The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

Upon suddenly witnessing such a stunning beauty, Wencai began flirting with the female ghost named Xiaoli. Seeing this, Uncle Jiu, who was hiding nearby, could only tie a red thread to Qiusheng's wrist, sending him to rescue Wencai.

As Qiu Sheng approached her, he quickly became captivated by Xiao Li and even took the initiative to untie the red thread binding his wrist.

Blinded by their desires, Wencai and Qiusheng, at Xiaoli's instigation, actually used the yellow talismans made by Uncle Jiu to stick on the foreheads of the four underworld messengers behind them.

The moment the yellow paper was pasted on, the four underworld officials fell straight down, unable to move.

This caused complete chaos at the scene. The wandering ghosts who had been watching the spectacle immediately sensed that the Yin Messenger's aura had been sealed. The ghosts, who had been behaving themselves and not daring to cause trouble, instantly became restless and began to scatter and flee in all directions.

Upon seeing this, Uncle Nine immediately grabbed a burlap sack with talismans pasted on it and began to catch the ghosts. Unfortunately, there were just too many wandering ghosts at the scene, and even though Uncle Nine tried his best, he could only catch less than one-tenth of them.

The remaining spirits all scattered in all directions of Renjia Town. Some drifted into the streets and houses, while others hid in the mountains and desolate tombs. The originally orderly Ghost Festival night was completely turned into a farce of ghosts dancing wildly.

That very night, the four underworld messengers went directly to Lin Jiu's mortuary, intending to confront him and demand an explanation.

Lin Jiu was well aware that tonight's events were caused by his two disciples, and he said he would do his best to capture all these wandering ghosts and bring them to justice.

After a night of chaos, dawn broke and the sun rose in the east. The group of fleeing ghosts all hid themselves. The next morning, Lin Jiu notified his fellow disciples to come to Renjia Town to help catch the ghosts.

The three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, although the wandering ghosts that fled on the night of the Ghost Festival did not cause any trouble, they still lingered in the mountains and forests around Renjia Town. The evil aura lingered for a long time, and the atmosphere of the whole town was gloomy and chaotic.

Knowing the situation was dire, Lin Jiu dared not delay and urgently contacted his fellow disciples who were closest to Renjia Town, asking them to help capture these wandering spirits.

At Chenshi (7-9 AM) today, dozens of Taoist priests had already gathered inside Lin Jiu's mortuary. These priests wore Taoist crowns and had magic ropes tied around their waists; they were all orthodox cultivators of the Maoshan lineage.

They sat on opposite sides of the courtyard, discussing in hushed tones how to capture the wandering spirit.

Just then, the heavy wooden door of the mortuary was slowly pushed open from the outside.

A tall and imposing figure strode in. The newcomer was a dignified middle-aged Taoist priest, dressed in a dark Taoist robe with gold trim. The fabric was exquisite and the patterns were neat. He exuded a calm and heavy aura, and his face carried an imposing presence.

He walked steadily and with a powerful stride toward the inner courtyard of the mortuary.

The moment this man stepped into the mortuary courtyard, all the Maoshan Taoist priests who had been chatting idly there turned solemn and stood up. He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother!"

The greetings were delivered in unison, echoing throughout the entire mortuary.

The newcomer was none other than Shi Jian, the senior disciple of the Maoshan Sect. He was also the cultivator with the highest cultivation and the deepest understanding of Taoism among the group of fellow disciples in the Maoshan Sect. His specialty was the Lightning Thunder Fist.

Behind Shi Jian followed a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He had handsome features, but his expression was frivolous and nonchalant, and there was a hint of lewdness in his eyes.

Along the way, the young man ignored the elders of the various factions in the courtyard, followed Shi Jian without looking to the side, and strode into the mortuary.

This person is ostensibly Shi Jian's only landowner, but in reality, he is Shi Jian's son, Shi Shaojian.

Those Taoists who knew Shi Shaojian were already used to his unreasonable behavior, while some people who met him for the first time were very dissatisfied with his disregard for elders and his arrogant and rude behavior.

Shi Jian kept his eyes straight ahead, walked straight through the courtyard, and went straight into the main hall, where he calmly took his seat in the central position.

That was the most prestigious seat in the main hall of the mortuary. As soon as he sat down, the atmosphere in the entire hall became even more solemn and oppressive.

Following closely behind, Shi Shaojian obediently stood half a step behind Shi Jian, his posture upright, yet unable to conceal the arrogance in his eyes, coldly surveying the crowd below, with an air of superiority.

Shi Jian, seated in the main seat, had a solemn expression, his eyes devoid of any smile. His gaze fell heavily on Lin Jiu, who stood bowing below, and he asked in a deep voice, "On the night of the Ghost Festival, the underworld officials guarding the stage in Renjia Town were imprisoned, and all the wandering ghosts and spirits fled, causing a great calamity where evil spirits scattered throughout the town. Who exactly was responsible for this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent. All the Maoshan disciples held their breath and dared not utter a word.

Lin Jiu looked embarrassed and clasped his hands in apology, saying, "Senior Brother, this is all because of my two good-for-nothing disciples, Wencai and Qiusheng, who made a rash mistake and caused this terrible disaster."

As soon as the words were spoken, Wen Cai and Qiu Sheng, who were standing behind Lin Jiu, immediately lowered their heads. The two lowered their heads and lowered their eyes, their cheeks were hot, and they pursed their lips without saying a word. They did not dare to look up and meet Shi Jian's sharp gaze.

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian frowned and coldly snorted, "For those who cultivate the Dao, adhering to rules and maintaining reverence are fundamental principles. What do you mean by being unworthy? This is simply a matter of improper character, shallow resolve, dullness, recklessness, and reckless behavior!"

Standing to the side, Shi Shaojian immediately understood and chimed in, his tone full of sarcasm: "Master, in my opinion, these two aren't just useless, they're clearly stupid, dull, and brainless—pure idiots!"

These merciless sarcasm instantly ignited the anger in Wencai and Qiusheng's hearts.

Qiu Sheng, who was by nature hot-tempered, could no longer restrain himself upon hearing this. He took a step forward, clenched his fists, and his eyes were filled with anger. He was about to confront Shi Shaojian and reason with him.

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out, Lin Jiu reacted quickly, grabbed Qiu Sheng's arm tightly, and forcefully pulled him back behind him.

Lin Jiu once again addressed Shi Jian, who sat in the main seat, with a respectful demeanor: "Senior Brother, all the blame lies with me. It is my fault for failing to properly teach and discipline my two disciples, which has led them to commit such grave errors. I beg Senior Brother to punish me."

Shi Jian raised his hand slightly, interrupting his apology: "Enough, things have come to this point, there's no point in pursuing blame. You sent a message overnight asking us fellow disciples to come and help, you must have already thought of a solution. Now, do you have a sure plan to capture all the escaped ghosts?"

Lin Jiu quickly composed himself and replied solemnly, "Senior Brother, I have just discussed the matter with my fellow disciples. Now the spirits in the entire town are scattered and disorganized, and ordinary soul-capturing rituals are of little use. Only by setting up the Primordial Eight Trigrams Formation, borrowing the power of the Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth and the power of the Yin-Yang cycle, can we capture all the fleeing souls."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian lowered his eyes slightly, tapped the armrest of the chair lightly with his fingertips, and then nodded, saying, "The Innate Eight Trigrams Formation is both offensive and defensive, and its effect in suppressing evil spirits and binding souls is excellent, enough to suppress the scattered yin energy here."

He paused for a second before pressing, "Then, who should we send to lure out those wandering ghosts?"