The scene was chaotic for a moment. Everyone was shocked by what they discovered themselves, and then shocked again by what others found out.

Even "Wu Tianyu" couldn't help but roll his eyes, "With your hearts so out of sync, how can you accomplish anything?"

And they teamed up to catch him?

"..." Everyone was speechless, feeling mocked.

But Duan Yang, as a professional, was the first to recover. He launched a surprise attack from behind, shouting, "Dispel the evil, preserve the righteous qi!"

However, this gave the opponent an opportunity. "Wu Tianyu", with an agility unimaginable for an ordinary person, leaped up, flipped his entire thin and long body, somersaulted nimbly in the air and landed on all fours in the corner of the wall. His tongue flicked as he mumbled a few sounds.

"Grandpa Ash is leaving!" After saying that, he flipped out the window on all fours!

This action directly frightened Mrs. Wu, causing her heart to beat wildly and her eyes to roll back.

"It's okay, it's okay, we have people ambushing below!" Tan Xiao quickly said.

"Jump... jump..." Mrs. Wu was supported by Mao Mao. She couldn't catch her breath, but what she wanted to say was, who cares about an ambush or not, this is the top floor!

"He won't die from falling! He's not human now." Duan Yang also rushed to the window to look. Sure enough, "Wu Tianyu" was climbing down the pipes, his movements extremely agile.

"You go inside and wait, don't come out again." Tan Xiao pushed Mrs. Wu and Mao Mao into the door without allowing any argument. Before closing the door, he said to the conflicted-looking Mao Mao, "I'm sorry, I'm not a fraud."

Then he quickly shut the door.

Mao Mao: "..."

After slamming the door, Tan Xiao shouted loudly, "Ah Jin!"

As "Wu Tianyu" climbed past a certain floor, a pair of hands wearing a mascot costume reached out, trying to pull "Wu Tianyu" into an illusion!

"Wu Tianyu" screeched to a halt, once again vividly dodging it. He grabbed Ah Jin in return, pressed him against the window sill, approached the connection between Ah Jin's mascot head and body, sniffed a few times, and said disdainfully, "Do you know what I'm going to say? Little vessel spirit?"

Ah Jin said indignantly, "Who are you calling a little demon?"

"Wu Tianyu": "..."

He almost slapped Ah Jin's frog head off with a palm, and roared angrily, "It's little vessel spirit! What little demon!"

He tossed Ah Jin aside with disgust. Ah Jin retreated a few steps and sat on the ground, clutching his chest.

Ah Jin was furious. Young Master Jin's illusions were his specialty and had caused a lot of trouble for Bureau 404. The ash immortal first called him a little demon (although he misheard), and then humiliated him. He said angrily, "Don't play tricks, let's have a match."

"Wu Tianyu", worthy of being the ash immortal, really talked a lot. He said disdainfully, "You are also a non-human, yet you act as a lackey for the imperial court. Grandpa Hui looks down on you."

-- Actually, this sentence was complete nonsense. Among the household immortals, there were also those who served in the palace, but they were from the Hu family, not his turn.

Ah Jin didn't know that much. Just as he was about to retort, an impatient voice came from an unknown household on this floor, "So noisy! Which family's kids, don't play house on our floor, go downstairs to play!"

Ah Jin & Wu Tianyu: "..."

"Wu Tianyu" fell silent for a moment, and really turned around, but he jumped to the side, apparently looking for another way out.

Duan Yang cursed and was anxious, "How do we do this!"

"It's okay, I can summon a deity to descend at worst." Tan Xiao thought of some incantations that he had specifically prepared in advance, "Let me try the spells again."

Duan Yang glanced at him, feeling a bit speechless in his heart. To summon a deity, you need to set up an altar. Although Tan Xiao's skills are good, he doesn't quite understand combat.

In such an intense situation, you say you want to summon a deity, can it take effect in a short time? There are a lot of rituals for a shaman to set up an altar.

With the cunning of the Ash Immortal, how would he wait for your skill to cast!

Tan Xiao had already targeted "Wu Tianyu", "First, cut off the path of heavenly plague; second, block the gate of earthly plague; third, cut off the road of man; fourth, block the door of ghosts... Trample the heavenly net and earthly web without mercy!"

