Lai Youwei's attempt to flee caught Tang's attention, causing a slight frown of disappointment and displeasure on his face. I paid him no mind and directly lunged at Lai Youwei.
Huang Jiu stood on a tree stump, rose on his hind legs, and shouted in human speech, "Celestial affairs are to be handled by celestial beings; bystanders should remain where they are to avoid harming the innocent."
His voice was so loud and cracking that it sounded like a eunuch announcing to the court.
Tang, clearly a person who had seen his fair share of things, shifted slightly, and motioned for his six bodyguards to stand down. They dutifully surrounded him in a protective circle.
Lai Youwei, having been caught off guard by the surprise attack from the Earth Dog Star, fell face-first to the ground. In his panic, he forgot to resist. I approached and kicked him while he was getting up, sending him back to the dirt. I then raised my foot to stomp on his head.
This action seemed to have triggered something in Lai Youwei. He let out a shrill scream and struggled to rise, slamming his head into my abdomen.
The sudden impact almost knocked the breath out of me, and the chicken I had eaten earlier surged up to my throat. I didn't have the strength to chase him right away.
Seizing the opportunity, Lai Youwei scrambled to his feet and quickly created distance between us. He stomped his feet on the ground and clasped his hands in front of his chest, forming a seal and chanting, "The Great Emperor Xuanwu is before us! Spirits to the tomb, ghosts to the grave, demons and monsters return to the mountain! Xuanwu Zhenjun's command, swiftly as the law dictates!"
As he finished speaking, a spurt of blood shot from his tongue, and he formed a golden beam of light, which illuminated a ghostly shadow of the Xuanwu deity. It then advanced toward the Earth Dog Star.
I controlled the Earth Dog Star, which had no independent consciousness, and since the Xuanwu Breaking Evil Spell combined with a splash of True Yang blood could easily overwhelm it, the Earth Dog Star would have had difficulty resisting even if it had its own mind.
However, Lai Youwei had overestimated the strength of the Earth Dog Star and was too forceful in his attack.
Had it not been for the surprise assault earlier, the Earth Dog Star likely wouldn't have prevailed.
Just as the Xuanwu energy was about to land, I swiftly summoned the Earth Dog Star back with a flick of my blood dagger.
Seeing his full-force strike fail, Lai Youwei immediately turned around and angrily shouted, "Li Yang, there's no need to go this far! Tang, quickly, have your people capture him! He's the one I told you about, the destined one!"
I sneered, "If you can summon the Xuanwu Breaking Evil Spell, I'd say your sect is a legitimate Taoist school. Tell me, is your Taoist sect involved in raising corpses and dealing in dark arts?"
Lai Youwei snapped back, "You're a bastard, unqualified to speak about the true Taoist sect!"
Being called a bastard made my blood boil. I raised my blood dagger and charged, cursing, "I'll clean up your Taoist sect today, you old fool!"
Lai Youwei only had a bagua mirror in hand. Seeing my blood dagger's gleam, he dared not face me directly, retreating as he yelled, "Don't get cocky, kid. When my senior brother arrives, you'll be sorry!"
Who knew when his senior brother would show up? I wasn't too worried. My real concern was the red-clad ghost servant—she could pose a threat to the others.
I kept an eye on my surroundings, but Lai Youwei continued to pull away, so I shouted, "Xu Dage, come out and help!"
Xu Dafa and the others were already nearby. Living in the mountains, they were accustomed to moving swiftly. Within a minute, they burst onto the scene.
The dense forest and undergrowth tripped Lai Youwei up, and soon Xu Dafa and his group cornered him.
I sent the Earth Dog Star out again, trying to sense the ghost servant's presence. As long as she didn't intervene, Lai Youwei alone wouldn't be able to resist five pairs of hoes and sky rakes.
The Earth Dog Star scanned the surroundings, but the ghost servant was still nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Lai Youwei was being struck by Li Erwa's hoe across his leg bone, causing him to writhe in pain. The others seized the opportunity to jump on him, tying him up with their belts and dragging him over.
At that moment, the small-footed girl floated up to me, looking like a child caught in trouble. She lowered her head, clearly embarrassed, and said, "Brother, I... I couldn't find the ghost you mentioned."
I whispered, "It's not your fault. I didn't find her either. Stay alert, and if she appears, you must stop her right away."
The ghost servant was a bit slow-witted but still a red-clad evil spirit. If she ambushed Xu Dafa and the others unexpectedly, they could be in danger.
Li Erwa slipped a hoe through the tied-up legs of Lai Youwei, lifting him like a pig being carried for slaughter.
Lai Youwei didn't struggle anymore, lying there like a defeated dog and saying, "Li Yang, I surrender. You and I are both in the same line of work. I haven't made a serious mistake today. Are you really going to kill me?"
I frowned.
Whether I killed him or not wasn't the issue, but what he said was true. Among fellow practitioners, unless life was at stake or someone committed an unforgivable act, it was rare for someone to take the extreme step of killing. It was an unwritten rule.
Those who walked the path of Yin and Yang often crossed paths. Everyone was just trying to make a living. A bit of competition or a show of strength was fine, but if one killed without reason, not only would it disrupt the balance, but it would also make one a target.
After all, if people knew you would kill without mercy, they would strike first when encountering you.
I rubbed my nose and glanced at Xu Dafa, saying, "Xu Dage, we've caught the one who tampered with the dragon's lair. How we deal with him is up to you."
Li Erwa, hearing this, rolled up his sleeves and said, "This scoundrel will come back for sure. Let's break his legs and throw him on the roadside."
He raised his hoe to strike. I secretly rejoiced. Breaking his legs would prevent Lai Youwei from bothering me again in the future.
But there was still one thing I hadn't figured out—why, even though he had fallen this low, the ghost servant had yet to appear?
I was worried he might have something else planned, so I stopped Li Erwa and crouched down to ask, "Where's your ghost servant? Bring her out. Don't worry, I won't hurt her. I just want to make sure you leave safely."
Lai Youwei, once full of fear, now wore a puzzled expression and asked, "What ghost servant?"
I pressed firmly on his lower leg, causing him to yelp in pain and howl, tears streaming down his face. "I... I really don't have a ghost servant."
I didn't believe him. I searched his body, but besides some talismans and a compass, I didn't find anything like a soul jar.
Lai Youwei took a moment to catch his breath and said between gasps, "Li Yang, I really don't have a ghost servant."
If it wasn't him, then who else could it be?
I glanced back at Tang. He was surrounded by his bodyguards, with no trace of panic on his face.
I said, "Tang, there's an old saying in our line of work: feng shui and fate can't be as important as doing good deeds. Some things are best left alone—for your sake and everyone else's."
Tang replied, "Little one, I don't know what you're talking about. I came here because Mr. Lai suggested it. Once we arrived, I've just been following his orders."
I looked back at Lai Youwei, who nodded with a bitter expression.
It wasn't them. So who could it be?
Li Erwa, seeing that I was done speaking, asked, "Brother, do you still want to break his legs?"
I was speechless. Li Erwa truly had no sense of awareness. Was this something he should be asking me?