Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
The team had started to get used to Li Ang’s behavior so they did not visibly react. They only criticized him silently.
After planting the land mines, the team left the basement. Li Ang took out an electric motor, a welding machine, and a bunch of steel odds and ends. Using all these, he built a vacuum cleaner, absorbed all the dust on the floor, and sprayed it out again to erase any traces of footsteps.
Next, the team headed to the other places in Solitary Temple and planted various concealed land mines. The day of the banquet was drawing close, and the temple was about to be filled with demons. Hence, these mines needed to be remotely controlled to prevent any accidental explosions from happening.
Then, the team used the information Chai Cuiqiao provided and the geography of Solitary Temple to create a plan to kill the mandrill. This plan included ways to deal with the participating demons.
Time flew so five days passed quickly. Nothing happened during this period. All was calm.
On the night of the sixth day, the battle-ready team returned to its assigned room to rest.
At midnight, Li Ang was lying in bed and chatting with Chai Cuiqiao about the world the spirits could see.
Li Ang asked, “People become spirits after death. Does the netherworld not send out people to lead these spirits away?”
Chai Cuiqiao replied, “Usually, yes. However, there are some places untouched by people where spirits will stay on. Nourished by the Death Qi, they become vengeful ghosts that wreak havoc. They will either become greater ghosts or will be forced to be reincarnated by Daoists or monks.”
Chai Cuiqiao paused for a while. As though she was afraid that Li Ang might misunderstand, she explained further. “Of course, there are some ordinary ghosts who are less vengeful. However, because their skeletons are buried in places where the Yin Qi is abundant, these ghosts live on. They do not come into contact with the living and live peacefully side-by-side. Under special circumstances, these ghosts will even help the living.”
Li Ang nodded upon hearing that. The book The Thatched Study of Close Scrutiny narrated the story of a ghost who had helped a human.
A man surnamed Liao, who had lived in the north village of the Guangdong District, had buried the nameless skeletons he had found by the village, helped them build a tomb, and formed a burial ground.
Later on, a plague had befallen the district. The man had dreamed that more than 100 people had stood before his house and one of them had approached him and said, “The plague demon is about to arrive. We hope you can burn a dozen paper war flags and 100 wooden knives wrapped in tinfoil to prepare us for battle with the plague demon and repay our gratitude.”
The man had been inquisitive by nature and had thus followed the instructions.
One night a few days later, the villagers had heard a ruckus outside. It had been the sound of weapons clashing, as though a military battle was happening. This noise had stopped during daybreak.
During this plague, no one in the village had been infected.
Stories like these were recorded in novels like The Thatched Study of Close Scrutiny, Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, and Miscellaneous Stories from Youyang. Chai Cuiqiao also explained in deeper detail about the netherworld to let Li Ang know that the dead and the living were not completely on opposite teams.
As Li Ang was engrossed in listening to her, he heard a chant coming from outside the temple. Two people could be heard arguing outside and a fight occurred.
A ghost?
Li Ang raised his eyebrow. A ghost outside shouted, “This fella is criticizing my poem. This made me really angry so I beat him up. Why don’t you listen to my piece and give your opinion, sir?”
The ghost started to recite its own poem, even throwing punches to create a beat.
The poem included more than 100 stanzas. Another ghost listened to it recite while moaning in pain and ridiculing the poem for how unsophisticated it was.
Li Ang listened carefully as he sat by the window. This poem seemed to indeed be very average, as if an uncultured person was throwing flowery words together to write a poem.
“What do you think of this piece, sir?”
Li Ang smiled and replied, “My body’s condition is not very good so I’m most likely unable to withstand your punches.”
The ghost being punched started laughing boisterously, while the ghost reciting the poem was so angry it could not speak. It chose to leave instead. As it left, it muttered, “How dare they!”
The two ghosts left and the temple courtyard regained its peace. Li Ang and Chai Cuiqiao looked at each other.
Tomorrow marked the seventh day, which was also the last day of the time limit set by the system for the quest. The ghosts participating in the banquet would be arriving tomorrow…
The next morning, the team gathered in the courtyard to boil water and make breakfast. Upon seeing Hanging Sword for Ten Thousand Miles’ dark eye circles, Xing Hechou asked, “Did you not sleep well last night?”
“Let’s not talk about that,” Hanging Sword for Ten Thousand Miles said reluctantly. “I had a dream last night that a slender figure in palace clothes was cleaning my room.
“Her figure was really nice. I subconsciously left my bed with the intention of taking a peek at her face to see if I could make my carnal desires come true.
“In the end, she turned her head when she heard footsteps. While her figure was astoundingly nice, her face was that of a black fat man with a beard. I was so shocked that I lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep.”
It had been a nightmare. Xing Hechou and Hui Bing smiled, but Li Ang nodded in contemplation. “It might not have been a dream.”
“Ah?” Hanging Sword for Ten Thousand Miles was shocked. He was not afraid of ghosts, but if that man-faced, female-shaped demon was real, what had it tried to do to him?
Perhaps for some back-door action?
He shuddered. Before he could clarify this further, he saw Li Ang run into his room.
Everything was normal in Hanging Sword for Ten Thousand Miles’ room. However, there was a faint fragrance in the air.
Sniff, sniff.
After smelling it carefully, he realized a foul smell seemed to be intertwined with this fragrance…
Li Ang frowned slightly. He kicked the floor once and the walls twice and hooked his arm on the roof beams.
Like a cat, he flipped his body on a beam and realized that he was not the only one there.
A male fox with a coat of black fur and an exceedingly long beard was sprawled on the beam as well.
“Hello?” Li Ang spoke up first.
The black fox was stunned for a moment before replying in a coarse, vulgar voice, “Yo?”
Li Ang was shocked for a second before inquiring, “You are a fox from the Fujian Province?”
“Eh?” the black fox exclaimed. “How did you know that?”
He he… Because of your accent.