Spirit Walker

"Shen Jinhua? The green-robed ghost you killed in Yangcheng?"

Hearing the name, even the usually calm Yu Zhensheng showed a look of surprise.

"Yes, Master. I'm absolutely sure. The County Magistrate's wife's face is that of Shen Jinhua, a famous actress from the Yangcheng opera troupe!"

Zhou Sheng's eyes showed a hint of memory as he said, "Although Shen Jinhua's soul was covered in blood and her appearance was terrifying at the time, I still remembered her face. I've compared them carefully just now, and I'm not mistaken."

Shen Jinhua's death meant someone had targeted her head. Zhou Sheng had initially thought the real culprit wanted to use it for some evil ritual, but he never expected to see that head again in Qinggu County, six hundred miles away.

And it was on someone else's neck.

"Master, could it be that the County Magistrate's wife knows magic and wanted to change her appearance?"

Yu Zhensheng shook his head and said, "Magistrate Zhu and his wife are ordinary people, though they do have some background."

"Master--"

"Don't ask so many questions for now. We'll talk about it when we get home."

Zhou Sheng nodded. They walked back in silence. Once they returned home, he recounted his experiences and presented the head he had retrieved from the ancient well.

"Master, I'm thinking, if the County Magistrate's wife has Shen Jinhua's head on her neck, then could this head... be the real County Magistrate's wife?"

The wife wasn't the wife...

This would explain that statement.

However, there were still many mysteries. How did Shen Jinhua's head end up on the County Magistrate's wife's neck? Why was the original wife's head hidden in the well? How did Cui Cui die?

And that Zhu Mansion, not only harboring Guardian Soldiers but also hiding a master skilled in Feng Shui and magic, what was Magistrate Zhu's true background?

He had too many questions churning in his mind and immediately voiced them.

Judging by his Master's expression, he clearly knew something.

"Heh heh, you're asking me?"

"You're the one who performs Ghost Opera, not me."

"Master, please tell me everything you know."

Zhou Sheng pleaded.

"Actually, you shouldn't be asking me about this. You should be asking her."

Yu Zhensheng smiled faintly and pointed to the rotten, foul-smelling head on the table.

"Asking her?"

Zhou Sheng asked in confusion, "But I didn't find any remnant souls in the head, not even a trace of resentment."

"Master, besides soul-capturing, do we Ghost Opera performers have any other methods to make corpses speak?"

"Naturally... no."

Yu Zhensheng sneered. "Don't limit yourself. We Ghost Opera performers don't have such methods, but that doesn't mean others don't."

"Use your brain. Don't always think about tackling everything alone."

Zhou Sheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up and uttered two words.

"Asking for Rice!"

Yu Zhensheng nodded, a slight smile appearing on his face.

Qinggu County, West Street, Grandma Cui's house.

Grandma Cui was quite a legend in the county. She was originally an ordinary widowed old woman whose husband and children had all died in accidents, and she had also contracted an eye disease, leaving her vision blurry.

Later, while begging outside, she accidentally fell into water. When she was rescued, she had stopped breathing.

The neighbors planned to pool money to buy her a coffin, but unexpectedly, the next day she miraculously came back to life.

She claimed that after descending to the underworld, the Judge found that her lifespan was not yet over and that she had accumulated considerable merit. Not only did he allow her to return to the living, but he also taught her the Spirit Walking Technique, making her particularly adept at Asking for Rice.

Every attempt was successful, and her fame quickly spread.

From then on, she became the renowned shaman of Qinggu County. She lived to be eighty-four years old, yet her body was still strong. Despite her eye condition, her mobility was completely unaffected.

Zhou Sheng had heard of Grandma Cui's great reputation but had never interacted with her.

"Besides us Ghost Opera performers, there are many extraordinary individuals in this world. The Spirit Walkers, represented by Grandma Cui, are one such lineage."

Zhou Sheng remembered that on the Yin-Yang Road, the fierce god had asked him if he was a Spirit Walker.

"In addition, there are Feng Shui Masters, Corpse Drivers, Spirit Mediums, Living Underworld Messengers, Corpse Retrievers, Paper Craftsmen, and others, each with their own unique inherited skills."

"During the Spring and Autumn period, there were the Hundred Schools of thought, that was the Yang Hundred Schools. As for us who deal with the underworld and interact with ghosts and gods, we are called the Yin Hundred Schools."

"After you graduate, you will gradually come into contact with disciples and successors from other magical lineages. Remember, even though Lu Bu was brave, three heroes could fight him. If you can befriend disciples from other lineages, it will be of great help to you in the future."

"Now, go knock on the door."

Zhou Sheng carefully remembered his Master's words, then took a deep breath and reached out to knock.

But as soon as he extended his hand, the door suddenly opened.

A young girl with delicate features poked her head out.

"Please come in, guests. Grandma asked me to welcome you."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Sheng's eyes. The other party seemed to be able to predict the future?

This made him even more curious about the legendary Spirit Walker.

Stepping over the threshold, the courtyard of Grandma Cui was covered in many mysterious talismans. They didn't look like Taoist charms, but were written in black ink on white paper, somewhat resembling funeral texts.

The young girl led them to the Rice Asking Hall, which was located in the back room of the kitchen. The cracks in the bluestone floor were embedded with grains of rice that looked old and moldy, glowing a faint green like grave phosphorescence.

Yellow spirit paper, brushed with rice paste, sealed the window frames. In the wall cracks were clumps of women's hair wrapped in realgar, and a butcher knife was inserted upside down above the doorframe, its handle tied with a red string stained with rooster blood.

"Sealing the windows, blocking the holes, and securing the door – this is called the Three Passages of Purity and Filth. It's to prevent the Yin energy from being too heavy during the rice asking and being disturbed by lonely ghosts and wandering spirits."

Yu Zhensheng explained to his disciple.

The young girl looked up at Yu Zhensheng in surprise and asked, "Grandpa, you know about asking for rice too?"

Yu Zhensheng just shook his head and smiled, saying nothing.

Entering the Rice Asking Hall, the light was dim all around. Even in broad daylight, visibility was very blurry.

Eerie and dark, only the candle flames burned endlessly.

The candlelight illuminated an old face and pupils covered with white cataracts.

Those eyes were staring intently at Zhou Sheng, as if sizing him up. Despite his eye condition, he gave off a sharp, sword-like impression.

And he was also sizing up this legendary Spirit Walker.

"Soot smeared on the forehead to block the sun's rays, cataracts covering the eyes as if boiling ice."

Her messy white hair looked like it hadn't been combed in who knows how long, clumped together thickly.

"Young man, take out that thing from your waist."

She suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse. Her gaze was like a sharp awl piercing the cloth pouch at Zhou Sheng's waist.

Zhou Sheng opened the pouch, revealing a rotten skull.

The young girl screamed in fright, her face turning pale.

Grandma Cui, however, remained expressionless, still sitting quietly on her chair. Behind her were the spirit tablets of her parents, husband, children, and in-laws.

"The person you want to ask about, is it her?"

Zhou Sheng nodded.

"Is she your closest relative?"

"No."

"Did she die unjustly?"

"Perhaps."

"Do you know her name?"

"No."

"Then please leave."

Grandma Cui shook her head. "There are three things we don't ask about when asking for rice: we don't ask about closest relatives, we don't ask about souls who died unjustly, and we don't ask about those without names."

"Xiao Yun'er, see them out."