Chapter 4

Outside Yulin City.

Wang Shen and his wife were tidying up the inn's guest room. Nowadays, the world is not peaceful, and travelers on the road are fewer, so the inn barely manages to stay afloat.

Today, with the wind and rain raging, there probably won't be many guests staying at the inn.

At this moment, a young man with rosy lips and white teeth pushed the door open and walked in. He was Wang Shen's only son, who usually just helps to greet guests.

"Father," the young man called out, leading a young girl in from behind.

This girl looked to be about sixteen years old, wearing a green silk dress and a white headscarf, with a very lovely appearance. She bowed gracefully to Wang Shen and his wife and said:

"I am from Wangze Village, about ten miles to the south. My husband died early, and I have no children. I was then driven out by my cruel in-laws. My parents have also passed away, so I came to seek refuge with my aunt, only to find that she has also passed away. Now I have nowhere to go, and it has started raining heavily. I beg the innkeeper to have mercy and let me stay for one night..."

As she spoke, the girl in green seemed to be overwhelmed with sorrow and began to sob, covering her face.

Seeing the girl's pitiful state and her wet clothes from the rain, Wang Shen felt compassion and agreed to let her stay.

After eating together, the girl proved to be quite industrious, helping to clear the table and even assisting Wang's wife in making clothes.

The girl's sewing was meticulous and skillful, far surpassing that of an ordinary person.

Wang's wife couldn't help but marvel at this.

"With such beauty and skill, your in-laws must have been blind."

At this, she looked at the girl with increasing fondness and, half-jokingly, said, "If only you were my daughter-in-law!"

To her surprise, the girl blushed and lowered her head.

"If you don't mind..."

In these turbulent times, ordinary families didn't have many formalities.

Wang Shen and his wife hastily arranged things and, that night, sent the girl and their son into the bridal chamber.

Wang Shen's son was only thirteen or fourteen, still a naive young boy.

"Why are you holding a wooden beam?"

The girl was standing by the door, holding a thick wooden beam as if it were a stalk of rice.

"There are many bandits around, so we must be cautious at night."

With that, the girl used the wooden beam to block the door and looked at the young groom sitting by the bed.

"Your skin is so tender, isn't it?"

"What?" The young man was taken aback.

"I mean, you are so handsome."

The young man's face turned red, and he mustered the courage to look up at the girl and say, "But you are even more beautiful."

The girl smiled lightly and approached, sitting on the bed and taking the young man's hands.

The young man hurriedly called out, "The red candles haven't been extinguished yet."

"Never mind them." With that, the girl pulled the young man onto the bed and, with a flick of her hand, covered them both with the quilt.

The quilt bulged and suddenly swelled.

The red candle flickered, and the bedcovers moved violently.

Faint, bone-chilling chewing sounds could be heard.

...

"Mother, the new bride is a ghost!"

Wang's wife woke up in a cold sweat, having just dreamed of her son, disheveled and covered in blood, crying to her.

She quickly shook her husband awake and told him about the dream.

"You must be so happy to have a good daughter-in-law that you're talking in your sleep!"

Wang Shen dismissed it and turned over to go back to sleep.

Wang's wife also tried to sleep, but not long after...

"Mother, the ghost is eating my son!"

Wang's wife sat up abruptly, the son's anguished cries still ringing in her ears.

Was it just a dream the first time? What about the second time?

She quickly woke her husband again. Wang Shen also felt a chill and, with his wife, got out of bed and went to the newlyweds' room. They saw the candlelight flickering inside but heard no sounds.

The couple exchanged a glance and quietly pressed their ears to the door. They faintly heard gnawing and chewing sounds.

They jumped up and shouted into the room, but there was no response. They tried to push the door, but it was blocked by the wooden beam.

The commotion attracted the neighbors.

A few strong men came and, together, forced the door open.

They heard several screams.

The people at the door suddenly scattered.

Inside, the room was covered in blood. A blue-skinned, round-eyed, chisel-toothed ghost sat on the bed, holding a skull and drinking the brain.

Seeing Wang Shen and the others at the door, the ghost glanced at them with eyes like copper bells, its mouth full of jagged teeth splitting into a grin. It then threw the skull at Wang's wife, who caught it in her arms.

"Son!"

Wang's wife looked at the skull in her arms and let out a惨叫, fainting on the spot.

The people outside were in chaos.

The evil ghost took advantage of the confusion to rush out, scaring the crowd and breaking through the door.

Only the vast night remained, along with Wang Shen's anguished cries.

...

Outside Yulin City, two strange Taoist priests arrived.

The older one was more normal, with a weathered face, gray hair, and a tattered Taoist robe, like a wandering priest.

The younger one was peculiar, wearing an old Taoist robe but with smooth, tender skin like a wealthy young master, and short hair like a monk.

These two were none other than Old Taoist Liu and Li Chang'an.

It had been nearly a month since the ghost market.

At the old Taoist's place, Li Chang'an's "spiritual communication" ability, which he had learned from the little yellow book, was considered a good talent, and the old Taoist wanted to take him as a disciple.

Li Chang'an, not knowing where to go and owing the old Taoist his life, readily agreed. However, the old Taoist's sect had a rule that new disciples must be observed for at least six months, so Li Chang'an had not yet been formally admitted.

The two walked on the main road, seeing a pair of soldiers blocking the city gate, rigorously checking the people entering and leaving the city.

The old Taoist took out a folded paper from his bag and handed it to Li Chang'an. Li Chang'an unfolded it and saw it was a travel permit for a Taoist named Xuanxiao.

"Who is Xuanxiao?"

"Your uncle?"

"Where is he?"

"Swallowed by a monster."

The soldiers at the city gate were not only strict but also seemed to be on high alert, ready to draw their weapons at the slightest provocation.

The two were thoroughly searched but still not allowed to enter the city. Instead, a bowl of water was brought to them.

A soldier thrust the bowl into Li Chang'an's arms and shouted:

"Drink it!"

Li Chang'an took it, saw the murky water, and frowned, asking:

"What is this?"

The soldier scowled and said, "If I tell you to drink it, drink it. No more nonsense!"

"You..."

The old Taoist quickly pulled Li Chang'an back, sniffed the air, and said, "It's fine, just a talisman water."

Hearing this, the soldier's attitude softened. He bowed to the old Taoist and said, "You seem to be a true master. After entering the city, you might want to check the notice board."

The notice board was right by the city gate.

After entering the city, Li Chang'an stopped to look. Most of the notices were old, offering rewards for capturing bandits. There were two new notices: one about a wealthy family in the city being haunted by a ghost, seeking a master to exorcise it; the other offering a reward for eliminating a vicious ghost outside the city, with a drawing of the ghost, blue-skinned, round-eyed, and chisel-toothed.

...

They found a cheap inn in the city.

The old Taoist went out to buy wine to appease his restless wine bug.

Li Chang'an sat in the room, his expression changing. After a long while, he took a deep breath and pulled out the yellow-covered book he always carried.

In the past month, the book had not changed much, except that the drawing of the ghost was gradually gaining color.

Li Chang'an opened the book, and a vivid, fierce ghost was depicted, blue-skinned, round-eyed, and chisel-toothed, exactly like the one on the city wall.