Servant Eats Wei Qi

Lingxi Town, Xingle County.

Built along the stream, it was named Lingxi Town.

The ancestors of Lingxi Town were surnamed Hu. They were seven brothers born of the same mother who settled and multiplied here. Over the past hundred years, the family has grown stronger and stronger.

Some devoted themselves to the battlefield, while others devoted themselves to the imperial examinations. Once they achieved something, they naturally wanted to give back to their clan.

Therefore, the Hu clan took steps to establish charitable fields, charitable residences, and charitable schools to plan for the future.

If a few more promising individuals emerge, they can support each other in this Great Qian Dynasty, for fellow villagers are inherently a very close relationship.

Throughout its century-long history, the Hu family produced a fierce general who fought on the battlefield and conquered cities. After his death, the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty bestowed upon him a golden statue and made him a local deity.

Because he was the ninth child in his family, he was also known as Grandpa Hu Jiu by the villagers of Lingxi Town, or Hu Jiugong.

Hu Jiugong Temple.

The structure is magnificent and spectacular.

The incense was burning brightly, and even the mythical beasts on the roof seemed to grow more ferocious.

Pei Si stood with his hands behind his back, wandering around the temple like an ordinary pilgrim.

The incense burner in front of the hall was densely filled with incense sticks.

Fragrant mist swirls and drifts erratically.

Pei Si took out three incense sticks, lit them, gently shook them, and inserted the burning incense according to the proper incense-offering etiquette.

Pei Si observed the burning incense, "I was hoping to ask Master Hu about this since he's not in the temple."

As a local deity appointed by the Great Qian Dynasty, Hu Jiugong was responsible for guarding the region for the court. If there were any demons or evil spirits within the territory, Hu Jiugong was required to suppress them immediately.

He shook his head and turned to leave.

Following the address on the commission, Pei Si made several turns and turned into an alley.

Niping Hutong.

As soon as Pei Si stood at the entrance of the alley, he smelled a strong stench of blood.

At the entrance of the alley stood a constable dressed in black uniform, who reached out to stop Pei Si.

"Official business is being conducted; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."

Pei Si: "I am the Daoist Celestial Master Dongxuanjian, here to handle this matter. This is my identification; you may verify it yourselves."

Before long, Pei Si was granted permission to enter the alley.

Inside the house, three or four constables stood scattered about, and a constable captain with a bushy beard like a halberd was frowning, seemingly clueless.

Upon seeing Pei Si, Qu Tu Jin immediately became very enthusiastic.

Everyone has their own area of ​​expertise; this kind of thing should be left to professionals like the "bull nose" (a term used to describe someone with exceptional skills or expertise).

Pei Si smiled and wandered around the screen wall, the gatehouse, the passageway, and the covered corridor.

Outside the main house.

Pei Si stopped and looked into the room. At this moment, on the blue brick floor, a thin layer of "tomato" mixed with white liquid had begun to slowly solidify.

Green bottle flies swarmed around it, and the thin "tomato" was covered with countless insect eggs. Some tiny white "larvae" had already hatched and were slowly wriggling.

This is the place where Hu Shouqian's family met their demise.

Thirty people, including servants, coachmen, grooms, and cooks, all perished in the main house.

Pei Si's expression remained unchanged, but his hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword.

Unfortunately, the Daoist skill of "Holding Treasure and Leading Sheep" only granted him the ability to see in the night, making his eyesight so great that he could see the dark as if it were daytime, but it did not give him the ability to distinguish ghosts and demons.

Pei Si formed a hand seal and chanted, "The Three Departments of Spiritual Life, the Eight Sceneries are now clear. I now command you to return to your divine form and spirit. So be it!"

In a short while.

Pei Si's face suddenly darkened, as if covered in frost.

Why is it that the soul of the deceased does not remain?

The evil spirit was so ferocious that it devoured all the souls and spirits of this family, leaving nothing behind!

Pei Si then made a hand seal, summoning the "Qi-Gathering and Qi-Eating Official" and the "Ghost-Gathering and Ghost-Eating Official" from the "Fearful Beast" lineage.

