It seems that he was still careless. However, he absolutely cannot let this demon act so recklessly with his plans the next time. As long as any evil creature crosses his clear winds, they will either die or suffer greatly.

At 2 in the morning, Zhang Erniang sat by her bed and watched as Mu Yu opened his eyes. She tightly held his hand and kept comforting him, saying, "Child, everything's alright now. You have Auntie here, Auntie will protect you..."

Mu Yu felt as though his throat was on fire and he was having difficulty breathing. He stared absentmindedly at the flickering light on the ceiling, his throat emitting a hoarse sound. "The demon said he'll be waiting for me for two years."

"Hmm? What two years?" Zhang Erniang was somewhat surprised and uncertain.

"He said that he wants to pursue me for two years."

"Zhang Erniang understood his intentions this time, but Mu Yu still thought too simplistically. The demonic creature had only promised two years, but what kind of changes might occur during these two years, and whether Mu Yu's perception of it would change, are all unknown."

"But what can be certain is that Teng Yi wasn't talking about following him for two years, but about the two years in which he made Mu Yu accept him. As for what happened after acceptance..."

That night, all three rooms in the bamboo house were occupied by sleeping people. The next day at 5:00 am, Daoist Qingfeng rose from his bed and began practicing breathing exercises to strengthen his body. Meanwhile, Zhang Erniang cooked breakfast and chatted with Qingfeng about the agreement they made with the evil creature for the next two years.

The Qingfeng Taoist gestured as if he were practicing Tai Chi. After pondering for a moment, he turned to Zhang Erniang and said, "Let him stay with me at the Taoist temple for some time. After that, I will find a protective talisman for him. I think he will be safe for the next two or three years."

Zhang Erniang thanked him gratefully. Although this person was her master, Qingfeng often became more ruthless towards people close to him. This was because, while he was able to gain the title of "semi-immortal" by helping the villagers dispel disasters, those around him caused him trouble and did not bring him any benefit. To put it bluntly, Qingfeng Daoist valued fame and reputation even more.

When Mu Yu's parents passed away, she asked Qing Feng to paint a talisman to ward off evil spirits for Mu Yu. It was only a small favor, but Qing Feng still refused to help, resulting in the spirits of Mu Yu's parents appearing in her bamboo hut for three years.

As noon approached and the sun reached its zenith, Zhang Erniang extended her hand to wake Mu Yu. However, just as her hand was about to make contact with his face, Mu Yu suddenly woke up in a startle. His eyes widened and his chest heaved up and down as if he had just had a very bad dream.

Mrs. Zhang felt a bit heartbroken. This child was indeed scared in the last few days. In the past, he often encountered some little ghosts who simply asked for money or food offerings, but this time he encountered someone who wanted him as a sacrifice.

"Muyu's BaZi is too weak. According to the fortune-teller, he should learn Taoism to protect himself, but who would be willing to teach him?"

While Zhang Erniang was in a daze, Mu Yu had already gotten up and dressed. Zhang Erniang whispered, "First, eat your meal, then take a shower and tidy up. Bring two sets of clothes and wait at the Taoist temple. A Taoist priest is there, so there shouldn't be any trouble."

Mu Yu mumbled a response, her mind still recalling the strange dream she had just had. In that dream, a woman was singing opera, but she was wearing a bright red opera gown and was singing while floating on the surface of a lake.

After thinking for a long time, Mu Yu still couldn't come up with a reason why.

Mu Yu stayed at the Taoist temple for seven or eight days. The Taoist priest named Qing Feng gave him a piece of wood to hang around his neck. During these few days, everything seemed to have returned to normal around him, no different from usual. The ghostly creature also did not come to him again. However, sometimes Mu Yu felt like the ghostly creature was still around, but he just couldn't see it.

During these past few days in the Taoist temple, Mu Yu has been busy chopping wood, doing odd jobs, cooking, and doing laundry. As an adult, he couldn't let the Taoist master who's already over 88 years old do all these things.

The bones of Qingfeng Daoist appear to be strong, but having lived for so many years, they are ultimately no match for the erosion of time.

