Chapter 3

As the shopkeeper's words faded, the ghosts that had been gradually surrounding Li Chang'an began to inch closer.

Some of them revealed their grotesque dead faces, while others showed greedy and venomous expressions.

The old ghost with the string of eyes fixed its gaze on his eyes, and the female ghost selling flowers eyed his hands. Greedy gazes fell upon every part of his body.

These ghosts actually wanted to tear him apart.

Surrounded by the ghosts, Li Chang'an's fear reached its peak, but a surge of anger rose in his heart.

He glared at them, and as the saying goes, ghosts fear the wicked. The ghosts were actually startled and paused for a moment.

He pointed at the ghosts, about to start a tirade.

"You..."

Suddenly.

A white lantern emerged from the crowd of ghosts.

"Excuse me, please step aside."

Then, a person wrapped in a cloak followed the lantern and emerged.

"I'll pay for his noodles."

Saying this, the person pulled out a stack of paper money from the cloak and stuffed it into the shopkeeper's arms, then grabbed Li Chang'an's wrist and whispered, "Follow me."

With that, he led the way with the white lantern, and the ghosts in front of the lantern parted to make a path.

The cloaked man led Li Chang'an in a swift run. Li Chang'an felt the scenery change, the white lanterns hanging on the street gradually became sparse, and the ghosts disappeared from sight.

Finally, they stopped. The white lantern flickered a few times and then emitted a warm orange light, as if they had returned to the human world.

Li Chang'an turned around, but the bustling ghost market was nowhere to be seen.

What he saw was just a few dilapidated huts and a short, narrow dirt road, with a few green phosphorescent lights floating in the middle.

Behind him, there was a rustling sound. The person in the cloak removed it, revealing an old Taoist with white hair and beard.

Li Chang'an was about to thank him, but the old Taoist suddenly burst into a tirade.

"Are you tired of living? Do you think the ghost market is a place to wander around casually? If it weren't for this old Taoist today..."

As he spoke, he jabbed Li Chang'an with the wooden handle of the lantern, "Your organs would have been taken by the ghosts to make offal, and your bones would have been used as firewood."

Li Chang'an quickly stepped back a few steps, thought for a moment, and made a clumsy bow.

"Thank you, Taoist, for saving my life."

"Thank you?" The old Taoist grunted a few times, still angry, "This old Taoist doesn't like such empty formalities. If you really mean it..."

He sized up Li Chang'an, who had just finished eating and bathing, wearing only white shorts and a tank top.

The old Taoist shook his head and continued, "Looking at your poor state, forget it!"

He then left without another word, leaving Li Chang'an standing there in confusion.

He looked around.

Under the clear moonlight, the shadows of the trees swayed like ghosts.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

It was the old Taoist turning back.

"Stay here to feed the ghosts?"

Leave? Where to? Li Chang'an smiled bitterly, "Nowhere to go."

The old Taoist stared at Li Chang'an for a long time.

"Fine, save a man, save him completely." He waved his hand, "Follow this old Taoist!"

...

"This place was once a bustling market, but it suffered a disaster. Before the disaster was over, bandits appeared, and the bandits brought soldiers. After three rounds, the living either died or fled, leaving only some ghosts lingering here."

Saying this, the old Taoist led Li Chang'an into a dilapidated hut by the roadside.

He lit an oil lamp, and by the light, Li Chang'an saw that this hut was in better condition than the one he had seen earlier, though still dilapidated, with cracks in the walls, fallen window frames, and some holes in the roof, but it could still provide some shelter from the wind and rain.

Li Chang'an's gaze fell on the corner, and his eyes suddenly widened.

There, two skeletons, one large and one small, were embracing each other.

"Don't be afraid." The old Taoist noticed Li Chang'an's expression and smiled, "These skeletons don't bite."

He walked to the skeletons and bowed.

"Hosts, this young man will stay in your humble abode for the night, please forgive us."

However, the old Taoist didn't know that Li Chang'an was not surprised by the skeletons, but by the two ghosts floating in the air beside them, a peasant woman holding a child, both dressed in tattered clothes and with sallow faces. After the old Taoist bowed, they politely returned the gesture.

The old Taoist and Li Chang'an used straw to make simple beds in the corners of the room.

The old Taoist sat cross-legged on his bed and said,

"This old Taoist's name is Xuan Ji, my secular name is Liu, and my given name is Jing. You can call me Taoist Liu. What is your name, young man?"

"My name is Li Chang'an."

"Li Chang'an? Good." Taoist Liu stroked his white beard and said seriously, "The world is chaotic now. Since we are living under the same roof, I must speak plainly."

Li Chang'an sat up straight.

"Please speak, Taoist."

"First," Taoist Liu held up one finger, "I am just a wandering Taoist, with nothing of value."

"Second," he took out a sheathed sword from his bag and placed it on his lap, "This sword has accompanied me through many battles, cutting down more bandits than demons. If you..."

He paused.

"Clang," the sword was unsheathed three inches.

Taoist Liu's tone was stern.

"Do you understand?"

Li Chang'an found it somewhat amusing. The Taoist's posturing seemed overly cautious and even a bit timid to him.

Who would threaten an unarmed person by first emphasizing that they have nothing of value?

However, since the Taoist had saved his life, Li Chang'an didn't show his amusement and just nodded.

"I am not an unreasonable person."

...

After that, the night passed in silence.

The next day, the sunlight filtering through the cracks in the wall woke Li Chang'an.

The events of the previous night had left him exhausted, and he slept deeply, but the ground with straw as a bed made him very uncomfortable. Today, his body was sore and stiff.

He looked around the room.

The old Taoist and the skeletons were gone, and a hard bun was placed at the head of his bed.

Outside, there was a faint sound of digging.

Li Chang'an pushed the door open and saw the old Taoist digging a hole with a farming tool he had found, and the skeletons were wrapped in the cloak the old Taoist had worn the night before.

Seeing this, Li Chang'an quickly put down the bun and went to help.

After burying the skeletons, Taoist Liu straightened his clothes and recited the scriptures:

"Ten directions of all the heavenly beings, their number like dust, transforming in the ten directions, universally saving the heavenly beings, gathering qi to accumulate merit, together saving the world..."

After reciting the scriptures, the mother and child's spirits appeared in the air, their clothes now bright and their faces full. They bowed in gratitude to the two men and then slowly faded away.

Li Chang'an turned around and saw the old Taoist looking at him hesitantly.

"Can you see ghosts?"

Li Chang'an didn't intend to hide it and nodded.

The old Taoist's eyes sparkled, and he circled Li Chang'an a few times, smiling, "Where are you from, young man?"

Where am I from? Can I tell him I came from another world?

Li Chang'an didn't want to make up a story and just shook his head, smiling bitterly.

"Where are you going?" The old Taoist persisted.

Where am I going? Perhaps only it knows. Li Chang'an touched his pocket, where the yellow book was placed.

Li Chang'an didn't know how to answer and just asked in return,

"Taoist, where are you going?"

"Me?" Taoist Liu dusted off the mud on his clothes, "To Yulin."