Spirit Hunters of Maoshan Sect

“Why do you ask?”

“It is related to a murder case, so I hope that you, the village head, can cooperate with us,” Ye Shaoyang politely replied .

“Oh . ” The old village head seemed absent-minded . Then, his eyes shifted back to the television . He pretended to enjoy watching the show, as he simply answered, “According to the elderly, Madam Chee\'s Temple was built when the Dashing King conquered the capital of China . ”

[Tl Note: Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, nicknamed "Dashing King", was a Chinese rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over China briefly as the emperor of the short-lived Shun dynasty before his death a year later . ]

“Who is the Dashing King?” Ye Shaoyang scratched his head .

Zhou Jingru glanced at him and replied, “He was a rebel leader toward the end of the Ming dynasty . ”

Toward the end of Ming dynasty . . . that was a few hundred years ago . Ye Shaoyang continued to ask, “Why did they want to build this temple?”

“Who knows?” the old village head showed a slightly cold attitude toward Ye Shaoyang, “There are temples everywhere, so how would I know why?”

Ye Shaoyang replied, “Every temple has its origins . Furthermore, this temple is specifically named after Madam Chee . Who is Madam Chee? Is she an immortal being or . . . a specter?”

A look of panic flashed through the old village head’s eyes . But he quickly returned to normal and shook his head, “I don’t understand what you are talking about, and I don’t know much about the temple . You can ask somebody else . Goodbye . ”

Ye Shaoyang did not move . He tilted his head, looked at the old village head, and smiled, “Your body has a heavy scent of cinnabar ink and Mugwort Leaves . Two of the fingers on your right hand are red, which shows that you have contacted these two things either yesterday or just now . If I am not mistaken, you are not a normal person but a sorcerer . You are a folk sorcerer!”

The old village head shuddered . He did not pretend anymore but looked at Ye Shaoyang with surprise, “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Ye Shaoyang, an inner disciple of Maoshan Sect . ”

“Are you kidding me?” muttered the old village head as his mouth gradually opened wide .

Ye Shaoyang did not answer the old village head’s question . He sniffled, “There is a very strong violent Qi in this house . I guess there is something evil here . You ground cinnabar ink and Mugwort Leaves to deal with this evil . However, you failed, right?”

The old village head abruptly stood up . He stared at Ye Shaoyang with his mouth agape . Ye Shaoyang could feel his hesitation . He struck while the iron was hot, “I can help if you need my assistance . But on one condition—tell me everything you know about Madam Chee . For your information, Madam Chee killed two people yesterday and three people today . She has already started to hurt people . If we don’t investigate this matter, many more villagers will die . Do you think you can go against her with your limited power?”

“Are you . . . a true inner disciple of Maoshan Sect?” asked the old village head again .

Ye Shaoyang helplessly shook his head . He struck the air with his right index finger in front of the old village head . A strong Gang Qi remained in the air for a long time . However, this simple stroke completely cleared the old village head’s suspicions . He let out a sigh, “Anyway, the statue has been broken . You are a Heavenly Master from Maoshan Sect, so maybe you can fight against her . But that is your business . I’ll tell you everything that I know, but first, you need to know that the evil thing in my house is in the abdomen of my daughter-in-law . ”

“What?!” Zhou Jingru shouted with her mouth covered .

The old village head sat back on the edge of the bed . He began to mull over matters for a while, “I think I have to start from the beginning . There are five to six villages around the foot of this hill, and we all believe in Madam Chee . This happened during ancient times, but I am unsure about the exact time frame . According to our ancestors, Madam Chee was originally a demon . . . who transformed into a human figure and married one of the villagers . ”

“At that time, for no apparent reason, a dead villager transformed into an undead . The undead harmed the villagers wherever it went . The villagers hired a couple of sorcerers to bring it down, but they all failed . After that, an itinerant monk came and killed the undead . Then, he sensed that a demon hid among the villagers . He checked on them one by one until he found the daughter-in-law—Madam Chee . They had a grand fight . Although Madam Chee lost, the monk could not destroy her either . ”

“Then, the itinerant monk negotiated with her . The villagers would build a temple of worship for her . In return, she shall not harm a single villager . Madam Chee and the villagers agreed . Because they previously called her Madam Chee, they named the temple after that handle . After they built the temple, the monk set up a formation, and Madam Chee willingly entered it .

