Chapter 105: The Unorthodox Ones
Li Yanchu's gaze drifted across the room, landing not on the monks and Daoists, but on the other types of people seated at the gathering.
Some were casually chatting with acquaintances; others sat aloof and silent, their demeanor distant and proud.
“I wonder if any remnants of the Bare Body Sect have infiltrated this exorcism assembly...”
He swept a casual glance around the guests while popping a sweet, juicy piece of fruit into his mouth.
Among the Bare Body Sect members he knew of were the paper effigy woman, the corpse bearer, and the false City God, as well as the feng shui master from Longmen Village, and most recently, the monk Guanxin and an elderly Daoist. It was clear the cult's composition was highly complex, with its members scattered across both Buddhist and Daoist circles.
So, with such a grand exorcism event being held, it would be more surprising if no one from the Bare Body Sect had managed to slip in.
Of course, identifying them by appearance or even profession was next to impossible. Li Yanchu wasn’t about to waste his energy trying. After all, with so many masters gathered here, if trouble came, there were plenty of stronger shoulders to carry the weight.
The meeting hadn’t officially begun, and people continued to arrive. From their attire and chatter, Li Yanchu was able to gather a bit about the folk experts and unorthodox practitioners in attendance.
For instance, there was a folk yin-yang master dressed in a traditional long robe with a stern and reserved look on his face. This yin-yang master was said to be able to issue orders to the Underworld, speak with the dead, and interact with ghost officials. He was quite renowned in his region, often sought by wealthy merchants and nobles to bless their ancestors.
Similarly, there was an old village shamaness. It was a seventy-year-old woman who still seemed full of vigor.
Talkative and completely at ease in such a mixed crowd, she had a no-nonsense, crude but direct style. Whether facing mysterious rogue cultivators or solemn monks and Daoists, she could trade words with anyone.
Strangely enough, everyone treated her with genuine respect, calling her “Granny Chang.”