Ergouzi flailing wildly at his doorstep like he’d gone mad. No matter how much I called out to him, he didn’t respond and even lunged at , trying to bite. I had no choice but to wrestle with him and yell for help.”
The villagers holding Ergouzi down nodded in agreent.
“That’s right. I ran over as soon as I heard Uncle Zhuang shouting.”
“Sa here.”
Listening to the villagers’ overlapping accounts, Zeng Xianzhi spoke in a low voice.
“Uncle Zhuang, when you arrived, was the protective talisman still properly affixed to the door, or had it already been removed?”
“Uh…”
Scratching his head, Zeng Zhuang thought for a mont before replying with so uncertainty.
“I didn’t really pay much attention. Who has ti for that in a situation like that? Ergouzi’s crazed behavior scared the wits out of . But… I don’t think I saw it?”
“Hmm… then who on earth could have removed the talisman? How strange…”
Frowning deeply, Zeng Xianzhi pondered for a long ti but couldn’t make sense of the situation. Finally, he turned to address the villagers.
“Forget it. For now, tie Ergouzi up with rope and confine him inside his house to prevent him from hurting anyone. Once the festival ends today, I’ll head to Yangyuan City imdiately to have a healer to exorcise him. In the anti…”
“Wait a mont.”
A voice, clear and lodious like a silver bell, suddenly interrupted him. Zeng Xianzhi froze briefly and turned to find the black-haired girl, who had sohow approached unnoticed. Mimicking his earlier actions, she reached out with her pale hand toward the restrained young man.
“Miss Violet!? Be careful!”
“GRRRRR!!”
Zeng Xianzhi rushed to stop her, but Ergouzi, already consud by madness under the influence of the [Dog Demon], lunged wildly, snapping his teeth toward the girl’s fingers!
“Stop fooling around.”
However, to the astonishnt of everyone watching, the white-robed girl casually flipped her hand and, with a speed so fast they could barely follow, slamd the young man’s head onto the ground, causing his loud, frantic cries to instantly cease.
Despite the combined efforts of several strong villagers being unable to fully restrain Ergouzi, he was now motionless as if struck by an imnse force. Only a faint, pitiful cry escaped his teeth, accompanied by strange, crackling sounds as if his bones were being severely compressed.
“Uh… sorry, that might have been a bit too much.”
Slightly startled, Violet quickly eased her grip on the young man.
That was close. Almost shattered his skull…
Having grown accustod to fighting powerful enemies, the priestess had montarily forgotten just how fragile a human body can be. She quickly cast a healing spell with a swift motion, preventing any untoward consequences.
A soft golden light seeped through her fingertips into the young man’s body, repairing the cracked bones. Taking advantage of the mont, she activated her [Information Detection] ability.
“Lady, what are you doing? Could it be that this…”
“Shh, quiet!”
Without needing Violet to speak, Zeng Xianzhi, who was more educated, sharp-witted, and experienced, hurriedly stopped Zeng Zhuang from interfering, making sure the priestess’s examination wasn’t disturbed.
On the other side, the [Information Detection] ability, which was sotis unreliable, didn’t disappoint this ti. Before long, Violet had figured out what was happening with Ergouzi.
It was true that Ergouzi had been possessed by sothing. Or rather, another chaotic and violent force was currently occupying his body.
The situation was sowhat similar to what she had encountered at the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, where she had witnessed [Upper Dinsional Realm] spirit capable of seizing control of a living being’s body, though this wasn’t exactly the sa.
The biggest difference, it seed, was that the thing here, which Zeng Xianzhi referred to as [Dog Demon], was just a more muddled mass of void energy. It didn’t have the complete rationality and thought process of an [Upper Dinsional Realm] spirit. It was more like a wild beast driven into a frenzy, which is why after it possessed this person, he beca crazy and aggressive.
Seeing the black-haired girl quickly stand up again and rest her chin in thought, Zeng Xianzhi, aware that she was a “cultivator” and likely understood what was happening, finally spoke up.
“How is it, Miss Violet? Do you have a way to treat this fellow? If it’s too difficult, we don’t need to force it. [Dog Demon] is not a great evil, a healer from Yangyuan City can exorcise it.”
“It’s fine, it’s not that troubleso. I can handle this little issue. But…”
The priestess turned her gaze toward the door of the thatched house, which was now empty, her eyebrows slightly raised.
Void energy, or spirit and soul energy, typically dissolves into the Sanzu (Three Paths) after a living being dies, where it circulates and fades away, eventually returning to the earth and sky. Unless intentionally crafted into things like vengeful spirits, ordinary void energy should not form this strange structure.
Was it due to so unique property of the [Ancient Spirit Realm]?
Did the rules here differ from those on the mainland?
Also… who took down the protective talisman? What could be the aning of this action?
This situation… was a bit odd.
“Let’s move him to a room first, I’ll treat him right away. Don’t worry, I can guarantee he’ll be cured. Also, Village Chief… could you tell about [Evil Spirit]?”
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