It had originally been agreed that Li Chu and a group of constables would keep watch at the Xue residence, waiting for the Vengeful Spirit to appear.
But the constables from the yamen were all exceptionally righteous. Before the remaining women of the Xue family, each one thumped his chest and boasted to the skies, declaring that they would surely drive out the evil spirit and return them a beautiful home.
After the women of the Xue family had been settled in a nearby inn, night gradually fell, and the constables all suddenly found themselves with urgent business.
One said his mother was ill, another said his wife was cheating on him, and yet another said his mother was cheating on him... In short, they scattered like birds and beasts in an instant.
In the end, Zhou Dafu flew into a rage. "Damn it, I only went to the latrine, and in the blink of an eye, those bastards slipped away! Don't worry, Young Daoist Li—I'll go drag them back one by one!"
Constable Zhou strode out the door with his head held high and his chest puffed out, and then... he never returned.
But Li Chu had long known they were that sort.
He was also happy not to have anyone getting in his way while he exorcised ghosts.
Inside a bedroom in the Xue residence's side courtyard.
Li Chu sat in a grand preceptor's chair behind a folding screen, a sword laid across his knees, quietly waiting for the Vengeful Spirit to appear.
The bedroom was cold and deserted, its furnishings exceedingly plain. Compared to the lavishly decorated master bedroom in the backyard, the contrast was stark. No wonder the Xue Family's First Wife had developed such heavy resentment after suddenly being driven here.
A worn white mark ran across the bare beam overhead. That was where the First Wife had hanged herself, and the Vengeful Spirit she had become would appear from there as well.
Yuhang Town's night was silent.
The evening breeze gently swayed the willow branches.
Since it was summer, both the front and rear doors and windows of the bedroom stood open. A draft blew through the room, carrying a touch of coolness.
That coolness soon turned into a faint chill.
Before long, it grew colder and colder.
Another gust of wind rose, suddenly snuffing out the already dim lamplight.
Li Chu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, abruptly opened them. Something had appeared!
Without a sound, a hanging figure had somehow appeared from the beam before the folding screen.
Its neck had been stretched impossibly long, its tongue swaying. Through the screen, he could see it wore heavy formal attire, though its style resembled funeral attire.
When Li Chu opened his eyes and looked at her, he sensed that the hanging figure was studying him as well.
After a long while, a ghostly, icy voice echoed through the room. "All men must die—"
Li Chu frowned. After pondering for a moment, he said, "First Wife, there is truly no need for this. If Xue Dayong betrayed you, then you have seen through the heart of an unfaithful man. But why sacrifice your own life for revenge?"
A Vengeful Spirit retained little intelligence. He did not know whether speaking to her would work, but he felt that the principles which needed to be spoken still ought to be spoken.
Every Vengeful Spirit died with a breath of resentment in its heart. He hoped they would not let that same breath of resentment scatter their souls into nothingness.
But the voice rang out again. "All men must die—"
This time, its tone was even more shrill. The yin wind outside blew harder, howling as doors and windows banged and crashed against their frames.
Li Chu continued, "I know there is resentment in your heart, but one cannot dissolve hatred by hurting oneself. Even if Xue Dayong dies by your hand this time, you yourself will still meet no good end. Why bother?"
The voice remained relentless. "All men must die—"
As she shouted the words for the third time, the entire room had become cold to the bone, and even misty vapor condensed into a thin frost.
Illusions began to appear before Li Chu's eyes. Faint wedding music drifted from outside, while inside the room, a heartbroken woman hanged herself miserably in the darkness. Though it was the height of midsummer, it felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave.
"Even if you became a Vengeful Spirit to take revenge, you should not vent your anger upon all men." Li Chu ignored everything else and continued, "If there must be opposition in this world, it should only be between good people and bad people. Men and women should never be set against one another. You killed Xue Dayong, but was that not enough? How were the Xue family's servants guilty?"
Li Chu had finished the last thing he wanted to say.
The figure hanging from the beam began to sway, as though it might break free from the rope around its neck at any moment. Somehow, that sharp voice emerged from its throat once more. "All men must die—"
Listening to that unchanged cry, Li Chu sighed helplessly.
Reasoning with a Vengeful Spirit truly did not work.
The essence of humanity was a repeating machine.
Vengeful Spirits even more so.
Bang!
With an explosive crack, the rope snapped. The hanging figure fell to the ground, but instead of collapsing, it stood firmly in place! The next second, it passed through the folding screen!
