Kapitel 11: Chapter 11: Demonic Energy

As Lin Xiao spoke, he used the Dust Removal Spell on Sun Yigao.

Sun Yigao saw the young boy in front of him point casually towards his body. In the next moment, the water and mud stains on his clothes vanished, leaving him cleaner than he had been when he first put on his outfit that morning.

Sun Yigao was too astonished to speak.

Jiang Youfu, standing nearby, was equally shocked. He had a hundred exclamations of disbelief he wanted to share with Lin Xiao but, out of consideration for Sun Yigao's presence, he held his tongue and tried his best to hide his amazement.

Lin Xiao smiled at Sun Yigao and said, "As you can see, we are actually cultivators."

Jiang Youfu nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Sun Yigao knew Jiang Youfu, the chubby kid from the Jiang family that lived behind his house. He had even drooled over the cakes Jiang Youfu's mother bought for him from the county when they were younger.

But he didn't recognize Lin Xiao.

Seeing his expression, Lin Xiao remembered that he hadn't introduced himself yet.

"Ahem, you might not know me, Brother Sun. I'm Lin Xiao, the youngest son of the second branch of the Lin family. Lin Dayou is my father, and Old Master Lin is my grandfather."

Sun Yigao nodded in realization.

After a brief moment of thought, he asked, "Are you here to help my mother?"

Lin Xiao didn't want to make any promises, so he cautiously replied, "We're not sure exactly what's going on with your mother yet, so I can't guarantee anything. But we can certainly try. I'm confident that we're more capable than that spirit medium in your courtyard."

Sun Yigao wasn't very convinced by the spirit medium either, but his grandmother believed in her. With no better options at hand, Sun Yigao thought there was no harm in giving it a try.

He nodded and said, "If you can save my mother, I, Sun Yigao, will be eternally grateful!"

"Come with me."

The three youths quickly made their way to the Sun family estate.

When they returned, the spirit medium had finished her ritual. She was wiping the sweat off her forehead with a cloth—earning her fee wasn't easy work.

Seeing his son return with two other boys, Sun Deacon felt pleased.

"Hello, Uncle Sun," Jiang Youfu greeted warmly, being more familiar with Sun Deacon.

Lin Xiao quickly followed, "Hello, Uncle Sun."

Sun Deacon smiled kindly at them and turned to Lin Xiao. "You're the younger son of the Lin family's second branch, right?"

Lin Xiao stepped forward politely. "Yes, sir. My name is Lin Xiao."

Sun Deacon chuckled. "Good, good. I've got some things to attend to, so you kids enjoy yourselves." Then, turning to Sun Yigao, he added, "Yigao, take good care of your friends."

With that, Sun Deacon turned and entered the main house with the spirit medium.

Sun Yigao led Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu to his room.

Once inside, Lin Xiao asked about the circumstances leading up to Sun Yigao's mother's strange behavior.

Sun Yigao thought for a moment, then shook his head. "My mother was fine yesterday. She came back from town with a wild chicken she bought, saying she wanted to cook it for me to boost my strength. But this morning, after my father got up, he noticed something was wrong with her. We brought in an experienced doctor from the county, but he couldn't find anything wrong. He just said my mother's body was weak."

Now that they were inside the Sun family home, closer to the main house where Sun Yigao's mother was, the strange aura Lin Xiao had sensed earlier was much clearer.

Lin Xiao closed his eyes and carefully compared this aura with the surroundings.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and said, "There's a strange energy coming from your mother's room. If I'm not mistaken, it could be demonic energy."

Sun Yigao was shocked. "Demonic energy? How could that be? Is there a demon in my house?"

Lin Xiao stroked his chin, recalling that Sun Yigao had mentioned his mother buying a wild chicken. He asked, "Where is the wild chicken your mother bought yesterday?"

Sun Yigao was taken aback by the sudden question. "I'm not sure... but it's probably in the kitchen."

"Let's go take a look."

The three of them went to the Sun family kitchen, only to find that there was no sign of any living creature. However, next to the firewood pile was a small cage that had been pecked open.

Lin Xiao touched the broken cage and nodded slightly. "There's still some of that same strange energy lingering here, just like in the main house."

Now they had a good idea of what had caused Sun Yigao's mother's confusion. The culprit was most likely the wild chicken she had bought.

Sun Yigao said, "I'll explain the situation to my father. He'll probably let us go inside and check on my mother. The tricky part will be my grandmother—she definitely won't believe a bunch of kids. I'll try to distract her, and then you two can go in and see my mother."

After that, Sun Yigao asked Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu to wait in his room.

Sun Yigao entered the main house.

The spirit medium was handing a large packet of ashes to Sun Yigao's grandmother, speaking in a low, mysterious tone. "These ashes are a secret technique of my sect. If you divide them into three portions and make them into a drink for her three times a day, no evil spirit will dare come near her again. She'll regain her senses in no time."

Sun Yigao's grandmother quickly accepted the ashes, thanking her profusely. "Oh, Granny Song, your powers are truly extraordinary—like a living Buddha! Thank you so much for saving my daughter."

The spirit medium waved her hand modestly. "I only want to help. But these ashes are very precious. They were made from rare materials, collected over many years by my sect's disciples. The expense..."

Sun Yigao's grandmother interrupted, "Yes, yes, of course. We'll cover the cost. How could we expect your sect to bear the burden for us? Longfu, come here and pay Granny Song!"

Sun Deacon could only comply, obediently reaching for his purse.

The spirit medium, her eyes half-closed in a practiced expression of serenity, glanced at him and said to Sun Yigao's grandmother, "Elder sister, I wasn't exaggerating when I said the materials used to make these ashes are rare. Each portion is worth at least ten taels of silver, not counting the effort and skill required to create them. Without my help, your daughter might not make it through the night..."

Hearing this, Sun Yigao's grandmother hesitated for a moment but still said, "You're right, Granny Song. Longfu, we can't let Granny Song's hard work go unrewarded. You should give her at least fifteen taels to properly thank her for saving my daughter."

Fifteen taels of silver was a sum that most villagers might never see in their lifetime. Even for Sun Deacon, who had some wealth, it wasn't a small amount.

If his wife recovered, it would be worth it.

But the problem was, she hadn't shown any signs of improvement.

As a small landlord, Sun Deacon glanced at his mother-in-law, then at his wife lying in bed. With a heavy sigh, he said, "Please wait," and left the room.

Standing by the door, Sun Yigao remained silent. He watched his father leave and then quietly followed him to the side room.