Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

Peaceful days passed by one by one, and before you knew it, another month had gone by.

During this month, Lin Yi conducted one-on-one esoteric Buddhist teachings with Long Ci, specifically on the sixth day of the lunar month.

He originally thought that teaching apprentices would be a troublesome matter, but Long Ci's performance made him look at him in a new light.

This kid truly lives up to his reputation as a reincarnated individual. After successfully establishing his foundation, he completed the Vajrayana introductory course in just one day, sensing the three chakras and seven channels within his body. On the third day, he cultivated the first strand of Vajrayana ground.

In just one month, he caught up with the progress that Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai had made over several years or even more.

Lin Yi bestowed upon him the string of high monk skull prayer beads that could aid in cultivation, as well as an authentic kapala bowl, and handed him the white bone sword that served as a protector.

When Long Ci received the magical artifact with both hands, his eyes reddened slightly. He felt Lin Yi's sincerity and truly regarded him as his master.

As for Qiusheng and Wencai—Lin Yi couldn't help but compare them to Long Ci.

Those two guys have been learning from Uncle Nine for so many years, and they still can't even draw a decent exorcism talisman.

While Uncle Nine's teaching skills were certainly questionable, the main problem was that his two apprentices were simply not very talented.

That morning, Lin Yi had just finished having breakfast with Michelle when Uncle Shou jogged into the main hall.

"Master, a Taoist priest from Maoshan is requesting an audience. He says there is an evil aura in the mansion and suspects that evil spirits are lurking there. He wishes to see the commander-in-chief in person to discuss this matter."

Lin Yi put down her teacup and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Could it be the Hundred Demon Banner?

He usually hid in the dry well in the backyard and even made it conceal its presence.

However, the Hundred Ghosts Banner is, after all, a highly malevolent and evil artifact, containing five demonic offspring. Its yin energy is too heavy, and no matter how much it is contained, a trace of it will still leak out.

The same goes for Thangka paintings and Sister Drums; they are indeed evil artifacts. Back then, Qinghai used a whole bunch of proper ritual implements to suppress them.

Things have been calm for the past month, but now someone has finally come knocking on our door.

However, considering the time frame, it's already quite good that it took a month to be discovered.

"Please let him in," Lin Yi waved her hand.

Michelin also became interested.

She naturally knew about the existence of the Hundred Ghosts Banner and the evil god—Lin Yi had already confessed to her long ago.

Although she came from Maoshan and her lifelong struggle between good and evil was governed by Maoshan precepts, she stopped taking Maoshan precepts seriously after marrying Lin Yi.

The tradition of the wife being the head of the household is much stronger than the precepts of Maoshan.

However, she would be very happy to meet her fellow disciples from Maoshan.

Shoubo turned and went out, and soon returned with three people.

Lin Yi smiled the moment she saw the person's face and attire.

The leader was about forty years old, with a round figure. He wore a faded gray cloth Taoist robe, several strings of prayer beads around his neck, and two short braids tied at his temples.

His features were very distinctive—a round face, small eyes, and arched eyebrows, with a smile that was seven parts cunning and three parts slick, perfectly matching the face Lin Yi remembered.

Two young Taoist priests, around seventeen or eighteen years old, followed behind him; they were probably his disciples.

Isn't this Qian Zhenren?

The fat Taoist priest in the movie "Encounters of the Spooky Kind" who is greedy for money and willing to do anything for it.

In the movie, he was hired by Master Tan to kill someone to cover his tracks, but was eventually dealt with by his fellow disciple, Master Xu.

Lin Yi looked at Michelle, asking her with her eyes if she knew this person.

Michelin shook her head slightly.

It's not surprising. There are too many factions in Maoshan, and some branches don't even interact with each other, so it's normal not to know each other.

"This humble Taoist priest, Qian Kai, courtesy name Youcai, greets the General."

Master Qian bowed slightly in a Taoist salute, his movements neither humble nor arrogant. Coupled with his wide Taoist robe and the prayer beads around his neck, he looked quite intimidating.

If Lin Yi hadn't known what kind of person he was, she might have actually been fooled by his air of a sage.

Lin Yi silently repeated his name in her mind—Qian Kai, meaning "money-grubbing" or "wealthy." He was indeed greedy, even his name was "Jian Qian Yan Kai" (meaning "open-eyed for money").

"May I ask what brings you here, Master Qian?" Lin Yi feigned ignorance, her tone carrying just the right amount of curiosity.

Master Qian straightened up and said solemnly, "General, I just passed by your residence and saw a yin aura lingering there from afar."

I examined the place carefully again when I came in, and there are indeed signs of evil spirits causing trouble. If we don't deal with it promptly, it could be detrimental to the commander's household.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Lin Yi perfectly captured her surprise, leaning forward slightly. "Master Qian, please have a seat. Someone, bring you tea. I wonder if you would be willing to resolve this trouble for this great general?"

Master Qian sat down in the guest seat, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put it down, his face stern and righteous:

"Exorcising ghosts and exorcising evil spirits is the duty of a disciple of Maoshan, and I naturally cannot shirk it."

His words were spoken with conviction, and Michelle, who was standing next to him, looked on with admiration, thinking to herself that Maoshan was indeed full of righteous people.

"However," Master Qian changed the subject, his serious expression instantly switching to a shrewd smile, "the evil spirits in your mansion are no ordinary matter."

If I were to subdue it, I fear I would have to exert all my strength and even have to ask the thirty-six Heavenly Guardians for assistance.

If the incense offerings are insufficient, the gods will not descend, and their magical power will be insufficient. At that point, it would be a minor matter if all efforts were in vain, but if the evil spirits were to backfire and affect the commander's mansion, that would be a much bigger problem.

