Chapter 125

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Once bitten by a snake, one will fear even a well rope for ten years.

“Gulp~”

The four of them swallowed nervously. You looked at me, I looked at you. Unconsciously, they shifted their steps a little closer to the door. Over in the shadows, the flickering candlelight illuminated half of the woman’s face as she slowly turned her head. Beneath the coarse veil, she parted her lips in a light smile.

“Four gentlemen, why are you all just standing there…?”

“T-this… young lady, you likely won’t believe us if we told you.” The scholar closest to the door swallowed hard, forced a smile, and cupped his hands in greeting.

“The four of us are somewhat wary of women, so we shall not be going over.”

The other three nodded vigorously in unison.

The moment his hand touched the door bolt, it creaked open with a squeak, and the four of them bolted outside like a gust of wind—nearly crashing into Wang Chongwen, who was returning from the front courtyard carrying some refreshments.

“Brother Chongwen, good that you’re back. The four of us are heading off to bed.” “Yes, yes. Should anything untoward happen, don’t forget to shout loudly.”

With that, they stumbled off toward a distant side room.

Wang Chongwen shook his head with a chuckle, then stepped into the study. Pushing open the door, he saw the woman sitting on the edge of the bed. He placed the refreshments on the table, and casually set down the painting scroll he had bought alongside them.

“Why don’t you change out of those clothes? The night dew will bring on a chill.”

The woman sitting by the bed gave a small nod and rose, performing a graceful curtsey.

“What you say is true, my lord. Then this humble one shall go change into something else… y-you mustn’t peek.”

Wang Chongwen hurriedly waved his hands. “Of course not, of course not. Please, go right ahead.”

Though he said that, faced with such a flower-like beauty, what man could truly keep his heart unmoved? As he watched her walk behind the screen, his heart pounded furiously. This feeling was not unlike what he had experienced on the bridal night with his wife for the first time.

Nervously rubbing his hands together, he paced back and forth a few steps.

“No, no, I’m a scholar… to accept a beauty throwing herself into my arms like that… even the sages might reproach me for indulging in such carnal blessings.”

Wang Chongwen gazed toward the screen, hesitating, torn in his thoughts.

In a side room of the courtyard, the door was gently pushed open just a sliver, revealing four heads stacked one above the other. Their eyes peered cautiously outside, before a soft whisper arose:

“Is it really alright to leave Brother Chongwen alone in there?” “Mm, perhaps we should go take a look?”

“Let’s head to the rear window.”

“But what if that woman isn’t some spirit or ghost—wouldn’t we be seeing something we ought not see?”

“Fool, if the four of us keep quiet, who would ever know?”

“That’s true!” “Let’s go, let’s go—I’m worried Brother Chongwen might not be able to handle it alone!”

The door creaked open further. The four men bent low, tiptoeing around the corner of the wall. Hugging close to the rear of the side chamber, they held their breath and focused their minds, arriving at the back of the study, where, as it happened, there was also a window, diagonally facing the screen within.

One of the scholars moistened his fingertip with saliva and gently pressed it against the window paper, silently poking open a tiny hole.

Their line of sight pierced through the little gap, revealing Wang Chongwen pacing back and forth before the desk, rubbing his hands anxiously. Upon the desk lay the very scroll he had purchased earlier on the street.

Hm? Where had that woman gone?

As his eyes searched the room, the three behind him began to whisper urgently.

“Do you see anything?” “Let me have a look—move aside!”

Just then, the scholar at the window heard a rustling sound coming faintly from behind the screen not far away. He quickly shifted his gaze—and there, falling gently, was a strip of mourning white. In that narrow field of view, the sudden flash of pale skin dazzled his eyes.

He licked his lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard, his face nearly pressed against the window.

…This… this was a woman’s body.

Peering inside, his eyes flushed with a faint red from excitement. Behind the screen, the woman was combing her waterfall-like hair. Then, she suddenly raised both hands behind her head and began to pull slowly, stretching from side to side.

The scholar at the peephole blinked.

…Something’s not right.

