Chapter 12

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Chapter 12: Path of Gods and Spirits

Shi Xuan chuckled in surprise, "I merely meant that due to my limited spiritual cultivation, I can only help you with minor spiritual matters like resolving the need to consume blood due to absorbing Yin energy for cultivation. There are ways to handle that."

Mrs. Fang couldn’t believe it, "Master, really? I heard that practitioners who advance in their cultivation by absorbing Yin energy must resort to consuming human flesh in the future."

"Yes, that’s why you should avoid using Yin energy for cultivation," Shi Xuan shook his head with a smile.

"But, Daoist Priest Shi, how can we maintain our forms without using Yin energy? Are you suggesting something else?" Mrs. Fang seemed to have an idea.

"Well, all you need is people to offer sacrifices to you. Then you can rely on their prayers to sustain yourselves," Shi Xuan, though aloof, showed a hint of compassion.

Mrs. Fang was both surprised and stuttered, "Then, who would be willing to sacrifice for us?" She fixed her gaze on Shi Xuan, knowing that he must have someone in mind since he mentioned it.

Shi Xuan pointed to Xu Tianqi, "My senior brother comes from a prominent family. Thanks to your help this time, he will surely return the favor by arranging sacrifices for you. Three sacrifices a year should be enough."

"But what if something happens to this young master, or he passes away, or he is unable to supervise due to being away and no one comes to offer sacrifices?" Mrs. Fang was cautious about such an important matter.

Shi Xuan thought for a moment and said, "I will tell him to find someone to manage this matter. The money for the ceremony will be given to the temple every ten years. How about building a temple to honor you all directly, with the Xu family overseeing it? Then, I will give you the information of the person in charge of the temple, the head monk or priest, and some symbols. If they forget, you can remind them in dreams. This way, many people will come to worship and make wishes to you. Even if they forget, you can still enjoy the offerings, so don’t worry."

Mrs. Fang stood up and bowed gracefully, saying, "I will never forget the kindness of the Daoist. In the future, I will do anything you ask me to do."

Shi Xuan raised his hands and said, "Don’t thank me yet, and don’t make a decision yet. I need to tell you about the limits of the ceremony. The ceremony can only sustain your form for up to a hundred years, in the case of many people worshiping. Private ceremonies, like the ones you will enjoy later, may only sustain your form for twenty years. Unless you can directly practice with the power of wishes from offerings and have many people worshipping you, you won’t be able to surpass the hundred-year limit and start the path of Godhood cultivation. If you can achieve something in the path of Godhood and have many followers, you may have a chance to achieve immortality."

Shi Xuan paused and continued, "However, if you keep cultivating with Yin energy and have enough blood as food, as long as you break through the boundaries, you can extend your existence. Eventually, you may achieve becoming a Ghost with Original Soul or even immortality, but it’s much harder than normal cultivation."

Seeing Mrs. Fang deep in thought, Shi Xuan didn’t rush her. After about half an incense stick’s time, Mrs. Fang bowed deeply to Shi Xuan again. He asked, "Have you made your decision?"

Mrs. Fang firmly said, "I am willing to walk the path of Godhood. Even though there is no direct practice method now, with people worshiping me, I can have a peaceful life for a year or two. I believe I can find some simple methods during this time. Even if I can’t find any, like the path of Ghosthood, where there is no direct practice method, I can rely on my instinct and practice with Yin energy. If I can’t maintain my form before reaching a certain level, let alone things like consuming blood food that I find repulsive."

Shi Xuan smiled and said, "If that’s the case, if I come across the practice method for Godhood in the future, I will definitely teach you. Don’t bow to me yet, wait until I find it."

Mrs. Fang didn’t insist after being stopped, sat back down, feeling happy and said, "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

Shi Xuan shook his head and said, "I have no more instructions. Since the ceremony is for you, the main person should be present to discuss it face to face. I will be leaving for my travels soon."

Mrs. Fang nodded, and Shi Xuan stood up to go to Xu Tianqi. He squatted down, pinched Xu Tianqi’s hand, and sent some energy into it. With both helps, Xu Tianqi woke up after a while and looked at Shi Xuan, asking in a confused manner, "Junior Brother Shi, is there something wrong?"

Suddenly, Xu Tianqi remembered what happened before and sat up, pale and trembling. He asked Shi Xuan, "Junior Brother Shi, the female ghost, have you dealt with her?" Looking around, he saw Mrs. Fang and was surprised, "Younger brother, who is this lady, did you invite her for help?"

Shi Xuan smiled and said, "Senior Brother Xu, she is the hostess of this house, Mrs. Fang. You just had a hard time with her, how come you don’t remember her?"

