Chapter 74: Extra 4: Sunny Day Banquet
On the counter of Xiyuan Sanfang, there is always a small piece of paper with the old brand "Ghost Catcher Sister". With Fengyan City as its center, the reputation of "Ghost Catcher Sister" has gradually spread throughout the surrounding area.
That night, Cang Ming was drinking with Xisheng, Wu Lu and Wei Qiang in Xiyuan Sanfang when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door in a hurry.
The visitor was an old servant from a big house in Fengyan City. As soon as he entered the door, he wanted to find the ghost-catching sister, saying that there was a big ghost in the house and he urgently needed the Taoist priest to catch it. After the task was completed, he would be rewarded handsomely.
Cang Ming was already excited to learn of a difficult-to-catch ghost, and when he heard the owner of the house was willing to offer a reward of ten ounces of gold, he immediately agreed. With this money, he could immediately repay the Demon King's debt to Tongduo Mountain. Ultimately, although Wu Lu was the debtor, Cang Ming had intervened that day and, therefore, had been helping Wu Lu repay his debt.
When the servant heard that the female Taoist priest Cang Ming was willing to come out of seclusion, he breathed a sigh of relief and told them in detail the whole story of the ghost in the house.
It turned out that the mansion had been vacant for nearly ten years. The owner and his family had moved south, leaving only the old servant and a few other servants to look after the house. All these years had been peaceful, until recently, when the house suddenly became haunted, with strange occurrences occurring frequently.
The night watchmen were frightened sick one after another. The owner learned from a letter that his old house had become haunted and hurriedly ordered the old servant to catch the ghost with a large reward. The old servant invited several Taoist priests, but not only did they fail to catch the ghost, but they also frightened several Taoist priests sick.
Because no one wanted to work in this house, the old servant had to do the night watch himself tonight. Unexpectedly, as soon as he lit the candle, he felt someone blowing on the back of his neck. Turning around, he heard footsteps coming from all four corners of the house...
At this point, the old servant couldn't hide his fear, and said straight out that this ghost was indeed well-deserved! So he couldn't stay there any longer, jumped three feet, rushed out of the door, and crawled all the way to the third square of Xiyuan.
After listening to this, Cang Ming asked in detail, "Did those frightened servants see or hear anything?"
The old servant thought for a moment and said, "They were all so frightened that they were feverish and delirious. It was impossible to ask them what they had seen or heard. They were all crying uncontrollably, like wild cats and dogs whimpering."
After giving a few words to Xisheng and the others, Cang Ming immediately rushed to the haunted house. The old servant said he dared not go back, and stayed in a guest room in Xiyuan Sanfang that night, which made Wu Lu very happy.
Following the route the old servant had drawn, Cang Ming easily found the house, located at the intersection of two main streets. A high wall separated the world from the outside, and within it stood towering trees. As soon as he entered, a chilly air filled the air, making Cang Ming shiver. He muttered to himself, "It's early autumn, yet it's already so chilly and eerie. Surely there's something haunting going on."
The sounds of carriages and voices were left outside the wall. In the darkness, Cang Ming lit a tinder, keeping an eye on his surroundings as he slowly walked towards the house. Nothing happened along the way, and although the house was a little empty, it seemed normal.
Cang Ming carefully entered the main hall, then walked along the corridor, inspecting the inner rooms one by one. The entire house was pitch black, and the light from the tinderbox in his hand vaguely illuminated the high and low shadows of cabinets and bookcases. In the semi-darkness, they stared at Cang Ming like a circle of living creatures.
After going through all the houses, the ghost still didn't show up. Perhaps because she was strong and strong, and a stranger, she didn't dare to act rashly. Cang Ming came up with a plan and casually fell on the bed, muttering to himself: "First day of the night watch, everything is peaceful, everything is peaceful... The master said I must remember to water the flowers and remember to patrol the night. I can't forget, I can't forget..."
He kept muttering this for a long time, acting out the image of a new female servant so vividly that Cang Ming almost believed it himself. It was already late at night, and the courtyard was eerily quiet. Cang Ming lay quietly in bed when suddenly the curtains fluttered, a chill wind blew through the room, and something rustled outside the door.
Cang Ming held his breath, tiptoed off the bed, and walked towards the door step by step. Putting his hand on the door panel, Cang Ming calmed himself and pushed the door open with a creak.
