Chapter 23: The Demon in the Wall

The Wei family should also be relatively wealthy in this town.

At least, they once were wealthy.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had over twenty people.

As for their house, it’s located in the center of Danxun County.

The county town isn’t large, and the walk doesn’t take many steps.

But after eating dinner and walking over, combined with the misty rain, the sky gradually grew dim, causing Wei Yuanzhong’s fear to increase with every step.

It’s true this ghost only strikes people without harming them, but how many can truly bear not being afraid?

The lashes hurt terribly too.

“We’re here, we’re here.”

“Squeak…”

Wei Yuanzhong pushed open his own door and, trembling, gestured for Lin Jue to enter.

“Master, please come in.”

“You’re too kind.”

Lin Jue had long understood that fear in the face of a ghost brought no advantage, and that many ghosts were not as terrifying as one imagined; whether by intention or not, he naturally showed no visible dread now, stepping boldly inside.

At the same time, he turned his head, glancing left and right.

The Wei family’s house, large enough to house over a dozen people, was much bigger than ordinary homes, so a small courtyard greeted them right at the entrance.

Yet houses here were typically compact and refined, not as spacious as courtyard homes, and land in the town was precious, so this courtyard was in fact quite small.

Small as it was, it retained elegance.

Moss and weathered patches on the walls revealed its age; decorative bricks embedded in the walls were carved with plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, pine, and cypress—evergreen symbols. Usually, such courtyards would have a single tree; whether in Hengcun or Shucun, wealthy households designed their homes this way to add beauty. With tree shade, even under a blazing sun, the courtyard remained cool and serene.

Unfortunately, the tree in this courtyard had been cut down not long ago, leaving only a stump.

Some greenery remained, barely qualifying as lively.

The big house and large courtyard his young cousin often spoke of, the one he’d build someday—this must be what it looked like: able to house a dozen or twenty people, with a tree planted in the courtyard, growing tall enough to stretch over the walls and catch sunlight, lasting for generations.

At that moment, his steps suddenly halted.

He had just felt regret, turning to look at the stump, but his vision blurred—faint glimmers and shadows seemed to flow across the stump, like the Qi he felt during meditation.

“?”

Lin Jue frowned.

He said nothing for now, crossed the courtyard, and entered the house.

The interior was cool; faint light spilled from the central courtyard.

“Young Master…”

“Master Wei, don’t look to me—I’m no Daoist priest, I don’t know how to find or exorcise ghosts. I only agreed to spend one night here, and I can’t promise it’ll help.” Lin Jue said, “I’ll just see if the ghost appears tonight and lets me take the beating too.”

“Yes yes yes! Very good!”

Wei Yuanzhong hurriedly led him to a room with two beds.

For the past few days, no one in the family had dared sleep in this room; the door had been locked, the bedding had to be taken from the cabinets, and by the time they laid it out, night had fully fallen, so they lit an oil lamp.

Wei Yuanzhong was terrified—jumping at every shadow, every rustle he suspected was a demon. Lin Jue, however, remained calm, as if staying at a friend’s home, composedly fetching water to rinse his mouth and wipe his face.

Why so? Half was because he wasn’t afraid; half was because he couldn’t let himself be afraid. But neither alone was enough to make up half—it required both to combine: using fearlessness to act calmly, and using calm action to nurture courage within, convincing himself he truly wasn’t afraid. Only together did they achieve this complete lack of fear.

“Master Wei, take this bed. I’ll take the one by the door.”

“Yes yes yes…”

“Master Wei, don’t be so tense. Haven’t you heard the saying that ghosts prey on the timid and that fear only draws them closer?”

“Huh? This…”

Wei Yuanzhong grew even more frightened.

“Hah hah…”

Lin Jue chuckled twice, lay down on the bed, placed his chopping knife beneath his pillow, and, eyes open in the dim oil-light, changed the subject to chat with Wei Yuanzhong:

“You mentioned at the inn that a powerful Daoist recently arrived nearby, having exorcised dangerous demons from neighboring counties. You went to seek him out—is that true?”

“Going to see him was true. The rumors were true too.”

“Who told you?”

“Merchants traveling between the two counties…”

“What did this Daoist look like?”

“They said he was an old Daoist.”

“Didn’t you say he used Daoist arts to exorcise demons?”

“Exactly! That’s why everyone says the old Daoist is so powerful—his exorcism techniques! Pure, visible divine power!”

“He came from a neighboring county?”

“Yes, from Ruru County.”

“Where is he headed?”

“Who knows…”

“...”

Lin Jue chatted with him while thinking.

He was already exhausted from his bath, then had eaten his fill and felt utterly comfortable; soon, he fell asleep.

The oil lamp still sat in the center of the room, filled generously with oil, but as the wick burned shorter, the light dimmed.

With every dimming, the light reddened slightly.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared on the wall.

“Snap!”

In the silence, a sharp crack rang out—the force was unmistakable.

Who would dare cover themselves with thick quilts in summer? Wei Yuanzhong couldn’t bear it—he instantly opened his eyes and let out a loud cry.

“Ow!”

The cry carried a note of terror.

Lin Jue woke instantly.

