Chapter 94
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“Just let it be?”
The Daoist paced along the riverbank, cloth bag in hand, his gaze following the small boat drifting further away. At the stern, the boatman held a long pole, waving at them as if bidding farewell.
For a moment, he couldn’t make sense of it. By reason, a ghost appearing before sunset had to be a formidable ghost with profound cultivation. Yet, he sensed that the presence was so weak that there was no need to even use Daoist arts against it.
“Sigh… This Daoist knows exactly what you want to do.”
Having traveled with the scholar for so long, how could he not understand his intentions? Sun Yinxian took out a few yellow talismans and inscribed yin sigils upon them.
Lu Liangsheng glanced over. He had heard the Daoist explain what these symbols were used for before.
“You’re planning to summon the City God?”
“It’s over a hundred li away. Not sure if it’ll even respond.”
With that, the Daoist took out another talisman, different from the previous ones, and affixed it to Hong Lian’s painting scroll. Then, he carefully arranged the newly inscribed talismans on the ground in sequence.
Bringing his index and middle fingers together, he held them before his nose and began chanting incantations under his breath. In an instant, the talismans trembled against the ground, fluttering as if caught in an unseen current.
Lu Liangsheng’s expression turned solemn. After all, they were about to summon an extraordinary spirit. He fixed his gaze on the Daoist’s every movement, while even the Toad Daoist peeked out from his small enclosure, narrowing his eyes.
The next moment, the Daoist abruptly raised his four joined fingers forward.
“I command thee, by divine decree— You damned melonhead… I forgot the words!!”
Lu Liangsheng choked and coughed violently.
Over there, Sun Yinxian hastily pulled out his worn Daoist manual, flipping through it at lightning speed before slamming it shut and stuffing it back into his robes. Once again, he formed the hand seal.
“I humbly request the City God to heed my words. A restless soul near Wang Family Village seeks redress. I beseech thee to dispatch underworld officers to the riverbank—”
He lifted his fingers once more.
A gust of wind howled, rustling their robes. The once-still water rippled as a dense white mist rose over its surface, and the surrounding air grew piercingly cold.
Lu Liangsheng watched the Daoist, eyes closed in incantation, then instinctively turned toward the direction of Tianzhi City. From the distance, a thin, elongated silhouette slowly approached.
Following the riverbank, beneath the dim night sky, the tall and slender figure emerged from the haze. It swayed unsteadily, as if walking on stilts. A hooded cloak concealed its face, and its sleeves hung long at its sides. With each step, the clanking of iron chains echoed through the silence.
“Who has summoned the Yin Messenger of the City God?”
A chilling aura spread forth, silencing the insects in the night. The Daoist cracked open one eye, glanced at the scholar, and muttered softly:
“Speak quickly—use your status as a provincial scholar.”
Lu Liangsheng adjusted his wide sleeves and cupped his hands in salute.
“Provincial Scholar Lu Liangsheng of He Valley County greets the Yin Messenger. We passed through Wang Family Village and encountered a ferry ghost on the river. The spirit has no memory and bears no malice. I ask that the City God take him in and allow him to reincarnate.”
“So, you are a scholar of the mortal world.”
The thin and gaunt enforcer nodded slightly at the scholar, his tone easing.
“Wait here.”
Beneath the black cloth covering his face, a faint blue glow flickered within the empty darkness of his eyes. He cast his gaze across the river, pausing briefly before turning back.
“There is indeed a lone soul there. However, I cannot bring him to the City God.”
Lu Liangsheng frowned slightly. “Why not?”
“That wandering soul has accumulated great virtue and karma. His name has long been recorded in the City God’s soul registry. In his twenty-six years of life, he ferried people across the river without accepting a single coin, enduring all weather without complaint. His good deeds cast a long shadow, and even after death, he remained steadfast in his duty. In recognition of his unwavering persistence and kindness, the City God granted him a magical artifact that allows him to appear at dusk.”
“Then why does he remember so little?”
“The day he died, it was due to a friend’s drinking. He does not wish to recall it, that is all.”
“I see. Thank you, Night Patrol, for your guidance.”
With the mystery unraveled, Lu Liangsheng gazed toward the far bank. His homeland had been destroyed by floods, and in his later years, he had taken to ferrying people across the river. Persisting in a single act was not difficult—what was difficult was a lifetime of kindness. He sighed, then cupped his hands and bowed deeply.
“Night Patrol, will this boatman receive a good fate in the future?”
The Night Patrol nodded and replied simply:
“He will. Your doubts are resolved—this Night Patrol now takes its leave.”
The iron chains rattled as he raised his sleeve. The meaning was clear.
