Crack! Crack! Crack!
Chen Xijiu's eyes were vacant, resembling someone who had lost his mind, as his hands continually slapped the sides of his mouth.
Before long, his cheeks turned completely bruised and red, with blood seeping from the corners of his mouth.
If he continued torturing himself like this, it would only be a matter of time before he ended up beating himself to death.
"A sign of great misfortune? Can it be resolved?"
Sun Yan put on the Big Red Numbered Shirt, wrapped the Battle Skirt around himself, and walked forward carrying the Golden Halberd to ask.
"Hard to say, the situation of his possession looks too complicated. Without an altar, I'm not confident."
Zhou Haidong reached out to lift Chen Xijiu's eyelid, revealing a black line across his eyeball, a sign of being afflicted by Black Magic.
"This place seems to have some connection with the Black Magic Master," Zhou Haidong said gravely.
Sun Yan squatted down, took all the peace talismans Zhao Chuan Yi had previously given him, and stuck them onto Chen Xijiu's forehead.
Only then did the guy slowly calm down, kneeling in place motionlessly, although his expression remained vacant.
It seemed the problem on him hadn't been completely resolved; the peace talisman could only temporarily suppress it.
Zhou Haidong glanced at the outfit Sun Yan had just changed into and subconsciously assumed he had taken it out from a carry-on bag and put it on.
Different Eastern Exorcists would have their own methods and outfits; Zhou Haidong was no exception. During rituals, he would put on a Magic Robe passed down by his master.
Some Shamans from the Folklore Association and members from Wild Grass Mountain would do the same during ceremonies.
So, Zhou Haidong wasn't surprised that Sun Yan suddenly changed into the Nuo Opera Costume of the Mountain-Opening Fierce General. Instead, he thought Sun Yan was about to get serious.
"Chen Xijiu, Chen Xijiu?"
Sun Yan stared at the vacant-eyed Chen Xijiu, calling softly, attempting to wake him from his soul-lost state.
Just then, Chen Xijiu's eyes suddenly rolled, his eyeballs constantly flipping upwards.
Soon, his eyes appeared only white, and his limbs creaked like the sound of wood snapping.
In front of Sun Yan and Zhou Haidong, he rose from the ground in an eerie posture.
"What's my name? What's my name?"
A voice not his own came from Chen Xijiu, asking Sun Yan and Zhou Haidong.
The initially calling Sun Yan immediately shut his mouth, casting an unfriendly gaze at the man before him.
The Mountain Chasing Manual mentioned that if someone possessed suddenly asked you his name, you must never answer.
If the entity learned the person's name, their life would be in its control.
Seeing Sun Yan and Zhou Haidong remain silent, Chen Xijiu suddenly ran madly toward a wall of the nearby room.
Sun Yan realized too late to pull him back, watching helplessly as Chen Xijiu dashed into the giant banner hanging on the wall.
Yet the imagined scene of head-crashing blood and brain matter did not occur.
Chen Xijiu passed through the banner, swiftly disappearing inside the room.
It turned out a hidden passage entrance was concealed behind the banner.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Xijiu had rushed into the tunnel, vanishing without a trace.
"This..." Zhou Haidong was somewhat baffled, unsure whether to pursue Chen Xijiu for rescue or remain to save Wang Heqiang.
Both were possessed. If left unchecked, their lives might be at risk.
"Chairman Zhou, wake Wang Heqiang up first; then we can go together to find Xijiu," Sun Yan said, looking at the suddenly appearing unknown tunnel entrance with a helpless sigh.
Though he had Magical Artifacts, he really couldn't do it all.
Leaving Zhou Haidong here to care for Wang Heqiang and going into the tunnel alone to find Chen Xijiu.
If danger befell Zhou Haidong after his departure, Sun Yan would not reach back in time to save him.
In such an already dangerous environment, spreading personnel further was inadvisable.
Thus, the immediate priority was ensuring Zhou Haidong and Wang Heqiang's safety before considering finding Chen Xijiu.
