Chapter 2878

Mr. Gong smiled gently. "As you know, people like us most wish to return to our roots. No matter how well we do outside, we always hope to come back here when we are old."

It turned out that the Gong family wasn’t sending people away this time, but returning the ashes of their elders. Yet, on the very first day back, strange things began to happen.

On the first day, everyone who slept in their bedrooms was thrown out into the mountains. It was lucky that no one was hurt.

On the second day, the cook who was killing a chicken suddenly acted like a chicken, moving and behaving just like the bird.

On the third day, Mr. Gong went to his study to find a book, only to find himself trapped inside it until evening.

These events caused great panic.

If such strange things happened every day without causing death, it might have been tolerable. But then, Mr. Gong received a call that his child, working far away, had been in a car accident and was barely alive.

One or two incidents might not be serious, but together, they were troubling. Moreover, the health of his family members seemed to weaken day by day.

So, Mr. Gong hired a famous master from the mystical arts.

After inspecting the house, the master said that the old mansion had been tampered with, becoming a place favored by spirits and demons.

If it were any other place, Mr. Gong wouldn’t mind. But this was his ancestral home. He hoped the master could help move the spirits elsewhere, even offering to buy them houses.

However, the spirits refused. The master explained that the Gong family’s good fortune attracted these creatures. If the spirits consumed that fortune, the Gong family would be destroyed.

But the master’s power was insufficient to drive them away. Through recommendations, he eventually contacted Qian Huansheng.

Qian Huansheng remained silent. He already knew the situation, but Cheng Jin was hearing it for the first time.

Cheng Jin listened and took notes, tilting her head. "So, it’s not ghosts causing trouble."

"Yes," Mr. Gong said. "According to Master Liu last time, it’s spirits or demons."

Cheng Jin nodded. "We’ll know the details only when we arrive."

The drive to the village took half an hour.

Looking at the area, Cheng Jin nodded slightly. "The Azure Dragon surrounds this place. It’s a good spot. Ancestors buried here will have descendants who become powerful officials."

Mr. Gong smiled modestly. "You flatter us. We aren’t exactly nobles, but we do have some capable descendants."

Though his words were humble, the pride in his eyes showed he was very satisfied with his children.

Cheng Jin added, "It is a good place. No wonder spirits like it. It’s suitable for their cultivation."

"Hmph," Qian Huansheng spoke up. "Just an ungrateful little demon."

Cheng Jin looked at him curiously. "So you already know who is causing trouble?"

"The willow tree at the gate," Qian Huansheng said. "It’s rare for it to become a spirit, yet it knows no better."

Cheng Jin looked at the willow tree at the entrance, which required three or four adults to hug. "How old is this willow?"

"It has been here since my great-grandfather’s time," Mr. Gong said. "It is said to be over a thousand years old."

Cheng Jin frowned. "As a small demon, it should return to the Demon Realm. Why stay in the human world? It’s just greedy for worldly life. Such demons shouldn’t exist, right, Boss?"

Qian Huansheng glanced at Cheng Jin and nodded slightly. "You are right. Demons have their own place. They are not allowed to stay in the human world."

She snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the area around the willow tree caught fire.

Mr. Gong was stunned.

She had heard that Master Qian Huansheng was a master among masters, and that she never failed. But she hadn’t expected such power. Without any spells or rituals, she achieved this result.

Cheng Jin watched the willow tree curiously. After a while, the tree transformed into a charming woman, falling into the fire. "Immortal, spare my life!"

Cheng Jin looked at the willow spirit. "Why don’t you return to the Demon Realm?"

"I am free in the human world," the willow spirit answered honestly. "In the Demon Realm, my cultivation is considered ordinary, and I would be bullied."

"Oh," Cheng Jin said, looking at her with displeasure. "Because you are weaker than others in the Demon Realm, you decided to stay here to bully humans? Is that it?"

Cheng Jin disliked the willow spirit’s words. Humans may not have much power, but they know laws and rules. Although there are exceptions, most people follow them.

This willow spirit clearly wanted to dominate the human world because she was non-human. Cheng Jin would never allow such thoughts.

Qian Huansheng didn’t even look at the willow spirit. "Xiao Jin, ignore her. I will burn her."

Cheng Jin said "Oh" and indeed ignored her, stepping aside.

Hearing she would be burned, the willow spirit transformed from a white lotus-like figure into a tree, a towering giant tree several zhang high.

"If I die, you will die with me!" The willow spirit’s branches instantly turned into living vines, attacking Qian Huansheng and the others.

Cheng Jin’s cultivation was still lacking, but she could protect herself.

However, Mr. Gong wasn’t so lucky. As a non-mystic, he didn’t know how to resist.

Seeing this, Cheng Jin pulled Mr. Gong aside and stood in front of him, throwing out several talismans.

These were初级 (primary) fire talismans she had refined. Although basic, fire overcomes wood, so they had some effect.

Seeing she couldn’t defeat them, the willow spirit went berserk. A thick vine, as wide as a water bucket, whipped toward Cheng Jin.

Cheng Jin could have escaped, but Mr. Gong was behind her. If she ran, she would be in danger.

Respecting the elderly, as taught by traditional culture, Cheng Jin gritted her teeth and faced the attack.

She barely withstood the willow spirit’s assault.

It wasn’t exactly an attack, more like a wave of force, but Cheng Jin was thrown far back and fell to the ground.

Cheng Jin’s chest ached. She had never been injured during her cultivation. It seemed she was truly hurt this time.