Mr. Huang shuddered, his eyes wide with terror.
"You truly are a disciple of Master Lin. That… thing really has visited. It has thrown the entire Huang estate into chaos."
Ethan paused for a moment, deep in thought, before turning to Mr. Huang.
"Take me to see your son."
At once, Mr. Huang stood, his face filled with nervous urgency.
"Right this way, masters."
They walked through the corridor until they reached a tightly closed door. Mr. Huang hesitated, his hands trembling as he reached for the handle. Ethan could immediately sense that this room contained the strongest negative spiritual energy in the entire estate.
With a shaky hand, Mr. Huang slowly pushed the door open.
Inside, lying on the bed, was the young master of the Huang family, seemingly asleep, his breathing steady.
Following Mr. Huang, the three approached the bed.
"I don't know what happened," Mr. Huang began. "A few days ago, he returned from the mountains and fell gravely ill. At first, he could wake for a little while, but now… he doesn't respond at all. If it weren't for his breathing, I would think…"
He trailed off, shaking his head in despair.
Ethan stepped forward, placing a hand on the young master's wrist. His spiritual energy flowed through the boy's meridians. After a moment, Ethan rose and looked at the anxious Mr. Huang.
"Your son's soul has been drawn out. Only his human spirit remains. That thing will return tonight. It intends to sever his life completely."
Mr. Huang sank to the floor, Ethan's words echoing in his mind like a death knell.
Suddenly, he lifted his head, desperation and hope mingling in his eyes.
"Master, you must save my son! He is my only child. He cannot be harmed!"
Ethan placed a reassuring hand on Mr. Huang's shoulder.
"Do not worry. If it is an evil spirit causing this, the Maoshan sect will not let it prevail."
Mr. Huang's relief was immediate. He bowed repeatedly.
"Thank you, Master Ethan. Whatever you need, just say the word. I will do everything in my power to provide it."
Ethan considered briefly before replying.
"Have someone prepare a bowl of black dog's blood, a bowl of rooster's blood, and two liang of cinnabar. Send them to this courtyard at the hour of Shen."
"Understood, Master Ethan. It will be done."
Mr. Huang immediately set his servants to prepare the items. Meanwhile, Ethan and his brothers moved to the room next to the young master's to wait.
"Senior Brother, what exactly is that thing? Why did it take his soul and come to kill him?" Evan asked, concern etching his young face. Daniel was equally puzzled.
Ethan's expression was serious.
"If I'm not mistaken, it is not a human spirit. It's likely a mountain spirit that has latched onto your son."
"A mountain spirit? Is it strong? Should we call Master Lin?" Daniel asked, worried.
"No need. This spirit is not fully formed. Its energy is weak, and the setup it has around the young master is crude. It has just come into being."
Both boys exhaled, relieved. Their cultivation levels were not high enough; if the spirit had been stronger, they could have been a liability.
The three settled in quietly. Servants soon arrived with food and the prepared items. Ethan mixed the cinnabar and rooster's blood in precise proportions and began drawing protective talismans on yellow paper.
Daniel and Evan watched closely, fascinated. They had not yet begun learning talismans but were curious to observe the process.
Soon, Ethan set down the brush.
"Evan, place this Spirit-Calming Talisman on the young master's back. Give this Soul-Stabilizing Talisman to Mr. Huang and have him keep it inside his clothing, near his chest."
Evan took the talismans and hurried from the room.
"Now, we wait for that thing to come to us."
Ethan could sense the lingering spiritual energy in the courtyard, understanding why Master Lin had assigned them this task. The energy was not strong at most equivalent to a level-two Qi Refinement cultivator. Daniel's cultivation exceeded it, and Evan's vitality was also sufficient to suppress it. This mission was simply a controlled exercise for the junior brothers.
As the sun set, the courtyard grew colder, frost forming on the leaves of small trees. The three maintained vigilance from inside the room. Having placed concealment talismans on themselves, they were confident they would not be detected.
The moon rose and fell. Midnight approached, and the spiritual energy reached its peak.
"It's coming!" Ethan whispered.
Evan immediately focused, peering outside. Daniel gripped his peachwood sword tightly, tension written across his face.
A small tree in the courtyard shivered without wind. A black figure slowly descended from the roof. The three saw it clearly from their vantage point.
The shadow crept toward the young master's room. The door creaked open as if pushed by an invisible force.
The figure entered. As it reached for the young master's spirit, a golden light shot up from under the boy, startling the shadow back. It tried to flee, but Ethan and his brothers blocked the doorway.
"Three Terraces of the Void, sixfold Pure Melody; bind the soul, illuminate the five organs; talisman deployed, all spirits pacified; Supreme Elder Lord, by the law, act swiftly!"
Ethan recited the Soul-Binding Incantation. The talisman flared, causing the shadow to scream in alarm.
Gradually, the black mist dissipated, revealing a woman in a white robe with a grayish, sallow complexion.
"You wretched Taoist! You ruined my plan! If I escape, I will not forgive you!"
Daniel and Evan stared in confusion.
"Escape? Who do you think you are? You think you can run? You're not going anywhere!"
Seeing the spirit was only at level two Qi Refinement, Daniel's confidence rose. He glanced at Evan.
"Evan, it's just level two Qi Refinement. I'm almost at level three. Your vitality can also keep it suppressed."
Evan smiled and rolled up his sleeves, ready.
The white-clad figure protested.
"What do you want? Don't underestimate me! I am level two Qi Refinement! If provoked, you will regret it!"
Daniel and Evan laughed. The spirit's face darkened.
Ethan smiled as well.
"Enough. Don't you understand the situation?"
He exuded his cultivation aura. Daniel followed suit, and Evan activated his vitality, heat radiating around him. The figure shivered.
Ethan's voice cut coldly through the air.
"Answer my questions truthfully. Do not hold back. Otherwise, our methods are beyond what you can imagine."
He gestured to Daniel and Evan, and the two understood immediately, their expressions turning fierce.
Terrified, the white figure quickly spoke.
"I will say everything! Nothing will be hidden!"
Ethan nodded, satisfied. They pressed the spirit to explain why it had targeted the young master.
The spirit spoke slowly. A rabbit spirit had seen a wounded wolf spirit and sought to kill it, but the wolf had fought back. In the struggle, the wounded wolf began to chase the rabbit. As it nearly succeeded, a human with a hoe struck the wolf's abdomen, fatally wounding it. That human was the young master.
Daniel interrupted, puzzled.
"You're a rabbit spirit, seeking to repay a debt? Then why harm the young master?"
The spirit's voice rose in anger.
"I was the wolf spirit struck dead by that hoe!"
Originally, it had been a newly empowered wolf spirit, capable of cultivating toward enlightenment. But it had encountered a stronger snake spirit in the mountains. They battled, and the wolf was defeated. Fatally injured, it fled, only to be spotted by the rabbit spirit, leading to this chain of events.
Ethan frowned.
"What an unlucky existence. I thought this was some strange tale."
Daniel and Evan were speechless. The wolf spirit had faced defeat after defeat: a strong enemy, then the rabbit spirit, and finally a human hoe. Misfortune had truly piled upon it.
Ethan's gaze hardened.
"You have no karmic burden here. The young master acted unintentionally. The rabbit spirit is not virtuous and will face its own consequences. Release the young master's soul. He will continue his path, and you may still reincarnate. But if you commit murderous deeds out of vengeance, there will be no salvation for you."
The wolf spirit hesitated but dared not argue. A pale white light emerged from its mouth, slowly returning to the young master's body.
Ethan then used an empty wine jar to capture the wolf spirit, removing it from the young master's room.