Wow! Wow!
In the black night, a flock of crows fluttered chaotically.
The dense forest intertwined, with candle flames and lanterns flickering faintly.
Perhaps because too many dead were buried here, this chaotic graveyard was far from desolate. Instead, it was shaded by lush trees, with wild grass growing unusually thick.
A gloomy mist rose, obscuring human figures beyond a hundred meters.
The dim light, coupled with the rain-slicked ground, caused people to slip and fall from time to time.
Among the group, there were no shortage of timid souls.
As they walked, they glanced warily around, always feeling that something in the eerie mist was watching them, making their scalps tingle.
But recalling Wang Daoxuan's orders, none dared to speak.
Li Yan, naturally, walked at the forefront.
His left hand rested on the hilt of his sword, while his right held a bamboo pole.
The advantage of his supernatural sense of smell was most evident now.
Though the surrounding mist was thick and the darkness oppressive, various scents reached his nose, easily distinguishable.
He could smell rotting leaves, venomous insects scuttling through the grass, and even a poisonous snake coiled on a branch dozens of meters away. Not even a rat burrowing several meters underground could escape his nose.
To him, this dark forest was as clear as day.
But what drew Li Yan's attention most was the sinister aura of this place.
He had wandered through Xianyang City a few times, a place brimming with human vitality. As a grand city of a thousand years, filled with thriving temples and abundant incense, it was well-suited for human habitation.
Only a few wells and hidden passages there held faint traces of阴气 (yin qi).
Here at the chaotic graveyard, however, the sinister aura was starkly evident.
Unlike the cold altar's frenzied soldiers of old, this was a chilling, deathly, and decayed scent, permeating every corner, seeping into the earth, and clinging to the roots of grass and trees.
Thus, the vegetation here flourished abnormally, and thick fog lingered even on clear days.
Rustle! Rustle!
As the bamboo pole prodded, all manner of venomous insects and snakes scattered in alarm.
Wang Daoxuan, knowing Li Yan's capabilities, focused on surveying the terrain, holding a lantern and observing the movements of his compass.
The art of feng shui and geomancy was vast and profound.
Those who could read feng shui might not necessarily know how to create a feng shui arrangement.
Wang Daoxuan dabbled in various techniques, but most were at a rudimentary level. Only in feng shui and divination had he invested significant effort.
Before long, he found a suitable spot. Passing through a dense thicket, he raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.
This was a peculiar area.
Close to the thick forest, yet not a blade of grass grew here. Strange, jagged rocks stood upright, like inverted halberds, resembling a natural ruined temple within the mountain.
Li Yan sniffed the air, a curious glint in his eyes.
He could smell the sinister aura converging here, like an undercurrent in a river, swirling and circling, faintly forming a palpable force.
The moment he stepped into the clearing, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Li Yan understood at once—this must be the "force" Wang Daoxuan had spoken of!
Between heaven and earth, righteous and sinister energies flowed, forming a "force." With further refinement, it could become a "formation."
The greatest difference between a "force" and a "formation" was that the former, like a swirling undercurrent, relied on the external environment, while the latter created a self-contained one.
The two were merely terms, with no hierarchy between them.
The "force" of great mountains and rivers, vast and majestic, like a divine sword thrust into the earth, was far more powerful than the "formation" of some obscure corner.
The world's arrays, feng shui, and even treasure-hiding grounds were all tied to these concepts.
This, clearly, was an ideal place for conducting a ritual.
Yet Wang Daoxuan was in no hurry. He stepped forward, circling with his compass, then dug into the surface soil with a shovel, grabbing a handful of dirt and tasting it.
Pah!
After a quick taste, he spat it out, then stood and drew a circle on the ground with a branch, nodding to the group.
Sha Lifei immediately stepped forward, leading a few others to unload their packs.
Inside were wooden boards and sticks, all with mortise-and-tenon joints. In moments, they assembled a square table, draped it with yellow cloth, talisman paper, and the five offerings—incense, flowers, lamps, water, and fruit—forming a makeshift altar.
Finally, Master Zhou approached cautiously.
He carried a wooden box on his back, covered with red cloth. Carefully unveiling it, he revealed a painted clay idol, dressed in a red bellyband, holding a shadow-puppet stick, its smile simple and endearing.
This was the ancestral idol of the Chunfeng Troupe.
Li Yan could smell only faint traces of incense on it, suggesting it had once enshrined something, though that presence had long dissipated.
This was not uncommon.
Whether an idol or a temple to a local deity, to some extent, they too were a "force" or "formation," primarily driven by divine righteousness.
If the connection faded, the spirit weakened, or the incense offerings ceased, the "force" would dissipate.
In cases like the cold altar's frenzied soldiers, they might even cause harm.
That morning, Wang Daoxuan had opened the idol, carefully cleaned it, fumigated it with pine resin incense, and placed within it beads and locust wood to symbolize internal organs.
This was the ritual of "installing the viscera."
