The slamming at the door abruptly ceased. Young Master Liu activated his Yin-Yang Eyes and peered out, seeing no trace of the demon; it must have been subdued by the Taisui.

Zhang Enpu let out a long breath and declared, "The evil spirit is vanquished!" He opened the door, instructing Young Master Liu to use a willow branch dipped in water to sprinkle around the room, driving out the lingering misfortune, before pulling him toward the edge of the village.

Upon reaching the village entrance, the scene had completely transformed. Village Head Tian and several members of the allied militia were conferring. On the ground, Ke Jiang’s cohorts were all tied up, squatting.

It turned out Village Head Tian had been prepared; he had ordered the militia to stand ready to apprehend the men the moment the fighting started, buying time for Young Master Liu and Zhang Enpu to rush home and perform the necessary rites to eliminate the ghost Ke Jiang had summoned. As for Ke Jiang himself, his eyes were wide open, fixed on the sky; he had likely been dead for quite some time.

Zhang Enpu quietly informed Young Master Liu that the Taisui had captured the summoned ghost, and Ke Jiang’s soul had been taken as well—a fitting retribution based on karma.

Seeing Zhang Enpu approach, Village Head Tian exclaimed, "Old Master, you are truly miraculous! After we subdued these men, we were just about to tie up Ke Jiang, but he suddenly went mad and strangled himself!"

Zhang Enpu sighed, "This is retribution. He can only blame himself for all the wicked deeds he committed. Worshipping ghosts is inherently a forbidden art that violates the cycle of karma and the balance of good and evil. Furthermore, his monstrous act of digging up his own father's grave and murdering his mother was enough to invite divine wrath. His fate today is entirely of his own making!"

Village Head Tian nodded repeatedly, exchanged a few words with Zhang Enpu, then ordered the ill-gotten wealth to be confiscated, Ke Jiang’s corpse carried away, and his remaining accomplices bound and escorted back to town.

Zhang Enpu murmured softly, "Yan Xiaoliu, you may rest in peace now. And Old Madam, may your wishes be fulfilled. I pray you both find a better next life."

Young Master Liu used his Yin-Yang Eyes to survey the surroundings and indeed saw the spectral figures of the Old Madam and Yan Xiaoliu bowing deeply toward Zhang Enpu in the distance before vanishing instantly.

This, he thought, was the final accounting: good and evil are eventually repaid, and the cycle of karma always turns.

Young Master Liu finally understood a passage written by Zhang Enpu in his generation of the Celestial Master’s Records: "Convenience has many gates, but the path to the Origin has but one way!"

This meant that those who commit great evil will inevitably face karmic retribution, while those who practice great virtue, no matter how difficult their path, will be watched over by Heaven.

Back home, Zhang Enpu told Young Master Liu that the summoned ghost had been residing within the ring. By affixing a Five Thunders House-Protecting Talisman to the door, all evil spirits were barred entry. Zhang Enpu then retrieved the ring; the summoned ghost was immediately blocked outside. Zhang Enpu invited the Taisui to suppress the ring, forcing the ghost to return to it. In its defiance against the Taisui, the ghost was subsequently captured.

Young Master Liu exclaimed, "Master, then how did you defeat Ke Jiang? Watching you made my palms sweat!"

"Heh heh, that was simple enough. Before I made the wager with him, I had sealed his left hand, where the wicked ghost resided. Then, seeing the red light above Ke Jiang’s head instantly fade to a dull, lifeless blue-green, I could win against him with any move I chose!"

Later, the villagers buried Yan Xiaoliu on the hill behind the village, planting an elm tree beside the grave. "May Yan Xiaoliu be a good person in his next life," Young Master Liu sincerely hoped.

Goudan returned a month later, his arm bandaged like a rice dumpling. Zhang Enpu specifically chose that month's fifteenth day, having Young Master Liu attempt to draw a "Ding Mou Gong Marching Talisman" for Goudan's protection.