“Since then, a few villages around this area came to worship at Madam Chee\'s Temple . Initially, many of them worshipped her due to their duty and their fear . But some of their prayers came true . Then, everyone started to believe in her . Everything went smoothly for two hundred years, till one night when Madam Chee appeared in the dreams of a few clan leaders . She requested for them to sacrifice a baby for her cultivation purposes… . ”

Zhou Jingru paled in fear when she heard this . Ye Shaoyang quietly groaned, “Demons will always be demons . ”

The old village head continued, “At that time, the clan leaders didn’t agree to Madam Chee’s request . Then, the night after the dream, four of the village children were lost . A few days later, their dead bodies were found in the temple… . The leaders had no choice but to acquiesce . However, they didn’t announce this matter to the villagers . After all, nobody would willingly sacrifice their own children to Madam Chee . So, this agreement remained between the clan leaders and Madam Chee . ”

“The agreement stated that Madam Chee would only choose a mother pregnant with twins . At early pregnancy, she would instill violent Qi into one of the fetuses and seal it with a spell . After the delivery, she would send her spirit servant to steal the baby away from the mother . It happened like this for two hundred years . Although some villagers felt strange about this matter, none of them really took the matter seriously . After all, a five-year cycle can be considered a long period . So, this secret was passed down the family lines of the clan leaders .

“Subsequently, Madam Chee never disturbed the villagers . She even blessed this area with favorable climatic weather for crops . I was the clan leader of the Niu Village . After the villagers changed the name of the title to senior village chief, I was still appointed . I’m the only one who knows this secret . Some of my ancestors learned some Daoist craft, but they were too weak . ” After he finished these words, the old village head sighed .

“But I never expected her to choose my future grandson . Alas, I comforted myself that at least one child would still survive . During the third month of pregnancy, I could sense a violent Qi being sealed inside one of the twins . But everything went wrong when the people destroyed Madam Chee’s statue . At that time I felt the removal of the seal . I have no doubt that the violent Qi is leaking, and I believe it has already affected the healthy one . I don’t know whether there is any chance of rescuing him . ”

Tears coursed down the cheeks of the old village head . He cupped his hands and paid obeisance to Ye Shaoyang, “I’ve told you everything I know . Heavenly Master, please help us . Please check if there is any chance to save my other grandson . If you can save him, I will establish an appreciation tablet for you . My family members will worship you from generation to generation . ”

Ye Shaoyang had some ideas about the matter after he listened to the old village head . But he did not take that thought any further .

“Let’s go and see your daughter-in-law’s condition,” Ye Shaoyang said .

The old village head hurriedly brought them to the first floor and knocked on a room door . The old village head asked his son, who opened the door for them, “How’s Xiao Fang?”

“She has a slight fever . Her condition is quite bad currently . ” Xiao Jun looked miserable .

The old village head nodded and invited Ye Shaoyang and Zhou Jingru into the room . Xiao Jun wanted to stop them, but the old village head scolded him . Once he entered the room, Ye Shaoyang immediately felt a violent Qi strike his face . He looked over to the bed; a whey-faced pregnant lady laid on it, her eyes half-shut . She was very weak, and black Qi had accumulated between her eyebrows . Blankets covered the pregnant lady . Additionally, she wore a thick felt hat despite the hot weather . The old village head explained, “Previously, she felt better than now . But she started to feel colder and colder recently . ”

“This is due to the effects of violent Qi once it enters a human body . ” Suddenly, Ye Shaoyang thought of the violent undead incident when he was four to five years old . He had experienced the same problem as the pregnant lady due to corpse poison . Luckily, Qing Yunzi saved him and brought him to Maoshan Sect . Since then, his life had changed forever .

Ye Shaoyang sat on the edge of the bed . He lifted the blanket . Xiao Fang’s abdomen was abnormally distended . It was much bigger than a pregnant woman about to enter labor . This was not only due to the twin pregnancy but also due to the excessive violent Qi in her abdomen .