Tan Xiao recited five spells in one breath -- he had prepared in advance, but had no practical experience, and didn't know how effective they would be, so he recited them all together.

This move was also something Tan Xiao learned at school, called the "tactic of overwhelming with questions".

Only a few miserable screams were heard from "Wu Tianyu", his hands and feet almost couldn't hold onto the pipes. With Tan Xiao's spells cast so densely, he of course couldn't divine a way out for a while. He leaped upward and climbed onto the edge of the rooftop.

Tan Xiao and Duan Yang immediately ran up the stairs to the top floor as well. Wu Tianyu's home was a duplex on the top floor, just a few steps to reach the roof. There were no neighbors up here at all. Mrs. Wu had planted many flowers and plants here, and there was also a sunroom.

"Wu Tianyu" stood on the edge of the rooftop, glaring at Tan Xiao resentfully, "Grandpa Hui wanted to make this kid a 'curtain-lifting immortal', it was his blessing. If you don't agree, so be it, but you're so vicious."

A series of combos had rendered him unable to fight back, only then did he know what it meant for one force to subdue ten meetings.

The so-called curtain-lifting immortal referred to Wu Tianyu originally not having a family lineage, but receiving enlightenment halfway. Hearing this, Tan Xiao also roughly guessed what it meant. He couldn't help but secretly take out his phone and jot down this newly learned knowledge point.

Duan Yang looked on with a face full of question marks.

After casting a set of spells as numerous as a test paper, Tan Xiao finished taking notes and walked forward, "Stop rambling, just surrender."

"Wu Tianyu's" lips moved. He was still calculating. He wouldn't admit defeat until he reached a dead end. He even snorted a few times, "Guess where I'm going to run next?"

Tan Xiao and Duan Yang remained silent.

This was obviously a psychological tactic by the Ash Immortal. If he still had a way out, why would he climb up?

Duan Yang took out the hemp rope that had been broken in two, and together with Tan Xiao, they approached from the left and right in a pincer attack.

Divination is not omnipotent. With enemies in front and a high platform behind, "Wu Tianyu" had no way out. He was pressed down on the rooftop, cursing and grumbling, "Don't let Grandpa Hui get a chance..."

Duan Yang successfully tied "Wu Tianyu's" hands. The latter didn't struggle much, it seemed the Ash Immortal was also a bit discouraged.

After tying him up, Duan Yang lifted his hands and carefully searched. Sure enough, there were two large lumps under the armpits. He pressed down on "Wu Tianyu" and said to Tan Xiao, "When an animal immortal possesses a body, there will be protrusions where the qi flows. This place is where his essential qi resides. Strike here, disperse his qi, and you can break his powers."

Tan Xiao nodded, glanced at the Ash Immortal's expression. Under the daylight, it was dark and unclear.

He made a hand seal with both hands, stepped forward and raised his left hand, using the small golden blade seal to slash the qi.

At the same time, "Wu Tianyu's" figure twisted bizarrely, withdrawing his arms from the hemp rope. He flipped backwards, hanging on the edge of the rooftop, and suddenly grabbed Tan Xiao's outstretched left hand and pulled hard!

"Wu Tianyu" grinned at Tan Xiao, who could say he had no chance to escape now?

"Tan Xiao!!" Duan Yang cried out in horror, but it was too late. Tan Xiao was forcefully pulled off the rooftop by "Wu Tianyu".

Tan Xiao was suddenly yanked down, without time to make a sound, only hearing "Wu Tianyu's" smug, strange laughter by his ears.

And in the fleeting moment as he fell past, "Wu Tianyu" also saw Tan Xiao's other hand seemed to still be making a hand seal, a completely different one.

A faint question arose in his heart - what hand seal was this? Making a seal when about to die?

The next moment, Tan Xiao who he had pushed off the building was embraced by a figure rising slowly from below.

The arrival had long hair adorned with feathers, wearing a gray stone colored robe embroidered with auspicious clouds. He caught Tan Xiao with one hand and set him on the edge of the rooftop, his phoenix eyes coldly sweeping over "Wu Tianyu".

-- The other hand seal Tan Xiao made was precisely the Crane Seal to summon the divine.

Summoning the Peacock God to appear!

The Ash Immortal's whole body trembled, feeling his very soul shaking.