Looking around in the light of the tinder, she saw no one on the corridor, yet a mournful cry came from nowhere. It made Cang Ming's heart tremble, and goose bumps immediately appeared on her back. She drew her ice blade with one hand and walked calmly towards the direction of the crying. The shadowy trees and rocks around her seemed to sway, but when she looked closely, they were still.
The thing that made the crying sound seemed to be luring Cang Ming, wandering around the courtyard while crying. Cang Ming followed the sound and turned many ways, and soon got lost in the dark courtyard. He couldn't help but groan inwardly, thinking that it would be better if Wei Ci was here.
Following him to a pond, the crying suddenly ceased. Cang Ming's patience was exhausted. Without waiting for the other party to reveal his true identity, he unleashed a yellow ignition talisman, a yellow revealing talisman, and a yellow immobilization talisman. The three talismans fluttered into the air, then, blasted by the sword's energy, exploded instantly.
The flames from the exploding yellow talisman illuminated half the dark night. For a moment, the surrounding rockery and water were illuminated with crystal clarity. The revealing and immobilizing yellow talismans burned into a pile of fragments, which drifted everywhere in the wind, but nothing materialized, let alone was immobilized.
Cang Ming's brow furrowed slightly. This ghost was incredibly cunning, perhaps deliberately disappearing, hiding in a corner, tricking her into wasting three yellow talismans, only to find nothing. Encountering such scheming ghosts was particularly tricky. Cang Ming held his sword before him and slowly spun in circles, secretly hoping not to leave his back to the ghost.
Suddenly, a soft cry reached her ears, and a cold breath blew against Cang Ming's neck, causing her to scream. She stabbed back, but missed. A whimpering cry echoed beside her, and the tinder had just burned out. The flames died out, and the wailing in the thick darkness was terrifying.
Cang Ming casually made a few sword flowers, opened and closed his hands as he bent down, and swept the long sword in the air. Then he kicked and chopped with his hands. A set of sword dances was gorgeous and a hexagonal snowflake formation fell from the sky, covering the entire house.
The creature immediately began to cry even more miserably, practically howling with its throat dry. The magic circle was disturbed, fluctuating slightly, and Cang Ming's mind suddenly brightened. It turned out that this ghost's weapon was none other than its own crying.
"Crying ghost!" Cang Ming shouted, silently chanting the incantation, and unleashed a barrage of swords, straining to tighten the magic circle. Crying ghosts are a very common type of demon, so unlucky they are called ghosts. They have no fixed appearance or form, making them extremely difficult to identify. A common trait of these monsters is their relentless weeping, repetitively recounting their troubles and pains. Those who are easily deceived, controlled by a crying ghost and eventually weeping along, will suffer misfortune.
Fortunately, with the hexagonal snowflake magic circle in place, the Weeper's complaints were repelled before they could even begin. During the duel, Cang Ming's sword dance slowed down a bit, and the creature immediately began to grumble, "I'm so unlucky! You can't help me! I hate them..."
Cang Ming wanted to test the ghost's tactics, so he danced his sword rapidly, then deliberately slowed it down. As his movements slowed, the magic circle relaxed, and the weeping ghost immediately recited its words. After trying this several times, he found that the ghost's words were the same, repeated over and over again, without any new twists.
"Hmph." Cang Ming found this thing oddly amusing. With a cold smile, he flicked his sword blade, leaping into the air. With a single move, Flowing Wind Returning Snow, countless water droplets rippled across the lake. The hexagonal snowflake flashed a brilliant blue light. With a strange cry, something fell to the ground with a plop.
Cang Ming lit the fire again and saw that it was the Weeping Ghost that had fallen. This one had grown into a bird shape and was hiding in the bushes. Even if you turned the yard upside down, you wouldn't be able to find it.
Having solved a major problem, Cang Ming was in high spirits. He wanted to tell the old servants the good news immediately and cure the frightened servants. However, when he looked up, he realized that he was trapped in the deep courtyard and didn't know the way out. He had no choice but to walk in one direction, thinking that he would reach the courtyard wall and then climb over it to escape. However, the path here was winding and he walked for a long time and ended up back at the same place.
The tinderbox dimmed again, about to go out. Cang Ming sighed and prepared to change direction when he suddenly heard a new voice: "Can't get out?"
"Ah!" Cang Ming jumped and turned on the spot, facing the direction of the sound, but there was nothing in front of her. Just as she was about to turn again, a pair of strong arms came up from behind and wrapped her tightly in an embrace. The fragrance of pine needles and bamboo leaves wafted over.
