Chapter Thirty-Eight: Subduing Evil

(The protagonist opposes rigid, formulaic essays, not reading itself, so I hope some readers won't selectively ignore this.)

Hurrying back to Jingyang Village, Chen Jianchen nearly ran in three strides at a time, rushing into his home.

Madam Mo was lying on the bed, her hair somewhat disheveled, her face pale, and her eyes deeply sunken and lifeless. Before leaving, A'Bao had asked a neighbor woman to come take care of her; upon seeing Chen Jianchen return, the woman hurriedly said, "Young Master Chen, you're finally back. Quickly, go see your mother."

Chen Jianchen thanked her, then sat at the bedside and grasped his mother's rough hand. "Mother, your son is back. How are you feeling?"

Hearing his voice, Madam Mo suddenly sat up and threw her arms around Chen Jianchen. "Liuxian, Liuxian, are you all right?"

In a low voice, Chen Jianchen replied, "Mother, I'm fine. Nothing has happened to me."

Madam Mo's hands trembled as she touched his head, as if she had to see for herself, leaving no room for doubt before she could be at ease. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Chen Jianchen asked again, "Mother, what exactly happened?"

With a choked voice, Madam Mo replied, "I don't know what happened either. The night before last, I suddenly had a dream. I saw a very fierce-looking little ghost claiming to be the earth deity of our village, holding a steel fork. It said you, Liuxian, had offended the spirits for your disrespect and the City God had punished you, taking away your soul for punishment... The dream felt so real, almost as if it was truly happening. I was terrified and begged the earth deity not to hold it against you, to let you go, but it simply wouldn't listen..."

As she recounted this, her voice trembled, clearly shaken to the core. "When I woke up the next day, I found I had no strength at all, my body limp and exhausted, wanting nothing more than to sleep. But whenever I slept, I dreamed of that earth deity again. It kept telling me your soul was suffering all sorts of tortures in the underworld—burned by fire, forced across mountains of blades, plunged into boiling oil... Each scene was as vivid as if I witnessed it myself. It was terrifying..."

At this, Chen Jianchen immediately understood what was happening—this was a case of a spirit invading the soul.

In the realm of Daoist arts, the cultivation of these spirits themselves did not possess much combative power, but when they left their bodies, they could slip into the mind and soul of a chosen target. The gentler kind would appear in dreams, requesting the person to do certain things; the more aggressive would threaten, intimidate, or even attack directly, causing harm to the victim's spirit and depleting their vitality.

The latter, in severe cases, could even erase the target's soul entirely.

However, there were many taboos for such invasions—it could not be done to just anyone. Some people were robust and vigorous, others were born with fierce auras or entangled with heavy karma. Spirits generally dared not approach these people, for it would amount to open conflict, and spirits were almost always the ones to lose.

The consequences for the spirit, if defeated, ranged from soul damage to total annihilation.

As such, spirits typically chose their victims carefully, preferring the elderly, weak, women, and children—those most susceptible to being visited in dreams and most likely to offer incense in reverence.

The last time the earth deity of Jingyang Village, on orders from the City God of Jiangzhou, tried to seize Chen Jianchen for punishment, it had assumed Chen Jianchen was a frail scholar, easily frightened and subdued. Unexpectedly, it was instead struck by the Evil-Dispelling Brush, nearly losing its soul. Having suffered a disastrous setback, the spirit returned to Jingyang Village and turned its malice upon Madam Mo.

Madam Mo cherished Chen Jianchen as the apple of her eye. Such deep concern easily led to confusion and left her open to the spirit’s torment, reducing her to a state worse than death—frail and barely holding on. If Chen Jianchen had not returned in time, the outcome could have been dire.

At this thought, Chen Jianchen was filled with fury. Yet he did not lose his composure. First, he instructed A'Bao to prepare porridge and serve it to Madam Mo.

Afterward, he returned to his room, ground ink, laid out paper, and took up his brush.

Standing before the desk, Chen Jianchen composed himself for a long while, only beginning to write when he felt his mind and spirit had reached their peak. With deliberate strokes, he wrote a large character—"Suppress"—on the white paper.

The character seemed to move with the vigor of dragons and snakes, its brushstrokes lively and imbued with a subtle spiritual energy.

He had succeeded!

Putting down the brush, Chen Jianchen immediately felt a wave of exhaustion, as though a portion of his essence had been drained from his body, leaving him dizzy and almost unable to stand.

At present, the righteous energy he had cultivated within was still too weak. If he used too much at once, his spirit would not endure and he would be left feeling drained.

He quickly sat down, closed his eyes to rest, and only after a long while did he gradually recover his strength.

With the character in hand, he went to Madam Mo’s room.

By now, Madam Mo had finished a bowl of porridge. Seeing her son returned unharmed, her spirits lifted and her appetite returned as well. Yet the torment she had suffered left her weary; leaning against a pillow, she soon dozed off.

Chen Jianchen did not disturb her. Quietly, he affixed the "Suppress" character above her bed.

A'Bao, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed, but quickly realized: the villagers all said Brother Liuxian was the star of literary talent descended from the heavens—beasts dare not harm him, nor do evil spirits dare approach. The words he writes must naturally have extraordinary power, enough to steady his godmother's spirit and cure her illness without medicine...

“A'Bao, stay here and watch. If anything happens, call me.”

“All right, I know, Brother Liuxian. You should go rest.”

Chen Jianchen returned to his room and lay on the bed, closing his eyes.

He was not sleepy, his mind wandering aimlessly. But soon he caught himself letting his thoughts run wild, which was a mistake. He quickly calmed his mind, restoring clarity, and began silently practicing the "True Chapter of the Three Foundations."

“Brother Liuxian! Brother Liuxian, something’s wrong!”

A'Bao’s voice rang out urgently.

Chen Jianchen jumped off the bed. “Don’t panic. What is it?”

A'Bao, breathless with worry, said, “Just now... just now godmother seemed to have a relapse.”

Hmm?

Taking swift strides, Chen Jianchen hurried over, only to find Madam Mo sleeping peacefully, without a trace of distress. There was even the hint of a smile at her lips.

“Strange…”

A'Bao was puzzled. She had just seen godmother suddenly clutch the sheets in her sleep, her face twisted in distress, mumbling as if struggling with something unseen. Now, she was sleeping so calmly and serenely.

Chen Jianchen glanced up at the "Suppress" character above the bed and immediately noticed the ink had faded, as if weathered by many years, its spirit all gone.

The righteous energy in the character had indeed taken effect.

A faint smile appeared on Chen Jianchen’s lips. “A'Bao, mother’s illness is cured.”

A'Bao asked in delight, “Really?”

“Heh, have I ever lied to you? All right, it's late. You should get some rest too.”

With that, Chen Jianchen returned to his room, lay down, and went to sleep with an easy mind.

—Buzz!

He did not know how long it had been when, all of a sudden, a strange vision appeared before his eyes...