Zhai Shen or Ghost Soul?

As dawn broke, a commotion arose from outside the Daoist temple.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I heard from afar a chorus of laughter and chatter, mingled with the resounding crowing of roosters.
At this moment, I couldn't help but slip on my sandals and step out of the room, filled with curiosity.

Fourth Martial Uncle and a middle-aged man of about forty were walking and chatting, laughing, in this direction. As soon as he saw me, Fourth Martial Uncle quickly handed me the Agarwood Bagua Mirror.
Truth be told, this mirror was as small as could be. If one were to use it to illuminate demons, they would surely be mocked by the demonic beasts. Did Fourth Martial Uncle need to be so frugal with me?
I couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved and asked him, "Why is the Bagua Mirror so small, Martial Uncle?"
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me disdainfully, "It's only for suppressing evil qi; do you expect me to make one as big as a pot for you to carry?"
The middle-aged man beside him also chuckled teasingly, "Indeed, though small, its efficacy is excellent."
Hearing Fourth Martial Uncle's explanation, I felt somewhat reassured. If the Agarwood Bagua Mirror were too large, it would be very inconvenient to carry.
Seeing me lost in thought, he urged, "Hurry to your foster father to consecrate the Bagua Mirror, then we must descend the mountain."
I nodded in agreement.

The middle-aged man beside him looked at Fourth Martial Uncle with suspicious eyes, "Haven't you always disliked descending the mountain or socializing with anyone?"
Fourth Martial Uncle scratched his head, replying awkwardly, "Not really, it's a long story; I'll tell you when there's an opportunity. Stay here for a meal today."
The middle-aged man shook his head, "I cannot. I still have many goods to make. It was for this Bagua Mirror that I exerted myself to finish it as early as possible for you."
Fourth Martial Uncle happily bowed, "Thank you."
After handing over the Bagua Mirror, the middle-aged man had no intention of staying, so Fourth Martial Uncle had no choice but to see him off for a short distance.
Thereafter, the four of us descended the mountain together.

Ah Liu and the villagers who had been saved earlier were overjoyed to see us and bowed in gratitude. Some even said that had they known there was a master on the mountain earlier, they wouldn't have needed to build a temple to worship Zhai Shen.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Martial Uncle quickly inquired, "How many years has this temple been established?"
The villagers replied with a hint of surprise, "Nearly five years..."
Fourth Martial Uncle muttered to himself, "Nearly five years, and it has enjoyed much incense offerings."
The villagers curiously asked us, "Is something wrong with that temple?"
Fourth Martial Uncle sighed and slowly said, "Extremely wrong. The Zhai Shen is now weaker than the ghost spirits. They are occupying the temple to receive incense offerings. Everyone, stop making offerings now. Tonight, you must stay safely inside your homes, and before each door, place a basin of glutinous rice mixed with cinnabar. No matter what sounds you hear, you must not go outside."

Grandfather took out a stack of talismans from his bag; upon closer inspection, they were House-Guarding Talismans. He instructed everyone, "Tonight, you must directly affix this talisman to your door to hope for peace."
The villagers buzzed with discussion, wondering what was happening. One of them spoke up, "What is going on, sirs?"
Fourth Martial Uncle frowned, his expression turning serious, "You are not worshipping a Zhai Shen, but rather ghosts."
The villagers collectively cried out in fear, "Ghosts?"
Grandfather and Fourth Martial Uncle nodded.
They then carefully instructed everyone on what to do that night.
We also went to the Zhai Shen temple, but Su Ni saw nothing unusual, "Grandfather Chu, I don't perceive any Yin Qi around."
Fourth Martial Uncle also nodded, "No Yin Qi, nor any immortal qi. What exactly is going on here?"
Grandfather sighed, "We can only wait by the tree for the rabbit."
The four of us could only sit and wait for the ghost spirits. I thought that at this point, we had willingly walked into a trap.
After a long wait, I only felt my body drained of blood from mosquito bites, and my eyes no longer obeyed me, sometimes closing on their own as if desiring rest.
I yawned widely. Suddenly, a flicker caught my peripheral vision, and I felt a gust of wind carrying a surge of Yin Qi.
Instantly, Grandfather and Fourth Martial Uncle became fully alert. Su Ni also cried out loudly, "They're here! The Yin Qi is in the temple!"
I was stunned, a little bewildered in my heart, "Are ghosts coming?"
Su Ni shook her head, "No, I only perceive a surge of Yin Qi."
Fourth Martial Uncle glared fiercely and directly charged into the temple.
I observed the surroundings, seeing only thick incense smoke and a Zhai Shen statue, but the statue was strangely shaped, with ancient carvings I had never seen before.
Fourth Martial Uncle didn't let me ponder much and pointed at the statue, "Destroy its golden body!"
I walked over, and as my hand touched the statue, a surge of black qi erupted, directly flinging me away. Fortunately, Grandfather managed to catch me in time.
Fourth Martial Uncle glared, angrily saying, "This was never a Zhai Shen being worshipped from the start; ghost spirits have been receiving offerings for a long time!"
Who would have thought the statue itself would emit a hoarse voice, sounding like a demon from hell, "You have some insight!"
Fourth Martial Uncle brandished his Coin Sword towards the statue and bellowed, "What fiend are you?"
The statue laughed loudly. Its laughter was not friendly, but carried a sense of death, "Fiend? I am willingly worshipped by them, thus I am worthy of being called a deity. By what right do you call me a fiend?"
Fourth Martial Uncle spat, sneering, "I scoff! You cultivate by absorbing others' Yang Qi and call yourself a deity? Then this old man must be a Grand Luo Immortal!"
The statue exploded, emitting a plume of green smoke. A strange figure emerged from the smoke.
He was clad entirely in gloomy black, his eyes devoid of whites, and his mouth filled with fangs.
I felt a surge of fear, my limbs turning weak.
He glanced at me, a look of delight spreading across his face, "Haha, are you bringing offerings to me today? If I devour a Half-Ghost like you, I will surely become even stronger than I am now."
I involuntarily retreated a few steps. He advanced, but Grandfather blocked him with the Dragon-Subduing Sword. As the sword touched his hand, he recoiled in fright, "You are..."
Grandfather maintained his calm expression, "I am a Daoist priest who subdues demons and eradicates evil."
The strange figure opened his mouth and laughed loudly, "Haha, I shall have you all buried together!"
With that, he directly charged at us with his sharp, iron claws. Grandfather and Fourth Martial Uncle formed hand seals, beginning to cast divine spells. As soon as they chanted, Demon-Subduing Talismans directly enveloped him.
He thrashed about ceaselessly like a stranded fish. We thought things would be easy, but unexpectedly, his eyes turned red, and he directly shattered Fourth Martial Uncle's Demon-Subduing Talismans.
He fiercely raised his claws and lunged at us, but fortunately, each of us managed to dodge.
Fourth Martial Uncle, seeing the situation was dire, took out a treasure from his bag, "Purify a Hundred Demons, Subdue Ten Thousand Fiends, Manifest!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a golden net radiating hundreds of ancient characters flew directly to envelop him.
He was significantly injured by the demon-catching net; unable to fight back, he chose to flee.
Fourth Martial Uncle, seeing that he had escaped, stomped his foot in anger, "To think we let it get away!"
Grandfather walked over from a distance and patted Fourth Martial Uncle's shoulder, "Let's pursue it."
Fourth Martial Uncle narrowed his eyes and nodded, "That fiend shall not escape!"
We pursued him to the village but completely lost his trail.