This old lady, whose surname is Tian, lives near the market in Fenghua County. Her husband died young, leaving only a small residence and a son.
His son Tian Sangen was serving as a soldier in Anshen City and could only return home once every two months. In addition to her, there is also a daughter-in-law, Ruqiu, living at home. Ruqiu has been pregnant for seven months. Due to her poor health, she spends most of her time in bed recuperating. Her income is entirely supported by Tian Sangen's monthly money. Although the family background is mediocre, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get along harmoniously, and their lives are pretty good.
Seeing that she was about to have her grandson, Mrs. Tian naturally cared more about her daughter-in-law. In her spare time, she would do some handicrafts and sell them in the market, hoping to make Ruqiu eat better. But what she didn't expect was that a sudden change occurred at home half a month ago.
At first it was just a sound - in the dead of night, there would be strange clicking sounds in the house, sometimes like on the roof beams, sometimes like in front of the window sill, and occasionally even coming from around the two of them, startling the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Breaking into a cold sweat.
After that, the situation gradually became serious. Earthen pots and rice bowls would be smashed inexplicably, holes were drilled in the window paper, and the sounds began to affect reality little by little.
Even if the two of them lit a room full of candles, they couldn't stop the vision from happening.
Tian's wife originally needed to be cared for, and she became haggard after being put through such a torment. Not only did she lose a lot of weight, but her mental state became increasingly unstable. If she continued like this, let alone a safe delivery, there was a possibility that the child in her belly would not be saved.
It's not like Mrs. Tian hasn't thought of ways, such as moving out for a while. However, the family is not well-off to begin with, and neither renting a house nor an inn can sustain it for too long.
She also went to a nearby temple to buy sacred water and ghost-repelling charms, but the strange noise remained the same and seemed to be getting closer and closer to people.
In desperation, she begged Zhao Dahai.
When he first arrived in Fenghua County, Zhao Dahai had dealt with several "supernatural problems" under the guise of the Demon-Conquering Master, and he had gained a bit of fame. Of course, in Xia Fan's eyes, most of those supernatural phenomena were just the imagination of the villagers. Or a heart disease, and the so-called fame is, at most, only mentioned by neighbors in the street when chatting. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Tian not only heard about it, but also memorized it, so that she came to Zhao Dahai when she was at a loss.
At that time, the master had got out of the debt dilemma, so he naturally agreed. It's a pity that he failed to deceive him this time. After several "conquering the devil", he couldn't make the strange noise disappear, so he had to close the door and thank the guests. But Mrs. Tian obviously didn't give up. She just thought that Daochang Zhao didn't use his full strength, so she came to beg for help every one or two days. It wasn't until Xia Fan returned to Fenghua County that the first scene happened.
"Taoist Zhao said that if even his apprentice can't solve it, there won't be anyone in Fenghua County who can solve it." The old lady looked at Xia Fan longingly, "Little Taoist...Xiao Xianshi, please save me." Save my family!"
I really found a good master. Xia Fan rolled his eyes silently. He was not looking for something to do for himself, but simply shirking responsibility. I don’t even think about it, everything my apprentice has learned comes from the master. If the master can’t deal with the evil spirits, can his apprentice be able to do it
Wait... It seems like it can actually happen. If a earthquake thunder were fired directly in the house, no matter what evil thing was hidden, it would probably be wiped out. The problem is that if a lightning strikes like this, half of the old man's house will probably be destroyed. Doesn't it mean that he is not helping
This approach won't work.
But refuse... To be honest, Xia Fan couldn't bear to do this.
The old lady Tian in front of her was almost fifty years old, and her hair was completely gray. Judging from her face full of wrinkles and sun marks, it was clear that she had suffered a lot in her life. For her, being able to see her children and grandchildren born is probably the greatest comfort in her life, so she did not hesitate to lie down in front of a young man who was less than one-third her age.
If it were a miscarriage, Tian's wife, who was frail and sick, would probably be in bad luck. Even if the family still existed, it would definitely be in pieces and no longer what it was before.
Xia Fan has been educated since he was a child to help others. However, in the past, his ability was limited, and helping others was mostly limited to picking up money and giving directions to strangers. Now that he has the ability to save people's lives, it is difficult for him to pretend to turn a blind eye.
While thinking, Xia Fan's eyes suddenly stopped in the shadow of the back room.
By the way, isn't there a direct disciple of Privy Council Qingjian here
If she were asked to go to the scene and take a look, she might be able to find some clues!
The fox demon is injured and cannot do anything, but this is not the key. The key is to find a countermeasure. He can do things like taking action on his behalf.
Xia Fan thought about it for a moment and found that this idea was unexpectedly feasible.
First of all, from what I heard from Mrs. Tian, we know that the "weirdness" in her home is not some ferocious monster. Otherwise, the master would not have gone a second or third time if he failed the first time - if the opponent was a little more dangerous, he would have He ran far away.
Secondly, the control in the county is not as strict as in the big cities. There is neither curfew nor night patrol, so the risk of fox demon exposure is very low.
The only question is whether Li is willing to get involved.
But when it comes to his ability to persuade, Xia Fan thinks he has full confidence.
"I can give it a try, but there are a few conditions that must be stated in advance."
"No matter what the little Taoist said, as long as I can do it—"
"You will definitely be able to do what I mentioned." He interrupted, "First, no one can be left in the house while I am doing it, you can only wait outside; second, you cannot publicize this matter, I don't want others to know about it. It has something to do with me; thirdly, there is no guarantee of the result. Evil spirits are all kinds of things, so I can only say that I will try my best."
"I understand, I understand everything..." The old lady nodded repeatedly.
"And the fourth point... I need a set of your wife's clothes, looser." Xia Fan said slowly, "There are also matching hats and coir raincoats. I will pay for them."
"Money is not necessary! But... what does the little Taoist priest need for this?"
"Just in case the weather changes late at night."
…
After Mrs. Tian left, Li poked his head out of the back room, "Who told you that I agreed to help her? I am a demon and she is a human. I have no reason to help an unrelated human being, just like a human being will not help. Like a demon."
As expected of a fox demon, the other party already knew his intentions well before he said anything.
Li's tone was quite unpleasant, and he seemed to be very dissatisfied with Xia Fan's self-assertive behavior. "Let's talk first. Just because I agree to cooperate with you doesn't mean that I will obey you in everything. We are not in a subordinate relationship, and we should cooperate fully." Negotiate before making a decision—"
"You're right, but after all, this matter is about life, and I didn't have a chance to discuss it with you just now." Xia Fan comforted him in a gentle tone, "As for the first point you said, I think it is biased."
"Biased? It would be fine if people don't shout and kill monsters."
"Have I helped you?" Xia Fan asked.
"have."
"Am I human?"
Li was momentarily stuck, "This, you are different..."
"Then if you don't help her, you can help me, right?" He took advantage of the situation and said, "The other party is not an alchemist of the Privy Council, and has no direct interest in the demon. There will be no bad consequences if you help me. Wasn't it just right before? Talking about the classification of evil spirits? Just think of it as a live teaching."