Michelin's admiring expression froze.

She awkwardly turned her face to the side, picked up her teacup to hide her expression, and secretly rejoiced that she hadn't taken the initiative to acknowledge her senior brother.

Qian Zhenren sat in the guest seat, holding a teacup in his hand. A smile with three parts reserve and seven parts shrewdness was on his chubby face. He slowly drew circles on the rim of the teacup with his finger, and his small eyes secretly observed Lin Yi's reaction through the steam of the tea.

After saying that "if the incense offerings are meager, the gods will not descend," he stopped talking and waited for Lin Yi to name her price.

This is an ironclad rule he has learned from years of experience in the business world: only speak seven-tenths of what you know, and leave the remaining three-tenths for the host to figure out.

The more the owner thought about it, the more frightened they became, and the higher the price they asked for.

……

Goodness, if Lin Yi hadn't seen the movie and known he was capable, she might have actually kicked him out as a charlatan.

That's so damn mercenary; it doesn't have the demeanor of a sage.

"How much money does Master Qian earn in a month?" Lin Yi leaned back in his chair, his tone casual as if he were chatting.

Qian Youcai paused for a moment while holding the teacup.

That was a very direct question—in all his years in the business, this was the first time he had encountered a client who didn't play by the rules.

He thought about it and decided to answer truthfully, after all, the man in front of him was a powerful military commander who he couldn't afford to offend.

"It's not about making money, it's about offering incense and prayers."

He first laid out the professional jargon, and then cautiously quoted a price: "Sometimes seven or eight silver dollars a month, sometimes forty or fifty, it depends on fate."

"Oh? If I give you one hundred silver dollars every month, would you be willing to become my patron?"

Qian Youcai stood up abruptly.

Two drops of tea from the teacup splashed onto the back of his hand, but he was completely unaware.

One hundred silver dollars—he had been collecting donations for exorcising ghosts and evil spirits for over a decade, but he had never received so much.

These days, employment pressure is high and competition is fierce. People like him, who go door-to-door, sometimes have to compete with local residents for business.

Seven or eight silver dollars was common, forty or fifty was considered a good year, and what did a hundred silver dollars a month mean?

1,200 silver dollars a year is enough to buy a small building in the provincial capital, or even build a grand temple!

"I am willing! This humble Taoist is ready to serve the Commander-in-Chief with utmost loyalty!"

Qian Youcai's composure shattered completely. The shrewdness and calculation on his chubby face were overwhelmed by ecstasy, and his voice changed drastically, "From now on, whatever the Commander-in-Chief commands, I will do without hesitation!"

Michelin stood beside her, holding a teacup, unable to bear the sight.

She had previously thought this fellow practitioner from Maoshan was a righteous person, but now it seems that this righteous person's price is one hundred silver dollars a month.

"The yin energy in the mansion is from a few of my little toys; you don't need to worry about it."

Lin Yi put down his teacup and said casually, "Just do your job well for me from now on."

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for your guidance, General!" Qian Youcai's bottom line was indeed flexible. He no longer cared about whether it was yin or not, and nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice.

Suddenly remembering something, he leaned forward and lowered his voice, "General, how about I set up a Six Ding Six Jia Absolute Breath Formation to block it?"

Although this yin energy isn't strong, if some meddlesome Taoist priest were to see it, it could cause unnecessary trouble.

See, this money was well spent!

Lin Yi smiled, stood up, walked over to Qian Youcai, and patted him on the shoulder twice: "Master Qian is indeed professional. I'll leave this matter to you. If you need any expenses, just ask Uncle Shou for them."

"Also, Uncle Shou, go and prepare three more rooms. Two for Master Qian and his esteemed disciple, and one as the master's shrine."

The yang fire on Qian Youcai's shoulder swayed twice after being patted.

You shouldn't pat a person's shoulder casually—if the yang energy on the shoulder is extinguished, a person's vitality will weaken, making them more susceptible to encountering unclean things.

If it were someone else taking the picture, he would have already turned hostile. The person in front of him is his benefactor who gives him 100 yuan a month.

He silently repeated "The customer is the ancestor of the Dao" three times in his heart, and put on a fawning smile again. He bowed respectfully and said, "Don't worry, General, I guarantee that not a single trace of yin energy in your mansion will leak out within three days."

Qian Youcai is a man of his word.

He spent three days traveling to every corner of Yun County, buying cinnabar, yellow paper, bronze mirrors, small five-emperor coins, and thirty-six peach wood stakes. He also asked Uncle Shou to order seventy-two cast iron nails from a blacksmith shop.

He directed his two apprentices to carry ladders up and down the courtyard wall, driving thirty-six peach wood stakes into the base of the wall according to the six Ding and six Jia directions, and then using seventy-two cast iron nails to set up a reverse five elements locking yin array in the corner of the courtyard.

While setting up the formation, he muttered incantations, stepping on specific spots with each step. His large body swayed precariously against the courtyard wall, making Uncle Shou worry that he might fall.

Three days later, the Yin energy of the several evil artifacts was indeed locked inside the Marshal's Mansion, and not a trace of it could be seen from the outside.

He also thoughtfully drew talismans in the dry well and outside the room where the Thangka drum was placed, so as not to harm the servants in the mansion.

Lin Yi stood in the courtyard and looked around. Then he asked Uncle Shou to take out two hundred silver dollars and hand them to Qian Youcai.

Qian Youcai held the heavy silver dollars in his hands, his face crinkling into a wide smile like a chrysanthemum.