Chapter Fourteen: Exorcism

“Five-Thunder Talismans must be used together with incantations, and different incantations serve different purposes. The incantation I used last time summoned divine thunder to drive away evil spirits. If you change it to the House-Protecting Incantation, the Five-Thunder Talisman can protect a home as well. But be very careful when using it. The Five-Thunder Talisman is far too overbearing and belongs to the category of fierce talismans. Used improperly, it can damage your accumulated virtue. Also, take your time. Don’t rush. Don’t sketch one stroke here and another there—try to complete it in a single continuous flow.”

As Mo Li explained the Five-Thunder Talisman, she watched Liu Jun’s grotesque scrawl with helpless resignation.

“Got it,” Liu Jun replied.

Sigh. He was learning Taoist arts to make money. He lowered his head and diligently drew talismans, continuing all night. If he had put this much effort into his studies back in school, getting into Tsinghua or Peking University would have been no dream at all.

“Mo Li, tell me—if there were two children who were originally lively by nature, but after encountering something strange suddenly changed completely and became quiet and withdrawn, what would that mean?” Liu Jun suddenly remembered something as he drew the talisman and raised his head to ask Mo Li.

Before, he had not known whether the old man and Mo Li truly understood Taoist magic, so he had never asked. But now that he had seen Mo Li kill that great snake spirit with a single thunder talisman, he figured he might as well ask. After all, the fried-noodle vendor was rather pitiful. If he could help, he should.

“Children have weak yang energy, so they are easily exposed to unclean things. The two children you mentioned have probably been possessed by something filthy. You can bring them here tonight and let me take a look. I may be able to drive it out.”

“All right. Thank you, Mo Li. I’ll try to bring them here tonight and have you take a look.”

Mo Li said nothing. She merely smiled at him before heading upstairs.

Liu Jun watched her disappear up the stairs, tidied up downstairs, locked the shop, and set off for the market.

Since it was morning, there were few customers buying fried noodles. From a distance, he saw the vendor squatting and smoking, probably worrying about his two children. His face was full of sorrow.

“Big brother, do you remember me? I’m the one who came by to buy fried noodles a few days ago,” Liu Jun said as he walked up to him.

“Oh, I remember now. You’re the kid who tried to eat without paying the other day.”

The vendor stood up and stared at him suspiciously for a moment before suddenly realizing who he was.

He really was direct. And he certainly had a good memory.

“So... want a portion of fried noodles?” the vendor asked awkwardly, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed.

“No, no need. Well, you said the other day that both your children had encountered something evil, right? I know an expert. You can take them to see him. Whether they can be cured or not, if there’s even the slightest hope, we ought to give it a try, shouldn’t we?”

“All right. I’ll listen to you. When and where? I’ll bring the children. It’s just that I’ve been running around trying to get them treated, and I only have a few thousand left. I probably can’t pay the master very much.”

The vendor hesitated for a long while, his face troubled.

“Don’t worry. He won’t charge you. Just go. The address is No. 89 Zhiyang Road. Come after eleven tonight. I’ll be waiting for you at the shop.”

Liu Jun smiled, though he was muttering inwardly.

That wealthy old man had paid three hundred thousand. Even if the old man took pity on this vendor, wouldn’t he still charge eighty or a hundred thousand? He wondered whether he could owe it for now.

“All right. No matter what happens, thank you. I can tell you’re a good person.”

The vendor’s face lit up when he heard that it would cost nothing.

People who had never been poor could never understand what it meant for a single coin to bring a hero to his knees. Besides paying for medical treatment everywhere, he still had two children in school. The vendor was probably truly out of money.

Wait—had the vendor just given Liu Jun a “good person” card?

How miserable. The first “good person” card of his life had not come from a girl, but from a fried-noodle vendor.

Life, you really are one hell of a sad story.

“You’re welcome, big brother. Don’t forget to come tonight.”

Without waiting for the vendor to say anything else, Liu Jun carried his good-person card home and went to sleep. He still had another night shift ahead of him.

He slept until evening. When he woke and checked the time on his phone, it was already after eight. After washing up, he left the house, bought a steamer basket of buns from a street stall, and took the bus to the shop.

