After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Wu returned. From some corner, there seemed to be a sound. Tan Xiao and Duan Yang both looked around alertly. Duan Yang took out a compass from his bag and started making calculations.

But Wu Tianyu hadn't returned home, and Duan Yang didn't detect any ominous aura.

"Master, what is this? Ever since... Tianyu became abnormal," Mrs. Wu also said in panic, "there have been strange noises in the house. Could it be, as you said, the real Tianyu calling out to me from where he's trapped?"

She was still thinking about what Tan Xiao said about Wu Tianyu being imprisoned.

Mao Mao really wanted to say it could be the sound of rebar, or snakes, rats and ants. But for now, she went along with Mrs. Wu. After all, the masters had been invited. "Mm, maybe it is, we need to rescue him quickly. What do you need us to do now?"

Duan Yang took out a peach wood board with a talisman drawn on it that said 'Trap the Evil'.

"When he comes back, find an excuse to go out. Place this talisman under the doorstep as you leave, to prevent the evil spirit from escaping."

Having Ah Jin lying in ambush below wasn't enough, he needed to add a talisman too. Duan Yang was taking Wu Tianyu very seriously. He took out some cinnabar and drew two symbols each on Mrs. Wu and Mao Mao's palms. "The left hand symbol prevents your actions from being anticipated. The right hand one protects you in case he tries to attack."

"Okay, great." Mao Mao thought, this is so worth it, with such an impressive setup.

Duan Yang brought even more than this. He had four ancient mirrors engraved with spells: "Iron mirrors ward off evil, demons tremble before them."

Arranging the four mirrors in formation is called the Four Regulation Mirrors, able to reflect all directions - east, south, west and north. In other words, if anything within this range is an evil spirit, it will reveal its true form in the mirrors.

Duan Yang set up the four mirrors in the corners, using books and flowerpots to conceal them slightly, so they wouldn't be noticed at first glance.

Finally, he took out three green hemp ropes and three white hemp ropes twisted into cords. These were used to bind souls, called "winding the soul" in the Nanchu region.

Seeing so many tools, Mrs. Wu felt completely reassured.

These were Duan Yang's preparations. What about Tan Xiao? Mrs. Wu couldn't help looking at Tan Xiao, the young shaman she trusted very much.

Tan Xiao also opened his bag and politely said, "May I borrow your kitchen?"

Mrs. Wu didn't react at first, thinking he was going to say bathroom. She was stunned for a moment. "Kitchen?"

Tan Xiao took out the buns. "I'll steam the buns."

Mrs. Wu: "??"

Duan Yang wanted to smooth things over, but Tan Xiao calmly explained, "Gods crave food and drink, ghosts still seek sustenance. Nothing can resist the temptation of food. And hasn't Wu Tianyu become emaciated lately? This is the perfect remedy."

Mrs. Wu was completely convinced. She had already been persuaded by Tan Xiao before. At this point, no matter what Tan Xiao said, as long as it sounded even slightly logical, she would believe it. She eagerly showed the way, "The kitchen is over here."

Tan Xiao pushed open the door and saw a picture of the Stove God pasted on the wall.

Mrs. Wu was a rather superstitious person to begin with. The house already had a shrine, so it wasn't strange to have a Stove God picture. In Duan Yang's view, the deities Mrs. Wu worshipped showed no spiritual response whatsoever, but this Stove God picture was a bit interesting.

There are many versions of Stove God pictures. The one Mrs. Wu pasted was titled "Eastern Kitchen Minister of Destiny", one of the revered titles for the Stove God.

The overall craftsmanship was exquisite and rich, with upper and lower tiers. In the center was the Stove God, with the God of Wealth, amplifiers, and the Eight Immortals above and below, totaling over thirty figures. It was a genuine "Grand Stove God" masterpiece.

