The Terror of the Heavens Begins with Gu

Chapter 154 Obtaining the Golden Buddha and Encountering the First Evil Spirit

Vampires and banshees followed behind Li Zhen.

As darkness fell, the streets were deserted, and many shops had already closed their doors, with only flickering candlelight visible through the windows.

Li Zhen walked slowly down the street.

A moment later, the little devil who had come out first appeared beside Li Zhen: "I found the place you mentioned called the pawnshop! There are things in there that I'm afraid of, so I don't dare to go in."

Its figure flashed and appeared a few meters in front of it.

Li Zhen followed behind the little devil.

After walking a short distance, Li Zhen saw a small flag hanging in an alley on his right, with the words "pawnshop" embroidered on it.

The little devil stood at the entrance of the pawnshop and pointed inside.

The pawnshop door was closed, and there was no light inside, so it was unclear whether anyone was inside.

Upon arriving at the pawnshop, Detective Li gestured for the little devil to knock on the door.

The little devil knocked on the wooden door.

There was no response from inside.

The little devil increased the force of his knocking, making the wooden door bang loudly.

"Coming! Coming! Stop knocking!"

After a series of creaking sounds from the table and chairs and the rustling of clothes being put on, the wooden door was pulled open a crack from the inside, and a middle-aged man with a beard peeked out at Li Zhen through the gap.

What do you want to be?

A red-eyed bat flew off the vampire and landed on Li Zhen's shoulder.

The middle-aged man was startled and instinctively tried to close the door, but before he could close it, his vision became blurry.

"Did Master Xu's butler once serve as a golden Buddha statue here?"

"Yes."

"What time?"

"A month ago."

"Go and bring me the golden Buddha."

Upon hearing Li Zhen's words, the middle-aged man turned and walked away.

Li Zhen followed them into the pawnshop.

The golden Buddha left the Xu family a month ago, which means that the five evil spirits had escaped a month ago and should now have been successfully reincarnated into the corresponding wombs.

The strange events Huang Bin witnessed must be related to this matter.

However, Li Zhen did not notice the outbreak of resentment and bloodlust, indicating that the five evil spirits had not yet carried out a large-scale massacre in the Xu family.

The middle-aged man led Li Zhen through the narrow passageway outside, lifted the curtain, and entered the area inside where various pawned items were stored.

He blankly pulled out his keys, intending to open a safe inside the room.

But as soon as the key was inserted into the lock, the middle-aged man seemed to be stimulated by something, his whole body jolted, and his expression suddenly became clear.

"What am I doing?" He looked at the keys in his hand, puzzled.

The jump between the two memories was so great that it caused a break in his thinking.

He pulled out the key, grabbed his head, and stood up from the ground. He turned his head and saw Li Zhen. His expression changed drastically, but the next moment his startled look turned into a blank stare.

"This golden Buddha can even break through the bewitching ability of the red-eyed bats?"

Li Zhen took the key from the middle-aged man and opened the safe that the man had just tried to open.

A golden Buddha statue, slightly larger than an adult's head, appeared before Li Zhen's eyes.

The light here was very dim, and the golden Buddha also appeared very dim. However, the moment Li Zhen saw the golden Buddha, he felt a golden light pierce into his eyes, which made his heart tremble and made him subconsciously cover his eyes.

The little devil's exclamation and the cat's meow rang out at the same time.

Li Zhen looked back and saw that the little devil had retreated outside the curtain and was lying at the door, looking inside.

The vampire and the banshee also took a step back, seemingly somewhat wary of the golden Buddha.

Turning his head, Li Zhen asked the middle-aged man, "How many dye houses are there in this town?"

The middle-aged man replied blankly, "Two families."

"Is there a place run by someone called Uncle Liu?"

"Yes."

"where?"

"Keep walking forward, and you'll see a winery; that's where you've arrived."

Li Zhen looked at the little ghost and said to him, "You and the Mahjong Ghost go and find this dye shop. Once you find it, don't go in. Wait for me outside."

The little devil asked hesitantly, "What is a dyehouse?"

Li Zhen looked at the appearing mahjong ghost and asked, "Do you know?"

Mahjong Ghost nodded.

"Go, and remember, do not disturb the beings or people inside."

The Mahjong Ghost and the Little Ghost disappeared at the same time.

Li Zhen asked the middle-aged man to find an old piece of clothing, which he used to cover the golden Buddha before he could lift it up in his hand.

This golden Buddha is quite heavy, and its materials alone are very valuable.