Because Tan Xiao was set down to sit on the rooftop edge, Kong Xuan was higher than him. He remembered he was still angry and asked from his lofty position: "What are you doing?"

The originally high and mighty figure, with the hint of impatience in this question, actually added some liveliness to him.

Tan Xiao slowly opened his eyes. In the instant he fell from the building, the moment he closed his eyes, before he even had time to feel uneasy, he felt the familiar sensation enveloping him. This was the first time Tan Xiao as a true shaman had entrusted such faith in his patron god, it was truly marvelous.

And the Peacock God was also extremely reliable, fully displaying the symbiosis between god and shaman.

The hand holding Tan Xiao had no temperature, but Tan Xiao felt very reassured, as if they were one. With one foot stepping on the rooftop edge, he didn't answer for the moment, but looked at "Wu Tianyu" and asked that question back at him: "Calculate again now, how will you escape?"

In an instant, "Wu Tianyu" broke out in a cold sweat!

He didn't recognize this existence that made him tremble in fear at first sight, he just subconsciously started calculating in his heart.

A few seconds later, he collapsed limply to the ground. Whether it was heaven above, earth below, or any of the four directions, there was not a sliver of life left for him!

Before this great god appeared, he couldn't calculate it.

After the appearance, calculating was useless!

At this moment, "Wu Tianyu" and Duan Yang's feelings actually tended to align: how did you summon this great existence before even chanting a spell? If you had this connection why didn't you say so earlier?

-- Actually Wu Tianyu had even met Kong Xuan before, it's just that the clever Ash Immortal was too smart for his own good. While hiding from the shaman he accidentally hid from Kong Xuan too.

The Ash Immortal's demeanor changed. Facing Tan Xiao, he knelt dejectedly by the rooftop edge, quite flexible, condemning Ah Jin for "relying on the court" before, but now pleading: "Great Chu Shaman, it's a society ruled by law now, you should hand me over to the relevant authorities right? My crimes don't warrant death!"

...He felt this great god wanted to kill him!

And the Chu Shaman was this great god's spokesperson, or in other words, the shaman invited the gods and spirits to handle matters, with the final decision in the shaman's hands. So he directly knelt to Tan Xiao, not because he didn't understand, but because he understood too well.

But his actions were too unctuous. After crawling a few steps on his knees, he wanted to hug Tan Xiao's legs.

"What are you doing!" Tan Xiao was so disgusted he punched him on the head several times, but he refused to let go, as if grasping his life-saving straw, while still muttering about how the life of a bottom-tier immortal wasn't easy, how he grew up stealing food and things while being despised and bullied by others.  

"Is it easy for us bottom-tier immortals! Even our peers look down on us!" He started wailing loudly, and recalled his miserable experiences in the stock market. If not for encountering Wu Tianyu, how would he have illegally crossed the border, ultimately ending up in this plight.

Seeing him cry so sadly, the great god should take some pity.

Kong Xuan narrowed his eyes for a look. The other party raised his face and cried loudly. He suddenly recognized him - this face seemed to be the one who groped Tan Xiao at the school.

Not only did he not feel any sympathy, without any thought he directly slapped him: "It's you ah."

Still groping.

The Ash Immortal's head was almost knocked off. A white rat directly had its true form smacked out. When animal immortals cultivate to a certain level, they can condense into form and disperse into qi.

With this revelation of its true form, the real Wu Tianyu fainted on the ground, while the huge white rat spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with bits of internal organs.

At this time, the Ash Immortal still hadn't figured it out: What do you mean, it's me? What on earth did I do??

Before the Ash Immortal could figure it out, Kong Xuan smelled the scent of steamed buns on him. Tan Xiao had steamed some of these buns for him to eat before going out, how dare this dead rat eat his leftovers?

Kong Xuan unleashed the Five-Colored Divine Light, looking at him dangerously...

The Ash Immortal died with a grievance, he still wasn't clear why this great god recognized him, and even with a tone of bearing a grudge. But seeing the peacock unleash the Five-Colored Divine Light, his pupils shook with the realization of which one this was.

The Peacock, son of the Primordial Phoenix!

It's not that he's boasting, does he deserve for the Peacock God to use the Five-Colored Divine Light on him?!