"What a fine 'Grand Stove God' picture. Yours is a top-quality one. How come this Eastern Kitchen Minister of Destiny failed to protect your family's kitchen?" Duan Yang sighed. He said this because Wu Tianyu was reportedly as thin as a skeleton, while the Stove God, as the name implies, is supposed to safeguard the family's kitchen.

Hearing him affirm the deity picture she had put up, Mrs. Wu was first delighted, then became downcast. "Maybe it's because he mostly eats at school..."

Tan Xiao started preparing on his own. He had brought buns. Buns may seem easy to make, but actually require a lot of effort. At home, he had already prepared the filling and wrapped the buns beforehand, only needing to steam them now.

Each bun was uniform in size, with around 20 pleats each. He efficiently steamed the buns while mixing some red edible coloring.

The steamer emitted vapor and made noise.

Amidst this noise, there seemed to be some faint abnormal sounds mixed in.

Tan Xiao looked at the steamer oddly. Was it coming from the pot? Was it broken?

"Are they done steaming?" Duan Yang poked his head in, interrupting Tan Xiao's thoughts. "Wu Tianyu is almost back."

"I'm almost done too," Tan Xiao replied.

I guess so, Duan Yang could already smell the aroma. He silently exclaimed, what's with you Tan family shamans, have you just been working on cooking skills all these years?!

Tan Xiao brought out the buns. Each one was non-sticky and plump, with a perfect rounded shape and distinct pleats, even prettier than the semi-finished products sold in supermarkets. Not to mention, the fragrance was already aggressively assaulting everyone's nostrils.

Everyone swallowed their saliva together.

Although these were prepared for Wu Tianyu, it didn't stop everyone from having ill intentions towards them...

"Should I bring them directly to him later? Where should he eat them? In the living room where there's more space for you to perform your arts?" Mrs. Wu looked at the buns and said. She was a bit nervous and at a loss, afraid of affecting the ritual.

"Wait." Tan Xiao took out a brush, dipped it in the red coloring he had just mixed, and dotted each bun.

Mao Mao didn't understand this step. "What does this mean?"

Duan Yang explained, "It means 'good fortune is upon you'. In the past, adding a red dot signified auspiciousness and joy. If it's discovered that an evil spirit is stealing the food's essence in the house, adding a dot can prevent the theft."

This is how they guard against hungry ghosts. Although this Chu shaman had switched to cultural tourism, he still knew the old rules. Even Mrs. Wu had an impression. In the past, during the New Year, they would dot red spots on the steamed buns.

However, back then they didn't have edible coloring. They would dip red paper in water, then use chopsticks to dab the red paper and dot it on the almost cooked buns.

At this point, Mao Mao still thought that after they performed some ritual, they would take her cousin to the hospital. She cooperatively played along, saying the line she had repeated countless times today, "You two masters are amazing!"

"It's about time." Mrs. Wu checked her phone and said anxiously.

"Let's go hide in the study. Auntie, just do as we said later." Duan Yang led Tan Xiao to hide in the study. There was a hidden sliding door connecting the study and the living room, and he left a tiny crack open.

...

"Mom, I'm back."

The door lock turned as Wu Tianyu announced while entering and changing shoes.

Duan Yang concentrated on peeking at the four-way mirror, but being inside the residence, it was impossible for the mirror to capture every corner due to the layout limitations. Plus, Duan Yang's viewing angle was restricted, so he had yet to see Wu Tianyu's figure appear in the mirror.

Tan Xiao, on the other hand, was on high alert. He felt nothing when seeing Wu Tianyu at school, but now all his hair stood on end, clearly sensing something amiss! It was indeed as Mu Fei said, this evil spirit was previously hidden and may not have even gone to school itself.

"Tianyu, you're back. I bought some steamed buns, have some. I'll see your sister off, she's leaving." Mrs. Wu said as calmly as possible, even pretending to be dissatisfied with Wu Tianyu, as she had wanted to get him to burn incense before.

The oblivious Mao Mao greeted Wu Tianyu naturally, "You're leaving?"

"Sis, let me see you off." Wu Tianyu politely offered.

