Chapter 5: Volume 1: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 5: Shadow Puppet

The shadow puppet troupe finally arrived in Youju Town on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month.

The people of Youju Town had a tradition of listening to shadow puppet plays on the Autumnal Equinox.

Recently, the rain had been continuous, causing the mountain roads to be slippery and the dirt roads muddy, but the troupe arrived as promised, making the people overjoyed.

It was getting late.

Lanterns were hung high, and the stage was crudely covered with a layer of badly faded colored cloth.

The people sat under the stage with their children, full of anticipation, waiting for the shadow play to begin.

The outsiders who came here were also deeply influenced, standing on the periphery in twos and threes, their eyes flickering, looking at the busy actors.

Everything was ready.

Behind the erected white cloth, a large lantern was hung, illuminating the white cloth brightly.

The audience held their breath, not daring to breathe, waiting expectantly.

Suddenly, a crisp clapper sound came.

"Leaving Da'e Mountain to Youju Town..."

The singing was as melodious as an oriole, and two shadow puppets of women in colorful clothes jumped into the white cloth out of thin air.

"There is such a beautiful town in the world."

"Sister! We really came to the right place! This place is really interesting. Look, the men and women under the stage are all in pairs." As the clapper sound became urgent, another girl with a playful tone sang.

"Yes. When you and I were cultivating in Da'e Mountain, the cave abode was high and cold, locked by white clouds every day, wandering in the Lengshan Path, bored facing the Suoluo Flowers; today, coming to Youju Town, enjoying these gentle mountains and soft water, makes one feel very happy. Qing, look, that is the famous Fei Mountain in front."

"Sister, since it's called Fei Mountain, there should be red-feathered sparrows. I don't know that the male red-feathered sparrow is called Fei, and the female red-feathered sparrow is called Cui. Together, they are Fei-Cui."

The expressions of the townspeople suddenly became wonderful.

The older generation knew that the Eren Mountain, which the town talked about with fear, was actually called Fei Mountain twenty or thirty years ago. Later, a group of mountain bandits occupied Fei Mountain to rob, so it was changed to Eren Mountain.

One day, miasma rose on Fei Mountain, and the mountain bandits disappeared. The townspeople guessed that the miasma was a punishment from Heaven because the bandits were doing evil.

Then, demons appeared on Eren Mountain, and the townspeople would rather take a detour than pass by.

Clang, clang, clang...

The clapper sound suddenly turned urgent.

The sister sang decisively and powerfully: "Qing!"

"Although it's called Fei Mountain, where are the red-feathered sparrows?"

"Miasma is overflowing here, and demons are rampant."

"Every step in such a dangerous place is dangerous."

"You and I must be careful when we go down Da'e Mountain."

"Never be careless and lose your life."

The tone of the clapper sound changed.

Only hearing Qing say "Ah!", "Sister! Look, there is a young man carrying an iron sword walking over there. What a handsome person!"

The colorful shadow puppet of the woman pointed toward the outside of the town lively.

The people under the stage couldn't help but look out.

Zhao Chan, carrying the iron sword, happened to return to the town with Wang Huan.

Seeing the crowd listening to the play looking over, Zhao Chan, who had just experienced a demon infestation, suddenly felt his scalp tingle. He gripped the peach branch unconsciously.

Wang Huan said softly: "Don't be nervous, it's just the shadow puppet troupe singing a play based on local conditions."

The clapper sound knocked fiercely, and the two colorful shadow puppets on the white cloth seemed to freeze.

Until the highest point.

The rhythm slowed down.

The woman's voice sang like an oriole: "Where?"

"Ah!"

"Sure enough, it's a handsome young gentleman! It seems like a god from heaven descending into the mud..."

The clapper sound slowed down completely, like a shy beauty.

"And like a fairyland in the wonderful mountain scenery."

The shadow puppet covered its head, and Qing was surprised: "It's raining! Let's go, Sister."

The people looked up and couldn't see a bit of moonlight or starlight. Sure enough, it was drizzling.

Wang Huan said to Zhao Chan in a low voice: "It's not early, go home. We'll talk about the thirty coins and the registration in the Demon Slaying Division tomorrow."

"Many thanks, Brother Wang." He handed the iron sword back to Wang Huan, Zhao Chan carried the peach branch diagonally at his waist, and ran back to Nongsui Lane, where his ancestral house was located.

The people who were watching the shadow play excitedly sighed. Once it rained, the play couldn't be watched.

The troupe leader came out from behind the curtain and told the people that they wouldn't leave for a while and would stay in the town. There would be plays every day when the sky cleared. Only then did the people of Youju Town go home readily.

Those who bought houses in the town went back to sleep, and those who didn't buy houses had their own places to stay.

Wang Huan walked over and asked the troupe leader: "Do you have a place to sleep?"

"Yes, yes, go to the Xizhao Inn."

Nodding, Wang Huan returned to the Demon Slaying Division.

"He and that young gentleman have a thick ghost aura on them," Qing said.

"Clang..." The clapper sound rang suddenly, mixed with the rain, the tone low.

