Chapter 3: This is Bad
After she uttered the word “save,” Shang Shang, who had been wriggling like a worm, suddenly froze. On the way to Liu Ying’s home, as he led the way in ecstatic joy, she was unusually quiet, hanging from the bamboo pole without a fuss, as if asleep.
Mu Qiandan enjoyed the peace and didn’t bother asking why she had suddenly become so docile.
Liu Ying hurried ahead, glancing back repeatedly with a hesitant expression, as if he had something to say.
After turning a couple of corners, he finally couldn’t hold back any longer, but still spoke hesitantly, “Immortal…”
Mu Qiandan lowered her eyes to look at him.
Liu Ying, suppressing his fear, steeled his resolve and asked directly, “Did this young girl… offend you in some way?”
His expression clearly showed his concern for his family, his mind preoccupied with worry, yet he still had the capacity to care about a stranger. Mu Qiandan asked, “Do you know her?”
Liu Ying replied, “I haven’t seen her in person, but I’ve heard of her. Wearing a demonic mask, a patchwork robe, and carrying a bamboo stick, she must be the famous Rat-Catching Cat Official around these parts.”
He was right. Before following Mu Qiandan to the immortal sect, the protagonist had her own way of making a living: catching rats.
For those who relied on the land, every grain was as precious as gold and jade, a comforting weight in the granary. The thought of filthy rats infesting it was heartbreaking.
Even if they didn’t touch the grain, the sight of rats scurrying across the beams of one’s home brought fears of disease or damage to the house. So, people hated rats with a passion and wanted to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Shang Shang was a renowned rat catcher in the surrounding villages and towns.
The book described her skills:
【A young girl, barely in her teens, yet a true expert at catching rats. She didn’t bother with fancy tricks, simply rolling up her sleeves and pant legs and getting to work. Agile and quick, she could catch over a hundred rats in a large house in the blink of an eye, not even sparing the hairless baby mice.】
With such skill and reasonable fees, she was naturally popular. Anyone whose home or granary was infested with rats would call for her, and within two hours, the place would be clean, even the nests eradicated.
Over time, she gained a reputation, earning nicknames like “Rat-Catching Official,” “Demon-Faced Ghost,” “Rat Exterminator,” and the most common, “Demon-Faced Cat Official.”
However, there were also rumors that those fortunate enough to see the face beneath the demonic mask had glimpsed a radiant beauty, like that of an immortal, earning her the title “Cloud Radiance Fairy.”
So, it was normal for Liu Ying to recognize her.
Mu Qiandan said, “It’s her. What about it?”
Liu Ying said, “I’ve heard this child is upright and outspoken, not one for mincing words. I was wondering if she might have said something wrong to offend you, Immortal, which is why you’re punishing her like this…”
Despite his age and experience with strange people and events, he had never seen anyone carry another person like a pig. He couldn’t tell if the Cat Official was exceptionally light or the Immortal exceptionally strong.
Hearing someone speak up for her, Shang Shang lifted her head, trying to see who it was.
Mu Qiandan said, “This is none of your concern.”
Liu Ying quickly added, “Of course, I wouldn’t dare interfere in your affairs, Immortal. It’s just that this child has a good character, and I was worried there might be a misunderstanding, so I spoke up.”
Afraid of angering her and causing her to change her mind, after saying this, Liu Ying quickly shut his mouth, hurrying ahead to lead the way.
Her head drooping again, Shang Shang observed her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was.
The three of them—one carrying, one swaying, one walking—arrived at Liu Ying’s home before nightfall. On the edge of a large forest, a mud-walled courtyard enclosed a dilapidated thatched cottage, the light from within flickering like a tiny star.
As they got closer, Liu Ying’s anxiety grew. He opened the courtyard gate and rushed inside, calling out before he even reached the door, “Wife!”
Hearing the urgency in his voice, Miao Lan thought something had happened and hurried out to meet him. Liu Ying grasped her hand and stepped aside, urging her to kneel with him, “This is a celestial Immortal, here to save Xiao Ling.”
Mu Qiandan, just entering the courtyard, stopped them, “No need. Take me to her.”
Kneeling and observing formalities was a waste of time; it was better to get straight to the point.
The couple hurriedly led her inside. Liu Ying wanted to pour tea, but he stood frozen, holding a kettle, unable to even pick up a cup. Miao Lan squatted by the bed, holding a bowl of water mixed with talisman ashes, her hands trembling with nervousness.
This Immortal was their last hope for saving their daughter. If this didn’t work, they would truly have to bury their child.
Mu Qiandan entered the room, her ice-blue dress radiating a soft light that brightened the dim room, truly like an immortal from a painting.
