Chapter 301 Beautiful Spider Spirit VS Cold and Ascetic Monk 5
Jueming followed closely behind Master Xuan Ji, through the winding and quiet corridor, all the way to the front yard.

Many disciples had already gathered in the front yard. They looked worried, whispered, and talked a lot. The noisy voices echoed in this small space.

Several villagers were also waiting here, some sitting or standing, their faces filled with anxiety and fear.

Those weather-beaten faces, like autumn leaves eroded by frost, are haggard and vicissitudes.

The occasional low sobs added a bit of sadness.

Xuan Ji walked slowly up to several villagers, clasped his hands together, and looked gentle and firm, as if he could see into the deepest fear in people's hearts.

"Dear donors, I am Xuanji, and I have heard about the incident in Zhoujiazhuang. Please rest assured. I, the Buddha, am merciful and will do my best to help."

An elderly man trembled and walked forward, knelt on the ground, and cried: "Master, please save us. The men in the village have fallen one after another. If this continues, Zhoujiazhuang will be extinct!"

Xuan Ji looked compassionate, and hurriedly stepped forward to help the old man up, comforting him: "Old donor, please stand up. I will set off to Zhoujiazhuang immediately to find out the truth and drive away the evil spirit."

Yu Yao also rushed over after hearing the news. She was dressed in plain clothes, with an elegant wild flower in her hair, and her face looked slightly worried.

The wild flowers swayed gently in the breeze, adding a touch of agility and softness to her.

She glanced at the villagers, then walked up to Xuan Ji and said seriously, "Master, I am willing to go with you. Although I am a demon, I know the difference between good and evil. I cannot sit idly by and watch the suffering of Zhoujiazhuang."

Xuan Ji nodded slightly, not surprised by her decision. "Donor Yu, since you have this intention, let's go together. But remember, we must be merciful when exorcising demons, and we must not kill innocent people indiscriminately."

"Master, rest assured. I will keep it in mind."

Yu Yao smiled.

The group quickly left Wanfo Temple and headed for Zhoujiazhuang, with Jueming and several villagers following closely behind.

The journey was not far, but the scenery along the way seemed particularly desolate. Weeds grew on both sides of the road, almost covering the original path.

The occasional howling of wild beasts added a sense of urgency.

"Master, do you think the changes in Zhoujiazhuang were caused by evil spirits?"

Jueming couldn't help but ask, his voice echoing in the empty valley with a hint of uncertainty.

Xuan Ji stopped and looked at the mountains in the distance. A deep thought flashed in his eyes. "Everything in the world has its cause and effect. It could be caused by evil spirits or people's hearts are not as good as before. Only by going to the scene in person can we understand the truth."

Yu Yao's eyes moved slightly, and she stroked the wild flowers in her hair. "No matter what the reason is, I will do my best to help those innocent villagers who are suffering."

The group continued to move forward, and as the sun set, the sky gradually turned orange.

It was already evening when Yu Yao and the others arrived at Zhoujiazhuang.

The entire Zhoujiazhuang was shrouded in dead silence.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the mottled walls, casting mottled shadows, as if even the light is telling the desolation of this place.

Under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, a few crows were circling, making bursts of shrill cries, adding a bit of ominous atmosphere.

Xuan Ji led a group of people into the village. The doors of every house were closed, and the occasional sobbing or coughing sounds made people feel uneasy.

There was an indescribable sense of depression and fear in the air, as if even breathing had become heavy.

"Everyone be careful, the atmosphere here is not right." Xuan Ji reminded in a low voice, and at the same time used the Buddhist mind method, emitting a faint golden light from his body to protect everyone.

Yu Yao frowned. As a demon, she was more sensitive to her surroundings.

She could feel that the village was filled with a cold and gloomy air that did not belong to the human world. It was the unique smell of evil spirits.

But she also noticed that this breath seemed to be mixed with other more complex things, making it difficult for her to distinguish for a moment.

"Master, where should we start investigating?" Jueming asked, with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Xuan Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go check on the villagers who are sick first."

At this time, Old Man Liu, a villager who had returned to Zhoujiazhuang, came forward anxiously and said, "Master, please go see my son first. He is very ill!"

Xuan Ji looked at Old Man Liu and nodded slightly: "Don't worry, benefactor. I will go there right away."

"Thank you, Master."

Old man Liu was so grateful that he hurriedly led the way.

Xuan Ji, Yu Yao and Jueming followed behind Old Man Liu.

Other villagers followed.

The group soon arrived at Old Man Liu's home, a simple but tidy farmhouse.
At this time, it was shrouded in gloom.

Old Man Liu's daughter-in-law, Zhao, stood at the door with her hands clenched and her eyes red. When she saw Xuan Ji and others, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes.

"Master, you are finally here. My man..." Zhao choked and could hardly speak.

Xuan Ji nodded slightly, signaling her to be patient, and then walked into the house.

