The master simply grunted upon hearing the time and place.
He then asked me to bring out the rat demon.
I quickly entered the house and brought out the rat demon.
It was still confined within a cage.
Upon seeing it, my master directly addressed the demon, saying:
"Dead rat, you'll be sent off tonight. When you meet your mother back home, see if you still get off easy."
The rat demon, hearing my master speak,
Let out a cold snort:
"As long as I don't die, one day, I'll return to kill you all."
"Heh, I fear you won't have that chance."
With that, my master covered the cage with a piece of black cloth…
Since it was still early,
It was only a little past eight o'clock.
So, no one was in a hurry to go.
Yunxia Auntie and Xia Qiuxi sat in our shop for a while, discussing the handover process for tonight.
They then went to my uncle's shop, Wanshoutang.
After Yunxia Auntie left, my master sat in front of his computer playing a game.
I was also bored, so I started browsing short videos.
The more I browsed, the more astonished I became.
I surprisingly discovered that Li Shiyao had become popular.
For the past few days, I had either been wandering in the mountains or cultivating.
I had no time for entertainment.
Now I realized that due to her recently released movie, she had gained significant attention.
Coupled with Li Shiyao's stunning looks and outstanding acting skills,
She had garnered over ten million views on the short video platform…
Just as I was engrossed in watching short videos,
A series of knocking sounds suddenly echoed from outside the door:
"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock…"
Hearing this rhythmic knocking,
My master and I both froze.
We simultaneously glanced towards the main entrance.
I felt waves of chilling energy surging from the doorway, and wisps of black smoke curled out from under the door.
This was a ghost knocking.
Before I could react, my master, who was playing games, shouted towards the door:
"Busy tonight, not accepting business. Come back tomorrow night."
I knew our shop accepted business from ghosts.
After all, before meeting Miao Nanzi, we had encountered a ghost couple who came to buy clothes.
But as soon as my master finished speaking,
Another series of knocking sounds rang out from outside: "Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock…"
And it was getting more urgent, showing no signs of stopping.
My master rolled his eyes:
"Is this ever going to end? I already said we're not doing business tonight…"
But as soon as my master finished speaking,
A mournful female voice echoed from outside:
"We are here to find someone!"
"Find whom?"
My master instinctively replied.
But listening to the voice, it sounded somewhat familiar.
Before I could recall who it was,
The female voice continued, "Looking for Daoist Priest Qin Ze."
My master blinked and glanced at me.
And I suddenly remembered.
This voice sounded a bit like the female ghost from the movie theater.
Back then, the ghost family of five had said they were returning to their hometown in another province.
And after returning, they wanted me to draw them another path-opening talisman to send them off.
"Master, I'll go check!"
I quickly got up and said.
Then, I walked to the door and opened it.
As the door swung open,
Five figures gradually materialized before me.
Two old ghosts, two young ghosts, and one child ghost.
A family of five.
Their faces were pale, and their feet didn't touch the ground.
Their eyes were all gray.
Indeed, it was the ghost family who had sat next to and in front of me in the movie theater.
"Daoist Priest Qin!"
Seeing me, the ghost family immediately spoke.
They all bowed to me.
Seeing it was this ghost family, I smiled and said,
"You're all back!"
As soon as I finished speaking, the child ghost chimed in,
"We've been back for three days, but we haven't seen Uncle Daoist Priest, so we've been waiting for you here."
Hearing this, I looked at the other ghosts.
The other ghosts also nodded.
"Oh, my apologies.
I haven't been working these past few days. Please come in.
I'll draw you talismans and then send you off…"
Upon hearing this, the ghost family's faces lit up with joy.
They thanked me repeatedly.
"Thank you, Daoist Priest, thank you, Daoist Priest Qin…"
Saying this, I led them inside.
Seeing me lead the five ghosts into the house,
My master, without looking, simply turned off the lights.
He calmly asked,
"What's going on, little Qin?"
"Master, it's like this. I previously promised to send them to the underworld.
They came looking for me!"
I replied truthfully, already picking up cinnabar and yellow paper.
"Oh, since it's your business, handle it properly!"
With that, he continued playing his game and lit a cigarette.
The path-opening talisman is a basic talisman that I'm very proficient with, and I finished drawing it quickly.
Then I had them tell me their birth dates and times.
After writing these down,
I lit three incense sticks.
Holding the yellow talisman in my hand, my hand seals shifted.
And I directly chanted in a low voice:
"North Star Seven Yuan Lords, Great Sage Heavenly Stellar God.
Illuminate the paths of the three realms, shine upon the Northern Underworld Palace.
By the edict of Heaven and Earth, I tread through the nine Netherworld gates.
By the command of the Heavenly Venerate, I shatter the gates of Fengdu.
Hasten as the decree of Lord Taiyi who saves from suffering, Er- CHE!"
As I spoke, the path-opening talisman in my hand instantly turned into ashes.
The entire ghost family of five took a deep breath, as if they were alive.
They felt much more at ease.
Seeing this, I said,
"Outside is a three-way intersection. Go to the intersection and head west, and you'll descend."
The ghost family of five thanked me repeatedly upon hearing this.
The two old ghosts even knelt on the ground, wanting to kowtow to me.
I helped them up, saying it was a small matter.
I didn't pay it much mind.
After all, tonight my focus was more on the impending rendezvous with the wild immortals from the bottomless pit.
Just as I thought this matter was over,
The child ghost from the family suddenly spoke to my master, who was smoking inside the counter:
"Grandpa who's smoking, aren't you coming with us?"