Chapter 27: Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 27: The Twelfth of the Eighth Month

Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 27: The Twelfth of the Eighth Month

Early in the morning, an apprentice from the coffin shop pushed a single-wheeled cart of grass for the mules to Zhao Chan's house.

"Is Young Master Zhao up?" the apprentice shouted.

Zhao Chan moved the door bolt and opened the gate: "Did you bring the grass?"

"The Young Master is sending Lao Liu to his funeral today, so the shopkeeper told me to come early to feed the mules."

"Thank you."

Seeing Zhao Chan sweating from practicing his sword, the apprentice said with sincere gratitude: "Everyone already knows about the Young Master killing demons in Taoli Lane yesterday. Sigh, if it weren't for the Young Master and the strongman Wang turning the tide, what would the villagers do when facing demons!"

"Since I am a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slaying Division, slaying demons is a matter of course." Zhao Chan gave a hand, pushed the single-wheeled cart to the mule together, and scattered the grass, letting it eat to its heart's content.

"The Young Master is not afraid of fatigue and practices the sword early in the morning. When I go back, I will tell the shopkeeper, and perhaps he will waive the fee for the Young Master to hire the mules and the cart."

The apprentice spoke vaguely, referring to the fact that Youju Town had suffered from demon trouble, and wasn't it the Demon Slaying Division that risked dealing with it? Zhao Chan was now a Demon Slayer and had killed demons, so how could the coffin shop have the face to continue charging for the mules and cart? Zhao Chan practiced his sword early in the morning, and in the end, it was for the lives of the villagers, so this could not be charged!

Before the apprentice brought the grass, he had practiced his sword skills for nearly an hour—half an hour of basic sword techniques and half an hour of *Shake God Sword*.

Sheathing the Green Snake, Zhao Chan said: "One thing is one thing; this money is what I should pay."

"The Young Master is truly righteous!" The apprentice gave a thumbs up. "If there are no other instructions, I will return to the coffin shop to report to the shopkeeper."

"Go slowly."

"Oh, right, can the Young Master reveal whether our town will suffer from demon trouble again?"

Zhao Chan shook his head: "Who can say for sure?"

"Sigh! Damn demons! Why are they endless?" The apprentice shook his head and pushed the single-wheeled cart back to the coffin shop.

Zhao Chan stood in the alley and watched him go. Just as he was about to reach the alley entrance, the apprentice suddenly remembered something, turned back, and asked: "Does the Young Master know what day it is today?"

"The twelfth of the eighth month?"

"I glanced at the almanac when I came.

The twelfth of the eighth month,

Suitable for: opening a market, sacrifice, burial, erecting a monument.

Avoid: hanging a plaque, opening a canal, building a stove.

Young Master Zhao, let me tell you, today is a good day."

Zhao Chan bowed: "Thank you for the reminder, little brother."

"The Young Master and Lao Liu are both good people. Although Lao Liu was unfortunate to pass away, he has the Young Master's caring funeral, so Lao Liu should be able to rest in peace."

The sound of the single-wheeled cart gradually faded away.

"Young Master!" Bai Youjun, carrying a large package of food, ran toward him in a hurry.

Zhao Chan was about to turn back home to wash his sweaty face, so he had to bow: "Little Miss Bai."

"Sister is behind!" she pointed to the alley entrance.

Bai Yuqing, in a white dress, walked up to him and asked slowly: "Did you give both Mountain Ghost Flower Money to others?"

"Yes," Zhao Chan admitted calmly.

Bai Yuqing asked strangely: "Could it be that you don't know the preciousness of the Mountain Ghost Flower Money?"

"I know."

"And you still stubbornly gave them away."

Zhao Chan invited the two sisters into the courtyard, moved a table and wooden stools, and invited them to sit down: "It is precisely because the Mountain Ghost Flower Money is precious that I gave it away."

Bai Youjun seemed to have forgotten Zhao Chan's lingering looks with Chen Xianggu and happily unwrapped the food. "Young Master, this is the breakfast I bought for you! Yesterday evening, I saw the Young Master kill the ox demon with a sharp sword. You should eat something good to replenish the strength you consumed!"

Zhao Chan stepped back two steps and bowed: "I will keep your kindness in mind, Zhao Chan."

