A winding path, appearing suddenly, led straight to a small hut on the hillside. As if by chance, a full moon had just climbed above the hut.
Halfway up, Ji Yuan turned his head, a feeling stirring within him. He then saw the estate shrouded in darkness, with not only faint white mist but also wisps of Yin energy rising, permeating every corner of the residence.
The entire estate was now pitch-black, a profound eeriness permeating the silence.
He quietly withdrew his gaze and continued towards the end of the path. The bare old trees on either side had bark so cracked and dry it resembled a multitude of twisted, grinning faces.
Before long, Ji Yuan reached the end of the path and stood before the solitary hut.
This was a ancestral hall. Lanterns hung on either side of the entrance, casting a faint candlelight within. Above the main gate hung a plaque inscribed with 'Shi Ancestral Hall'.
Before the character 'Shi', there should have been another character, the surname of the person being worshipped in this hall.
However, a mass of ink-like qi was currently obscuring it so completely that the character beneath was impossible to discern.
"Let's go in and see."
Ji Yuan whispered, then stepped into the ancestral hall before him.
According to the customs of the time, ancestral halls where ancestors were worshipped should have been lit at all times, ensuring the ancestral tablets were always illuminated.
Yet, here there were only a few meager candlelight sources, the faint flames unable to illuminate all the ancestral tablets arranged in the center.
Furthermore, the hall was empty, devoid of the usual sacrificial vessels and offerings. Only a tattered prayer mat was placed before the rows of tablets.
"Black qi obscuring the tablets, this usually occurs when descendants have committed heinous crimes,"
Ji Yuan took a deep breath and murmured, observing the scene before him.
Before him, the dozen or so ancestral tablets enshrined in the hall were all shrouded in masses of black qi, obscuring the names of the ancestors inscribed upon them.
This situation was extremely rare; even if a descendant committed acts of murder and arson, it would be difficult to create such a scene.
For the masses of black qi obscuring the ancestral names were the materialized forms of worldly sins. Perhaps only someone who had slaughtered thousands, tens of thousands, could accumulate such immense sin.
"Or it could be that later generations have fallen into the path of demons and evil spirits, and have been judged by a Confucian sage, thus bringing down endless sin from heaven and earth."
Song He said softly, looking at the tablets shrouded in black qi, a hint of self-mockery appearing in his eyes.
Ji Yuan shrugged at the side, offering no opinion. The true situation here could not be clarified by their brief glances or speculative guesses.
However, one thing was certain: with the ancestral tablets obscured by black qi, the descendants would surely face continuous misfortune, and even their living place would be plagued by malevolent spirits, finding no moment of peace.
But what connection did these matters have to the spirits of this place luring them to the ancestral hall...
Could it be that the spirits haunting this place wished for them to clear the intensely ink-like black qi from these ancestral tablets?
Thinking of this, Ji Yuan couldn't help but laugh at himself. If that were the case, the spirits were underestimating them far too much.
Let alone the fact that they were only at the Enlightenment realm; even Qi cultivators who had cultivated spiritual power would be helpless unless they were truly enlightened masters and happened to specialize in such matters.
Beyond that, he couldn't fathom the purpose of the spirits' actions.
They could have simply killed them and been done with it, yet they had delayed, even leading them to this ancestral hall.
Every action, every step, seemed utterly unusual, with no logical explanation to be found.
Perhaps... the spirits haunting this place were truly and unimaginably injured in their battle with the Master of Mingyue Temple?
"They're coming up."
Song He's voice sounded by his ear. The young Taoist withdrew his gaze and turned to look outside.
At this moment, the stern-looking man had brought the young girl to a spot six or seven paces outside the ancestral hall. However, after observing for a while, neither of them chose to enter the hall, their brows suggesting a degree of wariness towards the place.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan immediately formed a guess and walked out of the hall to stand before them.
He flicked his horsetail whisk, revealing a palm full of talismans, and said with a hint of threat, "Tell me what you know. I'll allow you to omit some details, but don't think you can feign ignorance any longer."
This time, the young Taoist, abandoning his usual 'gentleness', spoke with a dangerous glint in his eyes, as if he would unhesitatingly unleash the prepared talismans if they refused.
Song He, following behind, was also surprised, not expecting him to suddenly become so assertive.
Witnessing this, the girl, already possessing a terrible temper, was about to curse them out. The consequences of such an action were of no concern to her; in her eyes, he was merely bluffing and wouldn't actually attack.
And even if he did attack, what of it? Considering her proud background and her senior brother's presence, she didn't fear this young Taoist, whose background was clearly meager.
However, just as she was about to speak, the figure before her suddenly turned, and a slap landed on her face.
*Slap!*
After a crisp sound, the girl was stunned for a moment. As she was about to question it, a killing gaze fell upon her, terrifying her into swallowing back the words, and tears silently flowed from her eyes.
"Apologies, my junior sister is spoiled."
The stern-looking man said apologetically. As he turned back, the killing intent in his eyes had subsided.
Though he was still somewhat displeased inwardly, he dared not show it. His gaze shifted to the talismans in the young man's hand, and deep within his eyes, a profound sense of dread appeared.
His initial fleeting glance had already shaken him greatly. After examining them closely now, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that the slap he delivered earlier was decisive and swift.
If he had allowed his junior sister to utter those unpleasant words, perhaps the two of them would have been reduced to ashes by these well-made talismans by now.
He instinctively swallowed, forcing a smile. "Whatever the young Taoist wishes to know, just ask. I will tell you everything, without any concealment."
While his previous words were intended to trick the two into helping them, he now appeared far more sincere.
Talismans in the world were divided into three grades. The lowest grade was unranked, mostly crafted by ordinary Taoists or cultivators at the Enlightenment realm. Once a talisman was ranked, it was considered of the middle grade, its power and value increasing several, even ten or more, times.
As for the highest grade, crafted only by mighty beings, they possessed profound dao principles unimaginable to ordinary cultivators.
Even a middle-grade ranked talisman, when activated with essence to draw upon the spiritual energy within its core, could unleash astonishing power. Perhaps Qi cultivators who had cultivated spiritual power could deal with it by paying a price.
But the stern-looking man, only at the middle stage of Enlightenment, did not believe he could escape unscathed from such a ranked talisman, especially since the person held not one, but a whole handful!
This handful... surely at least six or seven?
He couldn't help but inwardly laugh bitterly. They, his junior brother and sister, had thought him a mere Taoist of humble origins, only to find that any single talisman he produced was worth more than all their possessions combined.
And such precious talismans, he could casually produce a large handful...