The roar of the Earthbound Grudge echoed throughout Thanh Khe Village.
The sky, which had been filled with stars, was suddenly covered by black clouds.
Cold wind rose in gusts.
The talismans hanging outside every house burst into flame and turned to ash at the same time.
Luc Minh clearly felt a terrifying pressure pressing down on his chest.
This was the first time he had ever faced an evil spirit this powerful.
### The Battle Beside the Dry Well
The Earthbound Grudge raised its enormous arm.
Black hair, like thousands of snakes, shot toward Luc Minh.
He immediately formed a seal.
“Righteous Energy of Heaven and Earth!”
“Thunderfire Talisman!”
Three golden talismans shot out.
**BOOM!**
Blue lightning struck the hair.
White smoke billowed upward.
But in the blink of an eye...
The black hair grew even longer.
The Earthbound Grudge laughed.
The laughter shattered the windows throughout the village.
To Nhuoc was knocked to the ground by the shockwave.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
“Luc Minh...”
“...be careful!”
### Seven Spirits
Seven children stood around the mouth of the well.
The ferocity had vanished from their faces.
They were all crying.
A boy of about eight looked at Luc Minh.
“Big brother...”
“...don’t hit Mom.”
“She’s in so much pain.”
Luc Minh froze.
He suddenly understood.
The Earthbound Grudge did not want to kill people by nature.
It did so because of pain that had never been resolved.
To suppress her...
He had to resolve her unresolved grudge.
### The Man Appears
Just as the Earthbound Grudge was about to swallow the entire village,
A bronze bell rang out.
**Clang!**
The deep sound spread through the air.
The resentful energy immediately ground to a halt.
From the roof of the village shrine,
A shadow figure leaped down.
A gray Taoist robe.
A bronze sword strapped to his back.
And...
**A right hand black as charcoal.**
It was the mysterious man.
He looked at Luc Minh.
“Back off.”
Luc Minh frowned.
“Who are you?”
“I said...”
“...back off.”
### The Cursed Hand
The man raised his right hand.
Black veins began spreading across his arm.
The air around them grew heavy.
To Nhuoc was horrified.
“His hand...”
“...it’s bleeding.”
No.
That wasn’t blood.
It was...
Black smoke.
When the Earthbound Grudge saw that hand, it let out a terrified scream.
“Seal...”
“...seal...”
The man coldly recited an incantation.
“Yin and yang reverse.”
“All ghosts...”
“...return to your places!”
Black spiritual chains shot from his hand.
They wrapped tightly around the Earthbound Grudge.
All of its resentful energy was sucked back into its body.
### The Price
The Earthbound Grudge vanished.
The seven children's spirits gradually dissolved into specks of light as well.
Before passing on,
The smallest boy smiled.
“Thank you...”
“...big brother.”
The light drifted into the sky.
Thanh Khe Village finally fell silent.
But the mysterious man suddenly dropped to one knee.
Fresh blood flowed from his right hand.
The black skin spread a little farther.
Luc Minh ran over.
“You’re hurt!”
The man shoved his hand away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“If you want to stay alive.”
### Identity
After a moment of silence,
The man finally spoke.
“Ha Van Son.”
“That’s my name.”
Luc Minh was startled.
That name...
He had once read it in his Master's scripture.
On a page that had been torn in half.
There had been a line of text:
> **“If you encounter Ha Van Son...”**
The rest had been burned away.
No one knew what his Master had intended to write.
### A Warning
Ha Van Son looked at the peachwood sword on Luc Minh’s back.
“That sword...”
“...is about to give out.”
Luc Minh lowered his gaze.
The crack along the blade had grown longer.
Ha Van Son continued.
“The peachwood sword can only seal malignant energy.”
“But the thing following you...”
“...isn’t malignant energy.”
Luc Minh immediately asked,
“You mean the red-clad woman?”
Ha Van Son was silent for several seconds.
Then he answered softly,
“Don’t call her a ghost.”
“She...”
“...was once human.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Luc Minh called after him,
“Do you know where my Master is?”
Ha Van Son stopped.
He did not turn around.
He only left him with one sentence.
> “The person you should be looking for...”
> “...isn’t your Master.”
> “It’s the truth about yourself.”
His figure quickly disappeared into the mist.
### The Mark
That night,
Luc Minh returned home.
While washing his hands,
He suddenly noticed a small black mark on his left wrist.
It was exactly the same color as the skin on Ha Van Son’s hand.
He tried washing it off with water.
It didn’t disappear.
Just then,
The Maoshan Evil-Sealing Scripture on the table opened by itself.
On a page that had once been completely blank,
Rows of red writing slowly appeared as though written in blood.
> **“The mark has been passed on.”**
> **“The previous keeper of the seal...”**
> **“...has chosen the next.”**
Luc Minh stood frozen.
He had never touched Ha Van Son.
Then...
When had that mark appeared?
Outside the window,
A small figure sat on a tree branch.
She was a girl of about ten.
She wore an old blue dress.
The girl smiled at Luc Minh and said softly,
“Finally...”
“...I’ve found you, big brother.”
**End of Chapter 7.**