Kept a Ghost in the House and Never Knew?

As soon as the thought struck him, Wang Ping acted. Just past noon, he changed clothes, put on a bamboo hat and straw rain cape, and tucked a long string of copper coins into his pocket. Following his memory, he left Former Village and headed without delay toward the nearest county town, Longxing County.

He walked for roughly another two hours.

At last, a town came into view: towering gates, soldiers standing guard, and a bustling market spread outside the walls.

This was the Grass Market.

Nearly everyone gathered here came from the countryside and mountain villages beyond the county town. The town's "respectable citizens" would never come near such a place.

Even so, the market was a sparrow small enough to fit in one's hand, yet complete with all five organs. Firewood, rice, oil, salt—at least the necessities of life could all be bought here, often more cheaply. The quality might be worse, but Wang Ping was in no position to be picky.

Wang Ping soon found the rice shop from his memory.

But the next instant, he stopped short.

At the shop entrance, a black-clad constable with a saber at his waist was sneering at the owner, tapping a finger against the counter.

"Old Chen, this month's regular payment is due."

The rice shop owner was past forty, his face lined with wrinkles and his black hair turning white. Hunched over, he hurriedly took out a string of copper coins.

"Don't worry, Constable Liu. I've got it ready for you."

With that, the owner began to untie the string and count out the payment.

But the next instant, the tall constable called Constable Liu reached out and snatched the entire string from Old Chen's hand.

"Constable Liu!? But..." Old Chen's face tightened.

"Cut the nonsense." The constable waved impatiently. "This will do. Count the extra toward next month's payment. Save me some time."

Then he glanced at the shelves, picked up a bag of fine rice, and tucked it into his coat without the slightest intention of paying. He swaggered on to the next shop. Everywhere he passed, people lowered their heads and moved aside; no one dared meet his eyes.

He was a street-clearing tiger, feared for years.

Old Chen could only give a bitter smile.

Behind him, a young man of about twenty had watched the whole thing. He gritted his teeth and muttered:

"That Liu the Skinflint has gone too far..."

"Fool! What nonsense are you spouting?"

Old Chen's face changed at once. He turned and gave the young man a hard slap, signaling him to shut up.

The young man fell silent, but resentment still filled his face. Old Chen shook his head helplessly.

"You're still young. Lord Liu isn't so bad, all things considered."

"Whatever happens, we can still get by, and the shop must stay open... Swallow a little humiliation, and it'll pass. That's how I got through it when I was your age."

From a distance, Wang Ping watched it all with a calm expression.

Only after Constable Liu had made his way down the entire street and returned to the county town satisfied did Wang Ping approach the rice shop. "Uncle Chen, half a bag of fine rice," he said quietly.

Old Chen turned at once, putting on a shopkeeper's friendly smile as he called the young man over to help. He measured the rice and calculated the price in one smooth motion.

"One hundred and thirty-three coins."

"Uncle Chen, could you round it down?" Wang Ping asked shamelessly.

"Young man, I'm running a small business here..."

After some haggling, Wang Ping saved himself one coin. Even a mosquito was meat, however small. Satisfied, he paid for the rice.

He also needed to buy a piece of refined iron to forge his blade.

Leaves could serve as a substitute for now, but to truly begin mastering the Plain Moon Lotus Blade, he needed to forge a flying knife of his own.

"A single coin can bring a hero to his knees."

If he had not become an undercover agent for the county office, taking from both sides, he could not have afforded the fine rice just now, let alone precious refined iron.

Leaving the rice shop, Wang Ping roamed the Grass Market, seeking out street vendors in hopes of finding a bargain. Every coin saved counted.

Along the way, he overheard plenty of conversations.

The topics ranged from marriages among nephews and nieces to everyday troubles. But the news people brought up most often concerned the county town.

"Heard? A Transcendent has come to town!"

"They say Wandering God True Person has opened a hall. The authorities even conscripted laborers to build it. It's enormous, over in the Shenghua district on the east side."

