The once white walls now bore a dark grey hue, creating the illusion of distorted human shadows from a distance.

A third of the roof tiles on the shrine had slid off, exposing the bare framework beneath.

Stone lanterns were moved aside, some toppled onto the ground.

Dilapidated, desolate, barren...

Any of these words would aptly describe the scene before them.

But——

This area of the Four Directions Shrine was simply too vast.

A cursory glance revealed that beyond the main hall in front of them, there was a considerable extension of shrine buildings.

No wonder Miss Huiye was willing to take time out of her schedule.

After all, finding the 'Moon Gazing Mirror' within this complex of buildings was no easy task.

"As you can see, this area before us is the Four Directions Shrine," Miss Huiye explained, "Within it, the Four Directions Shrine is divided into different areas like the Front Mountain Shrine, the Mid-Mountain Stage, and the Back Mountain Sacrifice Grounds. Aside from these main areas responsible for rituals and sacrifices, there is also a residential area for the priests and shrine maidens..."

Miss Huiye continued, "The lost Moon Gazing Mirror is within one of these four areas... because during the Waning Moon Time, the thing holding the mirror, consumed by an ancient evil, devoured the maiden tasked with its transfer, and hence the mirror disappeared... So, I think——"

She wanted to continue, but——

Bang!!!

Accompanied by the explosive sound of a Spiritual Body, Miss Huiye's face was splashed with chunks of flesh and dark liquid.

The sudden turn of events left her utterly dumbfounded; she just blinked her eyes before vacantly looking towards Beichuan Si.

He clenched a massive hammer, shrouded in sinister black energy.

And the hammer was poised right beside her head... One slip from him could have smashed her skull as well.

"Spirit," Beichuan Si offered simply, before releasing the hammer.

Crafted from iron, the hammer re-entered his body the next second.

Miss Huiye couldn't help but turn her head to look.

Somehow, beside her stood a hunched figure.

Wearing tattered Moon Phase Priest Robes, with pale and grotesquely twisted arms stretching straight towards her head, it seemed ready to snap her neck the next moment.

However, before it could achieve its aim, Beichuan Si had already turned its head into minced meat.

The empty neck, in the light of the setting sun, seemed to convey a sense of bewilderment.

As the dull sound of the Spirit's body hitting the ground reverberated, Master Yutian and Master Onodera were snapped back to reality.

They looked at Beichuan Si, then at Miss Huiye, whose face was covered with filth, their expressions showing they wanted to speak but dared not.

What else could they do? Blame Beichuan Si?

Clearly impossible.

After all, he had essentially saved Miss Huiye.

But to say thank you...

Beichuan Si had also effectively splattered Miss Huiye's face with filth. Not to mention, Miss Huiye might have had her own way to deal with it, but Beichuan Si turned a maiden committed to purity into this by his method...

Of course... the most important aspect was Beichuan Si's method of exorcism.

Who ever saw someone swinging a hammer straight up like that?

This left Master Onodera, who had never seen Beichuan Si conduct an exorcism before, utterly astounded. He approached Master Yutian and whispered, "Master Yutian, I remember you contacted Beichuan Mage as the exorcism master, right?... Has he always performed exorcisms like this?"

"Uh..." Master Yutian could only chuckle awkwardly upon hearing Master Onodera's query, responding with a particularly uncertain tone, "I have seen Beichuan Master conduct exorcisms before... It should... probably be like this?"

"..." Master Onodera.

Should probably be like this?

Hiss...

In his view, exorcism should begin with the power of one's kind thoughts connecting to the spiritual tool, then using the tool to weaken the adversary, eventually eliminating the malevolent spirit.

But Beichuan Si's method of exorcism seemed to skip the first two steps entirely, finishing the job with a single hammer blow.

Is this really an exorcism method?

"This must be a specialized exorcism method of Beichuan Master…" Master Onodera forced down the astonishment in his heart and chuckled dryly towards Master Yutian.