She stood still, looking towards the bed where the curtains were drawn. The girl, pale and thin, lay nestled in a thin blanket, her face dark, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling weakly, barely clinging to life.
Shang Shang also saw the girl on the bed, her eyes filled with pity. As her gaze wandered, she seemed to see something frightening, her body tensing, her eyes fixed on the pillow at the head of the bed.
Mu Qiandan noticed her gaze and followed it. The old, yellow wall was covered in patches of mold due to dampness, but nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.
The girl’s serious expression didn’t seem fake; her eyes seemed to be truly focused on something. Mu Qiandan concentrated, her senses picking up faint traces of ghostly Qi, though nothing was visible to the naked eye. It seemed further action was required.
Li Biyuan timely found a method for revealing ghosts from the book’s keywords: a special exorcism incense needed to be lit, and a few drops of green water, in which Devil’s Vine had been soaked for seven days, needed to be sprinkled. As a proper immortal from a major sect, Mu Qiandan had both items in her pouch.
She dropped Shang Shang onto the floor, making sure the girl could see her actions, then rummaged through her pouch for the incense and green water, asking mentally, ‘Can the protagonist see ghosts?’
Li Biyuan replied, ‘The book doesn’t mention such a setting, but she has dragon blood, so some special abilities wouldn’t be surprising. She’s the protagonist, after all.’
‘Hmph.’ Mu Qiandan scoffed.
She took out a flint and steel, lighting the exorcism incense. The sparks flickered and climbed down, while smoke curled upwards, spreading throughout the room as a thin mist.
The Liu couple, surrounded by the mist, looked around in confusion. Suddenly, they saw a clear patch above their daughter Liu Ling’s face, devoid of mist, shaped like the upper body of a person.
Someone was standing over their daughter’s head!
Miao Lan, squatting right beside the bed, was extremely close to the human-shaped void. The thought of a ghost right in front of her made her hair stand on end. She dropped the bowl of talisman water, shattering it into pieces.
Fear made people want to flee, and Miao Lan was no exception. But before she could scramble away, she saw the human-shaped ghost seemingly clutching her daughter’s neck. Fear instantly turned into rage.
She cried out, leaping up with outstretched hands, trying to pull the ghost away from her daughter. Liu Ying quickly tackled her, and they tumbled to the side in a heap.
At the same time, Mu Qiandan casually opened the porcelain bottle, flicking her fingers to sprinkle the green water. The human-shaped void at the head of the bed darkened, gradually solidifying into a shadowy ghost.
The exorcism incense burned out, and the white mist dispersed instantly. The ghost emerged halfway from the wall, its head bowed towards Liu Ling, its hands resting on the girl’s neck, seemingly without applying any pressure.
No wonder there was mold only on that part of the wall. The ghost must have been standing there, phasing through the wall, causing Yin Qi to gather and manifest as mold.
The couple only saw a blurry dark shadow at the head of the bed, but Mu Qiandan clearly saw the ghost’s appearance: a skeletal old man.
Ghosts retained the appearance of their last moments alive. Judging by the ghost’s emaciated limbs and sunken cheeks, he had likely died of starvation.
As if sensing their gaze, the ghost slowly raised its head, its empty sockets like two black pools, cold and gloomy, yet radiating a chilling light from within.
This was a ghost.
Mu Qiandan resisted the urge to step back, staring at it, her lower lip caught between her teeth.
Li Biyuan couldn’t help but ask, ‘Why aren’t you doing anything?’
Clenching her fist, Mu Qiandan muttered, ‘Less talking from the peanut gallery.’
A ghost of this level didn’t require her bow and sword, which she wasn’t proficient with anyway. She took out the dagger she had used to threaten the protagonist earlier, preparing to swiftly stab the ghost through the heart.
Taking a deep breath, she walked to the bedside, raised the dagger, coated the blade with ghost-repelling potion, and aimed the tip at the ghost’s chest.
Just as she was about to strike, she noticed the ghost was missing an ear.
Slightly nervous from her first ghost encounter, and noticing this unusual detail, she subconsciously murmured, “One-eared…”
It was an unintentional remark made out of surprise, but Liu Ying, who had been sitting on the floor, suddenly jolted, scrambling to his feet, “Wait! Immortal!”
The dagger, about to be thrust forward, was stopped abruptly. Mu Qiandan frowned at him, slightly annoyed, “What?”
“I… I want to ask you, Immortal…” Liu Ying trembled, turning to look at the ghost. With his mortal eyes, all he could see was a dark blur. “This ghost only has one ear, is it the right ear?”
Mu Qiandan replied, “Yes.”