Zhou Haidong snapped back to reality, hurried to retrieve the Cyan Stone Magical Artifact he had thrown to deal with the red-clad Evil Spirit earlier.
He quickly approached Wang Heqiang, kneeling in worship before the headless bronze statue, extending his hand to lift Wang Heqiang up, assessing his condition.
"He's possessed, with an extremely foul, evil force inside of him."
As Zhou Haidong noticed the large black spot on Wang Heqiang's forehead, his expression grew heavy. Without further ado, he pressed the Cyan Stone Magical Artifact in his hand against Wang Heqiang's brow.
As Zhou Haidong muttered spells, constantly whipping Wang Heqiang's head with the Peach Wood Branch.
Wisps of wicked energy floated out of Wang Heqiang's system, all absorbed by the Cyan Stone Magical Artifact.
Wang Heqiang's originally gloomy complexion began to gradually return to normal, his face regaining some color.
Meanwhile, the Cyan Stone in Zhou Haidong's hand turned completely black, and its surface showed signs of cracking with seams that indicated it might shatter at any moment.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Wang Heqiang, kneeling on the ground, suddenly coughed, clutching his neck painfully.
When he lowered his head to spit, several thin, long worms sprayed from his mouth, mixed with congealed black blood, splattering onto the ground, looking quite eerie.
"What's this?"
The newly conscious Wang Heqiang glanced around in confusion.
"No time to explain now, we'll discuss it on the way. Let's save the others first." Sun Yan reached out to pull him from the ground, then led the way toward the entrance of the tunnel.
Zhou Haidong glanced sorrowfully at the completely blackened Cyan Stone Magical Artifact in his hand.
The amount of wicked energy absorbed from Wang Heqiang greatly exceeded the limits of this Cyan Stone Magical Artifact. Now it was practically useless.
As a Spirit Medium, Zhou Haidong only had a sensing connection with the Cyan Stone God he worshiped. Producing a Cyan Stone Magical Artifact with Cyan Stone Divine Power wasn't easy.
Coming to Chen Family Village to assist in Exorcism, the cost was indeed very high.
Seeing Sun Yan already entering the tunnel, Zhou Haidong couldn't bother caring for his pain, hurriedly following along with Wang Heqiang.
...
The time this tunnel existed seemed quite ancient.
The walls on either side of the tunnel, for some reason, had been brushed with vast amounts of red scripture. Every few meters, frames without doors stood on the path.
These door frames were wrapped with an abundance of Yellow Talismans, with a rusty sword and knife hanging from the beams.
Upon closer approach, every Yellow Talisman bore the words "Bless with Wealth" and "Universal Peace."
In a place like this, these scenes now felt inexplicably sinister.
"Bless with Wealth, Universal Peace? What's the meaning, and why would someone place these talismans here?" Wang Heqiang asked in confusion.
"These are words from the Black and White Impermanence Official Hats. Folklore states seeing these words is akin to seeing Seventh Uncle or Eighth Uncle themselves, frightening away Evil Spirits."
Sun Yan observed the sword and knife suspended from the beam: "Weapons have dispelled evil since ancient times. Knives and swords cannot coexist unless faced with truly potent, untameable evils; otherwise, weapons cannot be placed together lightly, for mishap may occur. It's surprising this place has been arranged as a Fengshui setup, seemingly intending to seal something."
Sun Yan and the others passed through three door frames, and ahead lay a crossroads.
At the core of the crossing, two child-like dolls, backs to each other, pointed towards the left and right sides.
Sun Yan looked toward the left end of the tunnel, discovering a small altar laid there, with nine plucked chickens neatly arranged atop.
At this moment, a shadow squatted before the altar like a prowling wolf, clutching a chicken for frantic consumption, filling the once silent passage with the chilling sound of shattering bones.
He could not help but feel a chill up his spine, his hackles rising.
Sun Yan's eyes changed slightly. The shadow was Chen Xijiu.