The Daoist hurriedly reached into the leather pouch at his waist, pulling out a few bright white offerings. Placing them before the talisman, he grinned sheepishly.
“Well… this Daoist only has these humble tributes. Night Patrol, please make do with them.”
Hearing no response, the Daoist grabbed the scholar’s arm. “Run! Hurry up!” Then, he turned and bolted. The old donkey blinked at the eerie, shadowy figure before letting out a crooked bray. Without hesitation, it kicked up its hooves and galloped after them.
The thick Yin energy spread as the Night Patrol stepped forward, lowering his gaze to the talismans on the ground.
“Uh…”
A few skinned frogs lay there.
“Why are you dragging me along?”
Lu Liangsheng glanced at the Daoist, who kept glancing over his shoulder. Curious, he followed his gaze but saw nothing—just the old donkey closely trailing them.
“Phew…”
Seeing that the Night Patrol hadn’t chased after them, the Daoist finally stopped, exhaling as he leaned against the donkey’s back and took a swig of water.
“You think you can summon an Yin Messenger without an offering?”
“But you gave him one, didn’t you?”
“I gave him frogs.”
Lu Liangsheng: “…”
He pressed his forehead with one hand with a wry smile. “You’ve completely offended him.”
The small door on the bookshelf’s hidden compartment creaked open, and the Toad Daoist crawled onto the donkey’s back. He patted the Daoist’s shoulder.
“Didn’t you say you had no more frogs?”
Sun Yingxian chuckled and, with a smug look, opened the toad’s webbed foot. He lifted the leather pouch at his waist and shook it in front of the scholar and the toad.
“I caught extra during the summer, salted them, and stored them in this pouch. They won’t spoil.”
As he spoke, a mournful wind howled through the trees. Lu Liangsheng glanced around—branches swayed wildly. From the painting scroll, Honglian, who was particularly sensitive to Yin energy, peeked out and whispered,
“Young Master, that Night Patrol seems to be coming after us.”
A gust of cold wind swept through the forest, carrying an eerie mist visible even to the naked eye. It surged forward like rolling waves.
“I curse your ancestors! All this over a few frogs…”
The Daoist swore, then yelled at Lu Liangsheng: “Run!”
The Yin mist roiled, and within it, a thin, elongated shadow could be vaguely seen, drifting forward like a kite caught in the wind. The Daoist activated his movement technique and sprinted. Lu Liangsheng reached for the donkey’s reins, but it was already too late.
“Night Patrol…”
He cupped his hands and was about to speak, but the Night Patrol, wrapped in a gust of Yin wind, didn’t even pause. He soared straight over Lu Liangsheng’s head, chasing after the fleeing Daoist instead.
In the forest ahead, startled birds flapped their wings in a frenzy, escaping into the sky. Moments later, a shrill, bloodcurdling scream echoed.
“Ahhh—!”
The Toad Daoist sat atop the donkey’s head, stretching out his two short little legs as he munched on dried fish. Even Honglian drifted out, joining him in watching the forest ahead. Every so often, she would lower her head and inhale the energy from the Toad’s outstretched webbed hand.
[TL_Note: Ok, I was not sure I translated this right, so I triple-checked. I think what she’s inhaling is the essence of the dried fish, the way a ghost eats, like inhaling offerings like incense.]
Before long, another round of agonized screams erupted—“Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!”—accompanied by a series of loud thuds, shaking the entire forest.
Lu Liangsheng’s eyelids twitched at the sound.
“Old Sun is really suffering this time…”
The commotion finally died down after a while. A fresh gust of Yin wind stirred, and the Night Patrol emerged, looking quite refreshed. He dusted off his official robe, clasped his hands in farewell, and rode the wind away.
“Let’s check on Old Sun!”
Lu Liangsheng stared at the dissipating Yin mist before rushing toward the forest.
As soon as he stepped in, he spotted the Daoist hanging upside down from a tree branch in the distance. His robes were tattered, both eyes swollen black, and his once-gaunt face had puffed up to a deep red. He was panting heavily.
“Old Lu check my face… Is it still there…? I can’t feel it anymore…”
His voice trembled with despair.
Outside the forest, dawn gradually broke. Lu Liangsheng applied medicine to the Daoist’s wounds, then quickly left the area. As they traveled farther, Wang Family Village slowly disappeared from view. Before long, they crossed mountains, waded through rivers and plains, and pressed forward. The air grew colder, and they made their way toward the drought-stricken and famine-ravaged lands of Heliang Prefecture.
Leaving behind the humid southern region, the terrain turned steep, trees became sparse, and the roads were crowded with ragged refugees, dragging their families along in search of survival.
