Chapter 335: The Calamity Purge! Fourteen Thousand Merit for Enhancement! Evil in the Jail!

To lessen the trouble that fame might bring, Li Yanchu deliberately set about cultivating a new Daoist divine art, Calamity Purge! From the name alone, one could tell this art was meant to dispel and ward off disaster, and it could avert looming catastrophes.

Having recently gained opportunities in succession and greatly advanced his cultivation, this was the perfect time to comprehend such a spell.

Not only that, Li Yanchu also took out the Dao Dust Bead, which he had long carried with him. This artifact was a special treasure of Mount Qingcheng, used for blessing and good fortune. It increased one’s luck, ensured auspicious stars shone upon one’s endeavors, and smoothed away obstacles. Thus, he had kept it close at all times.

“Enhance!” With the first enhancement, he consumed two thousand merit points.

Without hesitation, Li Yanchu declared again, “Enhance!”

Three thousand merit points were consumed just like that.

“Enhance!” Another four thousand gone!

He paused, considering briefly, then chose to continue.

“Enhance!”

Five thousand more merit points vanished.

At this moment, the Dao Dust Bead transformed completely, radiating divine brilliance. Its glow was dazzling, and an immense spiritual resonance emerged upon its surface.

In one breath, he had spent fourteen thousand merit points to enhance this pearl of blessings!

This should be enough to ward off misfortune now

, Li Yanchu thought to himself.

With the Sun Veil and Calamity Purge, and the Dao Dust Bead enhanced fourfold, he should be able to cultivate in Wei City with peace of mind.

***

That day, the old Celestial Master had gone out to conduct a ritual, driving off spirits and capturing ghosts. Meanwhile, Li Yanchu sat upright within Qingyun Temple, immersed in comprehending the Calamity Purge.

From outside the temple came a loud, booming voice, “Daoist Master Yanchu! Daoist Master Yanchu!”

“Hm?” Li Yanchu found the voice familiar.

He pushed open the door and stepped out, just in time to see county constable Wang Chongshan hurrying toward him.

“Head Constable Wang, what has happened?” Li Yanchu cupped his hands in greeting.

The two had known each other for some time. Back then, Li Yanchu had once removed yin energy from Wang’s concubine, and later assisted the magistrate’s office with several cases, such as the Five Lakes Gang affair, the escape of Liang Qi, the abduction of a wealthy merchant’s daughter, the murder of the Wuling Wanderer, and the grisly case of the paper effigy that killed.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

It could be said the entire county office held Li Yanchu in the highest regard.

Wang Chongshan got straight to the point, “Daoist Master Yanchu, something strange has happened in the jail. Two prisoners died mysteriously last night, and everyone believes it to be the work of some evil spirit. That’s why I’ve come to ask for your help.”

A spark stirred in Li Yanchu’s mind. “How did they die?”

“Their eyes... they dug them out themselves alive. Then they knelt on the ground and bled to death!” Head Constable Wang recounted, still shaken.

Li Yanchu’s brows knitted slightly. “Come, take me to the jail.”

He had often teased Bai Hongtu for meddling too much in others’ business, but in truth, how different was he? It wasn’t as though he even held an official post...

Together with Head Constable Wang, he entered the prison. The two dead men had perished in strange and ghastly fashion; their corpses remained inside the cell, not yet transferred to the public morgue. Within the jail drifted a foul stench, which was a mixture of rotting vegetation, urine, and sweat, so pungent it burned the nose.

At this time, Li Yanchu and Head Constable Wang approached the cell. Several officers lingered at a distance with their faces pale with fear, not daring to draw near.

“This is it,” Head Constable Wang said.

Then, Li Yanchu’s gaze swept into the cell. At this time, two prisoners, their hair matted and wild, knelt rigidly on the ground. Both had had their eyes gouged out, leaving nothing but two gaping, bloody holes. Blood streamed down their faces, which was a sight ghastly and horrifying.

