"All hail the master on his emergence! Your martial arts are peerless, and your blessings are as vast as the heavens!"
About half an hour later, a sudden burst of cheers erupted. Qin Yan, who had been dozing off in his chair, jerked his eyes open. He saw the martial arts hall disciples prostrating themselves on the ground, while on the roof directly in front of them stood a middle-aged man.
The man was dressed in white. With sword-like brows, bright eyes, and handsome features, he looked down at Qin Yan and Elder Chen with a smile. Then, he leaped down, his feet stepping lightly upon the shoulders of his disciples as he sprinted toward Qin Yan. His movement was incredibly fast, elegant, and unrestrained.
"Uncle Huang is here."
Elder Chen and Chen Jiaxin had both risen to their feet, and Jiaxin spoke the words aloud. This middle-aged man sprinting across shoulders was none other than Huang Luo, master of the Huang Family Martial Arts Hall and one of the Three Heroes of Chuzhou, as well as Elder Chen’s sworn brother.
"Brother Yunhe, it has been a long time!"
Huang Luo landed lightly in front of Qin Yan and Elder Chen’s granddaughter, beaming at the old man.
"Haha, so many years have passed, and yet you are as spirited as ever, Brother Huang. Jiaxin, greet your Uncle Huang."
Elder Chen returned the salute and gave Chen Jiaxin a meaningful look.
"Hello, Uncle Huang."
Chen Jiaxin hurriedly bowed to Huang Luo. Since he was her grandfather's sworn brother and her elder, it was only proper to pay her respects.
"Oh, I didn't expect Jiaxin to have grown up so much. The last time I saw you, you were still a little girl with a runny nose. Truly, a girl changes eighteen times before she grows up. Are you married yet?"
Huang Luo looked her up and down with an appreciative smile. He had a deep impression of her, as she used to follow her grandfather to visit him often when she was young.
"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Huang! I’m not married yet."
Chen Jiaxin felt a bit bashful. As Elder Chen’s granddaughter and the second miss of the Jinxiu Group, her standards were high; few men could catch her eye.
"Haha, if there’s a chance, Uncle Huang will introduce someone to you!"
Huang Luo exchanged these pleasantries before turning his attention away from Jiaxin. His gaze fell upon Qin Yan, who stood with his hands behind his back in silence. "And who is this?"
"This is the miracle doctor, Qin Yan. It’s a long story. My grandson, Yunfei, was struck by a dark curse. It is thanks to Doctor Qin’s intervention that he was saved."
Elder Chen explained everything, recounting in detail how a Thai sorcerer had cursed Chen Yunfei and how Qin Yan had healed him.
"To think such a thing happened! That Thai demonic monk is truly audacious, casting curses on Brother Yunhe’s family. Does he think there is no one left in the Middle Kingdom?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Luo was incensed. He struck the stone table beside him, sending shards flying and leaving a distinct palm print in the rock, a testament to his formidable inner power.
"Brother Huang, it is precisely because of this that I came. Doctor Qin warned that the Thai monk might strike my grandson again, so I hope you can help me eliminate this scourge," Elder Chen said solemnly.
"Is that so?"
Huang Luo sank into deep thought after hearing the request. Then, he looked up and instructed one of his disciples: "Bring me my sword."
The disciple departed and returned shortly with an object wrapped in white cloth. Huang Luo unwrapped it, revealing a giant sword. The blade was as wide as a man’s palm, silvery-white, and engraved with mysterious runes. On the hilt was a single, large character: *Lin*.
"This is the Demon-Subduing Sword, the weapon of the Taoist priest Lin Waiying. Years ago, I had a connection with him, and he bestowed this sword upon me," Huang Luo explained.
"Taoist Priest Lin Waiying? Could it be the ghost-catching master, Lin Waiying?" Chen Jiaxin asked, curious.