"This heart has not rippled for thousands of years."

"Why is there a sudden storm today?"

Qing asked: "Sister?"

"They have the smell of a Mountain Ghost on them. There should be a Mountain Ghost that can spit Mountain Ghost Flower Money lurking near Youju Town. The Mountain Ghost is cunning, but it can't hide from me."

Beside the burning large lantern, the delicate girl in green clothes, holding the arm of the woman in white, said: "Sister, the Mountain Ghost won't be slaughtered by these mortals. Since they were able to return safely, there must be an inside story. Why not use them as bait to catch the Mountain Ghost and take it back to Da'e Mountain to spit money."

The woman in white sized up her sister, who had bright eyes, white teeth, and a graceful, slender figure. "Qing, why don't you go and make contact with that young gentleman?"

The woman in white's delicate, onion-white fingers seemed to be idly plucking at zither strings. The speed at which the troupe's performers packed their gear noticeably increased. She smiled and said, "That young gentleman has clear brows and bright eyes, and is handsome and upright. Qing, you envy the way human men and women are like a pair of lovebirds; in my eyes, sister, this is a beautiful marriage that is even more beautiful."

"Sister..."

The others were busy with their own work, not knowing when two beautiful women had appeared in the troupe. They only remembered that on the mountain road to Youju Town, the rain was pouring, the mud was rolling, and the mountain flood erupted with a deafening sound.

The lights in the Xizhao Inn shone silently.

The merchant caravan passing through Youju Town drank wine and ate meat, shouting and making noise while drinking. From time to time, their eyes fell on the landlady facing the street.

The landlady had a wonderful figure, her bosom could crush a person, but her waist was slender. Her fiery red lips were like bright hawthorns. These rough men who had been eating and sleeping in the wind for nearly ten days were swallowing their saliva secretly, and the wine and meat in their mouths didn't taste good anymore.

The rain first sounded with a rhythmic ding-ding-dang-dang, and a moment later, it poured down in a torrential rain.

Zhao Chan ran past the inn door in a hurry.

"Little Toad!" the landlady shouted.

"Sister Wan'er!"

"Don't get soaked in the rain outside, come in and talk."

Looking at Zhao Chan, who was soaked like a drowned rat, the landlady led him into the inn. Her every move made the eyes of the merchant caravan men even more hot and unbearable.

The landlady whispered to Zhao Chan: "Don't run around with the Demon Slaying Division next time. What if you encounter a danger you can't handle?"

They walked into the room.

On the table, there was a dish, a soup, and four steamed buns.

"I'll go heat it up for you. Sit down and rest for a while."

"I'll just go home and eat."

"Forgot what you promised me?"

He shook his head.

"You said you'd come to my place for a meal when you got back. I'm not short of your pair of chopsticks. These are leftovers I ate; did you think I cooked specifically for you?"

The landlady came out of the room, and the merchant caravan men drinking and eating in the hall stared at her bosom again.

A Ping stood under the eaves of the backyard reading a small book and followed her into the kitchen.

"You're so heavily injured, I'm afraid you won't be able to complete the task assigned by the sect." The landlady poured the food into the pot, threw two pieces of firewood into the stove, and said while patting the dust on her hands.

The sword scar on A Ping's forehead was illuminated by the firewood: "The Mountain Ghost under the seat of Xiaoshui Zhenren swallowed a village of people outside the town."

"Mountain Ghost? Heh, really big-hearted, not afraid of others snatching the Mountain Ghost away." The landlady sneered.

"What's strange is that Xiaoshui Zhenren hasn't appeared for a long time. Could it be that he sent this Mountain Ghost to scout the path first? To test the quality of other cultivators?" A Ping looked at the firewood and pondered.

"An old bastard in the Lower Grade Knowing Fate Realm, but he possesses a 'coin minting furnace' that can spit Mountain Ghost Flower Money—it's purely seeking death. A Ping, tell me the truth, can you defeat Xiaoshui now?"

"Difficult."

A Ping stared at the jumping firewood and added: "Very difficult."

She deliberated: "On the twelfth day of the eighth month, my seal will be lifted. You and I will join forces to kill the old bastard Xiaoshui and snatch the Mountain Ghost. I will try my best to help you complete the sect task, six-four split, you six, I four. No matter if this matter succeeds or not, the Mountain Ghost must belong to me."

A Ping asked: "What about the Demon Slaying Division in Youju Town? The lives of the people? The cultivators who have been waiting here early?"

"A Ping, A Ping, you're a man who carries a handle, why are you like a fussy little girl? The Demon Slaying Division in Youju Town are all mortals, and the most powerful Wang Huan is only in the Upper Grade Body Refining Realm. If they die, they die. Then again, it doesn't matter if Zhao Chan is missing one; I'll send him away in advance."

The landlady stared at him: "As for these cultivators who are here for the fun, with you and me, we can kill them all!"

"Let me think about what way I can save the lives of the people." A Ping shook his head.

She dismissed it: "Killing them all is the only way. I've been in the town for eight years; I see more clearly than you."

