Chapter 5: Unheard of Ghosts
Cang Ming avoided answering and raised his eyebrows imitating his behavior: "Wangxian Sect? Have you even heard of such an extinct sect?"
"I've heard of it." Wei Ci stared at Cang Ming's face, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "Her dancing posture is like that of a celestial being, and she instantly forgets the world. It turns out that the Taoist sister is not a disciple of the Wangxian Sect, but she can shake the mountains and seas with one dance."
"Hey, how come you saw me dancing?" Cang Ming remembered that he suddenly jumped out halfway and did not see the part where she danced and set up the magic field.
"I've been watching you from the side." He said with a smile.
"Ah?" Cang Ming was shocked, "How come I didn't notice it?"
Wei Ci smiled but said nothing. Cang Ming calmly asked, "You seem to have a famous master. What school of swordsmanship did you learn?"
Wei Ci said: "Learn a little of everything, practice a little of everything, and you can use swords, spears, and everything else."
Cang Ming sighed: "From ancient times to the present, across the four seas and eight wildernesses, it is true that there are people beyond humans, and there are immortals beyond immortals."
Wei Ci asked softly, "Sister Taoist seems to have heard of the Wangxian Sect. Do you know what the Wuwu Erqingliu are?"
In the flickering candlelight, Cang Ming lowered her head, half of her face flickering in and out of focus. She replied, "The path I cultivate is compassionate and upright, and the heart I hold is radiant and clear."
Wei Ci didn't ask any more questions. After the meal, Cang Ming said cautiously, "I'll treat you to the next meal. As long as it's not too expensive, you can choose any restaurant you want."
"You're welcome." Wei Ci raised his hand, "We're going to the underworld tonight, so you can treat me to dinner later."
Cang Ming shook his head and said, "I'll go by myself. Please just show me the way."
"You don't even have a sword, so you'd better bring a helper," he said bluntly, "Taoist sister."
"I..." Cang Ming changed his words, "I will go find a sword myself."
Wei Ci suddenly said dejectedly: "You should have noticed that I am actually a person with supernatural powers. I have some business with the underworld, and I am looking for someone to go with me."
Cang Ming explained gently: "I'm going to fight ghosts and save people this time, and I also have to investigate some things. It's very dangerous. I'll accompany you next time."
"I'm going to collect a debt today. Can you help me?" Wei Ci raised his crystal clear and moist eyes and asked sincerely.
"Collecting a debt?" Cang Ming was stunned. He couldn't imagine that someone would dare to owe him money. It seemed that either he was itching for a beating, or he was a desperate desperado with nowhere else to go.
Cang Ming finally agreed: "I'll go with you to take a look."
"Excellent." He stood up and walked to Cang Ming's side. "Sister Taoist, can I show you around this building?"
"Okay." Cang Ming said with a smile, "The owner is welcome."
"Taoist sister, please."
The two of them climbed the stairs. The clouds were radiant and lingering, layer upon layer, a magnificent sight.
Cang Ming couldn't help but ask, "This building is much bigger than it looks from the outside. It looks like a mountain range."
Wei Ci said lazily, "It's just a little trick, but it's still a little bit inferior to your skills as a Taoist sister."
Cang Ming looked up at the dome and saw the stars moving and the night was deep. He seemed as if he was on a field, with the sky high and the earth far away.
Wei Ci stared at her profile, his breath stagnating. He turned around and said, "The roof is also under an illusion. What you can see from inside the building is the sky outside."
"Your roof is a great place to watch the stars at night." Cang Ming turned around and smiled.
Above the rooftops, the sky was turning white, and the morning breeze was caressing their faces. Wei Ci led the way, followed by Cang Ming. The two of them walked slowly forward, stepping on the green tiles, and found a beam to sit down.
Cang Ming raised the wine jug in his hand: "Want to drink?"
He took the wine jug without saying a word, held the spout high in the air and poured the wine into his mouth.
He handed the wine jug back to Cang Ming, who turned slightly and took a sip in the same way.
The sky was low and the fields were silent. Cang Ming suddenly lowered his voice and elbowed Wei Ci: "Look."
Two nameless ghosts floated across the ground. One said, "You died too late. After all, I'm only a few years older than you. By the time I died, every demon in the underworld would have known the names of the four directions."
Another said, "Oh, I died too late, too late, and I never heard of it."
The old ghost said: "It's gradually faded away now. No one mentions it anymore."
The little ghost said, "I'd like to hear more about it."
"Remember this! These are four powerful schools, plus a vicious and ruthless character who can shatter us to pieces with a flick of his finger." The old ghost stretched out his blue-gray fingers and counted, "The rising tide in the East Sea, the evening bells on the West Mountain, the rosy clouds in the South River, the snow in the North Plains, and the flying gulls in the Central Plains."
Cang Ming smiled slightly and recalled many past events.
The rising tide of the East China Sea tells the story of Minghai Zoutianliu, a music-playing method created by a street singer, who was Xisheng's master.
