Chapter 7: The Friendly Spirit
Before Shi Xuan, there were Du Bai and Xu Tianqi who had been classmates for eight years. They got along well with each other, but after Xu Tianqi went off to explore the world, they didn't see each other again. It was only at the funeral of Old Taoist Xu that Du Bai saw Xu Tianqi again. They haven't seen each other for almost a year now.
Because Shi Xuan inherited the true teachings of Old Taoist Xu, the Xu family knew about it and understood the mystical ways of Daoism. That's why when they invited Shi Xuan after the funeral, Shi Xuan politely declined and kept his distance without causing any trouble.
"Senior Brother Xu, it's been a long time. How have you been?" Although Shi Xuan was surprised, he quickly composed himself.
Xu Tianqi felt a bit awkward at first, but he quickly covered it up and said with a smile, "Martial Brother Du, I've been wandering in the world for these few years, rarely at home. But you have been dedicated to your training behind closed doors; I imagine you've benefited greatly."
Seeing that Xu Tianqi seemed troubled, Shi Xuan suggested, "If Senior Brother Xu doesn't mind, let's go inside and have some tea."
Xu Tianqi breathed a sigh of relief, "I would be delighted."
The two entered the small courtyard. Since Xu Tianqi was familiar with the place, Shi Xuan led him to sit at a stone table in a corner of the courtyard, then went to the kitchen to make a pot of tea and returned.
After pouring tea for both of them, Shi Xuan smiled and said, "Senior Brother Xu, you have quite a reputation in the world. Even a secluded Daoist like me, who shuts out the outside world and turns a deaf ear to it, has heard of you."
"Oh no, it's just a friend giving face in the Jianghu world." Although Xu Tianqi spoke politely, his proud expression did not fade.
"How could that be? In the inn, one often hears about Senior Brother Xu hunting down 'Pink Swallow' Hang Sanliu for two days and nights, finally killing the scoundrel."
Like scratching an itch, Xu Tianqi suddenly became excited, retelling the story that Shi Xuan had heard several times before. However, when told from Xu Tianqi's perspective, it had a different flavor.
Shi Xuan led the conversation deliberately, and the two of them lively discussed Xu Tianqi's adventures in the Jianghu world. When they mentioned the guests accompanying Xu Tianqi back to Xia'an Prefectural City this time, Xu Tianqi displayed the slightly embarrassed and hesitant expression he had shown at the door earlier. Seeing Shi Xuan only smiling and sipping tea, he had to speak up.
"Martial Brother Du, I have a favor to ask this time. After it's done, I will surely repay you well."
Shi Xuan smiled and said, "Oh, Senior Brother Xu, if you can't do it, how can a humble Taoist like me do it?"
Xu Tianqi forced a smile, "Martial Brother Du, you've learned great skills from our ancestors. This matter suits you perfectly. This time when I came back home, I brought along some friends from the Jianghu world. Little did I know that when I returned, that annoying brat from Xia family in the north of the city, Xia Wenhui, found out. He's constantly hounding Yuqiong, provoking me. Martial Brother Du, you don't know, that Xia Wenhui is truly despicable. If our families weren't both part of the inn and didn't secretly collaborate in business, with our people watching over us to prevent fighting, I would definitely give him a good lesson."
Xia family was originally a powerful force in Xia'an Prefectural City, representing the famous gang Xiyu Lou in Jiangnan and Huainan regions. Xia family is said to be one of the founding families of Xiyu Lou, but they haven't produced top-notch experts (achieving the Great Body Circle) since then, causing their influence to wane. After Xu family made a name for themselves in the Jianghu world, they quickly joined forces with Xiyu Lou. Due to Xu family possessing several top-notch experts, Xiyu Lou valued them highly and entrusted the private salt business in this area to a collaboration between Xia family and Xu family.
After taking a sip of tea and a deep breath, and seeing Shi Xuan still smiling and listening, Xu Tianqi continued, "However, these past few days, that scoundrel Xia Wenhui actually provoked me, and then, while I was agitated, made a bet with me that whoever loses has to say 'I was wrong, I am not human' three times in front of Yuqiong. Privately, they also have to pay the other party a thousand silver coins. The money doesn't matter, but losing face in front of Yuqiong is what I fear the most, sigh."
Recently, Shi Xuan, who was troubled by money, heard about a bet of one thousand two hundred silver coins and felt a bit tempted. But he kept his wits about him and signaled to Xu Tianqi to continue talking, saying it was okay to evaluate further.
"Our bet this time is to go to the haunted house north of Qu Pei River in three days. Each of us will bring two people, then we will spend the night there. Whoever gets scared and runs out of the house first will be considered the loser. Martial Brother Du, I know your skills in dealing with ghosts are excellent. The ghosts in this house never harm people's lives, usually just scaring them out of the house or at most making them faint before throwing them out. Martial Brother Du, regardless of whether I win or lose, I will reward you with five hundred silver coins after this."
