Chapter 138

Chapter 138

If I inhaled deeply and smelled the air carefully, I could still detect the scent of burned mugwort.

Excellent!

The two men had clearly followed my instructions to the letter. They were very reliable.

Then again, that made sense.

Leaving supernatural forces aside, both Xia Sanjin and Xia Degui were exceptionally successful by ordinary worldly standards.

Their social standing was certainly much higher than my family’s.

Xia Sanjin was the village Party secretary of Xia Family Hamlet, while his father had been its old village chief. They were effectively the village’s foremost family.

Xia Degui had made his way in a major city, leading a group of men under him. He had seen the wider world and earned some money.

Once men like them overcame their fear of evil beings, they could be trusted to handle things properly.

“Where’s my ritual blade?” I asked hurriedly.

That was what concerned me most.

It was such a powerful ritual implement and had once belonged to Master. If it were lost, I would probably be heartbroken.

“Right here, Young Mr. Wu. Take a look.”

Xia Degui turned, picked up the ritual blade from a nearby wooden table, and carefully presented it to me in both hands.

At that moment, his eyes were full of awe.

Xia Sanjin also studied the ritual blade in my hand and exclaimed, “This blade is incredible, Young Mr. Wu! That vicious entity’s body was as hard as stone. I doubt an ordinary knife could have pierced it. But your ritual blade has no edge at all–it’s blunt and rounded–yet you drove the entire thing in.”

I chuckled.

“Secretary Xia, every tool has its specialty. This ritual blade isn’t much use against the living, but against the dead and other yin beings, it’s like a peerless divine weapon.”

As I spoke, I accepted the blade from Xia Degui.

Only after carefully inspecting it and finding no damage did I smile and slide it back into the cowhide sheath at my lower back.

“All right. The haunting should be completely resolved now. Xia Family Hamlet can live in peace again.”

At that, both men showered me with more thanks and praise.

Then each handed me an envelope.

I took Xia Sanjin’s first and squeezed it.

A thick stack filled the inside.

This was obviously my payment for exorcising the ghost.

I frowned in confusion.

“Secretary Xia, we agreed on three thousand yuan. There must be more than that in here. You’ve given me too much.”

He immediately shook his head and smiled.

“Not at all. You deserve it, Young Mr. Wu. That evil ghost was far more powerful than we ever imagined. Only after witnessing it ourselves did we understand how dangerous the job was. Three thousand seemed too little, so I added some more.”

“Is that so?”

I smiled, shook my head, and looked at Xia Degui.

“And this, Uncle Degui?”

“The village invited you and is paying your fee, Young Mr. Wu, but this trouble ultimately began with my family. Consider this compensation from us.”

Xia Degui’s explanation was completely sincere.

He felt deeply guilty that his wife’s actions had left the entire village terrified.

But Fifth Elder Xia, the greatest victim, had lived alone without a wife or children, so there was no surviving family to compensate. They had planned to bury him in a good location, but now even his body had been burned to ash.

So Xia Degui had simply given the money he prepared to me.

I hesitated, then looked into the two men’s sincere eyes. They seemed terrified that I might refuse.

Finally, I nodded.

“All right. I’ll accept it, then. Thank you.”

Once I took the money, Xia Sanjin and Xia Degui broke into delighted smiles again.

I understood that after witnessing my abilities, they wanted to build a good relationship with me.

Most people might go their entire lives without encountering more than a few supernatural incidents, but a single encounter could be fatal.

Spending a few thousand yuan to establish a connection with someone like me would make it much easier to seek help if they ever ran out of options.

Both men were fairly wealthy for the time, after all.

Just then, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron emerged from the kitchen.

“Secretary Sanjin, the food is almost ready. You can start eating soon. I’ll head home now.”

“All right, ma’am. Thank you for your hard work.”

Xia Sanjin paid her a little over ten yuan and showed her out.

They must have hired her specifically to make lunch.

That wasn’t unusual in our countryside. Some people simply had a gift for cooking and developed a knack for farmhouse cuisine. Their food could rival that of any chef in town.
“You missed breakfast, Young Mr. Wu. You must be hungry. Come, eat with us.”

