Demonic Ghosts Terrorize Travelers Midway

The gravel road was often spattered with mud by passing horse hooves.

After the rain, it was barely passable.

He would certainly have to travel by night.

Lin Jue calculated the distance, then looked at the sky. He estimated he would not make much more progress before nightfall. Since quite a few merchants and travelers were also traveling this road, he relaxed somewhat.

Before long, the sky darkened.

Gradually, it sank into a dim and murky haze.

The merchants and travelers who had set out together earlier gradually spread out ahead and behind, their burdens and walking speeds differing. Yet through the murky world, human figures could still faintly be seen. Though the bamboo groves beside the road were deep and shadowy, and evening mist came in waves to obscure one's sight, the jingling of the bells hanging from mules, horses, and donkeys still carried clearly, echoing through the mountains. That alone was reassuring.

At the very least, he knew he was not alone on this road.

Since beginning the Qi Nourishing Method, the lingering effects from the breath the Monster at the Wang Family Ancestral Hall had spat at him had gradually faded. Still, he remained somewhat uneasy. Moreover, while sheltering from rain at the tea stall earlier, he had heard the merchants and travelers say quite a few unsettling things. He could not help but harbor concerns.

So he craned his neck to look ahead and behind, considering whether to quicken his pace and catch up with those ahead or slow down and wait for those behind. In any case, he wanted to find someone to travel with.

At the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Heng Village, he had taken the risk to cure Uncle's illness and save his life. Now that he had no reason to court danger, who would willingly encounter Demonic Ghosts?

Lin Jue soon found a companion.

The man was ahead of him and alone as well. Like Lin Jue, he was stretching his neck and looking around for someone to travel with.

That man simply stopped at the roadside.

Lin Jue quickly caught up with him.

Before Lin Jue could speak, he heard the man's voice first.

"Good heavens! A Scholar!" The man was quite handsome and young. The moment he saw Lin Jue, he said, "Unfortunate enough to be reduced to traveling by night—might we go together and bolster each other's courage?"

"I could not ask for more," Lin Jue said.

"You speak so elegantly."

"No, no."

"May I ask how this Young Master is addressed?"

"My surname is Lin, given name Jue."

"You have not taken a courtesy name yet, have you?"

"I have not reached the age."

"So I thought." The man paused. "My surname is Huang, and my given name is Quan—the quan in wholehearted. Do not get the wrong idea. I am older than you, so you may call me Brother Huang."

"Brother Huang, a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure, a pleasure!"

Huang Quan spoke as he walked on with him. Perhaps he was frightened and trying to fortify himself, but his mouth never stopped as he kept making conversation. "Why are you traveling alone when you are still so young?"

"My family is poor. I came out to seek an education."

"Seeking learning is difficult, especially for children from ordinary families like ours. It is truly hard to find a renowned teacher. And without one, passing the examinations is difficult too." Huang Quan sighed.

"Is that not so?" Lin Jue echoed.

"The realm is unsettled these days as well."

"Indeed."

"I heard the people ahead say there are Demonic Ghosts on this road!"

"I heard that at the tea shed too."

"Brother Lin, are you brave?"

Huang Quan looked at Lin Jue rather uneasily, as though if Lin Jue said he was timid, Huang Quan would immediately pull him aside to wait for a few more travelers.

"I am decent enough."

"Then I am relieved. Ha ha, actually, I am quite brave myself—brave enough to cover the sky." Huang Quan laughed dryly. "But night roads are lonely. Finding someone to chat with and amuse oneself, looking after each other, is not bad either. Never mind whether we might encounter Ghosts and Monsters or bandits—even if the road is uneven and one accidentally steps into empty air and falls, it is good to have someone nearby to lend a hand."

"Brother Huang speaks truly."

Lin Jue saw through him but did not expose him.

People truly were social creatures. Most fear and unease came from being alone and isolated. Once someone was traveling beside you and talking with you, many of the thoughts that had made you uneasy temporarily vanished.

Though Huang Quan was timid and loved saving face, he was a talkative man. He also often traveled this road and drifted about outside, so he had seen much. As Lin Jue walked and chatted with him, they found themselves getting along rather well, and gradually grew more animated.

The loneliness and tedium of the night road, the unease and fear—all of it had been set aside for the moment.

"Where is Brother Lin headed?"

"Mount Qi Yun first."

"Ah? Mount Qi Yun?"

Huang Quan seemed surprised.

"It seems Brother Huang has heard of it too?"

"Ha ha ha ha! Mount Qi Yun, that Immortal Mountain, is renowned like thunder in one's ears. How could I not have heard of it?"

"Is it that famous?"

"Of course." Huang Quan said, "There used to be a man-eating Monster on this road. Many masters were invited, but none could eliminate it. It was the Daoist priests of Mount Qi Yun who came and got rid of it."

