Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Old Cao immediately mocked him.

“Curious, my ass! You heard that even the River God and countless upright drowned corpses and aquatic monsters coveted the thing beneath the river, so you figured it had to be some kind of priceless treasure. You want a share of the benefits too, don’t you?”

Yuan Fei flushed and widened his eyes.

“How can you slander an innocent man out of thin air? What benefits?”

He continued arguing with Old Cao. “You can’t call it greed… I’m genuinely curious! Can a cultivator’s curiosity really be called greed?”

Then came a string of muttered, stammering excuses.

Li Miao and I burst out laughing.

The coffin shop filled with merriment.

Everyone knew Yuan Fei and Old Cao were only bickering in fun to lighten the mood.

Before I returned, they hadn’t even known what lay beneath the river bend. How could Yuan Fei have felt greedy for it?

If I hadn’t met Bai Su, learned so many secrets, and then confirmed them with Master, all of us would probably still believe it was an unspeakably evil and terrifying object.

Calling it a priceless treasure had mostly been a joke.

“Boss, Young Mr. Wu, honored guests, dinner is ready.”

Wang Hu emerged from the kitchen carrying four enormous, steaming bowls of noodles at once.

At the moment, he had no hands. Both had transformed into billowing mist that held the four large bowls perfectly steady.

I smiled at the sight.

“You’ve gotten much stronger lately, Uncle Hu.”

“It’s all thanks to Boss Cao. He burned soul-fortifying incense for me and even offered me some proper spirit paper.”

Wang Hu spoke gratefully.

The four bowls he placed on the wooden table in the center of the coffin shop contained wok-seared tomato and tender pork noodles.

Bright red tomatoes, eggs first fried and then simmered in broth, tender pieces of pork loin, and springy noodles all came together in one delicious bowl.

One whiff of the aroma and one look at the food were enough to know how wonderful it would taste.

Even Yuan Fei and Li Miao swallowed, amazed that a ghost could possess such excellent cooking skills.

The four of us gathered around the table and began eating.

As we ate, I told them, in full and without changing a thing, all the secret information I had learned over the past few days.

Of course, because I perversely enjoyed keeping them in suspense, I concealed Bai Su’s true identity and referred to her only as “Miss Bai Su” throughout the story.

Old Cao and the others therefore assumed she was human.

Besides, all their attention was focused on the mysterious black plant.

“Good heavens! Half of a broken leaf from the plant before it even matured granted decades of cultivation the instant someone swallowed it, without any side effects. That’s simply…simply…”

Yuan Fei exclaimed in wonder, apparently unable to find words adequate to describe it.

Shock covered Old Cao’s face as well. His brows furrowed tightly, and he sank into silent thought.

Li Miao had never imagined that casually accepting a job to retrieve a drowned child’s body would involve so many events.

In the end, it had even drawn them into the mystery of something inconceivable.

I noisily devoured my noodles, draining every last drop of broth. Then I set down the bowl, wiped my mouth, and turned to Old Cao.

“According to Miss Bai Su, more than a year ago, a group of cultivators attacked the River God, the upright drowned corpses, and the monsters in the water outside Xiaowan Village. They probably wanted to lure those beings away so they could seize that mysterious black plant. Old Cao, didn’t you notice anything at all?”

It genuinely seemed strange to me.

Xiaowan Village lay under Lianghe Town’s jurisdiction and wasn’t far from town.

How could so many cultivators gather without attracting any local attention?

Realization immediately appeared on Old Cao’s face.

He slapped his thigh and shook his head.

“Now that you mention it…there was a period several years ago when something in town did feel wrong. Many outsiders arrived, and all of them possessed some cultivation.”

“I was wary at first, but then I saw that they behaved themselves, caused no trouble, and stayed for only a short while. I assumed they were passing through on their way to some gathering of cultivators elsewhere. That happens often enough.”

“So I didn’t pay much attention. I never imagined the group was secretly undertaking something so enormous in nearby Xiaowan Village.”

Old Cao’s account made everything clear.

Information didn’t travel easily in those days. If the group acted with sufficient caution, they truly wouldn’t draw much notice.

Without Bai Su, who had witnessed the event herself, we might never have learned about it.