I didn’t refuse. As I sat at the table, I said, “I’ve already spent quite a while in Xia Family Hamlet and should return to my village soon. But I’m still curious about what really happened with the vicious entity in the red dress. I need to wait until Aunt Xia Dong wakes up and question her.”

I wanted to know who had been pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Then we ate lunch.

An impressive feast covered the large table.

The main dishes included steamed crispy pork, red-braised pork belly, Eight-Treasure Rice, rice-flour-steamed pork, steamed pork knuckle, sweet bean-paste pork, tofu meatballs, and Sichuan steamed pork belly.

There was also loofah and tender pork soup, along with chilled pig’s-head meat.

It was the classic Eight Great Bowls served at New Year’s banquets in the countryside of Sichuan and Chongqing.

Apparently, ridding the village of the vicious entity in the red dress made them as happy as the arrival of the New Year.

That was understandable. Who could endure a terrifying evil ghost wandering through their village every night?

Especially one that had already killed a man.

Perhaps last night’s fight had drained me more than I realized. I devoured the meal like a starving wolf.

I ate five large bowls of rice and finished every dish before finally stopping.

Xia Sanjin and Xia Degui marveled at the sight. I was slim, not fat at all, yet could eat so much.

Their amazement made me a little embarrassed.

Just as I opened my mouth to break the awkward silence, Xia Dong’s voice came from the bedroom.

“She’s awake?”

The three of us exchanged glances, rose, and headed into the bedroom.

Sure enough, Xia Dong was awake.

Some color had returned to her face. She seemed to be recovering well.

Xia Degui hurried to the bedside and supported her.

To our surprise, Xia Dong’s first words were, “Xia Mi, she…”

Xia Degui frowned and was about to reprimand her, but I hurriedly spoke first.

“Aunt Xia Dong, didn’t I explain this before? Xia Mi has already gone to the Netherworld to prepare for reincarnation. What you saw these past few days was actually an evil being occupying Xia Mi’s body.”

Xia Sanjin and Xia Degui both gave me strange looks.

I continued without missing a beat.

“That evil being returned last night. You remember that it refused to listen to you and even knocked you unconscious, don’t you? If it had truly been your daughter Xia Mi, could she ever have brought herself to strike her own mother?”

“I…”

Confusion filled Xia Dong’s eyes.

I pressed on. “After you passed out last night, I fought the evil being. It was so powerful I nearly lost. At the critical moment, Xia Mi’s soul appeared and helped me trap the demon occupying her body so we could destroy it together. Then she asked me to give you a message. She said having you as her mother made her very happy in this life, and you shouldn’t worry about her. She also told you never to believe a wicked person’s lies again. Xia Mi said anyone who claims they can resurrect her is a villain with ulterior motives.”

I impressed even myself.

I could invent a story at the drop of a hat.

Maybe I had what it took to become a novelist!

Xia Dong’s emotional knot hadn’t completely loosened. Rational facts, no matter how logical, wouldn’t persuade her. A benevolent lie was better for now. Once time eased the pain, she would eventually come to terms with the truth herself.

Sure enough, Xia Dong’s expression shifted several times before she burst into anguished sobs.

“My sweet girl! My little Xia Mi…”

“Mommy failed to protect you. Even after you died, I couldn’t let you rest in peace.”

“I’m sorry. Mommy was wrong. I never should have believed that monk’s lies!”

“I shouldn’t have believed him…”

A monk’s lies?

My heart jolted with surprise.

Did Xia Dong mean that a monk had persuaded her to bury her daughter’s body at an evil feng shui site using a Face-Down Burial to create the vicious entity?

At first, I had wondered whether it was the rogue occultist whom Old Cao, Yuan Fei, and I had fought near the Killer Demon Tree in Lianghe Town.

Judging from his attempt to cultivate a Golden-Thread Netherbloom in the cemetery outside Lianghe Town–a rare treasure that helped one evade life tribulations–he probably intended to remain in the area for a long time.

But Xia Dong said it was a monk.

Then it probably wasn’t him.

That man had hidden his entire body beneath a black robe and worn a conical hat, so I had no idea what he looked like.

But he definitely wasn’t a monk.

I continued comforting her.

