The Wandering Immortal

Chapter 12 The road ahead is bleak
The blind Taoist priest and his apprentice fought the fierce mother and son demons for the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, and they were still evenly matched.

Jiang Yuan could tell that the female ghost was not using her full strength and rarely attacked proactively; she only wanted to force the Taoist priest to retreat.

The old Taoist priest was a little anxious. The talisman array he had set up could only last for three incense sticks at most. If the array failed, he and his disciple would surely be defeated.

The old Taoist priest wanted to finish the fight quickly, so as he swung his peach wood sword, he reached out and slapped his waist, releasing a talisman that immediately shone with golden light.

This talisman is genuine; it's infused with at least half of the old Taoist's cultivation, essentially giving him an extra helper of the same level.

The talisman transformed into the appearance of a Taoist priest, who also held a wooden sword and attacked the evil spirit in the black mist.

The female ghost felt the pressure increase and suddenly screamed. The little ghosts fighting nearby received the summons, abandoned the little Taoist boy, and quickly fled into the black mist.

The old Taoist priest shouted, "Disciple, you must not let the mother and daughter unite!"

In such a fierce battle, there was no time to shout. Before the old Taoist could finish speaking, the little ghost had already rushed into the mother's womb, and the black corpse energy suddenly surged several times over.

The young Taoist priest chasing the little devil couldn't avoid it in time and was swallowed by the black mist. The apricot-yellow flag slipped from his hand, and he fell to the ground, clearly unconscious.

The ghostly claws within the black mist grew several times larger, completely ignoring the talisman-wielding Taoist's attacks, and lunged at the old Taoist's head.

The female ghost chuckled coldly. There was no way the old Taoist could dodge this attack. As long as the main body was killed, the talismanic Taoist would naturally collapse.

The old Taoist priest patted the cloth bag at his waist, and a copper bell popped out. He then spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The copper bell shone with a dazzling golden light and actually blocked the giant ghost claw.

This unexpected turn of events occurred in an instant, clearly catching both sides off guard. The other side had also held back a trump card, leading to another stalemate.

Suddenly, a golden light shot into the black mist. The female ghost screamed and tried to escape back to the old well, but it was too late. A large red net bound the female ghost tightly.

The old Taoist priest didn't know what was happening. He couldn't see anything, and his divine sense was filled with golden light, so he couldn't see anything clearly.

Grandpa Guan and his wife were both terrified and fainted. Only Qinghe, who was holding the two elders, could see clearly.

The peach wood hairpin pinned the red-clad female ghost to a tree, rendering her completely immobile. The red net slowly disappeared, retracting into the hairpin's tip.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward, stared at the female ghost, and asked, "You've been hiding your true abilities all along, so why did you end up taking someone's life?"

"Great Immortal, spare my life! I know you have been here for many days, and I would never dare to harm anyone."

"Spare me? What life do you have? You should have been reincarnated long ago."

"If I leave, what will happen to my child? Please, sage, give me back my child!"

“Your child is even more of a mortal, he should have been killed long ago.”

The female ghost was nailed to the peach wood hairpin, her soul grew weaker and weaker, and knowing there was no way to escape, she screamed shrilly.

"You are all hypocritical bastards. When the Guan family villains unjustly killed my mother and me, where were you to uphold justice?"

“I know you feel wronged, but over the years, you have caused the deaths of several members of the Guan family. You should let go of some of your resentment.”

"I refuse to accept this! I will make sure the Guan family line dies out!"

"You have indeed succeeded in making the Guan family line end. Guan Canghai is dead, and I am merely using his body to speak."

The female ghost had long harbored doubts, but she had been obscured by the peach wood hairpin and couldn't figure out whether Guan Canghai had truly come back to life. Upon hearing Jiang Yuan's words, she was unsure whether to be happy or sad.

"I'll give you one last chance. If you go to the underworld to report on your own, I'll take back the magic weapon and let you go. Your child's destiny is incomplete; she shouldn't be in this world at all. If I take her in, I might be able to give her a chance to become an immortal in the future."

"Is what you say true, Master?"

Jiang Yuan shouted sternly, "There's no room for you to bargain. In another half an incense stick's time, your soul will surely be scattered."

The female ghost stopped struggling and said, "Please, Great Immortal, withdraw your supernatural powers. I will go to the Underworld to report for duty."

Jiang Yuan raised his hand and pulled out the peach wood hairpin. The female ghost vanished into thin air, and the Guan family's inner courtyard was instantly bathed in sunlight.

The blind old Taoist priest had already dragged his disciple aside, fed him a pill, and used his internal energy to help him dispel the corpse energy.

