Ghosts That Do Not Harm People

Shi Xuan's former body, Du Bai, and Xu Tianqi had been classmates for eight years and had shared a fairly good friendship. It was only after Xu Tianqi set out to roam the Jianghu that they had stopped seeing each other. They did not meet again until Old Daoist Xu passed away and the Xu Family held his funeral. Since then, nearly another year had passed without a meeting.

The Xu Family knew well that Shi Xuan had inherited Old Daoist Xu's true teachings, and they also knew how wondrous Daoist magic could be. That was why, after Shi Xuan politely declined their invitation following the funeral, they had not come knocking to cause trouble. Still, they had maintained an attitude of neither hearing nor asking about him.

"Senior Brother Xu, it has been a long time. Have you been well?" Though Shi Xuan was briefly startled, he swiftly reined in his emotions.

Xu Tianqi looked slightly awkward, but quickly concealed it. Smiling, he said, "Junior Brother Du, I've spent all these years knocking about the Jianghu and rarely stayed home. You, on the other hand, have kept your doors shut and trained diligently. I imagine you've made tremendous progress."

Seeing that Xu Tianqi seemed to have something on his mind, Shi Xuan said, "If Senior Brother Xu does not mind, come inside and have some tea."

Xu Tianqi breathed a slight sigh of relief. "I would be delighted."

The two entered the small courtyard. Since Xu Tianqi was an acquaintance and knew the place well, Shi Xuan led him to sit beside the stone table in a corner of the courtyard. Then he went into the kitchen, casually brewed a pot of tea, and returned.

After filling both their cups, Shi Xuan smiled. "Senior Brother Xu has made quite a name for himself in the Jianghu. Even this young Daoist who never steps beyond his door and hears nothing of the world outside has heard of you."

"Not at all, not at all. It is merely that my friends in the Jianghu have given me face." Though Xu Tianqi spoke modestly, the pride on his face did not diminish in the slightest.

"How could that be? At restaurants, one often hears of Senior Brother Xu's great feat—pursuing Pink Swallow, Hang Sanliu, for two days and two nights before finally executing that lecherous thief."

As though someone had scratched an itch, Xu Tianqi immediately grew animated. He told once more the tale Shi Xuan had heard several times already, but told from the perspective of someone who had been there, it carried a distinctly different flavor.

Shi Xuan deliberately guided the conversation, and the two discussed Xu Tianqi's exploits in the Jianghu with great liveliness. When the topic turned to Xu Tianqi's return to Xia'an Prefecture this time, along with several guests, Xu Tianqi once again wore the slightly awkward expression he had shown at the gate. He hesitated for a long while. Seeing Shi Xuan merely smile and drink his tea, he could only speak.

"Junior Brother Du, I came this time to ask a favor. Once it is done, I will certainly repay you handsomely."

Shi Xuan smiled. "Oh? If it is something even Senior Brother Xu cannot manage, how could I, a mere young Daoist, possibly do it?"

Xu Tianqi forced a smile. "Junior Brother Du, you learned heaven-shaking skills from the Old Ancestor. This matter happens to suit you perfectly." Before Shi Xuan could answer, he hurried on. "When I returned home this time, several friends from the Jianghu came with me. Who knew that after we arrived, that vexing fellow from the Xia Family in the north of the city would learn of it? Every day, he comes to the door and circles around Yuqiong, often provoking me as well. Junior Brother Du, you do not know how hateful that Xia Wenhui truly is. If our two families were not both part of the Tower, and privately collaborating in certain businesses, with our clansmen restraining us from fighting each other, I would definitely teach him a vicious lesson."

The Xia Family had originally been one of Xia'an Prefecture's great powers in the Jianghu. They were the Xia'an Prefecture branch of Fine Rain Tower, a famous major sect in Jiangnan and Huainan. It was said that the Xia Family had been one of the founding elder lineages when Fine Rain Tower was established. Yet because they had never produced a top-tier expert afterward—an expert who had achieved the Major Heavenly Cycle—they had gradually declined. After the Xu Family made its name in the Jianghu, it swiftly pledged allegiance to Fine Rain Tower. Since the Xu Family possessed quite a few first-rate experts, Fine Rain Tower valued them greatly and entrusted the illicit salt trade in this region to the Xia Family and Xu Family jointly.

After taking a sip of tea and catching his breath, Xu Tianqi saw that Shi Xuan was still listening with a smile and continued, "But these past few days, that dog bastard Xia Wenhui actually schemed to provoke me, then took advantage of my agitation to make a wager with me. Whoever loses must say three times before Yuqiong, 'I was wrong, I am not human.' Privately, he must also give the other one thousand taels of silver. The money is not important. What I fear most is losing face before Yuqiong. Sigh."

Shi Xuan, who had recently been troubled by money, was somewhat tempted upon hearing of the thousand-tael wager. But he was only tempted; his reason remained intact. He signaled Xu Tianqi to continue. It would not be too late to assess the matter after hearing everything.

"Our wager is that three days from now, we will go to that haunted residence by the Qupei River in the north of the city. Each of us will bring two people, then spend the night there. Whoever gets frightened and runs out of the residence first loses. Junior Brother Du, I know your Daoist magic is wondrous, and you are especially adept at dealing with ghosts and monsters. Besides, the ghost in that residence has never harmed anyone's life. It usually only frightens people out of the residence; at most, it frightens them unconscious and tosses them outside. Junior Brother Du, whether I win or lose, after this matter is over, I will give you five hundred taels of silver as payment."