Mrs. Wu nervously looked at Mao Mao, not knowing how to dissuade her.

Mao Mao said casually, "Have some buns, they're getting cold." She looked at the buns longingly, so fragrant and tempting, clearly plentiful, yet Tan Xiao and Duan Yang wouldn't let her have a single one.

"Alright then." Wu Tianyu walked over and sat at the table. Mrs. Wu placed the buns in front of him and hurriedly left with Mao Mao, following Duan Yang's instructions to put the wooden talisman at the door, but not daring to go far, hiding in the stairwell.

In the study, Duan Yang was amazed to find that although Wu Tianyu seemed to move around the room casually, his figure never appeared in the four-way mirror even as he sat down!

Perhaps there were some deviations when he set it up, being manual after all, but Wu Tianyu had cleverly utilized various angles and obstacles to avoid detection, which was no coincidence!

"We've been discovered." Duan Yang mouthed to Tan Xiao, clearly suspecting that his concealment talisman may have been seen through by Wu Tianyu. Sweat trickled down bit by bit. The more natural and calm Wu Tianyu appeared outside, making no moves, the more nervous Duan Yang became.

Outside, Wu Tianyu sniffed, the fragrant aroma of the buns wafting in the air, and let out a satisfied "hmm". Those who know food can tell it's a delicacy just by the smell and appearance. Seeing the rising steam, he could already imagine the soft, fluffy texture.

"Smells so good, so good." The buns were still hot, but Wu Tianyu couldn't resist. He tore open a disposable glove, put it on, and reached for a bun with refined movements, taking a big bite without fear of the heat.

But as he bit down, Wu Tianyu paused, looking at the bun with a puzzled "huh?", then continued stuffing it into his mouth.

No, there was no taste, still no taste!

Wu Tianyu's refined movements gradually changed, becoming faster and faster, as if the more he ate, the hungrier he got, no longer caring about manners.

Tan Xiao and Duan Yang peeked together through the door crack. Compared to what they saw in the cafeteria, his eating manner had become extremely unrestrained... no, it shouldn't be called unrestrained, it was downright twisted.

Wu Tianyu's features were almost scrunched together, eyes narrowed, teeth bared as he bit into the scalding bun, grimacing from the heat, yet unwilling to let go, like some kind of animal.

These buns were indeed delicious. Biting into them, there was skin and filling, the aroma of flour, meat and sauce blending together. The bun skin was tender and fluffy, and you could still distinguish the meat filling inside, surely stir-fried with seasonings, mostly lean meat with a bit of fat, achieving the perfect texture, rich and savory without being greasy.

Fragrant, but the closer he got, the more he couldn't taste it. Wu Tianyu's expression grew increasingly anxious, choking on the buns stuffed in his mouth, coughing a few times but refusing to stop. As he ate, his expression even took on an agitated look.

His eyes stared fixedly at the buns, rapidly shoving them into his mouth, his brows and eyes showing extreme satisfaction with the fragrant food, yet his throat let out frustrated whimpers.

Wu Tianyu was furious. His body moved, the chair making a grating sound against the floor. It was at this instant that the delicate balance was broken, and his figure appeared in the four-way mirror!

Duan Yang clearly saw in the mirror that there was a cat-sized silver-white rat sitting on Wu Tianyu's neck!

This rat wore a crumpled green robe and an eggshell hat. Upon closer inspection, the crumpled appearance was because the clothes were clearly made of folded paper. Its features were now twisted from being unable to taste the buns, an expression almost identical to Wu Tianyu's beneath it.

Tan Xiao thought, it's a rat spirit! Duan Yang also nodded secretly. So that's how it was. The rat is the first of the twelve zodiac animals, its longevity forming its own fortune, naturally skilled in divination and able to change people's luck, fond of cleanliness and also stealing food. Judging by its fur, it had at least a few hundred years of cultivation.

This huge rat jumped down from Wu Tianyu's neck, sitting back-to-back with him, muttering to itself, clearly starting a divination.

