Chapter 50
Chapter 50
The voice belonged to the Daoist Soul who had led Hua Jiunan away from the haunted house a few days ago.
Hua Jiunan didn’t dare respond out loud, fearing that his classmates on the road would think he was a lunatic.
He simply gave a slight nod to indicate that he would be there on time.
At the same time, he thought to himself:
*It’s a good thing he wasn’t talking to Chen Daji.*
That guy definitely wouldn’t have understood. He would have just asked stupidly:
“What the hell is the Hour of the Ox?”
Shortly after one in the morning, once everyone else was asleep, Hua Jiunan slipped out of the dormitory.
The wind and snow outside had grown even fiercer!
Given Hua Jiunan’s build, it was a struggle just to push forward against the gale.
When he reached the back playground, he saw many ghosts sitting cross-legged in neat rows amidst the wind and snow, listening to the Daoist Soul recite the Scripture of the Supreme Unity Savior of Suffering and Distress for Salvation.
These ghosts included men and women, young and old.
Every one of them had their eyes closed and wore a peaceful expression; there wasn’t a trace of yin winds or malevolent energy about them.
The Daoist signaled to Hua Jiunan with his eyes, gesturing for him to wait a moment.
Half an hour later, a gentle white light shimmered from the bodies of the ghosts. They rose one after another and bowed to the Daoist Soul.
“We can only repay the kindness of Daoist Master’s hundred years of labor in our next lives.”
“Today, we are finally shed of our sins and can enter the cycle of reincarnation!”
After performing the full ritual of three prostrations and nine kowtows, the crowd of ghosts transformed into specks of starlight, merging into the ground and vanishing.
The Daoist Soul faced the direction where the ghosts had disappeared and returned the salute with a vertical palm.
“Infinite Fortune and Life to the Heavenly Lord!”
“Congratulations to all the laypeople for finally attaining liberation!”
Before Hua Jiunan could process the shock of what he had just witnessed, the Daoist Soul spoke to him.
“This Humble Daoist has kept my Young Friend waiting. It is my fault.”
“I invited you here tonight because I wanted to ask-does my Young Friend come from Jiudaogou Village?”
“Have any… unusual things happened in the village recently?”
Hua Jiunan had already decided in his heart that the Daoist Soul before him was a good “person.”
Therefore, he didn’t hide anything. He recounted everything starting from the Iron Coffin to the appearance of the Red-Dressed Female Ghost and the Corpse Rising of Old Fourth Tian and his son.
He didn’t even leave out the matter regarding Wang Qianyue.
After listening, the Daoist Soul remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh.
“Sigh. A hundred years ago, when she used the Iron Coffin to skin people, This Humble Daoist should have stopped her!”
“Now that she has completed the Five Ghosts Burial Technique, This Humble Daoist is filled with regret, but it is too late!”
Hearing this, Hua Jiunan hurriedly asked, “Daoist Master, is the mastermind behind all this really that female Daoist from back then?”
The Daoist Soul let out another long sigh.
“Infinite Fortune and Life to the Heavenly Lord!”
“Indeed. It is none other than my Junior Sister!”
Hua Jiunan wanted to ask more, but the Daoist Soul waved him off.
“I know what my Young Friend wishes to say, but time is limited. This Humble Daoist has achieved full merit and must now depart to take up a post in the Underworld.”
“Everything I have learned in my life comes from this book. Once my Young Friend has mastered it, you will naturally be able to find my worthless Junior Sister.”
“With the help of the Five Great Immortal Spirits of the Northern Lands, dealing with her should be quite easy.”
“If possible, I ask… I ask that my Young Friend shows some mercy for the sake of This Humble Daoist’s meager reputation and spares my Junior Sister’s life.”
“Do not let her soul be scattered and extinguished.”
After the Daoist Soul finished speaking, he slowly sank into the ground, glowing with a golden light.
Left behind on the snowy ground were a luopan, a three-centimeter peach wood small sword, and a hand-copied, thread-bound ancient book.
On the cover of the ancient book, the words “Baopuzi Inner Chapters” were clearly written.
Hua Jiunan returned to the dormitory. Upon opening the door, he was startled by Chen Daji, who was staring at him with wide eyes.
“Holy crap, you scared the life out of me!”
“Why aren’t you sleeping at this hour? What are you looking at?”
Chen Daji gave a lewd, suggestive grin.
“Big Brother, where did you go?!”
“Don’t tell me you went to take a dump. I just checked both the men’s and women’s bathrooms, and you weren’t there!”
Hua Jiunan was stunned.
“You went into the women’s bathroom in the middle of the night? Aren’t you afraid of being caught as a pervert?”
Chen Daji looked indifferent.
“I asked before I went in; there was no one inside.”
“Don’t change the subject. Big Brother, did you sneak out to kiss Xu Fangcao?”
“Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist!”
Hua Jiunan was completely speechless at the guy. He stripped off his clothes and climbed into his top bunk while saying, “I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a run.”
“I even found a book on the way.”
Chen Daji wore an expression that said ‘you’re full of it’ as he snatched the book and flipped through it casually.
“What the hell is this? I can’t understand a single word!”
He tossed the book back to Hua Jiunan and lay back down on his own bed.
Hua Jiunan chuckled inwardly.
*It would be a miracle if a guy like you, who can’t even recognize all the simplified characters, could understand classical Chinese!*
*Wait, that’s not right. Why can I understand it?*
*I’ve never studied traditional characters or classical Chinese either!*
Before Hua Jiunan could think further, Chen Daji continued, “Big Brother, next time you sneak out to kiss Xu Fangcao, can you let me watch from a distance?”
“No other reason. I just want to observe and gain some practical experience.”
Hua Jiunan, annoyed, gave the bed frame a hard kick.
“Get lost!”