Late at night, hurried footsteps approached along the silent, empty Corridor, accompanied by a child's voice struggling to say, "Put me down." It looked like a child abduction in progress.
In reality, though, it was Miao Yue and her underarm bag named "Pubu Gesang."
"Sis, sis! I can barely breathe with you carrying me like this!" Pubu Gesang tried to save himself, only for Miao Yue to swing him behind her back as easily as if he really were a bag, despite his weighing dozens of pounds.
Finally able to breathe freely again, Pubu Gesang sucked in a sharp breath. He was just about to take a moment to recover, but the instant he looked up, he saw half an old woman appear at the other end of the Corridor.
Sure enough, that half an old woman really did come after them.
Pubu Gesang hurriedly said, "Leave this one to me!"
He was about to chant an incantation, but Miao Yue covered his mouth without hesitation. "Don't bother me. Have you considered how long your windup takes? I can handle this with one slash."
Pubu Gesang: "..."
Miao Yue decisively chopped the half an old woman into a quarter of an old woman, then put it straight into the Mini Purple-Gold Gourd without giving it any time to recover.
"Know what kind of ghost this is?" Miao Yue asked.
Pubu Gesang shook his head, his childish voice delivering a suggestion perfectly suited to his age. "Why don't we ask the amazing Qi Gu?"
Outside the Main House, water burbled in the courtyard, mingling with the rustle of leaves in the wind.
A little tired after all that walking, Qi Gu nearly sat down by reflex on an antique Grandmaster's Chair behind him. Halfway through bending his knees, he remembered