Wandering Gods of Day and Night

Under the Zhou Family's Troupe, beneath the Ancestor Tree,

Zhou Lingyi heard Zhou Xuan's playful call and couldn't help but stifle a laugh. She raised the round fan in her hand, covering half her face, and secretly thought: My brother always has such a sense of humor.

After she finished laughing, she placed the fan on the tea stool beside her and extended her right hand to draw a Witch Talisman in mid-air before gently pushing it forward.

The Witch Talisman merged into the Ancestor Tree,

and this weeping willow, whose canopy now shaded two streets, began to emit a faint glow from its branches as they absorbed the talisman power,

the light enveloping Zhou Lingyi, causing her figure to gradually fade.

In the Totem Hall south of East Market Street, Zhou Lingyi's figure materialized.

"Zhou Lingyi of the Zhou Family greets Mr. Yun and Priest Peng today—it is truly an honor."

Zhou Lingyi slightly inclined herself toward Yun Ziliang and Peng Sheng as a courtesy.

"I must say, the two of you siblings truly belong to the same family; your looks are exceptional."

Yun Ziliang was particularly fond of Zhou Xuan's elegant appearance,

after all, the Dragon Seeking Hall is a haven for those who value beauty—to be accepted as a disciple, appearances and aura are considered important.

Take Zhao Wuya for example—though he's now famous for his comedic antics, even when riding backward on a black donkey, he exuded a sense of otherworldly grace, like a mountain hermit.

"Our Zhou Family's Troupe is a theater company. If we were ugly, wouldn't we face endless ridicule all day?"

After Zhou Xuan cheerfully responded to Yun Ziliang's remarks, he turned to Zhou Lingyi and asked, "Sister, is the troupe doing well?"

"Very well. After you left, Senior Brother expanded our family business by building a theater on Taiping Road, with Senior Brother Liu leading the performances. Business is booming."

Zhou Lingyi loved chatting with Zhou Xuan about familial matters, as if they were siblings in a regular household. Topics like cultivation and rituals always felt distant and were merely occasional seasoning for their conversations, rarely touched upon.

The siblings continued their domestic chatter about the myriad trivialities of the Zhou Family's Troupe—not neglecting their obligations but because Zhou Lingyi's figure hadn't fully materialized in Mingjiang Prefecture, preventing her from performing witchcraft.

Nearby, Peng Sheng tilted his head, observing the siblings with a sidelong glance while silently contemplating: The Zhou Family's Witch, like Brother Xuan, is truly a person of extraordinary talent.

After a few more rounds of familial banter, Zhou Lingyi's figure solidified. She spoke first, "Brother, we can chat about the troupe's matters later. I need to perform a Banishing Sorrow Spell for Mu Hua."

"Sounds good."

Zhou Xuan stepped to the side as Zhou Lingyi walked toward Mu Hua.

At that moment, Mu Hua's mental state was in shambles. Under the deteriorating influence of the Gate Tattoo, he seemed to hallucinate, endlessly reaching out in front of him, grasping at empty air, and stuffing it into his mouth, chewing voraciously.

Zhou Lingyi stretched her arm forward and snapped her fingers. Mu Hua's eyes immediately shut, his head tilted, assuming a sleeping posture—but it was not true sleep; his body remained tense, his limbs tightly strained.

"Half dreaming, half awake—the Wu Family's sleeping method."

Yun Ziliang, being a Taoist well-versed in dragon seeking and a seasoned traveler, had encountered many hidden secrets. He held considerable insight regarding the various branches of the Wu Family.

By then, Zhou Lingyi had begun drawing a talisman. She bit open her middle finger and let a drop of finger blood fall.

The blood descended toward the ground but inexplicably halted mid-air.

Soon after, the entire tomb chamber filled with sounds of people weeping.

Weeping that was profoundly sorrowful, as if lamenting, pleading, reproaching, and yearning.

Accompanying the cries, blood-colored tears seeped out from the air, converging on Zhou Lingyi's single drop of finger blood, inexplicably forming a softly surging blood wave.

Zhou Lingyi extended both hands, and the blood wave, as if stirred by some unseen force, crept toward her slender fingers.

Watching the process of the talisman creation, it was evident it wasn't drawn, but rather formed naturally as the blood wave flowed over Zhou Lingyi's arms.

The difficulty of erasing memories lies in factors such as the volume of memories, their age, and how much needs to be erased.

Mu Hua's memory of eating babies was not only ancient but spanned a long timeframe, with a substantial volume of recollections. Erasing it entirely was incredibly challenging.

As such, Zhou Lingyi resorted to the Ancient Witch's "Sacrificial Ritual of the Sad Song" to form the talisman upon her hands.

At this moment, the talisman was still slowly taking shape on Zhou Lingyi's hand.

Zhou Xuan asked Yun Ziliang, "Is my sister's Witch Talisman skill impressive?"

"Indeed."

Yun Ziliang, possessing high standards for skills related to rituals and cultivation, turned to Zhou Xuan and remarked, "Your sister just employed the Ancient Witch's sacrificial ritual method. This technique is immensely complex, yet she executed it with such fluidity that it felt instinctive—truly remarkable."

Having spoken, he glanced at Peng Sheng,

Peng Sheng, being part of the Tattoo Clan and a member of the Wu Family's branches, had a more discerning eye for witchcraft than Yun Ziliang.

Yun Ziliang sought Peng Sheng's affirmation after his evaluation.

After exchanging glances with Yun Ziliang, Peng Sheng nodded and said, "Though the sacrificial ritual of the Ancient Witch is intricate, this Totem Hall—painted with the Legend of the Hundred Spirits by the Yumen Priest—is both an ancient witch site and a bloodbath location.

In the Wu Family's halls, this place is called an evil land. In such a location, without praying at an altar or reciting witch incantations, one risks being entangled by the evil and unable to escape.

The Zhou Family Witch, daring to use the Ancient Witch's Sacrificial Ritual of Sad Song here, shows great courage and exceptional skill."

For a moment, these two experts from three centuries ago could not stop praising Zhou Lingyi.

Zhou Lingyi, however, maintained a calm smile and said, "With your protection, I dared to be so bold as to use the Ancient Witch's sacrificial ritual in an ancient witch site—not because I possess remarkable skills."