"Um, Senior Brother Xu, when did the rumors about ghosts in that place start spreading, and what kind of rumors are usually heard?". Shi Xuan was excited to hear about ghosts. This might be the first time in two lifetimes that he could possibly see a ghost. Although he knew that stepping onto the path of cultivation would mean hearing about and seeing ghosts, monsters, and demons often, it was still quite novel. Old Taoist Xu's education for Du Bai has always been focused on cultivation, with dealing with ghosts and evils being only a minor part. So, Du Bai has never been taken to actually deal with ghosts and monsters.
Of course, despite the excitement, it's important to inquire about the various rumors surrounding this ghost in order to analyze its strength accurately. This way, one can avoid getting rid of the ghost in excitement only to be scared away by it instead, which would be quite embarrassing.
Seeing Shi Xuan's inclination to agree, Xu Tianqi was very happy and immediately replied, "The house at that location was mostly burned down in a fire thirteen years ago. It was said that many people were burnt to death at that time. Due to the large number of deaths, no one has been willing to buy the land to rebuild the house. Seven years ago, after things calmed down, a wealthy merchant from the capital bought the land and the neighboring land to build a mansion. However, shortly after moving in, strange occurrences began, and despite inviting several well-known monks and Taoists, none could drive away the ghost. Instead, the haunting intensified. The people in the merchant's family were often scared unconscious at night and would wake up on the street the next day. Unable to cope, the merchant had to move elsewhere. Afterwards, this mansion changed hands several times, with each owner leaving due to being scared away. Gradually, the reputation of the house spread, and no one dared to buy it, so it remained abandoned."
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "In recent years, there have been some beggars or daredevils who have stayed there, but without exception, they were either scared off or frightened and thrown out, but the ghost has never harmed anyone."
Based on his observation, Shi Xuan estimated that the ghost was probably between the Nurturing Soul Stage and Soul Strengthening Period. Firstly, the ghost had not been worshipped, otherwise, it would not be able to come out and scare people. Secondly, it had never harmed anyone, indicating that it did not need blood sacrifices, suggesting that its cultivation was only at a stage where it could absorb some yang energy. Therefore, it was likely that there were areas near Qu Pei River that had developed yin energy, which combined with the lingering resentment of those burnt to death, created a dark ghost. However, since this was a prosperous city full of human energy, the quality of the yin energy was not high. Consequently, the dark ghost formed here would not have an exceptionally rapid growth rate.
This was just a preliminary inference. Shi Xuan subtly asked Xu Tianqi a few questions to determine whether the ghost's resentment was strong or weak, fierce or compassionate. Finally, Shi Xuan said to Xu Tianqi, "Senior Brother Xu, this matter came up suddenly, so I need to think about it." Seeing Xu Tianqi about to say something, he gestured for him to not speak further. "Let's do this, by this time tomorrow, I will definitely give you an answer. Even if I don't go, I will give you some talismans to prepare you just in case."
Xu Tianqi, seeing Shi Xuan's determination, did not insist further, thus they agreed on a time for the next day and bid farewell. Shi Xuan tidied up and left as well.
This afternoon, Shi Xuan went to the busy places in town to inquire about various news. He also asked around the neighborhood and was able to confirm what Xu Tianqi said about the ghost. He felt relieved. In the evening, after controlling his emotions and finishing his practice, he checked the talisman on his body. Then, he went straight to Qu Pei River at the bend in the north of the city. He inspected the surroundings of the house on-site and used the talisman to open the Sky Eye to see the flow of Yin energy. It was indeed of a not-so-good quality.
However, Shi Xuan didn't enter the house because he had decided to accompany Xu Tianqi. So, it didn't make a difference whether he went there now or later.
The next day at noon, Xu Tianqi couldn't wait and visited. Shi Xuan assured him without any hesitation. Xu Tianqi was overjoyed and sent two hundred silver coins after returning home to show his commitment, regardless of winning or losing.
After receiving the money, Shi Xuan calculated that even if he didn't sell the yard, he had enough silver for his current stage of practice. In the future, when he traveled, the yard would be empty. Therefore, he had to sell it, but he would have more money to wait for a better price.
According to Old Taoist Xu's experience, even with all the meridians connected achieving the Great Body Circle, one still needed a lot of food daily to replenish energy. Even reaching the stage of Soul Out of Body couldn't achieve true fasting, just endure for a longer time than ordinary people, about half a year without eating until reaching the Qi Gathering Stage. Therefore, even though he could hunt for food while traveling in the future to replenish energy, it was still good to have some money for emergencies.
