Chapter 1: Volume 1: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 1: Unfavorable for All Matters

The ninth day of the eighth lunar month, Autumnal Equinox, Youju Town.

High winds.

Unfavorable for all matters.

"Little gentleman, look, the meat in this part is the most tender. With a sharp knife, go in just a little, slice the whole piece off, cut it into small strips, and chew slowly in your mouth—how could a single word like 'fresh' possibly describe it?"

"The head has its own way of being eaten. Scrape the whiskers, clean the hair, and toss it into the pot whole. Add plenty of spices and boil it whole for an hour. Right, remember to skim off the blood foam at any time, otherwise, the fishy smell will be too strong. Once the time is up, switch from high heat to low heat, continue boiling for half an hour, turn off the heat, let it simmer for a quarter of an hour, take it out, and pour over chili, garlic, vinegar, and other seasonings. The taste is superb, truly a delicacy!"

"The internal organs also have their own ways of being eaten. Take the heart, for example; I like to marinate it and then stir-fry it with garlic—it has a unique garlicky aroma. That's right, I didn't have a heart originally, but after eating many hearts, I grew one. If you, little gentleman, are also heartless and gutless, I suggest you eat more."

"Blood is also a good thing. Put a large amount of ice water into the basin containing the blood, and once it solidifies, pour it immediately into a large pot to boil. When the inside and outside are the same color, rinse it with cold water, and the blood tofu is ready."

The sound of pine waves accompanied the whistling wind; the hooked moon hung high, casting dim, murky light into the forest.

A burly man with a tiger's back and a bear's waist stood with his back to Zhao Chan, holding a person by the ankles upside down. In his other hand, he gripped a short boning knife, skillfully butchering the body. Below him sat a large basin, the fresh blood inside steaming.

Half of Zhao Chan's body was bleached pale by the moonlight, while the other half was hidden in the darkness.

The burly man squinted to observe the youth's expression and boasted, "Pick some fresh seasonal vegetables, take a piece of blood tofu, cut it into thick slices the width of an index finger, and stir-fry them together. The taste... tsk tsk, it's unforgettable, enough to haunt one's soul."

He arranged the various parts neatly, pinched the bitter gallbladder he had deliberately left behind into his mouth, swallowed it, and sighed, "A human's gallbladder—the lingering aftertaste is sweet. It gives me more pleasure than eating the meat."

He turned his head to look at Zhao Chan.

With monkey brows, dog eyes, cow ears, a leopard nose, and a tiger mouth, the burly man with the extremely bizarre features grinned hideously: "Little gentleman, you've endured the contempt and cold stares of the neighbors, always wanting to be a person above others..."

"If you ask me, you can't become a person above others through hard work. Only by eating people, just like me, can you become a person above others."

He picked up a piece of meat that had accidentally fallen and swallowed it: "Not as good as the gallbladder."

The dream suddenly shattered, retreating into the yellowed, tattered book full of cracks in his mind.

The first page of this book, when opened, was exactly this man-eating demon with the bizarre features.

The brushstrokes depicting the demon were powerful and vivid, making it seem so lifelike that it felt as if it would leap out of the book at any moment to devour someone.

In the bottom left corner of the page, a few almost illegible characters were written—【Sword Qi Finger Profound Chapter】.

When he first had this strange dream, the demon on the first page of the book was lifeless. As the number of times he dreamt it increased, the demon rapidly became clear and realistic.

Zhao Chan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his narrow, long eyes staring blankly at the roof beam.

He did not know why this ancestral, wordless, tattered book had burrowed into his mind, nor could he predict what would happen as the demon became more and more vivid...

The sky had brightened, gray and heavy, humid and stifling.

There had been a lot of rain recently. The old house, which had never grown mold before, now had severe mold on the roof beams; mold sores were spotted everywhere, spreading wantonly.

He put on his dark, short jacket, which was covered in patches and washed white, and tucked the peach branch at his side diagonally into his waistband.

The peach branch was over three feet long, with new buds just sprouting.

As the youngest lacquer harvester in the town, he had been idle at home recently due to the rainy season.

Besides his main job of harvesting lacquer, he would occasionally do odd jobs at the Xizhao Inn. Perhaps because of the excessive rain, business at the inn was poor, and the landlady had told him to come back in a while.

