Chapter 18: Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter Eighteen: August Thirteenth

Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter Eighteen: August Thirteenth

Xie Wan opened the window in her boudoir on the second floor of the Sunset Inn, leaned out, and looked down at the lovebirds embracing beside the wonton stall.

As if her heartstrings were touched, a nostalgic smile curled the corners of her lips, her gaze gentle.

"May I come in?" A Ping asked from outside the boudoir.

"Come in."

A Ping pushed open the door, which had mandarin ducks playing in water carved into its lattice.

The floor was paved with long red planks; they must have been there a long time, as the color had faded to a slightly dark hue.

On the chicken-wing wood dressing table, a comb and a rouge box were neatly placed before a bronze mirror; the rouge box was a square, gold-plated bronze powder box with clipped corners, decorated with openwork flowers around the sides, while the lid featured a "five blessings surrounding longevity" pattern; the comb was made of yellow rosewood, its luster brilliant.

To the right of the dressing table was a red sandalwood chaise longue.

To the left was an eight-treasure canopy bed with double-layered curtains—the outer layer of silk damask, the inner of thin gauze.

There was a yellow rosewood wardrobe, and beside it, a washbasin stand; the basin was bronze, a soft silk towel hung on the rack, and a snow-white soap cake rested on the horizontal board.

The paintings hanging on the walls were mostly of celestial maidens, with cicada-wing robes, phoenix-tail ribbons, misty temples, and cloud-like hair.

All six paintings of celestial maidens depicted the same person, whose appearance was seven or eight parts similar to Xie Wan.

Beneath each painting was an incense stand, and on each stand sat a flower-arranging porcelain vase—all of them expensive Jilan Willow-Leaf Vases.

In the corner of the boudoir, a three-panel screen featured an exquisitely painted "Ten Thousand Flowers Sleeping in Spring" scene.

"These belongings of yours are more expensive than the Sunset Inn itself," he commented.

Xie Wan turned around and chuckled: "Isn't money meant to be spent? If you don't spend a large fortune, what difference is there between it and dead objects?"

She held an incense burner in one hand and pointed with the other to the daylilies, iris leaves, rose branches, heavenly bamboo, and moth orchids in the willow-leaf vase: "Little Toad picked these on the mountain and gave them to me a few days ago."

"He is a thoughtful young man."

"Ha, thoughtful my foot. I think Little Toad's wings have grown stiff."

"Did he provoke you?" A Ping asked.

Xie Wan sneered: "Youju Town is on the verge of collapse, yet Little Toad actually has things he's hiding from me. Very well, very well. I originally intended to send him away from this whirlpool early, but since it's like this, don't blame me for standing by and watching."

A Ping frowned: "What exactly happened?"

She recounted how Zhao Chan had returned to Youju Town early in the morning and feigned cooperation with her, and Xie Wan even speculated that Zhao Chan must have joined the Demon Slayer Division and felt he had become a superior being, disregarding past kindness.

"I used to see how pitiful he was and invited him to work as a helper at the inn. Although the pay wasn't much, it was enough to cover his three meals a day. Ha, I never expected that after Little Toad became a Demon Slayer, he would turn around and start hiding things from me, and even dare to change the subject when I asked where he went last night!"

Xie Wan threw the incense-billowing Incense Burner onto the dressing table with a bang, still not feeling relieved: "Blame my kind heart and pity; I misjudged him. After Little Toad's parents died of illness, he was cautious in his words and deeds toward others, and he was quick and nimble, which is why I was willing to have him work as a helper at the inn. I didn't just give him wages; every few days, I even let him stay to eat for free."

She paused.

She snorted coldly: "A Ping, you judge—shouldn't a person like this, who is two-faced and harbors impure intentions, be told to go die?"

A Ping had no words to answer. Zhao Chan had merely not told her some private matters, yet she was already calling for his death. It was no wonder the sect had sealed her cultivation and driven her out of the mountains back then, leaving her to fend for herself.

If others were to judge, the Xuanwei Sect had been too lenient; with a personality as ruthless and self-centered as Xie Wan's, they should have directly crippled all her cultivation instead of just sealing and imprisoning it.

"Speak! What? Does Senior Brother sympathize with Little Toad?" Xie Wan mocked.

A Ping smiled.

