A Ghost Story

If you asked what appealed to Lu Chuan most in this world, there was no doubt about it: the cultivation methods of the immortals. 🍑 ⋆ 🍭 🎀  🎀 🍭 ⋆ 🍑

Shen Gongbao's final words had heartened him no less than a near-dead traveler in the desert spotting a lush oasis in the distance.

Lu Chuan cheerfully went out to gather firewood.

Once Lu Chuan was gone, Shen Gongbao glanced at the statue, broken in two. A glint flashed in his eyes. Then, shaking his head, he sat cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes. "Go!"

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As soon as the words left his mouth, a fierce gust howled outside the temple and sped off into the distance.

There were some trees around the ruined temple.

But it wasn't autumn or winter, so finding dry branches for firewood was no easy task.

Lu Chuan worked hard, gathering wood under the moonlight as he went farther and farther. Before he knew it, he had wandered a long way from the ruined temple.

At last, he had gathered a large bundle of dead branches. Thinking he had enough to return, he straightened up—and only then realized he couldn't see the temple anywhere around him.

He turned to look in every direction. Apart from the leaves rustling on the branches in the evening breeze, there wasn't so much as a ghost in sight.

"Oh no, I've wandered too far."

Lu Chuan's heart tightened. He muttered, "It's creepy out here in the wilderness in the middle of the night. It isn't safe. I'd better hurry up and find my way back to the temple."

At least Shen Gongbao was there.

Lu Chuan still thought of his master as the petty schemer from his memories, stirring up trouble and sowing discord. But even so, he couldn't deny that his master was truly formidable.

As long as he stayed by Shen Gongbao's side, he would at least be safe.

Lu Chuan figured out which way he had come, picked up the bundle of firewood by its vine, slung it over his back, and strode beneath the moon toward the ruined temple.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

In the moonlight, his shadow stretched long. In the silent night, his footsteps were the only ones to be heard.

Splash!

But he hadn't gone far when he suddenly heard another sound, as if something had fallen into the water.

In the stillness of the night, he heard it clearly.

Lu Chuan stopped and looked around in surprise. All he saw were trees. Was there water around here? he wondered.

"Help! Help! Won't someone come and save me...?"

A woman's cry rang out without warning. ♜🍪  ♗😈

Her voice was clear and sweet, like a young girl's.

But that lovely voice was filled with panic and helpless despair.

Along with her cries came the splashing of someone thrashing about in the water.

The sounds were crystal clear to Lu Chuan. The source couldn't be far away.

"Miss, what's wrong?" Lu Chuan called.

"Brave sir... please, help me!"

At his words, the voice brimmed with delight as she cried out to him.

Lu Chuan hesitated. "Who are you?"

"I'm the daughter of a wealthy family in Chaoge City... I went out of the city to enjoy myself today and lost track of time. I didn't make it back before the gates closed."

The woman sounded as though she were struggling desperately in the water. Her words came in fits and starts, mingling with the splashes.

"I was looking for somewhere to spend the night when I accidentally fell into this lake. My family is enormously wealthy. If you... save my life, I'll serve you like an ox or a horse to repay you... My father will reward you handsomely, too."

"A reward... There's no need for that. Money and such are just worldly possessions. It's only right that I save you."

Lu Chuan thought for a moment, then said, "Miss, please tell me where you are. I'll come save you right away."

"In the west... in a lake..."

The woman's voice grew fainter. "Please, brave sir... hurry. I can't... hold on much longer..."

"All right. Please wait there."

Lu Chuan shouted, glanced west, then lightened his step and quietly headed east.

"Thank you... young master..."

"Don't mention it, don't mention it," Lu Chuan answered with an honest, simple smile. After going a short distance, he took off running without looking back.

"Brave sir, I can't hold on much longer!"

"Brave sir, are you coming?"

"Brave sir? Brave sir..."

After waiting a while without seeing Lu Chuan, the voice called out again and again. 💔♤  🍩♗

But after calling three times, she still didn't hear an answer.

"Oh no, you damn little thief..."

A furious roar followed. With a bang, a column of water more than ten zhang high surged up in the distance behind Lu Chuan.

Splash!

As the lake water came pouring down, a beautiful woman in a long gown appeared in midair.

"Ang!"

The woman threw back her head and roared. With a twist, she transformed into a dragon-shaped apparition three zhang long.

Its ferocious dragon eyes, each the size of a palm, swept over the surroundings. The moment it spotted Lu Chuan sprinting east, it roared, then whipped its tail and flew after him.

"Oh my god, it really is a monster!"

At the sound of the tremendous crash, Lu Chuan looked back. He saw the woman soaring into the air and transforming into a ferocious dragon. His eyes went wide.

Without another word, he turned and ran for his life.

The evil dragon apparition was enormous, more than ten meters long, and it was fast, too. A few twists of its body in midair brought it right up behind him.

As it chased him, the evil dragon apparition shouted, "You treacherous little thief! You promised to come save me, so why did you lie to me and run off by yourself?"

"Please forgive me, miss! I'm young and weak, and I can't swim—I'm a landlubber. I couldn't save you..."

