The invincible female ghost is a bit love-struck.

Chapter 168 "Sigh..." "Taoist Master..."

Lu Yuan stood there, looking in the direction where Tiger Rabbit had disappeared.

The moonlight shone on the pool, and the water was as black as ink, without any reflection.

A mountain breeze blew by, carrying an indescribable fishy smell, as if it were rising from the depths of a pool.

living person?

Are Tiger and Rabbit living people?

Lu Yuan's mind went blank.

wrong.

The tiger, rabbit, and hare are paper figures.

It was a paper figure he saw with his own eyes.

That night, the moonlight shone on the back of her neck, making the fine crease clearly visible.

She harbored no malice or evil intentions, but she was absolutely a paper doll.

But what I saw in the mirror just now...

Three fires, burning very brightly.

That was fire for the living.

Paper figures cannot be lit.

Paper figures are not human; they do not have three souls and seven spirits, nor do they possess the yang fire on their heads and shoulders.

Even if Xu Denghu's craftsmanship is superb, capable of making paper people look like living people, able to eat, talk, and laugh, it is still ultimately made of paper. How can something made of paper possess yang energy?

Lu Yuan's heart sank.

All his tests—the demon-revealing talisman, the black mirror compass, the seven-star coins, the blood from the tip of his tongue, and the mirror of reflection—had indicated that "Tiger Rabbit" was fine. Now, coming to his senses and thinking it over carefully, he realized that the biggest problem was that it was fine!

How can a paper figure be perfectly fine?

Lu Yuan suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction where Hu Tutu had disappeared.

It was pitch black there, and you couldn't see anything.

In the year or so that Lu Yuan had been in this world, almost two years, he had seen quite a few strange and unusual things.

This is nothing to make Lu Yuan fuss about.

Lu Yuan believed in the saying "there's always a way out," so he decided to just get things done first.

Although that sudden movement really startled Lu Yuan, upon closer reflection...

Actually, it's not too bad.

The living person "Tiger Rabbit" still harbored no ill will towards Lu Yuan.

Furthermore, although this living tiger-rabbit is not the same paper tiger-rabbit seen at the True Dragon Temple, the two must be connected. Otherwise, the living tiger-rabbit wouldn't have recognized Lu Yuan, nor would it have known that they ate noodles instead of dumplings that night.

What kind of clone technique is it?

Lu Yuan couldn't figure it out, but he figured it must be a secret technique from Xu Denghu's family.

Anyway, this living tiger rabbit didn't want to harm Lu Yuan; it just took Lu Yuan out and had no malicious intent.

Of course, it's also possible that they didn't want Lu Yuan to get involved in this matter.

After all, who is Lu Yuan?

In the past, Lu Yuan would only have the title of a minor Taoist priest in white robes.

But now, both Lu Yuan and Zhenlong Temple are well-known figures outside the Great Wall.

If Lu Yuan were to be killed here, Xu Denghu's family would also suffer.

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment, then decided not to think about it anymore, since he had to go to Blackwater Ridge anyway.

Let's go see what's going on between the Continuing Lamp Tiger family and the Faceless Evil God.

The next second, Lu Yuan looked around and then quietly followed.

Of course, this requires concealing one's whereabouts.

Lu Yuan pulled three yellow talismans out of Yu's pants.

This is a "concealment talisman," used by Taoists to hide their tracks.

By attaching a talisman and reciting a spell, one can conceal their aura and prevent others from noticing them.

Lu Yuan first folded a talisman into a triangle and stuffed it into his left shoe.

With the left foot on the ground, one connects with the earth's energy. The talisman placed in the sole of the shoe can cover the earth's energy, preventing the footprint from being left behind.

He folded another talisman and tucked it into his right shoe.

The third talisman was placed on the back of the neck and covered by the collar.

The back of the neck is where the body's yang energy leaks out, and evil spirits often track you down by following the energy from the back of the neck.

After pasting the three sheets, Lu Yuan formed a hand seal.

This time it's the "Concealment Technique".

Interlace your fingers, palms down, thumbs touching, and bend the other eight fingers, clasping them on the back of your hands.

"Heaven and Earth are the origin of all things."

"My body is not myself, my form is not a form."

"Three souls return home, seven souls guard the palace."

"The six senses are closed, and the five senses are not functioning."

"Evil cannot see me, and evil spirits cannot encounter me."

"Like wood, like stone, like soil, like dust."

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

After reading it, Lu Yuan pressed his hands down.

A chill ran down my head, down my spine, to my limbs, to my fingertips, and to the soles of my feet.

Lu Yuan looked down at his hands.

The hand was still the same hand, but he could feel the "heat" in his body gradually receding, shrinking under his skin, and into the gaps between his bones. Lu Yuan took a deep breath and strode towards the direction where Tiger Rabbit had disappeared.

After walking a few steps, Lu Yuan stopped again.

