In the tearful account of the pheasant spirit, everyone finally sorted out what had happened.
This Buddhist monk was named Liu Ben. He was originally a disciple of a high - ranking monk in a large temple. However, due to his unstable Buddhist heart and stealing money from pilgrims, he was expelled from the temple. Just then, he happened to come across the accidentally injured pheasant spirit.
He wanted money, while the pheasant spirit wanted incense offerings.
Liu Ben was smart but used his wits in the wrong way. After much thought, he came up with such a despicable plan and made a fortune in a few big ways.
Yu Nian seemed to sense something and tilted her head. Then she saw a fat figure flash past the temple door.
Feng Chengyuan quickly chased after it. Soon, he brought back Liu Ben, who was black and blue.
Liu Ben had heard the commotion of the fight outside the temple. He sneaked over, originally thinking of watching the exciting scene of Yu Nian and the others being beaten up by the pheasant spirit. But he never expected that Yu Nian would be so fierce. She saw through his deception, demolished his temple, tied up his fierce corpse, and even knocked down the highly - skilled pheasant spirit.
He rushed back to the meditation room, carried out several stacks of cash, and was about to flee.
Unexpectedly, Feng Chengyuan blocked his way and easily escorted him in front of Yu Nian.
When Liu Ben saw Yu Nian, he cursed loudly, "We're both people from the mysterious world. Why do you cut off my source of income? And what right do you have to arrest me?"
Yu Nian sneered, "A gentleman loves wealth and acquires it in a proper way. You've been harming the common people and ruining your own moral virtue. Even if you're temporarily wealthy, you'll suffer the consequences in your old age and end up in poverty."
Liu Ben was about to retort, but then he thought, even if Yu Nian caught him, what could she do? The police had nothing to do with this. Even if he shouted it out, who would believe that he had raised a monster in the temple?
Maybe he even had a chance to turn the tables on Yu Nian, sue her for property damage, and extort a large sum of money from her.
The more Liu Ben thought about it, the more pleased he became. He snorted, "I advise you to let me go right now, or you'll be in big trouble later!"
Yu Nian smiled faintly and dialed a number.
Less than ten minutes later, a very cool SUV stopped at the temple gate. There was a line of words in thin - gold calligraphy on the car body: NBOF.
Yang Jing'an was the first to get out of the car. When he saw Yu Nian, he greeted her familiarly, "Fellow Daoist Yu, long time no see."
There were two other people following Yang Jing'an.
The gray - haired old man first looked at the disheveled pheasant spirit, then glanced at the unrepentant Liu Ben. Admiration flashed in his eyes as he said to Yu Nian, "You caught them? Such a swift and decisive demon - catching technique. You have a bright future ahead!"
The pheasant spirit was able to create such a huge illusion, which meant it was not weak. But in front of Yu Nian, it was still defeated.
If Yang Jing'an hadn't been praising Yu Nian's deeds of guiding the spirits at the Yu family's old mansion all the way in the car, he would hardly have believed that this young girl in front of him could subdue such a fierce century - old demon.
The other young man smiled and nodded at Yu Nian, "Such a beautiful girl. It would be great if she were my colleague."
This blatant attempt to poach made Ming Mingzhong immediately vigilant. He slowly stepped in front of Yu Nian and said, "Yu Nian is the owner of the Qingxin Taoist Temple. The temple can't do without her!"
"Is that so?" The man sighed softly, looking a bit regretful.
After saying that, he walked slowly in front of Liu Ben, picked him up with one hand, and said, "We're from the National Folk Customs Affairs Investigation Bureau. Now we have sufficient evidence to prove that you've violated the rules of the mysterious world, tamed a fierce corpse, and colluded with a demon to harm the common people. Come with us."
Liu Ben's face suddenly turned deathly pale. He had long heard of this folk customs investigation institute. There were all kinds of capable people in it, specializing in dealing with supernatural events and managing people from the mysterious world.
He originally thought Yu Nian was just an innocent girl. He never expected that she had such a wide network of connections!