Lu Chuan raced ahead in terror without looking back, shouting, "So I was going to find help! There are strong men not far ahead who can save you. I never expected you to escape on your own. What a happy occasion! Truly, congratulations!"

"Heh!"

The evil dragon apparition was so furious that she laughed. She had even revealed her true form, and the kid was still spouting nonsense, calling her "miss" as if it came naturally. He was...

A silver-tongued flatterer.

"So you were just trying to help me, then?"

"Of course."

The evil dragon apparition saw she had caught up to Lu Chuan, so she stopped hurrying to catch him.

With a flash of light, she changed back into the beautiful woman. She flew leisurely through the air behind Lu Chuan, watching him race along with an amused smile, like a cat toying with a mouse.

A moment later,

Lu Chuan was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

"Are you tired, young master?"

"Tired!"

"If you're tired, why not stop and take a break?"

"Running at night is good exercise," Lu Chuan said with a dry laugh.

Did she really think he dared stop?

"Good exercise, you say? Heh. Kid, let's stop pretending."

The woman sneered. "I'll give you one chance. Get down on your knees and kowtow to confess your crime right now, and perhaps I'll let you live. Otherwise... heh heh!"

Thud!

Before she could finish, Lu Chuan, rushing along blindly below, tripped on something and plunged headfirst to the ground.

"What a well-behaved young man! I hadn't even finished speaking, and you were already bowing to me." The demoness froze, then giggled.

Like hell I was!

Dizzy and disoriented, Lu Chuan scrambled to his feet, unable to stop himself from cursing inwardly. There was moonlight, but it was still night. How could he see where he was going while running like that?

He reached out and felt the thing that had tripped him: a tree root sticking out of the ground.

Whoosh!

The woman in white floated down from the air, her gown fluttering. In the moonlight, she looked like a celestial maiden as she approached him step by step.

Lu Chuan gave a bitter smile, then simply sat down on the tree root and leaned against the tree to catch his breath.

"Run, then. Why did you stop?" the demoness sneered.

"Miss, please... stop chasing me. I'm a Daoist. As a member of the clergy, I can't marry."

Lu Chuan panted hard and smiled wryly. "It can only mean that we're fated to meet, but not to be together. We met at the wrong time and in the wrong place..."

"Met and what?"

The demoness came right up to Lu Chuan, sneering. "You little brat, you're lust-drunk and bold. You're on the verge of death, yet you still dare take liberties with your auntie."

Seeing that she was a demoness, Lu Chuan remembered all the sultry tales about female demons and hurriedly put on a solemn expression. "Miss, there's something else I'd like to say."

The demoness said, "What do you want to say?"

Lu Chuan hesitated, then stammered, "To be honest, miss, I... was born premature. I've been weak and kidney-deficient since I was little, with insufficient yang energy. The doctor said I wouldn't live past twenty..."

"The doctor you saw used to be a fortune-teller, didn't he?"

The demoness giggled again.

Lu Chuan froze. "Why?"

The woman's giggle turned to a cold laugh. Her voice was chilling. "Because he was right."

Lu Chuan: "..."

At that moment, he couldn't help cursing inwardly. I've been stalling for ages. Shen Gongbao, why haven't you come save your disciple yet?

"Oh, one more thing. What flaws did you spot in my story?"

The demoness suddenly asked curiously, "My trick always works. I've never failed before. How did you, a green kid who still has milk on his lips, see through it today?"

Lu Chuan was taken aback. "Why ask me that? Even if there were flaws, you'd still have caught me, wouldn't you?"

"But food that comes to you on its own is easier than having to hunt it down, isn't it?"

As she spoke, the demoness's smile turned cold. Her voice was chilling. "Tell me, or I'll eat you right now."

Lu Chuan: "..."

To be honest, from the perspective of his previous life, the demoness's scheme had been almost perfect.

She said she was the daughter of a wealthy family in Chaoge City, and that she had gone out for fun and lost track of time, so she couldn't get back through the city gates. There was nothing wrong with that story.

On top of that, her voice was incredibly sweet.

Any man who heard a woman with a voice that lovely couldn't help wanting to see what she looked like.

Just look at those few short lines of hers: she'd dangled both money and beauty in front of him. How many men would have resisted such a tempting trap?

Lu Chuan hadn't taken the bait for one thing because the timing was wrong.

It was the middle of the night, spooky as hell. What was this young lady doing by a lake instead of sleeping? Looking for ghosts?

And she could still ramble on and introduce herself after falling into the water. She brought up her family and fortune for ages. She'd dangled the promise of wealth and beauty, sure, but what ordinary person had time to say all that while drowning?

If she'd come ashore and offered herself to him, that wouldn't have been strange. But while still in the water, she kept prattling on...

That was gilding the lily!

Besides, Lu Chuan had grown up on countless tales of demons harming people, like A Chinese Ghost Story. Anything like this happening in the dead of night felt eerie. It was better to stay out of it.

But though he hadn't taken the bait, there was still one problem...

He couldn't outrun the monster!