The Ash Immortal's pupils dilated, his face twisted but with a hint of relief. "I once divined for myself that I would ultimately be buried in another's stomach. I just never thought it would be by being devoured by the Peacock God. I... I have not lived this life in vain!"

It's said the Primordial Phoenix's second son can devour even gods. If he could truly die at the Peacock's hand, it seems he would actually be a bit excited about leaving his name in history. This excitement mixed with terror made his whole body tremble.

Kong Xuan: "..."

He looked at the rat spirit with disgust, who wants to eat this thing.

Duan Yang dazedly spoke up: "Uh... this..."

According to the rules, it's actually not good to deal out private punishment. They were here representing the authorities to catch the Ash Immortal.

In Duan Yang's conscious mind he wanted to speak up to dissuade him, but just now Tan Xiao had reduced too many steps, compressing the spirit descent ritual into a single hand seal which was truly too shocking.

From the moment Kong Xuan appeared, he had been unable to recover for a long time, causing him to open his mouth but only make vague single syllables, anxious but unable to organize his words.

No helping it, Duan Yang had seen celestial masters and shamans with spiritual resonance before, but Tan Xiao's speed of summoning the god was a bit too outrageous. Scared him to death.

"Great God, don't make a move first, he hasn't been registered yet." Seeing Duan Yang's appearance, Tan Xiao also thought of this. He took out a glove he had gotten from Wu Tianyu's house and put it on, pinching the cat-sized rat's tail and dangling it upside-down.  

Kong Xuan had just been disgusted, but also remembered his original intention in descending to the mortal realm. He put away the Five-Colored Divine Light, only tapping his fingers on the back of his hand.

Tan Xiao understood and said: "I know, I'll go back after handling it."

Only then did Kong Xuan's figure gradually fade away, returning to continue writing his homework.

Tan Xiao lifted up the rat, while Duan Yang took photos of the scene to go back and make a record. He interrogated: "What's your name?"

Shanhaiguan is a place where humans can pass but demons cannot. This Ash Immortal must not only be captured, but also needs to communicate with his colleagues in the north.

The Ash Immortal muttered in a daze, "They all call me... Big Beard Zhong, my real name is Zhong Neng." As soon as the Peacock God left, that seemingly strong sense of oppression and threat disappeared, but the impact was too great. Right after saying his name, he tilted his head and passed out.

Tan Xiao held Big Beard Zhong at a distance and said to Duan Yang, "Do you have a plastic bag?" Even holding it with gloves didn't feel enough. He felt the sensation under his hand was disgusting and always wanted to hit it with a broom.

Duan Yang: "..."

Is this the only thing you have to say...

Duan Yang still had his most concerned matter in mind. He weakly said, "You, how did you..." He was speaking a bit unclearly, gesturing with both hands, "You didn't even set up an altar, and you invoked the god?! What kind of trick is this?"

This was different from all the masters and peers he knew. There weren't even any offerings or incense. To put it this way, even when he topped up his phone, the credit didn't arrive this quickly!

Tan Xiao thought for a moment, "It's a wandless, nonverbal spell."

Duan Yang: "..."

Tan Xiao made a joke. Seeing that Duan Yang was about to collapse, he said, "Actually, it's because I have good credit. I'll pay later." He would make up the offerings when he went back.

Duan Yang let out a long "ah" sound, recalling the scene of Tan Xiao being thrown off. It was still quite thrilling. At that moment, he felt the sun and moon had lost their light. Could it be that his underage partner was going to die in front of him?

"You were prepared early on that the Ash Immortal would launch a sneak attack, yet you still dared to go over. You really do trust your 'credit' a lot."

"If a shaman priest doesn't believe in the patron god, who else should he believe in?" Tan Xiao also had to admit that in other people's eyes, he was very impulsive at that moment.

Duan Yang was speechless for a while and cupped his fist.

After Duan Yang took the photos, Tan Xiao found a garbage bag and put Big Beard Zhong inside. Then, they carried the unconscious Wu Tianyu together and walked down the stairs step by step, conveniently calling Ah Jin to come up.

The door of the Wu family opened again. Mao Mao and Mother Wu stood nervously at the door, looking up and seeing them appear. They cried out in surprise and were still a little hesitant to step forward.

"It's okay, the exorcism is complete," Duan Yang said.

Mother Wu still didn't dare to move.

Tan Xiao said, "It's alright."