The cell was spattered with blood and steeped in an eerie, terrifying atmosphere. Just the sight of it was enough to make one’s scalp prickle.

At this time, Li Yanchu invoked the Spirit Eyes, and divine light flickered in his eyes. However, there were no traces of ghosts or malevolent spirits here, and only a faint taint of yin energy clung to the bodies.

With Li Yanchu leading, Head Constable Wang’s courage grew a little. Stepping closer, he realized the corpses gave off a stench so foul it turned his stomach.

“What is that smell!?” Head Constable Wang gagged, covering his mouth.

“It’s a corpse-stench,” Li Yanchu replied.

Those afflicted with corpse-poison always reeked with this nauseating odor.

“These two seem to have been struck by

sha

, or perhaps cursed,” Li Yanchu added.

Head Constable Wang exhaled in relief at those words.

“So they weren’t killed by some evil spirit?”

“Not necessarily. Likely they went somewhere they shouldn’t, offended something, and were cursed,” Li Yanchu explained.

Solving cases wasn’t his specialty, but in this world of rampant demons and spirits, logic often failed to account for such things.

“They had three accomplices,” Head Constable Wang said after a pause. “One of them is a local thug of Wei City, He Sanhu. I’ve already sent men to arrest him, but there’s been no trace yet.”

“They weren’t just petty thieves, were they?” Li Yanchu asked.

“Correct.” Head Constable Wang’s voice grew grave. “The four of them were tied to a murder case from a month ago.”

Li Yanchu gave a slight nod. For ordinary folk, a murder was no small matter!

Of course, with demons and spirits running rampant these days, many cases ended up involving the supernatural, becoming mysteries without answers.

Just then, Li Yanchu drew out two yellow talismans and pressed them to the corpses’ foreheads. Immediately, the chill and stench in the cell lessened noticeably!

They were Necroseal Talismans, inscribed with cinnabar and the blood of a rooster.

“All right, Head Constable Wang. Have your men carry the bodies out and burn them. Don’t place them in the public morgue, as these corpses could easily give rise to

sha

[1],” Li Yanchu instructed.

Those who died in extreme misery often carried deep resentment in life, making it easy for them to become vengeful spirits. Moreover, corpses of such violent deaths could easily transform into

jiangshi

. The Necroseal Talismans could temporarily restrain the resentment and baleful energy within the bodies.

Head Constable Wang nodded, immediately ordering four jailers to carry the corpses away for cremation. To ordinary folk,

jiangshi

and ghosts were terrifying things. But to Li Yanchu now, these were little more than low-level creatures.

Just as Li Yanchu and Head Constable Wang were leaving the prison, a saber-bearing officer rushed over.

“Head Constable Wang! We found He Sanhu in an alley on the west side of the city!”

Head Constable Wang’s eyes lit up with delight. “Excellent!”

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but arch a brow. The magistrate’s men were working efficiently, it seemed. So when the higher-ups pressed for results, cases got solved quickly?

Soon after, the two of them were brought before He Sanhu. He was a young man in his early twenties with a pale face and vacant eyes, crouched alone in the shadows of a wall corner. He refused to utter a single word.

“What’s going on?” Head Constable Wang asked gravely.

“He... he’s gone mad. No matter what we ask him, he won’t say a thing,” one officer replied.

They were experienced enforcers of the magistrate’s office. Having arrested countless criminals, like robbers, murderers, thieves, human traffickers of all sorts, they had long since cultivated sharp eyes. Whether someone was truly insane or merely pretending was something they could spot instantly.

But this He Sanhu’s condition was different; he was unnervingly eerie, sending chills crawling over the skin.

“Five men in all. Two went mad and gouged out their eyes, dying in prison. One has gone insane. And the other two are still missing.”

“What in the world did they run into, for it to turn out like this?”

Head Constable Wang couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

1. Here, 煞 sha refers to evil spirits. ☜