"Heh," Bai Yuqing mocked. "Learning nothing good, only learning this bullshit

"Only with proper etiquette can I show Miss Xiaobai that I am truly and sincerely grateful," he retorted.

Bai Yuqing's expression shifted slightly. She thought to herself that what Zhao Chan said was not without reason, then immediately sneered: "Qing, have you seen it? Men are all fickle. In the span of a mere two days, your young man has transformed from a rustic mountain boy into someone sophisticated and slick."

Bai Youjun defended Zhao Chan: "The young man is like an exiled immortal; his rapid growth in such a short time is exactly what fits his natural talent! Young man, don't talk to my elder sister; she just has this aloof temperament and cannot tolerate even a speck of sand in her eyes."

She handed chopsticks to Zhao Chan.

"Young man, hurry and taste it. There is only one place in Youju Town that sells breakfast, and the taste isn't good either. If we were in Lingzhou City, I would definitely let you eat delicacies from land and sea every day."

Bai Youjun's familiarity made her seem like the mistress of the house.

Zhao Chan smiled, took the chopsticks, and without being coy, immediately began to eat heartily.

Bai Youjun accompanied him as he ate, a deep smile lingering on her lips the whole time.

"Zhao Chan, you are a smart person; you must be able to see Qing's intentions," Bai Yuqing said, getting straight to the point. "I am her elder sister, and I cannot bear to see Qing suffer even the slightest grievance..."

After swallowing his food, Zhao Chan asked with a heart as still as water: "What do you want me to do?"

"Leave that woman."

"Who?"

"The first person you gave Mountain Ghost Flower Money to."

Zhao Chan said bluntly: "I only agreed to be the bait for you to fish for the Mountain Ghost."

As if performing a magic trick, Bai Yuqing grabbed a bag of money and threw it onto the table, the mouth of the pouch tied tightly: "Inside are one hundred and fifty Mountain Ghost Flower Coins. Take it and leave that woman."

"The teacher gave me some youthful spirit, and he also said that I used to be very dull."

Zhao Chan's hand reached toward the bag of Mountain Ghost Flower Coins, and seeing this, Bai Youjun's eyes sparkled.

"I understand that I was too old-fashioned, always leaving myself a way out in everything. In the past, when dealing with the townspeople, I was afraid of saying the wrong word or doing the wrong thing, worried they would look down on me, a child without a father or mother."

Without the slightest attachment, he pushed the entire bag of Mountain Ghost Flower Coins toward Bai Yuqing: "Everyone says I've changed, as if I've become a different person, but in reality, I am just returning to being myself."

Bai Yuqing squinted at Zhao Chan: "The value of this bag of Mountain Ghost Flower Coins is something the current you cannot imagine. Do you really not want it?"

"If I take it, I will become someone who is not me," he said righteously.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuqing burst into laughter in an instant, "What about your etiquette of bowing and cupping your hands to everyone you meet?"

"I learned it from Brother Yang. I think this kind of etiquette is quite good."

"Interesting." Bai Yuqing took away the bag of Mountain Ghost Flower Coins.

Although using Mountain Ghost Flower Coins to test Zhao Chan was something her elder sister had decided long ago, when he neither wanted the coins nor agreed to leave that woman, Bai Youjun felt both happy and sad.

The young man was not someone blinded by money, especially when faced with the precious Mountain Ghost Flower Coins; he had not the slightest greed. She was very happy that she had not misjudged him.

The sadness was that the young man seemed to have deep and sincere feelings for that woman in Taoli Lane.

"Understanding this etiquette will be beneficial when you walk out of Youju Town into the vast world outside. It is rare that you can realize this," Bai Yuqing praised. "I am close to finding the Mountain Ghost hiding outside the town. Don't forget that you are the bait to help me fish for the Mountain Ghost."

"Mm." Zhao Chan nodded earnestly.

"What should you call me?"

"Miss Da Bai?"

Bai Yuqing waved at Bai Youjun: "Qing, let's go."

"Elder sister, I haven't finished breakfast with the young man yet."

Seeing her elder sister's expression gradually turn angry and displeased, she quickly changed her words: "The young man is quite busy, let's go."

Linking arms with her elder sister, Bai Youjun whispered to Zhao Chan: "Young man, the reason my elder sister calls me Qing is because my childhood name is Qingshen. Except for my elder sister, only you know this."