Li Zhen certainly wouldn't take this for nothing.

When he arrived at the Xu family's residence, he ordered the steward to return all the money he had pawned.

After leaving the pawnshop, Li Zhen, carrying the golden Buddha, continued walking forward.

He remembered that the five evil spirits were reincarnated into the bodies of Marshal Xu's four wives, as well as the body of the female protagonist named Xiaoyu.

Li Zhen was not afraid of the five evil spirits, but his presence on one side would disturb the evil spirits on the other.

There are four evil spirits in the Xu family. If Li Zhen chooses to go there first and fails to kill the four evil spirits instantly, the evil spirit inside the female protagonist Xiaoyu's body will realize that something is wrong.

In this way, Li Zhen will lose control of the situation.

If this evil spirit senses that it is no match for Li Zhen and chooses to run away, the situation will be even more troublesome.

Faced with the evil spirits associated with the mysterious White Lotus Sect, Li Zhen was reluctant to let any particular ghost handle the situation.

Neither vampires, red-eyed bats, nor ghost fetuses are suitable for dealing with this situation.

What's giving Li Zhen a headache now is how to gather the five evil spirits together and then deal with them simultaneously, without giving them any time to react...

When Li Zhen arrived at the wine shop, he saw the little devil waiting for him there.

He waved to Li Zhen, and the little devil's figure flashed and appeared in front of him.

After thinking for a moment, Li Zhen casually hid the golden Buddha behind a flowerpot in front of the wine shop before walking towards the little devil.

Before long, he found the dye shop he was looking for.

The town isn't big, so finding a dye shop like that shouldn't be difficult.

Li Zhen, who had arrived at the door, knocked on the door of the dye shop.

The little ghost and the mahjong ghost disappeared at the same time.

"Who?"

An old voice came from inside the dye house.

A few breaths later, the dyehouse door was opened, and an old man with half-white hair and a balding head appeared inside.

He slightly raised the lantern in his hand and saw Li Zhen's face clearly.

The old man displayed the fear that many people would feel, but instead of closing the door, he cautiously asked, "Who are you? What are you doing knocking?"

"Are you there on the sixth day of the lunar month?"

"Are you a friend from the sixth day of the lunar month?"

The old man turned around and called out, "Sixth day of the month, someone is looking for you!"

A male voice rang out from inside the dye house: "Oh, coming right away!"

The old man turned to Li Zhen and said, "I'm busy on the sixth day of the lunar month, but I'll be there soon."

Li Zhen nodded slightly.

The old man wanted to say something to inquire about Li Zhen's background, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

He opened his mouth, finally finding a topic: "It's already dark, and you're still outside... It's not safe, the town has been a bit chaotic lately."

"It's too hot during the day, it's more comfortable to go out at night."

"It's cool at night... Are you a relative from the sixth day of the lunar month? I don't think I've seen you before."

"No."

"No, then you..."

A young man of medium build ran out from among the various fabrics drying in the courtyard.

"Sixth Uncle, who is looking for me?"

The man ran to the door, squeezed next to the old man, looked at Li Zhen, and asked in confusion, "You are...? I don't think I know you?"

"Huang Bin isn't here?"

"You're here to see Brother Bin? You're too late. Brother Bin isn't here with me, he's at the Xu family's. If you want to see Brother Bin, you can come tomorrow, and I'll have him wait for you here."

With a sudden thought, Li Zhen peeked into the dye house through the gap in the doorway and caught a glimpse of a woman's fleeting figure.

The fabric swayed, obstructing Li Zhen's view.

However, Li Zhen keenly sensed that the other person was watching him from behind the cloth.

Seeing that Li Zhen didn't speak, Chu Liu asked, "Do you have something urgent to tell Brother Bin?"

“It’s urgent.” Li Zhen looked away. “I need to see him immediately.” Chu Liu glanced at the vampire and banshee standing motionless behind Li Zhen and tentatively asked, “What do you need Brother Bin for? You look very unfamiliar; you’re probably not from around here?”

Li Zhen casually made up a story: "I am a distant relative of Huang Bin. I have something urgent to tell him and I must see him now."

"So urgent? Is there something you can't tell me? Bin and I are good friends. Maybe I can help you if you need anything."

Li Zhen, who was on the sixth day of the lunar month, remained silent.

For some reason, Chu Liu felt a little flustered whenever he saw Li Zhen's eyes, as if those eyes contained a power that he could not refuse.

"Wait a minute, I'll go find Brother Bin right now."

