Chapter 9

"Is this true?"

"I heard that too. The coroner at the county government office was horrified by the corpse. It's said that the skin had been completely peeled off, the intestines were all tangled up, and the nails and other things were gone. In short, it looked like a revenge plot."

Seeking revenge sounds like the work of a ghost, but weren't they all subdued by Shi Ye? Maybe Zhang Wei has other enemies who came to the prison in the middle of the night and killed them.

"Wontons are here."

Wang Sheng: "Thank you, Auntie."

Wang Sheng brought one of the bowls to the old man, placed his chopsticks on it, and said, "Eat, old man. It's your treat."

The old man shifted his butt on the stool, slowly reached out to catch it, and ate it with relish, leaving no soup at all.

Wang Sheng ate while listening to the gossip, and occasionally chimed in.

Opposite them was the largest restaurant and inn in Zhang County, which cost one or two taels of silver a night, and the superior rooms were even more expensive. People like them would only go in to try the new dishes and sip some wine.

A man came out of the superior guest room and went downstairs to have lunch. He ordered two dishes casually and sat in a quiet place next to him, taking out bird food to feed his father-in-law.

After chatting, Wang Sheng looked up and suddenly spat out a mouthful of wontons.

He stared at Shi Ye opposite him in shock. What the hell, the person he had been looking for the whole morning was actually eating in a restaurant.

He was also very stupid. He should have thought that someone might have found an inn to stay in by then, but he had been looking for one outside for so long.

Wang Sheng quickly finished his wontons and said to the old man who was still savoring the flavor, "Uncle, I have something to do. Can you help me keep an eye on the stall? I'll be right back."

The food was served very quickly in the kitchen. Shi Ye took out a pair of chopsticks and scalded them with tea before starting to eat.

Someone brought a stool over and coughed, "Master, long time no see. Do you still remember me, Xiaodao Wangsheng?"

She also followed the dining etiquette and ate elegantly, and also ignored him.

Wang Sheng swallowed and continued to try to get closer: "Hey, Master, did you know that Zhang Wei died last night? It was a tragic death. In my opinion, it's a blessing for a man like him to die. He hurt so many people, but he only has one life to pay for it."

He lowered his voice, covered his mouth and asked, "Master, what are you going to do with those female ghosts? I heard that ghosts can be liberated. I know a thing or two about salvation. If you are too busy, I can come and help."

Shi Ye put down his chopsticks and glanced at someone who was getting closer and closer, his eyes a little cold. Wang Sheng shuddered and stepped back awkwardly.

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two of them was awkward again, Wang Sheng looked around and saw the father-in-law eating. He walked over with a look of surprise and said, "Oh, this isn't fat, ah no, this isn't the father-in-law. Look at this little thing, so smooth and sleek, it's obvious that the master raised it well. Master, you don't know that I also raised a bird a few years ago. I am very good at raising birds..."

Shi Ye put down his chopsticks, stood up and walked upstairs. Wang Sheng quickly followed him, chattering from behind, "Master, which sect did you learn from? Who is your master? I'm really impressed by your ghost-catching skills. If I pass by your sect in the future, I will definitely pay you a visit. By the way, what are your plans next? How long do you plan to stay in Zhang County?"

"Bang!"

The door of the guest room was slammed shut, almost pinching Wang Sheng's nose. He pointed at the door angrily and then let it go.

Never mind, he wouldn't bother with such a person. Why was he pretending? He just had some skills, didn't he? Things change over time, and he had never seen anyone look down on others so much.

After being rejected, Wang Sheng had no choice but to go back and continue setting up his stall in shame.

He had no intention of promoting business the whole afternoon. He kept staring at the people entering and leaving the restaurant. Whenever he passed someone who looked like Shi Ye, he would stretch his neck to see if it was him. It was not until the sun set that he reluctantly packed up his stall and went home.

In the upper-class guest room on the third floor, Shi Ye was leaning against the window. Seeing Wang Sheng packing up his stall and getting ready to leave, he walked to the table, picked up Wu Men, left the guest room, and left here with Wang Sheng one after another.

The old fishmonger picked his nose and continued to watch over his half-dead fish.

On the way back, Wang Sheng was holding the meat in his left hand and had a three hundred rounds of argument with the vegetable seller. In the end, he bought a juicy cabbage at a price one penny lower than others. His way of argument amazed the lady, who said frankly that she had never seen such a stingy person in her life.

"Auntie, you dead shrimp..."

"...I'll give it to you. Let's go."

Wang Sheng grinned: "Oh, okay!"

This money should be saved or spent. Isn't that how we live our lives?

When he got home, he put the dead shrimp in a broken bowl on the ground, and the civet cat would eat it when it came.

He lit a high fire and quickly cooked one meat dish and one vegetable dish, then started to enjoy the meal.

Shi Ye, who was in the dark, shifted his gaze from Wang Sheng's face to the food on the table. Suddenly, his stomach growled.

He had been observing Wang Sheng in the afternoon. When he smelled the fragrance in the yard, he realized that he had not had a drop of water so far.

An agile civet cat suddenly climbed over the wall next to Shi Ye and went straight to the broken bowl. Now there were not only dead shrimps in the broken bowl, but also some food that Wang Sheng had specially left for it.

