The Four Symbols and Five Elements Demon-Tranquilizing Ward

After the paper effigies vanished, Tu Er and I finally regained our composure and looked toward Lao Mu. The two of them were still fighting fiercely.

I sat up. Taking advantage of Master Yao's distraction, I gripped my peach wood sword, used my feet to propel myself off a tree trunk, and lunged forward, intending to stab him. To my surprise, as if anticipating my move, he tilted his head to evade the sword, then struck me with a palm strike that sent me flying.

I tumbled several times on the ground, my chest aching so badly that I could barely breathe. Tu Er quickly rushed over to help me up.

Lao Mu pulled out a talisman, intending to use it against Master Yao. But to our utter shock, before the talisman could even touch his skin, it turned to ashes. This was understandable, as Master Yao had been a ghost-catcher himself in life and knew these talismans inside out.

The situation had truly become a dilemma. Lao Mu went from attacking to defending, and the tide of the battle seemed to turn completely.

Seeing Lao Mu falter, Master Yao bared his fangs and laughed wildly. "Old man, you can't hold on anymore, can you?"

Even at this point, Lao Mu remained stubborn. "Pah!"

Master Yao laughed loudly. Following his laughter, dark clouds gathered, and hundreds of paper effigies emerged from the forest. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed them all. After devouring the paper effigies, his strength surged, and with a single palm strike, he sent Lao Mu flying.

Relying on his hearing, Lao Mu flipped through the air and landed firmly on his feet. Having lost the upper hand in the magical duel, he resorted to verbal jabs, "To think a demon-slaying master would end up as something neither human nor ghost."

Master Yao glared at us with eyes full of resentment. "What good does doing good deeds bring? My son is dead and cannot be brought back. But now it is different. I only need to absorb enough Yin Qi here, then drink the blood of ninety-nine boys and girls, and I will be able to live again as a human and resurrect my son."

Lao Mu retorted, "And you actually believe such nonsense?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Master Yao replied.

Lao Mu frowned, realizing this man was completely unrepentant. "To think you still don't repent even at this stage. You suffered the pain of losing a child, yet now you want others to suffer the same?"

Master Yao grabbed Lao Mu and roared repeatedly, "Shut up! If you hadn't blocked my path and sealed me in that grave, I would have saved my son long ago! I only want my son to live... haha... haha..."

I found this obsession completely unacceptable. If none of us spoke up, he would likely carry this obsession for eternity. "If your son were resurrected at the cost of others' lives, would he accept it? Would he thank you, or would he hate you?"

Master Yao grew furious, his eyes burning red like fire. He growled repeatedly, "Hate me? How could he hate me? He would never hate me..."

Tu Er continued to appeal to his conscience, "The villagers all trusted you. Even in death, they refused to believe you had become a vengeful ghost. Master Yao, only homeless elderly people remain in this village. Do you truly want to kill them too?"

I felt that after these words, his body seemed to relax slightly. I thought Master Yao would attain enlightenment because of this. To our surprise, he suddenly absorbed all the Yin Qi in the area, his eyes burning with murderous intent. The ghostly Qi within him erupted, enveloping the entire Yuanhuan Village in a shroud of gloom.

Relying on his senses, Lao Mu felt Master Yao's ghostly Qi growing stronger. If they hesitated any longer, even a Great Golden Immortal wouldn't be able to subdue him. Lao Mu threw out four statues of the Four Symbols: Xuanwu, Qinglong, Zhuque, and Baihu.

These Four Symbols represented the four cardinal directions:
Qinglong represented the East (originating from the totem of the Dongyi people)
Xuanwu represented the North (the totem of the Huaxia people)
Baihu represented the West (the totem of the Xiqiang people)
Zhuque represented the South (the totem of the Shaohao people)

The four statues guarded the four directions, forming a massive bell that trapped Master Yao inside. Up until now, I had only seen golden or bronze bells... but this bell was completely different. Its surface bore four colors, each representing a direction:
Green in the East
Red in the South
White in the West
Black in the North (which was also the center)

The four divine beasts flickered around the bell. Master Yao inside appeared to be in immense pain. If he did not repent in the end, he would surely perish within this bell.

Tu Er was also astonished by the power of the bell. "Lao Mu, I didn't expect you to possess such a magical treasure."

"This is the Demon-Tranquilizing Bell, which I created based on the Four Symbols and Five Elements," Lao Mu replied proudly.

Just watching Master Yao inside, one could see how agonizing it was for him. Was he to be pitied or blamed? For his son's sake, he had become a vengeful ghost, and now, because of it, his soul was on the verge of scattering.

Believing we had captured Master Yao, we let our guard down. As the sunlight faded, the moment the Four Symbols were at their weakest, the Demon-Tranquilizing Bell was suddenly overturned. Master Yao was whisked away. Through the misty fog, I caught a glimpse of a woman in a red bridal gown. It was definitely Wu Ming.

Lao Mu angrily retrieved the Demon-Tranquilizing Bell into his pouch, cursing repeatedly, "Dammit! To think he managed to escape!"

I stepped forward to assess the situation. "So he escaped his doom once again."

Lao Mu turned his head and said softly, "He was heavily cleansed of his evil Qi by the Demon-Tranquilizing Bell. It will take him a very long time to recover."

"Is it really that powerful?" I asked.

"What do you think?" Lao Mu retorted, as if wanting me to personally acknowledge his prowess.

"Incredibly powerful," I replied, not wanting to disappoint him.

Tu Er and I praised Lao Mu endlessly. Although he was blind, his physical agility and sensory perception were truly extraordinary.

After driving Master Yao out of the village, the three of us finally felt safe enough to find a place to rest. Of course, we weren't foolish enough to return to Master Yao's house. We stayed at a nearby villager's home, and I recounted everything that had happened from the Zhou family home to the red-clothed figure who had just rescued Master Yao.

Hearing this, Lao Mu nodded and said, "The matters of Yuanhuan Village and Wu Ming are definitely connected. As a member of the Daoist sect, I cannot stand by and watch people die. For now, tell your grandfather to be wary of those close to him. Do not let familial bonds indirectly harm everyone. That is a bit of heavenly secret I have discerned."

Lao Mu's words were like a thick fog shrouding my mind. Neither Tu Er nor I could understand what he was trying to imply. I didn't pay it much mind, and instead asked him, "How did you know Master Yao had become a vengeful ghost and come here to help us?"

Lao Mu finished his cigarette, then said softly, "I performed a divination and felt that something was amiss in Yuanhuan Village, so I came to check. It just so happened that I ran into you two."

"Divination? Then why didn't you come earlier to help those harmed by Master Yao?" I asked hastily.

Lao Mu frowned and grimaced. "Do you think the secrets of heaven can be known whenever you please?"