In the next instant, the scroll resting on the table abruptly shifted, thudding onto the ground and unrolling with a rustle. Just as a flash of green light flickered in the scholar’s vision, the woman behind the screen seemed to hear the noise. She turned around and leaned past the screen to glance outside.

“What was that?”

Wang Chongwen, pacing to and fro, turned with a smile and stooped to pick up the fallen scroll.

“The scroll wasn’t placed properly—it rolled off.”

Outside the window, the spying scholar suddenly felt a chill shoot straight up to his scalp. He stared, trembling, at the gap at the back of the woman’s head—where a crack had split open. His teeth clattered uncontrollably as he slowly backed away, wordlessly pointing at the window.

“There’s… there’s… there’s…”

Before he could finish, one of his companions clamped a hand over his mouth.

“What’s gotten into you…?” “It must be a monster! We need to go—now!”

Seeing the look on his face, the other three didn’t dare sneak a peek themselves. They quickly turned and fled. After a few steps, they realized their panicked friend hadn’t followed, so they rushed back, grabbed him by both arms, and—clearly experienced in such things—hurried off through the back gate.

Once they reached the street, the terrified scholar finally let out his voice in full.

“WAAAHHH—!!”

“There’s a ghost!!!”

The four of them tore through the street, fleeing in a frenzy.

“Was it really wise to leave Brother Chongwen back there?!” “What, you want to go back?!”

“We should tell his wife!”

Just then, the scholar who had seen the apparition abruptly stopped and called out to the three ahead:

“When I saw the ghost, I think I also saw a scroll fall to the floor—and a green light flashed.”

The other three halted as well, exchanging uneasy glances.

“A scroll? You mean the one that strange scholar sold Brother Chongwen earlier?”

“Maybe he was a hidden master…”

After a few moments of muttered discussion, the four of them finally turned around and headed back the way they’d come. But by the time they returned to that street, the calligraphy and painting stall was already long gone.

“What now? The man’s disappeared.”

One of them glanced toward a nearby inn that hadn’t yet closed for the night. “Let’s go over there and ask.”

The night wind moaned as it swept along the long street. A shop assistant, having busied himself all day, was swinging a damp cloth over his shoulder as he prepared to close up. Hearing hurried footsteps approaching with a pat-pat-pat, he thought it was a late guest, so he greeted them with a smiling face.

The four scholars burst in, panting and out of breath, and asked straightaway:

“Waiter, have you seen a shabby-looking scholar with a donkey by his side?”

Guests were guests, and the inn waiter naturally kept his temper in check. He pointed upstairs.

“There is such a man. He looks about the same age as you four. I don’t know if he’s the one you’re looking for.”

Thump thump thump…

Climbing the wooden stairs under the inn boy’s lead, the four of them hurriedly knocked on the door to the indicated room. After a moment, they heard footsteps approaching from within.

Squeeaak…

With the characteristic groan of an old wooden door, Lu Liangsheng yawned and pulled the door open. Seeing the four scholars outside, faces pale with panic, he paused slightly.

…So quick? Has it already taken effect?

Before the four could even speak, he waved his sleeve. The Veiled Moon Sword and the scroll flew from the bookshelf into his hand. Glancing at their stunned expressions, he turned and walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked off in the direction where the painting had been sold.

The longsword spun and clung to his arm. With a single bound, he leapt straight out the window. The four at the door immediately rushed in, only to see rooftops in the darkness echoing with rustling tile sounds. The figure of the scholar was darting and soaring across the rooftops, his robe trailing behind as he flew into the distance.

One of them swallowed hard. Suddenly, someone slapped the window frame with a loud smack.

“I remember now… Isn’t he the scholar from the Mountain God Temple last year?!”

At the Wang family estate, the lamplight cast a warm yellow glow. Wang Chongwen sat on a round stool, gently tapping the scroll against his palm, still caught in a struggle within his heart.

“The sages say, one must nurture righteous Qi through virtue… but I’m no sage yet.”

He tried to steady his breathing, then stood and cupped his hands.

“Miss, it’s getting late. There are some pastries here—do eat a little and get some rest. I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Ai, don’t go yet…”

The soft, alluring voice drifted out from behind the screen. A delicate arm suddenly extended outward, pointing toward the bedside.

