The Ghost That Harms No One

Shi Xuan's previous physical body, Du Bai, and Xu Tianqi had been classmates for eight years and had a good relationship. However, they hadn't seen each other since Xu Tianqi went off to wander the jianghu. It wasn't until Old Daoist Xu passed away and the Xu family held a funeral that Du Bai saw Xu Tianqi again. It had been nearly a year since then.

The Xu family was well aware that Shi Xuan had received Old Daoist Xu's true teachings and knew the miraculous nature of Daoist magic. This was why they didn't cause trouble when Shi Xuan politely declined their invitation after the funeral, though they maintained a distant attitude.

"Senior Brother Xu, it's been a long time. Are you well?" Shi Xuan asked, though he was surprised, he quickly composed himself.

Xu Tianqi felt a bit awkward but quickly masked it, smiling as he said, "Junior Brother Du, I've been wandering the jianghu all these years and rarely stayed home. You, on the other hand, have been diligently cultivating behind closed doors. I imagine you've made great progress."

Sensing that Xu Tianqi seemed to have something on his mind, Shi Xuan said, "If Senior Brother Xu doesn't mind, perhaps we could go inside for some tea."

Xu Tianqi let out a slight sigh of relief. "I'd be delighted."

The two entered the small courtyard. Since Xu Tianqi was a familiar face and knew the place well, Shi Xuan led him to a stone table in a corner of the courtyard and sat down. He then went into the kitchen to brew a pot of tea and returned.

After pouring tea for both of them, Shi Xuan chuckled, "Senior Brother Xu has quite a reputation in the jianghu. Even I, a humble Daoist who stays home and minds his own business, have heard of you."

"Not at all, not at all. It's just friends in the jianghu giving me face," Xu Tianqi replied politely, though his proud expression was unconcealed.

"How could that be? I often hear tales in the taverns of Senior Brother Xu's heroic feat of chasing down Pink Swallow, Hang Sanliu, for two days and two nights before finally slaying that lecher."

As if his itch had been scratched, Xu Tianqi immediately became excited and recounted the story Shi Xuan had heard several times before. However, hearing it from his perspective at the time added a different flavor.

Shi Xuan deliberately steered the conversation, and they chatted lively about Xu Tianqi's adventures in the jianghu. When Xu Tianqi mentioned that he had a few guests with him on this trip back to Xia'an Prefecture, the slightly awkward expression reappeared on his face as he stood at the door. After hesitating for a long time, seeing Shi Xuan merely smiling and sipping his tea, he finally spoke.

"Junior Brother Du, I've come to ask for your help with something. I will repay you handsomely once it's done."

Shi Xuan smiled faintly. "Oh? Is there something you can't do, Senior Brother Xu, that I, a mere Daoist, could accomplish?"

Xu Tianqi forced a smile. "Junior Brother Du, you've learned great skills from the Old Ancestor. This matter is precisely suited for you." Before Shi Xuan could reply, he continued, "When I returned home this time, I was accompanied by several friends from the jianghu. But upon our return, that annoying brat from the Xia family in the north of the city found out. He's been pestering me daily, hovering around Yuqiong, and often provoking me. Junior Brother Du, you don't know how detestable that Xia Wenhui is. If our families weren't both part of the Tower and secretly engaged in business together, and if our clans didn't restrict us from fighting, I would have taught him a harsh lesson."

The Xia family was originally a prominent jianghu power in Xia'an Prefecture, the force of the renowned Jiangnan and Huainan sect, Fine Rain Tower, in Xia'an Prefecture. It was said that the Xia family was even an elder family from the founding of Fine Rain Tower. However, as no top-tier experts (those who achieved the Major Heavenly Cycle) emerged from their ranks, they gradually declined. After the Xu family made a name for themselves in the jianghu, they quickly pledged allegiance to Fine Rain Tower. Because the Xu family had many first-class experts, Fine Rain Tower valued them highly and entrusted the private salt business in the region to a partnership between the Xia and Xu families.

He took a sip of tea and a breath. Seeing Shi Xuan listening with a smile, he continued, "But these past few days, that bastard Xia Wenhui actually set a trap to provoke me. Then, while I was agitated, he made a bet with me. Whoever loses must apologize to the other three times in front of Yuqiong, saying, 'I was wrong, I'm not human.' Privately, we also have to give the other one thousand taels of silver. The money isn't important, but I fear losing face in front of Yuqiong. Sigh."

Shi Xuan, who had been troubled by money recently, felt a slight stir upon hearing the bet of one thousand taels of silver. However, it was only a fleeting thought; his reason was still intact, so he gestured for Xu Tianqi to continue. It wouldn't be too late to assess the situation after hearing the full story.

"Our bet is to go to that haunted house by the Qupei River in the north of the city three days from now. Each person will bring two companions. We'll spend the night there, and whoever is scared into running out of the house first loses. Junior Brother Du, I know your Daoist magic is miraculous, and you're adept at dealing with such ghosts. Moreover, the ghosts in that house have never harmed anyone. They usually just scare people out of the house, at most knocking them unconscious and throwing them out. Junior Brother Du, whether I win or lose, I will give you five hundred taels of silver as a reward after this matter."