Xu Tianqi felt cold sweat and turned pale when Mrs. Fang walked towards him. She greeted him, and Xu Tianqi stepped back in fear. Mrs. Fang apologized, "Young Master Xu, I have offended you before, please forgive me."

Seeing the polite behavior of the female ghost, Xu Tianqi felt less scared. He looked at Shi Xuan, who smiled at him, and Xu Tianqi felt reassured. He gestured with his hands, "Mrs. Fang did nothing wrong, it was us who trespassed into your house."

Just then, the two siblings behind Mrs. Fang made funny faces at Xu Tianqi, scaring him almost faint.

Mrs. Fang scolded the children, and Shi Xuan explained the ceremony to Xu Tianqi. Xu Tianqi was amazed and less afraid of the ghosts seeking help from him. His fear faded, replaced by curiosity as he observed Mrs. Fang’s family and asked Shi Xuan about ghosts.

After discussing, Xu Tianqi promised Mrs. Fang, "Don’t worry, I will take care of the ceremony, it won’t be interrupted."

Mrs. Fang thanked them and even had Delin and Hanling bow to Shi Xuan and Xu Tianqi three times.

Two people and a ghost discussed important matters and then started chatting. Mrs. Fang, who had been unable to communicate with people for many years, suddenly became very talkative. Xu Tianqi and Shi Xuan were very curious about ghosts, asking many questions and occasionally telling Mrs. Fang about the changes outside. Without realizing it, they chatted until dawn.

Hearing the night watchman outside, and seeing that it was getting late, Mrs. Fang said to Shi Xuan and Xu Tianqi, "Gentlemen, it is already dawn. Although I can stay for another half an hour, it seems like you have some things to take care of. It wouldn’t be right for me to keep you company." She glanced at Xia Wenhui and stifled a laugh.

Xu Tianqi suddenly understood and said, "Yes, we must take these three fellows outside the house. Otherwise, our trip would be in vain."

Shi Xuan laughed, "But what if they wake up and don’t remember? We could say that you were also frightened and thrown out, only to wake up early and run back in."

Xu Tianqi agreed, cursing, "That devious fellow! No other witnesses, what do we do now?"

Shi Xuan whispered to Meng Yuqiong, "Wake up your dream lover to serve as a witness."

"But she can’t prove we weren’t frightened," Xu Tianqi said helplessly.

Shi Xuan replied, "Your bet was just to show off in front of her. Now that you’ve saved her, it’s a life-saving favor. If you don’t wake her up, she might have been eaten by ghosts! What’s more important, saving a life or showing off a bit in front of her?"

"Eaten by ghosts?" Xu Tianqi was having trouble understanding.

Shi Xuan pointed at Mrs. Fang and said, "Since she’s passed out, she doesn’t know if this ghost is good or bad."

Xu Tianqi clapped his hands and said excitedly, "Great idea!"

Mrs. Fang saw nothing to do, so she bowed to the two children, then suddenly disappeared, leaving Xu Tianqi amazed. After a while, he murmured to Shi Xuan, "Junior Brother, I wish I could move like that."

"It’s not moving skill, just an illusion. If you had learned Taoism spell properly back then, you wouldn’t be at a disadvantage now."

"Oh, I couldn’t concentrate well before. After this incident, I must try using Taoism spell. Okay, let’s deal with things here first before we talk."

The two of them dragged Xia Wenhui and the other three people out of the house and threw them into a nearby dead-end alley. Shi Xuan told Xu Tianqi, "The acupressure point I touched should release in about an hour. Although this place is often where drunk beggars stay overnight, there shouldn’t be much danger now, maybe just a risk of losing money."

Xu Tianqi laughed, "They were scared by ghosts and left here, not our concern." He took a few steps back, then turned around suddenly, looking at Xia Wenhui and the others with a mix of emotions.

Shi Xuan didn’t know what Xu Tianqi was planning, so he stayed silent and watched quietly.

After a while, Xu Tianqi made up his mind, knelt down, and patted the Twin Sword Killers on their lower abdomen. Then he stood up and said to Shi Xuan, "These two have done many bad things. I just disabled their martial arts, which is already quite merciful. They won’t need to work for the Xia family for the rest of their lives and can enjoy their old age."

Shi Xuan thought for a moment and said, "It seems like the second half of the plan is your doing. Aren’t you afraid of Xia family seeking revenge if they find out?"

Xu Tianqi said seriously, "No one can be certain it’s not the work of ghosts. Even though they are only two outer sect elders, Xia family won’t confront them directly. Xia family has a few top experts, and we have business dealings with them. So, I didn’t take any action against Xia Wenhui. As for any retaliation in private, I will stay at home for now. I trust my family will take care of it. When my skills improve, I will venture out again. Even if I can’t win a fight, I can still escape."