No, that's still not enough.

The other side is indeed one of the ten families outside the pass, especially...

After these events, we can't really treat the other person like a seven or eight-year-old child.

That living tiger rabbit might still be wary of me following it again.

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment and decided that he still had to use the "substitute method".

Lu Yuan took out another piece of yellow paper from Yu Lian and cut it into a small human figure in a few quick movements.

Place the paper figure on the ground and recite:

"The paper figure represents me, and I represent the paper figure."

"You go east, I'll go west."

"Apart from three steps, they will not recognize each other."

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

After reading it aloud, Lu Yuan blew a breath onto the paper figure.

The paper figure swayed as it stood up and walked step by step along the path leading out of the mountain.

They walk quite similarly.

Lu Yuan watched the paper figure walk away before turning around and heading in the direction where Tiger and Rabbit had disappeared.

This time, Lu Yuan walked very slowly.

Each step I took landed on fallen leaves, which made a soft rustling sound.

But the sound was drowned out by the mountain wind and couldn't travel far.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows in the forest.

As he walked, he took out a black mirror compass from his pocket.

The compass needle was wobbling slightly.

Guided by the compass, Lu Yuan passed through groves of trees and climbed hill after hill.

The moon rose higher and higher.

The night breeze grew increasingly cool.

Finally, Lu Yuan stopped, hid behind a big tree, and quietly peeked out.

Ahead lies a valley.

In the valley, there is a dilapidated temple.

It was very small, just one room, with half of the roof collapsed and vines climbing all over the walls.

A lamp was lit at the entrance of the temple.

The light was strange; it wasn't yellow, but a bluish-white, eerie light, like will-o'-the-wisps.

Beside the lamp, a small figure was crouching.

Two little pigtails.

A light blue bundle.

Tiger Rabbit.

Lu Yuan couldn't tell which of the two tiger rabbits was which with the naked eye.

The only way to see it is with a reflective mirror.

However, given the close proximity and the fact that Lu Yuan didn't know what was around him, he dared not make any rash moves.

Of course, it remains to be seen which of these two tigers and rabbits is a living person and which is a paper figure.

This is not important to Lu Yuan right now.

Lu Yuan didn't need to figure that out; he just wanted to see what the Xu Deng Hu family was going to do with the Faceless Evil God.

These two tigers and rabbits don't mean that the paper tigers and rabbits are good people, and the living tigers and rabbits are bad people.

It's possible that both have problems, or that neither has a problem.

Therefore, whether or not you distinguish between them is not important.

Lu Yuan and the paper tiger and rabbit weren't actually that close; they'd only known each other for a day.

Lu Yuan simply let Hu Tu Tu have a few meals at Zhenlong Temple.

What's strange to Lu Yuan right now is...

There's only one tiger and rabbit here, so where's the other one?

The moonlight shone into the valley, casting a pale white glow on the dilapidated temple.

The lamps at the temple entrance glowed dimly, their bluish-white light illuminating a small patch of light.

Beside the lamp, the small figure that had been crouching moved.

Tiger Rabbit slowly stood up, turned around, and faced the dilapidated temple.

The moonlight shone on her face and on her two little pigtails.

That fair and clean little face looks a little different now.

It wasn't fear, nor nervousness, but rather a kind of... an indescribable seriousness.

It's like he's become a completely different person.

She reached down and took the earth-blue bundle from her waist, placing it on the ground.

The burden is lifted.

The things inside were clearly visible under the moonlight.

Three candles. Not ordinary red candles, but white, slender ones with winding patterns engraved on them.

It resembles a talisman, or some kind of ancient symbol.

A small incense burner.

It's made of bronze, about the size of a palm, and the surface of the furnace is covered in green rust. Underneath the rust, you can vaguely see cloud and thunder patterns.

A stack of yellow paper.

It was cut neatly and had symbols drawn on it. These symbols were not from the Taoist school; they were winding and twisting, resembling the shape of some kind of animal or the outline of a landscape.

There was also an oil paper package, bulging and bulky, but I didn't know what was inside.

Tiger Rabbit took out the three items one by one and placed them on the ground.

They arranged it very carefully.

Everything is placed in a fixed position.

The candles were placed three feet directly in front of the temple gate, forming a straight line.

The incense burner was placed one foot and five inches behind the candle.

Yellow paper is folded on the left side of the incense burner, and oil paper is wrapped on the right side.

It's like they're setting up some kind of formation.

After arranging the items, she straightened up and patted the dust off her hands.

Then she looked up at the dilapidated temple.

"Faceless Venerable".

She spoke.

The sound wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet valley.

The voice was different from usual; it lacked some of its usual crispness and gained a more steady tone, as if... as if it were reciting some formal document. "The Tiger family continues the lamp, Tiger Rabbit, come to continue the lamp."

After he finished speaking, the valley fell silent.

