An altar was set up in the open space, with villagers gathered around it. In front of the altar stood an old Taoist priest with white beard and eyebrows, holding a peach wood sword. The tip of the sword lifted a piece of yellow talisman paper as he stepped in strange patterns, chanting incantations under his breath.

With just one glance, seeing this scene—so familiar from countless film and television dramas—Grace Carter knew he had come here today for nothing.

Lily Carter, on the other hand, watched with great interest and exclaimed in surprise, “So this is how you catch ghosts...”

The sick villagers were placed on a nearby patch of open ground. A young Taoist moved among them, sprinkling water from a porcelain bottle onto their heads.

Dr. Bennett walked over, squatted down, took the pulses of several people, and checked their tongues before standing up, his expression slightly grim.

Charles Walker hurriedly asked, “How is it?”

Dr. Bennett said in a deep voice, “Nausea and vomiting, frequent abdominal pain, crimson tongue, yellow and dry tongue coating, slippery and rapid pulse...”

Charles Walker asked in surprise, “What does that mean?”

“Dysentery,” Grace Carter said. “It comes on suddenly, with high fever and thirst, headache and irritability, nausea and vomiting, frequent bowel movements, fresh purple pus and blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, in serious cases delirium and convulsions, crimson tongue, yellow and dry tongue coating, slippery and rapid or faint pulse... epidemic toxic dysentery.”

He had to speak up. In ancient times, dysentery was a disease with a very high mortality rate. Basically, prevention was the main approach, with treatment as a supplement. If Charles Walker didn’t take it seriously enough and the illness spread out of control, his position as county magistrate would be over, and Grace Carter’s peaceful days would end as well.

Dr. Bennett looked at him and nodded. “The young man is right.”

Charles Walker looked at Grace Carter in surprise. Lily Carter grabbed his arm and asked expectantly, “Did you remember something else?”

Grace Carter nodded and said, “That’s all I can recall for now.”

Charles Walker temporarily shifted his gaze from Grace Carter to Dr. Bennett and asked, “Is it serious?”

Dr. Bennett’s expression was grave. “It’s extremely urgent.”

Charles Walker’s heart sank. He glanced at the old immortal still “exorcising evil” over there, then at the villagers around him with fanatical expressions, and said helplessly, “It’s not possible right now...”

On the other side, Lily Carter looked at Grace Carter with some excitement and asked, “Did you remember anything else?”

Grace Carter shook his head.

Lily Carter was still happy and said, “It’s fine. If you can remember a little more every day like this, one day you’ll remember everything...”

As soon as she finished speaking, the old Taoist in front of the altar, who had been stepping in strange patterns, suddenly stopped and shouted loudly, “Mighty spirits of the eight directions, grant me your natural power! Lingbao talisman decree, proclaim to the nine heavens; Qianluo Dana, Donggang Taixuan, slay demons and bind evil, save thousands of people...”

“Hey, fiend, reveal your true form at once!”

Lily Carter was startled by the sudden shout, only to see the old Taoist place a piece of white paper over the fire, gently roasting it. On that white paper, a ferocious ghostly face actually appeared.

The watching villagers involuntarily took a few steps back, fear appearing on their faces. Even Charles Walker and Dr. Bennett couldn’t help but change expressions.

They stared at the ghostly face on the white paper, their hearts surging with shock.

Did the old Taoist really use an ordinary piece of white paper to make the demon reveal itself?

“Ah!”

Lily Carter couldn’t help but cry out in alarm, hiding behind Grace Carter and clutching his arm tightly, her voice trembling, “A ghost, there’s a ghost...”

“A ghost, my foot!”

Grace Carter’s arm was hurting from her grip. He couldn’t help but knock her on the head and said, “It’s just a picture appearing on white paper. I’ll teach you how to do it when we get back...”

“You can catch ghosts too?” Lily Carter didn’t mind him knocking her on the head just now. She looked up, asking in utter shock.

Grace Carter curled his lips and said, “Of course. I’m the thirty-eighth generation successor of the Maoshan Sect. Catching a few little ghosts is nothing...”

Writing with vinegar on white paper, letting it dry, and then roasting it over fire to make the writing reappear—this was a science experiment he’d done in elementary school.

Lily Carter stared at him suspiciously. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t remember who you are?”

Grace Carter looked at her, puzzled. “Did I say something just now?”

...

The old Taoist placed the white paper with the ghostly face on the table, very satisfied with everyone’s reaction.

He looked around and said, “I have already cast a spell and sealed that demon on the white paper.”

“Thank you, immortal!”

“Thank you, immortal!”

...

The villagers of Guojia Village bowed their heads in sincere worship.

At this moment, the old Taoist suddenly sighed and said, “What a pity. My cultivation is limited, and I don’t have the power to subdue the other demon...”

When the villagers of Guojia Village heard this, their faces turned pale again.

The village elder’s expression changed. He stepped forward, stuffed a pouch into the old Taoist’s hand, and pleaded, “Immortal, this is a token of our respect. Please, you must save us!”

The old Taoist weighed the pouch, shook his head, and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but my power is truly limited...”

The old village chief stuffed another pouch into his hand.

The old Taoist hesitated for a moment and said, “My power is...”

Yet another pouch was stuffed into his hand.