Chapter 20: Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter Twenty: Cause and Effect

Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter Twenty: Cause and Effect

After tidying up, the house was still a mess.

The Outsider Qiu Gao had left this already destitute house in a state of precarious ruin, but in the end, he had given Zhao Chan four taels and ten copper coins, which could be considered a "sudden prick of conscience."

The table and chairs were in pieces; Zhao Chan gathered them up, but they had been smashed to smithereens by Qiu Gao, so he simply held the wontons Yang Yun had sent and squatted to eat them.

They were still chive-filled wontons, the taste the same as before.

He ate very slowly, as if he were not eating lunch but rather meticulously planning something.

"Is this Master Zhao's house?" the apprentice from the coffin shop called out from outside the door.

Zhao Chan put down the wonton bowl and closed the door, sparing the apprentice from seeing the mess inside.

It was true that he was an insignificant little person, but even a little person had their own self-respect.

"Coming!" Zhao Chan shouted.

He trotted to the door; the apprentice was driving a mule, and the mule was pulling a flatbed cart. The cart must have been many years old, looking exceptionally dilapidated, with several wooden planks already broken, though fortunately, this did not affect the coffin resting on top, which was tied firmly to the cart with several ropes.

"It's been delivered," the apprentice smiled. "It's hard work, Master Zhao, but please help me unload the coffin."

Zhao Chan pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Little brother, can I hire the mule and the flatbed cart?"

"Ha, Master Zhao, what are you saying? As long as you pay, of course you can hire them."

"Please, tell me the price."

"Master Zhao, we are all folks of Youju Town who see each other every day; our coffin shop wouldn't try to gouge you. Don't be in a rush, let me calculate the account for you first," the apprentice said with a grin.

Zhao Chan nodded: "I'll trouble you."

"Raising this mule to this point, our shopkeeper has been very determined; he has never let this beast go hungry or thirsty, and the expenses back and forth have not been a small sum. That is the first point.

There are only four flatbed carts in Youju Town; three are at Daguan Lane, and the remaining one is right here.

Master Zhao, the shopkeeper gave me a few extra instructions before I came. If you hire the mule and the flatbed cart, I'll give you a twenty percent discount, totaling twenty-seven copper coins.

Of course, you don't need to prepare the wheat bran and bean dregs for the mule; I will bring them over later.

The flatbed cart also has a depreciation fee; others who hire the cart are charged an extra five copper coins for depreciation, but for Master Zhao, the depreciation fee is waived."

Seeing that Zhao Chan was about to agree, the apprentice hurriedly raised a hand to stop him: "Master Zhao, wait, I haven't finished speaking yet.

It's like this: mules are precious in Youju Town, and this one is carefully tended by our shopkeeper, so Master Zhao must first give us one tael of silver. Master Zhao, don't worry, this one tael of silver is merely a deposit temporarily held by the coffin shop. Once Master Zhao is finished with your business, bring twenty-seven copper coins to the coffin shop; you give us the twenty-seven coins, and we will return your one-tael silver deposit."

Having said this, the apprentice sighed.

"Master Zhao, you are a good person, and life hasn't been easy for you; all the neighbors in Youju Town know this. But this matter... this matter was ordered by the shopkeeper himself, and I, I am powerless to help you smooth things over!

Then again, who in this world has an easy life?"

The apprentice knew clearly in his heart that Zhao Chan couldn't possibly have a tael of silver. If he did, how could he have delayed buying a coffin over and over, dragging it out until the tenth of the eighth month?

"Master Zhao, please don't take it to heart. You have your difficulties, and our shopkeeper has his; it is by no means an intentional attempt to make things difficult for you," the apprentice explained.

Zhao Chan said calmly: "I understand."

Fearing he might hurt Zhao Chan's self-esteem, the apprentice hurriedly explained: "Master Zhao, you must not overthink this. The price of a single mule alone exceeds one tael of silver, not to mention the flatbed cart. The reason the shopkeeper wants to collect this one-tael deposit is truly out of necessity. No one knows if someone who hires the mule and cart might be overcome by greed and sell them off for money."

He stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Chan's hand: "The shopkeeper thinks very highly of you. He often tells me that Zhao Chan will be an extraordinary person when he grows up, not like those lazy bums who are poor in spirit and idle all day. When the storyteller recounts heroic tales, those heroes from backwater villages were struggling for their next meal yesterday, only to encounter the wind and clouds and transform into dragons tomorrow.

You, Master, are just such a hero!"

Why did this coffin shop apprentice suddenly have so much to say?

To the point of being overly cautious, for fear of making a mistake.

Could it be that the news of him being a Demon Slayer had already spread throughout Youju Town?

The apprentice continued: "Master Zhao is now a Demon Slayer; if you kill a few more Demons for our fellow villagers and become a warrior like Wang Huan, never mind one tael of silver, you'll be able to bring out five or ten!"

Zhao Chan was instantly caught between laughter and tears; it turned out that because he had become a Demon Slayer, the apprentice had heard the news and adopted this fawning, obsequious attitude.

Previously, when he went to the coffin shop, although this apprentice hadn't looked down on him, he hadn't been overly warm either; he would just casually introduce the coffins and then go back to his own business.

Pulling his hand back, Zhao Chan smiled: "Little brother, wait a moment."

The apprentice's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself, *It's over. Master Zhao must have taken it the wrong way. Sigh, if I offend a Demon Slayer from the Demon Slaying Division and the shopkeeper finds out, he'll beat me to death. *

But he saw Zhao Chan run back into the house, not forgetting to close the door to block the apprentice's prying gaze.

The apprentice was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth around the mule cart.

"Should I just run away?"

"No, no, as the saying goes, you can run from the monk but you can't run from the temple. If I run, what will happen to my parents and my younger sister?"

Just as the apprentice was feeling uneasy and letting his imagination run wild, Zhao Chan returned and handed him a tael of silver.

"Little brother, this is one tael of silver. Can I hire the mule and the flatbed cart? I have no relatives in town, and if I don't have the mule and cart to help pull the coffin, I don't know how I will bury Lao Liu."

Holding the silver in both hands, the apprentice couldn't help but look Zhao Chan up and down. He hadn't seen him for a few days, so how had he become so well-off?

Zhao Chan asked calmly: "After noon tomorrow... probably before dusk, I will return the mule and cart to the coffin shop. If I use them for one day, is it still twenty-seven copper coins?"

The apprentice nodded blankly: "Yes, that's right."

"I have nothing else."

The apprentice snapped back to reality and hurriedly said: "Master Zhao is a very busy person now, so I won't disturb you. If you need anything, just come to the coffin shop and find me or the shopkeeper."

"I've troubled you, little brother."

Walking down the alley with the one-tael silver deposit, the apprentice felt a sense of unreality.

The Zhao Chan who struggled for every meal in years past; the Zhao Chan who carried a lacquer knife and a Lacquer Basket every day; the Zhao Chan who would fawn over everyone he met; how had he suddenly changed into a different person?

The apprentice shook his head. In his memory, Zhao Chan was still the child who followed behind Lao Liu, only reaching his chest in height, as they passed the coffin shop gate, climbing mountains and wading through rivers to gather lacquer, suffering as if they were in hell.

Zhao Chan led the mule into the courtyard; fortunately, the gate was wide enough, and the cart carrying the coffin also entered without incident.

He settled the mule.

He picked up the wontons he hadn't finished and ate them slowly, chewing carefully.

When he was auditing at the private school, the teacher would hold a classic text, hands behind his back, and sway his head as he led the students in reciting—"Know when to stop and there will be stability; after stability, one can be tranquil; after tranquility, one can be at peace; after peace, one can deliberate; after deliberation, one can attain."

Next, the Private School Teacher explained that this is the sages admonishing us: only when one has clarified their goal can their ambition be firm; only with firm ambition can one be calm and unperturbed; only by being calm and unperturbed can one have a settled heart; only with a settled heart can one think thoroughly; once one thinks thoroughly... whether you are studying for the imperial examinations or doing other things, you will all gain something!

The clear, resonant sound of reading aloud.

