Ancestors used the"Don't be ridiculous, you said it was a harbinger of doom! What other color could it possibly be besides black and gray" I said gruffly. "It's pitch black, flying in from the west. Even before sunset, there are so many owls flying around. This place is really desolate..."

Before the last rays of sunlight had faded, I felt a chill in the air. The inhabitants of this village, these “people,” did not light their lamps even after nightfall, and their scattered houses and courtyards were all shut tight.

It's not a ghost village, but it's even more desolate than one. A single house holds both humans and ghosts, each marking their own territory. Just thinking about it sends chills down your spine.

I grew up in the city and haven't seen many owls.

Most of them are seen from folklore classics or nature science programs.

Seeing so many owls taking flight together is truly spine-chilling.

"Your fields are desolate, the mice must be starving to death, how come there are so many owls here..." I muttered.

The old woman's expression was serious, she straightened her stooped back as much as possible. The embroidered bandage was thrown aside, and the embroidery needle lay on the ground.

"Soul-Seeking Birds… so many Soul-Seeking Birds, it's a rare sight to see in the world today! How could this be our landscape!" The old woman stood up leaning on her cane.

As the sun set in the west, the darkness came quickly, especially in this place with heavy overcast. The temperature dropped rapidly. Even though the winter sun had shone all day, it didn't feel warm at all. Now, the change in temperature was immediately noticeable.

"I'm so cold I'm shivering, clutching my arms. "You actually believe in things like the Soul Devourer bird"

"Faith, why don't you have faith" The old woman sneered: "You young whippersnappers just don't believe in the wisdom of our ancestors!"

"I rolled my eyes at that,"

The old woman's face twitched. "Little girl, your family is a renowned practitioner of esoteric medicine. You must know the origin of the Soul-Seeking Bird."

"I've never seen anything like this up close before, so I wouldn't know." I answered honestly.

"This bird is unseen on Mount Tai during the day, yet can detect a single autumn hair at night. Its usual cry is shrill and terrifying, but if it emits a sound like laughter, then it has surely smelled something special - the smell of death." The old woman proudly instructed me.

"Dead air Then with so many Soul-Seeking Birds flying over, are they here to mourn for you" I gave her a white look. This old hag looked like she was dead but not buried, a walking corpse.

"Humph... so many birds flying about in a panic, and the sky is showing strange signs. Something big must have happened..." The old woman's expression was grave, but a stiff smile played on her lips.

Her lips twitched, revealing wind-blown teeth that ground slowly together. Her chapped lips collided, producing some unintelligible murmurs.

What is this doing

"Old hag, didn't you just have a stroke... You, don't blame me! There's no hospital here, I can't take you to get medical treatment..."

I tend to be a bit outspoken. Strokes usually come on suddenly with loss of consciousness, followed by drooling, slurred speech, and twitching. This old woman is still quite alert, though she mumbles incoherently.

It sounded like a chant, but also like someone singing something. There were some tones I couldn't quite understand.

The sky seemed to darken faster.

A cold wind whipped up dead leaves, swirling them outside the small courtyard. The entire village was already eerie, but now it felt even more lifeless. Owls flew with astonishing speed, their wings almost silent when they were alone.

At this point, there were simply too many of them, flapping their wings with such intensity that it produced a truly unnerving sound.

"Little girl, you'd best be honest and don't run out of this yard! The formation here, your mother prepared for over three years, it can't be broken easily! You're only safe staying here!" The old woman suddenly said to me quickly.

"This... what does this have to do with me I couldn't escape anyway, even if it was a strange time you asked me to leave, I wouldn't!" I answered quickly.

The old woman let out a cold snort, before she could utter another word, a large cloud of gray mist suddenly appeared above the courtyard.

The fog seemed to rise from the nearby rivers, with wisps trailing behind it.

What in the world is this, and why is it gathering above the courtyard

The mist in the center was getting darker and darker, and I began to feel a sense of foreboding in my heart—the pressure was mounting, like being at the mouth of a dark cave where a beast could suddenly pounce on me.

The old woman suddenly pinched her fingers together in a series of hand gestures, starting with the gossip pattern.

Many people think that Taoist priests chanting incantations on television is very entertaining, but in reality, it's a form of practice, not something you can easily accomplish by just reading a few lines from classic texts and discussing them.

An ordinary person can't even bend their fingers all the way, and some people have poor coordination and can't flexibly command each finger on both hands.

For example, some fingers need to be straight up, while others need to be bent inward, pinching the text, and even nails cannot be exposed. Many people can't do this.

Just like playing the piano, finger coordination and hand-eye coordination are important. I'm okay at threading needles, but I still need to practice my knot tying.

The old woman's fingers were thin and bony, her movements slow and stiff, but her hands moved quickly, crossing over each other to form a gossip-patterned finger technique.

This is a secret formula for dispelling evil spirits and misfortune.

With her whispered incantations, this three-in-one courtyard suddenly fell into a profound silence.

No sound of wind, no hoot of owls.

It seemed like I had suddenly sunk to the bottom of the water, and everything around me became incredibly quiet.

The embroidered bandage, carelessly tossed onto the railing, fell to the ground. A gigantic mouth suddenly appeared in the gray mist above.

This is the thing I've ever seen — the serpent spirit of the Dragon King!

This snake spirit had once been defeated by Bai Ni, and it rushed into the mountain cave, leaping into the underground dark river, no one knew where it went.

Suddenly, out of the gray mist in mid-air, it appeared, seeming poised to pounce at any moment.

"Old hag, this is—" I sprang to the porch and ducked behind a wooden pillar.

"Shhh!" The old woman hissed at me, sternly telling me to be quiet.

"This is the Gu spirit of the old Dragon King!" I hissed at her.

The old woman squinted her eyes: "This old rogue... where did he get this thing..."

“He fled to the deep mountains and old forests abroad, perhaps catching this big snake somewhere. Anyway, it seemed like a water snake. When it passed by, you'd feel like being pulled into a whirlpool, suffocating. Be careful!” I jumped behind the nearest pillar to her.

The old woman glanced at me: "What are you worried about I'm not going to fight him."

Well Then what are you using the gossip-shattering Eight Trigrams to do

"This house, every corner, every brick and beam… is inscribed with spells, pressed with talismans. For over three years, your mother has worked day and night to set this place up, all for today!" The old woman let out a cold snort: "The Dragon King thief doesn't have the ability to find this place!"

"But—it's not just the Dragon King who wants to catch me! There's also an old monster hiding in space, too…" I hurriedly explained, "The Dragon King might be working with the old monster!"

The old woman sighed: “That’s all we can do, I guess—do our best and leave the rest to fate...”

Before she could finish her words, I suddenly felt my legs go weak again.

This is definitely not my dizziness, there's a huge force really shaking the ground!here to find him."I quickly shook my head and said, "No, my family and friends are all here. Where could I possibly run off to hide Forget ten years, I probably wouldn't run away in this lifetime."My...