Wu Tianyu wanted to turn his head a bit, "Elder, aren't you going to eat? I can't eat anymore."

"Don't turn around!" The big rat stopped him with the voice of a weathered old man, "Did you forget what I said? You mustn't face me. I'm currently in my Primordial Spirit form, aren't you afraid of scaring your soul away."

"Then when can I actually build my foundation?" Wu Tianyu asked listlessly, "Now I can only foresee some minor things, fighting and reading, there's nothing major to do." Conquering Nanchu No. 1 Middle was apparently not enough for him.

The big rat ignored him and continued muttering to itself.

Tan Xiao and Duan Yang: "..."

Tan Xiao had said there was something off about Wu Tianyu's way of speaking. Turns out he was being fooled, carrying around an old grandpa to help him get revenge in this life?

But there was no time to think too much. Duan Yang nervously stood up straight, gripping the hemp rope. Sure enough, the next moment, the big rat leaped onto Wu Tianyu's neck, stood up and cursed in the direction of the study, "Come out here!"

He had long sensed Duan Yang's presence, just wanting to act tough and slowly lure Duan Yang out after eating the fragrant buns. He didn't expect this stinking boy to actually protect the buns, unable to bear the aroma himself, exposing his flaw first, instantly furious from embarrassment.

Sigh, since he was discovered, he might as well go out. Tan Xiao slowly pushed the door open and walked out.

"Wu Tianyu" cursed and grumbled, "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and come out!"

Tan Xiao: "...?"

He looked behind him at Duan Yang who was a step slower, puzzled. Why didn't the big rat see him?

Duan Yang was also stunned for a moment, then both of them reacted - only Duan Yang's concealment talisman had failed!

Duan Yang thought to himself, with my success rate, how could it only be fifty percent? What was wrong with my state of mind before I drew the talisman?

- Actually, it should be said that only the talisman drawn by Duan Yang failed. Tan Xiao had chanted the concealment spell himself before coming.

Duan Yang slowly walked out.

He snorted unsurprisingly, pouncing in that direction. At the same time, Duan Yang tossed the hemp rope to Tan Xiao, who caught it and strangled "Wu Tianyu" from behind.

Taking advantage of "Wu Tianyu's" surprise, Duan Yang also grabbed the other end to tie his hands. This was used for soul-binding, but big rats also belonged to yin creatures and had some punitive effect.

With Tan Xiao's action, the concealment spell was broken.

"...Damn kid, how dare you ambush me!" A voice came out of "Wu Tianyu's" mouth, not his own, nor the old man's voice made by the rat just now, but somewhat shrill.

His strength was immense. Duan Yang gritted his teeth, his facial muscles trembling. Hearing his accent with a Northeast tone, he exclaimed in shock, "It's a Northern immortal, an Ash Immortal? Foxes and weasels can't cross the the Shanhaiguan, how did you smuggle into Nanchu!"

It is said that there are Buddhas in the South and immortals in the North, and foxes and weasels can't cross the the Shanhaiguan. The North and South are divided by the Shanhaiguan, and the spiritual animals on that side can't cross this great barrier. Among these animals, foxes and weasels are the most representative.

Tan Xiao only had a slight understanding of the territory of his Northern counterparts, staying at a relatively shallow level. While strangling "Wu Tianyu" with force, he asked, "What Ash Immortal?"

"The 'ash' in 'fox, weasel, hedgehog, snake, and ash'. They call rat spirits Ash Immortals over there," Duan Yang replied.

Tan Xiao became curious and turned his head to ask, "Aren't the four most famous immortal families in the North foxes, weasels, hedgehogs and snakes?"

- Of course, immortals were not real immortals, just a kind of respectful title used by the common folk. Just like in the Chu region, various yin gods were also worshipped as long as they could help. Many worshipped in the North were animal immortals.