Mother Wu immediately rushed forward to support Wu Tianyu and laid him flat on the sofa.

Duan Yang: "..."

Mao Mao saw that Tan Xiao had an extra plastic bag in his hand and asked timidly, "What, what is this?"

"It's the thing that was causing trouble. It's fine now," Tan Xiao said. He didn't let Mao Mao and Mother Wu see Big Beard Zhong and didn't explain in detail what it was. Letting them know everything was okay was enough. What if they got scared by looking at Big Beard Zhong a few more times?

"Sister Mao Mao, Auntie, about what happened before, we were all acting. You should understand, right? Sister Mao Mao, don't blame me for deceiving you. Auntie, don't blame Sister Mao Mao either. The one you wanted to find before was a real scammer. Unlike me, I'm a fake scammer. Sister Mao Mao did it out of good intentions..." Tan Xiao found it a bit difficult to explain.

Before, only he understood the whole truth. But the meaning, everyone still understood.

Mao Mao waved her hand, already too exhausted to retort.

Understood. What was there not to understand?

She understood Tan Xiao, but just couldn't understand this world anymore...

"Of course!" Mother Wu definitely wouldn't have any grievances against Mao Mao. She couldn't even finish expressing her gratitude. Although she was very shocked, if it weren't for Mao Mao, her child would have been done for. A bad situation had turned into a good ending by chance.

"Then, then is my child completely okay now? Why is he still unconscious?" Mother Wu saw that there were still some wounds on Wu Tianyu's body and felt very distressed. These were all left behind when Big Beard Zhong used his body to fight.

"After all, he was possessed for so long." Tan Xiao found a trash can and brought it over. Then Duan Yang stepped forward and pricked Wu Tianyu's head a few times with the silver needle he carried with him.

After the needle pricks, Wu Tianyu indeed woke up slowly. As soon as he woke up, he covered his stomach and groaned twice. He vomited with a "wa" sound, and it was just caught by the trash can.

—When he was possessed by Big Beard Zhong and eating the buns, Big Beard Zhong wanted to eat but couldn't. In a fit of impotent rage, he stuffed a bunch into Wu Tianyu's stomach. It would be strange if Wu Tianyu didn't vomit after waking up.

It's just a pity for the buns Tan Xiao made. The others all thought in their hearts.

That fragrance could make them drool. Now it was all wasted.

Wu Tianyu woke up from his dazed state, only feeling pain all over his body. Seeing Tan Xiao, he shrank back and subconsciously called for that old man in his heart, but there was no response.

He exclaimed, "What did you do to me! Where is my master?!" He didn't really remember what happened when Big Beard Zhong completely controlled his body.

Duan Yang and Tan Xiao exchanged glances.

Duan Yang asked, "Do you know what he is?"

Wu Tianyu looked at them distrustfully, especially at Tan Xiao. Tan Xiao had followed him before. "It's you. You're the one who did this. Do you know that this will ruin his 5,000 years of cultivation!"

...5,000 years, he can really brag. If he has 5,000 years of cultivation, how could he still be beaten up like that?

However, it was common for these demons and ghosts to brag nonsense when deceiving people. There were even those who falsely claimed to be the Seven Fairy Maidens or the Empress Mother descending to the mortal world, just to have a big name.

It could also be said that they were finding big gods to endorse them without authorization, infringing on their rights without even giving endorsement fees.

Duan Yang clicked his tongue and said, "Is that what he told you? Did he say he was an immortal or something? Lived for 5,000 years?"

At this time, seeing Duan Yang's playful appearance, Wu Tianyu felt a little uneasy in his heart, especially since Big Beard Zhong had been detained. His thinking ability had now recovered a lot.

Mother Wu wiped her tears and said, "Silly child, look at your body."

Wu Tianyu looked at the mirror his cousin held up. It seemed that he had never noticed before. He was now pale and thin, with no color at all. He felt empty inside and muttered, "But, but..."

"What exactly did he tell you?" Duan Yang also took out his phone, ready to record. This also needed to be written in the case description and reported back for case closure.

Wu Tianyu covered his head. At this moment, recalling it, it actually felt like a dream. "I, I bought a souvenir when I was traveling, and then I dreamed of him. He said he was an elder of an immortal sect who had been harmed by someone. He only had a wisp of remnant soul attached to the souvenir.