Wang Sheng didn't look back: "Let me make it clear first, eat it all. If the food goes bad today, I won't wash the dishes for you."

The civet cat was not picky about food and had a very good temper. It ate its share very cleanly. It knew very well that apart from the clean food here, there was no other place to get such good treatment. Therefore, it was very human-like and understood what Wang Sheng said.

Wang Sheng looked at the civet cat and was quite satisfied. Then he turned around and looked at the simple conditions in front of him and sighed again.

The master is living a life of luxury in the restaurant. As a Taoist priest who is also an exorcist and fortune teller, why is he having such a hard time?

He slumped in a chair holding his bowl and chopsticks. Although he could earn one or two taels at a time, which was more than selling vegetables at a stall, how many people would believe in fortune-telling these days? Sometimes he would not be able to open his shop for ten days or half a month, and he had to spend the money in his pocket very carefully.

Not to mention if you have a headache or fever, or your home is short of salt and oil.

No, he must become this master! He also wants to live a life of luxury, and he, Wang Sheng, wants to reach the pinnacle of his life. When the time comes, he will marry a beautiful wife, live in a large house with endless servants, build a cat bed for the civet cat, and have someone wash its dishes every day.

Wang Sheng ate up all the rice in the bowl with great vigor. His huge appetite made someone's stomach growl.

When Wang Sheng's wet hair came out, the sky was covered with a layer of fog. Wang Sheng took out a black belt from his backpack, lifted his wet hair to one side, and tied the black belt loosely.

He wasn't in the habit of wiping himself clean before getting dressed, and his wet hair had tucked into his chest, causing his pajamas to get a little damp. His narrow waist looked weak, but his legs were straight and long. From behind, the black belt obscured half of his bony spine, drawing the eye down until it reached the hem of his pants.

Wang Sheng took out a set of carving tools, found a piece of good wood of appropriate size, and then began to carve it bit by bit.

As the wood chips at the feet increased, a human figure gradually emerged.

His fingers flew, as if he wasn't wearing a black belt, his technique was exceptionally skillful. Shi Ye's face remained calm, but his eyes were carefully checking to see if Wang Sheng's eyes were truly blind.

Suddenly, Wumen on his back shook violently, and Shiye acted decisively and grabbed the Sin Bell, cutting off the thing that could expose him before the bell rang.

His eyes darkened, a ghost was coming.

Wang Sheng lived in a remote area, surrounded by nothing but forest. At night, the wind rustled leaves, and insects chirped. Shi Ye closed his eyes, his ears twitching. He tuned out the clatter of wood chips from the myriad noises, ignoring Wang Sheng's steady breathing, and keenly detected a hint of something unusual.

He looked to the right and saw a dark shadow slowly moving towards him on the forest path.

It walked barefoot on the gravel road with a long iron chain tied to its right ankle. Its hair, which had never been taken care of in its life, was frizzy and blocked its face, making it difficult to see its features.

He held the hilt of the sword, and if the ghost had the intention of harming anyone, he would immediately scare it away.

The ghost walked along the path, its soul floating in a erratic manner. Seeing that the path only passed through Wang Sheng's courtyard, Shi Ye did not take any further action. He just stared at the ghost to see what it was going to do.

Just as the ghost was approaching the courtyard, it suddenly stopped.

It turned its head, turned around, and walked straight towards the courtyard, its movements several times faster than before.

Shi Ye pulled out Wu Men, jumped onto the wall and was about to go down when he saw Wang Sheng carving something there without noticing, and he began to think for a while.

He stood there with his sword behind his back, wanting to see what Wang Sheng would do. Would he reveal his hidden identity and catch ghosts, or would he give his life to this sick ghost who died in prison?

Wang Sheng had nothing better to do, so he was carving away. His mind wandered, and he unconsciously carved the shape of a person on his hand. By the time he realized what was happening, he'd accidentally cut the tip of his index finger with the tool.

"Oh my god, what's going on tonight." He threw away the tools, put his fingertips in his mouth and sucked them, frowning in pain.

I should go to bed early. I'll be waiting at the restaurant early tomorrow morning. Even a drop of water can wear away a stone, right? What if Tokiya sees his potential as a ghost hunter and accidentally takes him on as his apprentice? Hehe.

Wang Sheng jumped up from the recliner, and the ghost had already walked through the door and into the yard, almost getting close to Wang Sheng, but Shi Ye was still standing there motionless, as steady as a rock.

The ghost sensed an unusual aura, and its gray-black chin emerged from its messy hair. It opened its huge mouth full of sharp teeth towards Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng finally realized something was amiss. No way, why did he feel something approaching him? Drawing on his years of experience, he quickly retreated and ran back into the room.

But no matter how fast his legs reacted, he could not be faster than the ghost. Just when Wang Sheng was about to be caught, a clear voice rang out in the yard.

"Thunder, break!"

As the thunder talisman exploded, the ghost let out a sharp cry and eventually died from his own greed.

Wang Sheng was almost frightened to death by the power of the Thunder Talisman. "Oh my god!" He squatted down with his head in his hands. He could even see white light.

Then he heard someone snort impatiently.

Wang Sheng raised his head cautiously and asked, "Yes, is it Master?"