"Uh, Senior Brother Xu, when did word begin spreading that there was a ghost there? What rumors are usually told about it?" Hearing that there was a ghost, Shi Xuan felt somewhat excited. This might be the first time across both his lives that he could see a ghost. Although he knew that, having embarked on the path of cultivation, he would likely hear of and see ghosts, monsters, and demons often in the future, it was still something very new to him now. Old Daoist Xu's teachings to Du Bai had always placed cultivation first; eliminating ghosts and slaying evil were mere branches and leaves. Thus, he had never taken Du Bai to actually exorcise any ghosts or monsters.

Excitement was excitement, but he still had to inquire clearly into every rumor about this ghost, so that he could more accurately assess its strength. Otherwise, if he went to eliminate a ghost in high spirits only to be eliminated by the ghost instead, that would be a joke of towering proportions.

Seeing that Shi Xuan seemed inclined to agree, Xu Tianqi was overjoyed and immediately replied, "That residence was mostly burned down in a fire thirteen years ago. They say quite a few people were burned to death then. Because there had been so many deaths, no one had been willing to buy the land and rebuild the residence. Seven years ago, after the matter had gradually faded from memory, a wealthy merchant from the provincial city bought that plot and the neighboring land, intending to build a grand residence. But only days after it was completed and he moved in, it began to be haunted. He invited several batches of renowned monks and Daoist priests, but none could drive away the ghost. Instead, it only grew worse. Members of the merchant's household were often frightened unconscious in the middle of the night, then woke the next day sleeping in the street. The merchant had no choice but to move elsewhere. Afterward, the grand residence changed owners several times, but every one of them was frightened into moving away. Gradually, the residence's reputation spread, and no one dared buy it. It has remained abandoned ever since."

After a pause, he continued, "Over the past few years, some beggars and people seeking to test their courage have gone in and stayed there. Without exception, they were either frightened away or frightened unconscious and thrown out. In any case, I have never heard of the ghost taking anyone's life."

Judging by the dates, Shi Xuan estimated that the ghost was probably between the Soul Nurturing Stage and the Soul Strengthening Stage. First, the ghost received no sacrifices; otherwise, it could not possibly come out to frighten people. Second, it had never harmed anyone, meaning it did not yet need Blood Food. This showed that its cultivation had only reached the point where it could simply absorb some yang energy. Thus, some places near the Qupei River had likely formed Places of Yin Energy, and upon encountering the lingering obsession of those burned to death, an yin ghost had been born. But this was the Prefecture City, where human vitality flourished, so the Places of Yin Energy could not be of particularly good quality. The yin ghost formed there would not possess such heaven-defying growth speed.

That was merely a preliminary deduction. Shi Xuan then probed indirectly for more information from Xu Tianqi, chiefly to determine whether the ghost's obsession was strong or weak, whether it was a savage obsession or a beautiful and virtuous one. Finally, Shi Xuan said to Xu Tianqi, "Senior Brother Xu, this came too suddenly. I still need to consider it." Seeing Xu Tianqi about to speak, he hurriedly gestured for him not to say more. "How about this: at this time tomorrow, I will definitely give you an answer. Even if I do not go, I will give you some talismans so that you may be prepared against danger."

Seeing Shi Xuan insist, Xu Tianqi could not force the matter. He could only arrange a time for the next day, bid farewell, and return home. Shi Xuan tidied up a little and headed out as well.

That afternoon, Shi Xuan went to all sorts of places in the city where news was tangled and plentiful to investigate. He also asked around among the neighborhood residents. He was able to basically confirm what Xu Tianqi had said about the ghost, and only then did he relax. That evening, after suppressing his emotions and completing his cultivation practice, he checked the talismans on his person and hurried to where the Qupei River curved through the north of the city. He surveyed the environment around the residence in person, then used a talisman to open his Heavenly Eye and observe the flow of yin energy. It was indeed as he had judged: yin energy of rather poor quality.

However, Shi Xuan did not enter the residence. Since he had now decided to accompany Xu Tianqi, there was no difference between going in now and going in later.

As soon as noon arrived the next day, Xu Tianqi impatiently came to his door. Shi Xuan did not put on airs and directly gave him an affirmative answer. Xu Tianqi was overjoyed. After returning home that day, he sent over two hundred taels of silver, showing that he would absolutely keep his promise: whether he won or lost, not a single coin of the promised money would be lacking.

After receiving the silver, Shi Xuan calculated that even if he did not sell the courtyard, he would have enough silver for his cultivation needs at this stage. But when he traveled abroad later, the courtyard would stand empty anyway, so it still had to be sold. He simply had more capital now to wait for a better price.

Moreover, according to Old Daoist Xu's experience, even after all the meridians throughout one's body were opened and one achieved the Major Heavenly Cycle, one still needed a large amount of food every day to replenish essence and vitality. Even upon entering the Soul Departure Stage, one could not achieve true Grain Avoidance; one could merely endure without food ten or so times longer than an ordinary person, going about half a year without eating, unless one cultivated to the Qi Induction Stage. Therefore, although he could hunt wild game to replenish his essence and vitality when traveling in the future, it was best to carry a sum of silver for emergencies.