"Miss Xiaobai..." Zhao Chan racked his brains but didn't know how to reply.

He saw them out of the alley.

He returned to the courtyard, sat on a wooden stool, and looked at the food on the table.

These were all Miss Xiaobai's intentions.

Zhao Chan suddenly found himself unable to eat, yet unable not to eat.

In the end, he managed a few bites, packed the rest away into the house, and trotted toward the Demon Slaying Division.

Many Youju Town residents had gathered in front of the Demon Slaying Division.

Wang Huan had put on his tattered cloak with holes in it, and he stood on the steps: "Fellow villagers! Rest assured! As long as I, Wang Huan, am not dead, I will definitely do my utmost to stop the demons from breaking into Youju Town!"

"Warrior Wang! What about Shao Hua and the others? Why haven't they shown their faces yet?"

"That's right, Warrior Wang, and our town's constables, they've all disappeared!"

"Could it be that they have been harmed?"

"What should we do! What should we do!"

"With Warrior Wang in Youju Town, it's fine, but what about the villages outside?"

"It's over! It's over!"

The crowd said all sorts of things; even the shadow puppet troupe that came to perform in Youju Town had arrived.

The troupe leader waved his hands high: "Warrior Wang, is it safe outside the town or not? Our troupe still needs to go to the next town to perform!"

"Troupe leader, why are you still asking such silly questions? Youju Town isn't even safe anymore, so where could it be safe in the wild wilderness outside? There must be demons running everywhere!"

He stomped his feet heavily, anxious and at a loss.

Wang Huan shouted: "Listen to me..."

Zhao Chan walked to his side, and after Wang Huan comforted the people a bit more, he whispered: "Brother Wang, this can't go on. Brother Shao Hua and the others haven't returned to town for a long time; the villagers will know the result sooner or later. It's better to tell them early, so we can deal with the coming demon plague."

Yesterday, they killed three demons, and Wang Huan said they had run down from Eren Mountain. With so many demons on Eren Mountain, heaven knows how many had run away? And how many demons were attacking villages and towns?

Wang Huan sighed helplessly: "To tell you the truth, there are only two Demon Slayers left in the Youju Town Demon Slaying Division, me and Zhao Chan. Shao Hua... Shao Hua and the others, as well as the other constables, should... should have lost their lives in Shanniu Village!

To protect Youju Town, Zhao Chan and I dared not go to look for them.

Fellow villagers! The Youju Town Demon Slaying Division has now reached its most destitute time, I hope you..."

Before he could finish speaking.

The crowd gathered in front of the Demon Slaying Division had their expressions change from astonishment to panic in an instant, and then they scattered in a rush.

"Sigh!" Wang Huan said, "This morning, outside the town, I saw demons chasing each other under the mountains. It's a troubled time, a troubled time!"

"Brother Wang, I want to go to Xiaoshi Village."

"For what?"

"To pick up Sister Wu Ting. I have already agreed with her to hold the funeral for Lao Liu today."

"Zhao Chan, what time do you think it is!" Wang Huan said angrily.

The young man said calmly: "By the way, I will also check the situation outside Youju Town for Brother Wang. The Demon Slaying Division cannot just look after the town and stand by while the villagers in the villages die."

"That sounds nice, but isn't it... isn't it that there's only you and me left in the Demon Slaying Division!"

"At present, Youju Town is still stable, so it's better to send me out to take a look."

After thinking it over, Wang Huan sighed: "Are you sure?"

"Mm."

"Good! Go then!"

With the way Zhao Chan killed the bull demon, mindless demon beasts could not do anything to him, and ordinary demons that had gained intelligence might also not be his match. What Wang Huan worried about was a demon that had cultivated for years and gained Daoist power setting its sights on him.

But... what else could be done?

Just as Zhao Chan said, they could not just look after Youju Town and stand by while the villagers living in the villages died.

Moreover, he had once said to Zhao Chan himself: "The Demon Slaying Division does the work of slaying demons and eliminating monsters, protecting the people so they can live in peace. Those admitted into the Demon Slaying Division are mostly people with simple minds who are dedicated to the people."

The salaries of the Demon Slaying Divisions everywhere are provided by the people. Although the people of Youju Town provide the bulk, the people living in the villages also contribute.

