The middle-aged man was very talkative. He started talking to me without me asking too many questions.
"From your appearance, you must be from another place. You may not know that Ninth Lady is well-known in our Baisha Village and even in the surrounding Miao villages. Many wealthy people from other places come to Ninth Lady to ask for medicine."
"Her medicine is very effective. Even for cancers that are difficult to treat with current medicine, her medicine can work wonders..."
"Also, do you see this road in our village? It was newly built. It was built because Ninth Lady cured a wealthy businessman's illness. The businessman funded the construction of Baisha Village. It is said that it cost more than one million to build this road."
"It's all thanks to Ninth Lady. Otherwise, how could the people in our village build brick houses and escape poverty? She is a living deity in our Baisha Village. The clay body of Ninth Lady is enshrined in our ancestral hall. Many people from the surrounding Miao villages and towns come here to burn incense and pray for blessings."
The middle-aged man talked for a long time, and I just smiled and said nothing.
When he was catching his breath, I turned my head and asked him, "Big brother, do you know what Ninth Lady is using to make medicine?"
This question stumped the middle-aged man.
He shook his head and said, "I really don't know. Ninth Lady's medicine also has rules. She never gives it to us Miao people. As for what she uses to make medicine, I don't know."
"Oh, right, one time, people in our village were very curious about the recipes that Ninth Lady made for medicine, and they wanted to learn how to make some money, so they went to find Ninth Lady. Unexpectedly, because of this, Ninth Lady flew into a rage, and even our village chief Miao was scolded. So, no one mentioned this matter again."
"I was among those people at the time. The Ninth Lady was very fierce that day. Thinking about her face at that time, I still feel terrified. Forget it, let's not talk about it."
The middle-aged man should be a vagrant, but he followed me into the village again.
Just after walking a few hundred meters into the village, he raised his hand and pointed at the ancestral hall in the middle of the village and said, "Look over there, that's the ancestral hall. The clay statue of the Ninth Lady is enshrined over there. There's also a clay statue of the 'God of All Things' inside."
"I'm telling you, young man, you've come to the right person to find Ninth Lady in Baisha Village. Her medicine is definitely effective. I guarantee that your illness will be cured if you take it."
I was also somewhat curious about this ancestral hall. Although time was urgent, the ancestral hall in Baisha Village was only a few steps away. So, I walked over.
The incense in the ancestral hall is really prosperous. A large stone tripod is placed in the center of the ancestral hall, filled with various kinds of incense. Behind the stone tripod is an offering table, offering fruits, pears, peaches, roast chicken, peanuts, melon seeds and so on.
Behind the altar, at a slightly higher position, there are two clay statues.
One clay statue is of an old lady, with a smile on her face and bright eyes, looking so kind. She should be the so-called Ninth Lady.
Another clay statue is located a little behind the Nine Girls statue. It has a horse head and a human face, three heads and six arms, eyes wide open, and each hand holds something. It looks very strange.
"The one on the left is the clay statue of Ninth Lady. It is very lifelike. It was made by a senior monk from a temple in the city invited by her granddaughter Zhu Huiwen. It looks almost the same as the real person."
I listened to the middle-aged man's words and found it really funny. A grass ghost woman who used living people to raise Gu harmed people, but now she is worshipped by people.
It's ironic.
Just when I was about to leave the ancestral hall, I seemed to sense a force from somewhere.
The power swirled inside the ancestral hall, invisible and untouchable, but it was there.
At the same time, I felt that the power was familiar to me. It was as if I had come into contact with it before. But what exactly it was, I really couldn't figure it out for a while.
Seeing that I was frowning, the middle-aged man asked me with a smile: "Little brother, what's wrong with you? Are the clay statues of the Ninth Lady and the God of All Things very sacred? Do you feel refreshed staying here?"
You know what, after the middle-aged man said that, I really felt that way.
Seeing me nod, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "That's right. People from other places who have come to our Baisha Village to seek medicine say that this ancestral hall is magical. In my opinion, it's not the ancestral hall that is magical, but the Ninth Lady. Everyone in our village thinks that the Ninth Lady is the real living Bodhisattva and living deity. Her presence in our Baisha Village is a blessing to our Baisha Village."
The middle-aged man kept talking about the Ninth Lady, as if he had endless things to say about her.
If I keep listening to this, I'm sure my ears will get calluses.
I interrupted the middle-aged man and asked, "Brother, please tell me where Ninth Lady's home is. I'm in a hurry and need to see Ninth Lady as soon as possible."
The middle-aged man scratched his head a little embarrassedly, raised his finger to show me, and said, "It's over there, not far away. Do you see that small bamboo building and bamboo forest? Ninth Lady lives over there."
After that, he talked to me for a few more words, and when he saw that I didn’t respond, the middle-aged man left.
With my brows furrowed, I glanced at the ancestral hall, and then quickly walked towards the bamboo building where the Ninth Lady was.
The bamboo building is hidden in a bamboo forest, with a bluestone path running through it, which is indescribably quiet.
