A Knock at the Door at Night

After questioning them over dinner, Wang Qilin learned that the two households, including Du Shiwu's, had received far fewer dishes than the Gathering Fragrance Restaurant had lost.

Clearly, other households in Crouching Dragon Township had also benefited from the Daoist.

After dinner, Wang Qilin told the two families and the proprietor, "Starting this afternoon, spread the word that the dishes appearing in your homes lately were conjured by Wang Qilin, Crouching Dragon Township's newly appointed Minor Seal, and that the toad in Daoist robes in the picture is a pet he keeps for amusement."

Xu Da grinned at him. "You certainly know how to take advantage."

Wang Qilin said, "You think I want to claim his reputation?"

"Don't you?"

"Of course not. But if that's what you think, then I've achieved my aim." Wang Qilin laughed. "Also, have those assorted friends of yours look into this Daoist's whereabouts."

The old Daoist had used ghosts to steal dishes from the restaurant and distributed them to nearby households, so he should be somewhere nearby too.

Crouching Dragon Township was a small place. If someone farted too loudly east of the road, people west of it could hear.

So within two or three days, word of Wang Qilin's good deed of using magic to deliver food to poor households had spread throughout the township and several surrounding villages.

At the same time, everyone in and around the villages learned that Crouching Dragon Township now had a new Minor Seal named Wang Qilin, a man of profound cultivation who was generous and openhanded.

It was late in the third month, and the night lay like water.

Sitting in the station's main hall, Wang Qilin scattered some tender grass stems into the water jar. The grass carp lay motionless in the water, its white belly turned upward.

It was dead with swagger.

He read for a while, then turned to look at the water jar again. The grass carp still floated belly-up on the surface, but the grass stems had vanished without a trace, except for one sticking halfway out of its mouth.

This fish had two completely different states depending on whether someone was watching.

Wang Qilin recalled a peculiar cat he had read about in an Earth book in his dreams. The two were similar in nature.

This was a Schrödinger's fish.

While he was lost in thought, the door suddenly began to open slowly.

The night wind immediately came howling inside.

There was no sign of the tiger skin.

Splash.

A spray of water splashed out. Schrödinger's fish had changed states again and begun swimming around the pool in panic.

The cold wind howled, chilling him from head to toe.

Outside lay endless darkness, sending a chill through his heart.

Wang Qilin gripped his waist saber and walked to the doorway.

There was nothing outside, only a faint light glowing in the bedroom, where Xu Da was reading a dirty book.

Everything was as usual. He shut the door and went back to continue watching the grass carp.

Just as he returned behind the desk, knocking suddenly sounded outside the door. "Knock, knock-knock, knock, knock-knock, knock, knock-knock."

It was quite rhythmic.

The grass carp began swimming erratically again.

Wang Qilin did not go to open the door.

The knocking continued. "Knock, knock-knock, knock, knock-knock..."

The rhythm never changed.

Wang Qilin simply refused to open it!

The lamp flame flickered a few times, then suddenly gave a soft pop.

At that very moment, the knocking stopped.

But just a few breaths later, it suddenly grew louder. "Bang! Bang!"

Wang Qilin drew his waist saber.

Then Xu Da's braying voice rang out beyond the door. "Seventh, Seventh, are you in there?"

Wang Qilin snapped, "What are you doing outside?"

"I-I'm knocking!"

"Get in here!"

Xu Da pushed the door open and walked in with a sleazy grin, one hand held behind his back. He looked like he was up to no good.

Wang Qilin asked, "Were you the one knocking all this time?"

Xu Da looked bewildered. "What do you mean, all this time? I only banged twice. What's wrong?"

Wang Qilin asked, "Then when you came out, did you see anyone at the door?"

Xu Da understood when he heard that. "No. Something strange happened again?"

Wang Qilin shook his head. "It's all right. What are you here for?"

Xu Da gave him a suggestive look. "Heh heh, something good, of course. Heh heh, guess what nice little thing I got today? Heh heh, haven't I been having the boys track down that old Daoist lately? They haven't found him, but they did find a very strange painting!"

He brought out the hand hidden behind his back, revealing an antique-looking scroll.

"There's a really seductive woman in this painting. The fellow who gave it to me said it's eerie. If you have a fated connection with the woman in it, she'll come out and let you screw-"

Before he could finish, Wang Qilin took the scroll and snapped it in half, then poured lamp oil over it, lit it, and tossed it outside.