“By the way, Old Cao, did Boss Duan deliver the photocopy of the Fubei County Gazetteer?”
I turned to the real matter at hand.

Master had said the mysterious black plant beneath the river had not matured and would soon disappear, but we still needed to gather more information in advance.

More importantly, this incident suggested that some strange stories recorded in local county gazetteers might be true.

Ordinary people might assume ancient people had lacked scientific knowledge and invented feudal superstitions about ghosts and gods.

But we knew those stories might describe real supernatural events.

Old Cao shook his head.

“Not yet.”

I frowned. Could that wealthy businessman be breaking his promise? When he needed us, he had thanked us profusely for solving his terrible problem. Now that it was time to return the favor, was he going to delay and make excuses?

The thought displeased me.

If that was truly the case, I wouldn’t mind teaching him a small lesson the next time we met.

Don’t think I was petty.

Fine. I was exactly that petty!

I wasn’t one of those hidebound, self-proclaimed “righteous cultivators.” I had gained power, yet refrained from evil and used it to do good. That alone was rare and commendable.

If I still let other people bully and humiliate me, then what the hell was the point? What the hell was I cultivating for?

Seeing my displeasure, Li Miao calmly offered a few words of comfort.

“Don’t be too anxious, Young Mr. Wu. Something may have delayed him. Boss Duan witnessed your abilities himself, so he certainly wouldn’t dare deceive you.”

I nodded. “You have a point, Brother Li. We’ll just wait and see.”

The four of us resumed our casual conversation.

Apart from a youngster like me, all three men were seasoned veterans who had seen the world.

They had experienced not only countless bizarre and terrifying incidents, but also the malice of human hearts and the fickleness of society. Even their ordinary stories fascinated me completely.

At the same time, I learned far more about the supernatural world that ordinary people could rarely encounter.

Even Wang Hu floated nearby, listening intently.

We also discussed magical techniques and practical methods.

On those subjects, I could occasionally offer a few comments.

Master’s level was considerably higher than theirs, so following her had broadened my perspective on cultivation. The occasional observation from me drew murmurs of admiration from all three men.

In truth, I was only repeating things Master had said and “borrowing” her wisdom as my own.

I had no idea how long we talked.

By my estimate, it was already quite late, perhaps after eleven at night.

The town had fallen silent, with few pedestrians remaining. Why hadn’t Bai Su arrived?

As I wondered inwardly, Old Cao suddenly froze.

His expression turned grave and serious.

Then Yuan Fei and Li Miao sensed it too, and both appeared surprised and tense.

Wang Hu couldn’t help blurting out, “Such dense demonic energy! What a terrifying presence!”

He was a ghost, so his senses for monsters were also sharp.

Monsters, demons, ghosts, and spirits–all supernatural beings outside humanity possessed some awareness of one another. They were much more sensitive than ordinary living people.

Yuan Fei shot to his feet, casually picked up his Ghost-Beating Staff, and stared outside the coffin shop.

With a cold laugh, he said, “Interesting! Such powerful demonic energy. Some great monster must have emerged from a remote mountain wilderness and entered town. And it seems to be heading straight for this coffin shop.”

Li Miao said grimly, “With all of us here, it doesn’t matter whether an ancient monster or a great monster comes. It will only be walking to its death.”

Old Cao looked uneasy.

He was older, more experienced, and therefore more cautious.

“Don’t act rashly. In peaceful times like these, monsters generally hide deep in the mountains and avoid places inhabited by humans. If one dares enter town, either it has gone mad or it is extremely confident. Of course, it may simply possess great intelligence and have business here. If we can avoid conflict, a peaceful conversation would be preferable.”

Their nervous expressions amused me.

But I said nothing.

Bai Su’s demonic energy truly was formidable.

Anyone sensing it for the first time could easily be startled.

But the energy contained little bloodlust or sinister evil. Its threatening pressure wasn’t actually very strong.

Weren’t they being overly nervous?

Perhaps my youth and limited experience explained my reaction. I hadn’t formed any fixed assumptions about the very concept of a “monster.”

Old Cao, Yuan Fei, and Li Miao, however, probably assumed by habit that most monsters were evil.

Young and old people often saw the same thing differently.
The demonic energy rapidly grew stronger and drew closer.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Strange sounds came from the street outside.