Once inside, he went to the counter and took out the book the old man had given him. He read while chewing on his buns. Time passed slowly, and just as the book was about to lull him to sleep, footsteps sounded at the entrance.

The vendor entered with his two children.

Liu Jun checked the time. It was a little after ten forty. Mo Li would be coming down soon. That girl was exceptionally punctual—she appeared at exactly eleven every time.

“Big brother, don’t worry. Have a seat with the children for a while. The expert I told you about will be down soon.”

The two children neither cried nor fussed, and they did not look around. They had no spirit in them at all. Ordinary children brought to a place like this at such an hour would probably have been crying for their mothers by now.

Liu Jun picked up a teacup and poured the vendor some tea.

“All right, all right. I’m not in a hurry.”

The vendor accepted the cup awkwardly. It was obvious that he was nervous.

It was not long before Mo Li came downstairs.

When she reached them, she did not speak to the vendor. Instead, she took the boy’s hands in both of hers and examined his palms for a while before releasing them. Then she repeated the same thing with the girl’s hands. Afterward, she stared at the girl in puzzlement.

“Bring me a brass basin and some spirit money.”

As Mo Li drew something on the boy’s brow, she spoke to Liu Jun.

Liu Jun promptly fetched a brass basin and some spirit money and placed them in front of the boy.

The fried-noodle vendor seemed about to say something, but he was afraid of disturbing Mo Li and remained silent.

The boy completely ignored everything they did. He neither resisted nor tried to run.

“Whoever you are, the child was ignorant and offended you. But you have tormented him for quite some time, and he has suffered enough. Now release the child, take the money, and leave. Do not come back.”

Mo Li pressed one finger of her left hand against the boy’s brow while holding the spirit money over the brass basin with her right, signaling Liu Jun to set it alight as she murmured the words.

Liu Jun quickly lit the money, and Mo Li tossed it into the basin.

The spirit money burned away in no time. Suddenly, a small whirlwind rose above the brass basin, spiraled for a moment, and then fell still.

Mo Li stared at the little boy for a while.

“You’ve accepted the offering and still refuse to leave? Since you won’t take the gentle way, you can have the harsh one!”

Mo Li sneered at the boy.

It was the first time Liu Jun had seen her angry. He had to admit, even when she was angry, she was beautiful.

Mo Li paid no attention to what Liu Jun was thinking. Her hands moved rapidly through a series of seals, so quickly that they left only a blurred afterimage. With a sharp crack, she struck the boy.

The boy convulsed violently, and a mass of black smoke rose from his body.

“Damn Taoist! Why meddle in our affairs? I’ll kill you sooner or later!”

A sinister voice came from within the black smoke.

Though the smoke shouted viciously, it fled at once. It barely paused before drifting toward the door.

The wind chime hanging there swayed gently. A flash of fire burst forth, and the mass of black smoke was truly burned into nothing by the Fire-Bell.

What an incredible wind chime!

That was why Liu Jun had wondered how Mo Li could remain so calm while watching the black smoke escape.

Mo Li took the boy’s hand and felt his pulse, then pried open his eyes and examined them.

“He’s fine now. There’s nothing more to worry about. Just give him some nourishing food when you get home.”

With that, she turned toward the counter.

Wait, wasn’t there still a little girl? Had Mo Li forgotten about her?

Liu Jun was just thinking this when the vendor cried out anxiously, “Master, master, please save my daughter too!”

“Your daughter is pretending. She isn’t possessed by a ghost. There’s nothing I can do for her.”

Mo Li stopped and turned around.

“Pretending?”

The fried-noodle vendor stared at her in disbelief, then turned to look at his daughter.

“Daddy, I didn’t mean to deceive you. Mommy doesn’t want us anymore, and with my brother like this, I was afraid you wouldn’t want him either. So I pretended to be like him. That way, you wouldn’t abandon my brother. Daddy, please don’t abandon us, all right? I promise I’ll be obedient from now on.”

The little girl rushed over and clung to her father’s leg, sobbing.

Her thoughts were simple and innocent, yet kind. If she became ill just like her brother, then her father would not abandon either of them.

“Ah... It’s because Daddy is useless that you’ve had to suffer.”

The fried-noodle vendor did not blame the child. Instead, he blamed himself.

Liu Jun left the family to themselves and walked over to Mo Li with a heavy heart.