Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 11

The night of Jiazi day was pitch black, as if splashed with thick ink. In Wushui Town, every household had extinguished their lights early. The streets were dead silent, with only occasional shrill dog barks piercing the uneasy quiet.

Inside the Huang Mansion, however, lights blazed, yet it was terrifyingly quiet. The servants held their breath, tiptoeing as they walked, afraid of making any sound that might disturb something. They all knew that tonight, the Daoist Su, invited from the Yuelai Inn, was going to perform a ritual to exorcise evil from the eldest young lady.

When Su Mingyue stepped through the Huang Mansion’s main gate, it was already close to midnight. She was still dressed in her simple blue cloth gown, carrying a small cloth bag in her hand, which held her usual “tools of the trade.” Her expression was calm and unruffled, as if she wasn’t there to capture demons and exorcise evil, but rather to visit a neighbor.

At the entrance, Huang Baiwan and Huang Mingyuan greeted her enthusiastically! However, when the Huang Mansion’s servants saw her, they couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

“Hey, did you see her? Is that Daoist Su?”

“My heavens, she’s too young! She looks a few years younger than our mansion’s second young lady!”

“Yeah, just a young girl like that, what abilities could she have? Is the master confused, risking the eldest young lady’s life?”

“Shhh! Quiet! Didn’t you hear? Liu the Scabby offended this Daoist Su and got his head smashed! This one is not to be trifled with!”

“Even so… she’s still too young, isn’t she? Our eldest young lady has seen so many famous doctors and invited so many eminent monks and Daoists, all to no avail. Can a mere girl really do it?”

These whispers, though very low, were heard clearly by Su Mingyue, whose ears were exceptionally keen. She merely curled her lips slightly, not even bothering to lift an eyelid. She had heard such criticisms many times and was long accustomed to them. Actions spoke louder than any explanation.

Huang Baiwan and Huang Mingyuan naturally heard the servants’ discussions, and their faces were a bit awkward. Huang Baiwan quickly cleared his throat, signaling the servants to be silent, then respectfully said to Su Mingyue: “Daoist Su, please forgive their ignorance. The servants are insensible and speak nonsense; please don’t take it to heart.”

Su Mingyue said indifferently: “It’s fine. Lead me to Miss Huang.”

Huang Yingying’s room had been rearranged according to Su Mingyue’s requests. Apart from the bed, all superfluous items had been removed, making the room appear spacious and cold. The windows were covered with thick black cloth, allowing no light to penetrate.

Huang Yingying still lay on the bed, her eyes tightly closed, her face as pale as paper. Her breathing was weak, but her chest rose and fell slightly, seeming a bit more stable than in previous days. This was probably the effect of the calming incense.

Su Mingyue walked to the bedside, carefully observed Huang Yingying for a moment, then said to Huang Baiwan and Huang Mingyuan: “Alright, you may all leave. From now until I come out, no one is allowed within a hundred paces of this room. No matter what sounds you hear or what happens, do not enter and disturb. Otherwise, you will bear all consequences.”

Her tone was undeniable, carrying an authoritative demeanor that commanded belief.

“Yes, yes, yes! We understand! We will definitely not disturb the Daoist’s ritual!” Huang Baiwan nodded repeatedly. He now obeyed Su Mingyue’s every word and dared not defy her in the slightest. Huang Mingyuan also nodded solemnly, his eyes filled with tension and anticipation.

After Huang Baiwan and Huang Mingyuan led all the servants out of the courtyard and stationed themselves far beyond the hundred-pace boundary, Su Mingyue slowly closed the door. She took out several yellow talisman papers from her cloth bag, dipped her fingertips in some saliva (still maintaining the habit of not carrying a water pouch), and quickly drew several unknown talismans on the papers. She then individually affixed them to the four walls, door, and windows of the room.

After all this was done, the air in the room seemed to condense slightly.

Su Mingyue walked to the center of the room, arranging the items prepared by the Huang family one by one. She evenly sprinkled glutinous rice around the room, forming an irregular circle. The simple peach wood sword was inserted at the head of the bed, directly facing the door. Vermilion, yellow paper, a new brush, and new ink were placed on a small table by the bed. Huang Yingying’s red bellyband from birth and the seven strands of hair wrapped with red thread were carefully placed by Huang Yingying’s pillow.

With everything ready, Su Mingyue took a deep breath and sat cross-legged in front of the bed. She closed her eyes, formed a strange hand seal in front of her chest, and began to chant a low, obscure incantation. The sound of the incantation was very soft, yet it seemed to carry a strange magical power, echoing in the empty room.

