Fight the Ghost 011

After striking the second watch, the old night watchman draped his coat over his shoulders and headed home. Having lived for decades, the old man knew deeply what he should and should not look at. For instance, he absolutely must avoid any porridge stalls appearing on the streets in the middle of the night. Rumor had it that his neighbor, Wang the Second, had succumbed to gluttony years ago, encountered a midnight porridge stall, and literally died of agonizing pain after drinking a bowl.

He heard that a family had encountered something strange today as well, acting as if they were the reincarnations of starved ghosts.

The old man pulled his coat tighter, remaining utterly indifferent to the noises coming from beside him. He merely muttered the only scripture he knew: Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha...

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see clearly that a shadowy figure was throwing punches at thin air, behaving extremely bizarrely.

The old man's legs felt a bit weak, but he pushed himself to keep walking forward.

Namo Amitabha, you cannot see me, you cannot see me, you cannot see me...

Fortunately, today was not his day to die. The ghost paid him no mind.

Damn it, you still dare to glare at me? The wooden tablet in Fang Zhiyi's hand smacked straight into the little ghost's face, leaving the imp filled with terror.

What kind of proper Daoist priest would use a memorial tablet carved with a deity's name to beat up a wandering spirit???

The worst part was that it could not escape; its body was tightly bound by ropes soaked in chicken blood.

Master Daoist, Little Bai poked its head out from the side, You seem to have scared that man. It pointed at the night watchman fleeing in a panic.

Hmm?

Little Bai glanced at the little ghost, feeling a surge of pity. Why don't we let it go? He's just a child...

So what if he's a child? Does being a child give him the right to harm people's lives? If I wasn't so skilled, I might have been the one suffering! Does committing evil depend on age?

Uh, you are right, Master.

After another round of beating, Fang Zhiyi told Little Bai to drag the little ghost back home first.

Master, where are you going? Little Bai grew somewhat wary. Was it right? Was he planning to run away?

Don't ask! Fang Zhiyi looked left and right, then slipped away, sticking to the shadows.

Was he a cat burglar before becoming a Daoist? Little Bai was quite surprised. It turned to look at the pitiful little ghost and sighed. Let's go. Who told you to possess someone else's body? The living have their ways, and ghosts have their paths...

The little ghost was surprised to discover that the monster dragging it along was faintly emitting an inconspicuous white light, though it vanished in the blink of an eye.

That bastard! The fake master from earlier that day had already bathed and changed into clean clothes, but he was still too furious to sleep. His two accomplices could only force themselves to stay awake and keep him company.

You guys didn't go with me today, otherwise I could have, could have... Damn it! He chugged a mouthful of wine. I've been traveling the martial world for so many years, and I've never been this humiliated! As he spoke, he remembered the vomit that had covered his head and face, and he almost threw up again.

Boss, stop being angry. Tomorrow we will go with you to find that kid! We'll kill him!

Yeah!

Today we wasted some time scouting the area... Come on, I'll drink a cup with you.

Downing another cup of wine, a vicious look appeared on the fake master's face. That wet-behind-the-ears brat actually dared to read my fortune! My destiny is tough as nails! Tomorrow, I'll make him kneel and beg me to spare him!

The two subordinates exchanged a glance, thinking that their boss was really suffocating from frustration today.

Exactly! Saying you wouldn't live past the third watch, bah! Tomorrow we'll send him to see the King of Hell!

What time is it now?

It's almost the third watch.

Hmph, little bastard, just you wait! The fake master picked up his wine cup again. Just as he poured it into his mouth, the door behind him was suddenly kicked open.

The sudden loud crash made the fake master almost choke on his wine. Motherfucker, who...

He turned his head and saw the face he had been holding a grudge against all day.

Fang Zhiyi waved the axe in his hand. Sorry about this. Time is a bit tight, so I didn't have time to find a different weapon.

You... The fake master suddenly realized. Not live past the third watch? You just came to silence me before the third watch, didn't you??

After a brief moment of panic, he immediately tried to order his subordinates to attack, only to find that this unremarkable-looking young man was ruthless. With simple chops and slashes, he took down the two men.

Now it's your turn. Fang Zhiyi approached with a smile.

You, you... don't come any closer!

Three months ago, you drowned two infant girls from the Wang family. Four months ago, you forced talisman water down the throat of a woman having a difficult labor, choking her to death. Five months ago, you and these two went to read feng shui for someone, and right after, you dug up their ancestral graves and beat a night watchman to death... Fang Zhiyi recited.

The fake master's face gradually filled with terror. You really know how to read fortunes?

Take a guess.

You, you are a man of the Dao! Committing unwarranted murder will send you to hell!

Listen to what you're saying. You've killed so many and aren't afraid of going to hell, so why should I be? At worst, Fang Zhiyi buried the axe into his chest and brought his face close to the man's ear, I can just go down there and kill you again.

The next day, Jiang Town remained calm and peaceful. Only the family who rented rooms to passing travelers had a headache, telling everyone they met that three outsiders had slipped away in the middle of the night without paying their rent.

However, Fang Zhiyi also welcomed his first customer. A family from the crowd of onlookers yesterday came to him carrying their child, claiming the child had lost its soul and wanting his help to find it.

Fang Zhiyi took a brief look, shook his head, and told them to wait. He turned around, went out to fetch a prescription of herbs, and came back to start brewing it, constantly muttering something under his breath like a spell.

Only Little Hei heard his words.

Lunatics. They don't go get medicine for a fever but come looking for a charlatan first. If a charlatan could cure a fever, why would he even be a charlatan...

He busied himself for the entire afternoon, using water to bring down the temperature and feeding the medicine. The child gradually regained consciousness. The family thanked him profusely, even taking out money on their own initiative before Fang Zhiyi could ask for a fee.

This left Fang Zhiyi quite satisfied.

Turning around, he went to buy some food, clothing, and daily necessities, having Little Bai make a trip to deliver them to Longtou Mountain.

That black bear spirit wouldn't starve to death, but the same couldn't be said for the two little Daoist acolytes.

As night fell, a figure dressed in white slowly crawled up from the dry well in the He family's back garden. She had finally overcome her fear of that Buddha statue. At this moment, the ghost who had jumped into the well only wanted to find the man who could see her.

I hate...

A resentful weeping gradually echoed out. Several servants of the He family heard it; they huddled under their blankets in terror, not daring to speak until the sound slowly faded away.

What exactly is going on lately? First the eldest young lady goes missing, and now the house is haunted?

Shh, don't talk nonsense. The master has been in a bad mood recently, careful or you'll get beaten with the cane.

Sigh...

Unlike a hanged ghost, Mei'er, who had jumped into the well, could leave that well. It was just that she had been unwilling to come out. But this time was different. At the thought of being forced to stay at the bottom of the well with that Buddha statue for several days, Mei'er's face twisted even more.

She merely wanted to find someone to cry to and complain, so why did he treat her like this?!