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It was a dark and stormy night in Puqi Village. The wind howled voraciously, the trees swung left and right with force, and the sky was a gloomy greyish-blue. The streets were deserted of both humans and animals; even the strays had gone away to hide, in some hole or under some rocks or perhaps even in the local shrine.
Only one lonely figure traversed the roads of Puqi Village. She was a pale and frail-looking girl, not much older than twenty, soaked to the bone through her dirty travel robes. Her beauty was like that of a summer’s day, refreshing and appealing, completely irresistible to both men and women alike.
The traveller shivers as she approaches a house on the street, knocking loudly on the door to be heard through the downpour.
The owner of the house creaks it open slightly, peering through the gap with suspicion. “Who’s there!” the houseowner croaks. “Whaddya want!”
The frail traveller coughs demurely into her fist, putting on her best downtrodden look. “I’m a traveller who got caught in this awful rainfall on my journey.” She bats her eyelashes. “My destination is just the town over, but I can't continue walking in this weather. Would you so kindly make space for me to stay, just for the night? I don't have much to offer but…” She coughs again for dramatic effect, “I’d be so grateful to have some shelter.”
The houseowner immediately softens, heart gripped by the sight of this young beauty suffering so much. “Oh, you poor thing! Why, of cou—!”
The door swings open from the inside suddenly, surprising both the traveller and the houseowner. There stands a defiant and fierce-looking girl, staring down the traveller as if she’d personally wronged her.
“NO!” The girl yells before slamming the door shut so hard that the very foundation of the house rattles.
The traveller stands there in shock. No? No??? You don't just see a beautiful woman asking to come into your house and say “no”! Frustration starts to build in her chest, but she quickly shuts it down, shaking her head. She can't let herself slip this early. Perhaps this Meimei is simply in a bad mood, or maybe she has a crush somewhere in the village and regards this beautiful young traveller as competition. It's fine! She’ll just have to play up the indulgent Jiejie act.
Hearing murmuring from inside, the traveller presses her ear up against the door, catching snippets of conversation.
“So rude…manners…poor traveller…!”
“Haven't you…Daozhang…I swear!”
“...realistic…doesn't that…Daozhang…kindness?”
“I’ll test…just watch!”
“Fine!”
The traveller pulls away from the door and plasters a graceful look on her face just in time for the young girl to swing it open again, her face no less fierce, but now more calculating and focused. The homeowner stands behind her, looking slightly embarrassed yet still somewhat curious.
“What's your name?” She asks the traveller.
“This one is named Zhu Huan,” The traveller gives a shallow bow; she’d prepared for this. With a sly smile she tacks on, “You can call me Zhu-Jie.”
“Hmph,” The girl gives her a doubtful once-over, before thrusting her hand outward. “Well then, Zhu-Jie,” The way she says her name makes it clear she doesn't believe it's real, “Give me your palm.”
Eh? So random?! Could it be…
“If Meimei wants to give me a palm reading, shouldn't we enter the house first?” The traveller shivers again. Standing under the veranda’s roof, she’s at least out of the rain, but it's still damn cold out here! Young girls these days, so disrespectful to their seniors!
“Give me your palm!” The girl repeats, louder this time, and Zhu Huan has no choice but to obey. Once in her grasp, the girl yanks Zhu Huan’s hand closer, intently studying it, before pulling back with a victorious, “AHA!”
“No fingerprints!” The girl continues. “Just like Xie Daozhang warned! I told you! She’s a ghost!”
Zhu Huan pulls back in shock. What—?! How did she—!?
“How could you accuse me of such a thing!” Zhu Huan cries indignantly. “I’m just a traveller! A mortal traveller! Are all the residents of your village as rude as you?!”
“Now, now…” The homeowner tries to placate them, nervous about the direction of the conversation. “It's dark and rainy outside, I don't think anyone's fingerprints would be visible in such weather. Let's not get ahead of ourselves…”
The girl’s expression shifts into disappointment. “That's exactly how they trick you! A-yi, this is why I always tell you to come to Xie Daozhang’s lessons with me—if I wasn't here today, you would've been eaten by this evil spirit!”
“Evil spirit?” Zhu Huan repeats in disbelief.
“Look!” The girl reaches forward and grabs a handful of Zhu Huan’s hair, yanking her head forward, making the woman yelp. “Her hair! It's all a big clump, not normal hair at all! Xie Daozhang said this is how lower-level ghosts disguise themselves!”
“You—you little—!” Zhu Huan feels her blood start to boil in anger. Who is she calling low-level! Zhu Huan is a tempting and alluring beauty, the kind of unfortunate girl that everyone rushes to cater to! You’re supposed to jump at the chance of letting her into your house, lowering your guard around her, so she—she can—
So she can devour you!
Who taught these humans her closely-kept hunting secrets!
Triumphant, the girl lets go of Zhu Huan’s hair roughly, sending her stumbling back a few steps. “You can't trick us! Nobody in Puqi Village will trust you! Go find some other stupid villagers!” She sticks out her tongue—salt in the wound—before shutting the door on Zhu Huan.