"So they'll be hiring servants?"

"My second uncle works in town. He told me himself the hall's threshold is nearly worn flat. Who knows how many people want a servant's place there?"

"Of course they do! The authorities posted a notice: if you become a servant in a Transcendent's hall, your whole household is exempt from taxes. Who wouldn't want that? We've just got rotten luck, stuck scraping by outside the walls. Otherwise, I'd fight my way through the crowd to try."

"Exactly..."

Listening to them, Wang Ping could not help growing curious. A Transcendent, endorsed by the authorities, whose servants' households even received tax exemptions?

He listened more closely.

Fortunately, he was not the only one who knew nothing. By listening as he walked, he pieced together most of the story and learned roughly where these Transcendents came from.

In short, the so-called Transcendents were a group of alchemists favored by the Great Shun Dynasty's reigning emperor. Supposedly, they could refine an elixir of immortality. The emperor valued them so highly that the county authorities bent over backward, helping build their halls and recruit servants.

Probably a pack of swindlers. Nothing new there.

Having reached his conclusion, Wang Ping gave it no more thought. He had only listened out of curiosity; it was the gentlemen inside the town who concerned themselves with such matters.

Nearly another two hours passed.

At last, Wang Ping stopped outside a smithy. A piece of refined iron caught his eye; because it was small, it was relatively cheap.

Normally, a piece that small would be hard to turn into a weapon. But since he meant to forge a flying knife, it suited him perfectly.

Just then—

"Don't turn around."

A faint voice reached his ear, steady and firm. Wang Ping's hand froze on the iron, but he quickly held his expression steady.

He's here!

His handler had come to meet him.

Wang Ping immediately looked at the smithy owner. "Boss, is this iron properly wrought? I won't buy it if it's pig iron."

The owner frowned.

"You must be joking, young man. I run a smithy and have something of a name in this market. If you ask for wrought iron, why would I sell you pig iron?"

Wang Ping ignored his reply.

The conversation with the owner was only a pretext. Its real purpose was to let him communicate with the handler hidden somewhere nearby.

Sure enough, the voice came again:

"How are things?"

Wang Ping moved his lips while speaking to the smithy owner. Strangely, the shapes his mouth made were entirely different from the words he said aloud.

This was how he communicated with his handler as an undercover agent for the county office. There was no need to pass suspicious slips of paper. He only had to stand somewhere his handler could see, strike up a conversation with anyone, and convey his intelligence by reading lips.

"I've become Shouchong's disciple."

"I'm now the hall master of the White Lotus Sect's branch around Former Village... But Shouchong seems to have realized the county office has an undercover agent in the sect."

"If this goes on, I risk being exposed."

Wang Ping formed each word carefully, keeping his silent message separate from what he actually said. The technique had taken him months to learn.

The voice soon returned:

"Don't worry. I'm the only person in the entire county office who knows you're undercover, and your identity file is strictly confidential. Shouchong can't catch you."

Wang Ping was not reassured.

Instead, he felt helpless. "My lord, we agreed you'd close the net after three years. Then another three years passed. I'm a hall master now."

"I know you're anxious, but hold on."

His handler's voice remained steady. "I want to wipe out the White Lotus Sect as soon as possible too. But you must understand how much is at stake. Once we move, we have to succeed."

"We can't afford to fail."

"Former Village is the White Lotus Sect's stronghold. That old bastard Shouchong has made extensive preparations there. If we rush in, he'll likely spot us and escape."

"So before we close the net, either find out where every lookout in Former Village is posted, or find a way to lure Shouchong out..."

"Easy for you to say... Hm?"

Wang Ping was about to object when he stopped. His earlier conversation with Shouchong flashed through his mind. Wait... There might actually be a chance.

Excitement surged through him.

"In two days, Shouchong might go to River Village!"

"...What?"

His handler's voice changed. "Are you sure? Where did you hear that?"

"He told me himself." Wang Ping fought to stay calm. "He may have fed me false information to test me, but it could also be true."

