A lone man and a solitary ghost

Under the clear, quiet moonlight, a lone man and a solitary ghost lay in bed, their eyes meeting.

Xie Jinhuan turned his head and abruptly saw a hanged ghost. He jolted in fright, hurriedly rolled upright, and reached for his weapon. But on closer inspection, this ghost seemed familiar, and he blurted out in alarm and anger:

"What are you doing?!"

Leaning against the inner side of the bed, Ye Hongshang put away her hanged-ghost face and propped her cheek on one hand instead.

"You couldn't sleep. I was helping you out."

Xie Jinhuan had indeed been unable to sleep, but was he supposed to sleep any better with a female ghost in his arms?

Still, with everything quiet now, it really was much more comfortable than before...

Xie Jinhuan calmed the pounding waves of fright in his heart. After a moment's consideration, he finally put down his weapon and asked:

"Just what's your background? I used to read plenty of books. If you were some towering figure in history, there's no way I wouldn't know you."

Ye Hongshang lay on her side beside him, twirling a lock of black hair around her fingertip.

"I've lost my memory. How would I know? Perhaps too many people died in the Witch Cult uprising, and I wasn't among the very greatest, so they forgot me."

A century ago, the Witch Cult had plunged the world into chaos. The population had fallen by a third, and even the previous dynasty had been destroyed. Many people and demons had indeed been buried in the long river of history.

But any person or demon who qualified for the "Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum" treatment and could still bounce around after being buried alive for a hundred years could not have been a nobody.

Any demon in history who had received such treatment had left millions of corpses in their wake. Even a thousand years later, their names still thundered in people's ears.

Xie Jinhuan strongly suspected Ye Hongshang had misremembered her name, but he had no way to verify that now. He could only ask:

"Can you really not help with anything? The whole city is searching for me, and I can't leave. Even offering some ideas would do."

Ye Hongshang produced a red round fan from somewhere and waved it before her chest, carrying herself like a lavishly endowed noblewoman.

"Every problem stems from insufficient strength. Your cultivation methods are a little lacking, and there's still room to strengthen your foundations. Just find some miraculous pills and medicines to cleanse your marrow and scour your bones, temper your sinews and nourish your meridians, and you could enter the third rank of the Martial Dao at any time. Though you still wouldn't be able to seal the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum, you'd at least have a better chance of protecting yourself if the court discovered you."

Pills could improve his strength, but body-tempering medicines were expensive. Those suitable for third- and fourth-rank martial artists cost astronomical sums.

Ye Hongshang was a ghost and certainly had none on her. Xie Jinhuan had no money either, so he could only ask:

"Can you teach me alchemy?"

Ye Hongshang shook her head. "I've forgotten how to refine pills. But that female physician today was a Witch Cult Demoness, and there seemed to be a problem with her cultivation method. Icy yin energy was pressing against her internal organs. Just use a little coercion and persuasion, then help her resolve that trouble. Never mind a few pills—you could even get her to offer herself to your bed."

Xie Jinhuan had already stirred up a heap of trouble. How could he dare threaten a Witch Cult Demoness who could cast hexes? Still, helping each other was certainly possible.

"How would I fix the problem with her cultivation method?"

"Bring me the method to look over. I should be able to find the problem. As for the icy yin energy, she'd need to find a man of utmost firmness and yang and treat it through the harmonization of yin and yang. Once she's squirted a hundred times or so, the icy yin energy will naturally be expelled..."

"Huh?!"

Hearing these shocking words, Xie Jinhuan said incredulously:

"Squirt? A hundred times, at that?! Are you sure you're not a succubus trying to lure me into defiling respectable women?"

Ye Hongshang looked baffled. "Don't flatter yourself, all right? I'm just telling you the method. Who said you had to do it yourself? What if she already has someone she loves? Even without finding a man, carving a stick out of peach wood and poking herself with it would work."

Poking herself, too?

Xie Jinhuan had no idea what to say. He dropped his head back onto the pillow.

"Witch Cult Demonesses are all ruthless characters. Who ends up poking whom is anyone's guess. Are there any other ways to get pills?"

Ye Hongshang blinked and leaned closer to study him.

"With those looks, you could rake in a fortune as a male favorite. There are plenty of wealthy ladies around. As long as you're willing to sacrifice that tender flesh of yours, wouldn't getting a few pills be child's play?"