Though not as potent as temple idols, if a sufficiently powerful entity was invited and sustained with daily incense, it could protect the Chunfeng Troupe.
With everything prepared, the group waited in peace.
Before they knew it, the hour of Yin (3–5 a.m.) arrived.
At Wang Daoxuan's signal, the Chunfeng Troupe, led by Master Zhou, began burning paper money and ingots. Holding three sticks of incense, they bowed sincerely, silently reciting the invocation to summon the deity.
Meanwhile, Wang Daoxuan held a bag of incense ash, circling the altar and sprinkling three concentric squares.
These three ash circles symbolized city walls.
This was to build a parasol tree to attract the phoenix.
But what exactly would be drawn here, even Wang Daoxuan could not be certain.
Following the familiar process, he stood before the altar, chanting scriptures and incantations, stepping in the pattern of the Big Dipper. Then, holding a mouthful of clear water, he sprayed it forth.
In an instant, wind and water stirred, and the altar took on a "force."
Unlike the last time, however, the surrounding sinister aura began to flow, swirling around the altar, forming an even stronger "force."
Ordinary people could not perceive this.
But as a chilling wind rose and the temperature dropped again, even Master Zhou began to feel uneasy, clutching his three incense sticks and praying fervently.
As for Li Yan, he stood at a distance, gripping his sword.
He had another task, one critical to the success of this ritual.
Whoosh~
Suddenly, the surrounding eerie wind grew stronger.
A faint hissing sound arose in the night mist.
The sound was elusive yet clear, reaching everyone's ears.
Master Zhou's face lit up, and he looked to Wang Daoxuan.
This was a sign that something had been attracted. Now, they need only cut an opening in the ash circles to signify opening the city walls and inviting the deity to reside.
They had never had such success before.
Yet Wang Daoxuan remained unhurried, glancing at Li Yan.
Li Yan took a deep breath.
He could smell a cold, snake-like stench circling in the distance.
Judging by the intensity of the scent, it was only slightly stronger than an ordinary yin soul.
This thing was far from sufficient…
Li Yan shook his head slightly at Wang Daoxuan.
Understanding, Wang Daoxuan ignored the sound, leading the group to continue the invocation.
Sure enough, the snake-like stench lingered briefly before dissipating.
After another half-stick of incense burned,
Wow! Wow!
The cawing of crows echoed through the dark mist.
Like the hissing, it was faint yet clear to the ear.
Without Li Yan's judgment, Master Zhou's face darkened, visibly troubled.
Crows were the most inauspicious creatures.
Not only were they birds, symbolizing a troupe's wandering hardship, but their calls could attract malevolent spirits, symbolizing death.
Inviting such a thing was akin to inviting disaster.
Helpless, the group continued the invocation.
But a trace of worry appeared in Wang Daoxuan's eyes.
There were taboos about inviting deities—only three attempts were permitted.
On the third try, whatever appeared had to be accepted, or the night's ritual would fail.
Not only would they summon nothing, but descending the mountain would invite attacks from malevolent spirits.
At this thought, doubt crept into Wang Daoxuan's mind.
He had chosen this place, a convergence of sinister aura in the chaotic graveyard, known as an "old yin coffin." Surely, powerful entities roamed here.
If a "formation" were established, it might even spark a conflict among yin entities.
Why, then, were only trivial things appearing—not even a clear breeze?
This shouldn't be…
Something's wrong—someone's sabotaging us!
Realization hit Wang Daoxuan. Ignoring the taboos, he approached Li Yan and whispered, "Someone's set up a formation to interfere. Find a way to drive them off, or we'll attract something sinister, and none of us will escape!"
Li Yan nodded, darting into the darkness.
With his supernatural sense of smell, the dark forest posed no obstacle. Gripping his sword and crouching low, he moved like a phantom.
Soon, he caught an unusual scent.
It was the stench of wild dogs, mixed with a heavy reek of corpses, and there were many.
Li Yan immediately changed direction, leaping onto a small hillock, crouching behind a tree to peer out.
Below, in a clearing, stood a dense pack of wild dogs, massive in size, their eyes glowing blood-red in the dark, eerie and chilling.
Behind the pack stood several beggars.
Dressed in tattered rags, they held dog-beating sticks in one hand and tossed dark, foul-smelling objects from torn cloth sacks with the other.
The objects reeked of corpses yet carried an oddly enticing aroma.
The dogs scrambled for them silently.
Human flesh!
Li Yan's eyes narrowed, instantly recognizing it.
Though unclear why these wandering beggars were causing trouble or what secret methods they used, he knew they must have more tricks planned.
They had to be stopped immediately!
With this thought, Li Yan scanned his surroundings, picked up a stone, and hurled it with the force of a flying locust.
Whoosh!
The moment the air whistled, one beggar's head burst with blood, and he collapsed with a scream.
This startled the dogs.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Scenting blood, the pack erupted into chaos, saliva dripping as they lunged toward the fallen beggar…
*(End of Chapter)*