Liu Ben regretted it deeply. Tears and snot streamed down his face, dividing his big face into two parts. "I was just temporarily blinded by greed and made a mistake. I really know I was wrong. I'll return all the money I cheated right away. Don't arrest me!"
Yang Jing'an smiled and said, "The money must be returned. But if an apology were enough, what would we be for?"
Watching the car that was carrying the fierce corpse, the pheasant spirit, and Liu Ben drive away, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
He Zhiping was sizing up the ruins behind him. Suddenly, a glint of light flashed in his peripheral vision. He was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward to check. To his surprise, it was the candles on the altar.
Two tall white candles were placed on the luxurious candlesticks. They hadn't been blown out and were particularly eye - catching among the ruins. A faint wisp of smoke drifted over, and He Zhiping involuntarily walked towards the candles.
Vaguely, he seemed to hear two very soft laughs, cold and eerie.
He Zhiping tried hard to shift his gaze, but his eyes were getting more and more trapped in the candlelight.
He was a bit scared and wanted to call out to Yu Nian, but his throat felt as if it was being choked. He couldn't make a sound, his voice hoarse and dry.
The originally faint fragrance in the air suddenly became strong at this moment and rushed into He Zhiping's nostrils, spreading deep into his consciousness.
In an instant, his vision went completely black. The negative emotions of greed, jealousy, and sadness in human nature were all stirred up. They surged and roared, replacing the last bit of clarity in He Zhiping's mind.
At this moment, there was a loud noise in his ears. Only a sharp and strange voice kept urging him. He Zhiping's head ached so much that it felt like it was going to explode.
When He Zhiping opened his eyes again, his eyes were scarlet. After giving out two strange roars, he suddenly pounced on Feng Chengyuan beside him.
The accident happened so suddenly that everyone was caught off - guard. Fortunately, Feng Chengyuan reacted quickly and dodged to the side.
He Zhiping unwillingly changed his direction and attacked Feng Chengyuan again.
Feng Chengyuan quickly grabbed He Zhiping's arms and tied them tightly together with his coat. No matter how much He Zhiping struggled, he couldn't move.
Ming Mingzhong was extremely frightened. Looking at He Zhiping in his strange posture, he trembled and asked, "What's wrong with him?"
Yu Nian observed He Zhiping for a while and was surprised to find that the direction he struggled and swayed was exactly the same as the direction the smoke from the candle was drifting!
Yu Nian's heart sank. She stretched out her left hand, picked up the candle, tilted it at a 45 - degree angle, and fanned it hard. The light of the candle dimmed for a moment and then quickly reignited.
She carefully recalled that since they entered the temple, the candles on the altar had been burning, but their length hadn't changed at all.
Yu Nian pasted an evil - expelling talisman on He Zhiping. In a short while, He Zhiping's eyes gradually brightened. He tentatively got up but found that he was tied up and his whole body ached. He was shocked and said, "What happened? Why did you tie me up?"
Yu Nian stared at him for a while and asked, "Do you still remember what you saw just now?"
He Zhiping thought for a moment, and a sad look suddenly appeared on his face. "I saw myself as a child. I grew up slowly and was shorter than my peers. They always made fun of me. I thought if only I were infinitely powerful and strong enough to beat all the taller people. Then, I don't remember anything."
There was a momentary subtle expression on Yu Nian's face. She lightly dipped her index finger in a drop of candle wax, brought it close to her nose and sniffed. Her face suddenly darkened. "Don't smell the fragrance of this candle. This candle is made from the fat of the dead. It has extremely strong yin energy and can easily trigger inner demons and illusions."
She looked up at Feng Chengyuan and Ming Mingzhong. "How do you two feel?"
Ming Mingzhong had always been standing far away from the candlestick. He patted his chest and shook his head. "I'm fine."
Feng Chengyuan was stunned for a moment. He only felt a strange sense of oppression suddenly sweep across his chest. The feeling only lasted for an instant, so fast that it was almost like an illusion. Sensing Yu Nian's worried gaze, he smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm fine too."