The Three Pure Ones' Secret: Expressing Spirit

The dim candlelight flickered, casting dappled shadows in the room. I sat quietly in my chair, my gaze fixed on the dazed Old Master Chang before me.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that this legendary wild immortal, who was said to guard a region and atone for his sins by protecting the temple, possessed an exceptionally unique aura, completely different from the demon immortals I had imagined. At this moment, his face was tense, solemn and serious, with deep and sharp eyebrows and eyes, a strong and cold facial structure, and a thick and thick beard, which made his whole aura imposing and dignified.

But what's most outrageous is his outfit, which is even more contrasting than Lao Fan's casual and sloppy style.

He wore a clean, solid-colored shirt with a neat collar and crisp fabric, paired with straight-leg trousers and shiny black leather shoes. His attire was clean, sharp, and sophisticated. If I hadn't known beforehand that he was a spirit or wild immortal dwelling in this place, based solely on his outfit and tall, robust physique, I would have definitely mistaken him for a handsome male model who had just walked out of a store in the city. I couldn't see a trace of evil about him.

At this moment, he stared intently at the incense stick that had broken for no reason in the incense burner, his dark eyebrows furrowed tightly, his tiger-like eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment, and he was completely baffled.

The small, enclosed room was calm and undisturbed, and the incense was burning well. How could it suddenly break in half and go out? This strange phenomenon was completely beyond his comprehension, leaving him full of doubt and bewilderment, yet he couldn't find any reason for it.

I sat to the side, holding my breath, feeling both nervous and wanting to laugh, desperately trying not to make a sound.

Old Fan beside him was even more unrestrained, a wicked smile playing on his lips, his eyes full of playful amusement. Seeing that Master Chang was full of doubt and looking around, he quietly turned his head to look at me, made a shushing gesture, and gave me a cunning look, signaling me not to give anything away.

Thanks to the combined effects of the invisibility talisman and the breath-holding talisman, Lao Fan and I were completely concealed from view. To Master Chang, the small house was empty, with no one else around. Even with his profound cultivation and keen senses, he couldn't detect us standing right next to him.

Master Chang stared blankly at the broken incense stick for a long time, repeatedly looking around. The room was quiet as usual, without the slightest disturbance. Unable to find anything amiss, he could only suppress his doubts and silently attribute it to the incense stick getting damp and breaking accidentally.

Helplessly, he raised his hand, took out another stick of incense from the altar, and skillfully lit it. As the wisps of smoke slowly rose, he bowed respectfully to the tablet of the Celestial Goddess, his expression solemn and devout, his manners impeccable.

After doing all this, he straightened up, sighed slightly, turned around again, and prepared to go out to continue searching for the missing rat spirit and his son.

But just as he turned and took a step, Lao Fan, who had been sitting still, suddenly became interested and started to have bad ideas again.

His movements were as light as a ghost; he rose silently, his toes landing without a sound, and cautiously followed behind Master Chang. I could see it clearly from my seat: he quietly raised his right index and middle fingers together, brought them close to his lips, and gently breathed warm air onto his fingertips, looking like he was about to prank someone and get a beating.

He moved lightly, closely following the unsuspecting Master Chang, holding his breath the entire time without making a sound.

The next second, he did something completely outrageous that shocked me and I never expected!

Old Fan suddenly leaped lightly, exerted force with his wrist, and with two fingertips, he struck Old Master Chang's shiny bald head with perfect accuracy!

"Boom!"

A crisp, loud flick on the forehead suddenly rang out!

Master Chang's already shiny bald head took the full force of the flick. The sudden, sharp pain shot through his head without warning, causing his whole body to stiffen abruptly.

He had no idea what had attacked him, nor could he see anyone. He only felt a sudden, piercing, dull pain on the top of his head, and his head was buzzing.

His tall and burly body couldn't withstand the sudden pain for a moment. His legs went weak, and he suddenly clutched his head and squatted down on the ground.

The once-powerful and feared immortal, who guarded a region, was now utterly devoid of dignity. His brows were furrowed, his features contorted in pain, his face alternating between pale and black, his hands clutching his bald head tightly, rubbing it vigorously, his body trembling slightly, and he involuntarily gasping for breath.

Even though the surroundings were completely empty, with no one or anything around, the pain in my head felt incredibly real, both bizarre and absurd.

I sat on the chair beside the shrine, barely suppressing a laugh, my heart pounding with a mixture of tension and shock. I never imagined Old Fan would be so bold, daring to so brazenly tease and mock the unknown Master Chang.

The excruciating pain lingered. Old Master Chang squatted on the ground, one hand pressed tightly against the top of his head, his brows furrowed in a deep frown. His heavy breathing was exceptionally clear in the quiet room. He turned his head left and right, his gaze warily sweeping over every corner of the room. His thick beard trembled slightly with his rapid breathing, his eyes filled with surprise and anger.