Jiang Yuan walked over, took off the little Taoist's straw sandals, and used a peach wood hairpin to poke the Yongquan acupoint on each foot. Black water flowed from the soles of the little Taoist's feet, and he slowly woke up.

Jiang Yuan had just opened his mouth when the blind Taoist priest quickly interrupted, "I didn't see or hear anything!"

Jiang Yuan knew that these martial arts figures were very wary, probably thinking he was some kind of highly skilled cultivator. He decided to go with the flow and chuckled, "Thank you for subduing the evil spirit, Daoist Master. The Guan family will never forget your great kindness!"

The old Taoist priest finally breathed a sigh of relief and remained silent.

At this moment, the old master and old lady of the Guan family also woke up and hurriedly asked Qinghe, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"
Qinghe stared blankly, unsure how to answer. Jiang Yuan walked over and said, "Father and Mother, don't worry, the evil spirit has been killed by the Taoist priest, but his disciple was injured."

Grandpa Guan hurriedly ran over and bowed, "Thank you, Taoist priest, thank you, Taoist priest!"

After a short rest and a meal, Grandpa Guan paid the agreed-upon double reward, of course, at Jiang Yuan's urging his father to be generous.

Jiang Yuan respectfully saw the old Taoist off at the door and stuffed 20,000 coins into the old Taoist's hand.

The old Taoist priest weighed it in his hand and knew its weight. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Jiang Yuan pulled on his sleeve and walked straight ahead.

After crossing a street corner, Jiang Yuan asked, "Which mountain do you cultivate on, Daoist? Do you have a family register or immortal title?"

When a true practitioner encounters a fellow practitioner, whether friend or foe, they will inquire about their lineage and order before deciding how to treat them.

The old Taoist priest trembled with fear. "I am ashamed to say that I am just a rogue cultivator with no sect or lineage. I am known in the martial arts world as the White Crow Taoist, or you can call me Blind White!"

The young Taoist priest was surprised. Why had his master changed his temperament today? In the past, when he triumphed over demons, he would always shout his Taoist name so that everyone in the street could hear it.

After accompanying the master and disciple to a secluded corner, Jiang Yuancai asked again, "Daoist, could you come again in half a month?"

The old Taoist priest then realized that paying double the fee meant there was another job to do.

In the old Taoist's mind, the young man in front of him must be possessed by a powerful figure from some sect, with a cultivation level of at least Foundation Establishment, and the magic weapon he possessed was incredibly imposing.

He didn't want to reveal his identity, so there must be a reason. He replied, "Young master has already paid the fee, and this old Taoist would certainly not dare to break his promise!"

“Those copper coins were earned by the Taoist priest through hard work, not as a reward for half a month later.”

The blind man was confused. Jiang Yuan whispered something in his ear, which greatly shocked the old Taoist priest, who almost knelt down and kowtowed.

Jiang Yuan grabbed him and whispered, "If you succeed in this, I will definitely give you the incantation."

The old Taoist priest trembled, "Definitely! Definitely!"

The young Taoist priest watched from the side, scratching his head in disbelief.

Jiang Yuan casually asked, "How should I address you, Little Immortal?"

The young Taoist priest was taken aback. No one had ever asked his name before, and he was speechless for a moment.

The old Taoist priest had a sudden inspiration. This master in front of him had even promised a chance to become an immortal, so his disciple was of excellent talent and it would be a waste for him to follow him. He quickly said, "This child is called Liu Haichan, and he is indeed a potential cultivator."

Jiang Yuan was touched, but he did not show it.

Liu Haichan was a very famous person, but he should have been born a hundred or two hundred years later. Is the legend wrong, or has someone messed up time and space?
Having experienced previous calamities, Jiang Yuan is naturally very sensitive to traveling to ancient times and time displacement, and the Heavenly Court is also thoroughly investigating this matter.

In that fleeting moment, Jiang Yuan quickly severed his association with reality, bowed, and parted ways with the old Taoist master and his apprentice.

Jiang Yuan hadn't responded earlier, which made the blind man feel frustrated. He sighed all the way, while the young Taoist kept glancing at his master, feeling that his master was acting very strangely today.

Suddenly, the blind man said, "Child, there is no future for you following me. Why not find a sect of immortals? Perhaps you can become a true master of genealogy in the future."

Liu Haichan panicked and cried out with tears in his eyes, "Master, do you think I'm holding you back? Your disciple will definitely practice hard and never be taken advantage of by a vengeful ghost again!"

The blind man just sighed.

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(End of this chapter)