According to Tan Xiao's understanding, apart from fox spirits and yellow weasels, hedgehogs (white) and snakes (willow), these four kinds together were known as the Four Great Families. They were animals with great spiritual nature and more easily became formidable.

Duan Yang thought to himself that he was leading two people and still had to teach, "Well, there is also a saying of Five Great Immortals, which are the fox, weasel, hedgehog, snake, and ash."

Tan Xiao, "So their Ash Family got bundled for promotion?"

"Wu Tianyu" immediately roared in anger, struggling frantically, "No! It's just a different saying! You're ignorant!!!"

Originally, being ranked at the bottom was heartbreaking enough for the Ash Family. Tan Xiao's question, whether intentional or unintentional, greatly angered this fellow. His whiskers were about to pop out.

"Little Tan-" Duan Yang howled at him, meaning for him to restrain a bit. This dead rat was going to fight to the death.

Sure enough, "Wu Tianyu" lowered his head at an extremely tricky angle and bit, actually gnawing through the hemp rope used for soul-binding.

Seeing the other party's ferocious eyes, Duan Yang knew that Northern ash immortals had always been much more brutal than Southern rat spirits. He raised his peach wood sword and said, "Tan Xiao, stay back a bit."

As an underage shaman, and he was here to lead and nurture the newcomer, of course he had to protect Tan Xiao a little.

As expected, "Wu Tianyu" pounced in this direction.

Heh, coming at this Heavenly Master. Duan Yang raised one hand, tightly gripping the peach wood sword, solemnly-

Facing the swinging peach wood sword, "Wu Tianyu" twisted his waist and dodged at an extremely tricky angle, then slapped Duan Yang. His skinny body unexpectedly erupted with unimaginable energy, directly pushing Duan Yang flying and crashing into the TV cabinet.

"Wu Tianyu" cursed, "Get out of the way, don't hinder me."

Then, he stretched out both hands, his nails unknowingly swelling and becoming sharp, grabbing at Tan Xiao - the only person he thought could threaten him.

Duan Yang, "..."

How could this be.

However, Tan Xiao had already made a hand seal, seeming to be on guard.

But "Wu Tianyu's" movement scraped past Tan Xiao and grabbed the vase beside him. The vase shattered and burst, fragments hitting Tan Xiao's hand, causing him to stop his action in pain. He was completely predicted by the big rat, who was actually going for the vase.

"Wu Tianyu" licked his lips, as if the steamed bun Tan Xiao made was really delicious, "Your craftsmanship as a Southern sorcerer is not bad, just a bit meddlesome, daring to stop me."

"I advise you to surrender quickly. The old custom that foxes and weasels can't cross the Shanhaiguan - you smuggled over, do you not want to go back anymore?" Duan Yang said as he got up.

Tan Xiao also persuaded, "We have enough ghosts and gods here, there's no place to worship rat spirits... uh, ash immortals. Don't force it." From what Wu Tianyu called this rat, he knew that he didn't even dare to reveal his true identity, deceiving Wu Tianyu that he was some kind of down-and-out cultivator in order to possess him.

Moreover, they recalled Wu Tianyu's photo on the snowy mountain and strongly suspected that when Wu Tianyu went to play in the North, he was bewitched by this rat spirit, who borrowed his human body to conceal itself and cross Shanhaiguan. Just like the legend that monsters always seek help from humans, especially scholars, to cross tribulations and pass through gates. If someone helped to cover, they could successfully smuggle across Shanhaiguan.

"Humph, what's wrong with coming over to have some Emperor's Essence? I'm just not planning to go back, so what," the rat spirit didn't avoid it. Nanchu was the place with the most Emperor's Essence, so coming here was no problem.

"I failed in guiding others to invest in A-shares back in my hometown, and can't make it there anymore anyway."

He didn't even say that he was beaten badly and came here to recuperate for a while. So some of what he told Wu Tianyu to deceive him was true, to help him heal!

Tan Xiao, Duan Yang, "..."