He had spent countless days and nights in this house, knowing every brick, tile, blade of grass, and tree inside and out by heart. Now, as far as the eye could see, it was empty, the doors and windows tightly shut, not even a breath of wind blowing, and not a single person in sight. Yet, the real pain on his head was no illusion; it felt as if an invisible hand had struck him hard without warning.

"This is weird!" he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with suppressed anger, the rough sound echoing in the room. "The incense broke for no reason, and now it's been hit for no reason. Could it be that we've encountered an evil spirit tonight?"

He slowly rose, supporting himself on his knees. His burly frame swayed slightly as he repeatedly rubbed his bald head, his fingertips clearly feeling the spot where he had been struck, a tingling, aching sensation emanating from him. His aura suddenly deepened, his previously calm presence transforming into a sharp, menacing one. A faint, greyish-black demonic aura emanated from him, slowly spreading along the hem of his robes. Years of cultivation had instilled in him the intuition that something was hidden in this room, but the other party's methods were bizarre, concealing their form and aura perfectly, making it impossible for him to detect them.

I sat in the chair, and upon seeing this, my heart leaped into my throat, a cold sweat breaking out on my back. I instinctively shrank back in my chair, gripping the magic staff tightly in my arms, barely daring to breathe. I could clearly feel the oppressive demonic aura emanating from the other person, my heart pounding wildly, terrified that the invisibility talisman would be detected. I secretly glanced at Old Fan beside me; he still wore a mocking expression, showing no sign of tension, even observing the enraged Master Chang with interest, as if the tense atmosphere before us completely nonexistent.

Seeing that the other party had become wary, Lao Fan not only didn't restrain himself, but his playful nature intensified. His steps were as light as a feather, and under the cover of light and shadow, he quietly circled around to Master Chang's side again. I watched as he raised two fingers again, repeating the same trick, and breathed on the fingertips near his lips, seemingly planning to do it again.

I frantically tried to signal him with my eyes and shook my head, indicating he should stop fooling around. He was already on guard; if we continued to tease him, and completely angered this wild spirit, we'd likely be in for a tough fight given our current situation. But Old Fan completely ignored my warnings, his wicked smile growing even wider, clearly determined to play this game to the bitter end.

Master Chang was intently sensing the unusual movements around him, his whole body tense, his mind highly focused, and his attention entirely on what was in front of him and to his sides. He never expected that the sneak attack would come again from his diagonal rear.

With another crisp "thud," the second flick on the forehead landed precisely in the same spot.

The force of the blow was no less than that of a real blow, and the combined pain was amplified several times over. Old Master Chang jumped up abruptly, gasping in pain, instinctively clutching his head and spinning around in place, his dark face flushed red with anger and shock.

"Who on earth is playing tricks on me here! Show yourself if you dare, what kind of skill is it to hide your head and tail!" He finally couldn't contain his anger and shouted loudly. The sound wave shook the candlelight in the room, causing it to flicker and the shadows on the wall to distort and sway.

He clenched his fists, his demonic energy surging even more violently, the collar of his shirt slightly opened by the surging energy, and the ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble slightly. He turned around abruptly in the direction of the pain, his eyes wide open, his sharp gaze sweeping across every inch of space, but there was still no one there.

Seeing this, Lao Fan finally stopped teasing me, slowly retreated to the chair next to me, and even winked at me, looking smug.

Master Chang searched several times but couldn't find any trace of the hidden person. His anger had nowhere to go, yet a sense of apprehension crept in. To be able to hide right under his nose and repeatedly toy with him, the other party's skills were definitely not shallow; they were no ordinary little devils or demons. He stood in the center of the room, pacing back and forth, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

After a moment, he took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging anger, and his gaze returned to the ancestral tablet in the shrine. He probably didn't want to start a fight within the celestial goddess's sacred space and disturb the place of worship.

"I know you're here." He lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of warning. "I've been guarding this temple for many years, and I've always kept to myself and my fellow practitioners. If you're just passing by, then so be it; but if you're deliberately looking for trouble, don't blame me for being impolite!"

After saying this, he looked around warily again. Seeing no movement, he didn't linger any longer and walked towards the door, seemingly intending to leave and check the surroundings.

But he had only taken two steps when Old Fan had another idea. He raised his hand and flicked it lightly into the air, and a faint talismanic force shot out silently, wrapping directly around Master Chang's trouser leg.

As Master Chang was walking forward, he suddenly felt a tightness in his ankle, as if he had been firmly tripped by something. He stumbled and his tall body staggered forward several steps, almost falling to the ground.

Now, Master Chang, who had been trying to maintain his composure, was completely pushed to the brink of exploding by these repeated pranks. He abruptly stopped, turned around, and shouted angrily, "Enough! I want to see how long you can keep hiding!"