She put the heated food on a tray, and the two entered the inn hall.

The merchant caravan men were all drunk, and the so-called wine emboldened them. Someone deliberately teased: "Landlady, is the man beside you a new lover you found? Aren't you afraid that the child's biological father in the room will come to the door and ask you for an explanation?"

The landlady's expression didn't change. In these years in the town, she had heard countless rumors.

A Ping glanced at the man unhappily.

"Could it be that brothers stepped on your tail? Hahaha..."

The landlady's red lips parted. In the end, she didn't say a word, sighed slightly, and the desire to kill arose in her heart.

Someone walked toward her with a knife. This person was a thug hired by the merchant caravan. He was born with great strength and had killed no less than fifteen demons under his knife. When he arrived at the inn, he was extremely covetous of the landlady with the hot figure: "You're just a slut, don't pretend to be a lady. Accompany us to sleep tonight, and we'll pay you enough. We'll cherish you, hehe..."

The merchant caravan men all laughed lewdly with ill intentions.

Zhao Chan silently took the heated food from the landlady, placed it back on the table gently, and then returned to the landlady's side.

The youth took a deep breath and asked in a low voice: "Sister Wan'er, are you angry?"

"What are you talking about? Sister Wan'er has been running the inn for eight years, welcoming and sending off people every day. I've heard countless idle gossip."

"You must be angry."

The landlady looked at Zhao Chan's earnest face and smiled helplessly: "Fine, fine, I am indeed angry."

A Ping carried his sword, his anger pent up. He really wanted to teach this group of bold merchant thugs a lesson, but he didn't move, as if he were worried about something.

Zhao Chan took in A Ping's expression and said to the landlady: "I'll vent your anger for you, Sister Wan'er."

With that, he walked toward the man with the knife.

The youth said calmly: "My name is Zhao Chan, a Demon Slayer from the Youju Town Demon Slaying Division. You saw me go to deal with the demon infestation with Master Wang."

"So what?"

"Kid, are you a wild brat born to the landlady and some wild man?"

Someone hesitated: "You're just helping Master Wang with chores; don't try to scare us!"

Zhao Chan didn't say much. After finishing his words, he picked up a long bench and smashed it hard on the head of the man with the knife.

Instantly, the man's head was broken and bleeding, and the long bench split into two.

Zhao Chan gripped the peach branch at his waist tightly.

The sudden change made the merchant thugs stare at him closely, and the heavy rain outside the inn seemed to fall silent.

The landlady covered her red lips, full of shock.

A Ping's gaze flashed over the three-foot peach branch.

The peach branch was sharp and peerless. He had seen with his own eyes that the peach branch easily severed the Chang ghost possessed by the Mountain Ghost.

The merchant thugs picked up their knives one after another.

The burly man whose head was broken and bleeding by Zhao Chan's bench was stunned for a long time, and immediately wanted to raise his knife to kill him.

A Ping's hand was placed on the hilt of his sword.

"Dare to draw a knife on the Demon Slaying Division?!" Zhao Chan gasped for breath, asking back in a calm tone.

As soon as these words came out, not only were the other merchant thugs hesitant, but the burly man with the bleeding head was also stunned.

That's right, if Zhao Chan was really a Demon Slayer, could they afford this crime?!

Who didn't know that the Demon Slaying Division protected its own the most?

For verbal provocation, they might be charged with obstructing demon slaying and could see the light of day again after a few years in a deep prison...

But if they attacked or even injured a Demon Slayer, they could only wash their necks and wait for their heads to move.

The merchant thugs looked at each other, standing in place at a loss.

A Ping took his hand off the sword hilt, and the anger on his face disappeared.

Zhao Chan glanced at A Ping, walked to the landlady, and asked in a low voice after his breathing smoothed out: "Sister Wan'er, are you satisfied now?"

The landlady looked surprised, covered her mouth and asked back: "Is Little Toad repaying me?"

"Sister Wan'er gave me food; I can't eat and drink for nothing." He said.

"Fine, fine, look at the sweat on your forehead, go eat quickly."

Coaxing Zhao Chan into the room, she turned to the merchant caravan men and smiled: "It's all a misunderstanding. I'll treat you to this meal."

"The landlady is too polite. It is indeed a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" The merchant caravan leader apologized awkwardly.

The shadow puppet troupe ran into the hall through the rain to the Xizhao Inn.

A group of actors ran into the hall bustlingly. The troupe leader glanced at the merchant thugs and asked the landlady: "Is there any food and guest rooms?"

"Yes, yes." She welcomed them with a smile.

The troupe leader waved his hand: "Bring out all the good wine and meat. Today is the Autumnal Equinox, a good solar term. Everyone eat and drink to your heart's content, and after you're full, sleep a peaceful sleep!"

The actors were overjoyed, cheering one after another, no longer feeling the chill of the autumn rain.

The woman in white and the girl in green sat quietly by the window.

A Ping glanced at them, and his brows furrowed tightly in an instant. ===== CHAPTER 6 =====