The Qi-Eating Ghost

Crouching Dragon Township was one of the six major townships in Auspicious County. It governed eleven villages and settlements and had a population of tens of thousands-a sizable place.

Paths crisscrossed the township, with houses scattered throughout. Most buildings along the main street had gray brick walls and red tile roofs, while thatched cottages lined the smaller paths.

The Zhang Family Medical Clinic was a gray brick building. Its courtyard wall stretched over a hundred feet along the street, and its vermilion gate stood fifteen feet high. A stone lion half a person's height crouched on either side of the entrance, with large willows planted beside them. It looked wealthy at a glance.

Xu Da opened the gate.

As the solid red wooden gate creaked open, Wang Qilin immediately felt a chilling aura wash over him.

The Lunar Soul-Severing Saber stirred restlessly. He could draw it and charge in for an attack at any moment.

Xu Da pointed up at the gate. A charred scrap of talisman paper clung to the lintel.

This was the root of the talisman Du Cao had put up the day before yesterday. Its core had already burned away. Something ghostly had indeed paid a visit.

The clinic was large and had many rooms, arranged in two successive courtyards. The inner section housed the family, while the outer section formed a quadrangle around a large garden, with consultation rooms, bedrooms, decoction rooms, and classrooms surrounding it.

After stepping inside and surveying the layout, Xu Da said solemnly, "The main house sits square and steady. The left wing stands guard like an Azure Dragon, while the right wing is a White Tiger crouching on a high ridge. In the middle, countless flowers dazzle the eye and a hundred herbs vie for prominence. An expert guided this layout. It's like a dragon's lair-an auspicious house."

Wang Qilin asked, "You know feng shui and geomancy?"

"No," Xu Da said. "That's what Master Cao said when I came here with him last time."

The clinic was deserted now, with only a young man sweeping the floor.

Seeing the two enter, the young sweeper approached and cupped his hands. "Lord Xu, you've come. And this lord is?"

"This is my brother Wang Qilin, an expert Master Cao specifically requested from the higher-ups," Xu Da said. "Young sir, just call him Seventh Master."

The young man courteously cupped his hands toward him. "So you're Lord Wang. Lord Xu, you mentioned Lord Du just now. When will he arrive?"

Xu Da said confidently, "Lord Du isn't coming. The thing haunting this clinic is only a qi-eating ghost, a small fry. It only dares pester people on the brink of death. Watch how I deal with it today!"

The young man froze, disappointment plainly written all over his face.

He was the Zhang family's eldest grandson, Zhang Yuning. Wang Qilin asked him about the clinic's situation again.

There was nothing new to learn.

The matter was simple: the clinic was haunted, and a qi-eating ghost was sucking the last breath of yang qi from the dying. It had said quite clearly, "Lend me a breath."

Of course, it never repaid what it borrowed.

After hearing Zhang Yuning out, Wang Qilin suddenly asked, "Did anyone die at the clinic last night?"

Zhang Yuning shook his head, then asked, "My lords, you say this qi-eating ghost can only suck the last of the yang qi from dying people. What is that based on?"

Xu Da said, "It said so itself: 'Breath cold as ice, no reflection in others' pupils, stars visible by day, no warmth in an embrace of yang-why is this so?' You know what that means, don't you?"

Zhang Yuning nodded. "Exhaled breath turns cold, you can't see your reflection in other people's eyes, you can see stars during the day, and even holding a stove doesn't make you feel warm. These are signs of approaching death."

Xu Da slapped his thigh. "Exactly! It was asking the patients whether they knew they were dying. That's why I say dealing with this qi-eating ghost is simple. It can only pester the dying, so stop keeping those patients overnight. With no yang qi to suck, it'll leave on its own after a while."

Wang Qilin shook his head. "That won't do. It might suck yang qi from the dying because that breath is easy to take, while taking yang qi from healthy people is difficult. If there are no dying people, it might put some effort into taking yang qi from healthy people. Wouldn't that be worse?"

"You think a healthy person's yang qi is that easy to suck? If a qi-eating ghost could do that, it'd have made progress in cultivation, and we wouldn't be able to handle it." Xu Da scoffed. "Enough. Let's eat first. I'm hungry."