Xie Jinhuan was a strapping, full-grown man. Selling himself outright would be rather too lacking in ambition. Seeing that the great succubus Ye had nothing but indecent ideas, he stopped responding and quietly pondered how to reach the first rank quickly.

Perhaps because his mind had wandered, his gaze unconsciously settled on the neckline right before him.

Though she was an illusion, Ye Hongshang's face and figure were rendered in exquisite detail. She looked like a real person lying within arm's reach.

Her figure was not as enormous as it had been in the shared courtyard, but her bodice still rose high. Its heavy contents actually obeyed gravity, visibly spreading a little to the sides...

Noticing where Xie Jinhuan was looking, Ye Hongshang rolled over and reached a finger toward his cheek.

"Young hero~ Would you like your big sister to help you cultivate?"

"?!"

Xie Jinhuan jumped in surprise. But he was already at the end of his rope and could not shake her off anyway. He simply steeled himself and reached for her arm!

Unfortunately, his hand passed straight through her, without any physical sensation at all.

?

Xie Jinhuan immediately lost all interest and closed his eyes.

"You're just an illusion. I can see you but can't touch you. For all I know, your real body could be a femboy's. I'm not falling for it. Disappear."

"Who said you can't touch me?"

Ye Hongshang raised a slender, jade-like finger and brushed it across Xie Jinhuan's face.

A smooth, soft sensation really did pass over his cheek, even carrying the warmth of a body.

What the hell?

Xie Jinhuan froze, then swiftly reached for her wrist, only to pass through her again.

"Huh?"

Refusing to believe it, Xie Jinhuan tried touching her several more times. Unfortunately, the teasing remained entirely one-sided, and he could only admit defeat.

"All right, all right, you win. Hurry up and disappear. I need to make the most of my time and train."

"Hehe~"

Ye Hongshang smiled like a blossoming flower, her figure silently fading away.

Xie Jinhuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to get out of bed when he noticed Coal Ball huddled in the corner with wings spread, feathers standing on end, staring at him in terror.

?

Xie Jinhuan was baffled.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Gooji?"

Coal Ball wanted to ask Xie Jinhuan that very question.

He had been lying in bed flailing his limbs as though possessed, talking to himself and startling at every turn.

Seeing that Xie Jinhuan had returned to normal, Coal Ball flew over and began battering him with wings, apparently trying to help drive out the evil spirit...

Smack, smack, smack...

Elsewhere.

As the night deepened, the County Commandant's Office remained brightly lit. Constables and coroners gathered in the morgue, while sealed wooden crates and account books sat in the adjoining duty room.

County Commandant Yang Ting stood beside Chen Yuan's corpse with a pipe between his lips, watching the coroner dissect the wound, his gaze grave.

"A surprise sword strike covered almost thirty feet, wounded his heart meridians without killing him, and then a single blow from a metal truncheon smashed apart a monk who practiced Immovable Vajra Zen. That level of Martial Dao skill would have to be above the fourth or fifth rank. To have such skill before twenty is simply incredible. Are you certain there's nothing questionable about his background?"

Yang Dabiao had served in the capital for nearly three years and knew Xie Jinhuan quite well. He thumped his chest in assurance.

"Xie Jinhuan matured early. Back in the capital, he was already exceptionally hardworking, studying things from morning to night. It's no surprise he's accomplished so much at a young age. Jinhuan said he spent these past few years learning at Wind Spirit Valley, supposedly following the Hidden Immortal lineage. Have you heard of it, Father?"

Yang Ting had spent his whole life in government service and had broad experience. Drawing on his pipe, he thought for a moment.

"The more flourishing branches of Daoism today are the Cinnabar Cauldron, Divination Sect, and Hidden Immortal branches. The Cinnabar Cauldron branch is mostly in the south, while the Divination Sect is revered by Northern Zhou. The Hidden Immortal branch is the most mysterious. They follow the path of seclusion and never emerge unless the world is in turmoil. Their last appearance was during the Witch Cult uprising a century ago. Now that Xie Jinhuan has appeared..."

Yang Dabiao considered this. "Perhaps the dynasty's allotted years are coming to an end, and troubled times are approaching, so some secluded master specially sent him out..."

Crack-

Before he could finish, the pipe rapped him on the head.

"You're a grown man, and you still run your mouth without thinking! Great Qian is enjoying a magnificent age of prosperity. What's this nonsense about the dynasty's years coming to an end?!"

Rubbing his head, Yang Dabiao looked at the room full of corpses.

"Then these..."