On the sixth day of the lunar month, he turned around and hurriedly ran back into the courtyard.

With his vision obscured by the cloth, Li Zhen couldn't see what Chu Liu was doing, but he could vaguely hear him talking to a woman.

“…Brother Bin…”

"So you're in such a hurry? Then be careful on the road."

"...Wait for me, I'll be right back!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Liu ran back to the door.

"Sixth Uncle, can I borrow your lantern for a moment?"

He wiped his hands on his clothes, took the lantern from the old man, and hurriedly ran outside.

Here, only Li Zhen, the old man, the motionless vampire, and the banshee remained.

"This place is very close to the Xu family's house. I'll be back soon on the sixth day of the lunar new year. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

"It's okay, I'll wait outside."

"Waiting outside is fine too."

The old man went back into the courtyard, found a small stool, and brought it out to Li Zhen.

“Standing for a long time is uncomfortable. If you get tired, you can sit down for a while.”

"Thank you."

“It’s nothing, it’s all nothing… Chu Liu is an honest kid, and Huang Bin is an honest kid too. I haven’t heard of him having any relatives. You must have come a long way to get here.”

"It is indeed very far."

After chatting for a couple more minutes, the old man returned to his courtyard.

"Little Fish, if you're not feeling well, do less work and let me do it."

"It's alright, Uncle Liu. I'm bored lying here, so I might as well get up and do something."

"Oh, you..."

The fabric swayed, and the woman reappeared in Li Zhen's line of sight, exchanging a glance with him.

The hanging cloth blocked their view again.

Li Zhen lowered his head and retreated all the way to the alley entrance.

Standing in the shadows, he calmly glanced at the dye house, then turned and walked to the front of the wine shop, waiting for Chu Liu to return like a sculpture in the darkness.

At this time, the evil spirit has not yet been born, so nothing unexpected should happen to Chu Liu and Huang Bin.

As long as Huang Bin remains within his sight, Li Zhen will not hesitate about whether he can complete the mission.

Less than ten minutes later, Li Zhen heard Huang Bin's voice.

"...Slow down! I can't breathe! I don't have...I don't have any distant relatives! Did you hear me...wrong?"

"Others are waiting for you, you can't keep them waiting..."

"Sigh, Butler Li is in a bad mood today. He found out I didn't do any work and even sneaked out..."

Li Zhen turned his head and looked at the two figures running from not far away.

In the dim light of the lantern, he saw Huang Bin's awkward face.

The two people who ran over at top speed almost bumped into Li Zhen.

Huang Bin was startled when he saw Li Zhen's face.

"What a coincidence..."

He didn't know that Li Zhen was the one who claimed to be his distant relative, and carefully bypassed Li Zhen to run towards the dye house.

On the sixth day of the lunar month, he grabbed Huang Bin and gestured to Li Zhen with the lantern he was carrying.

Huang Bin stared wide-eyed at Li Zhen, asking in surprise, "You're the one who said you're a distant relative of mine? You came here specifically to find me?"

"No, no, you saw me during the day, why didn't you say I was a relative? I don't think I have any distant relatives."

Chu Liu asked in surprise, "You two met during the day?!"

Huang Bin nodded and said, "Yes, I bumped into this friend when I went out to buy chicken during the day. I've already told you about it."

Chu Liu suddenly realized and said, "It's about that fortune teller... the one who... you... encountered anything strange... you..."

He and Huang Bin looked at Li Zhen together.

Huang Bin chuckled dryly: "You're not going to ask me if I've encountered anything strange, are you? I've been very busy tonight, and I haven't encountered anything bizarre yet."

Upon hearing Li Zhen's first words, his forced smile froze on his face.

"Have you ever seen Madam Xu eat live chickens and suck their blood?"

After a long pause, Huang Bin asked in astonishment, "You... how did you know that the Second Madam ate a live chicken?"

"What do you mean, eat live chickens and drink chicken blood? Second Madam?" Chu Liu, confused, looked at Huang Bin.

Huang Bin whispered, "I'll tell you later."

Li Zhen said, "You feel that something is wrong, and you feel uneasy and scared because of it, but you don't know what happened."

Huang Bin swallowed.

Li Zhen smiled and said, "But you're very lucky. You happened to run into me, and I just happen to know what happened to the Xu family."

Huang Bin quickly asked, "Do you know what happened to the Xu family?"

"All four wives of the Xu family are pregnant at the same time?"

"What does this have to do with... and Madam's pregnancy?"

Li Zhen calmly recounted everything he knew.

