Chapter 8

A strange group of people arrived at the Wang family inn.

Most of the group were evasive-looking constables, constantly on guard against any slight movement around them, while the leader was a young Taoist priest, wearing armor over his Taoist robe.

This Taoist was naturally Li Chang'an. Before leaving the city, he had chosen some armor and weapons from the armory in Yulin, and the magistrate Wang had even sent a group of constables to assist him.

“Wang Shen?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

A man with a pained expression and graying hair bowed in response.

Li Chang'an was quite surprised. He had previously learned that Wang Shen was only 30 years old, but he looked as if he could easily pass for 60. The grief must have taken such a toll on him!

“My son!”

A shrill cry suddenly rang out.

The constables, already on edge behind Li Chang'an, were now like frightened birds, drawing their knives and picking up their sticks, shouting in confusion.

“Who?”

“What is it?”

“Come out!”

...

But Wang Shen quickly said, “Don’t panic, sirs. That’s my wife.”

He sighed, his face growing even more sorrowful.

“Ever since my son was eaten by that ghost, my wife... sigh!”

Li Chang'an waved his hand, signaling the constables to put away their embarrassing display, and began to inquire about the ghost.

Unfortunately, although Wang Shen spoke with clenched teeth when mentioning the ghost, he provided no useful information.

Li Chang'an had not expected much, so he was not disappointed. He directly stated his main purpose for being there.

“Can this Taoist examine the room where your son met his end?”

For some reason, Wang Shen had sealed off that room.

Prying open the wooden strips that sealed the door and windows, he opened the door, and a musty, foul smell immediately hit their noses. After the smell dissipated somewhat, Li Chang'an stepped inside.

The room was in disarray, with large patches of black stains on the bed and the floor.

It seemed that after the incident, Wang Shen had not cleaned the room, which was actually beneficial for Li Chang'an's investigation.

Ordinary people take over a decade to cultivate a Daoist heart and another decade to refine their magical powers. However, after Li Chang'an came to this world, he found that he had some rudimentary magical power. The old Taoist had taught him some basic Daoist techniques upon discovering this.

Li Chang'an took out a talisman, preparing to use the old Taoist's most powerful technique, the Dragon Jade Spirit Talisman.

A few seconds later.

Li Chang'an covered his nose and ran out of the room, fleeing all the way to the courtyard outside.

It stank!

The smell was unbearable!

Li Chang'an took several deep breaths of fresh air.

But a smile appeared on his face.

He had caught the scent of the ghost!

...

Li Chang'an twitched his nose, following the trail of the ghost's scent.

The path became narrower and more remote.

Until the sky grew dim, and he followed the trail to the foot of a small hill. Clearly, this place had not been visited for a long time, and the path was overgrown with weeds. To continue, he had to step carefully to test the depth of the ground.

At this point, the ghost's scent was fresher but suddenly dispersed.

Li Chang'an sniffed the air carefully and nodded.

“It seems the evil ghost is nearby.”

Saying this, he was about to climb the hill.

“Taoist sir.”

A timid voice suddenly came from behind. Li Chang'an turned to see the head constable.

“It’s late, and the men are tired. Should we come back tomorrow?”

Li Chang'an looked at them with narrowed eyes.

The dozen or so men looked terrified, and some were trembling like quails.

They were not tired; they were afraid.

But then he thought, when he first arrived, he was also terrified by the ghost market. Ordinary people are naturally afraid of ghosts. If not for the month he spent with the old Taoist, seeing various ghosts and monsters, Li Chang'an would not have had the courage to hunt a blue-skinned evil ghost.

Moreover, this time he was risking his life for himself. If he won, it would be good; if he lost, there was no need to involve these ordinary people.

So, Li Chang'an smiled and said, “Gentlemen, this Taoist will linger here for a while. Please do me a favor and inform my master of my safety.”

“Sure, sure.” The head constable nodded repeatedly. “I will definitely do so.”

With that, he led the constables and quickly disappeared.

After the constables left, the sky grew even darker.

In the desolate countryside, Li Chang'an was alone, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the grass.

As the sky darkened, searching for the ghost at night was too dangerous.

Fortunately, Li Chang'an found an abandoned temple at the end of the mountain path.

The clay statue in the temple had lost its head, and it was unclear which deity it represented.

He bowed to the statue, cleared the altar, laid down some grass, and lit a fire. After finishing these tasks, night had already fallen.

Suddenly, a loud noise exploded in his ears, followed by a bright white light that briefly illuminated the sky. Then came a continuous rumble, and the sound of a river pouring down, bringing the smell of water, earth, and decaying leaves with the wind.

Li Chang'an silently added more wood to the fire.

Spending the night in an abandoned temple, with a sudden rainstorm.

...

After a tiring day, Li Chang'an finally fell asleep on the altar, but he was still worried about the evil ghost and could not sleep soundly.

In a half-dream, half-awake state, he suddenly heard a sound.

“Who’s there?”

Li Chang'an immediately woke up and quickly got off the altar.

There was no response from outside, only a scream.

Li Chang'an frowned and shouted, “Come out.”

In the dark and stormy night, a woman, shivering from the cold, slowly walked in.

Li Chang'an glanced at the talisman he had posted on the door for warning, which showed no change.

He sighed with relief and invited the woman in.

By the light of the fire, Li Chang'an saw the woman clearly.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, with a beautiful face and a graceful figure. Her clothes, soaked by the rain, clung to her body, making her look even more alluring.

Perhaps she was very cold, even by the fire, she was still trembling slightly. Her disheveled hair fell over her face, making her look even more pitiful.

Li Chang'an did not linger on the sight; he quickly took off his Taoist robe and handed it to her.

The woman changed her clothes behind the statue and then came out, bowing to Li Chang'an. “I am the daughter of the Wang family from Yulin. I was out on a trip with some friends, but we got separated and lost our way in the mountains... Fortunately, I met the Taoist.”

“It’s fortunate that you met this Taoist first. If you had met the evil ghost first...” Li Chang'an smiled, not wanting to scare her.

“Evil ghost?”

The young lady exclaimed, placing her hand on her chest. The Taoist robe, being loose, revealed a small patch of smooth, trembling skin.

Instinctively, Li Chang'an's gaze was drawn to it.

“Taoist sir.”

The young lady covered her chest, pouting.

“Can’t help it, can’t help it.”

Li Chang'an smiled wryly.

“Is there really a ghost?” The young lady seemed very curious about this.

“Of course!” Li Chang'an rattled his armor. “I was specifically invited by Magistrate Wang to eliminate this evil ghost.”

The young lady wanted to ask more, but Li Chang'an stood up.

“Alright, it’s very late. Miss Wang, please get some rest. I will take you back to Yulin early tomorrow morning.”

Li Chang'an gave the altar to Miss Wang and made a bed for himself by the fire.

They both went to sleep.

...

The night grew deeper.

The firewood in the fire pit was almost burned out, leaving only a faint flame, casting a dim light in the temple.

Outside the temple, the wind, thunder, and rain continued to mix.

Inside the temple, there was only Li Chang'an's light snoring.

Suddenly.

Miss Wang silently got off the altar.

She looked at Li Chang'an's sleeping back and a smile slowly spread across her face, growing larger and larger until...

“Pfft.”

A crack appeared at the corner of Miss Wang's mouth.

“Boom.”

A thunderclap.

The brief lightning illuminated the blue skin under the crack and the yellow talisman slowly burning by the door.