“In the city, there is a household belonging to a Samaritan whose surname is Cui. According to reports, a three-eyed ghost child that has yet to mature dwells in their house. Its yin energy is faint, so it can only appear at night. It delights in frightening people, throwing the Cui household into constant fear. Word has spread throughout the neighborhood, causing quite the disturbance.

“That ghost child is quite clever. Whenever monks go to subdue it, it goes into hiding.

“Benefactors, may I trouble the two of you to go and eliminate this ghost child?”

Master Duanchen had originally planned to send one of his disciples tonight. The three-eyed ghost child was not a formidable ghost; any Qi Training cultivator with a magical treasure could handle it.

The only difficulty was locating it.

But here is a good opportunity—why not ask Benefactor Lu and Benefactor Meng to go instead?

“This shouldn’t be difficult,” the two replied.

Master Duanchen reminded them. “Also, when you eliminate the three-eyed ghost child, it would be best if you make a greater commotion, so that the surrounding households can see what’s happening. Mortals do not understand magical spells and believe that the grander the display, the stronger the individual.”

“This shouldn’t be difficult either.”

~~~

“Excuse me, is this Samaritan Cui’s house?”

A servant boy opened the door, eyeing the two strangers whose attire differed from the locals. “Who are you?”

“I’m Lu Jingzhou, and this is my junior brother, Meng Yang. We happened to be passing through and heard that Samaritan Cui’s household is haunted. We would like to stay over for a night and eliminate this ghost.”

The servant boy’s face lit up with joy. If these two can get rid of the ghost, that would be wonderful. I’ve been sleeping every night in fear.

“Let me inform the family head.” The servant boy hurried off to report to Samaritan Cui.

Samaritan Cui was a stout, middle-aged man. Upon hearing that cultivators were willing to come and eradicate the ghost, he was overjoyed.

After verifying their fabricated identity documents, he politely invited them into his home. “Great masters, you must eliminate that ghost! Our family has been so terrified that we can’t sleep at night.”

“We will naturally do our best.” Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou sat upright as they sipped tea. Their backs were ramrod straight, with only one-third of their buttocks touching the chair, giving off the airs of lofty experts.

“Dad, look what I bought!” A young girl ran into the main hall, giggling. Noticing guests, she slowed to a walk and asked sheepishly, “Who are these two?”

Samaritan Cui shot his daughter a glare before turning to the guests with a smile. “These two are cultivators from the Dao-Seeking Sect in Great Xia. This is Master Lu Jingzhou, and this is Master Meng Yang. Both are great cultivators at the Half-Step Golden Core Stage.

“Great masters, this is my daughter, Cui Que’er.”

“So it’s Young Miss Cui.”

“From Great Xia?” Cui Que’er blinked at them. She then produced a lamp from behind her back. “Then you must know what this is, right?”

“A solar lamp?” Lu Yang thought to himself, How can I not recognize it? I even have a stake in it.

“Hmm, I just bought it from a traveling merchant. They said it lights up without fire.”

Lu Yang nodded and flashed a pure smile of a young hero. “That is true. This item is quite popular in the Great Xia. Even many demons in the Demon Region use it. On the contrary, candles have become rare.”

“Dad, I’ll go back to my room now.” Eager to try out her new mystical lamp, Cui Que’er left in a hurry.

“Sorry you had to see that.”

“Not at all, Samaritan Cui. Young Miss Cui’s lively nature is a good thing.

“By the way, secondhand information is hardly accurate after all. Samaritan Cui, could you tell us about this ghost? It will help us prepare.”

At the mention of the haunting, Samaritan Cui couldn’t stop sighing. “I have no idea how long this ghost has been in our home. Half a month ago, I woke up in the night to use the toilet. The room was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight seeping in.

“I happened to glance at the bronze mirror on the wall and saw two reflections in it!

“I whipped my head around, but saw nothing. When I looked back at the bronze mirror, the second figure had vanished.

“At the time, I thought it was just my imagination and didn’t dwell on it.

“But later, my wife encountered something strange. Ten days ago, she was unable to sleep and went out to the courtyard. Upon arriving at the courtyard, she saw a figure crouched by the wall, craning their neck to look at her. That person had three eyes.

“And that wasn’t even the strangest part. The strangest thing was that our walls were three meters high.

“My wife screamed, and everyone came running out. But that figure by the wall vanished. When a servant boy climbed a ladder to investigate, he found two large black handprints on the top of the wall.

“Since then, our family has often glimpsed evil spirits at night. We’re so terrified that even when we wake up during the night, we dare not open our eyes, fearing what we would see. Great masters, please save our family from this suffering!”

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged a glance. According to the records, the three-eyed ghost child often appeared in mirrors and along walls. It delighted in taking various forms to frighten people, feeding on their fear. Everything matched.

“Rest assured, Samaritan Cui. We, senior and junior brothers, are skilled in subduing demons and vanquishing devils. Tonight, we will eliminate this evil spirit and restore peace to your home!”

Deeply moved, Samaritan Cui rose to bow. “Thank you, great masters!”

Lu Yang lifted his arm. “At midnight, the hour of the rat, we will perform rituals in your courtyard. Please clear space for us.”

“I will send people to get to it at once.” Samaritan Cui promptly instructed the servant boy to clean the courtyard, and it was soon ready.

Following that, Samaritan Cui organized a feast to welcome them. After all, these two are Half-Step Golden Core great cultivators. Dealing with any evil spirit is a walk in the park for them.

Night fell. As midnight approached, Samaritan Cui waited anxiously in his room for the outcome.

Lu Yang planted swords in the courtyard according to the Later Heaven (Manifested) Bagua arrangement. These ordinary spirit swords were used to set up the Langhuan[1] Sword Array. Its power was average, far inferior to the Sword-Exterminating Sword Array, but the display when unleashed was dazzling.

Meanwhile, Meng Jingzhou pretended to perform rituals in the courtyard, though in truth, he was releasing a dense aura of blood and qi.

Under the curtain of night, Lu Yang yelled. “Rise!”

The sword array activated, transforming into an expanse of cyan light that enveloped the entire Cui household. Meng Jingzhou’s blood-qi energy glowed red, drifting toward the sky in strands.

Cyan and red light ran rampant, illuminating the Cui household as bright as day.

“Aaaah! These sword qi hurt!”

A three-eyed monk burst forth from the ground, glaring menacingly at the sword array. “Where did you wild cultivators come from? How dare you meddle in this esteemed one’s affairs?!”

The monk’s neck was unnaturally long, and he exuded an ominous aura, appearing utterly bizarre.

“Whose blood and qi is it? They’re so intense!”

The shadows on the ground writhed, coalescing into a jet-black humanoid figure with two holes in its face, where eyes should have been.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou stared at the three-eyed monk and the hollow shadow in bewilderment.

Who are you guys? Wasn’t it supposed to be the three-eyed ghost child?

Hearing the commotion outside, Cui Que’er rubbed her eyes, wanting to see what was happening.

She was unaware that a child with three eyes was floating right before her face, almost touching it. It revealed an eerie smile, waiting for her to open her eyes!

“Where’s the lamp?” She fumbled for the solar lamp and finally found the switch.

Click.

The lamp lit up. With a shriek, the three-eyed child crumbled to ash.

Struggling to open her eyes, Cui Que’er saw nothing and was somewhat baffled. “Why do I feel like I just heard a scream?”

1. Langhuan is the mythical immortal realm where the Heavenly Emperor’s books were stored. ☜