Mutated Tao

The multicolored ribbons adorning the drum trailed behind Bai Lingmiao as she gingerly walked past the old houses. At times, an old farmer guiding a cow or a woman holding a baby passed by as they stared at her.

They had never seen a girl like Bai Lingmiao before.

Bai Lingmiao was nervous. Even so, she kept walking toward the location pointed out by the Second Deity.

Soon, she arrived at a short house. The house had a smaller house attached to its side. She took a deep breath and walked into the courtyard.

Woof! Woof woof!

Hearing the sudden barking sounds, Bai Lingmiao was shocked. Thankfully the dog was securely leashed.

However, she felt quite embarrassed by how surprised she was.

At that moment, the door opened and a heavy voice rang out.

“Who are you looking for?” asked the farmer as he stared at her warily.

Bai Lingmiao didn’t know what to say. After all, she was still quite new as a shaman. She thought about it and then carefully asked, “Is someone in your house possessed?”

Bam!

The door slammed shut.

“Eek!” Bai Lingmiao jumped in surprise as she stood there without knowing what to do. She turned around and used telepathy to communicate with the Second Deity, “See, they closed the door on us. Maybe they are fine.”

However, Bai Lingmiao was disappointed by the Second Deity’s answer.

“I know that the Immortal families are urging me to work, or they will punish me. But this family… Alright, fine. I will try again,” said Bai Lingmiao.

She approached the door and knocked once again, “Please open the door! I am a Shaman that can exorcize evil spirits. If you are troubled by them, then I can help.”

She kept knocking at the door for a while. Just as she was about to give up, the door slowly creaked open. A yellow eye stared at her from within the darkness.

“How did you know that we have someone who was possessed?” asked a voice.

On the other hand, Bai Lingmiao was relieved that the eye belonged to a human.

“Uuh …” Bai Lingmiao couldn’t think of a good excuse. “Old man, please don’t worry about how I got to know. All you need to know is that I can help you. Evil beings cannot be allowed to remain on a person’s body for too long or there might be trouble.”

“How much money will you charge?”

“Fifty coins. No matter how strong the evil spirit is, it will be fifty coins.” Bai Lingmiao told him the price for a Shaman’s aid.

The moment she gave them the price, Bai Lingmiao heard a young man’s voice from behind the door. “Father, let’s just ask for her help instead. A shaman will be much cheaper than a medium!”

At that moment, the door closed once again. Bai Lingmiao didn’t know what the father and son duo were discussing, but she decided to wait patiently.

Soon, the door opened once more.

A burly farmer appeared in front of Bai Lingmiao. He was short, but looked strong for his old age. He was carrying a pole while walking out of his home.

He reevaluated Bai Lingmiao and reconfirmed the price. “Fifty copper coins, that was the price you told. Don’t you dare change it afterward.”

Bai Lingmiao sighed and nodded before entering the house.

She was surprised by what she saw inside.

The entire room was decorated like a mourning hall, but the coffin was nowhere to be seen.

“Old man, why is the memorial tablet placed here instead of the ancestral hall?” asked Bai Lingmiao.

The old farmer sighed. “I would if I could. Come, let's go sit down and I will explain the situation.”

They walked past the back of the house into a small courtyard where several chickens were being raised.

The father and son duo were nervous as they brought Bai Lingmiao into the courtyard. Once there, they gave her a bamboo stool to sit on while they squatted down on the floor and explained their circumstances.

“My wife passed away eight days ago at the age of seventy-one. She had led a good life, free of sins and vices. It was supposed to be a normal burial service, but on the seventh day, our nephew heard someone knocking the coffin,” explained the old farmer.

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao was frightened and scanned her surroundings; however, everything looked normal.

“At that point, we were quite afraid, and so we decided to quickly bury her. But then, on the second night after the burial, she came back!” continued the old farmer.

Even though the old farmer tried his best to make the story sound as normal as possible, Bai Lingmiao was already sweating from fear. This was different from what had happened to Senior Li.

“My supposedly dead wife opened the door and asked for meat. That night, both me and my son were scared out of our minds. We were afraid that if we didn’t give her any meat to eat, then she would just eat us. We had to take down the ham that we hung up on the rafters to save for the upcoming New Year. The piece of ham consisted of half a pig’s leg that had been cured, but my wife ate it just like that! After she ate the entire ham, she walked away and said that she would come back again tomorrow,” said the old farmer, his voice filled with worry. “It’s not that we don’t want to feed her, but at this point, she’s no longer my wife. The manner in which she ate that piece of ham was akin to that of a beast! Her teeth had transformed into sharp fangs that could tear through even the tough ham meat! Now, we are terrified and we have no idea what to do. We already had to sell off two of our pigs for her burial service. If she comes back again, then she might just eat us if we don’t have enough meat to feed her. If you can return her to the cycle of reincarnation, then you will truly be our Bodhisattva!”

After saying all this, the old farmer lowered his head as he wallowed in the pain of his wife’s death and her transformation afterward.

Did the corpse get reanimated and the body possessed?

Bai Lingmiao carefully analyzed the situation to get a rough idea of how dangerous this task could be.

After discussing it with the Second Deity and being reassured that it wouldn’t be too dangerous, Bai Lingmiao accepted the job. “Old man, the sun is setting soon. Since I am here now, let me stay for the night. What do you think?”

Since she was here, it would be best if she dealt with it tonight instead of waiting for another day. After traveling with Senior Li for so long, she was confident in dealing with a small issue like this.

“Really? You will help us?” asked the old farmer excitedly. He had originally thought that the girl was too young and inexperienced, and hadn’t held much hope.

Bai Lingmiao nodded.

In response, the old farmer stood up and caught one of the chickens. “Alright! As thanks, please come eat dinner with us! There’s no need to be shy!”

Soon, an entire chicken was placed in front of Bai Lingmiao; however, she didn’t get to savor it in peace. She was nervously waiting for nighttime.

When the time came, both the father and the son went to sleep.

On the other hand, Bai Lingmiao waited patiently in the hall.

She could see that the farmer was indeed poor. They only had a single oil lamp that flickered occasionally, causing the shadows around them to dance. The atmosphere within the hall was quite ominous…

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