Having taken the people's money, one must slay demons and eliminate monsters for them.

Zhao Chan tightened his Green Snake Sword. He had gotten dead drunk at Brother Yang's wedding banquet last night, and when he left, he didn't forget to take the sword standing by the door.

He ran rapidly toward Xiaoshi Village.

Wang Huan knocked open the door of the wine shop and bought a large jar of wine.

He drank it all in one go, using the alcohol to temporarily suppress the sorrow in his heart.

Carrying his heavy sword.

He began to patrol the streets and alleys, lest they be caught off guard by demons again.

These past few days, it was as if a great mountain was pressing on Wang Huan's shoulders, and he hadn't rested much; his eyes were bloodshot, his physical strength was greatly depleted, and his walk was light and airy.

Xie Wan combed her hair in front of the mirror.

She changed into a set of tight-fitting clothes.

Her Pressing-Clothes Knife was placed by her side, and there was also a sword leaning nearby.

A Ping's gaze did not leave his small book, and he said: "The demons of Eren Mountain have run out. I suppose that as the time for the Cave Abode to open draws near, some changes have occurred."

Wu He, the thug hired by the caravan, had once mentioned to Xie Wan that they saw a great light shining halfway up Eren Mountain.

She smiled: "A good thing. Let those demons slaughter Youju Town; it won't dirty our hands."

"What realm have you recovered to?" A Ping asked.

Xie Wan's cultivation was unsealed today.

"Mid-grade Foundation Establishment Realm, perhaps I can rise to the upper grade by evening."

"That's enough. The cultivators who have come to Youju Town are mostly trash."

"Senior brother, what if that old flood dragon chases us at a critical moment?"

A Ping smiled: "Of course, we'll slaughter it and help you make a flood dragon tendon belt."

"Heh, I wouldn't dare offend Wangqing River to the death."

After finishing her grooming.

Xie Wan gave A Ping a foxy smile: "As long as I'm a monk for a day, I'll ring the bell for a day. I am still the landlady of the Xizhao Inn, so I'll trouble senior brother to continue being my odd-job worker."

A Ping complained bitterly.

The theater troupe was gathered in the main hall discussing things. Some said to run away while there were no signs of demons, others said that Youju Town had already suffered a demon plague, and the wilderness must be filled with demons...

Bai Yuqing and Bai Youjun were still sitting by the window.

Xie Wan walked down the wooden stairs and asked with a smile: "What tea would the two guests like to drink today?"

"Whatever," Bai Yuqing said.

"Alright, it'll be our inn's best fragrant chrysanthemum tea."

Boiling hot water was poured into the teapot. Xie Wan twisted her round hips and puffed out her proud chest, "Please enjoy."

Bai Yuqing glanced at her, noting her mid-grade Foundation Establishment cultivation, "What did you do to have your cultivation sealed?"

"Better not to say, it's quite embarrassing. However, since you are guests at the Xizhao Inn, it's fine to tell you," Xie Wan smiled. "I just killed a few people for a stinking man."

"It's not surprising that the Xuanwei Sect could produce a disciple like you," Bai Yuqing said.

"Look at what the guest says, I am considered a top-notch good person in the Xuanwei Sect." After dropping this sentence, Xie Wan brewed another pot of tea and served it to Huangfu Changqiu and Xun Lan, who were sitting in the corner.

Bai Youjun whispered: "Shameless!"

Bai Yuqing's hands moved as if controlling marionettes, and the theater troupe members who were gathered and discussing suddenly stopped their voices and dispersed.

Huangfu Changqiu watched this scene and smiled: "Good technique!"

"She is indeed a good person, saving them with the Puppet Control Technique," Xun Lan said slowly.

"The aura on her is slightly strange."

"The aura of the 'Baize Jade Record'; she has left her name in the 'Baize Jade Record'."

After Xun Lan finished speaking slowly, Huangfu Changqiu suddenly realized: "Almost forgot, there is a female demon cultivator in the Hengwu Pavilion who left her name in the 'Baize Jade Record'. I heard she is a newly accepted disciple of the Pavilion Master? Should you call her grand-master?"

"Mm, her seniority is quite high, but her cultivation is not very good," Xun Lan said with slow disdain.