Chapter 1256 Of course I'm afraid of ghosts

No one was asleep at night.

The four of them stayed on the mountaintop, looking down at everything below like owls.

The real owl was also there, Qi Yun's Uncle Eagle, but he refused to speak to them.

So he sat on a tree on a slightly lower hilltop and slept with his eyes half-closed.

But he had very sharp ears and could hear laughter and chatter coming from the mountain from time to time.

"Whose land is this? If you don't farm it, you can use it to build a house. I think it's quite nice to live here. You can see the surrounding mountains, which is quite beautiful," Qi Yun said earnestly. "How about I pay for you to build a house, Master?"

Song Chunxue glanced at him and said, "Are you burning money?"

“Yes, they have too much money to burn. This place is not suitable for living; ordinary people can’t live here,” said the Moon-Accompanying Immortal. “You can live here, though.”

“I…I still prefer staying in the cave. It’s windy here, and it’s nice to come up here occasionally to enjoy the scenery,” Qi Yun said, looking at Song Chunxue. “I thought Master liked it, since I’ve seen many fortresses on the hills around here. Don’t people like living in fortresses?”

“Farmers don’t want to live in the fort. Eating and drinking are very strenuous. Like you said, it’s nice to look at the scenery occasionally. It would be suitable to build a pavilion, but if you actually build it, the people in the village will all scold you.”

“No,” Song Chunxue corrected herself, “Anyone who can see this place will curse.”

"Why?" Qi Yun asked, puzzled. "They're meddling too much."

“It’s not that they’re too nosy, it’s just that they can’t stand it.” Song Chunxue picked up the teapot and poured tea for them. “These days, having enough to eat and wear is a luxury. If they see you have too much money to burn and build a useless pavilion, they’ll say that you’d be better off buying two steamed buns instead.”

They're starving to death, yet they still have the mind to build pavilions for enjoying the scenery. In the eyes of farmers, that's just crazy.

In the words of the old shepherd, it's all thanks to his ancestors.

If you scold me harshly, it'll just be a waste that my leg hurts.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This doesn't mean following the stubborn ideas of a group of people, but rather the established rules and customs of this group of people who can't escape the mountains; it means following their dignity, their truth, and the beliefs they've accumulated over the years.

If you want to do something outrageous, go far away.

This is something Song Chunxue later came to understand, which is why she could understand that after the house was repaired, people would not envy it, but rather feel sorry for it.

“Master, let’s go back and rest in our rooms for the night, otherwise we’ll be tired tomorrow. The autumn nights are chilly, and we’ll easily catch a cold.” Song Chunxue felt that staying here would remind her of many old memories. It wasn’t that she hadn’t let go, but she still felt very tired.

"You go back first, we'll go back later." The Moon-Accompanying Immortal took out a pot of wine. "Let me take another look at the moon tonight. It seems that people here don't celebrate the Ghost Festival."

“Yes, we only celebrate the Cold Clothes Festival here; nobody knows about the Ghost Festival,” Song Chunxue shrank her neck, “so tonight, it might not be…”

"That's right, tonight is the Ghost Festival."

"..." Song Chunxue immediately dared not go back, and sat back down. "Then I'll stay with you for a while."

Qi Yun chuckled out loud, only calming down after being beaten.

However, thinking of this, Song Chunxue looked at Xie Zheng and asked, "Aren't you going home to burn paper money for the Ghost Festival?"

"Someone burned it."

"Oh." Song Chunxue took a sip of wine. "Master, would you like some snacks to go with your wine?"

The Moon-Accompanying Immortal hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright."

Song Chunxue smiled, thankfully her master didn't mention fasting this time.

She thought the moon shouldn't be too bright tonight; these men are just amazing.

After thinking for a moment, Song Chunxue took out an umbrella and opened it.

"I am a woman." Women are associated with Yin, so it's best to avoid sunbathing during the Ghost Festival, a time of extreme Yin.

"Hmm, I'll put a talisman on you." The Moon-Accompanying Immortal sighed, "To be honest, I've never paid attention to this matter over the years, let alone drunk wine and admired the moon late at night in the earth."

“Then Master, if you come often in the future, I might really build a pavilion here. Or, I can leave Uncle Han’s house here and return it later.” Song Chunxue took out three plates: one with red radishes, one with pig’s heart, and one with chicken gizzards, all of which were prepared yesterday.

"I'll have this here after all." With that, the Moon-Accompanying Immortal took out his whisk and swept it, and they sat down in a small bamboo house with drafts on all sides, the scent of wood lingering in the air.

Qi Yun was extremely surprised, "Grandmaster, you have such a good thing, why didn't you take it out sooner?"

Just then, they heard a noise coming from down the mountain, and it was getting closer and closer to them.

"Who's here to join in the fun in the middle of the night?" Qi Yun asked curiously as he stepped out of the bamboo house, only to freeze a moment later and stiffly retreat back inside.

"Master... Master, there are so many... those things, some with missing legs and arms, some old and some young, the young ones are the most numerous, you you you you... you all, let's run!"

He stammered as he closed the flimsy door, "Grandmaster, Grandmaster, quickly cast a spell to close the door, I'm scared!"

The Moon-Accompanying Immortal got up and walked out of the house. "What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of ghosts?"

"I...of course I'm scared! Who isn't afraid of ghosts?"

Song Chunxue stood frozen in place; she was scared too.

Looking at Xie Zheng again, he followed behind the Moon-Accompanying Immortal out of the house, seemingly unafraid at all.

"Hey, there's food here! Can you smell the aroma?"