Only the night wind rustled the leaves.

There was no movement inside the temple.

Tiger Rabbit waited a while, then spoke again:

"I know you're inside."

"Please come out."

She spoke with a tone of negotiation, as if she were talking to a human, not an evil god.

There was still no movement from the temple.

Tiger Rabbit tilted its head and looked at it, then sighed.

"Fine, if you won't come out, then I'll start by myself."

As she spoke, she squatted down and picked up the three white candles.

One by one, they were planted in the ground.

It's not about inserting them into a straight line.

It is arranged into a triangle.

The sharp corners point towards the temple gate.

The bottom edge faces her.

After she finished inserting the incense, she picked up the small bronze incense burner and placed it in the very center of the triangle.

Then she took a small porcelain bottle out of her bundle, uncorked it, and poured it into the incense burner.

What came out was black powder.

It's fine, like ash, or like soil.

After pouring, the powder piled up into a small mound in the incense burner.

She then took out three incense sticks from her bundle.

It's not ordinary fragrance; it's a very fine, black fragrance.

The incense sticks were also engraved with runes, which were denser and finer than those on the candles.

She inserted three incense sticks into the incense burner and into the pile of black powder, arranging them in a triangular pattern.

Then she stood up, took two steps back, and moved outside the triangle.

He made a mudra with his hands in front of his chest.

The hand gesture was strange; it was neither a Taoist hand seal nor a Buddhist mudra.

Left palm facing up, right palm facing down, fingertips touching, as if holding an invisible ball.

She closed her eyes and began to recite:

"Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless."

"The sun and moon wax and wane, and the stars and constellations are arrayed in the sky."

"The cold comes and the heat goes, autumn harvests and winter stores."

"The leap year completes the cycle, and the musical scales harmonize the seasons."

This is not a curse.

This is the Thousand Character Classic.

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

This……

Is this the incantation to continue the lamp?

Tiger and Rabbit continued reading:

"Clouds rise and bring rain, dew condenses and turns into frost."

"Gold comes from Lishui, and jade comes from Kunggang."

"The sword is named Juque, and the pearl is called Yeguang."

"Fruits include plums and apricots, vegetables include mustard and ginger."

It's still the Thousand Character Classic.

She read very quickly, as if she were reciting a text, not chanting a spell.

But there was a strange rhythm in her voice.

The rhythm didn't come from the words, but from the rhythm of her breathing.

With each sentence she read, her breathing deepened.

After reciting four lines, pause your breathing for one breath.

She stopped when she read the lines, "The sea is salty, the river is fresh, fish swim and birds fly."

Then she opened her eyes and looked at the three black incense sticks stuck in the incense burner.

"rise."

She said softly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the three black incense sticks lit up at the same time.

There is no fire.

There is no smoke.

It burned there, the incense stick glowing with three points of red light.

That red light was not ordinary firelight; it was a deep, thick red, like congealed blood.

Tiger Rabbit looked at the three red lights and nodded.

Then she squatted down and picked up the stack of yellow papers.

One by one, they lit the three white candles.

The white candles are lit.

The firelight was not yellow, but bluish-white.

Just like that lamp.

It's exactly the same as the lamp at the temple entrance.

Tiger Rabbit threw the lit yellow paper into the bronze incense burner one by one.

The yellow paper fell into the black powder and burst into flames with a "whoosh".

The flames shot up half a foot high.

It was also bluish-white.

But within those bluish-white flames, something else could be vaguely seen.

Like a shadow, it writhes in the fire.

It's like a face, one after another, flashing by in an instant.

Tiger Rabbit looked at the fire and began to chant again:

"First, continue the cycle of heaven and earth; second, continue the cycle of yin and yang; third, continue the cycle of ghosts and gods; fourth, continue the cycle of the four directions."

"Five continues the five directions, six continues the six combinations, seven continues the seven stars, eight continues the eight trigrams."

"Nine continuations, nine times nine, ten continuations to perfection."

This time it's not the "Thousand Character Classic".

But it wasn't some profound incantation; it sounded more like a folk rhyme.

But her voice changed.

It became deep, hoarse, and... it no longer sounded like a little girl's voice.

It sounded like several voices were overlapping.

Lu Yuan frowned as he listened.

This……

Is this a relighting lamp?

As Lu Yuan was pondering this, a change suddenly occurred in the valley.

The flames of the three white candles all veered in one direction at the same time.

It leans towards the direction of the temple gate.

The fire in the incense burner also leaned in that direction.

It was very tilted, as if something had come out of the temple.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan perked up and decided to come out!

A faceless evil god?!

Just as Lu Yuan was staring wide-eyed, preparing to take a good look at this faceless evil god.

But a sigh came from behind:

"well……"

"Taoist Master..."

"Didn't I tell you to leave...?"

Tiger Rabbit's voice suddenly rang out behind Lu Yuan.