Chapter 7: Pig Teammates Part 2

Wang Ya swiftly bit her finger, formed a seal in the air, and pressed her bloodied thumb to her forehead. She pinched the seal, forming a lotus mudra, and shouted, “Other Shore Yellow Springs, Lotus Crosses Sea!” The seal slapped onto her body, a golden light sweeping over her. A lotus-shaped glow of talismans and blessings emerged beneath her feet, and her legs slowly rose from the softened asphalt. Her feet returned to the surface, a rotating lotus light underfoot. Wang Ya raised her chin arrogantly at the old ghost and sneered, “You dare show off such a petty trick?” This old ghost was vicious and tenacious; Wang Ya decided not to hold back anymore and prepared to eliminate the dead old lady for good.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her Seven Ancient Copper Coins, smearing her finger’s blood onto them. She spread her left palm and arranged the seven coins in the Big Dipper Seven Stars formation. Then she tossed them into the air while rapidly chanting incantations and forming seals with both hands. Closing her eyes, her mind cleared to perfect emptiness, envisioning only the seven coins she had thrown, still arrayed in the Big Dipper shape as they slowly descended. The incantation, combined with the seals and the coins’ inherent power, created a resonance, forming a magnetic field linking her and the coins. Their descent slowed under this force; as it strengthened, they slowed further until, reaching her chest, they were buoyed by the power gathered in her palms, hovering and buzzing with vibration.

Wang Ya clearly felt a powerful aura condensing around her. Opposite her, the old ghost suddenly swung her cane, unleashing a massive wave of yin qi like a tsunami or an earth-shattering landslide crashing toward her!

Wang Ya stood firm, slowly raising her hands to clap her palms together, intending to channel the surrounding power into the copper coins and unleash it. Suddenly, a shout rang out: “Old ghost, cease your rampage! Get away!” A blinding flash of lightning tore through, so piercing that even with her eyes closed, Wang Ya felt it sear. Thunderous power erupted inexplicably in the air around her, numbing her entire body and instantly shattering her gathered seals and incantation. Her power dispersed, but the old ghost’s yin qi slammed into her full force. Wang Ya’s body jolted violently, her organs shifting inside her. She flew through the air—perhaps for several seconds, or just a dizzying instant—before crashing back-first onto the ground. The pain blacked out her vision, nearly knocking her unconscious!

Her back ached, her chest burned, her organs and guts all screamed in agony! Lying flat on the ground, Wang Ya was in too much pain even to move.

It took a long while before Wang Ya found her breath again. She panted deeply several times, rolled over into a fetal position, gasped for half a minute more, and finally recovered somewhat. Then she cursed heavily in her mind: “Fuck!” Her ancient bronze coins! Gritting her teeth against the pain, she hunched over and stood, using the dim streetlight and her faint connection to the coins to find them scattered on the road. Wang Ya gathered the seven ancient bronze coins and clutched them tightly, finally exhaling in relief—if she had lost them, it would have broken her heart. Pinching the coins, her teeth chattered uncontrollably—from the pain. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed someone approaching. Looking up, her face turned green with rage! Wang Ya yelled furiously, “Why the hell are you back?!” The one walking toward her was none other than one of Zheng Yanxia’s bodyguards—the gutless guy who had shouted “Expert, hold on!” last time! A dozen meters ahead stood Zheng Yanxia and the square-faced bodyguard!

The bodyguard asked Wang Ya, “Expert, are you alright?”

Wang Ya pointed at him, wanting to curse up a storm! Alright my ass—they had nearly gotten her killed! Wait, who had unleashed that lightning just now? These bodyguards clearly weren’t in the trade; they couldn’t pull off a move like that! As for Zheng Yanxia, if she had that ability, she wouldn’t have hired Wang Ya. The shout—”Old ghost, cease your rampage! Get away!”—had been full-throated and robust, unmistakably a man’s voice. Wang Ya whipped her head around and scanned the surroundings, spotting a man in a golden tang suit sprinting from the construction site direction. He spread his arms, his toes barely touching the ground as he leaped three or four meters per step, displaying masterful lightness skill.

From two or three hundred meters away, the Golden Tang Suit Man reached Zheng Yanxia in the blink of an eye. He shook his head at her and said, “This ghost entity has a magic artifact; she escaped! But don’t worry, my Electric Light Thunder Talisman specializes in breaking yin evil—I’ve already severely wounded it.”

Zheng Yanxia thanked him profusely.

The Golden Tang Suit Man turned to Wang Ya and called out, “Little friend, are you alright?”

Wang Ya’s nose twisted in anger. She snapped back irritably, “Thanks to you, I haven’t died from the fall yet!” Still fuming, she planted her hands on her hips and demanded, “Where the hell did you come from? Are you here to catch ghosts or save that dead old lady?” The pain wracked her from chest to back; this stance pulled at her wounds inside and out. She couldn’t keep her back straight for two seconds before hunching again. She was badly injured! Not by the dead old lady, but nearly killed by this fellow exorcist!

The Golden Tang Suit Man glanced at Wang Ya appraisingly, generously overlooking the sharp-tongued young girl before him. He only said, “Little friend, this ghost entity is ferocious. To avoid danger, please leave quickly; I will handle this place.”

Wang Ya gritted her teeth and snapped, “After you, after you—goodbye!” In extreme annoyance, she shot Zheng Yanxia several vicious glares, pocketed her ancient bronze coins, and stormed off. Every step reminded her of the pain everywhere; she wanted to cry but had no tears! She recalled her classmate’s constant complaint: the worst are pig-like teammates!