Zhao Chan's brows were tightly furrowed; he was in desperate need of money.

He walked into the courtyard, grabbed the wooden sword standing against the wall, and began the practice he had performed for five years without fail.

It was nothing more than basic sword techniques like thrusting, pointing, collapsing, lifting, and slashing.

When children in Youju Town reached the age of nine, the Demon Slayers from the Demon Slaying Division would gather them together to teach them simple weapon skills and martial arts.

Hearing the commotion, his neighbor Sun He climbed onto the low courtyard wall, scratched his buttocks, squatted down, and took a fierce bite of a sorghum pancake.

He smacked his lips deliberately and shouted to Zhao Chan, "Little Toad, I begged my father to give you the spot to deal with the demon infestation with the Demon Slaying Division this time. Fifteen coins for one trip—isn't that more than you make harvesting lacquer all over the mountains?"

Sun He had a large black mole on his left cheek that bobbed as he spoke.

"I heard Lao Liu was eaten by a demon on Eren Mountain. You risked your life to bring back some bone fragments, and now you're short of money to buy him a coffin. The helper at the coffin shop said you're only fifteen coins short. Hey, isn't that a coincidence!"

"Oh! Stop practicing that sword! The cat-and-dog kung fu taught by the Demon Slaying Division won't get you anywhere! Look at how sincere my eyes are; I'm helping you with all my heart. If you don't go, I'm going. It used to be only four or five coins, but this time it's a full fifteen!"

Lao Liu was the master who taught Zhao Chan to harvest lacquer. He was in his forties, and when he smiled, his face was full of wrinkles—honest and comical. He had been a bachelor for most of his life and often said that once he saved enough money, he would marry Widow Liu in style and cherish her for the rest of his life.

Half a month ago, he had gone into Eren Mountain without a word and never returned.

Eren Mountain was infested with miasma and demons. All the lacquer harvesters knew that once you entered that place, it was ten deaths and no life.

No one knew if Zhao Chan had actually gone to Eren Mountain, but in any case, he had brought back some remains. As for whether the remains belonged to Lao Liu, no one in the town cared about such a small matter. After all, he and Lao Liu were both friendless and alone in Youju Town.

Zhao Chan looked up, earnestly watching Sun He, who was waiting expectantly.

Sun He saw that Zhao Chan was tempted: "Fifteen coins in exchange for that glowing treasure book! I've searched your house from top to bottom and couldn't find it. Where did you hide it?"

Sun He jumped down from the wall, affectionately hooked Zhao Chan's arm, and stuffed the remaining piece of pancake into his hand without question, saying politely:

"Hungry, right? Try it, it's sorghum—you only get to eat this during festivals... When you get back, I'll steal a dozen pancakes my mother made for you."

Zhao Chan pulled away: "I'm not hungry."

Sun He's eyes rolled around, a plan forming in his mind. He decided to give him a show of force, take the initiative, and snatch the treasure book directly. Zhao Chan was just an orphan; it didn't matter if he bullied him.

He immediately grabbed his shoulder and shoved the saliva-covered sorghum pancake toward Zhao Chan's mouth.

"Little Toad! Your brother is kindly feeding you a pancake, why don't you appreciate it?"

Zhao Chan slipped away, unwilling to have a conflict with this narrow-minded neighbor.

"Still dodging?"

Twenty-two-year-old Sun He was a head taller than Zhao Chan and big and burly. He was relentless: "Behave. Once you finish the pancake, brother will talk to you about business. Don't you want to buy a coffin for Lao Liu?"

The youth understood the simple truth that one's mouth becomes soft after eating and one's hands become soft after taking.

"Just eat it! And by the way, bring that glowing treasure book for brother." Sun He lunged at Zhao Chan.

Zhao Chan had no choice but to keep dodging.

Sun He couldn't catch him and stomped his feet in anger: "Don't I know your situation? How could a wild brat without a father or mother possess such a treasure book? You can't handle it!"

Zhao Chan stared quietly at Sun He, who was poised to pounce. The helpless youth seemed a little angry.

This time, without waiting for Sun He to act, he stabilized his stance, his feet firmly "stuck" to the ground. He moved a few steps like a gust of wind, and the wooden sword in his hand tapped Sun He's right shoulder.

