Chapter 41: Exorcism

“Ah!!!” The Painted Skin Ghost once again used its old trick, unleashing a shriek.
But this time, Yi Zhiqiu did not painfully cover his ears like the police officers.
Although he frowned slightly, the golden ropes still held the Painted Skin Ghost firmly.

The Painted Skin Ghost writhed on the ground, struggling.
Seeing it couldn’t break free, its back suddenly split open, and a bloody shadow tore free from its back, fleeing into the darkness.
It had actually used the ‘golden cicada shedding its shell’ trick again.
My mother’s skin was twisted into a lump by the golden ropes, while the bloody shadow that escaped was only a torso, a malevolent ghost covered in strips of flesh, precisely the demonic form I had seen when the jade pendant repelled it earlier.

“That’s the Painted Skin Ghost’s true body!” I yelled, no longer caring if Yi Zhiqiu would suspect I previously knew about the Painted Skin Ghost.
If it escaped again, I would never have a day of peace.

“Strike!” Yi Zhiqiu made a sword gesture with his left hand, and his wooden sword flickered in his right, unleashing a golden light that slashed towards the Painted Skin Ghost’s bloody shadow.
That was precisely the golden light I had just seen.
This time, the Painted Skin Ghost didn’t even have time to scream.
It was split in two by the golden light, and two demonic corpses fell to the ground, splashing a large pool of blood.

When the police officers ran over, this was the scene they saw: a piece of human skin bound by golden ropes, two mutilated corpses lying in a pool of blood.
The entire scene was incredibly grotesque, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.

“Master Yi, is this the demon’s corpse?” the officer asked Yi Zhiqiu, simultaneously pointing his gun at the mutilated corpses.
It was common for ghosts to reanimate.

“Yes, because it tried to escape, in a moment of urgency, I had no choice but to forcefully kill it, lest it escape and harm people,” Yi Zhiqiu said, retracting the golden ropes, and then walked over to me, draping his Daoist robe over me.

It was then I realized that because the Painted Skin Ghost had previously dragged me crashing through the woods, Xia Yubing’s beautiful body was not only covered in wounds, but her clothes were also torn in multiple places.
At present, I was barely clothed.
Actually, I wasn’t too concerned about my body being exposed.
After all, I was a boy the day before yesterday, and I never really considered Xia Yubing’s body to be mine anyway.
So, if it was seen, it was seen.

However, a chilling cold seeped through the park.
The Daoist robe actually completely resisted this chill, and even made my body feel a trace of warmth.
I couldn’t help but clutch the robe, closing the front, accepting Yi Zhiqiu’s kindness.

“No problem, during an arrest, killing it is already permitted.
It has committed so many crimes, so it’s kill on sight,” the officer replied to Yi Zhiqiu.
He then looked at the human skin spread on the ground and asked, “This is, human skin?
It seems the Painted Skin Ghost just now transformed into this skin to abduct this girl.”

“Captain, according to facial recognition, this should be the female head of the Luo family.
The entire Luo family has been killed by this evil ghost,” a police officer said, taking a picture of the human skin with his phone.

I looked at the skin my mother left behind, feeling a sense of sadness.
This was the only remaining proof of my mother’s existence.
I couldn’t help but feel a touch of sorrow, even though she wasn’t particularly kind to me when she was alive.

“Although the human skin left by the Painted Skin Ghost has significant research value, it’s a pity there are no direct relatives who can sign a research donation or loan agreement.
Let’s cremate it along with the remains,” the officer said.

“It’s better not to keep such things in the world.
Cremating it early will also allow the victim to rest in peace, departing cleanly.
You can take those two remains back for research, but please be extremely careful,” Yi Zhiqiu said.

“Rest assured, we will secure them in the safest way and send them to a professional research institute.
In any case, thanks to Master Yi, this demon was successfully eliminated.
On behalf of the police force, I thank you for your assistance,” the officer said, formally thanking Yi Zhiqiu.

“No thanks needed.
Slaying demons and devils is also my training.
In the future, if the police encounter any troublesome demons, they can always come to me,” Yi Zhiqiu said.
Then he turned to me, “Xia, Xia Yubing, could you come with me for a moment?”

“Hmm?
What for?” I looked at him, puzzled.
Yi Zhiqiu replied, “You’ve sustained quite a few injuries.
I’d like to give you some treatment, but it’s not convenient here, and it also affects the police’s investigation of the scene.”

“Okay.” I nodded in agreement and stood up to follow Yi Zhiqiu.
He had killed the Painted Skin Ghost, removing a major threat to me, and had just saved me again.
He could be said to have done me a great favor.
Even if Yi Zhiqiu had some doubts about whether I truly had amnesia, I couldn’t refuse him.
After all, there wasn’t just one Painted Skin Ghost in this world of spirits, and what if I needed his help again in the future?
So, I decisively stood up and followed him.

Actually, I had some doubts inwardly.
From the battle just now, the Painted Skin Ghost was virtually no match for Yi Zhiqiu.
Yi Zhiqiu only used three moves: a sword to sever an arm, golden ropes to bind, and then another sword for an instant kill.
The Painted Skin Ghost had no ability to resist at all; they were simply not on the same level.
Such a Painted Skin Ghost was able to use a feint to draw Yi Zhiqiu away.
Regardless of whether Yi Zhiqiu could tell that it was just a skin used as bait, even if he couldn’t, I didn’t think a bait clone could hold off Yi Zhiqiu for long, especially since the Painted Skin Ghost’s main body was dispatched in just two or three moves.
And Yi Zhiqiu even had time to change back into his Daoist robe, retrieve his Dharma sword, and return, appearing completely at ease.
So why didn’t he come back to save me directly?
That way, I wouldn’t have been snatched by the Painted Skin Ghost and left covered in wounds.

Walking to an uninhabited clearing in the park, this area was surrounded by pear trees, and there was a long bench in the clearing.
The surroundings once again fell silent.
Although the police should have been cleaning up the scene not far away, not a sound could be heard here, and the cold aura grew even heavier.

“Sit here.
For these flesh wounds, my treatment should be faster than going to the hospital.
It might be a bit immodest, you’ll need to take off some clothes so I can treat the wounds,” Yi Zhiqiu said politely.

“Oh, so that’s how it is, no problem.” I decisively took off both the Daoist robe and my tattered school uniform, leaving only my underwear.
As I said earlier, I completely didn’t mind this body being seen.

But Yi Zhiqiu wasn’t as composed.
He lacked the effortless grace he displayed during the fight earlier; instead, he seemed a bit awkward and embarrassed.
He tried his best not to look at my entire body, focusing his gaze solely on the wounds.
I hadn’t expected such a Master, who seemed like an otherworldly expert, to also be someone without much experience with girls.
However, I could understand him, because I knew perfectly well how beautiful Xia Yubing’s figure was; it was truly the perfect blend of purity and allure.

“Don’t be nervous, I’ll heal you right away.” He took out a Daoist talisman and pasted it on my skin.
The aura of this talisman was different from the thunder-fire talismans the police used earlier; it was filled with vital energy.

“This is a Rejuvenation Talisman,” Yi Zhiqiu chanted.
The Rejuvenation Talisman emitted a vibrant green light, and instantly, my wounds stopped hurting.