The evening bells of the Western Hills refer to the sound of thousands of bells and drums from the Tongduo Hills, using rhythm as a knife and rhyme as a sword, which is the technique that Wu Lu learned when he was young.
Nanjiang Zhaoxia has been lost.
The phrase "Northern Plain Snow Knot" refers to the two pure schools of Wu and Wu from the Wangxian School. The founder of the Wangxian School came from the snowy plains outside the Great Wall in the north and was said to have attained enlightenment in the snow.
As for Nakano Hiou, I'd never heard of him. He probably spoke of some master from the Central Plains. Cang Ming sighed. Having left the orthodox world and drifted among the common people, he was completely oblivious to the constant flow of information from the immortal world.
The two ghosts had sharp ears. When they heard the sigh, they realized that there was a living person emitting a fierce aura here, so they quickly floated away.
Wei Ci glanced at her, his eyes moving around, not knowing what he was thinking.
Just as Cang Ming was about to take another sip of wine, Wei Ci also elbowed her: "Look."
A large ship, sailing on land, slowly glided out of Fengyan City along the long street. The ship's shape was enchanting and strange, with sharp and towering masts, each one crystal clear and emitting a faint purple light.
Such ghostly creatures were definitely not found in the mortal world, and were most likely crafted by demonic craftsmen. Cang Ming formed a spell with his hands, ready to strike.
The ghost ship reached the riverbank and stopped. Cang Ming used his five senses and could still hear the noise in the distance.
A hundred or so ghosts floated out of the cabin, anxiously gazing at the distant mountains on the opposite bank. Their faces were pale, young and old, and well-dressed, unlike the grim, brooding faces of wild ghosts. They must have come from wealthy families during their lifetimes and were buried in good cemeteries.
The old man in the middle, holding a long staff and wearing a green shroud, with white hair and beard, muttered to himself: "Third grandson, you must come over here."
Cang Ming followed their gaze towards the mountains on the opposite bank, but saw no sign of his third grandson.
After a long moment, a faint flicker of light and shadow appeared on the hillside. The hundred or so ghosts on the other side seemed to hold their breath unnecessarily.
The light and shadow were getting closer and closer to the foot of the mountain. It turned out to be a ghost carrying a lantern and traveling over the mountain. A closer look revealed that it was a young man with a handsome face, but a pale complexion.
The hundred or so ghosts on this side of the river shouted, "All right, all right!" and immediately sailed across the river. When the boats docked, the ghosts disembarked. The young man confronted them and abruptly stopped.
Hundreds of ghosts surrounded him with great joy, talking among themselves. The young man stood there for a moment, then suddenly called out to the old man, "Grandpa!"
The other ghosts said, "We are your ancestors whom you have never met. We have come together to take you away."
Then he said, "Look who this is."
The ghosts parted, and a ghost couple emerged, opening their arms to the young man. The young man walked toward them, as if sleepwalking, "Dad, Mom."
The ghosts escorted him to the riverbank, patting his shoulders and elbows. "The last step is crossing the river. We'll watch you from the boat. Once you pass this step, you can return to the underworld with us."
The young man said bewilderedly, "We still need to cross the river? Can't we just stay here?"
The other ghosts laughed and said, "Stay here? Only lonely ghosts stay in the human world."
The young man then stepped into the river, cut through the waves, and drifted to the other side. The other ghosts drove the large boat over the land. Soon they disappeared.
Cang Ming turned away, feeling lost. For a moment, she even envied the grandson who had parents and grandfather to greet him after his death. After sitting for a while, she wiped her face with her sleeve and glanced at Wei Ci.
Wei Ci was looking at the river surface without looking away, as if he didn't see Cang Ming's tears at all.
Cang Ming asked, "Are there often ghosts swimming in the river?"
Wei Ci slowly replied, "The mountain on the opposite bank is called Huitou Ridge. The river in front of the mountain is called Chunqiu Ferry. Every deceased person's soul must first cross Huitou Ridge before becoming a new ghost. The new ghost must then cross the river before entering the underworld. Many ghosts, unable to endure the trials of the mountain, or with lingering attachment to the mortal world, turn back at Huitou Ridge and become wandering ghosts. Even after crossing Huitou Ridge, many ghosts sink into Chunqiu Ferry, disappearing silently."
Several springs and autumns have passed, and the souls of the dead in Huitou Ridge are helpless. Countless ghosts have come here, but only a few have reached the underworld. Only the spirits that have become demons and monsters are free and can enter and exit the underworld at will, because they are not incarnated from human bodies.
Cang Ming couldn't help but sigh: "It's hard to live in the human world, and it's hard to die in the ghost world."
Seeing that the east was already turning white, Cang Ming put on his mask, stood up and said goodbye: "I still have to go back to take care of some things."
"Okay." He nodded. "See you at the back door when the sun sets."
Just as Cang Ming was about to turn around, he said, "Wait. This is for you."
Looking down, he saw a dazzling golden rabbit mask. Cang Ming waved his hands and said, "This is too expensive."
He said sincerely, "Take it. Your mask is really ugly."