Yeah, surely, in such a vast world, Beichuan Si having a unique method of exorcism isn't strange at all.

However, Beichuan Si's method must also have its flaws, otherwise how could it be that every strike banishes a resentful spirit?

Exorcising resentful spirits also requires a process, and Beichuan Si's massively damaging moves probably shouldn't be used too often.

As the two middle-aged Mages chuckled to each other, Beichuan Si spoke again:

"Here comes another one."

Another one?!

Master Yutian and Master Onodera perked up, looking in the direction Beichuan Si was gazing.

Sure enough, the air in that spot twisted and writhed, and from it, eerily without a sound, a middle-aged male resentful spirit was forcibly squeezed out.

This resentful spirit was neither a priest nor a shrine maiden, dressed in an ordinary linen kimono, with a sallow and twisted face full of hatred for the living.

This was the very definition of a 'resentful spirit'.

Seeing this spirit, Master Yutian also calmly took out a spiritual tool and said, "Beichuan Master, having just used such a terrifying move to vanquish the attacking resentful spirit, you must be drained of energy by now, right? Leave this spirit to Master Onodera and me, you rest on the side."

"Hm?" Beichuan Si, who had been ready to rush up and finish off this resentful spirit with one strike, frowned, letting the concentrated deathly aura emanate from him.

What was Master Yutian talking about?

He was somewhat perplexed.

Master Onodera, seeing that Beichuan Si was 'so weak' he couldn't even conjure up his hammer, felt a surge of relief.

Beichuan Si's method of exorcism really did have its flaws!

Thinking this, Master Onodera immediately said:

"Indeed. Beichuan Master, you restore yourself on the side, leave this resentful spirit to Master Yutian and me. There will definitely be an opportunity for a young person like you to shine afterward."

"...Hm?"

Beichuan Si was puzzled.

What were these two talking about?

Had he done something just now?

Why was he being told to rest?

But it was fine.

Since Master Yutian and Master Onodera were eager to deal with the resentful spirit before them, Beichuan Si was happy to let them.

After all, it meant he could observe the exorcism process of Master Yutian and Master Onodera without having to lift a finger.

That was not a bad thing either.

Beichuan Si watched Master Yutian and Master Onodera with a touch of curiosity.

He saw them take out their spiritual tools, and then—

Too slow.

Watching the two Mages persistently weaken the resentful spirit's grudge with positive thoughts, Beichuan Si shook his head.

It had been two minutes since the start of the fight, and Master Yutian and Master Onodera had used a special incantation to bind the resentful spirit in its place, then weakening it with their spiritual tools until it was weak enough to land the fatal blow.

To Beichuan Si, such a method was plainly unnecessary to learn.

And the thought he had harbored, 'I'm a little bit stronger than Master Onodera,' underwent a change.

That 'little bit'... seemed to be quite a lot.

When Master Onodera and Master Yutian had finally banished the resentful spirit and the black liquid on their faces, which symbolized the grudge, had dissipated, Four Directions Huixue also came forward to express her thanks:

"I really appreciate Beichuan Master's, Master Yutian's, and Master Onodera's help this time."

"It's nothing major, just what we are supposed to do,"

Master Yutian and Master Onodera waved their hands, and then they turned towards Beichuan Si, gently saying, "This time, the main credit goes to Beichuan Master. If he hadn't risked depleting his energy and blood to expel the resentful spirit attacking Miss Huiye, all would have been in vain."

They warmly patted Beichuan Si's shoulder.

It seemed that the process of exorcism had inexplicably led the two to a consensus.

From their initial thought of 'Beichuan Si has depleted his energy to save Four Directions Huixue', they had evolved to 'Beichuan Si has depleted his energy and blood to save Four Directions Huixue and now can barely even stand.'

Especially since Beichuan Si had stood by 'anxiously' watching their struggle, as if at any sign of them faltering, he would risk his "dwindling energy and blood" and rush into the fray...

This made Master Yutian and Master Onodera even more moved.

Alas, Beichuan Master is truly a good person.

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