Chapter 80: Xiaoyin, the Big Fish, and Little Red (Please Subscribe, Please Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Cautiously alert, he let his gaze drop slightly and dispelled his aura-sensing technique, for he was drawing closer to the four people ahead.

At that moment, the four were walking together, chatting among themselves, apparently unaware of his approach.

"Second Brother, this place is so remote—are you sure there’s really something here?"

"There’s definitely something. Whether we can get our hands on it, though, is another matter. The news is out, and we’re not the only ones who know."

"I’ve looked into it before coming. A hundred years ago, there really was a pirate chief called King Pinghai who made this river his stronghold. So I figure it’s likely that spot is his..."

The rest of their words faded into the wind, and Chen Yushu could no longer make them out, as he was moving forward while they walked away behind him, the riverside winds drowning out their voices.

Still, from their brief conversation, he managed to guess their purpose.

"Their goal must be that tomb! The very tomb that previously caused such a stir, unleashing countless vengeful and malignant spirits—the tomb of the great martial master."

Chen Yushu quickly recalled what Wu Hong had mentioned in the tavern: the tomb of a great martial master. Now it seemed that master must have been the same as the pirate chief they spoke of—a King Pinghai from a century ago.

"So that’s why so many people from the martial world, and these folks from other trades as well, have all come for King Pinghai’s tomb? Is it for his treasure, or something else?"

Though enlightened, Chen Yushu was still puzzled. But on further thought, he realized it all had nothing to do with him anyway. He had no intention of venturing to Water Curtain Ravine to fight over treasure.

With that, he set his worries aside and continued home.

...

"Achieving the advanced state of meditation has helped my talisman crafting immensely. I can’t believe I managed to draw the Ghost-Slaying Talisman so soon."

Chen Yushu gazed at the spirit talisman in his hand, pleasantly surprised.

Back when he worked on the Calming Talisman, it only had thirteen glyphs and still took him four or five days to complete. Now, the Ghost-Slaying Talisman had fifteen glyphs—much more complex—yet he finished it in about two hours.

The contrast was striking.

It made him appreciate all the more the importance of steady meditation, which, at its heart, was the importance of study.

"Whatever the case, this is good news for me. The Ghost-Slaying Talisman is different from the House-Guarding, Evil-Dispelling, or Calming Talismans. It’s a practical weapon, able to actually harm spirits, ghosts, and even undead corpses. With one of these, weaker specters wouldn’t stand a chance."

He looked at the solid, freshly-made talisman, delighted.

Hardly able to wait, he began drawing again.

These talismans were precious to him; the more, the better.

Another hour passed.

Seven more Ghost-Slaying Talismans joined the first, making eight in total.

"With eight of these, even a powerful ghost would find it hard to resist," he thought, feeling the power within each talisman—much greater than the House-Guarding or Evil-Dispelling ones—giving him new confidence.

Then he took out the soul pearl and settled into meditation to absorb its essence.

By now, the soul pearl was much smaller than before, less than half its original size.

At his current rate of refining, it would last, at most, two more days before he absorbed all its spiritual particles.

Incense cultivation +9

Chen Yushu glanced at his attribute panel.

Immortal cultivation: One stick of incense (35/100)

"Too bad—the soul pearl is almost gone. After this, advancing quickly in incense cultivation will be much harder."

---

Chen Yushu put away the soul pearl, now no bigger than a fingernail, and decided to practice the White Tiger Visualization Technique while his mind was still clear.

Suddenly, he noticed the House-Guarding Talisman being activated once again, its power swiftly at work. His expression changed. “That guy is restless again? Out and about already?”

He instinctively assumed it was the corpse keeper taking his zombie out for another stroll.

But in the next instant, his face changed again.

The House-Guarding Talisman had turned pitch-black and lost all power. He leapt up at once.

Just then, a small figure tumbled inside in a rather peculiar fashion, landing solidly on the floor.

In that moment, a talisman appeared in Chen Yushu’s hand—a Ghost-Slaying Talisman.

He hadn’t expected a ghost to be so brazen these days, barging in despite the protective talisman. Of course, he planned to let it sample the power of his new work.

But as he was about to throw the talisman, he paused.

It was a little ghost.

With two pigtails, a red bellyband, and rosy cheeks, it looked almost adorable.

She was Liu Qiao’er’s messenger ghost—Little Yin.

