Chapter 113: Shamelessness

Books have stated that the experience of being exorcised is worse than death. Most vengeful spirits will feed ravenously the moment they are provoked, and if improper methods are used, even if the exorcism succeeds, the victim will be left mentally incapacitated and unlikely to live for long.

"Evil spirit, still trying to struggle! Spirit Suppression Talisman!" Kong Xu pulled out another spirit talisman and slapped it onto the young girl's forehead. Fortified by two talismans, the girl's body began to emit a soft glow, and her expression calmed.

Da Ci watched and whispered, "Actually, he could have just used the Spirit Suppression Talisman from the start; the girl wouldn't have had to endure that kind of pain."

"Tch, showing off. If he had used the Spirit Suppression Talisman from the beginning, it would have seemed too easy, failing to showcase the true power of a Five-Trigram Exorcist. Using offensive talismans to agitate the spirit first, then using the suppression talisman—it makes for a different impression." Dong Ci added, though as a member of the Myriad Evil Sect, he would never torture a young girl in such a manner.

Ye Kun only knew the basics, but hearing this from his two students left a bitter taste in his mouth. Especially seeing the little girl collapsed on the ground, her face pale and devoid of color, one could only imagine the agony she had just endured—all for the sake of someone else's vanity.

"Oh? You two seem to know quite a lot," Yan Mu'er asked with a soft, playful lilt.

"My Lady, we know a little, just a little..." Dong Ci and Da Ci replied modestly and respectfully.

Ye Li whispered softly, "I just hope that little girl will be alright."

Ye Kun patted the back of Ye Li's hand. "She will be fine."

"Master Kong Xu is truly worthy of his reputation! To extinguish that vengeful spirit with just two talismans!"
"Admirable, truly admirable! Master Kong Xu’s act of kindness today will surely spread throughout the entire Taijing!"
"Exorcists really are a noble profession."

Kong Xu smiled to himself. *You all might not know it, but I, Kong Xu, could have handled this with a single talisman; it just wouldn't have been as spectacular.*

"Everyone, it was but a small matter. I hope you will not spread word of this. We exorcists simply perform these humble duties in silence." Hearing Kong Xu's words, the crowd was moved. What a noble exorcist!

Yan Mu'er pouted her cherry lips and muttered, "I feel like throwing up. This man is such a poseur."

"Indeed. Using someone else's suffering to satisfy his own ego—he has no shame," Ye Kun remarked critically.

Yet, Yuan Zhen and Feng Dian thought to themselves: *Brother Kun, when you show off, do you really hurt people any less...?*

"Thank you, great master! Thank you for saving my daughter! I kowtow to you!" The woman, not knowing what else to do, bowed her head repeatedly to show her gratitude.

"No, no, please, get up quickly," Kong Xu said, though he made no move to help her, unlike Brother Kun, who would have surely assisted her to her feet.

The woman slowly stood up and pulled out a gold coin. "Great master, please do not refuse this." This was the woman's only gold coin; she had sold everything she owned to travel to Ankang Prefecture to find her husband.

"How could I take that?" Kong Xu said with feigned reluctance.

The woman, being a sensible person, shoved the coin into Kong Xu's hand.

"Oh dear, I really shouldn't, I really shouldn't."

***

After watching this, Dong Ci said in a low voice, "I really want to beat him to a pulp!"

"I have the same feeling," Da Ci agreed. As a student of the Benevolent Cihang, she was meant to be compassionate, but seeing this scene, she felt like tossing compassion into the gutter.

Ye Li and Yan Mu'er both wanted to see Kong Xu taken down a peg; his hypocrisy had reached a peak that no one could surpass. Yet, everyone around them thought he was incredibly impressive. *Good heavens, did these people leave their brains at home?*

Sometimes, reputation works that way. People only want to think the best of you. Even now, they assumed the woman had forced the money upon him, and that Master Kong Xu was merely helpless.

But just then!

A terrifying aura erupted from the little girl's body, and Kong Xu's expression darkened!

*How is this possible! Two suppression talismans—how could it break through!*

The woman also noticed her daughter's abnormal state and immediately asked Kong Xu, "Master, my child..."

"Don't worry," Kong Xu said, not wanting to talk further with the woman. He hadn't seen this happen often, but he had seen it before!

Ye Kun had read of such cases in books. During exorcisms, a small number of vengeful spirits could undergo a sudden, anomalous transformation—a situation no one could fully explain! But once it occurred, the spirit likely possessed the strength of a Sword Emperor!

Kong Xu cursed inwardly. *If I had subdued the spirit immediately, this never would have happened! I was too careless!*

He had seen this situation once before! That time, his master had perished... the circumstances were eerily similar!

Those present, both commoners and cultivators, could see with their own eyes that something was wrong with the little girl.

*Puff!*

The talismans on the girl's forehead suddenly ignited and turned to ash. When the little girl opened her eyes, she cast a gaze of death and whispered, "Exorcist!"

Kong Xu dared not be careless anymore, or he would end up like his master—dying without a whole corpse!

"Demon-Slaughter Formation Talismans!" Kong Xu unleashed his trump card. Five talismans appeared instantly, orbiting him and emitting a golden light that seemed capable of destroying all evil!

The crowd quickly scrambled to get as far away as possible, not daring to get close, but wanting to stay... to see how it would end. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The five talismans scattered and, in the blink of an eye, surrounded the little girl!

*Zzzzz...*

Golden beams of light shot from the talismans, intersecting to trap the little girl. Every time she moved, a golden beam struck her body. Seeing this, Kong Xu breathed a slight sigh of relief; it wasn't a major problem.

However, the next moment left Kong Xu completely numb.

The little girl actually grabbed the five talismans, rolled them into a ball, and swallowed them! A crackling sound echoed from within her stomach.

*Burp!* A puff of smoke escaped the little girl's mouth.

"Exorcist, your skill isn't bad, but it lacks a bit of heat."

*Damn it! What now! This vengeful spirit seems even more terrifying than the one my master encountered!*

*Quick, think back to how that was resolved...*

*It seems... there was a bearded man... yes! A bearded man, with a very beautiful woman by his side. What did he do back then?*

*I remember! He said one sentence!*

*"Believe it or not, I'll beat you to death!"*

*And the vengeful spirit actually got scared, voluntarily abandoned the host, and fled! In the end, it seemed to be finished off by his subordinates...*

*I remember that bearded man saying one more thing to me:*

*"Young man, your master fell on the path of showing off. Never learn from your master."*

*Right after the bearded man said that, he was immediately dragged away by the woman, who was pinching his ear.*

*Now, I can only gamble on it!*

"Believe it or not, I'll beat you to death!" Kong Xu roared!