Sun He let out a loud cry, clutching his shoulder, his face twisted in pain.

Just as he was about to counterattack, his eyes blurred, and Zhao Chan slammed into his chest. The immense force lifted Sun He's feet off the ground, and with a thud, he fell, dizzy and disoriented.

The youth gripped the wooden sword tightly, holding it against Sun He's neck, looking down at him as if he would sever his head at the slightest disagreement.

Sun He quickly forced a smile that was uglier than crying and conceded, "No more playing, no more playing. I almost forgot you're a lacquer harvester, climbing mountains and wading through forests all year round—your movements are agile, and your strength is greater than ordinary people."

Zhao Chan moved the wooden sword away.

Sun He tried several times before he could climb up. He circled Zhao Chan, looking him up and down, and asked ingratiatingly, putting aside his previous grievances: "Little Toad, have mercy and tell brother, where exactly did that glowing treasure book come from?"

"..."

"Not saying means there's a ghost in it. It definitely isn't yours; you must have picked it up outside! Your house is so poor that even the mice have fled; how could you have such a treasure? Little Toad, we've been close since we were kids; let me see the book first."

Zhao Chan was expressionless, his heart as still as when he cut lacquer trees one knife at a time in the mountains. He spoke very little: "I'll give you the book after I earn the fifteen coins."

Sun He's eyes rolled around. "Fine, brother trusts you. You also know that being an assistant soldier with the Demon Slaying Division is just an easy job of helping carry swords and knives; you won't face demons directly. My father told me the Demon Slayer leading the team this time is Wang Huan. Master Wang is the top expert in our Youju Town! These fifteen coins are a sure thing."

"But let's settle accounts between brothers: the fifteen coins are in exchange for your glowing treasure book!"

"Mm, I understand."

"Just mention my father's name when you get to the Demon Slaying Division."

"Got it."

Zhao Chan's expression remained the same. In the years he had been a lacquer harvester, besides gaining strength that didn't lose to burly men, he had done his best to hide his joy and anger in his heart, as Lao Liu had required.

Sun He turned and ran a few steps, grabbed the wall with both hands. His right shoulder and chest hurt terribly, but he didn't want to lose face in front of Zhao Chan, so he gritted his teeth and climbed over. He turned his head to look at Zhao Chan: "A gentleman's what-what, what horse is hard to chase?"

"A gentleman's word is as good as a team of four horses," Zhao Chan said softly.

Sun He grinned, the large black mole on his left cheek exceptionally conspicuous: "A gentleman's word?"

"Is as good as a team of four horses."

There was nothing to take. He brought the lacquer knife used for harvesting, and the peach branch, over three feet long with new buds, still hung at his waist. The wooden sword used for practice was left in the corner of the wall.

Zhao Chan pushed the door open and entered the alley, turned back to lock it, and jogged toward the Demon Slaying Division.

Before long, Sun He returned, searched the house inside and out again, and looked up at the mottled mold sores spreading on the roof beams.

His house also had mold, even more active than the mold in Zhao Chan's house. His parents said that no matter how much it rained in the past, mold never grew in the house.

"Where on earth did that bastard hide the treasure book?"

Late at night twenty-some days ago, he had been bored and peeked over the wall, seeing Zhao Chan standing under the moon holding a book. A moment later, that book emitted a blinding white light.

Since then, whenever Zhao Chan left home, Sun He would climb over the wall to find that glowing treasure book. Even with his heels, he knew such an object was no ordinary thing. If it were a spiritual object from those storybooks, its value would be immeasurable!

With money, his father could become a constable, and his mother would have flowery dresses to wear.

"Follow him secretly; maybe I'll find something." Sun He muttered to himself.

Just as he climbed over the wall and jumped into the alley, he suddenly came face-to-face with a disheveled old man.

"Old man! From out of town?"

He had never seen such an old man in the local area.

Though many outsiders had come to the town this year, and quite a few had bought houses to settle down.

The old man seemed to have a stiff neck, turning his head slowly to look at him.

He grinned, his teeth black and charred, just like the mold sores growing wantonly on the roof beams.

Sun He felt a chill and hurried off to chase Zhao Chan. ===== CHAPTER 2 =====