With a flash, swords gleamed in midair, erupting in golden light. The female ghost screamed in agony. Master Zachary Wu spun through the air, grabbed my father's hand, and pulled him out of the pool. Then, with a swish, he threw out a magic sword. Though small, it hovered in the air, and Master Zachary Wu stepped onto it.
"Little Zhang, it's over now."
As Master Zachary Wu spoke, he forcefully slapped my father's back. My father coughed up mouthfuls of black water. The female ghost, terrified, sat in the pool, trying to escape, but the golden light shining down from the Eight Trigram Formation above her left her nowhere to hide.
"Spare me, spare me..."
"Heaven is merciful. I tried to persuade you with kind words, but you refused to listen. Now, I have no choice but to destroy you."
As Master Zachary Wu spoke, he shouted loudly and threw out a golden talisman, which slapped onto the female ghost's body. Instantly, crackling sounds erupted, golden lightning flickered, and with a loud bang, the entire pool exploded violently, followed by a raging wind.
But at that moment, the greatest danger was that the commotion had drawn the villagers over. My father opened his eyes wide and witnessed everything.
"Old Zhang, what on earth are you?"
Then, Master Zachary Wu brought my father back to the edge of the pool. By now, the villagers were closing in and would arrive any moment.
"Little Zhang, remember this: if anyone asks you anything, just say you don't know. Say you were brought here by me."
"Old Zhang, you..."
Master Zachary Wu smiled but said nothing. Then, as the villagers arrived, he was immediately seized. My father shouted desperately.
"It was Old Zhang who saved me! He saved me!"
However, my father's weak cries were drowned out by the angry crowd. Soon, Master Zachary Wu was accused of harming people. Everyone insisted that the village children had died because of him.
Master Zachary Wu was quickly branded a murderer. Everyone said he must have killed the village children. The case of the children mysteriously drowning in the pool was instantly declared solved, and the investigation team leader received praise from above. He would soon be promoted to the county office, while Master Zachary Wu was sentenced to death and would be escorted away in the coming days.
My father fell silent. At that moment, a green jeep appeared on the dirt road into the village, carrying two people. I was surprised—the older man looked like an official, but I recognized the younger driver.
It was Zhang Anle. I stared in shock—it was Zhang Anle. The incident had drawn high-level attention, and Zhang Anle, the county police chief, had personally come to escort the suspect.
The whole village was in an uproar. After a day of chaos, Zhang Anle insisted on personally interrogating the prisoner.
"Senior brother, you’re still the same as before."
In a private room, a man wearing a red mask stood behind Zhang Anle. Master Zachary Wu lay on the bed, his thigh swollen and his body covered in injuries.
"Junior brother, I didn't expect it to be you. Ever since Master passed away, we haven't seen each other for years. Now, who is this with you?"
"Don't mind me. You two have a good talk. I'll step out and keep watch for you."
It was Wei Chengwu. He looked at me in surprise, but I recognized him by his voice. After leaving, he took off his mask and stood guard outside.
"What exactly are you doing, junior brother? The things you're involved with now aren't righteous or proper!"
Zhang Wuju tried to get up, but the pain held him back. Zhang Anle rushed over, took out some medicine, and helped Zhang Wuju apply it. He immediately looked much better.
"Senior brother, you're still the same—sometimes it's best not to meddle, especially in times like these. Actually, I've been looking for you for a long time. If I hadn't sensed you using your powers, I wouldn't have found you."
"Junior brother, tell me, what are you really doing?"
Zhang Anle smiled and shook his head.
"Senior brother, have you ever heard of the Immortality Society?"
Zhang Wuju looked at Zhang Anle in surprise and shook his head.