"These are merely ordinary demon bandits, not heaven-reaching demons that bring ruin to the nation and its people."

"Then the one on Purple Emblem Mountain..."

"If you know it's a heaven-reaching demon, why aren't you hurrying out to find it?!"

"With my meager abilities, how am I supposed to find a great demon beyond the ranks? Even if it delivered itself to my door, I might not recognize it..."

As father and son spoke, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the office, accompanied by urgent words:

"Lord Linghu, you need proper rest. I haven't even dared report this to Her Highness the Commandery Princess. If Her Highness found out..."

"I know my limits."

Yang Dabiao's heart jolted. Knowing that the female bodhisattva who delivered them from suffering every day had arrived, he hurriedly set down his fire striker and ran outside.

In the front courtyard of the County Commandant's Office, three soldiers carrying lanterns jogged behind, while the deputy, Liu Qingzhi, repeatedly tried to dissuade him.

Linghu Qingmo strode ahead with his sword in hand. His armor had been smashed, so he wore ordinary clothes. A snow-white skirt fluttered in the night breeze beneath the firelight, lending him an ethereal, immortal air.

As the personal disciple of Purple Emblem Mountain Sect Leader, and someone who addressed Commandery Princess Changning as a sister, Linghu Qingmo clearly held considerable standing. For ordinary constables, even glimpsing him from afar was an honor, never mind interacting with him.

But as a Daoist, Linghu Qingmo never put on any airs. He had come to the prince's residence to gain experience and, rather than choosing office work, had thrown himself onto the front lines. He treated ordinary soldiers and constables as colleagues and comrades, led the way in exhausting and dirty work, and even helped shoulder the blame when trouble arose.

For this reason, the many officers at the yamen had always regarded him as a "female bodhisattva." Now that he had arrived, they all stepped forward to ask after his well-being.

Linghu Qingmo, however, was cold on the outside and warm within. Though loyal and righteous, he was not good at pleasantries. He walked straight into the rear offices and, seeing Yang Dabiao running over, got directly to the point.

"How are things? Have you found any leads?"

Yang Dabiao had nearly been scared to death today. Only after confirming that Lord Linghu's arms and legs were intact did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"So far, we can only confirm that the three men in Dongcang Ward were connected to the demon bandits causing trouble in the city lately. But the person behind them was very cautious and left no clues in the warehouse that we could follow..."

"Where is that last man, Xie Jinhuan?"

"Uh..."

Yang Dabiao had known he would ask this. Bending at the waist, he put on an ingratiating smile.

"Lord Linghu~ It was all a misunderstanding. Xie Jinhuan is the son of Xie Wen, the former county commandant of Wanan County. He's a close friend of mine. I've known him since childhood, and he's very well-behaved. He came especially to visit me today and happened to run into the bandits. Things probably happened so suddenly that he accidentally injured you..."

Linghu Qingmo was no fool. How could someone who had knocked her, the personal disciple of Purple Emblem Mountain Sect Leader, unconscious with one blow possibly be ordinary?

"He killed three people in the blink of an eye, and you call him well-behaved?"

"You can't be softhearted when killing villains. Lord Xie taught me that too..."

"Which cell is he in?"

"Uh..."

Linghu Qingmo was about to head toward the cells when he saw Yang Dabiao's awkward expression and incessant apologetic smiles. His slender brows rose sharply.

"You let such an important witness leave?!"

"No, I wouldn't dare release him without authorization."

Yang Dabiao smiled apologetically. "He's under house arrest, in the sixth courtyard on Clear Spring Lane, just a few steps from my home. I stake my head on it: there's absolutely nothing wrong with Xie Jinhuan. If you wish to question him, Lord Linghu, I'll call him over right away..."

Linghu Qingmo had already learned the broad details of the case while his injuries were being treated. Seeing Yang Dabiao stake his head on this, he finally set aside his doubts.

But he could hardly remain ignorant of what the person who had knocked him unconscious with a single blow looked like. He turned and headed outside.

"I'll go take a look."

Afraid this female bodhisattva would make trouble for his friend, Yang Dabiao hurried after him.

"I'll show you the way, my lord."

"No need. Solve this case as quickly as possible. Report any leads immediately."

"Uh... Understood."

Yang Dabiao stopped sheepishly and watched Linghu Qingmo leave alone...

I recommend "Who Dates When They're Roaming the Jianghu," a wuxia harem novel. Any interested readers can take a look~

If you're interested, do check it out~