Everyone Translation:
Everyone, “…”
He had blasted the ghost to oblivion with a thunder talisman, yet still pretended to cup his ear and ask it to speak louder. The others, who had never been baptised by modern cinema, did not share the humour. At that moment the way they looked at Lu Zheng was very much like they were staring at a complete pervert.
Only Rong Song understood Lu Zheng’s personality and could roughly guess what he was thinking, so he forced out a couple of dry laughs.
The atmosphere became even more awkward…
“Ahem!”
Lu Zheng cleared his throat twice. “Well, it’s still early. Why don’t we leave this place first? The yin energy in this ghost manor is too heavy. It won’t do Scholar Ning any good if he stays too long.”
The harvest of destiny light this time was meagre. It only came from killing the ghost, which meant that even without him, the others would have turned peril into fortune anyway.
“Quite right! Quite right!”
At Lu Zheng’s words, Yi Xiaoqian nodded repeatedly, clutching Ning Zhiqi’s hand without ever letting go.
“Quite right, quite right!” The man surnamed Zhang still felt Lu Zheng was a bit odd, but he stepped forward and cupped his fists in greeting all the same.
“Zhang Kai of Falling Cloud Peak, Huilong Mountain. I greet Young Master Lu!”
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Huilong Mountain? The one in Junzhou, Eastern Sichuan Circuit?”
“Exactly. Young Master Lu has heard of it?” Zhang Kai’s expression brightened considerably.
“I met a sword cultivator from Huilong Mountain some time ago, Xu Yihong of Lone Wild Goose Peak. Does Brother Zhang know him?”
“What a coincidence! Falling Cloud Peak and Lone Wild Goose Peak aren’t far apart. So little brother Xu has come down the mountain as well?” Zhang Kai had descended earlier and did not yet know that Xu Yihong was also travelling in search of sword-refining materials.
Having a mutual acquaintance immediately warmed the atmosphere and smoothed over the earlier awkwardness.
Ning Zhiqi, still holding Yi Xiaoqian’s hand, stepped forward again to thank the three of them profusely for saving the pair from disaster.
Lu Zheng nodded. “A trifle, no need for thanks.”
Zhang Kai waved a hand. “Eliminating demons and upholding the Dao is the duty of people like us.”
Rong Song smiled. “If Brother Lu had not appeared at the critical moment, we would probably have faced more trouble afterwards.”
Chatting as they went, the group led their horses away from the ghost manor.
When they reached the main gate and looked back, the manor still exuded a sinister aura. Yet without a practitioner’s power sustaining it, the ghostly bridal procession from earlier had vanished, leaving only an overgrown, desolate path choked with weeds.
“Strange. This doesn’t look like a natural yin-gathering place. How can the yin energy be so dense?”
“It feels like there’s a source beneath. Even without that ghost, this manor will remain shrouded in yin. It’s an excellent spot for raising ghosts.”
Yi Xiaoqian explained, “A hundred years ago this was a small village. Then a flash flood triggered a landslide that buried the entire village overnight. Many restless souls lingered here afterwards. Later the Half-Hill Ghost King rose to prominence, devoured those wandering spirits, claimed this yin-rich land, built Half-Hill Manor, and preyed upon passing merchants.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Rong Song nodded. “A yin-gathering site formed after birth. To break it properly, the ruins would need to be excavated and exposed to sunlight for half a month.”
Zhang Kai looked at Ning Zhiqi. “Now that every ghost in the manor has been eliminated, when you return you should inform the town elders and organise people to start digging as soon as possible. Otherwise, if it’s left too long, new ghosts may move in.”
Ning Zhiqi nodded repeatedly and promised he would do so the moment he got back.
The group mounted up. Naturally Ning Zhiqi and Yi Xiaoqian shared a horse. Zhang Kai was about to squeeze in with Rong Song when he saw Lu Zheng simply rise into the air.
Zhang Kai, “…”
Only then did he realise Lu Zheng’s cultivation truly had reached an astonishing level.
…
The party rode back together. Along the way, thanks to everyone’s explanations, Lu Zheng learned the full story.