One day, Mu Yu was sitting with a basin in front of the Taoist temple, washing his Taoist robe. When he looked up, he saw someone climbing up the mountain road ahead.

He shouted loudly, "Which village are you from? What are you doing here?"

The person on the mountainside stopped to catch his breath. Listening to the echoes around him, he cried out, "Xing Huang Village! Come up and find the Taoist master, there's an urgent matter!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yu lowered her head and continued to wash clothes. She thought she would wait until this person climbed up and then she would go tell Master Qing Feng. It wouldn't be too late.

As they watched, the person climbed up for another half hour before finally reaching the top, panting heavily and supporting themselves with their legs. Mu Yu had already finished washing their Daoist robe and hung it up on a bamboo pole, so they went inside and called out Qingfeng Daoist to come out.

Mu Yu brewed two cups of tea and moved two chairs.

The middle-aged man took a gulp of tea before speaking: "Daoist, this time I have an urgent matter to see you about. You must help me out!"

Qingfeng Daoist's expression remained calm as he picked up the tea and took a sip. "What's the matter? Tell me."

The middle-aged man exclaimed excitedly, "There are ghosts in our village!"

"Oh, it's a haunting. But has anyone actually seen a ghost before?"

The middle-aged man slapped his thigh and said, "Master, let me tell you, almost everyone in our village has seen that ghost. It has been around for several days now, singing opera every night. Many Taoist priests have been invited to exorcise it, but they were all scared away. We have no other choice but to ask for your help!"

The middle-aged man thought for a moment and then added, "That female ghost wears a red opera gown and cries and sings every night."

Upon hearing those words, Mu Yu's whole body stiffened and she exclaimed, "Female ghost! Red theatrical gown! This...I have dreamed of it before!"

Qingfeng Daoist and the middle-aged man both looked at him with strange expressions in their eyes. Qingfeng Daoist said, "Tell us, when did you have this dream, and what happened in the dream?"

"On the night you stayed in the bamboo house, you had a dream of a woman dressed in a fiery red opera gown, floating on the surface of the lake singing: "Lotus face, eyebrows like distant mountains, almond eyes with playful spirit shining through..."

The middle-aged person furrowed their brow and said, "It's the one she sang! 'Flowers as Matchmakers', the song she loved to sing in her lifetime!"

Qingfeng Daochang nodded his head. It seemed that the ghost haunting Mu Yumeng was the same one from the village nearby. He never expected that a ghost from a village so far away could still affect Mu Yumeng. His ghostly constitution was not just a rumor.

The Daoist priest Qingfeng turned around and went to get some things before saying to the middle-aged man, "Let's go, I'll accompany you to take a look."

"Afterwards, Qingfeng Daoist seemed to remember something and said to Muyu: 'Collect your belongings and take the bag in my room. Follow me as well.'"

Mu Yu responded with an "okay," then retrieved two stools from the Taoist temple and rearranged the robe that was just hanging. Afterward, she ran back to the Taoist master's room to get a bundle.

Although it was just a small bundle, it was not light at all. Inside, it was unclear what was contained. Next to the bundle, there was a peach wood sword, which Mu Yu grabbed and took with her without hesitation.

In fact, Xinghuang Village is not too far from this Taoist temple, but the road from Xinghuang Village to the temple is all uphill. Going down, on the other hand, is a downhill journey that is particularly easy. It's no wonder that the middle-aged man climbing the mountain looks so pitiful.

"A group of three people rushed to Xinghuang Village with great momentum."

In this village, there are many apricot orchards. During the summer season, when the apricots are ripe, it becomes a sea of small golden fruits. The majority of the people in this village have the surname Huang, so it has been called Apricot Huang Village all along.

Mu Yu looked up and immediately noticed that something was wrong with this village. Even though it was broad daylight, there were hardly any people in the streets. Every household had their doors closed, and even the door gods on the gates were newly painted. What was more, yellow talismans were pasted on the doors.

Moreover, looking at the people in this village, their steps are very hurried as if something is urging them. Although their faces were normal, there was a hint of panic in their eyes.