Cang Ming felt relieved and her legs softened. The person behind her smiled softly, put his arm around her waist, lifted her up, and pressed her tightly against his body.
"Wei Ci!" She turned her head sideways in annoyance, looking at the shoulder of the silver-white clothes, "I didn't get scared to death when I was catching ghosts, but I am scared to death by you!"
Wei Ci let her go and turned to face her, a thin layer of anger and grievance on his face: "The general said he was going to Xiyuan Sanfang to drink, but he came here alone to catch ghosts without telling his subordinates."
"It was a last-minute order. I didn't hide it from you on purpose." Cang Ming pinched his face with both hands, "How did you know I was here?"
Wei Ci gently stroked her hair, his fingertips toying with a hairpin slanted into the side of her Feiyun bun. The Demon King had carved it for her a few days ago when he had nothing better to do, sitting in a tree.
"It's the hairpin?" Cang Ming suddenly realized something and pretended to be angry. "You cast a spell on the hairpin again. It can monitor my location, right?"
Wei Ci said hurriedly: "General, I didn't mean it... No, no, I did it on purpose, but..."
Cang Ming couldn't hold it in any longer, he smiled, put his hands behind his back and walked out, leaving behind a sentence: "It seems that when the demon king is nervous, he only calls me general."
"But I've only ever been nervous about you." Wei Ci breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Besides, does the General know the way out? Why are you walking so confidently?"
“…” Cang Ming’s steps were suspended in mid-air.
Finally, of course, after being forced by the demon king to call him "brother" three times, he led her out of the house. It was already dawn, and Wei Ci, smiling broadly, held Cang Ming's hand and slowly walked towards the third courtyard of Xiyuan.
At dawn, he explained the whole story to the old servant and agreed that Wei Qiang would go and prepare medicine for the patients. Cang Ming received his reward and immediately turned around and handed it over to Wei Ci.
Wei Ci was stunned: "What's wrong?"
Cang Ming said hesitantly, "I still owe a lot to Tongduo Mountain. Can you give me some more time?"
Wei Ci looked down at the gold ingot in the brocade box and couldn't help but smile. After a little thought, he took it. Cang Ming was very pleased to see that he didn't refuse, as if the embarrassment of owing money was alleviated a little.
Seeing Wei Ci staring at him, Cang Ming chuckled and raised his purse: "Actually, I kept a little bit and didn't return it to you. I wanted to treat you to a meal."
Wei Ci smiled as gentle as the breeze, bent down slightly, and looked into her eyes: "General, are you finally going to treat me to that meal?"
Cang Ming hummed in agreement. Xi Sheng and Wei Qiang, accustomed to their clingy nature, mind their own business at the table, barely batting an eyelid. Wu Lu, however, said, "Excuse me, why don't you just eat here... ah ha ha, just kidding, just kidding." The demon king looked at him as if he wanted to devour him.
The two of them walked down the street, Cang Ming pointing out several restaurants and taverns, but Wei Ci kept complaining that this one wasn't good enough, not quiet enough, and that one wasn't good, the music was too loud. Finally, Cang Ming had an idea and ordered food from the best restaurant in town, put it in a basket, and took it to a deserted spot by the river, where he slowly ate it in his fishing boat.
The river water swayed gently, and the fishing boat swayed slightly. The boat owner had received the reward for renting the boat and had already left far away. Only Cang Ming and Wei Ci were in the boat.
The river wind rustled, and all around them were unobstructed, the sky high and the water vast. Cang Ming looked up, at the end of the high and clear sky, was there the Heavenly Palace? Would the master secretly lift a floor tile and look at her from afar on the river?
Wei Ci's fingers gently stroked the corners of her eyes, as if to erase the melancholy look. He said softly, "Cang Cang, focus a little."
Cang Ming came back to his senses and smiled at him softly. They clinked their glasses, and after a few drinks, they leaned against each other in a gentle embrace. Wei Ci reached out and lowered the cabin curtain, enveloping them in darkness. A heavy body pressed down, its scorching heat almost turning early autumn into midsummer. His voice rang softly in his ears: "Since we parted, I've been thinking of our reunion. How many times have I shared your memory in my dreams?"
The boat drifted with the wind, its direction uncertain, coming and going at will in the middle of the river. The boat pitched and swayed, its rhythmic cadence forming its own rhythm, wave after wave spreading out from beneath it. The roar of a water dragon, accompanied by its heavy yet gentle breathing, drifted towards the sky like a cloud of smoke.
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