Ning Zhiqi was an ordinary scholar from Crouching Tiger Town. His mother looked after the home while his father, after repeatedly failing the imperial examinations, now worked as an accountant for a merchant house to support the family.
Although the family was not well-off, Ning Zhiqi was very promising. At a young age he had already become a provincial graduate, and two years earlier he had passed the autumn provincial examination. He was now preparing for this year’s spring metropolitan examination.
If he failed the metropolitan exam, he could at least become a minor local official. If he passed, his future would be boundless.
Yi Xiaoqian was a stunning female ghost who had cultivated for several decades. She had always lived in seclusion, cultivating alone. Last year, during an outing in spring, she and Ning Zhiqi had chanced upon each other. They strolled together, admired the scenery, exchanged poems, and fell in love, creating a beautiful romance.
The two had already agreed: whether Ning Zhiqi passed the metropolitan examination or not, Yi Xiaoqian would follow him wherever he was posted. She would nourish her ghostly body with human yang energy and walk the path of ghost immortality. Even if she could not become a ghost immortal, she could still take human form, bear children, and pass on their lineage.
Some days earlier, Rong Song and Zhang Kai had arrived together in Crouching Tiger Town and immediately noticed traces that Ning Zhiqi was consorting with a ghost.
Yet although yin energy lingered around him, his constitution was excellent. He did not look pale, weak, or drained of vitality.
This was because, to prevent the yin energy from harming him, Yi Xiaoqian only lay with him once every ten days and even found qi-replenishing herbs to nurse his health.
Rong Song and Zhang Kai naturally had no idea of this. They assumed Ning Zhiqi had only recently become entangled with a ghost and prepared to slay the spirit and save the man.
In the end, Ning Zhiqi refused to live without protecting Yi Xiaoqian’s escape, while Yi Xiaoqian was willing to die if only they would spare him.
It made Rong Song and Zhang Kai feel like utter villains.
Later, when they learned the pair had been together for nearly a year, the two abandoned all thought of killing Yi Xiaoqian.
After all, if she truly meant harm, Ning Zhiqi would not have lasted a month before being sucked dry.
Little did they know that although they had let Yi Xiaoqian go, the very night they made their move, they accidentally alerted the Half-Hill Ghost who had come to town.
The Half-Hill Ghost was no weakling. He hid himself so that Rong Song and Zhang Kai never noticed him. After watching the entire drama unfold, he was struck dumb with amazement by Yi Xiaoqian’s beauty.
Thus, the very next night he turned into a black wind and abducted her.
Ning Zhiqi then sought out Rong Song and Zhang Kai, who had not yet left town. The three men and three horses set off, guided by Rong Song, and arrived at the Half-Hill Ghost Manor.
As for what happened next, Lu Zheng already knew.
…
“So that’s the whole story. And this sutra scroll…” Lu Zheng glanced at the bamboo slips in Ning Zhiqi’s hand.
“Last summer an old monk gave it to me. Only the night before last, when the Half-Hill Ghost kidnapped Qianqian, did I discover that this Buddhist scripture was actually a dharma artefact,” Ning Zhiqi explained.
“Probably a high monk saw that Scholar Ning was haunted by a ghost and left it for his protection. Because Lady Yi never meant him harm, the Buddhist light never manifested,” Rong Song added.
The four people and one ghost returned to Crouching Tiger Town and escorted Ning Zhiqi and Yi Xiaoqian home. The other three did not follow them inside but went back to the inn and booked another room.
Early the next morning, Ning Zhiqi wanted to treat the three of them to a meal, but all politely declined. Rong Song and Zhang Kai left town, while Lu Zheng rose on a cloud and flew straight southwest.
…
Tonglin County.
Lu Zheng arrived back at noon. While still in the sky he spotted Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan playing weiqi beneath the persimmon tree in the rear courtyard.
Seeing the two of them, all the dog-food frustration he had swallowed yesterday from Ning Zhiqi and Yi Xiaoqian finally found an outlet.
“I’m back!”
…
After a month away, not only was Shen Ying far more enthusiastic, even Liu Qingyan’s shyness had lessened a little. She actually took the initiative to show her tail.