Liu Ying asked again, “Is this ghost a thin old man?”
Mu Qiandan nodded.
Miao Lan, supporting herself against the bed, stood up, a look of unease on her face. Liu Ying could barely stand, steadying himself to ask, “Then, may I ask, Immortal, what are this ghost’s other features?”
Mu Qiandan took a breath, suppressing her impatience. Considering the protagonist was watching, she briefly described the ghost’s appearance. As she spoke, Liu Ying’s face grew paler, until he was filled with fear and panic.
He turned and dropped to his knees beside the bed, crying out, “Father!”
Miao Lan, tears streaming down her face, also knelt beside Liu Ying, softly crying out for her father.
This unexpected development stunned Mu Qiandan. Her gaze swept over the couple, her hand hovering with the dagger, unsure whether to withdraw or continue with the exorcism. She had a vague understanding of the ghost’s true identity, asking mentally, ‘Was it like this in the original story?’
‘Let me check.’ Li Biyuan pulled up the original text, quickly scanning the beginning, her voice turning serious, ‘No, the master just dealt with the ghost directly. There was no scene of the Liu family recognizing their relative.’
It wasn’t in the original story, but it had happened now. Mu Qiandan realized it was her unintentional comment about the missing ear that had caused this.
As she was berating herself, Liu Ying turned around on his knees, kowtowing again until his forehead thudded against the floor, “Please, Immortal, help my father cross over. He was a pitiful man, weakened by illness in his old age. I couldn’t fulfill my filial duty when he was alive, and now I almost caused his soul to be destroyed after his death, I truly…”
He slapped himself hard across the face, his cheeks instantly reddening. Mu Qiandan looked down at him, “Just help him cross over? You don’t blame your father for haunting your daughter, causing her to become like this?”
Liu Ying sobbed, “Absolutely not! He loved Xiao Ling the most when he was alive, but he was bedridden and couldn’t even hold his granddaughter, which must have left a regret in his heart, so he came looking for her. I believe my father didn’t mean any harm. Please, Immortal, don’t hurt him, just let him pass on peacefully!”
Mu Qiandan closed her eyes, tapping her fingers on the dagger’s hilt, her heart filled with frustration.
She should have just stabbed him earlier, why did she have to open her mouth?!
Now, with Shang Shang watching nearby, she couldn’t destroy the ghost in front of her. Knowing the protagonist’s temperament, she would definitely refuse to become her disciple, and the apprenticeship plot would be ruined.
Liu Ying, misunderstanding her silence and recalling the tavern owner’s words, made up his mind. He wiped his tears with his sleeve and kowtowed again.
“I know you’re a noble Immortal with great power, and my repeated requests are unreasonable, and I can’t offer you anything. But you can have my worthless life, do with it as you please. I only ask that my daughter recovers and my father can pass on peacefully…”
Miao Lan gasped, shaking her head with tears in her eyes. She stood up, wanting to search the house for something valuable to offer the Immortal in exchange for her husband’s life. But their family had been left destitute after spending everything on their daughter’s treatment, scraping together only a single copper coin to buy roasted fish. Despite searching high and low, she returned empty-handed.
Shang Shang blinked, suddenly moving. She hooked her foot, gesturing for Miao Lan to come closer.
Miao Lan glanced at Mu Qiandan and cautiously approached, squatting down. Shang Shang straightened her back, showing her the pouch hanging from her belt.
Miao Lan understood, carefully untying the pouch. The girl tilted her head, seemingly urging her to open it.
The pouch felt heavy in her hand; she didn’t know what was inside. Miao Lan glanced at Mu Qiandan again, seeing that she was only watching without stopping her, so she opened the pouch.
As soon as the opening was revealed, a golden light spilled out, almost blinding her.
It was a pouch full of gold nuggets, each the size of a date.
“Mmmpphh!” Shang Shang struggled to stand but failed, so she nudged her chin towards the bed, her gaze fixed on Mu Qiandan.
The meaning was clear: she was willing to pay, hoping the Immortal would save them.
Mu Qiandan glanced at her and asked the system, ‘What would happen if I destroyed this ghost’s soul in front of her now?’
Li Biyuan gasped, ‘No, then there’s absolutely no hope of taking her as a disciple. With the protagonist’s personality, she definitely won’t follow you.’
Mu Qiandan said, ‘Then hurry up and find a way to help it cross over!’
The sound of rapid keyboard typing came from the other side, indicating the owner’s panic. A moment later, Li Biyuan groaned, ‘Oh my god, this is bad…’
‘What?’
Li Biyuan cried out, holding her head, ‘The book… it doesn’t have any detailed description of how to help a ghost cross over. I don’t know what to do!’
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