"Uh, Senior Brother Xu, since when has it been rumored that there are ghosts there? What are the usual rumors?" Shi Xuan's eyes lit up at the mention of ghosts. This was the first time in two lifetimes that he might actually see a ghost! Although he knew that once he embarked on the path of cultivation, he would likely hear about and see ghosts, monsters, and demons frequently in the future, it was still a novel experience for him now. Old Daoist Xu's teachings to Du Bai had always focused on cultivation as the priority, with ghost-extermination and evil-banishing being mere side matters. Therefore, he had never taken Du Bai to actually deal with any ghosts or monsters.

Of course, excitement aside, he still needed to inquire about the various rumors surrounding this ghost to accurately analyze its strength, lest he excitedly go to eliminate it only to be eliminated by the ghost himself – that would be a huge embarrassment.

Seeing that Shi Xuan was leaning towards agreeing, Xu Tianqi was overjoyed and immediately replied, "That house was largely destroyed by a fire thirteen years ago. It's said that many people died in the fire. Because too many people died, no one was willing to buy the land to rebuild the house. Seven years ago, after things gradually faded, a wealthy merchant from the prefectural city bought the land and adjacent properties to build a grand mansion. However, just a few days after moving in, the haunting began. They invited several well-known monks and Daoists, but none could drive away the ghost. Instead, it became worse and worse. The wealthy merchant's family members were often scared unconscious in the middle of the night and would wake up on the street the next day. The merchant was at his wit's end and had to move elsewhere. Since then, several owners of this mansion have been scared into moving away, and gradually, the reputation of the house spread. No one dared to buy it, and it has remained abandoned ever since."

He paused and continued, "In recent years, some beggars or daredevils have entered and stayed there, but without exception, they were either scared away or knocked unconscious and thrown out. In any case, I've never heard of this ghost harming anyone."

Based on the timeline, Shi Xuan estimated that this ghost was likely between the Soul Nurturing Stage and the Soul Strengthening Stage. Firstly, this ghost had no sacrifices, otherwise, it wouldn't be able to come out and scare people. Secondly, it had never harmed anyone, meaning it didn't need blood food yet. This indicated that its cultivation was only at a level where it could absorb some yang energy. Therefore, it was likely that some areas near the Qupei River had formed places of yin energy. When encountering the lingering obsession of those who died in the fire, it became a yin ghost. However, this was the prefectural city with a dense human population, so the yin energy place was not of high quality, and the resulting yin ghost would not have such heaven-defying growth speed.

This was only a preliminary deduction. Shi Xuan subtly asked Xu Tianqi several more questions, mainly to gauge the strength of the ghost's obsession and whether it was fierce or benevolent. Finally, Shi Xuan said to Xu Tianqi, "Senior Brother Xu, this matter has come up suddenly, and I need to consider it." Seeing Xu Tianqi about to speak, he quickly signaled him not to say more. "How about this: at this time tomorrow, I will give you a definite answer. Even if I don't go, I will give you some talismans to be prepared."

Seeing Shi Xuan's insistence, Xu Tianqi couldn't force the issue. He agreed to meet tomorrow and then took his leave. Shi Xuan tidied up and also went out.

Shi Xuan spent the entire afternoon investigating various places in the city where information was abundant. He also inquired among his neighbors and generally confirmed Xu Tianqi's account of the ghost. Only then did he feel at ease. That evening, after controlling his emotions and completing his cultivation practice, he checked the condition of the talismans on his person and then headed straight to the bend of the Qupei River in the north of the city. He observed the surrounding environment of the house and then used a talisman to activate his heavenly eye, observing the flow of yin energy. It was indeed of poor quality, just as he had deduced.

However, Shi Xuan did not enter the house. After all, since he had decided to accompany Xu Tianqi, there was no difference between going now and going later.

Just as noon arrived the next day, Xu Tianqi eagerly came to his door. Shi Xuan did not put on airs and gave him a positive reply. Xu Tianqi was overjoyed and sent over two hundred taels of silver that same day as a sign of his absolute commitment, stating that the money would be delivered regardless of whether he won or lost.

After receiving the silver, Shi Xuan calculated that even if he didn't sell the courtyard, he would have enough silver for his current stage of cultivation. However, when he traveled in the future, the courtyard would be empty, so he would still have to sell it. It just meant he now had more capital to wait for a better price.

Furthermore, according to Old Daoist Xu's experience, even after opening all the meridians and achieving the Major Heavenly Cycle, one would still need a large amount of food daily to supplement vital energy. Even entering the Soul Departure Stage would not allow one to truly achieve abstaining from grains/food. One could only endure for more than ten times the usual duration, perhaps half a year without eating, unless one cultivated to the Qi Induction Stage. Therefore, although he could supplement his vital energy by hunting game when traveling in the future, it was best to have some silver on hand for emergencies.