When she was a child, she had heard of a ghost-catching master in Jiangbei named Lin Waiying. He was incredibly powerful, having annihilated countless demons and spirits, earning him the title of the number one ghost-catcher in Jiangbei. Later, the priest disappeared without a trace. Hearing Huang Luo mention the name, she suspected it was the same person.
"Indeed, it is he! That was twenty years ago. It was a bitterly cold winter night, and work required me to travel through a remote mountain range in Yunzhou, Jiangbei. I set off after dinner, thinking nothing of it since I had traveled those mountain paths many times before. But that night was different. Just as I reached a forested area in the mountains, I heard the sounds of a struggle. I looked closely and was stunned: I saw a Taoist priest in robes, wielding a giant sword, battling a monster. The creature was a woman with long, disheveled hair and a tongue hanging out—it looked like a 'hanged ghost.'"
"I watched as the priest threw burning talismans at the creature. The ghost let out a shrill scream and fell, seemingly dead. The priest went over to check, but just as he approached, the ghost leaped up and spat a cloud of black mist directly into the priest’s defenseless face. I saw him stumble and lose his footing; I knew he was done for!"
"But the priest was remarkable. Even in that state, he roared, slammed his hand into his own chest to strike his inner organs, and spat a mouthful of blood onto his giant sword. Once sprayed with his blood, the sword erupted with a blue-gold light, its power vastly enhanced. With a single swing, he decapitated the ghost, killing it on the spot! It dissolved into a pool of black water—it was truly dead."
"However, the priest had been poisoned. He collapsed to the ground. Concerned for his life, I rushed over to support him, but his skin had already turned black and his face a sickly green. The poison was too deep to save him. Before he died, he handed me his glowing giant sword—this very Demon-Subduing Sword—and a book of secret techniques he had cultivated over his life. He asked me to inherit his mantle and continue to serve humanity by eradicating evil. As you have guessed, this priest was Lin Waiying."
"I have fulfilled his wish. I learned the Taoist’s techniques and have used this sword to slay monsters and ghosts ever since. I have lost count of how many have perished under this blade."
Huang Luo recounted the story in a fragmented tone, his eyes distant, as if transported back to the past.
"So that is how it was. I never expected Uncle Huang to have such a miraculous experience, to have known Priest Lin. He truly lived up to his name as a ghost-catching master, fighting evil his entire life, and even in death... he was still thinking of the world!" Chen Jiaxin nodded, a lump forming in her throat.
"Master Lin... a master worthy of respect," Elder Chen sighed, deeply moved by the bizarre and tragic tale.
"So, Brother Yunhe, not just for your sake, but for Priest Lin’s as well, rest assured. Tonight, I will use this sword to execute that Thai sorcerer and avenge your nephew! Eradicating evil was Master Lin’s dying wish, after all," Huang Luo said firmly, looking at Elder Chen.
"Good! If you are taking action, Brother Huang, what is there to worry about?" Elder Chen clapped and laughed, his faith in Huang Luo’s ability unshakable. Huang Luo was not only a martial artist but also the heir to the ghost-catcher Lin; with both martial and mystical prowess, he would surely defeat the Thai sorcerer.
"By the way, Doctor Qin, will you be coming along tonight?" Chen Jiaxin asked, looking at the silent Qin Yan. If he wasn't going, she could pay him and be done with it, as his task of healing her brother was complete. Dealing with the sorcerer was a Chen family affair.
"The doctor should probably stay behind. That Thai sorcerer has real skills, and I fear I won't be able to protect you if a fight breaks out," Huang Luo said dismissively, glancing at Qin Yan. He saw him as a frail, bookish youth and didn't want him dragging them down.
"Since I have nothing better to do, I’ll tag along to watch the show. As for my safety, don't bother yourself with it! To tell you the truth, I don't even consider that Thai sorcerer a threat," Qin Yan said with a smile.
"Hmph! Boastful talk. Do as you please, then!" Huang Luo said coldly, dismissing Qin Yan as a braggart.