This Ninth Lady really knows how to enjoy herself.
I quickly got there after passing through the bamboo forest.
As soon as I got there, I heard a dull "dong dong dong!" sound coming from inside the bamboo building.
I looked over and saw a figure kneeling on a cushion with her back to me. She was wearing a long yellow dress and her gray hair was clearly visible.
"Dong Dong!" The sound is exactly the sound of hitting the wooden fish.
I snorted coldly and walked over.
Perhaps it was because of the footsteps, the sound of the wooden fish stopped as soon as I reached the door of the bamboo building.
Afterwards, the so-called Ninth Lady slowly stood up and turned around.
There was a smile on her face, and her skin was not as old as imagined. Instead, she looked very young.
"Are you here to ask for medicine?"
The old woman asked softly, with a very pleasant look on her face.
I said coldly, "I'm not here to ask for medicine, I'm here to find you. Ninth Lady, you really are a big troublemaker. You and your granddaughter have been hurting people all the time, and you think no one knows about it. Do you think everyone is a fool and has been fooled by you?!"
After hearing what I said, the Ninth Lady was still smiling and asked, "Young man, what do you mean by that? I really don't understand."
I took a few more steps forward in frustration and said unhappily, "You don't understand what I mean, this is really ridiculous. Well, then I'll tell you that your use of living people to raise poisonous insects has been exposed. Ninth Lady, no, I'd better call you Grass Ghost Po."
This time, after hearing what I said, the smiling face of the Ninth Lady immediately disappeared.
Then, a sinister expression appeared on her face.
"So, what happened in my granddaughter's factory
Is it you who is behind all this?"
I raised the corner of my mouth and said, "Yes, you are right, it is me who is causing trouble. If you want to blame someone, just blame it on your bad luck to run into me, Yang Tianyi. This time, I will not let you hurt others again."
However, this Ninth Lady was surprisingly calm.
She sneered and said, "Young men are full of energy. Although I don't know who you are, you are really capable to come here alone. However, since you are here, I'm afraid you can't leave."
After that, before I could say anything, the Ninth Lady raised her hand and threw something out. That thing flew towards me very quickly.
Seeing that things were not going well, I quickly used the energy of Yin De to activate the Phantom Night Needle.
The Phantom Night Needle flew straight out, carrying the air with it, and hit the thing directly.
But unexpectedly, the thing only slowed down a little, but still flew towards me.
But I had already seen its appearance clearly. It was actually a one-foot-long green centipede. The lower body of the centipede was covered with densely packed legs and feet, and its hard shell glowed green in the sunlight.
It's a centipede poison!
This kind of poisonous insect cannot parasitize the body of the person who raises it, but it can be raised into a life poisonous insect through its essence and blood.
Seeing the centipede flying towards me, I stepped on the Seven Stars Step and dodged to the side. Only then did I avoid the centipede.
The centipede has no wings, and when it falls to the ground, its legs make a rustling sound.
Its body swayed on the gravel ground, leaving a deep mark.
However, the centipede did not stop attacking after landing.
At the entrance of the bamboo building, Ninth Lady shouted softly, "Xiaoqing, kill him. Kill him and his blood will be yours."
The centipede Gu actually understood what Ninth Lady said. It moved its legs, stood up, and actually jumped up and pounced on me again.
I turned my body, activated the Seven Star Step, and dodged more than a meter away.
What I didn't expect was that this time, the centipede Gu actually changed direction in mid-air. It blew out a breath from its mouth, and with this breath, it came towards me to bite.
Seeing that it was not good, I quickly activated the Fire Burning Talisman to resist. But surprisingly, after the Fire Burning Talisman collided with the centipede Gu, the centipede Gu was actually safe and sound, and was not burned by the high temperature of the Fire Burning Talisman.
I was caught off guard and the centipede bug hit me directly and bit me hard.
I pinched my right fingers, released the Yin De Qi, pointed it at the centipede Gu, and at the same time pushed it outwards, and the centipede Gu was thrown out by me.
I stepped back a few steps and found that there was a black hole where I was bitten by the centipede, with a little sticky green liquid stuck on it.
That ** is corrosive.
The clothes were corroded and a hole appeared, revealing the golden jade armor on my chest. But I found that there were also green spots and two small bite marks on the golden jade armor.
Fortunately, it didn't bite my flesh.
Seeing that I was actually fine, the Ninth Lady waved at the centipede Gu, and the centipede Gu rushed towards the Ninth Lady as quickly as a pug.
It climbed up the Nine Girls' legs and feet, climbed onto her body, and crawled into her sleeves.
She raised her head slightly and glanced at me, then said in a deep voice: "I can see that you are a ghost-catching Taoist priest, and you are very skilled in it."
I squinted my eyes, took out the Seven-Star Dragon Abyss Sword, took a stance, and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense. I'm here to get rid of you today. You've done a lot of harm to others, and you'll get your comeuppance in the end."
(to be continued)
(End of this chapter) (End of this chapter)