"Laughing?! What is there to laugh about? Is Senior Brother laughing at me for being bitten by a snake like Little Toad, who forgets favors and violates justice!" Xie Wan was truly angry.

A Ping shook his head and said: "I am indeed laughing at Junior Sister."

"You!" Xie Wan raised her finger at him, "Fine, fine, fine. Once my cultivation is unsealed, Senior Brother can complete the mission the sect gave you all by yourself!"

"Junior Sister might as well listen to what I have to say first," A Ping said, full of confidence.

Having witnessed Zhao Chan's battle record with his own eyes, he was determined to bring such a genius with one-in-ten-thousand cultivation talent back to the Xuanwei Sect.

Xie Wan sneered: "Senior Brother can just say what you want. Could I possibly stop you?"

Not at all annoyed by the look Xie Wan gave him, A Ping detailed everything he had heard and seen after following Zhao Chan to Erniu Mountain last night.

After listening.

Xie Wan shook her head: "Senior Brother, don't try to fool me. I have observed Little Toad for many years; he is indeed stunningly talented, but to perform such a feat, he would need at least the Upper Grade Body Refining Realm."

"The Little Toad you speak of is now in the Middle Grade Body Refining Realm."

"Ha, Senior Brother is joking again."

"If Junior Sister doesn't trust my judgment, I can understand, but you can't not trust my cultivation, right?" A Ping laughed, "I am still capable of seeing clearly whether Zhao Chan is in the Body Refining Realm or not."

Only then did Xie Wan widen her almond eyes in shock; she asked repeatedly: "Does Senior Brother dare to swear to the heavens?"

"No need to swear. Today is August eleventh; you said the seal would be lifted on August twelfth, so you can see for yourself then," A Ping said.

Xie Wan believed him: "Little Toad... Zhao Chan, did he encounter a stroke of luck? Was it a stroke of luck given to him by those two sisters?"

A Ping pondered: "It doesn't seem so. They don't have that kind of ability."

"Then it must be something Zhao Chan realized himself. He is a lacquer worker who climbs mountains and wades through water; after years of training, he had a sudden enlightenment and reached the Middle Grade Body Refining Realm."

"Perhaps." A Ping tested the waters: "How about I bring Zhao Chan back to the Xuanwei Sect, and we split the credit between the two of us?"

Xie Wan became haughty in an instant: "You have to be reasonable. I was the one who discovered Zhao Chan, and I had already planned to send him to the Xuanwei Sect. Why would Senior Brother's credit suddenly be added? Didn't Senior Brother say that Zhou Sheng's grandson is a blessed person, and that countless fortunes find him while he just lies there?"

He said awkwardly: "Saying things like that is meaningless."

"Let me tell you the truth: I have long known that Zhao Chan's aptitude is excellent. If I send him to apprentice at the Xuanwei Sect, the Sect Master might, for Zhao Chan's sake, allow me to become a candidate Disciple of Zhiwei Peak again.

Sigh, a phoenix in distress is worse than a chicken. I offended many people in the sect before, and seeing that I no longer have my former status, they will surely try every possible way to kill me.

Why must Senior Brother fight me for this kind of credit? You are already a candidate Disciple of Shangzhu Peak; this extra bit of credit won't make much difference to you."

"Junior Sister..."

Xie Wan bypassed the bloodstains on the floor, grabbed A Ping's hand, and said suggestively: "Senior Brother, we can be considered childhood sweethearts. If you give me a helping hand, I... I will let you do as you please with me."

Just a moment ago, she was calling for Zhao Chan's death, cursing him for being two-faced and harboring impure intentions, calling him a snake that forgets favors and violates justice.

In the blink of an eye, her attitude changed completely; she didn't even say the words "Little Toad" anymore, switching to calling him by his name.

A Ping laughed to himself: Junior Sister, you say Zhao Chan is two-faced, but aren't you also two-faced, honey-mouthed and sword-hearted?

"No need. You are not yet aware of the mission the sect sent me here for; I will tell you now."

"Very well, please speak, Senior Brother."

"Sixty years ago, the Xuanwei Sect lost a Low-grade Spirit Tool, a replica of the Demon-Illuminating Mirror. Rumor has it that this Demon-Illuminating Mirror eventually fell into the hands of Pan Xi. I have come here to recover the lost Demon-Illuminating Mirror."