He sat up immediately, the chopping knife already in hand—their thickness and weight gave him a security no small knife could match.

His gaze turned sharp, scanning the room.

He saw nothing.

Yet the room carried an indescribable sensation—not from his senses, but from the same awareness he felt when meditating by mountain streams, sensing the Five Qi of heaven and earth: mysterious, elusive.

This sensation pointed to the wall to his left.

This was the second floor; walls and doors were wooden.

Lin Jue turned his head—and for a fleeting moment, his vision blurred, as if he truly saw faint, shifting light within the wall.

He knew at once—

The ghost was hiding here.

He had guessed it already: this ghost had likely hidden within the stump at dusk, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.

So Lin Jue slipped on his shoes but remained seated on the bed, showing restraint, gripping the chopping knife tightly, facing the wooden wall. Though he knew nothing of what kind of ghost this was or what method it used, his voice and demeanor held no trace of hesitation or fear: “Why do you hide within the wall panels?”

No sooner had he spoken than Wei Yuanzhong jumped in fright.

He was closest to the wall; after a brief stunned pause, he scrambled away, crawling and rolling to the side, crying “Ow! Ow!” nonstop.

The shadow on the wall remained silent, gliding from the wall to Lin Jue’s left to the wall on his right.

Lin Jue’s gaze burned, following its movement.

He kept it locked in sight.

At the same time, his mind raced.

Something was off here.

“You’ve been troubling this place for a month, never killing anyone. Just now, when you appeared again, you struck only those beside me—not me. It’s said Master Wei went to the Chenghuang Temple to summon a deity’s statue, but it only worked for a few days before failing. Is there some deeper reason?”

You have been causing chaos here for a month without ever killing anyone; just now, when you appeared again to cause trouble, you only struck those beside me, never touching me myself... It is said that Lord Wei went to the Chenghuang Temple to summon a divine statue, yet it only worked for a few days before becoming useless—could there be some deeper connection here?

Lin Jue frowned slightly, eyes flickering.

“Where are you running to?”

The shadow’s Qi paused, then stopped.

After a moment, a voice emerged from within the wall:

“Who are you, some country bumpkin? This family took their grievance to the Chenghuang, yet lost their case—even the Chenghuang approved my right to whip them! What business is it of yours?”

Who is this country bumpkin? This family took their case to the Chenghuang and still lost their lawsuit; even the Chenghuang approved my right to whip them—what business is it of yours to meddle?

Wei Yuanzhong, hearing this, was stunned.

Lin Jue, however, exhaled in relief.

His guess was right—tonight, for him, held no real danger.

This ghost was reasonable!

But what did “taking the case to the Chenghuang” mean? “The Chenghuang approved the whipping”? What strange business was this?

Lin Jue felt puzzled.

Beside him, Wei Yuanzhong was terrified, silent, bowing repeatedly to Lin Jue as if he were his only lifeline.

Beside him, Wei Yuanzhong was terrified, silent, yet repeatedly bowing to him as if he were a lifeline.

Lin Jue naturally saw it; after a moment of confusion and surprise, he asked thoughtfully, “It seems you have some connection to the Wei family—would you care to explain?”

“What’s it to you?”

No sooner had the words left his lips than several objects flew out from the wall.

Lin Jue remained cautious, but since the objects carried little force and moved slowly, he merely ducked instinctively to avoid two, then swung his firewood axe unconsciously and knocked down a third.

“Clang! Clang! Clang…”

The objects hit the ground—several wooden knots.

“I observe your five qi are uncorrupted, your spirit pure and clear—you don’t seem to have done evil. I also know you eliminated a threat on the road today, so I have no wish to trouble you. Leave quickly!”

The voice continued coming from within the wall.

Lin Jue realized the other had no intent to harm him, so he felt no anger; after a moment’s thought, he said:

“You are a reasonable person. If you could win your case at the Chenghuang Temple, you must have justice on your side. Now that a connection exists, if things continue this way, the Wei family will never dare return home—and they’ll only keep devising ways to deal with you. Who knows, one day they might summon some monstrous spirit or burn down the house. Why endure such suffering?”

“Who’s afraid?”

“Why not discuss a solution?”

“What’s there to discuss?” The voice continued from within the wall.

“That’s right! My lord speaks truly! What have we Wei done to wrong you? Tell us! We don’t even know, so how can we apologize? Tell us, and we’ll discuss a resolution!” Wei Yuanzhong, seeing hope, immediately echoed him, nodding like a chicken pecking grain.

“Wei Gong speaks wisely. Even in the mortal world, a guilty party must know their crime. Your silence is truly baffling,” Lin Jue said sincerely. “Though I was invited by Wei Gong, I was only asked to sleep here one night. No matter what, I’ll leave at dawn and take no side. But in my view, this is an excellent chance to resolve matters. What do you say?”

“You sound like a righteous man!”

“I dare not claim that.”

“...”

The wall fell silent for a while.

Yet the light and shadow did not fade.

The silence grew oppressive; Wei Yuanzhong kept turning his head to look at Lin Jue.

Lin Jue, however, was completely at ease, even finding time to wonder: what manner of spirit or demon was this? What art allowed it to hide within the wooden wall? It seemed wondrous—could he learn it?