"As long as I regularly found some medicinal materials for him, he would be able to restore his cultivation and guide me to enter the immortal path. He really was omniscient and even taught me how to handle matters and take exams!"

He recounted the things he had experienced one by one. The more he said, the colder his heart became. Could it be that it wasn't...

Everyone: "............"

It was indeed a random possession. Tan Xiao and Duan Yang already had their guesses, but hearing Wu Tianyu say it out loud still made them feel embarrassed for him.

On the side, Ah Jin, who had just arrived, also scratched his "head" through the costume and muttered something: "It scared me into checking the label."

"You kid," Duan Yang shook his head and said, "If you were any later, your body would have really collapsed. That was an evil spirit trying to deceive you."

Wu Tianyu's face was pale. He was completely awake now.

Especially when he made eye contact with Tan Xiao again.

Well, when they were at school, Big Beard Zhong didn't possess him. It was all Wu Tianyu's own doing. As soon as he saw Tan Xiao, all the embarrassing memories came rushing back, making it difficult for him to face him. He crashed into the sofa.

He might as well be dead.

Although Mrs. Wu didn't understand what random possession meant, she could see that the matter had truly been resolved. Hearing Duan Yang talk about the severity of the situation, she immediately wanted to kneel to Tan Xiao and Duan Yang, but they stopped her. She then changed it to a bow and said, "Thank you, thank you both!"

She even went to pull Wu Tianyu to thank them, but Wu Tianyu rolled his eyes and actually fainted again.

Duan Yang quickly checked his pulse and reassured, "It's okay, he's probably just too embarrassed and his body is weak." He comforted Mrs. Wu, "Ma'am, if you encounter any issues in the future, please go to a proper temple. Also, if there's a follow-up visit later, please give me a good review."

Only then did Mrs. Wu and Mao Mao realize that they were not only real Taoist priests/shamans but also had an official background...

That meant the story Tan Xiao told about the Chu emperor's tomb might not have been made up either!

Not only did Mao Mao think of this, but Duan Yang had also thought of it long ago. He even recalled a detail. When Mu Fei assigned the task earlier and pointed to him, it was to let him follow Tan Xiao to handle the case.

Online typing often lacks strict grammar. At that time, Duan Yang didn't think much of it.

Now he turned his head and asked Ah Jin beside him, "...Did Director Mu mean for Tan Xiao to lead the two of us?"

Ah Jin gave him a strange look and nodded as if it was obvious, "What else could it be?"

Duan Yang: "..."

Duan Yang rubbed his chest. It wasn't that he didn't respect Tan Xiao. Now he even felt that Director Mu was quite considerate of him.

Today had really been an eye-opener. But even if he had a hundred more heads, he couldn't figure out why their famous family of charlatans in Chu Province had cultivated such a great shaman!

"Thud."

A sound came from somewhere.

Mrs. Wu and Mao Mao were both startled and held each other's hands, "Wh-what was that?"

Mao Mao was different from before. She wailed, "Is it not completely cleaned up? Is that thing still here?"

"It's already been collected," Tan Xiao looked at the garbage bag. Big Beard Zhong had been beaten up like that, so it definitely wasn't him causing trouble.

"There might be some residual evil energy?" Duan Yang scratched his head and said, "How about this, Ms. Wu, you take your child to the hospital for a check-up. Although I've done acupuncture, we still need to see if there are any sequelae and take care of the external injuries. We'll help you cleanse your home here."

Mrs. Wu now had complete trust and gratitude towards them, "Okay, okay, thank you so much for your trouble."

Mao Mao also nodded gratefully at Tan Xiao. What she had seen today far exceeded her previous imagination. She couldn't calm down for a long time and even felt a strange feeling: Did she cooperate with a real master?

"Tan Xiao, you're so amazing," Mao Mao said softly, "Then Sister Tan must be even more divine, right? She gave me two pieces of tape last time. Should I..."

Although Tan Chunying had boasted about the two pieces of tape, she only thought they were fun and praised their beauty. Now she changed her mind and considered whether she needed to carry them with her or even enshrine them.

Tan Xiao also whispered, "No, she's a pure scammer. You can play with the tape however you want."

Mao Mao: "..."

...She wasn't sure if she could still believe what Tan Xiao said.