Yu Yao and Jueming followed closely behind. The light in the room was dim, and the smell of medicine and dampness mixed together, making people frown.

A middle-aged man was lying on the earthen kang, his face as pale as paper, his eyes closed, and his breathing so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

It was as if all the life had been sucked out of the person.

Xuan Ji walked to the earthen kang, stretched out his right hand and gently placed it on the man's pulse, closing his eyes and thinking.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes, a solemn look flashed in his eyes, and he slowly said: "This is caused by the technique of taking yang to replenish yin. The evil spirits absorb the essence of living people to nourish their own cultivation. Middle-aged men have the most yang energy, so they become the targets of the evil spirits."

Hearing this, Zhao's face turned even paler, tears rolled down like pearls from a broken string, and she looked at Xuan Ji and begged, "Master, please save my man. He is the pillar of our family!"

Yu Yao's eyes flashed with pity, and she comforted him, "Don't worry, he will be fine."

After she finished speaking, she took out a jade pendant with a warm luster from her sleeve and gently placed it on the man's chest.

"This jade can warm up his Yang Qi and temporarily stabilize his heart."

She looked at Zhao and explained softly.

At the same time, he used his demonic power to slowly inject a gentle force into the jade pendant. The jade pendant then emitted a faint warm light, surrounding the man.

Seeing this, Xuan Ji did not delay. He formed seals with his hands and recited ancient scriptures.

Following his voice, a breeze seemed to blow through the room, bringing a hint of coolness and tranquility, slowly dispersing the invisible evil spirit.

Mrs. Zhao and Old Man Liu didn't dare to disturb them and just stood by and watched.

As the two cast spells, the man on the earthen kang's originally pale face gradually regained some color, and his breathing became steady and strong.

Upon seeing this, Mrs. Zhao and Old Man Liu were so moved that they burst into tears and kowtowed to Xuan Ji and Yu Yao repeatedly to express their gratitude.

"Master, this girl, thank you. Thank you for saving my master."

Zhao knelt on the ground and kowtowed excitedly.

Old man Liu also knelt down, his face full of gratitude and tears of joy.

"Amitabha, may the Buddha have mercy on us. Please stand up quickly, both of you."

Xuan Ji quickly helped the two of them up. He took out a protective amulet from his bosom and handed it to Zhao. "Put this amulet on your husband's chest. It can temporarily protect his heart meridian and prevent him from being further disturbed by evil spirits. In addition, let your husband get more sun or eat some food rich in yang energy to replenish his lost yang energy."

Zhao took the amulet with trembling hands and burst into tears of gratitude, "Thank you, Master, and thank you, young lady."

Xuan Ji nodded slightly, said nothing, and quickly left Old Man Liu's house.

Yu Yao and Jueming followed behind.

They visited every household, and in each place, Xuan Ji carefully took the patient's pulse and diagnosed him.

It was found that the situations were basically the same, that is, the loss of Yang Qi was too severe, and evil Qi entered the body, which led to the illness.

The following process is similar.

Yu Yao and Xuan Ji used their magical powers and demonic powers respectively to remove the evil spirits from the men in the village.

As for the subsequent replenishment of yang energy, they can only rely on themselves to slowly build up their energy. For now, we can only temporarily save their lives.

As the two men performed magic to save the life, the young man in the village was gradually out of danger.

But the whole village is still shrouded in a layer of haze.

Jueming frowned and asked worriedly, "Master, the villagers are out of danger for the time being. What should we do next?"

Xuan Ji looked solemn, clasped his hands together and said, "Don't take it lightly, the evil has not been eradicated yet, and the hidden dangers have not been eliminated."

Yu Yao looked towards the mountain behind the village. At this time, the sky had completely darkened and there was only a vague shadow. She couldn't see clearly and didn't know where the evil spirit was hiding.

She frowned slightly and said, "Master is right. We need to find the evil spirit as soon as possible and eliminate the trouble forever. Otherwise, it will be in vain to save these villagers."

Jueming looked confused, scratched his head and said, "But this evil spirit is hiding its head and showing its tail. How can we find it?"

Xuan Ji raised his head slightly, looked at the dark mountain, and said in a deep voice: "I decided to set up an altar tonight to track down the traces of the evil spirits."

Jueming was frightened when he heard this, and he rubbed the corners of his clothes unconsciously, wondering if this was too risky. What if it caused the evil spirit to attack him?

But he was afraid that the master and Miss Yu would think he was timid, so he swallowed the words and changed the topic, "Then how can I help?"

Xuan Ji looked at Jueming and patted his shoulder gently, "You stay by his side and guard him. Don't let outsiders interfere."

"Okay." Jueming nodded solemnly.

Yu Yao stood aside without saying anything.

The night is deep and everything is silent.

Xuan Ji chose an open space in the center of the village and began to set up an altar and perform rituals.