Failed!
Although Li Yan was unwilling to admit defeat, he was helpless.
When he was preparing for the ritual during the day yesterday, he had already faintly discerned the underlying principle, which mainly involved tricking the Ghost God.
This method had a long history and varied forms.
A common practice among the common folk was to raise a boy as a girl or a girl as a tomboy if they had broken some taboo and feared the child wouldn't survive.
The method taught by Widow Wang was exactly like this, and even went a step further—taking advantage of the Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier being trapped inside a chicken's body, they would burn it at noon to avert disaster.
Li Yan didn't understand the deeper principles.
But clearly, the trick had failed.
Looking at the mush of internal organs inside the chicken, his heart grew cold.
Being possessed by that thing was truly terrifying.
The Substitute Divine Statue would likely not withstand many encounters.
He dared not be careless, immediately burning and burying the rooster, and preparing again using the same method.
According to Widow Wang, the ritual needed to be performed for two consecutive nights.
Perhaps tonight he would succeed.
The wait was always somewhat long.
Finally, as night fell and all was silent, Li Yan tied another rooster outside the door and returned to his room to burrow into the ground.
The moonlight this night was even cleaner.
Unlike yesterday, as midnight approached, a sudden chilly wind arose within Li Family Castle.
This wind twisted left and right, carrying dust and fallen leaves, entering from the edge of the village, avoiding the Land God Temple, and spiraling towards Li Yan's home.
In Widow Wang's home, the candlelight was dim.
The young girl had awakened but still stayed within the red circle, holding a horsetail whisk in a strange pose as if listening intently.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, staring fixedly outside and babbling incessantly.
Widow Wang's face turned instantly pale.
"This is bad, the child is in danger!"
...
The chilly wind swirled rapidly in front of Li Mansion.
This wind spun from flat ground, carrying flying dust.
Commoners who saw it would not find it strange, as such dust-laden whirlwinds were common when the weather suddenly changed.
But the large rooster tied at the gate seemed to sense impending danger, its feathers bristling, flapping its wings and trying to jump up and down to escape.
However, it was knocked down by the gust.
Soon, the robust rooster suddenly floated up as if held by an invisible large hand.
With a crack, its head and feet twisted hideously, and its body, along with chicken droppings, fell to the ground, with another gust rising from the ground nearby.
However, its presence was noticeably weakened.
Apparently angered by being deceived repeatedly, the wind spun around in the air, carrying leaves, and flew towards Li Mansion from the side.
Yet before it could get close, it was repelled.
Thud!
The plaque hanging at the doorway, "Hundred Battle Valor," emitted a muffled sound.
This noise was much louder than the previous nights.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After three consecutive collisions, another crack appeared on the "Hundred Battle Valor" plaque with a snap.
This crack was deeper, and the lacquer peeled off loudly.
And the chilly wind seemed much weaker, no longer trying to force its way but rather circling left and right around Li Mansion.
In the darkness, the chilly wind howled.
In an underground room of the side house, Li Yan clutched a knife, vigilant.
Though he couldn't hear the sounds outside, he could feel that the entity had arrived.
The chilling sensation on his back was becoming more distinct.
What's happening tonight?
Something seemed different…
Just as he was puzzled, suddenly he heard a voice next to his ear.
"My boy, where have you gone?"
Vague and tinged with vicissitude, it was his grandfather Li Gui!
This was bad!
A chill ran down Li Yan's spine, his heart racing.
He hadn't been entirely unprepared these past two nights; while boiling porridge, he had added ingredients like schisandra and other calming and heart-nourishing herbs.
There was a time when his grandfather was in poor health, suffering from insomnia and frequent nightmares, and according to the doctor's prescription, he took some herbs which allowed him to sleep through till dawn each time.
Although the old man had been a fierce soldier in his youth, his spirit had been shattered by his father's death, and his health declined more each year, hardly able to bear any shocks.
He naturally dared not mention matters of dealing with Evil Spirits.
Unexpectedly, there was a hitch at this moment.
As Li Yan was becoming increasingly anxious, he suddenly remembered Widow Wang's warning.
There were taboos with this method; no matter what he heard or saw, he must not recklessly show himself, or all would be lost.
Was it true or false?
Li Yan forced himself to calm down, listening intently.
Finally, he noticed something strange.
The voice was vague, echoing repeatedly in his ears.
Logically, if his grandfather got up and didn't see him, he would push the door in and look for him in the house.
