The Uninvited Guest

Xu Feng stared at the "Snake-Trail Patterns."

Rain alone could not have made marks like these.

To leave Snake-Trail Patterns, there had to be running water—and a considerable flow of it!

To make sure he was not mistaken, Xu Feng crouched for a closer look.

They were not Mud Cracks.

Xu Feng followed the Snake-Trail Patterns and soon discovered that whatever had made them had surged in through the Drain Outlet, then thrashed about the courtyard.

It had doubled back.

It was as though a water snake had spent last night rolling and twisting restlessly through the Earth God Shrine's courtyard. The longer Xu Feng looked, the more uneasy he became.

Then he opened the shrine gate.

Xu Feng stopped short, his eyes narrowing!

The sun had long since risen, and visibility was excellent. Outside the Earth God Shrine, he saw mud everywhere. But not far from the shrine—

Xu Feng saw another Snake-Trail Pattern.

But this one—Xu Feng trudged away from the front of the shrine, each step sinking to a different depth. After only a few paces, he felt as though he had made a grueling trek.

He stopped beside the pattern and sized it up.

On one side of the Snake-Trail Pattern stood the Earth God Shrine, surrounded by mud that made every step a struggle. On the other side, the ground was dry.

In a sense,

the trail had neither a beginning nor an end.

Xu Feng said, "So where did this water come from? Did the Yellow River's waters descend from the heavens?"

He even looked up. The sky was clear, a brilliant blue, with nothing in it.

A chill crawled up his back.

"If this was a snake, it had to be a giant python."

Xu Feng measured the widest Snake-Trail Pattern, then slowly backed away. Under the sunlight, an iridescent sheen showed in the groove, as though something had left a film of mucus behind.

After returning inside, Xu Feng finished most of the cleanup. His whole body ached almost beyond endurance, and he was exhausted.

He wanted to sit down.

But he did not.

He knew that if he sat down now, the pain would keep him from standing up again.

He wanted to sleep, too.

This body's stamina is no good. All I've got going for me is youth and quick recovery. I wonder whether Master has made any progress with that plan to nurse me back to health.

At least all that hard work had not been for nothing.

After everything he had done,

the Earth God Shrine was presentable again.

Only then did he find some medicinal ointment in the storeroom. He sniffed it to make sure it smelled right, boiled water, and washed his hands and feet with the medicated water. Outside the door, beyond the muddy ground, he beat himself with pine and cypress branches.

Once he had driven away evil influences,

he found a brazier to burn away ill fortune.

The flames suddenly leapt a man's height and washed over Xu Feng without burning his clothes. Still, they startled him into jumping, pulling at his aching muscles.

"Ow."

Xu Feng had genuinely been frightened. The brazier had flared up just as he stepped over it.

Even Xu Feng

could not take a scare like that

at a moment like this.

His groin hurt.

He finished dealing with everything, ate, and offered incense.

Xu Feng's eyelids grew heavy. He found a fairly dry spot, leaned against the doorway, and drifted into a half-sleep.

He did not know how much time passed before a knock came from outside.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Knock, knock, knock."

It was light and polite. Xu Feng heard it and woke at once.

But he did not rush to open the door.

He took a moment to clear his head, then touched his Protective Talisman with a clean hand and picked up the Reed Grass beside him before going to the door. The Reed Grass was so light it felt like a toy. Never mind striking someone with it; he felt it might snap in the breeze if he gripped it too hard.

Xu Feng pulled the door open. He had braced himself, but the person outside was not someone who had come to collect the corpse.

A Daoist stood there!

Xu Feng studied the Daoist, and the Daoist studied him.

When the Daoist saw the Reed Grass in Xu Feng's hand, he even smiled, as though he knew why Xu Feng was holding it.

Seeing that Xu Feng said nothing, he spoke first. "Is Master Zhao of the Earth God Shrine here?"

"He is," Xu Feng said. "Are you looking for my master?"

The Daoist smiled but had not yet spoken when one of the two Daoist Attendants behind him stepped forward. "My master is here to see yours. Aren't you going to let him through?"

Xu Feng did not frown. He looked at the Daoist, who was still smiling.

But Xu Feng knew the Daoist was not as amiable as he appeared. The attendant had spoken after him, and he had made no move to stop him. That could only mean the attendant had said what he himself wanted to say.

What's this supposed to mean? Am I too lowly to speak to him?

"Please wait here, honored guests," Xu Feng said. "I'll fetch my master!"

Xu Feng had no intention of letting them in. Since they had come for his master, he could wake him.

After all, Xu Feng remembered clearly that the Earth God Shrine stood far from any settlement, and they kept no Ghost-Eating Servant inside.

The Reed Grass in his hand would certainly be no use against people, either.

The Daoist was none other than Mr. Zhou.

Whatever Mr. Zhou had been considering, the situation suddenly prompted him to stop Xu Feng. He said clearly, "There's no need. I came to pay for the Corpse Stitching.

"I know the rules of your trade. A Corpse Stitcher doesn't come to collect payment; the money must be brought to him. This is the remaining silver."

Mr. Zhou took a pouch from inside his robe and held it out to Xu Feng.

Xu Feng did not take it.

"Such an important transaction can't be handled by an apprentice like me," he said. "I'd better get my master."

Through the half-open door, Mr. Zhou had seen the state of the shrine. And after talking with the young man for so long without the Corpse Stitcher appearing, he understood that the Corpse Stitcher had likely faced danger last night as well.

Whether he was even in the Earth God Shrine was another question.

If the Corpse Stitcher had been there, he would have heard their conversation and come out by now.

Mr. Zhou had no wish to keep talking to Xu Feng. He drew back the money pouch and said, "Very well. Tell your master I'll return later today."

Before leaving, however, he looked at the Reed Grass in Xu Feng's hand and said, "But from here on, that Reed Grass might not be enough to protect you."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Xu Feng closed the door. He could tell there was something off about the visitor. But when he turned around, he saw that his master had come out of the side room at some point.

His master was looking toward the entrance.

Xu Feng did not call out loudly; for all he knew, the man outside had not gone far. He walked over and said, "Master, you're awake?"

His master nodded slightly. "Mm. I'm awake."

Then he said to Xu Feng, "Go get some sleep. I'll take care of what's left here."

Xu Feng was about to tell his master what had happened at the door.

But his master seemed to know already. "It's all right. I heard everything. Mr. Zhou, was it—"

He motioned for Xu Feng to rest, making it clear he would handle whatever came next. Xu Feng asked no more questions. Sleep came first.

Once he lay down, he slept so deeply that day and night blurred together, and time lost all meaning.

Until "someone" shook him awake!