Xie Wan replied, "I will certainly help you find the Demon-Illuminating Mirror, Senior Brother."

"No."

"Hm? Does Senior Brother have other matters?" Xie Wan asked.

A Ping smiled and said, "After you return to the mountain, Junior Sister, put in a good word for me with the Peak Master of Zhiwei Peak. Why not just give the Demon-Illuminating Mirror to me?"

"Ha, Senior Brother was just talking about pleading for the people, yet in the end, you want both the credit for recovering the lost Spirit Artifact and the Spirit Artifact itself. Hmph, the commoners of Youju Town are nothing more than tools to you, Senior Brother."

"Sigh, if you don't believe me, Junior Sister, then so be it. If there were a way, I truly would want to save them."

"Senior Brother, you can fool others, but there is no need to fool me."

A Ping suddenly asked, "After you obtain the Mountain Ghost, Junior Sister, how do you intend to dispose of it?"

Xie Wan sighed, "Naturally, I will hand it over to the sect. Zhao Chan's contribution alone is not enough..."

"You want to save... save that person!"

"We shall discuss that later. Aren't you curious, Senior Brother, why he died in my room?" Xie Wan asked with a mysterious smile.

"He was one of those merchants."

"Exactly. His name was Wu He. He wanted to climb into my bed by using a secret, but unfortunately, my Pressing-Clothes Knife loves the heart-blood of fickle men most, so I fed him to the blade." Xie Wan spoke as if it were a trivial matter.

"What secret?"

"Wu He confessed that before their caravan arrived in Youju Town, they saw a brilliant light shining from the mountainside of Eren Mountain."

"A brilliant light? Perhaps it is the Cave Abode where Pan Xi passed away! It is truly on Eren Mountain!" A Ping said with pleasant surprise.

"Senior Brother, why don't you go to Eren Mountain now and take a look? And while you're at it, search for that Mountain Ghost."

A Ping nodded: "Very well."

He paused for a moment.

He added, "I saw the cargo wagons left behind by that group of merchants who were eaten by the tiger demon on the mountain road. Since Wu He died here at your place, it is likely they were unable to swallow the fact that Zhao Chan beat them at the inn, so they spent money to hire an Outsider as an assassin."

"Boring." Xie Wan chuckled.

Sun He stood before Nongsui Lane, gazing at the onlookers.

The disheveled old man avoided the sunlight: "I only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals."

"The mold has grown enough." Sun He stood with his hands behind his back.

His aura had changed drastically; the large black mole on his left cheek no longer even looked ugly. If Zhao Chan were to see him in this state, he would certainly suspect that he had already been refined into a Chang Ghost by the Mountain Ghost.

"Yo, a mere Chang Ghost dares to set its sights on this old man?" the old man mocked.

Sun He turned his head to stare at the mold ghost hiding in the shadow of the eaves: "How do you know whether I am a Chang Ghost or not?"

"You..."

"My Daoist name is Xiaoshui."

"So it is Xiaoshui Zhenren of our Xitang Kingdom's Imperial Observatory. I have eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. May I ask why Xiaoshui Zhenren does not dare to step into Youju Town?"

"You are not worthy of knowing."

The mold ghost smiled: "You and I are neighbors now, so we should naturally visit each other more often."

Xiaoshui Zhenren asked: "You are a ghost after all. Even if your ghost body resembles a human's, there are bound to be various drawbacks."

"Does the Zhenren have a solution?" The mold ghost stopped smiling and bowed with cupped hands.

Xiaoshui Zhenren said: "Of course I do."

"Please, Zhenren, do not hesitate to teach me. If it works, I will certainly lead your horse and hold your stirrup for you."

He looked up at the sky; today was still a bright, sunny day: "Become a Patrol Mountain Ghost Envoy of Fei Mountain together with Zhao Chan."

The mold ghost pondered for a moment, suddenly realized, and hurriedly knelt down to kowtow repeatedly to Xiaoshui Zhenren: "If I can become a Patrol Mountain Ghost Envoy, I... I... thank you, Zhenren, for your grace; thank you, Zhenren, for your grace."

"Heh, get up. There is no need to kneel. Before that, I have a small task for you."