The hole he had dug was clearly visible, right in front of the bed, impossible to miss.
The sound echoed from left to right, but still, there was no movement.
It's fake!
Li Yan made this judgment immediately, his heart chilling at the same time.
The Cold Altar Rampant Soldier could even do this?
Not long after, the sound gradually faded away.
Rustle!
Suddenly, the violent trembling of the door threshold sounded again.
It was as if something was furiously shaking the door.
Then, Grandpa's voice rang out again.
"Who is it?"
"Ah, help me, quick!"
The voice was tragic, as if something ominous had occurred.
Li Yan, sweating from his forehead, was equally uncertain.
How could he dare to gamble on such a thing?!
At that moment, an idea flashed in his mind and he pushed the bamboo tube he was using to breathe upwards against his nostrils.
Fortunately, the oilcloth was laid out so that no dust would fall into his mouth.
Through the bamboo tube, Li Yan took a deep breath.
His sense of smell was exceptionally keen, not only capable of detecting those special items but he could also easily identify the scent of ordinary things.
The earthy smell, the rotten smell of old furniture, the scent of deep-fried meatballs on the table...
All these scents were distinguished one by one.
The unique bloody stench of "Blind Old Three" was also present, but very faint, indicating that he had not entered the yard.
And Grandpa's scent was not in the yard either.
Finally, Li Yan's heart settled, cursing inwardly at the same time.
This creature could still deceive people, truly cunning to a chilling degree.
If he hadn't opened his Spirit Root, he would have truly been fooled!
The various sounds came and went; relying on his astonishing sense of smell, Li Yan was never deceived, but it exhausted him both emotionally and mentally.
Eventually, the sound gradually disappeared and no longer occurred.
After an unknown amount of time, a faint crowing of a rooster could be heard.
Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief and emerged from the ground.
But just as his head surfaced,
a chill ran down his spine.
The room was pitch-black, and through the crevices of the papered windows, he could faintly discern the sky.
Although it was after midnight, it was clearly not yet time for the roosters to crow.
He had been fooled!
Li Yan's heart was full of regret.
He hadn't expected to be tricked at the last moment.
Thump!
Just then, a loud noise came from outside the courtyard gate.
This time he heard it clearly, not a hallucination, but something striking the plaque.
Li Yan no longer hesitated and rushed out of the room, knife in hand.
According to Widow Wang, the creature would leave between the end of 1 a.m and the beginning of 3 a.m when the rooster crowed for the first time.
It was about time; he might make it through with the Substitute Divine Statue.
Thump!
Another strike, the sound louder than before.
Even the wooden door of the yard rattled loudly.
Li Yan stood with his knife drawn, his eyes continuously gathering a murderous intent.
As the old saying goes, ghosts fear wicked people, and he, having practiced martial arts for many years, might be able to harm this creature with the fierce Sha residing in his heart.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
Just then, the family's big rooster jumped up on the perch, stretched its neck, and crowed loudly, the sound echoing far and wide.
The striking noises outside also stopped abruptly.
Simultaneously, the neighbor's roosters began to crow.
Through the crack in the door, Li Yan could smell the faint scent of "Blind Old Three" rapidly fading.
Perhaps due to the collisions with the "Hundred Battle Valor" plaque, the scent of "Blind Old Three" became extremely faint, causing all the dogs in the village to bristle and bark wildly.
Even so, Li Yan did not act recklessly.
Only when a hint of dawn appeared on the horizon did he finally step out the door.
As expected, the large rooster tied at the gate had died again.
Its death was even more tragic than yesterday, clearly showing that the creature was extremely angry after being deceived repeatedly.
Li Yan's face darkened, devoid of any joy from escaping death.
He had witnessed just how cunning and terrifying this thing was last night.
What would he do the next time?
Crack!
The "Hundred Battle Valor" plaque finally could not hold up and cracked open a long gap from the bottom, while at the same time, the scent of incense quickly dispersed.
Li Yan sighed in his heart.
Another treasure guarding the house had been destroyed, really when it rains, it pours.
Just then, from the crack in the "Hundred Battle Valor" plaque, some things fell out, clinking and rolling on the ground—three copper coins.
Li Yan picked them up one by one and examined them carefully.
He saw that the copper coins, round with square holes, had patterns completely different from the usual ones; one side was embossed with the image of a Divine General in armor, surrounded by tiny runes.
On the other side, there were carvings of the sun, moon, stars...