Official who collects and consumes Qi / Official who collects and consumes ghosts: "Greetings, Master Lu."

Pei Si returned the greeting and said softly, "This household has been haunted by evil spirits. Do you have any clues? What kind of demon or evil spirit is responsible?"

The two officers and soldiers of the Great Dao split up and began to search the house.

Fifteen minutes later.

The Qi-gathering official cupped his hands and said softly, "I already know the origins of this evil spirit. Please listen to my explanation."

"In the ancient southwestern frontier, there lived a monster called the Servant-Eating Demon, who was greedy and skilled at using illusions to devour the souls of the living. Those who were affected by the spell died the next day, and their bodies turned into mincemeat."

"The 'Servant Eater' also has followers who inherit the magic and pass it down through generations. These followers can also be called 'Servant Eaters.' Those who practice this sorcery can transform into black cats, black dogs, donkeys, tombs, etc. They sneak into houses at night, and when they encounter a sick person, they lick their hands and feet, sniff their mouth and nose, tear their flesh, and spit it into water, where it can turn into fish and shrimp. They then collect the fish and shrimp to sell."

"The original source of the Servant Devourer has been killed by the high-ranking Taoist immortals. Those causing trouble today are not the Servant Devourers."

Pei Si narrowed his eyes slightly, realizing that's how it is.

It is neither a servant-eating ghost nor a servant-eating being, but must be an evil spirit related to the servant-eating ghost.

"Indeed, the source of the Servants has been killed, and the Servants do not have such abilities. The disciples regard the founder of the sect as their ancestor and worship him every day. They can learn the ancestor's magic, and some can even receive the ancestor's troops to help them."

"The servants regard the source servant ghost as their ancestor and worship it day and night. Thus, this evil energy was born from the power of the servants' wishes. Let's call it the servant ghost energy for now."

"This Servant Devouring Qi is obviously newly born, otherwise the souls of all the living people in this county would have been devoured by it."

The official who collected and consumed Qi nodded.

Pei Si seemed to be deep in thought. Listening to this strange aura of the servants, how could it sound so much like the second generation of the servant lineage?

"Is there any way to track down the servant's strange energy?" Pei Si asked.

"It's been too long, the scent has faded, and I can't track it down." The Qi-gathering and Qi-eating officials and the ghost-gathering and ghost-eating officials shook their heads, indicating that they were powerless to help.

"However, once the servant eats the ghostly energy and absorbs the souls of living people, his desires will be hard to control, as the saying goes, 'the appetite for desire is insatiable.' Once he has obtained a soul and tasted its sweetness, and his strength has recovered, he will surely have the intention to climb higher!" said the Ghost-Eating Official.

Pei Si: "The Servant Devouring Qi must constantly strive to climb higher, in order to reach the strength of the Source Servant Devouring Qi!"

Pei Si sighed, realizing that if he were to return to the primitive state, he would be no different from this servant who fed on strange energy.

He wanted to escape the red light and, with the help of the "Comprehensive Mirror of All Trades," break out of the Great Qian Dynasty and the Eastern Cang Mengzhang Divine Continent.

Suddenly, Pei Si thought of Hu Jiugong and said, "When the local deity guards this place goes out, the government can't stop him. For this servant who feeds on strange energy, this place is a naturally formed hunting ground."

"It certainly won't let such a good opportunity slip by!"

"That's exactly right. I urge you, Master Lu, to conceal your aura as much as possible. It would be even better if you could emit an aura of your own kind." The Qi-Gathering and Qi-Eating Official paused, then added:

"Evil spirits attract each other, and two tigers cannot share the same mountain. No matter whether the servant-eating evil spirit is weak or strong when it sees the talisman, it will definitely covet you and intend to turn you into a puzzle piece!"

"If the enemy is weak, it will be like divine soldiers descending from the sky, directly devouring them."

"If the power is strong, the servant-devouring demon will lie low, quietly develop its strength, and then devour Lu Sheng once it has the upper hand!"

Pei Si took off his gloves and stared at the bright red palace lantern on the back of his hand.

In the eyes of that newly born servant-eating demonic energy, what level does the red light represent?