They resembled streetlights losing power and going dark.

A darkness deeper than night instantly engulfed the street beyond the coffin shop.

Even I was surprised now.

“I didn’t realize Miss Bai was this powerful! By releasing her demonic energy, she can directly affect physical objects and temporarily extinguish the streetlights for real.”

Most monsters, demons, ghosts, and spirits liked plunging people into darkness.

It intimidated their victims while giving the supernatural being an advantage.

Most of the time, however, they merely used illusions or deceived a person’s vision. The light source itself continued shining.

Bai Su had truly extinguished every streetlight along the road.

Of course, she wasn’t making a show of force. She simply wanted to avoid being seen. If she frightened an ordinary person, the kind rabbit monster would probably feel guilty.

But Old Cao and the others didn’t know that.

The hot-tempered Yuan Fei immediately began rolling up his sleeves.

“Holy crap! This monster is powerful. It extinguished every light along the street. Is that supposed to be a warning?”

Old Cao looked displeased too.

Meanwhile, in the darkness outside the coffin shop, two spots of red light slowly appeared before the door.

They were the great monster’s eyes.

Higher above them shone two spots of yellow light, though these were much smaller, scarcely larger than peas.

I knew at once they were Huihui’s eyes glowing at night as he rode on Bai Su’s back. The sight almost made me laugh.

Old Cao said grimly, “It’s here! Everyone, be careful. Don’t attack yet. Let’s see whether we can communicate.”

The lights inside the coffin shop were still shining.

In their dim yellow glow, all of us finally saw the visitors approaching the entrance.

“What a huge rabbit! And there’s a fox riding on its back!”

Yuan Fei exclaimed.

He tightened his grip on the Ghost-Beating Staff.

Li Miao drew a sharp breath.

Only I wore a mischievous smile. I cleared my throat.

“Ahem… Everyone, don’t panic. Let me handle this!”

With that, I walked past the three men to the front, stopping near the coffin shop’s high threshold.

Old Cao’s expression changed sharply, and he shouted in alarm.

“What are you doing, Xiao Wu? Get back here! A monster of this level is no joke.”

He sounded extremely anxious.

I looked at the enormous rabbit outside and the little gray fox on her back, then called happily, “Miss Bai! Huihui! You finally made it. Did the journey go smoothly?”

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

The rabbit and fox both cried out and nodded.

At the same time, a clear woman’s voice and a slightly childish boy’s voice sounded in my mind.

“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wu. Everything went smoothly.”

“Brother Wu, Susu couldn’t bear to leave some of her collections behind, so she spent ages packing. She also found places to hide the things we couldn’t bring, which took even longer.”

Uh…

This little fellow had just exposed his sister’s secret. Wasn’t he afraid she’d beat him?

Old Cao, Yuan Fei, and Li Miao stared at the scene in utter bewilderment.

All three stood frozen like wooden chickens.

For a long time, none of them recovered.

I turned back and said, “Everyone, this is Miss Bai Su and little Huihui. They came to meet you. From now on, they’ll be living near Lianghe Town.”

What?!

Yuan Fei’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets.

He pointed at the enormous rabbit standing outside.

“Th-this… This is the Miss Bai Su you mentioned? She’s a rabbit monster who has awakened her intelligence?”

I laughed loudly and nodded. “That’s right!”

Then I winked at him.

“I never said Miss Bai Su was human. You were the ones who misunderstood, weren’t you?”

Yuan Fei and Li Miao were speechless.

Old Cao pointed at me helplessly. “Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, you really are too…”

“All right, all right. I was only playing a joke on everyone. Miss Bai Su is a rabbit monster raised from childhood by Mr. Bai, the feng shui master. Huihui is a little fox she rescued several years ago and has cared for ever since.”

After explaining everything, I turned back to Bai Su and Huihui.

“Miss Bai, Huihui, you can project your thoughts into everyone’s minds so they can hear you too.”

“All right, Mr. Wu.”

Bai Su extended her telepathic voice into Old Cao and the others’ minds, then greeted them. Both sides were exceptionally polite.

The atmosphere became harmonious.

In particular, knowing that a powerful monster had joined our side seemed to make everyone feel more confident.