"Truly?"

Lin Jue was greatly interested.

"Of course."

"What immortal arts and Daoist techniques did the Daoist priests of Mount Qi Yun possess? How did they get rid of it?"

"I do not know the details. I did not dare run over to watch. I only know the commotion was enormous, and the battle seemed fierce. In the end, I heard that a Divine Official descended into the world and killed the Monster with a single strike of his staff."

"So that was how it happened..."

"Yes!"

"Then I must ask Brother Huang: after passing Dangu County ahead, how should I proceed to Mount Qi Yun? How tall is Mount Qi Yun? Is it difficult to climb? And are the Daoist priests on the mountain easy to deal with?"

"Mount Qi Yun is north, and Dangu County is north too. Once you reach Dangu County, naturally you continue north." Huang Quan paused, but rather than answer the remaining questions, he kept looking at Lin Jue, still surprised. "Brother Lin is a Scholar traveling out to seek learning. Why not go to an academy where renowned teachers and great scholars reside? Why go to a Daoist temple on an Immortal Mountain?"

The sky darkened a little more. Only a faint glow remained at night, and the road could be distinguished only by its differing colors. Huang Quan turned to face him, his eyes seeming somewhat bright in the darkness.

"To be honest..."

Lin Jue did not elaborate, merely gave the simple explanation he often used. "Because of certain matters, I encountered a Monster in an ancestral hall at night before, and it spat a breath at me. Later, at a temple fair, I heard that the Profound Heaven Temple on Mount Qi Yun was very efficacious and famous, so I wanted to go and see it for myself."

Lin Jue was not lying, either.

"So that is it!"

After hearing this, Huang Quan blinked in astonishment. He thought for a moment before speaking. "Brother Lin has actually seen a Monster?"

"More or less."

"And it did not harm you?"

"That Demonic Ghost did not harm me."

"That counts as a good Monster."

"Yes." Lin Jue paused, then asked, "Brother Huang has seen much. What do you think of seeking immortality and inquiring into the Dao?"

"Brother Lin has a mind to seek immortality and inquire into the Dao?"

"I do have some thoughts in that regard."

"Ha ha, most people yearn for the immortal path and longevity. Such thoughts are perfectly normal. But since ancient times, countless people have sought immortals, inquired into the Dao, and visited renowned masters. There have often been famous men and refined scholars among them, yet very few truly found what they sought. That alone proves this path is not easy." Huang Quan spoke with great composure.

"That makes sense..."

Lin Jue considered it carefully and deeply agreed.

"I have heard that beyond opportunity, one also needs disposition and virtue, aptitude and talent. Not one may be lacking. In the end, it all comes down to fate."

"How so?"

"I have only heard scraps and rumors. How could I understand so much?" Huang Quan smiled. "Still, Brother Lin has seen a Monster, so your experience already surpasses that of many people."

"It was all coincidence."

"I wonder what the Monster Brother Lin saw looked like?"

"To be honest, I never saw its true appearance."

"Hm?"

"I truly did not see it clearly."

"That is truly a pity."

Huang Quan lowered his head as if in thought.

"Then what does Brother Lin think of me?"

A sinister sentence suddenly came from beside Lin Jue.

Thinking it was a joke, he turned his head—and saw Huang Quan slowly raise his head. In the dimness was unmistakably the face of a Monster—

A fierce visage, a long mouth, fangs interlocking, and green light shining from its eyes.

"!"

Lin Jue jolted in shock.

That face suddenly thrust itself close to him.

Thud, thud, thud—

Instinctively, Lin Jue staggered several steps backward.

At the same time, a mouthful of Fire Qi had already risen to his throat.

When he looked again, the Monster gave a bang and transformed into a cloud of smoke. Then, with a turn, it swiftly vanished into the smoke.

"What?"

Lin Jue could not help feeling both shocked and doubtful.

That man had actually been a Demonic Ghost?

Were there truly Demonic Ghosts on this road?

Where had it run off to?

"Gulp..."

Lin Jue swallowed and looked around. The surroundings were empty. Unwilling to waste it lightly, he swallowed his Fire Qi back down.

He took out a small knife from his book case and waited warily for a while. There was no movement around him.

It was as though the thing had departed completely.

Lin Jue continued looking left and right. Before him lay barren mountains beneath the black night and bamboo forests stretching without end. After the rain, the clouds had parted to reveal moonlight, turning the gravel road white as jade. The barren mountains and bamboo groves were outlined by its glow, yet they did not seem brighter for it. Under that cold light, they only became deeper and more secluded.

A lone man in a mountain night; silver light rippled across puddles on the road.

He was uneasy whether he walked or stayed.