"Please speak, Zhenren."

"Do not touch Nongsui Lane. Pick another alley and slaughter the commoners there."

The mold ghost said in surprise: "Does the Zhenren know that Youju Town..."

"Of course I know that many Outsiders have arrived. It is precisely because they are not doing their jobs that I must give them a hand and get this group of trash who have come to Youju Town to fish in troubled waters to take action."

"Reporting to the Zhenren, I choose Xiao Hua Xiang. At the earliest, by late the day after tomorrow, my mold will have grown, which is the thirteenth day of the eighth month."

The two who had been embracing in full view of everyone finally separated.

Zhang Cuicui's eyes were overflowing with tears, whether from rubbing them red or crying them red, and she held Yang Yun's hand reluctantly: "Yang Lang, is what Yang Lang said true?"

Yang Yun also shed tears and choked out: "I once saw a line in a storybook: 'There are a hundred charms and a thousand reds in the human world, but you alone are the one my heart is set upon.'"

"Take me home." She put down the heart that had been hanging in her throat and murmured.

"Hm?" Yang Yun had not heard clearly.

Zhang Cuicui suddenly shouted with a sobbing tone: "Take me home! Back to our home!"

He nodded heavily and laughed happily: "Alright!"

The two ignored the wonton stall, walked through the crowd, and stepped onto the stone slabs of Caiyan Street, striding toward Zhecao Alley.

Since they were ignoring the wonton stall, Zhao Chan stayed behind to quietly pack it up properly. After thinking for a moment, he carried and pushed it all the way to the door of Brother Yang's house in Zhecao Alley.

The door was wide open, and the corners on both sides had grown mold.

"Brother Yang? Sister-in-law Yang?" Before entering, Zhao Chan shouted first.

Before long, Yang Yun walked out from the house, but Zhang Cuicui was nowhere to be seen: "Worthy brother."

"I have brought over your wife's wonton stall."

"I have troubled you, worthy brother; just leave it in the courtyard," Yang Yun thanked him.

He did not bow, but Zhao Chan instead cupped his hands in a salute: "If there is nothing else, I am off to the Demon Slaying Office."

"Take care on your way, worthy brother; remember to come to my home tonight to drink the wedding wine and eat the wedding feast."

"Congratulations, Brother Yang! Congratulations, Sister Cui Cui!" Zhao Chan offered his heartfelt blessings, "I wish Brother Yang and Sister Cui Cui a marriage that lasts a hundred years and the early birth of a son."

"Haha... take care on your way, worthy brother."

After Zhao Chan left, Yang Yun shut the gate tight, dropped the latch, and returned inside the house.

Zhang Cuicui, her clothes in disarray, sat shyly by the edge of the bed.

She stared at her beloved husband and murmured, "Lang Yang, Lang Yang..."

He sat beside her, pulled Zhang Cuicui into his embrace, and said softly, "It feels just like a dream."

"Lang Yang, if I were not human but a Demon, would you still be devoted to me?"

Yang Yun asked with a smile, "What kind of Demon would you be?"

"A Fox Demon! Hmm, a Fox Demon who has achieved some small success in her cultivation within a hundred miles of Youju Town!" Zhang Cuicui said, filled with worry.

After a long while without hearing Yang Yun's reply, she instantly regretted her loose tongue; like a child who had said the wrong thing, she slowly lifted her head from his embrace, only to see Yang Yun looking down at her with deep affection.

Then she heard him say, word by word.

"If you were a Fox Demon, your lifespan would be longer than mine."

"Hmm, perhaps that's true? I don't know." She buried her head back down, terrified that Yang Yun would say something heartless.

Just as she expected, Yang Yun heaved a long sigh.

Zhang Cuicui immediately burst into tears again.

"I only worry that I cannot stay with you for a long, long time."

"Lang Yang?"

He spoke as if taking an oath: "I only know that you treat me with true sincerity; whether you are human or a Demon, as long as I, Yang Yun, have a conscience, I cannot fail you."

Zhang Cuicui suddenly hugged his neck with great force and cried out, "Lang Yang, Lang Yang... I would rather die in your stead."

Zhao Chan arrived at the Demon Slaying Office.

Wang Huan's eyes were bloodshot: "I fear something has happened to Shao Hua and the others."