Chapter 6: Abandoned by the Divine

Wu Tiancai remained calm but knew he couldn’t afford to panic. He was no longer in his prime; his physical strength was waning year by year, and even his magical power was declining. Confronting He Dexin head-on at this moment would be exhausting.

After some thought, he picked up his phone and dialed another number. Once connected, he said, “That young lady from the He family, He Dexin’s seal has been broken! Come to me immediately. We, master and apprentice, must join forces and try to shatter her soul to pieces...”

There was a response on the other end.

Wu Tiancai growled, “What the hell are you saying? How much of what happened back then did we do together!”

His knuckles turned pale from gripping the phone too tightly. Gritting his teeth, he said, “He Dexin is fierce. If I can’t handle her, once I’m gone, do you really think your half-baked skills will suffice?”

The disciple on the phone seemed to agree.

Wu Tiancai’s tone softened. “I know you have your own family now and want to live an ordinary life. Alright, after this is over, I’ll write a will and give you this ancestral shrine as a gift...”

He hung up.

Only then did he notice his hand holding the phone trembling slightly.

In Wu Tiancai’s family shrine stood an ancient mountain deity statue. In earlier days, it was very effective, but its power had gradually faded over time.

He approached the statue, picked up the divination blocks, circled them over the incense burner, then cast them down, saying, “Great Mountain Spirit, please bless me. For all these years I have diligently served you, please help me survive this calamity. I beg you...”

The blocks bounced on the ground, landing with both convex sides up—negative.

What?

Wu Tiancai could hardly believe his eyes.

He threw them again. “Great Mountain Spirit, you can’t ignore me. If I survive, I vow to reform myself!”

Negative again.

Once more.

Negative.

Wu Tiancai trembled all over, staring fixedly at the statue, his eyes reddening. “Fine, if you won’t protect me, then I’ll have to rely on myself...”

He began setting up a ritual altar on the small second floor of his house.

Before long, a black car pulled up.

The door opened, and a man in his forties stepped out, dressed in a gray suit, with a crew cut and ordinary features, but with a subtle, faintly malevolent aura.

This was Wu Tiancai’s early disciple, Awei.

Both were unscrupulous men of low character, bonded by their mutual vices and having used rituals as an excuse to exploit many young girls.

Awei went upstairs...

He hadn’t performed rituals in a long time and was somewhat rusty, but faced with a threat to life, he did his best to recall what he had learned.

Time ticked away.

Master and apprentice sat on edge.

Awei asked, “Do you think He Dexin won’t show up today?”

Wu Tiancai shook his head. “Impossible. She’s been sealed for over a decade, her rage deeper than anyone’s. The moment she’s freed, she’ll come after us for revenge...”

At that moment, the phone rang. Wu Tiancai saw it was the elderly matriarch of the He family calling. He answered, “So, has the jar under the bed been opened?”

The matriarch’s voice came through: “No, the third-floor door is intact. I had to struggle to pry it open, but the jar under the bed still presses down on the photo.”

Wu Tiancai was momentarily stunned, his nerves easing slightly.

Could it be that the small shrine sealing He Dexin on the mountain was only accidentally tampered with by someone careless?

The matriarch’s voice came from downstairs: “Master A’cai, I’m here. The seal on the mountain has been broken. Will that girl Xiao Qi be affected?”

She spoke to herself as she pushed open the first-floor door.

Awei lowered his voice, “She’s entered the first floor. Could she be possessed?”

Wu Tiancai replied, “The mountain spirit guards the living room on the first floor. No matter how fierce a vengeful ghost she is, she can’t get in. We just need to keep watch safely from the balcony...”

On the first floor, as the matriarch stepped in, she staggered back a step.

The mountain deity statue emitted a faint red glow.

But it lasted only an instant before fading.

The matriarch paused, then stepped back over the threshold without resistance. A flicker of joy passed through her eyes as she ascended the stairs, heading directly to the second floor.

Creak...

As the door opened, she saw Wu Tiancai and his disciple dressed in ritual robes and instinctively gave a sinister smile. “Master A’cai...”

Seeing that look, Wu Tiancai immediately reacted, shouting, “Damn it! The mountain spirit isn’t stopping her! Quick, light the lamps and chant the incantation...”

Awei didn’t hesitate, flipping open a scripture and muttering spells.

The matriarch’s cheeks flushed with blood vessels, her expression pained. Gritting her teeth, she spat, “Wu Tiancai, you and your disciple abused He Dexin in the name of rituals sixteen years ago! You drove me to death, insulted me as a jinx, caused me to be dismembered and buried. Now, you’re finished...”

Wu Tiancai had already written He Dexin’s birth chart on yellow paper on the table.

Pressing his left hand on the paper, he raised a wooden talisman resembling an official token in his right hand and shouted, “He Dexin, so much time has passed since then. If you’re free now, wouldn’t it be better to reincarnate? Do you really think avenging us will restore your innocence or bring you back to life?”

Smack!

The wooden token struck heavily on the birth chart!

The matriarch was hit as if by an invisible force, collapsing unconscious to the ground. A pool of black liquid appeared beside her, and He Dexin slowly crawled out from it, blood continuously streaming from her eye sockets...

Smack! Smack!

The token struck her repeatedly, forcing her to lie prone on the floor.

Though Wu Tiancai appeared at ease, each strike made the token heavier in his hand. His magical power was spent after the first three hits; subsequent blows drained his vital energy.

Fortunately, his disciple was assisting; otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten through this ordeal.

Suddenly, Wu Tiancai’s pupils contracted sharply.

A young man ascended the stairs holding a DV camera, a faint smirk on his face. Despite the ongoing magical battle, he strode forward as if oblivious to everything...

Wu Tiancai grew tense, his nerves on edge, his anger rising. He yelled, “Young man, what are you filming!”

It was Li Xuan.

Li Xuan narrowed his eyes, remaining silent. Holding the camera in his left hand, he drew an iron rod from behind his waist with his right. His steps quickened; the rod traced an arc through the air and struck Awei’s head!

A muffled thud.

Awei instantly fell into a deep, infantile sleep.

The chanting ceased. Wu Tiancai, stunned by Li Xuan’s arrival, lost focus and forgot to strike the talisman.

He Dexin darted out from beside Li Xuan, lunging toward Wu Tiancai!

“Seven stars, eight trigrams, wind, forest, fire, mountain, haste as a command!”

Wu Tiancai grabbed the peachwood sword from the table, chanting the spell as he swung it!

The peachwood sword snapped upon impact!

It also injured He Dexin’s palm. Seizing the moment, Wu Tiancai charged toward the stairs, heading down to the first floor. Unexpectedly, three chairs blocked the middle of the otherwise empty stairway.

It was that damned young man!

Wu Tiancai cursed inwardly but had no time to dwell. He leapt up with all his strength but overestimated his physical ability. His feet caught on the chairs, and he tumbled down the stairs, rolling rapidly, his face battered and bleeding...

Dizzy, he staggered to his feet.

His eyes fell upon the mountain deity statue in the shrine. Anger surged within him. Shaking, he approached, overturned the altar table, knocked over the incense burner, and even grabbed the statue from the shrine, hurling it to the ground, cursing, “I’ve worshiped you for so many years! If not for your merits, then at least for your efforts—why do you treat me like this!”