"Dog Eggzi?"
As soon as I returned, I was surrounded by a group of aunts and grannies, chattering about this and that, completely ignoring the presence of a grown man among them.
Dog Eggzi pushed aside the people blocking him, a faint smile on his face, his eyes squinting at me.
"Dog Eggzi, what do you mean? You mean I'm the one who captured these children's souls..."
Before I could finish, Dog Eggzi spoke, "Everyone, did you hear that? This guy has already admitted to capturing these children's souls. In our village, only their family practices the Yin profession, and they specifically feed on the dead. Tell me, is my judgment reasonable?"
Dog Eggzi's words caused a huge stir. Sister Zhang, whom I had just silenced, unleashed her tigress-like fury again, her nails lunging towards my face.
This time, I didn't wait to be attacked. I turned my body, dodged her assault, and as I spun past her, I kicked her hard in the backside. I put a lot of force into that kick, sending her sprawling to the ground, unable to get up for a while.
"Aunts and aunties, I, Song Qingyun, practice the Yin profession, but I've been in our village for ten years. Have you ever seen me harm anyone? My master is a local of our village. Don't you know what kind of person he is? Don't be fooled by some malicious scoundrels."
"This..."
"Qingyun does have a point..."
"Besides being a bit lecherous, Grandmaster Zhang hasn't done anything outrageous. The prices for his readings are also much cheaper than for outsiders. Moreover, Zhang Da Nian is older than him and has spent more time teaching him than he has, so he wouldn't do anything out of line, would he?"
"Could it be that we've wronged him?"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Villagers were indeed simple and honest. If this were city folk, who knows how long it would take to explain.
Seeing the villagers' sentiments shift back towards me, Dog Eggzi's face turned a dark shade of unpleasantness. But then, he chuckled, his voice as unpleasant as a gelded duck's.
"Each to their own. Song Qingyun, no matter what you say, it won't change the fact that you hunted wild spirits. I've calculated that you used wild spirits to detain the children's souls, which is why I brought everyone here to catch you red-handed. You have the evidence in your hand. What do you have to say for yourself now?"
I glanced at the corpse rat in my hand and then at Dog Eggzi, who was spewing nonsense in front of me. What was this all about? If I had the intention to harm people, would I need this half-baked spirit medium to bluster in front of me? I would have been smitten to death by my ancestors long ago.
"Dog Eggzi, don't you dare act like an elder in front of me. You know very well the wicked deeds you've done. You're a spirit medium, and this corpse rat is your household spirit. If you want to frame me, you'd better think if I have any leverage over you. Ladies and aunts, I can swear on my master's reputation that I have nothing to do with this, and there is evidence to prove that Dog Eggzi did all of this."
As soon as I said this, everyone's gaze shifted to Dog Eggzi. Even Sister Zhang, who had been kicked down by me earlier, picked up a brick from the ground. It was unclear whether she intended to hit me or Dog Eggzi. Fortunately, Granny Liu, the village chief's wife, stopped her, her triangular eyes darting back and forth between the two of us.
The aunts and grannies in the village might sometimes react slower than others, but this was due to their lack of education. However, seeing the confrontation between Dog Eggzi and me, even the slowest person should have realized something was amiss.
My prestige was not as high as my master's, but my master had lived in the village for over thirty years, and his reputation was incomparable to that of the idle Dog Eggzi. Farmers respected their elders and generally wouldn't swear on their elders. To do so meant they were absolutely confident.
Seeing everyone's attention on him, Dog Eggzi panicked slightly, but his expression quickly returned to calm. "Who knows where you got such a wild spirit? Everyone in the village knows your family practices the Yin profession. You say it's the household spirit I worship, and I say I'm your father."
Hearing this, my eyes felt like they were about to bleed. I gripped the corpse rat in my hand so tightly that it creaked. I had principles and a bottom line, and my bottom line was that no one could speak ill of my father.
Having to watch my father lie unconscious for ten years without being able to help him had already pushed me to the brink. Now, Dog Eggzi dared to add insult to injury. Wasn't he asking for death?
Just as I was about to lose control and teach Dog Eggzi a lesson, a voice came from inside the courtyard. "Hic... Why are you... you guys arguing... Can't this young lady sleep?"
As the voice faded, the main door opened from the inside. Leading the way was a large weasel, standing on its hind legs with its front paws crossed over its chest, looking like a head eunuch from ancient times.
Behind it, eight small weasels were carrying a large fan, making squeaking sounds like they were pulling a rope and shouting a chant. What I found most unacceptable was that on top of the fan lay a limp white snake, like a noodle. It was none other than Bai Ling'er.
Their procession, like that of a touring "emperor," emerged into the courtyard. It not only stunned me but also the onlookers, who stared at each other, completely dumbfounded.
Hic—
Bai Ling'er, like a queen, had her anthropomorphic eyes half-closed, hazy with drunkenness. Occasionally, a bubble would escape her mouth, float into the air, and burst, releasing a dizzying smell of alcohol that spread before us.
"See? Am I lying? Song Qingyun even worships wild spirits at home. You've all seen it with your own eyes. Your children are in a coma, and it's definitely his doing."
Dog Eggzi, as if he had taken a little blue pill, jumped up and down, pointing at Bai Ling'er and shouting as if only by doing so could he prove his innocence.
However, this time, no one echoed Dog Eggzi's words. Even Sister Zhang, who had been clamoring that I was responsible, looked at Bai Ling'er coiled on the fan with a horrified expression. Her trembling body showed how terrified she was.
Dog Eggzi's words were completely in vain. Everyone in the village believed in the existence of wild spirits, and some had even seen them. Believing was one thing, but seeing was another.
Hearing from others that they had seen wild spirits, most people dismissed it as a joke. Those with good hearts would say they were blessed, but those who had actually seen them were a minority. Moreover, many who had seen them could describe what a wild spirit looked like at first, but after a few days, they would completely forget.
"Little brat... no, Qingyun, when did your family start worshipping wild spirits? And it can talk?"
Sister Zhang had lost all her earlier arrogance. Looking at Bai Ling'er, who was hiccuping alcohol while lying on the fan, she could barely speak coherently.
As for me, I was so angry I almost fainted. It was all over. My master had left me with Yin divination. We were fortune-tellers, not spirit mediums! Now, with Bai Ling'er's actions, even if I had a hundred mouths, I wouldn't be able to explain it clearly.