“Aunt Xia Dong, what happened to Xia Mi is over. I know you and Uncle Degui must be heartbroken, but life always moves forward. Before Xia Mi’s soul left, she told me herself that she wanted you to live well. She hoped you could have another child, a little brother or sister to keep you company in her place.”
I said this with the best intentions. I hoped the couple wouldn’t spend the rest of their lives drowning in past grief.

Perhaps having another child would make things much better.

Yes, I truly was precocious. Though I was only a middle schooler, I seemed to understand quite a few truths about life.

Besides, Xia Degui had paid me an additional fee. I might as well return the favor.

Xia Dong sobbed but didn’t answer.

I continued.

“Xia Mi may be gone, but we still haven’t found the true culprit behind everything. Those of us in this trade must act righteously, or we risk offending the harmony of Heaven. That monk deceived you into using your daughter’s body to create an evil being. His crime is unforgivable.”

“If we get the chance, Master and I certainly won’t let him escape! But I need you to tell me exactly what happened from beginning to end. Will you do that, Aunt Xia Dong?”

Of course, I had invented that part too.

Mostly, I was curious.

But I also genuinely wanted to prevent future trouble.

Too many strange and chaotic events had occurred around Lianghe Town lately. Now an evil and powerful monk had appeared as well. We needed at least some information about him.

Beside me, Xia Degui also urged her to speak quickly. This was no joking matter.

“I’ll tell you… Actually, I met that monk the night you came home, Degui.”

What?!

Xia Degui and Xia Sanjin both stared at her in shock, their expressions peculiar.

“Impossible! That’s impossible!”

Xia Degui shook his head like a rattle drum.

He looked at Xia Dong strangely.

“Honey, are you remembering it wrong? The day I came home… From when I arrived that afternoon, through the night, and until the next day, we stayed together the whole time. We weren’t apart for even a minute. When could you possibly have met some sinister monk?”

Xia Dong froze.

Xia Sanjin chimed in, “Degui is right. Sister-in-law Xia Dong, could you be mistaken? You didn’t have a moment alone that day.”

Xia Dong stared back at the two men just as strangely.

All three wore peculiar expressions.

Uh… What was going on?

Now I was confused too.

I quickly said, “Secretary Xia, Uncle Degui, don’t interrupt yet. Let Aunt Xia Dong tell the entire story first. Then we can compare it against what actually happened that day.”

“All right. We’ll listen to Young Mr. Wu.”

Xia Dong resumed her account.

She said that day, her husband, Xia Degui, had finally rushed back from the city. When the couple reunited, they had clung to each other and wept bitterly.

Their daughter Xia Mi’s coffin rested in the main room. Xia Sanjin, several village officials, and relatives were all at the house, helping arrange the funeral.

The ritual master they had hired was performing rites for Xia Mi’s soul and directing the helpers as they sorted her belongings.

After crying in her husband’s arms, Xia Dong returned to the coffin and leaned against it in a daze, silently shedding an endless stream of tears. She felt as if her own soul had left with her daughter.

She didn’t know how much time passed before the light in the main room gradually dimmed, as though night were approaching.

Then she suddenly saw someone enter the house.

The person walked through everyone else and stopped before her.

He wore gray monk’s robes decorated with peculiar red cloud patterns.

His head was completely shaved and smooth, while his earlobes were exceptionally long and large.

A string of large prayer beads hung around his neck. He held a smaller string in one hand and smiled down at her.

Xia Dong glanced at him and assumed he was another ritual practitioner whom the village officials had invited to help, like the ritual master already performing the funeral rites. She had neither the strength nor the desire to speak, so she leaned her head against the coffin and continued weeping for her daughter.

Unexpectedly, the monk spoke to her first.

“Benefactor, this humble monk wanders the four corners of the world and happened to pass through this place. I sensed the thoughts weighing upon your heart and have come especially to relieve your sorrow.”

Xia Dong found him baffling, but her grief was too great to care.

His very next sentence, however, shocked her to her feet.

The monk said, “Benefactor Xia Dong, the untimely death of your daughter is truly one of the mortal world’s greatest sorrows. But did you know that the dead can return to life? With the proper method, a dead person can live again and remain forever by your side.”