Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Taoist Marquis Takes All the Blame

A fist and a palm collided, the sound of bones breaking echoing sharply. Lin Danian’s arms twisted like rope, with splinters of bone jutting grotesquely beneath his skin. Enduring the searing pain, he spat out a mouthful of blood, using the force of it to hurl himself out the window.

Wen Meng was already waiting outside. He caught Lin Danian in his arms, but the impact drew a muffled groan from him. Sucking in a cold breath, he darted away with several swift steps, carrying the grievously wounded Lin Danian and the exhausted Zhou Bai out of the ancestral hall’s range.

Zhou Bai glanced back. The statue did not give chase but stood at the window, its eyes fixed upon them with an eerie, unfathomable stare.

"Is the danger over? Hurry and contact Lord Wang," Lin Danian said, catching his breath. Though his injuries were grave, he merely furrowed his brows.

"No…" Wen Meng murmured. He pointed to the sky, where the last glimmer of twilight was vanishing, night descending.

He then pulled out a communication talisman, which ignited without flame and turned to ash in his hand.

At that moment, the moon crested the horizon. The ancestral hall collapsed with a thunderous roar, and the statue emerged from the rubble. Its body continued to mutate, sprouting several pairs of legs as it sped toward them.

Elsewhere in Hangdu, Wang Zhen began to move. She leapt from her residence into the air, a streak of black light shooting skyward as streams of ghostly energy flowed from her fingertips.

But then, something unforeseen occurred—a gigantic eye materialized beside her. In the blink of an eye, countless spectral hands reached out to seize her. When the black clouds dissipated, Wang Zhen’s form had vanished.

Hangdu was already under curfew; the streets were nearly empty. Those who happened upon the scene only sensed the surge of black light in the sky.

Though Zhou Bai and his companions did not know what calamity had befallen Wang Zhen, the overwhelming surge of ghostly energy drew their attention.

In a fleeting instant, the sky returned to calm. The clouds scattered, revealing the pale, fractured moon suspended above.

Wen Meng was the first to react, shaking the compass in his hand urgently before his expression changed dramatically. "An omen of great misfortune! We can’t just wait here for Lord Wang’s aid. We must leave—now!"

"Agreed!" Lin Danian replied. His arms were wounded, but his legs unharmed, and as the pain dulled, he was already beginning to recover.

Zhou Bai nodded as well. The backlash from his ghost-slaying technique had faded, thanks in no small part to the lingering effects of the yellow elixir in his belly.

The three of them raced toward the Wang family estate, signaling the panicked constables to withdraw as they went.

The authorities were bewildered, unable to grasp the situation, but soon a heavy, ominous footfall thundered from behind. The statue crashed down from above, crushing several men before turning its full attention to Zhou Bai and his companions.

With no other option, they kept running. The statue ignored the insignificant mortals, striding in great steps in pursuit.

Whenever a wall blocked its path, the statue simply smashed through with brute force.

"Zhou Bai, you know this place best. Can we find somewhere to outmaneuver this specter?" Lin Danian called out anxiously, sliding aside just in time to evade another of the statue’s swings.

In their frantic flight, they soon found themselves beyond the bounds of Qinghe.

The ghostly creature roared, its head splitting open to reveal a maw lined with razor teeth.

"Follow me!"

Zhou Bai wasted no time, dashing to the front and leading his two companions, carefully skirting the more populated areas.

The commotion had roused the city. Lights flickered on in scattered homes, and many peered out from cracks in their windows to see the battered streets.

Cratered earth, walls punched through with human-shaped holes, shattered blue bricks—the air was thick with a strange, acrid stench.

At first, Zhou Bai and the others managed to stay ahead, moving quickly and with the advantage of familiarity. But the specter was gaining speed, and it was clear they would soon be cornered.

Spotting a familiar alley in the distance, Zhou Bai veered into it.

Though it was a dead end, neither Lin Danian nor Wen Meng hesitated, following him into the narrow lane.

The statue careened after them, smashing the alley walls with increasing ferocity. Its expression was now utterly twisted, all traces of its former compassionate countenance gone.

Zhou Bai charged to the end of the alley, stopping before a butcher’s shop. He kicked the door open and shouted inside.

"Old Hou! Come out and greet your guests!"

Inside, Daoist Hou sat cross-legged in meditation, still garbed in his tattered robe, the room redolent of sandalwood.

He was momentarily stunned, not grasping the situation until Lin Danian and Wen Meng hurried in behind.

The monstrous statue was now less than a hundred meters away, and Daoist Hou could not help but curse aloud.

"Zhou Bai, damn you!"

Zhou Bai only grinned shamelessly. "Daoist Hou, now’s not the time for complaints—our lives are at stake! Where’s that formation you set up? Use it, quickly!"

Daoist Hou spat at him, but Zhou Bai dodged nimbly. With no time to waste, Hou drew a battered grey stone from his sleeve, pressed his fore and middle fingers together atop it, and summoned every ounce of his strength.

"By urgent command, Three Pure Ones, Three Heavens, Three Spirits—seal the vessel!"

Within a hundred meters of the butcher’s shop, a surge of spiritual light erupted from beneath the ground, weaving a complex formation that trapped the statue within.

Lin Danian, though no stranger to Hou’s methods, was nonetheless taken aback by such a display, while Wen Meng, himself trained as a Daoist, regarded him with astonished admiration.

Inside the formation, the statue became like a headless fly, lashing out wildly—several times nearly striking the shop itself.

"This is the end for me, Zhou Bai. You’ve dragged me into this mess—I won’t forgive you, even as a ghost," Daoist Hou lamented, collapsing to the ground in despair. He had barely finished setting the formation, hoping to recover his strength, when Zhou Bai had brought the specter straight to his door.

"Daoist Hou, I trust your abilities. You’ve trapped the ghost, haven’t you?"

"It’s only temporary. In moments, it will break free—and worst of all, we’re trapped in here with it. There’s no escape."

Wen Meng, having regained his composure, interjected, "Master Hou, your skills are remarkable. This Celestial Lock Formation is truly an eye-opener."

"What good does it do us? We’re still doomed," Daoist Hou muttered, slumping in defeat.

Wen Meng and Lin Danian exchanged glances and spoke in unison, "With such time and place in our favor, all that remains is for us to act."