Zhao Chan hid under the window in the private school courtyard, whispering and reciting it over and over.

Bai Yuqing once asked him if he liked Confucian studies.

He replied that he only liked useful studies.

He considered this sentence taught to him by the Private School Teacher to be useful.

Agreeing to exchange the Treasure Book with Sun He was because he had long sensed Sun He's ill intentions; he had prepared a similar book in advance, which was why he was willing to become Wang Huan's Assistant Soldier under Sun He's matchmaking.

When Wang Huan killed the Shanniu Village villagers who had been refined into Chang Ghosts by the Mountain Ghost, he was almost ambushed and killed by the Mountain Ghost; it was also then that he witnessed the Mountain Ghost clearly die once yet still remain lively, so he secretly guessed whether the Mountain Ghost was the type of powerful Demon that Lao Liu had spoken of, which was not something Wang Huan could deal with at all, so at the critical moment, he used the Peach Branch to help Wang Huan kill the Mountain Ghost once more; if Wang Huan died, how could he himself remain unscathed? Otherwise, seeing the miraculous nature of the Peach Branch, Zhao Chan would not have minded if he died at the hands of the Demon.

A small person struggling to survive has their own small-minded cunning.

Afterwards, agreeing to become bait for Bai Yuqing to fish for the Mountain Ghost and lure the Outsider who was ambushing him—all these things he did had traces to be found.

Zhao Chan carefully washed the bowl and chopsticks, put them back into the food box, and after finishing, returned them to Brother Yang.

He began to warm up.

In his mind, he recalled the sword moves from the first to the sixth forms of the Shake God Sword.

He carried the Green Snake Sword on his back, had a three-foot Peach Branch tucked diagonally at his waist, and still feeling it was not safe enough, he also brought the lacquer knife with him.

He walked to the side of the low wall, which was only separated from Sun He's house by one wall.

"Shao Hua and the others must have died at the hands of the Mountain Ghost." Zhao Chan muttered to himself, feeling some worry in his heart.

Besides this sage wisdom the Private School Teacher spoke of, on the first day Lao Liu taught him lacquer harvesting, he jokingly told him that lacquer harvesting was not an easy job, and since he was learning it at such a young age, he should have the heroic spirit to "dare to pull the old emperor off his horse even if it means sacrificing one's own life."

That was why he dared to fight a wolf pack alone, and upon encountering a tiger Demon, dared to risk his life in close-quarters combat with it.

"If I don't kill the Mountain Ghost, my heart cannot be settled, cannot be calm, cannot be at peace!"

He gripped the top of the wall with both hands.

"Young Master!"

Bai Yuqing and Bai Youjun stood outside the gate.

Bai Youjun hopped playfully and waved at him.

Zhao Chan glanced at them, unmoved, nimbly climbed to the top of the wall, and squatted down to quietly observe Sun He's house.

Sun He's father, Constable Sun, and the Demon Slayer Shao Hua had gone to Shanniu Village, and Sun He's mother was still at home, but the house was deathly silent, as if no living person had ever resided there.

Bai Youjun whispered to Bai Yuqing: "Sister, look at the Young Master, what is he doing?"

Bai Yuqing chuckled: "Zhao Chan's neighbor is a Chang Ghost."

"Right, this Chang Ghost is very weak and can't harm the Young Master... Sister, why don't you help the Young Master kill the Chang Ghost? And kill that disgusting old man too!" She hugged Bai Yuqing's arm, shaking it back and forth.

"You really have lost your mind!" Bai Yuqing looked with disdain at Qing, who was fixated on Zhao Chan.

Bai Youjun pleaded mournfully: "It is true that the Young Master is a mid-stage Body Refining Realm cultivator, but he lacks combat experience, I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."

"You, there is nothing to be afraid of. Heaven will extremely unfairly favor certain people, and coincidentally, your Young Master happens to be that kind of person." Bai Yuqing did not lack envy.

"Ah? Sister, the Daoist priest from Da'e Mountain also said Heaven favors us, so wouldn't that make the Young Master and me a match made in heaven?"