Listening carefully, Lin Jue realized that at some point, the merchants and travelers ahead had gone far away. Their bells were so faint that he could barely hear them. He immediately understood that catching up with the others would probably not be easy.

After a while, he suddenly heard a terrified cry from behind him.

"Monster!!"

The voice was filled with terror, as if the man's throat were about to tear apart.

That fear seemed contagious, sending a chill through him.

Had someone else encountered a Monster too?

He heard a flurry of footsteps rushing forward.

Lin Jue quickly gripped his knife tight. The feel of the hilt and the weight of the blade reassured him greatly.

Then he gritted his teeth. The youth's Qi and Blood surged upward, and with deliberate effort, he actually felt the alarm and unease in his heart transform into anger at being threatened and frightened.

The village elders often said that people became ghosts after death, and ghosts were weaker than people. Mountain Monsters that attained the Dao were not much stronger either, unless they had originally been fierce beasts or had cultivated to an extremely profound level. A Fox that became a spirit still feared vicious dogs; rats and rabbits that became spirits still dreaded cats and hawks; centipedes, snakes, and insects that became spirits were ultimately restrained by chickens and ducks. Humans were not weak by nature. Thus, most Demonic Ghosts that harmed people either took advantage of weakness or lured and deceived them. Hence the saying: demons rose through people.

Lin Jue's heart was calm, his blood and Qi abundant. He was free of illness and calamity, and had even practiced the Qi Nourishing Method for two months. Now anger surged through him, and he deliberately controlled his thoughts. At once, his heart settled.

This method truly worked—its effect was immediate as a rod meeting its mark.

He even wanted to look around and ask where the Monster committing evil here was. Did it dare come out and fight him?

To see whether claws and fangs were sharper than his blade?

"Tap, tap, tap..."

A burst of hurried footsteps and horse hooves sounded.

Lin Jue turned his head. By the moonlight, he saw no Monster, only another traveler who had likewise been frightened by one. The man had run near him, yet did not dare continue forward, half-hidden amid the shifting moon shadows of the bamboo grove.

"Who... who is there?"

That person saw Lin Jue too and shouted in panic.

"Me! I'm human!"

Lin Jue answered loudly.

"You're human?"

"I'm human!"

"There are... there are Monsters in these mountains!"

"You saw one too?"

Lin Jue stood firm and stared at the man.

The man remained where he was and did not dare approach carelessly.

The two spoke from a distance.

"You encountered one too?"

The man was as astonished as Lin Jue.

"That is right."

Fearless now, Lin Jue answered decisively. "That Monster disguised itself as a person and traveled with me. As we talked, it suddenly revealed its true form and tried to frighten me. It was most likely trying to scare the courage out of me. When it failed, it suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke and left for the time being."

"The one I encountered was the same! Exactly the same!"

The man instinctively took two steps toward Lin Jue, then hurriedly stopped again, still retaining some wariness. "Are you truly human?"

"I truly am human."

"Where do you live?"

"Shu Village in the neighboring county."

"Shu Village? I've been there!"

"You have?"

"The one where the whole village is surnamed Shu, and there are three bridges?"

"Hmm? Shu Village is indeed a village of the Shu Clan, but the whole village is built across the stream, with plank bridges everywhere. How could there be only three?"

"Phew..."

The man seemed to have succeeded in his test and let out a breath of relief, but he continued asking, "What is your name?"

"My surname is Lin, given name Jue."

"Wrong!" The wariness in his voice rose again. "Shu Village is surnamed Shu. Why are you surnamed Lin? Wrong, wrong!"

"We came from elsewhere. We have ties to the elders of Shu Village, and only settled in Shu Village later."

"..."

"If you do not believe me, I will step aside and let you go first."

"Still wrong!"

"What now?"

"I met a Monster and was scared half to death. You met one too, so why did I not hear you cry out?" The man was deeply suspicious; it seemed he had been frightened out of his wits. "And I am suspicious of you, so why are you not suspicious of me at all? Why have you not questioned me even once?"

"To be honest, I have always been bold. Besides, I had seen demons before and knew that although they possessed strange powers, being especially afraid of them would only put oneself at a disadvantage."

Lin Jue paused as he spoke, and his tone suddenly turned heavy:

"The reason I do not suspect or interrogate you is because meeting by chance in the mountains is fate. Since I wished to travel with you, I should retain some measure of trust! If you are human too, then I will harbor no doubts and walk this stretch of night road with you! But if you are not human, then the blade in my hand will see a Monster's blood tonight!"

The last two sentences were practically ground out through clenched teeth.

For a moment, he even possessed something of the bearing of those people in the village elders' tales who encountered evil on night roads yet did not fear it, but dared instead to fight Demonic Ghosts.

"..."

After hesitating for a moment, the man finally stepped forward.

