World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 34: The Wandering Spirit

Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong had accompanied Wudang Daoist masters on ritual expeditions before. As always, they smiled awkwardly yet politely, greeted the patrons, and then followed behind Li Shiwu along a quiet path through the garden.

How could they treat this place as their own home? Their homes didn't cover such a vast area...

Two middle-aged couples also came out to welcome them—most likely their benefactor's children, their spouses, and their in-laws. Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong didn't need to concern themselves with these details.

Everyone greeted Li Shiwu respectfully and also acknowledged Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong. The two simply nodded and smiled as they followed their martial uncle.

Li Shiwu led the way with a dignified air, his hands clasped behind his back. He glanced around, occasionally pausing to stroke his beard in deep thought.

The Li Family watched their second uncle and great-uncle anxiously, most of them too nervous to speak. After all, as the vice sect master of the Wudang Mountains, Li Shiwu still commanded respect.

Turning past a small bamboo grove, they encountered a few housekeepers who had likely been employed long-term. They observed the visitors with curiosity, whispering among themselves but not daring to point or gossip openly.

The Li Family had drivers, housekeepers, a sprawling mountain estate, and perhaps even a few security guards.

Wang Sheng couldn't help but be tempted to ask his martial uncle why he had chosen monastic life instead of enjoying his brother's wealth at home. However, even if he pushed through with it, he'd only do it as a joke.

People chose to cultivate for one of two reasons: they either had an innate connection to the Dao and pursued a life of purity, or they had suffered a misfortune that left them disillusioned with worldly affairs.

Li Shiwu's elder brother, the Li Family's patriarch, took a moment to introduce himself to Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong. His name was Li Shishan, and he was ten years older than Li Shiwu. The Wudang Mountains had given him his first name.

When Li Shiwu began cultivating at Wudang, Li Shishan made a generous donation and obtained the title of Lay Disciple. Today, his name and household records could be found in Wudang's archives.

Over the years, Li Shishan never stopped financially supporting Wudang. It could even be said that Li Shiwu's rise to his position, despite his unremarkable cultivation progress, was largely thanks to his brother's financial backing.

"Elder Brother, has the layout of this courtyard changed?" Li Shiwu asked with a frown, detecting traces of foul yin qi lingering in the air.

Li Shishan shook his head. "How could it have changed? I check the blueprints every day. I can't say the flowers and grass are exactly the same, but the rocks and potted plants haven't been moved an inch."

"That's good. Have my luggage brought over, find me a room to change in, and set up the incense altar..." freeweɓnovel.cøm

Before he could finish, Li Shishan waved his hand dismissively. "No rush. Let's eat first before performing the rituals. We wouldn't want our nephews to go hungry."

"We should perform the rituals first," Li Shiwu insisted. "Otherwise, we won't be able to eat in peace."

Li Shishan wanted to further argue but held back. After all, his younger brother was now not only Wudang's vice sect master but also a true cultivator.

They walked through the courtyard for a while, passing winding corridors before arriving at the main house by a pond. The housekeepers were called to set up the ritual altar, while Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong followed Li Shiwu to a nearby room to change.

When Wang Sheng opened his backpack, his martial uncle and senior brother couldn't help but take a glance—only to be left utterly speechless.

Inside were Buddhist prayer beads, an old bell, a crucifix, and peace talismans...

"By the infinite gods above..." Li Shiwu pressed his hand to his forehead. At a loss for words, all he could do was sigh.

Buddhist prayer beads were understandable, but what was a crucifix doing in there?

The vice sect master shook his head, already contemplating how to re-educate Wang Sheng when they returned. Young people these days are too deeply influenced by foreign culture!

"You sure came prepared," Zhou Yinglong teased.

"What if it's a foreign ghost?" Wang Sheng replied calmly as he pulled out his Daoist robe and quickly zipped up his backpack, not wanting the ‘enemy ghost' to catch wind of their plans.

Before the resurgence of primal qi, most Daoist rituals were associated with funerary rites. More often than not, those claiming to perform "fortune-changing" or "disaster-averting" rituals were Jianghu scammers. True Daoist heritages had always followed the principle of quiet cultivation. No genuine Daoist would meddle with fate or perform rituals for money.

However, guiding the deceased's spirits to rest was different. In that regard, Daoist sects had borrowed a practice from Buddhism. After all, conducting rituals to help souls pass on was considered an act of virtue; it allowed them to accumulate merit while also bringing in some income to sustain temple life.

Though the cultivation world had been rapidly revived, most Daoist masters remained in secluded training. The resurgence of primal qi had increased supernatural occurrences, though, prompting some to descend the mountains for exorcisms—just like today. Li Shishan, who had been making generous donations to Wudang, was being haunted. Hence, Li Shiwu had taken the opportunity and brought two outstanding young disciples to perform an exorcism.

Soon, the ritual began. Li Shiwu first chanted a long passage from the True Martial Mystical Scripture before leading Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong to bathe and change their robes.