This was purely a demon scam. It could handle small matters but not big ones. Even with a few hundred more years of cultivation, how could it fathom the profoundness of A-shares?

"There's no need for you to shout and kill. Let's sit down and chat. If we can talk it through, I can be the house immortal for Wu Tianyu and bless his family," said "Wu Tianyu", his eyeballs rolling, playing with words. In fact, this was also the forte of ash immortals, or rather, their hobby. Like when making things difficult for others, they also liked to chatter and chat, playing some mind-bending games.

"Impossible. Wu Tianyu has no affinity for these deviant ways at all. Otherwise, why would you have to deceive him about the primordial spirit and cultivators?"

Duan Yang didn't believe it at all. Moreover, Wu Tianyu was still a minor. According to the regulations of the Bureau 404, it was impossible to agree. Wu Tianyu was not like Tan Xiao with a family heritage.

Then the negotiation broke down.

"Wu Tianyu" glanced at Tan Xiao. This southern shaman struck without mercy, but how could his hundreds of years of cultivation be given in vain? He raised his hand, licked his fingernails by his lips, his pupils dilating to fill his entire eyeballs. Suddenly reaching out, he grabbed at Tan Xiao's neck.

Fortunately, Tan Xiao scored quite high in physical tests and reacted swiftly to dodge. But "Wu Tianyu" was merely feinting, and he scurried towards the door on all fours. His forte was divination, knowing everything in advance. Just this alone was enough for him to play tricks!

Reaching the door, he almost bit through the peach wood talisman without stopping.

There is a saying that "the sky opens at Zi, and if it is not exhausted, its Qi will not open". From this imagery, rats have the ability to open the sky, let alone forcibly biting through the spirit talisman and soul-binding rope.

Mao Mao and Mrs. Wu were outside. Hearing the clanging sounds inside, they were already curious. The two peeked out from the stairwell. At this moment, they saw a person break through the door on all fours, biting open the wooden board.

"Ah!!" Mrs. Wu screamed. The person raised his head to look, revealing eyes filled with black pupils and animal-like wrinkled features. She almost fainted upon seeing it. Knowing her son had a problem was one thing, seeing it with her own eyes was another. Who wouldn't get goosebumps from this scene?

If the so-called abnormal state before could be a psychological illness, then what was happening now absolutely could not be caused by any illness! Even his nails had changed like that!

"Get out of the way." "Wu Tianyu" mumbled unclearly, about to tear Mao Mao apart. Mao Mao completely forgot she still had a talisman in her hand, staring blankly as the sharp nails came towards her.

Tan Xiao pounced over in time, his fingers pinching the small golden knife sign, clashing with "Wu Tianyu"'s nails, actually producing the sound of metal clashing!

The two warily eyed each other. Tan Xiao calculated in his mind how to deal with his divination techniques, while the Ash Immortal similarly continuously predicted how to successfully break free from the pincer attack and counterattack.

Duan Yang had felt that in the eyes of this Ash Immortal, he was inferior to Tan Xiao. Now seeing him pinch the sign to directly confront, he was completely convinced. At this moment, he gasped in surprise, "I never would have thought, Little Tan has such cultivation!"

Mrs. Wu leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy. Hearing Duan Yang speak, she looked at him in confusion. She never would have thought, the Celestial Master was unaware of his companion's cultivation?

Mao Mao also clutched her head and screamed. From the first glance at "Wu Tianyu", she felt her worldview shatter, completely unable to control her emotions, "Tianyu is really possessed?! Tan Xiao, you're also for real, you're a real shaman?!"

No, that's not right. She knew Tan Xiao was a shaman, but she never would have thought, not that kind of shaman!

Although Mrs. Wu was shocked to see this scene, upon hearing Mao Mao's words, she also couldn't help but question with a shattered worldview, "Huh? You didn't know? Then what were you originally trying to do?!"

Mao Mao: ".................."

...So chaotic, my head hurts.

Author's Note:

Ash Immortal: The local shamans are really too rude.jpg