Only then did Lin Jue see him clearly. He was a short middle-aged man with three strands of beard, clutching a rein in his hand and leading a Mule behind him.

"My name is Yao San. My home is up ahead."

"You are...?"

Lin Jue watched him warily as he asked.

"My family makes inkstones. Today, I loaded them up to sell to a merchant caravan, who would take them to the Capital City and Jiangnan to sell. Those people insisted on keeping me for a few cups of wine. Then this rain came, and before I knew it, I was traveling at night." The man sounded regretful. "Had I known I would really encounter a Monster, I would rather have turned back the way I came!"

"I see."

Lin Jue looked again at the Mule Yao San held by the reins.

"What about you? Where are you going?"

"I am going to Mount Qi Yun."

"Where is Mount Qi Yun?"

"I have never been there either. They say it is in the north."

"Why are you traveling alone at night?"

"Are you not alone too?"

Lin Jue turned to look at him. This was the thing about the man that he found most suspicious so far.

"How am I traveling alone? I had long heard that people had encountered Monsters on this road. Back at the tea stall, I waited for several local merchants to travel together. Who would have thought that halfway along, a gust of sinister wind blew for some reason? When I looked again, I was the only one left. After that, I encountered that Monster. At first, it pretended to be human and chatted with me. It even talked about the price of inkstones."

As Yao San spoke, he secretly studied Lin Jue.

There was a faint hint of worry in his eyes.

"I see..."

Lin Jue nodded, more or less accepting it.

There was nothing wrong with what this man said. He also knew about the tea stall, and he was leading a Mule. At the very least, in the strange tales told by the village elders, one rarely heard of Monsters that could transform not only themselves but also Mules and horses. Usually, they could only transform within limited bounds and under certain conditions.

A Monster capable of that would already be considered formidable.

"Then let us go."

No matter what, remaining on this desolate mountain road at night was not a good choice. They had to keep moving eventually.

So the two set off, one before the other.

The Mule's hoofbeats rang clearly behind them, along with the occasional snort.

"Ah, how is it that you encountered a Monster, and I encountered a Monster too? Just how many Monsters are there on this road?" Yao San sighed and complained.

"Do many people encounter Monsters on this road?"

"Not many, but not few either. I am just a countryman who picks stones to grind into inkstones. How many people could I possibly know?" Yao San's voice trembled. "I have only heard of such things now and then."

"What is that Monster like?"

"I do not know. It is hard to say. But it seems I have never heard of anyone being eaten by a Monster on this road. That Monster does not seem to eat people. It only frightens people on the road, and always at night." Yao San still seemed shaken as he spoke. "I do not know what kind of Monster it is. When I first met it, I had some suspicions too, but it chatted with me. Not only did it know all about the villages nearby, it even knew about brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and which people led each merchant caravan along its trade routes. That was when I let down my guard."

"It does not eat people, only frightens them?"

"Yes. But then again, this road is an important trade route nearby. If there really were a Monster eating people, even if it only came out at night, the authorities would probably find a way to deal with it."

"That makes sense."

"Could I trouble... trouble you, little brother, to hold the Mule for me?"

"Why?"

"I... I need to piss."

Yao San looked and sounded as if he could barely bring himself to say it, as though he were about to wet his pants.

"..."

Lin Jue took the reins and held the Mule.

Soon, the sound of relieving himself came from beside him.

Along with the sound of Yao San finally letting out a breath.

"Say, Little Brother Lin, did you see clearly what that Monster looked like?"

"It was too dark. I only got a rough look."

"Did it have fangs?"

"It did."

"Did it have sharp claws?"

"I think so."

"Like this?"

Yao San lifted one leg and placed his foot against a tree by the roadside. Then he suddenly turned to face Lin Jue. At some point, his appearance had already changed. His face was vicious, his mouth long, his fangs interlocking, green light glowing in his eyes. He looked every inch a Monster.

"Hiss!"

Lin Jue could not help being startled again.

Seeing this, the Monster immediately grinned.

"Heh heh..."

On this desolate mountain road at night, there was actually a snickering laugh.

At the same time—

"Poof..."

A cloud of smoke burst open before him.

Lin Jue froze for a moment. Instinctively, he wanted to retreat, but after taking half a step back, he stepped forward again.

"You thing!!"

To guard against Monsters, he had deliberately kept the anger in his heart simmering all along. Whether that anger was real or feigned was hard to say, but now that it surged to his head, it still came rushing out fiercely.

"Again!"

Lin Jue's shock turned to rage. His eyes went wide and his teeth clenched.

"Swish!"

One hand shot out!

Straight through the demonic mist!

Before the Monster could flee, Lin Jue seized it by the collar in one grab.

His knuckles turned white from the force.