"Very well. We depart at eight tonight. Jiaxin, take Li Long, and bring a few more guards just in case. And Doctor Qin, you may come if you wish," Elder Chen said, stroking his beard. While he trusted Huang Luo, he preferred to be cautious. As for Qin Yan, he thought it might be useful to have a doctor on hand in case someone was injured during the fight.
Time passed quickly, and evening arrived. It was the fourteenth of the seventh month, the Ghost Festival. Rumor had it that the gates of the underworld were thrown wide open on this day—a time for settling old debts and grievances, which was why it was not particularly loved by the public.
At eight o'clock, Qin Yan, Elder Chen, Chen Jiaxin, Li Long, and five other guards—nine people in total—set out in two Rolls-Royces toward the cemetery at Feng Village on the outskirts of Chuzhou.
"Grandfather, I heard people used to live in Feng Village. Why is it a cemetery now? And they say it’s a cursed place haunted by ghosts," Jiaxin asked out of curiosity.
"Cough, cough... If you want to know, I’ll tell you. Over a century ago, Feng Village was home to the descendants of the Manchu Eight Banners. Foreigners attacked, slaughtering the village, and the bodies were buried there. Since these Manchus were killed by Western firearms and died with such great resentment, it’s only natural for it to be haunted," Elder Chen explained slowly.
"Elder Chen, why would the sorcerer hide in a cemetery?" Li Long, Chen Jiaxin’s personal bodyguard and a former special forces soldier, asked curiously.
"I don’t know. Perhaps he likes the dead?" Elder Chen closed his eyes.
Soon, they reached their destination. Qin Yan, sitting in the back, clearly saw the desolate, empty cemetery outside. A broken stone tablet by the roadside read 'Feng Village.' The area was overgrown with weeds and trees, feeling entirely cut off from the world.
The group stepped out of the cars. It was late autumn, and the air was cold; Chen Jiaxin shivered in her thin clothing. She scanned the surroundings and frowned, asking, "Grandfather, is that sorcerer really here?"
"Yes, he is. I can already sense his formidable demonic aura," Huang Luo said suddenly. He held a strange compass-like device, and after fiddling with it, the needle pointed toward the northwest.
"Over there!" He pointed and strode forward, followed by Elder Chen, Jiaxin, and the others, including Qin Yan.
In the silent, deep night, the cemetery was completely still, save for the sound of footsteps on grass and the chirping of insects. Ten minutes later, a small river appeared before them, its water murmuring. On the bank stood a small wooden shack with a light flickering inside.
"You finally arrived?"
A voice spoke, and the door opened. A monk in red robes stepped out. Qin Yan squinted: the man was in his fifties, clean-shaven, with a high nose bridge and piercing eyes. Based on his dark skin and the waves of magical energy radiating from him, Qin Yan knew he wasn't from the Middle Kingdom—this was undoubtedly the Thai sorcerer.
He was Guman, a famous king of dark curses from Thailand, a master of both sorcery and evil arts.
"To think you not only broke my needle curse but also found your way here. You have some skill. But since you’ve come, you aren’t leaving!" A strange smile appeared on Guman’s dark face, his eyes gleaming with icy light.
"Cough, cough... You must be Master Guman. My grandson Yunfei may have been at fault, but he has suffered enough, tortured by your methods. If you can guarantee you will never strike at him again, I can have Master Huang leave, and we can call this even. How about it?" Elder Chen asked, hoping to avoid a conflict.
"Laughable! Your bastard of a grandson killed my niece, Guna. I raised her like my own daughter. I haven’t been able to sleep since she died. Casting a needle curse on your grandson was just an appetizer—I plan to use insect curses and ghost curses on him later, to make him truly savor the experience!" Guman let out a sinister, cackling laugh. Since he had no children of his own, Guna had been his whole world, and his hatred for Chen Yunfei was absolute.