Bai Yuqing held her forehead and asked: "Qing, what is so good about Zhao Chan? You've only met him a few times! You haven't even spent time together, why are you acting like you've been hit by a love-poison?"

Bai Youjun said as a matter of course: "The Young Master is handsome, and he remains untainted like a lotus rising from the mud; his character is good, and he knows how to take care of people. Moreover, Sister, you sang, 'This heart has not rippled for a thousand years, so why do wild waves suddenly rise today?' I don't know if your heart has risen with wild waves, Sister, but when I saw the Young Master, my heart's wild waves suddenly surged."

Bai Yuqing deeply regretted bringing the innocent-as-a-blank-sheet Qing down the mountain.

Had she known such things would happen, she should have let her grow her character more and realize the fickleness and danger of the human heart before allowing her to come down.

Seeing Bai Yuqing ignoring her, she hummed: "If Sister won't help, I will!"

"I'm afraid of you!" Bai Yuqing sighed helplessly.

Immediately, she took her hand and drifted like a feather onto the wall, standing side-by-side with Zhao Chan.

Bai Youjun said happily: "Young Master!"

Zhao Chan's heart remained unmoved, and he called out as he had before: "Sun He?"

There was no one for a long time.

After silently weighing the danger, he bent down and jumped into Sun He's courtyard.

The moment he landed.

The door opened.

Sun He, with a large black mole on his left cheek, walked out with a grin: "Young Master, you are a bit too impatient."

"You are not Sun He." Zhao Chan seemed to ask a redundant question.

"Haha... Sun He had evil intentions toward you; I killed him for you, you should thank me."

Zhao Chan stared fixedly at his face and tried to take a step forward.

Bai Youjun immediately wanted to go forward too, but was grabbed by Bai Yuqing and kept by her side, not allowed to act recklessly.

"Mountain Ghost?"

"Ha, correct, and also incorrect."

Zhao Chan was indifferent; he didn't understand the meaning behind these words at all, but Bai Yuqing frowned slightly.

"You came to Youju Town also for Pan Xi's Cave Abode, right?" Xiaoshui Zhenren looked at the Bai sisters.

Bai Yuqing sneered: "Playing god and acting like a ghost."

"Haha..." Xiaoshui Zhenren laughed loudly, "No rush, no rush. Whether I am playing god or acting like a ghost, it will soon be revealed."

Zhao Chan gripped the Peach Branch at his waist. Just as Xiaoshui Zhenren was speaking, he stepped forward, and the sword marks of the third form of the Shake God Sword came naturally to hand. This sword strike was fast and swift; he mobilized all the strength in his muscles and bones, wanting to kill this Chang Ghost with absolute certainty.

He did not want to know if the Demon possessing Sun He's body was the Mountain Ghost.

He only knew one thing.

Since he knew a Demon lived next door, he, who already had nightmares every night, would sleep even worse.

Xiaoshui Zhenren was surprised: "Force? Mid-grade Body Refining Realm? Good, good, good, this is truly... truly an unexpected joy, an unexpected joy! Peach Branch is also good! Peach Branch is also good!!"

The voice had just fallen.

Peach Branch severed his head.

There was not a drop of blood, like a puppet made of paper.

Bai Yuqing thought to herself, stitching a skin bag, bestowing a soul, then dividing a wisp of divine sense to swallow the soul, occupying this physique like a cuckoo in a magpie's nest; it looks like a Chang Ghost, but in reality, it is akin to possession, so it does not matter if it is killed, if a wisp of divine sense is gone, it is gone, one can just cultivate another one. What a Chang Ghost Technique! Truly whimsical.

She saw more clearly than A Ping.

"Elder sister, what is his cultivation level?" Bai Youjun asked in a low voice, clutching her arm.

"It should be the Knowing Fate Realm, but it doesn't seem like it; if it were the Knowing Fate Realm, he would be much weaker, yet only by reaching the Knowing Fate Realm can one manipulate one's own divine sense."

"Then that means his realm has fallen!"

"Perhaps." Bai Yuqing had not seen the true body of Xiaoshui Zhenren and was not entirely certain, "If a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm practiced a technique to manipulate divine sense, they could also achieve this."