Xu Da stared dumbly, unable to react for a moment.

Wang Qilin said, "If what you said is true, then this is definitely an evil painting, and we have to destroy it without hesitation. If it's false, then your friend is plotting to make a fool of you, and we should still destroy it so you don't fall for his trick."

Unable to refute him for the moment, Xu Da could only cry, "Then what am I supposed to tell my friend when he comes looking for me tomorrow?"

"Tell him there's no need to thank me. I'm the local Minor Seal. Vanquishing evil and defending the Dao is my duty."

The burning scroll produced enormous flames of an eerie blue-green, accompanied by the faint, mournful sobbing of a woman!

Wang Qilin looked at Xu Da. "Your friend probably wasn't fooling you. It really was an evil painting. But I've burned it now, so you're safe."

Xu Da said reluctantly, "What a waste, what a waste! You could at least have let me screw her once before burning it!"

The blue-green flames dwindled.

Knocking sounded at the door again. "Knock, knock-knock..."

Frustrated at not getting to screw her, Xu Da snapped, "Who is it?"

"It's me."

A dry, flat voice rang out.

Xu Da reacted instantly, looking over in astonishment.

Wang Qilin nodded.

There was no need to ask. He understood.

Xu Da said, "Keep him occupied from the front. I'll circle around!"

With that, he lunged to the rear window, pushed it open, and jumped out.

A draft shot through the room like an arrow.

Yin energy gusted through!

The door was pushed open again!

This time, a stooped Daoist appeared in the doorway.

His indigo Daoist robe was covered in patches upon patches. Though his hair was tied in a topknot, it was still a tangled mess. His face was deathly pale, with a strange redness on his cheeks. As the yin wind blew, he floated lightly inside, his feet never touching the ground.

The grass carp spun frantically, practically churning the water into a whirlpool.

Wang Qilin asked gravely, "Who are you?"

The Daoist slowly tilted his head to look at him, a sinister smile on his face. "Haven't you been looking for me all this time, Lord Wang?"

Just as Wang Qilin was about to question him, an explosive shout came from outside. "Enough of your supernatural tricks! Take my kick!"

Having circled around, Xu Da came charging in with a mighty kick, like a galloping horse!

But the Daoist seemed unaffected by force. A gust of wind shifted him aside, and Xu Da's kick struck empty air. Losing his balance, he slid to the floor with a scrape.

Wang Qilin stared at him darkly. Are you performing the splits for me?

The Daoist drifted around the room on the night wind, chuckling sinisterly. "Lord Wang, you steal fame and boast shamelessly. Were those good deeds of delivering food and meat to the poor truly your doing? Is that toad one you keep?"

As the word "keep" fell, shrill laughter rang out. The Daoist's figure abruptly swayed, changed direction, and floated toward Wang Qilin.

Wang Qilin slapped the desk with his left hand and vaulted into the air. His right hand struck the saber hilt, sending his waist saber slashing out at an angle!

Brilliant saber light flashed!

The oil lamp's flame leaped violently on the desk!

Lunar Soul-Severing Saber, Dark Night, Fierce Wind!

A warm current surged from his dantian through his eight extraordinary meridians. Ten Heavenly Official's Blessing Pills had added ten years to his cultivation.

It was the same move, Dark Night, Fierce Wind, but tonight's wind was far darker and fiercer than on previous nights!

Yet as the saber light flashed and the saber wind howled, the approaching Daoist retreated strangely, narrowly evading that blindingly fast slash.

Wang Qilin was astonished. The Daoist practiced a very peculiar cultivation art. His retreat had defied reason, as though his body had no weight. His forward momentum had vanished in an instant, and when the saber wind swept over him, he had actually retreated with it.

Saber shadows tangled thickly, one slash following another.

The saber wind whirled like a tornado, whipping Wang Qilin's clothes into billowing motion with muffled rumbles like thunder hidden within!

The Daoist's figure swayed violently with the saber shadows, his laughter growing ever more brazen and shrill!

An iron fist suddenly struck from behind!

Wang Qilin abruptly turned his wrist and drew back his saber. The long blade spun like a windmill, drawing back every scattered gust of saber wind.

The recoiling wind bound the Daoist's figure like ropes, and Xu Da's punch landed squarely!

"Break!"

Xu Da roared, showing off out of habit, and then his fist really did punch straight through the Daoist!

The body hung from his arm...