At the moment, she looked rather bedraggled, rising from the floor with a huff, one hand on her hip, the other gesturing angrily, mouth moving as though scolding him.

Chen Yushu paused, then entered his "spirit-walking" state, the only way to converse with ghosts.

"You, you, you... What did you put on the wall? I nearly got stuck inside and couldn’t get out. It hurt so much…"

She berated him, clearly upset.

"A House-Guarding Talisman. For protection," Chen Yushu answered honestly, curious.

"Hmph! You’re a spirit-walker—what do you need protection from ghosts for? Was that really necessary? My poor backside nearly broke into eight pieces!"

Little Yin pouted and rubbed her bottom.

"You’re Sister Qiao’er’s messenger ghost, right? Is there something you need today?" Chen Yushu, not wanting to argue, quickly asked.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot. My sister said I should stay here for a few days. She has some business and can’t take me with her..."

Her lips curled in a little pout, as if aggrieved, and she muttered quietly, "Can’t take me? She just found something fun and doesn’t want me tagging along."

Unfortunately, she didn’t know that in his spirit-walking state, Chen Yushu could hear even her softest whispers.

"Stay here for a few days?" he repeated, a little flustered. "How? Do you need to eat? What do you eat?"

He’d never hosted a ghost before and had no idea what they required.

"Don’t worry, I’m very well-behaved. I won’t run around. And I don’t eat much—just burn two sticks of incense for me every day and that’s enough."

She seemed afraid he might refuse, adding softly.

"That’s simple enough," Chen Yushu replied, nodding.

He had incense at home—the last time he’d bought talisman paper at Old Fu’s incense shop, he’d received several bundles as a gift. He took two sticks and lit them.

Little Yin hurried over, hugging the incense and inhaling deeply, looking blissful.

After a while, she stopped, apparently satisfied with just a little, just as she’d said.

---

Yet she didn’t let go of the incense, stealing glances at Chen Yushu, inhaling a bit more now and then, as if she hadn’t eaten her fill but was too shy to keep going.

Chen Yushu couldn’t help but laugh. "I have more incense. Why not eat your fill?"

"No, it’s fine. I ate before I came," Little Yin insisted, waving her hand grandly, then added, "I just hate to see incense go to waste."

She patted her belly as if it was already round and full.

"You ate before coming? Where did you come from? North Jiao Village? Or somewhere here in town?" Chen Yushu asked, puzzled.

"Not from North Jiao Village. I don’t dare go out alone there. There’s a giant fish in the village, very fierce. The moment I step outside, I feel its eyes on me, like it wants to eat me. I came from outside. When I passed that big house, Little Red tried to chase me... Luckily, I’m fast. Hmph, next time my sister comes, I’ll have her teach Little Red a lesson for scaring me..."

Little Yin’s face was fierce and indignant.

"Giant fish?" Chen Yushu frowned.

"The one under the bridge, of course. It’s really vicious. But it seems to be chained up. My sister says Grandma chained it, but two of the chains are already broken. They won’t last much longer," Little Yin explained.

Chen Yushu immediately thought of the stone fish under the village bridge.

When he’d met Liu Qiao’er, she’d said, "The big fish is about to come out."

At the time, he’d noticed but hadn’t understood her meaning. Now, it was clear—she’d been warning Uncle Zhong.

Though Uncle Zhong’s skills were limited, he was registered with the Office of Yin Suppression and could call for experts. Unfortunately, his prejudice against her was deep, and he’d ignored her warning entirely.

"How many chains are on that big fish?" Chen Yushu asked, worried. There were many people in the village—his own parents among them.

"Uh, one, three, two, seven, five, four... Eight," Little Yin said, counting on her fingers. But she only counted six.

Chen Yushu’s face darkened. He’d asked a pointless question—this little ghost clearly couldn’t count.

"And Little Red? Who’s that?" he asked curiously.

"Little Red is just Little Red. Lives in the big house up ahead. Last time my sister beat her up good, so now she holds a grudge. When she saw me pass by, she wanted to beat me too. But I’m not afraid. I’m faster than her—she can’t catch me."

Little Yin put her hands on her hips and pointed in the direction of the big house, looking very smug.

Following her gaze, Chen Yushu’s face fell. He knew exactly which house she meant.

It was the Zuo family mansion—a notorious haunted house.

And Little Red... most likely a vengeful ghost, red from head to toe.