More than ten minutes later, Wang Sheng had changed into a dark-blue Daoist robe, the cloth-wrapped Abyss Listener still in his hand. The similarly attired Zhou Yinglong was also holding the sword that he had exchanged for after the exchange meeting. The two stood on either side of Li Shiwu, who was in full ceremonial attire.

With solemn expressions, the three assumed a triangular formation and moved behind the ritual altar. Li Shiwu picked up the mahogany sword placed before the altar. He then formed a sword finger with his left hand and chanted, "May the Highest Deities of the Five Regions bless us and bring clarity to heaven and earth!"

Strands of primal qi gathered into a blue radiance, converging and swirling around the sword. The dozen or so onlookers, who had never practiced Daoism, were left in awe. However, this was not some advanced Daoist art; it was merely a technique that controlled primal qi with spiritual consciousness.

Li Shiwu let out a sharp cry, and the blue glow on the mahogany sword silently dispersed, transforming into streaks of light that shot off in all directions. The blue light then streamed out through the windows and door crevices, seemingly activating some kind of formation embedded in the garden and causing a gust to blow outside.

A young girl, about ten years old, watched with excitement, her eyes shining as she secretly took out her phone to take photos and record a video.

However, the moment she moved, Li Shiwu gazed at her. Before he could say a word, Li Shishan had already swiftly slapped the phone from the girl's hands.

"Go stand in the back and behave! Li Wen! Keep an eye on your daughter!" he shouted.

A middle-aged man pulled away the ponytailed girl, who was on the verge of tears. Scolded by her usually kind grandfather and glared at by her father, she could only bite her lip and continuously wipe her tears with the back of her hand.

Wang Sheng couldn't help but think that the old man had quite a temper. He likely always had the final say at home, with no one daring to go against him.

Li Shiwu swung his sword, stepped forward to the altar, and called out in a dramatic, opera-like tone, "Where are my left and right guardians!"

Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong simultaneously stepped forward. "Present!"

"I have summoned the True Martial righteous qi. Go forth and drive out the evildoers from this place!"

Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong saluted with their swords. As commanded, they then stepped out of the main hall; one headed left, the other right.

Everything before that had just been for show. What was about to come was the real ghost expulsion. While the disciples did the actual work, the master would earn the credit and prestige.

Eyes closed, Li Shiwu stood with his sword and chanted, "May the Five Deities remain steadfast and True Martial's divine protection prevail. Let the Daoist arts manifest and banish all darkness!

"Everyone, go to the main hall now! No one is to interfere with the ritual. If any filth clings to you, don't say I didn't warn you."

The seven Li Family members promptly entered the main hall. The maids and housekeepers also hurried in. Now, the Li estate was devoid of any wandering people except for two security guards in the guardhouse and the family chauffeur.

Li Shiwu stood still with his mahogany sword in hand, chanting incantations softly while waiting for Wang Sheng and Zhou Yinglong to return.

***

Zhou Yinglong had gone to check Li Shishan's bedroom and the western wing. Along the way, he carefully examined every hidden corner with his spiritual consciousness, searching for traces of the supernatural.

Following residual strands of yin qi, he soon found himself in Li Shishan's attic. He unsheathed his treasured sword and channeled his spiritual consciousness to wrap himself in primal qi.

In a low tone, Zhou Yinglong chanted, "By the power of True Martial, dispel demons and protect my Dharma body!"

Behind him, a faint figure of an immortal general appeared, exuding an imposing presence. Due to his insufficient cultivation, he could not completely manifest it. If he were fighting against a cultivator, this defensive technique would be useless. In this situation, though, it was perfect.

Pushing open the dark-red wooden doors, Zhou Yinglong cautiously stepped inside.

Li Shishan was clearly a seasoned collector of antiques. The attic was split into two levels. The lower floor served as a refined bedroom, adorned with landscape paintings, decorative swords on the walls, and a scholar's desk with the Four Treasures of the Study[1] neatly arranged.

Sweeping his spiritual consciousness across the room, Zhou Yinglong discovered that the upper level was filled with antiques and curios.

He paused at the doorway momentarily before stepping forward. He then spun around, his lightning-sharp gaze locking onto a corner of the single bed.

"What spirit dares lurk here? Show yourself!"

With a flick of his longsword, a wave of true essence surged toward the corner, striking the wall and dispersing soundlessly as if it had no effect.

The detached true essence was not the same as sword energy—the difference in power between the two was vast. Nevertheless, using his spiritual consciousness, he noticed that the true essence had easily shattered a faint, bluish apparition. It dissipated and faded away.

Was that what they called a ghost?

Zhou Yinglong sighed in relief, but he remained vigilant. The yin qi in the attic had only decreased by less than ten percent. There had to be more wandering spirits in the room.

He took careful steps forward, continuing his meticulous search.

Meanwhile, in a bedroom in the eastern wing, Wang Sheng confirmed that no one was around. He then did his best to recall the exorcism spell that his master had taught him, making sure not to forget a single detail.

1. The brush, ink, paper, and ink stone used in Chinese calligraphy. ☜