That one "thank you," light and airy, yet it made half the blood in Lu Yuan's body run cold!
He whipped his head around!
Behind him was empty, only that solitary grave.
Before the grave, the three sticks of Jade Emperor Hall heavenly incense he'd just inserted sent up wisps of green smoke, mixed among the dozen or so ordinary incense sticks, emanating a unique fragrance.
"What's wrong, Brother Lu?"
Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an's faces were filled with bewilderment.
Lu Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he lowered his voice, each word revealing gravity, "Just now... did you hear any sound?"
The two exchanged glances and shook their heads blankly.
"What... what sound?"
Hiss—
A chill climbed up Lu Yuan's spine.
His scalp tingled repeatedly.
To be honest, since transmigrating here and binding with this [Subdue Demons and Eliminate Evil] system, this was the first time he'd encountered such a situation!
The system indeed didn't mark all ghosts and monsters.
Its principle was very simple, only warning of existences that could threaten Lu Yuan.
And for a Daoist priest like Lu Yuan who was about to reach the Celestial Master threshold, many ghosts and monsters could no longer pose any danger to him.
So quite a few lonely wild ghosts wouldn't be marked by the [Subdue Demons and Eliminate Evil] system but as mentioned before, although the [Subdue Demons and Eliminate Evil] system wouldn't mark them, don't forget that Lu Yuan was a proper Daoist priest with extremely high talent!
Even if these lonely wild ghosts wouldn't be marked by the [Subdue Demons and Eliminate Evil] system, they would still be detected by Lu Yuan's Daoist techniques!
It could be said that since transmigrating and possessing the [Subdue Demons and Eliminate Evil] system, there had never been a ghost or monster that Lu Yuan couldn't detect!
And now...
Holy crap?!!
Just now, no, not just now, even now, Lu Yuan still hadn't detected anything!!
This?!!
The area around that solitary grave mound was completely clean, without any markings at all and Lu Yuan as a Daoist priest also hadn't sensed any ghost or monster's aura.
His own spiritual awareness was like a pool of dead water, without the slightest ripple.
This??!
Had he... had he heard wrong??
Impossible! That voice had been as clear as a whisper right beside his ear.
Seeing Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an also beginning to get spooked by his reaction, Lu Yuan knew he couldn't continue like this.
Lu Yuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tumultuous waves in his heart.
No matter what that thing was.
At least, what it said was "thank you," without malice.
What he had done was also a good deed, comforting the dead soul.
As the saying goes, if you don't do anything to feel guilty about, you won't fear ghosts knocking at your door.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan's tense muscles relaxed. He waved his hand at the two, feigning nonchalance, "It's nothing. Probably just the wind. I heard wrong."
"Let's go. Final check of the magical tools, prepare to start work."
Once Lu Yuan, their pillar of support, returned to normal, Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
In their hearts, as long as Brother Lu said it was fine, then even if the sky fell, it would be fine.
Time passed minute by minute.
The three sat cross-legged in meditation, adjusting their essence, qi, and spirit to their peak.
The night deepened, mountain winds howled, and all around was deathly silent.
The lights in Ningyuan Town below the mountain also went out one by one, leaving only a few scattered points.
The bonfire had long turned into a pile of still-warm ashes.
Thud!
A muffled impact sound abruptly came from underground.
Like someone inside a coffin, using their head to bang against the coffin lid.
The three from Lu Yuan's group simultaneously opened their eyes, a flash of brilliant light in them.
"Light the lamps!"
Before the words fell, the three had already sprung up like cats.
Lu Yuan held a peachwood sword. His toes tapped the ground, his form rose up, and he landed steadily on Old Master Xu's tombstone, looking down from above.
Thud!
Another huge sound.
Xu Erxiao quickly lit a kongming lantern. That lantern didn't drift away but only circled eerily in the air above the three, sprinkling down an orange-yellow halo of light.
Thud!
At the third sound, the sealed earth of the grave mound visibly loosened, trickling down.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The impact sounds became more urgent, louder and louder!