"No, it should be true."

His handler sounded excited. "The White Lotus Sect has indeed been making moves near River Village. Well done, Wang Ping! Once this is over, you'll be one of us at the county office."

"You'll get your reward money, too."

"Thank you, my lord."

The voice fell silent. Wang Ping stopped wasting words on the smithy owner, who had clearly grown furious, and bought the refined iron.

Then he turned and headed back to the village.

His spirits had already soared. His handler had decided to close the net, which meant his days of walking a tightrope as an undercover agent were almost over.

When it was done, he could take a hefty reward and settle into life as a wealthy idler in the county town. Even if the court shamelessly pocketed his reward, he could simply make off with the White Lotus Sect's assets, change his name and face, and never worry about the rest of his life.

The thought was rather exciting.

Wang Ping's elation lasted until he returned to Former Village and saw the young Dao Practitioner Xie Shi at the village entrance. Only then did he gradually calm down.

"Senior Brother Xie?"

"Come with me. Master wants to see us," Xie Shi said flatly. "I followed you to the Grass Market in Longxing County. Master wants to talk to you."

Thump!

Wang Ping's heart lurched, but he betrayed nothing. He nodded readily and followed Xie Shi to the rear courtyard of the Daoist temple.

"Disciple pays his respects to Master."

At the sight of the old Daoist priest seated beside the shrine, Wang Ping immediately dropped into a full prostration. This time, however, Shouchong did not tell him to rise.

Then the old man's voice drifted out:

"An expert took a liking to a young man, made him his disciple, and taught him martial arts. That young man was clever like you, and careful in his work."

"But what a shame. Someone found out he was the court's ghost."

The next instant, Wang Ping felt a chill at the center of his brow. A slight sting came with liquid trickling down, staining half his vision red.

"Why did you betray me?"

Wang Ping knew the Lotus Blade was pressed against his brow.

His thoughts raced. How many times had he imagined this scene in midnight nightmares? He had once been terrified of it, yet now that it had come—

He grew calm instead.

He raised his head without hesitation, letting the blade cut into his brow as blood poured down. His eyes filled with hurt. "Sect Leader, you suspect me?"

He decided to gamble.

He would bet that his meeting with his handler at the market had been discreet enough, that Shouchong had no proof and was only bluffing. He had to deny it to the end.

"Why wouldn't I suspect you?"

"Only you and Xie Shi knew I planned to go to River Village."

Shouchong gave a cold laugh, then took out a slip of paper and tossed it before Wang Ping. A line of writing stood out on it: [There's a mole. Abort the operation!]

Wang Ping finally understood. He was not the only undercover agent in the White Lotus Sect; the sect had an agent inside the county office too!

"See?"

Shouchong pressed the blade forward slightly. His voice was icy. "I must be getting senile, keeping a ghost under my own roof without even knowing it. How do you intend to explain yourself?"

"It really wasn't me!" Wang Ping shook his head desperately.

"If it wasn't you, was it me? Or was it him?" Shouchong turned to Xie Shi.

"What?" Xie Shi froze. He had been looking forward to the spectacle, but now panic seized him. "Absolutely not! Master, I'm your disciple!"

"So what if you are?"

Shouchong was unmoved. "Does being my disciple mean you can't betray me? You're not the only disciple I've had all these years. Do you think none of the others ever betrayed me?"

"And you went to Longxing County with Wang Ping today, didn't you?"

"But... that was on your orders, Master."

"Or perhaps you anticipated it."

The tension in the room had reached its breaking point.

Just then—

Boom!

A thunderous crash shattered the tension. It sounded as though someone had blasted open the gate or wall. Then voices erupted all around the Daoist temple.

"By imperial decree, we've come to crush the rebels!"

"The White Lotus Bandits have risen against their superiors and plagued the countryside! Their crimes cannot be pardoned!"

"Brothers, the magistrate has spoken! Ten taels of silver for every bandit killed! Five hundred taels to whoever takes the White Lotus leader's head!"