“Good sir, this servant has forgotten her bundle. It holds my change of clothes. Would you help me bring it over?”

That voice was like a soul-calling enchantment. Wang Chongwen took two deep breaths, yet still walked over. He picked up the bundle resting at the head of the bed—there was a faint fragrance lingering upon it, sweet and intoxicating.

“What scent is this on your bundle? It smells wonderful.”

He handed the bundle toward the other side of the screen, casually saying something to ease the awkwardness. But in the next instant, a soft figure slipped around the screen and suddenly threw herself into his arms.

The woman’s fingertip traced across Wang Chongwen’s lips. Leaning in close, she pressed her lips to his and took a long, deep breath—drawing out a wisp of white qi invisible to ordinary eyes.

“The scent on my body is even sweeter. Would the gentleman care for a closer whiff?”

The exotic fragrance invaded his senses. Wang Chongwen stared at the beauty now within arm’s reach. The bundle in his hand slipped to the floor with a thud—he couldn’t help but raise a hand and caress her.

His mind buzzed wildly.

…So smooth.

In that quiet moment, the two of them entangled as they moved toward the bed. But just then, from that scroll, there came a sudden chirp—a bird cry that startled Wang Chongwen awake.

“Miss, you mustn’t!”

He tried to pull away in haste, but his sleeve was firmly seized by the woman. No matter how he struggled, he could not free himself.

“My lord, we were so close to a moment of bliss—how could you bear to leave me alone, to suffer in such loneliness?”

“No, I have a wife! And besides, your origin, your background—none of it is known…”

He reached to pry her fingers off his wrist, but they didn’t budge in the slightest. Realizing something was wrong, he struggled even harder. Rip!—his sleeve tore, and he stumbled into the writing desk, knocking over the candle with a loud clang.

The flame went out. The room fell into darkness.

Soft footsteps slowly approached, and the woman’s voice whispered from within the shadows:

“My lord… don’t be afraid. I won’t eat you…”

Wang Chongwen kicked and scrambled backward across the floor, shouting in panic: “Help! Someone! There’s a ghost!”

What answered him was a sudden gust of wind.

Woooooo—

Chilling winds howled through the courtyard. The great tree outside thrashed its branches wildly, rustling like a sea of whispers.

The woman beside Wang Chongwen abruptly raised her head. The doors and windows rattled violently.

Under the cold moonlight outside, a slender silhouette with fluttering hair drifted silently along the eaves and came to a stop right outside the paper-covered window, unmoving.

And then—

Bang! The windows and doors burst inward at once. A rush of intense yin energy surged into the room, engulfing the confused woman within. Right before them appeared a face—its seven orifices bleeding, the skin a ghostly green.

In that instant—

Scarlet nails reached forth and dug into the woman’s flesh. Rip!

With a sharp tear, a complete human skin was stripped off and flung into the air, landing before Wang Chongwen. He stared at the lifelike face of a beautiful woman on the skin, then looked over at the monster, its own face grotesque and green, fangs bared, slime dripping all over its body. His eyes rolled back. Thud. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

“AAAAHHHHHHH—!”

The skinned specter let out a wretched, piercing screech and turned to flee toward the wall.

“You think you can leave?!”

A voice rang coldly from above. In the same breath, the rooftop exploded open with a boom, and a longsword came slashing down at an angle, piercing through the ghost’s body and nailing it to the wall.

In an instant, the creature, now pinned to the wall, flailed and clawed in a frenzy, screeching, “Ahh! Ahhh!!” But after only a few breaths, it went limp. Its body dissolved into a puddle of white foam, trailing down the wall to the floor, reeking of foul stench.

Lu Liangsheng descended from the rooftop and stepped into the room. With a sweep of his sleeve, the fallen lampstand beside the desk righted itself, and the flame flickered back to life. He walked over to Wang Chongwen and checked his pulse, then sent a small stream of qi into him.

“Eight wen for a painting—Lu Liangsheng has now repaid the favor.”

With that, he flicked his fingers. The Veiled Moon Sword embedded in the wall let out a soft chime and flew back into his hand.

Taking Hong Lian with him, he quietly departed.