From within the grave even came the characteristic hissing roar of a jiangshi, like a broken bellows.
Lu Yuan stood on the tombstone, his expression solemn, his eyes without a trace of ripples, only quietly watching the "main character" about to burst from the earth.
Finally at ten-fifteen.
Accompanied by a deafening explosion!
Boom!
The grave earth burst open!
An old jiangshi wearing burial clothes, with blue-black fingernails and both arms stiffly extended forward, suddenly leaped from the grave pit!
The instant it appeared, Lu Yuan put two fingers together, quick as lightning, pointing at his own brow.
A true word burst from his mouth, "Command!!"
With one word dropped, his right eye's pupil and the peachwood sword in his hand were instantly wrapped in a layer of brilliant orange-red flame!
Lu Yuan's fingers together like a sword, he pointed remotely at that old jiangshi!
Whoosh!
An orange flame command, like a red-hot iron nail, viciously wedged into the jiangshi's brow!
"Roar—!"
Old Master Xu let out a shrill, miserable scream, his body smashed back into the grave pit by a tremendous force.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Yuan, holding the peachwood sword burning with orange flame, leaped into the grave pit!
Xu Erxiao, who had long been ready, roared and vigorously threw out a huge fishing net soaked in chicken blood and hung with copper bells!
The large net traced a perfect arc in the air, precisely covering the entire grave mound.
At the same time, Wang Cheng'an leaped onto the tombstone, replacing Lu Yuan's position.
In his left hand he held a palm-sized golden bell, his right hand forming seals, incantations pouring from his mouth like rapid-fire shots!
Ding ding ding ding!!
He frantically shook the golden bell in his hand. The large fishing net and all the small bells arranged around were instantly activated.
All together they lit up with dazzling orange-red light, emitting urgent, piercing sounds!
The bell sounds and incantations wove into an invisible net of heaven and earth.
About seven or eight minutes later, the bell sounds and incantations came to an abrupt halt.
Xu Erxiao roared lowly, the muscles in both arms bulging, and violently threw open the large net!
Lu Yuan's figure leaped from the pit.
He shook off the viscous dark red corpse blood on his sword blade, dusted off the dirt on his clothes, his movements carefree and elegant.
"Erxiao, extinguish the lamp, pack up the tools."
"Cheng'an, go down the mountain, find the employer to settle accounts."
The instructions were clear, crisp and efficient.
"Alright~"
The two responded in unison and immediately sprang into action.
Xu Erxiao nimbly collected the magical tools while Wang Cheng'an shot down the mountain like a rabbit.
Lu Yuan pulled out that old brass pocket watch from his bosom, opened the cover and glanced at it.
Ten twenty-three.
Excluding the waiting time, dealing with this three-star jiangshi took, all told, eight minutes.
Not bad. His cultivation had advanced again.
"Brother Lu, what should we eat later?"
Xu Erxiao asked while laboriously dragging the fishing net and swallowing his saliva.
Right, hungry again.
But honestly, on such a cold day outside, he really did want another large bowl of mutton soup to drink now.
"After we collect the money from the employer, let's go to town and see what's there. We'll eat whatever's available."
Lu Yuan carefully put the old pocket watch back in his bosom and said casually.
Xu Erxiao grinned foolishly and laughed, "I want to eat wontons~"
Lu Yuan couldn't help but grin and laugh too, "Deal!"
As Lu Yuan spoke, he walked toward the highest point of the mountain peak.
Subconsciously wanting to see the situation on Zhao Qiao'er's side of the mountain peak.
And when he reached the highest point of this mountain peak and saw the situation over there, Lu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints!
No...
It can't be??!!
A blood-red terrifying marker was flashing wildly, entering Lu Yuan's eyes.
[Type: Human-Faced Two-Legged Sheep]
[Cultivation Years: 237 years]
[Weaknesses: Thunder, electricity]
[Danger Level: ★★★★]
Eight... eight stars?!!