As the incantation began, the candles in the room began to flicker without a breeze, swaying violently. The shifting light and shadows cast Su Mingyue’s figure onto the walls, making her appear mysterious and eerie.

Outside the room, Huang Baiwan and Huang Mingyuan, along with the household guards and servants guarding from afar, all strained their ears. Although they couldn’t clearly hear what was being chanted inside the room, the faint incantation sounds and the oppressive aura emanating from the room made their hearts pound.

“Father, do you think… Daoist Su can really do it?” Huang Mingyuan quietly asked Huang Baiwan, his voice containing a subtle tremor.

Huang Baiwan swallowed, and said in a deep voice: “At this point, we can only trust Daoist Su. I hope… I hope Yingying can get through this.”

Inside the room, Su Mingyue’s chanting became more urgent. She suddenly opened her eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them!

“By Imperial Decree!” she whispered, her right hand pointing like a sword at Huang Yingying on the bed!

As she pointed, Huang Yingying, lying on the bed, suddenly let out a painful groan, and her body convulsed violently! Immediately after, a strong stench, accompanied by wisps of black demonic qi, emanated from Huang Yingying’s mouth and nose! The black demonic qi swirled and twisted in the air, gradually coalescing into a blurred shadow, vaguely resembling a curled-up spider!

“Vile creature! Show yourself!” Su Mingyue whispered again. Her left hand quickly grabbed a handful of vermilion powder from a small porcelain bowl and violently flung it at the black demonic qi!

“Sizzle—”

When the vermilion met the black demonic qi, it immediately produced a sound like boiling oil encountering water, and a puff of green smoke rose! The black demonic qi let out a shrill shriek, seemingly in extreme pain, and rolled violently in the air!

“Now!” Su Mingyue’s eyes narrowed. Her right hand swiftly picked up the pre-prepared peach wood sword, while her left hand held the small bowl containing the rooster comb blood. According to Daoist exorcism methods, at this moment, one should use a peach wood sword imbued with pure yang rooster blood to pierce the demon’s main body or its vital points to severely wound or expel it.

However, just as Su Mingyue was about to dip the peach wood sword into the bowl of rooster blood, her brow suddenly furrowed! She smelled something amiss!

This rooster blood… there was a problem! Although the bloody smell was strong, it was mixed with a faint… earthy odor! Moreover, the color of this rooster blood was also darker than normal pure yang rooster comb blood, lacking some of the inherent virile energy!

“Damn it!” Su Mingyue cursed inwardly. She had specifically warned them repeatedly that the rooster blood must be taken from a living rooster, and the rooster must not die, precisely to ensure the pure yang energy of the blood. But now, this rooster blood was clearly mixed with something unclean, or rather, the rooster itself had already been tainted by malevolent yin energy before the blood was taken! Such rooster blood would not only fail to counteract the demon, but might even enhance its ferocity!

Indeed, the moment Su Mingyue realized the rooster blood was problematic, the black demonic qi, which had been rolling from the vermilion attack, suddenly let out an excited shriek, as if it had smelled something delicious, and lunged towards the bowl of rooster blood in Su Mingyue’s hand! Its speed was extremely fast, bringing with it a gust of eerie wind that made Su Mingyue’s clothes flap!

This sudden turn of events slightly startled Su Mingyue. She hadn’t expected this demon to be so cunning, and so sensitive to this contaminated rooster blood! If it were to consume this bowl of rooster blood, the consequences would be unimaginable!

In a flash of lightning, Su Mingyue made a decisive move! She flipped her wrist, directly splashing the problematic rooster blood onto the empty space beside her!

“Bang!”

The rooster blood splattered on the ground, producing a slight corrosive sound and emitting a puff of black smoke! And the black demonic qi that had lunged forward, having lost its target, circled in the air, let out a furious, unwilling hiss, and lunged towards Su Mingyue again, seemingly intent on devouring her!

This unexpected turn of events, had it been an ordinary Daoist, would likely have led to panic, or even being taken advantage of by the demon. But who was Su Mingyue? She had lived for countless years, experienced innumerable dangerous situations. This small unexpected variable was not enough to make her flustered.

She merely let out a cold snort, advancing instead of retreating. The peach wood sword in her hand twirled, and although it lacked the boost from the rooster blood, it still carried a fierce gust of wind, striking directly down at the black demonic qi!

“Such petty tricks, daring to be presumptuous in front of me!”