“…”
As the sun set, Cang Ming, wearing a rabbit-head mask, had already run through the eight corners of the city, pasting yellow talismans everywhere. Some of these talismans were posted in the corners of the pig pens, and some were posted under the bricks in the corners of the walls. Even the most experienced thief would never be able to break into such places.
Fearing she'd fall prey to a deception scheme once she reached the underworld, she painstakingly hand-painted nine infallible talismans for the city's defense. If a demon or ghost approached, the talismans would ignite simultaneously, shooting skyward like firecrackers, both to repel the evil spirit and to signal the nearby Taoist priests.
Cang Ming, weighing the last yellow talisman, hesitantly and slowly walked towards the center of the city. The center of Fengyan City was none other than the Three Quarters of Xiyuan. Thinking of Wu Lu and Xi Sheng collaborating with demons, Cang Ming sighed, "They've fallen to this point, worse than a jinx like me."
Folklore has it that the Musical Immortal Wulü and the Tide-Playing Immortal Xisheng are old friends of the Death Star, and even though they debuted in the same generation, they've fared much better than the Death Star. These two immortals are good, and their merit lies in their lack of grave robbing. This is how an elder familiar with the history of the four major schools assesses them.
Cang Ming jumped from the backyard of the inn onto the roof, did a head-hang, and looked inside through a small window on the top floor.
Wu Lu had set up a large cauldron in the middle of the hall, brewing some kind of soup with a strange aroma. Hot white smoke swirled upward, radiating a pearly glow.
The waiter and the maidservant didn't bother to greet the customers, but waited by the pot, their expressions impatient. The smoke caused the space to distort, and for a moment, Cang Ming thought he saw a fierce look on their faces.
As soon as Wu Lu said "OK", they dipped their bowls into the pot to scoop up the soup, picked it up and drank it all in one gulp. When the bowl on their faces was slowly lowered, everything returned to normal.
Xisheng sat aside, silently wiping the suona, and the lobby fell into dead silence.
Wu Lu explained, "This is fig and pear soup, which is good for moistening dryness in autumn and winter."
As they were talking, a few individual customers came over with their bowls and lined up, all with murderous expressions on their faces.
Xisheng said, "Then I want a bowl too."
Wu Lu immediately stopped her hand and said, "Go drink from the pot in the kitchen. There's not enough to share in this pot."
Xisheng hummed, rubbed the suona like a sleepwalker and said, "Forget it, I still have to go play music for funeral processions to make money." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly swung the suona towards Wulü, and a hoarse and hot melody flew out of the suona.
Wu Lu struck the two bowls with his cane, burying the entire musical sound into the bowls. The two men stared at each other, neither making a rash move.
Cang Ming was completely bewildered, unable to understand why these two had become so entangled, occasionally engaging in physical violence. She quietly affixed the yellow talisman to the inside of the chimney on the roof and fled.
In the evening, when Cang Ming walked towards the back door of the antique shop through the thin purple mist, Wei Ci was already standing there waiting for her.
Cang Ming waved to him and said with a smile, "Please come in, Taoist sister."
The front door of the ancient building was closed, but the back door was open. Cang Ming walked through the back door and stepped into the antique shop, hiding in the shadows with Wei Ci. The four walls were still bare wooden planks. Entering the ancient building through the front door, the world was vast and the scenery was endless. Entering through the back door, it was just a shabby antique shop.
Several customers gathered in front of the counter, their faces filled with anxiety and dejection. Behind it stood a bronze warrior, his face obscured by a mask and covered head to toe in iron armor. He slowly raised his creaking arm and held a jade vase brought by a customer to his eyes. He said in a humming voice, "Pawn price fifty gold, buyout price thirty gold."
The guest lowered his voice and said, "Hey, this is a bottle for collecting souls. You should give me more."
The armored bronze man stopped talking. After a long silence, the guest gritted his teeth and said, "Pawn."
Although it was pawned, if one wanted to redeem it in the future, of course, one would have to pay more than fifty gold. This shows that once a treasure is brought here, it cannot be returned.
After seeing off the customers, the armored bronze man closed the shop and leaned against the wall, motionless, turning into a statue again. The two men walked out of the shadows, and Cang Ming said shamefacedly, "Did I delay your business?"
Wei Ci said casually: "Those who want to come will come sooner or later. There is no other place to go except here with me." There was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, and certainty and coldness flashed in his eyes. That was not the look of a boy under twenty years old.
Cang Ming looked at it absentmindedly, and suddenly remembered: "I think you don't like others knowing your identity. Don't worry, I haven't told anyone about you."
"If you want to talk, it's fine." Wei Ci smiled, "But I really never appear in front of anyone."
"You never show up?" Cang Ming looked around. "And your main gate, you never open it to welcome guests?"
"Well, anyone can only come in through the back door."
Cang Ming blinked and said seriously, "How do we get to the underworld?"
Wei Ci pointed to the window at the top and said, "Just recite the command silently as you jump in. I'll lead you."
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