For his first attempt at talisman drawing, Young Master Liu labored the entire morning, his hand trembling incessantly, terrified of making a mistake.

Zhang Enpu advised him, "The Way is natural; intent arises from the heart. Do not obsess over the strokes of the talisman." Young Master Liu pondered this—this must be why the Old Master drew talismans so quickly; it wasn't about the precision of the strokes, but about drawing with focused intention.

Winter set in, and the cold deepened as the New Year approached. The village grew lively. Old Man Liu and his wife went out to buy New Year goods, while Zhang Enpu visited the temple to set out offerings for the Three Pure Ones. Young Master Liu and Grandma stayed home to tidy up. Grandma brought out a flask of wine and some dumplings she had made, instructing Young Master Liu to take them to Village Head Tian’s house. Young Master Liu bundled up in his padded jacket and stepped out the door.

It was the bitterest part of winter. Young Master Liu walked along the snow-covered path, his boots crunching on the powder. Passing a small grove, he heard intermittent squeaking sounds, like the cries of mice. He followed the noise into the trees.

After searching the small wood for a while, he found a tiny creature, pure white all over, caught by its leg in a hunting trap. It resembled a rat but was much larger and longer. It looked like it had been caught for a long time; the blood had dried and turned black. The little thing just stared at Young Master Liu with pleading eyes.

Young Master Liu set down the wine flask and dumplings, knelt, and tried to pry open the trap with his hands, but it wouldn't budge. Young Master Liu exerted all his strength, pulling the jaws apart. The moment the jaws opened just a crack, the little white creature yanked its leg free. As soon as Young Master Liu let go, the trap snapped shut with a loud bang—the force was astonishing. Not only would a trapped beast be severely injured, but even a person stepping on it might not escape. He shuddered, thinking how broken his fingers would be if they had been caught inside.

Young Master Liu gently lifted the creature's hind leg; there were several deep puncture wounds where the trap had gripped, the blood already dry. He took several dumplings from the container and held them to the creature’s mouth. The little thing immediately used its front paws to hold the dumplings and began to eat rapidly, its tiny mouth working quickly.

It soon finished one and immediately snatched another, clearly starved. Young Master Liu uncorked the wine flask, releasing a rich, heady aroma. He poured some of the wine onto the creature's wounded leg and tore off a strip of cloth to bandage it.

The little creature twitched its nose a few times, perhaps feeling the sting. Smelling the wine, it used its front paws to grip the flask and licked a few drops from the rim before settling down again to chew its dumpling, smacking its lips.

Young Master Liu reached out and stroked its head. "Little one, I have to go home now. I'll come back tomorrow!"

As if understanding him, the creature turned around twice on the spot, looked at Young Master Liu with its bright, beady eyes, and then darted away without a trace.

Since Tian Guoqiang had left on a family visit a few weeks prior, Young Master Liu spent a brief time at Village Head Tian’s house before returning. When he arrived home, Old Man Liu and his wife had returned with their New Year purchases. Young Master Liu suddenly recalled that a book in Zhang Enpu’s study seemed to describe an animal much like the one he had just encountered, so he headed to the study to find it.

After flipping through several volumes, Young Master Liu finally found it. The creature was a weasel—the kind they called a Huang Da Xian, often addressed as the Second Lord Yellow (Huang Erye). Young Master Liu had heard Zhang Enpu speak of the Second Lord Yellow’s immense powers before.

It was said that the Second Lord Yellow could possess bodies, control all animals and minor ghosts, and even immortals deferred to it somewhat. And its greatest love was alcohol—Young Master Liu realized why it had clung to the flask earlier. But why was this Huang Erye white?

The book stated that generally, the Second Lord Yellow was yellow; those with deep cultivation were black. Could this white one possess an even greater spiritual attainment?

Regardless, tomorrow he must bring some medicine for wounds to visit the Second Lord Yellow. Young Master Liu returned the book, picked up a copy of the Celestial Master’s Records, intending to read it after dinner.