After saying that, seeing the uneasy faces of Huang Bin and the other man, he continued, "How could General Xu, who has never had any children, possibly get all four of his wives pregnant at the same time? There must be something wrong with this."

"Once an evil spirit finds a woman suitable to possess, it will reincarnate into that woman's body, turning her directly into a demon."

“Eating live chickens is just the first step. When poultry can no longer satisfy them, they will eat people. At that time, the Xu family, including you, will not be able to escape.”

Huang Bin and Chu Liu are both ordinary people.

Even talking about this topic during the day can terrify them, making them break out in a cold sweat.

Now, in this pitch-black environment, thinking about what Li Zhen had said, the two of them simultaneously conjured up the image of being devoured alive by ghosts, and for a moment they couldn't help but tremble.

"Brother Bin, did you really see the Second Madam eating a live chicken?" Chu Liu patted Huang Bin on the shoulder.

Huang Bin shuddered and whispered, "How could it be fake? I saw it with my own eyes, just the night before last! After the master found out that the madam was pregnant, he asked me to make some good food for the ladies to nourish themselves. I was thinking of making chicken soup for dinner."

"Just as I went to catch the chickens, I saw the second madam squatting next to the chicken coop, as if she was eating something."

"As soon as the second madam left, I found that the chickens were all bitten and bleeding, which terrified me..."

Chu Liu asked anxiously, "Then why didn't you say so?"

"You know how mean the Second Madam is. If I were to say it out loud, whether you believe me or not, if the Second Madam heard me, I would be finished." Huang Bin said with lingering fear, "Luckily I didn't say it. If I had... I really don't know if I could still be standing here now."

He looked at Li Zhen, automatically upgrading Li Zhen to "Master": "Master, do you have a way to deal with those evil spirits? According to you, some of the evil spirits are extremely terrifying; they are even immortal."

Li Zhen reassured them, "If an evil spirit has already been born and has consumed a large amount of blood, then it can be considered to have boundless magical power, and even I may not be its match."

"However, they haven't been born yet, which is when they are at their weakest and also the best time to deal with them."

"That's good, that's good." Huang Bin breathed a sigh of relief. "Master, you just said that the golden Buddha was used to suppress evil spirits? If we find it, can we use it to deal with evil spirits?"

“I’ve already retrieved that golden Buddha from the pawnshop, so you don’t need to worry too much. Just let me perform a ritual, and the evil spirit will be dealt with,” Li Zhen said.

After calming down, Chu Liu suddenly asked, "How does the Master know so much about this? It's as if he saw it with his own eyes?"

"Because my sect has been tracking these five evil spirits for decades," Li Zhen casually made up a reason, "and I've been investigating them all along."

"I see." Chu Liu nudged Huang Bin with his shoulder. "What do you think?"

"What can I do?" Huang Bin said fearfully. "Anyway, I have no ties with the Xu family, so I might as well just run away. The Xu family is too dangerous right now."

"You heartless bastard!" Chu Liu said discontentedly. "Master Xu is not a good person, but Fourth Madam is a good person. If it weren't for Fourth Madam speaking up this time, Xiao Yu might have been beaten to death."

"And Uncle Huang and Aunt Liu are nice people too. You ran away, just watching them get eaten?"

Huang Bin rolled his eyes: "I was just saying something. Do I look like such a disloyal person?"

He looked at Li Zhen and said, "Master, shall we go to the Xu family now? Master Xu is greedy and lecherous, and has a terrible personality. You should be careful when you see him, Master."

“I just wanted to help you out. That Master Xu has nothing to do with me.” Li Zhen casually reminded her, “Any woman who has been to the Xu family may be infected by evil energy. If someone happens to leave the Xu family in the next few days, her situation will be very dangerous.”

"Little fish!"

Huang Bin and Chu Liu exchanged a glance, both seeing the worry in each other's eyes.

Noticing their unusual behavior, Li Zhen asked in surprise, "Has someone left the Xu family in the last few days?"

Chu Liu hurriedly asked, "Master, are all women who have visited the Xu family affected by evil spirits?"

Li Zhen said, "As long as it's not an evil spirit directly possessing her, then it's not a big problem. Just bring her back to the Xu family, and when I perform the ritual, I'll remove the evil spirit from her body."

Chu Liu and Huang Bin both breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Li Zhen added, "However, the evil spirits are also very sensitive. If you let them hear that we are going to the Xu family, it will alert them."

"So if you want to take her to the Xu family, you'd better not let her know what we're going to do."

(End of this chapter)