In an instant, Li Chu saw the First Wife's true appearance.
She wore heavy white funeral attire. Her face was a terrifying iron-blue, her features from life no longer recognizable. Most striking of all was naturally her swaying red tongue.
She came before Li Chu, raised both hands, and lunged forward. Her ten fingernails lengthened wildly, about to slash down, accompanied by her only line: "All men..."
Li Chu's eyes narrowed, and his right hand had already gripped the sword hilt.
The moment to slay a ghost with his sword was upon him!
But the First Wife's voice and movements froze at the same time!
Her long neck suddenly stiffened. Her body remained bent forward, yet she did not pounce. Instead, she hesitated and took two steps back.
Because both her hands happened to be raised high, they had originally been poised to claw at him, but now she looked more as though she were surrendering.
"Men... men..." She whimpered from her throat. After a long while, she finally squeezed out, "What a handsome man."
Hm?
A puzzled black line appeared across Li Chu's forehead.
What was with that sudden compliment? Though he heard those words many times every day, hearing them in a situation like this was quite a novel experience.
"Men... all men..." The scarlet bloodlight in the First Wife's eyes gathered, then scattered again, as though she were undergoing a painful inner struggle.
Li Chu let her battle between heaven and man without taking the opportunity to strike.
She swayed stiffly for a long time. At last, it seemed that the deep blackness gained the upper hand.
The surrounding yin wind abruptly stopped.
"If Xue Dayong had been this handsome, I might not have hated him either." Her voice calmed, no longer carrying that shrill tone.
Though it felt rather strange...
Her resentment seemed to have lessened.
"First Wife... have you already let go of the resentment in your heart?" Li Chu held the sword hilt, uncertain for a moment whether he should draw it.
"Hehe, how could it be so easy?" The First Wife shook her head with a cold laugh, her red tongue swinging back and forth.
It was clearly a simple movement, yet when she did it, it was especially horrifying.
Hearing that, Li Chu prepared to draw his sword again.
His strength had already reached his wrist when he suddenly saw the First Wife lift her head, her terrifying iron-blue face turning toward him.
"But if you, Young Daoist, are willing to hug me once, then I will probably be able to let it go."
Huh?
A ring of question marks instantly appeared above Li Chu's head.
He truly had not seen much of the world. Did exorcising ghosts... have a step like this?
"I have never hugged such a handsome man in my life," the First Wife added.
Her tone even seemed somewhat shy?
Li Chu froze for a moment, staring at the First Wife's face. That face was truly difficult to look at.
More importantly, allowing a Vengeful Spirit to come close to his body was a very dangerous thing.
But...
If this could dissolve her resentment...
Li Chu released the sword sheath with his right hand and, expressionlessly, slowly opened his arms.
A smile seemed to appear on the First Wife's face. She flew toward him, but did not extend her claws. She had spoken sincerely.
In truth, she did not embrace Li Chu.
Ghosts were incorporeal, while humans were solid. They could attack one another with spiritual power, but they could not touch each other.
As she flew toward Li Chu, her body began to fade away.
Fragments of memories surfaced in her mind.
When she had been young, handsome young men had once come to seek her hand in marriage. Though none was even half as handsome as this Little Daoist Priest, they had still been renowned handsome lads throughout the nearby villages.
But she had set her heart on the ugly Xue Dayong, because she believed ugly people were more dependable.
For that very reason, she had always harbored resentment toward Xue Dayong in the days that followed.
I gave up handsome young men and followed an ugly man like you. Naturally, you should treat me well.
With such a mindset, even the most loving couple would develop a rift.
Xue Dayong taking a concubine had, in truth, been the final straw that broke her back.
She had never expected that Xue Dayong, who had always been a cowardly weakling, would dare take a concubine despite her objections—and dare drive her to the side courtyard for that concubine's sake.
Just as the resentment in her heart had surged to the heavens, that person happened to appear...
That was right!
The First Wife suddenly opened her eyes wide. She had something she wanted to tell this Little Daoist Priest!
But she could no longer speak. Once a Vengeful Spirit lost its final breath of resentment, it would vanish into smoke and scatter into the air.
Li Chu watched as the First Wife dissipated while flying toward him. He blinked, then let out a breath of relief.
Then he touched his face.
Though he often heard others call him handsome, he had never had a particularly clear idea of it himself.
He had even always felt that his appearance was utterly ordinary.
Because he was face-blind.
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