Arriving at the cemetery's main gate.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
I stepped forward and asked my master:
"Master, are we waiting here, or going into the cemetery?"
Hearing my question, Master glanced at Yunxia Gu beside him.
Yunxia Gu replied:
"They only mentioned Nanshan Cemetery, not whether to go inside.
I think we should wait outside!"
Everyone nodded upon hearing this.
Outside Nanshan Cemetery was a road.
There were no streetlights, and it was pitch black.
We stood at the cemetery's main gate, waiting.
The agreed time was Zi Shi, midnight.
It was only half past eleven now, with half an hour remaining.
Everyone was bored, chatting amongst themselves.
I secretly glanced at my master a few times, only to find him acting as if nothing were amiss.
He showed no trace of melancholy about his illness.
On the contrary, I was the one who kept thinking about it, filled with hidden worries.
"Qin Ze, you seem troubled?"
Xia Qiu Xi suddenly spoke beside me.
Seeing Xia Qiu Xi say this, I quickly shook my head:
"No, no, what worries could I possibly have? What were you guys just talking about?"
I feigned a smile.
Because Master had previously told me to keep his condition a secret.
Especially from Yunxia Gu and her disciple.
Seeing me respond this way, Xia Qiu Xi didn't press further.
Old Mo chimed in:
"We were just discussing how, once I get my driver's license, I can drive myself to exorcise demons.
Now, every time we go out, we have to take taxis, and we can't even talk about things properly in the car, it's so inconvenient..."
Hearing this, I joined the conversation with a smile.
At the same time, I took the opportunity to ask about matters within the Taoist sects.
For example, which inheritances still existed in various regions, and how were famous ones like Maoshan and Longhushan faring.
Xia Qiu Xi, having nothing else to do, casually explained to Old Mo and me.
After all, she came from a prestigious sect.
And these inherited sects maintained private communication, so she naturally knew more than we did.
In the idle chat with Xia Qiu Xi.
Old Mo and I gained a basic understanding of the current Taoist sect landscape.
For instance, each sect had identification tokens, passwords, and talismans to prove their identity.
After all, our profession involved living on the edge.
These items allowed sect members to verify each other's identities promptly.
That's why Xia Qiu Xi, upon meeting us for the first time, asked for these items to confirm our identities.
However, Old Mo and I were newcomers.
My master and uncle had been in seclusion for decades.
They had long been disconnected from the current Taoist world.
Therefore, they had never briefed us on these matters.
From Xia Qiu Xi, we learned many rules.
We even received a link to an encrypted forum.
She mentioned this forum was a small community for current sect exchanges.
Any new happenings in the Taoist world could be discussed there.
Hearing this, Old Mo and I became excited.
It felt as though the vast world was no longer lonely.
I clicked on the link, only to discover it required administrator authentication and recommendations from three existing members.
In short, it was very strict; one couldn't just enter.
But Xia Qiu Xi said we didn't need to rush.
She would find people to recommend us later...
I truly never expected.
That Taoist priests who fought demons, the urban exorcists, now had their own community forums.
It seemed times were indeed developing.
Our profession hadn't fallen behind.
Only those of us, the unaffiliated Taoist priests disconnected from the sects, had.
As we chatted, it was already midnight, Zi Shi.
Precisely on time.
The rat demon, confined in the cage, became alert.
It immediately climbed onto the cage, peering into Nanshan Cemetery.
Simultaneously, a gust of demonic wind swept through the surroundings.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Faintly, a subtle demonic aura permeated the air.
Master and the others immediately fell silent, looking around.
My master then spoke:
"Everyone, be quiet. Xian'er from Wudi Dong should have arrived."
Upon hearing this, the three of us juniors quickly fell silent.
The next second, we heard a "squeak, squeak, squeak" sound of rats.
Dozens of rats suddenly darted out from both sides of the road.
These rats showed no fear of us; after appearing, they slowly crawled around us.
In circles, they surrounded us in the middle, forming a distinct pattern.
Watching these rats, we dared not move, simply observing them.
Yunxia Gu, at this moment, looked at the rat swarm.
She spoke:
"This humble Taoist, Yunxia, a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, by order of my sect.
Awaits the Immortal from Wudi Dong here to hand over the Wudi Dong sinful rats."
As she spoke, she even bowed to the surrounding rat horde.
After hearing her words, these rats all retreated, clearing a path.
The next second, footsteps were heard.
A figure emerged from the main gate of Nanshan Cemetery.
I narrowed my eyes.
Under the moonlight, I saw an old woman, seventy or eighty years old, with sparse white hair.
Her posture was slightly hunched, and she wore a black funeral garment.
With one hand, she cradled a rat as large as a cat.
With her other hand, she continuously stroked the rat's back as she walked step by step.
Seeing this, my pupils suddenly widened in surprise.
Because I realized I knew this old woman.
It was none other than the proprietress of the Rose Supermarket in the cemetery, the auntie who catered to the business of ghosts.
Last time, when dealing with the headless vengeful spirit.
The auntie had her "rat sons" guide Old Mo and me, ultimately rescuing the little ghost Ling Ling.
"Auntie!"
I exclaimed in surprise.
Old Mo and Xia Qiu Xi looked at me suspiciously.
"Brother Qin, you know her?"
I nodded:
"Didn't I tell you? There's a ghost supermarket in this cemetery, and this auntie is the owner..."