After breakfast, Wang Qilin patrolled the clinic with his saber in hand.

He found nothing.

He made over a dozen rounds throughout the day and became familiar with everyone at the clinic, but he found no trace of the qi-eating ghost.

He also made so many rounds to familiarize himself with the surroundings. That way, if he couldn't beat the ghost tonight, he could at least run away more smoothly.

He had to plan his escape, because everyone at the clinic had already fled, saying they didn't want to interfere with the two men's work that night.

At least they had left dinner behind, and fortunately, it was delicious.

Xu Da thought the stewed cured fish was delicious: (*￣︶￣)

After dinner, the sun set and dusk fell, with the moon appearing faintly in the night sky.

The weather wasn't very good that night. Dark clouds kept drifting across the sky.

The dim moon was hidden one moment and exposed the next, leaving an uneasy feeling.

The early spring wind was strong, blowing the bare branches against one another with a rustling sound.

It hadn't been noticeable during the day, but at night the sound was remarkably clear.

A ring of lanterns hung around the clinic.

In the night wind, the scarlet lanterns swayed slowly, their candle flames dancing ceaselessly in the drafts. The flickering light only added to the vast courtyard's eerie air.

Xu Da frowned at the lanterns. "We'd be better off without this little bit of light. Why did you light them?"

Wang Qilin asked, "Didn't you light them?"

The moment he said that, both men rose at once, gripping their sabers.

The bitter wind cut like a wind from the netherworld.

Xu Da was bold. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly surveyed their surroundings. "Looks like the qi-eating ghost is here. Remember, ghosts fear yang qi and wicked men. The more confident you are, the less it can do to you! But if you're afraid of it, heh!"

Wang Qilin smiled. "I'm not afraid. What's so scary about a qi-eating ghost?"

Qi-eating ghosts weren't malevolent ghosts. According to the Record of Strange Tales, they were what became of people who neglected their parents, wives, and children in life, shirked their duties, and cared only for their own pleasure. They held little resentment.

Most qi-eating ghosts filled their bellies by consuming air. They were sensitive to smells and could distinguish all the scents between heaven and earth.

In the underworld, the King of Hell assigned them to guard checkpoints and identify the scents of the various ghosts mingling among the multitude. If a ghost committed evil, the King of Hell would dispatch qi-eating ghosts to find it.

Such qi-eating ghosts posed no threat to humans. People could even command them to search for things, so they could be left alone.

Some qi-eating ghosts were different, however. They consumed human breath, which meant they had begun cultivating.

Their cultivation began with sucking the final breath of yang qi from the dying. As they gradually gained cultivation, they moved on to sucking yang qi from healthy people. At that stage, they became difficult to deal with.

Seeing that his expression remained normal, Xu Da nodded in satisfaction and tossed him a little ball woven from dried grass. "Hold that in your mouth."

Wang Qilin caught the ball and asked, "What is this?"

"An Ice Plant Bead," Xu Da said. "Heard of it?"

"I have." Wang Qilin understood.

Ice plant was a plant also known as yellow grass or mugwort, so the little bead was actually woven from mugwort.

But the mugwort used for it was unusual: it had grown on an old grave.

From sprouting to maturity, such mugwort was steeped in yin qi and became highly sensitive to it. It turned cold upon contact with yin qi, and the stronger the yin qi, the colder it became, like a little piece of ice. That was why it was named "ice plant" rather than mugwort.

The human mouth was also highly sensitive to heat and cold, so holding a mugwort ball in one's mouth allowed one to sense any contact with yin qi.

Moreover, mugwort, sweet flag, pomegranate blossoms, garlic, and mountain lilies were collectively known as the Five Auspicious Plants of the Double Fifth. They could ward off evil and repel ill fortune. Holding an Ice Plant Bead in one's mouth could also keep sinister yin influences from entering the body, putting one herb to two uses.

Ice Plant Beads weren't rare magical treasures, but they weren't something ordinary households had access to either. Seeing Xu Da so casually give him one, Wang Qilin guessed that he either had some ability or some backing.

On second thought, he guessed Xu Da had some backing.