The ghost tries to bang on the door to argue with them, but to no avail. She even hears when they slide the lock in! Defeated, Zhu Huan pulls away, anger twisting her delicate features. Never before has any mortal suspected her disguises—she’s always been very particular about the small things, and it’s not been so long since she died that she’d forget typical human behaviours. But stuff like fingerprints and hair density, no ghost could possibly be powerful enough to fake something that tiny!
She feels her stomach growl as she pulls away from the house and returns to the street. It's already been two days since she’s last had a tasty human to snack on… she was expecting this village to be an easy target, as they usually are. She’d pick off two or three people, maybe a kind and welcoming family, maybe an unsuspecting couple, then eat to her heart’s content before skipping town and finding her next victims. If she was particularly lucky, she’d steal a few coins from her victims, or robes and cosmetics if she ate a female so that she could keep up her flawless appearance. After all, maintaining a convincing human skin wasn't easy, but Zhu Huan was dedicated to the cause. With her strength being subpar, trickery was her biggest boon, so it was vital that she maintain a delicate and respectable visage.
Well, no matter. There’s plenty of other houses in this village, she’s sure the others wouldn't be so rude and suspicious of her. All she needs is to find a man, preferably a young and unmarried one, or even a disloyal married man would do—those types tend to be more than happy to take a beauty like her in, the excuse of a young woman needing help being a perfect cover to invite her into their home. Feeling motivated once more, Zhu Huan moves onto the next house on the street, confident she’d eat well tonight.
–
By twilight, Zhu Huan had visited nine houses, and been rejected by every single one of them. All of them! Sitting under a tree, watching the sun rise, all Zhu Huan feels is disbelief. Never before has she met such suspicious and guarded village folk.
“Sorry miss, we don't have any space in our house tonight. Perhaps you can try the inn?” A mother had said before closing the door in her face. Of course Zhu Huan didn't want the inn—who could she eat there?!
“A-die said I’m not allowed to let strangers in!” A young boy with sauce stains around his mouth picked at his nose as he walked away from Zhu Huan, kicking the door shut behind him.
One particularly rude man hadn't even let her finish her introduction! “You’re welcome to sleep in the stables. Goodnight.” SLAM!
The stables! As if she were some animal!
Twice more had she been subjected to “tests” of her mortality, and both times they’d mentioned someone by the name of Xie Daozhang. Who exactly was this man?! Zhu Huan was going to have a stern word with him for interrupting her meals!
Well, no matter. Perhaps visiting families in the dead of night during a vicious storm could’ve very well have scared them. How often does this village get visitors, anyways? Surveying the worn down houses and well-used footpaths, along with the local inn that was not much larger than a regular house, Zhu Huan could guess it wasn’t exactly a business hub. Though she refused to lose hope. In her mind, many opportunities to snatch an unsuspecting victim could arise in the upcoming day.
She just had to be patient.
•••
Before any villagers had the chance to step out that morning, Zhu Huan took the opportunity to sneak behind a large rock to change clothing. Gone were her dirty, soaked travel robes as she switched them for a dignified set of common clothes. It was slightly higher quality than the kinds of robes these villagers could afford, so she felt it would definitely catch some people’s eyes. She dug a mirror and some simple jewelry out of her qiankun pouch—something she’d paid good money for during her travels—and slipped it on carefully. Touching up her makeup and pulling her dense black hair into an elegant updo, Zhu Huan smiled into the mirror as beautifully as she could.
Right, she was beautiful. Despite what that rude girl had told her, Zhu Huan didn't look suspicious at all! She had a role to play, and she knew how to play it well—she’d prove it!
Within a few hours, Puqi Village had fully woken up. Restaurants and shops had their doors wide open, market stalls were set up and made their first sales of the day, groups of women both young and old gathered their laundry to wash together at the nearby river before the sun started getting too hot. Zhu Huan sat on a bench as she watched the workings of the local people with a keen eye. People-watching was her favourite activity to do when she was alive—partly because it was the only thing she really got to do. Her father didn't like the idea of her leaving the house unless it was absolutely necessary, so concerned about her “chastity” as he was, so Zhu Huan used to occupy herself by sitting at her bedroom window and imagining what the world was like beyond that small wooden square.
She was good at it. Could easily tell a poor man from a rich man even if they wore the same clothes, simply because of how they carried themselves. Discerning people’s personalities from how they went about their day wasn't a difficulty for her either. There was something in every person that made it clear what kind of person they were, subtle though it may be. Hell, she could probably figure out a taoist monk’s deepest desires just by watching him long enough!
Once she died and was reborn as a ghost, Zhu Huan took great pleasure in travelling the world. Being tied down to one place just wasn't in her plans. She’d had enough of that when she was alive. Besides, it was much easier to kill and eat humans without being caught when she wasn't around long enough to garner suspicion. It was an interesting afterlife, but she liked it well enough.
“Excuse me, Guniang. What’s a beautiful lady like yourself doing sitting here all alone?”
Zhu Huan's eyes snap away from the crowd and fixate on the man that approached her while she was distracted. There stands a handsome merchant with his hair in a tight topknot, smiling down at Zhu Huan as if she were a particularly beautiful flower in a field he wanted to pick. From the quality of his clothes alone, she could tell he was a successful man.
YES!
Zhu Huan covers half of her face with her sleeve as she lets out a flirtatious giggle. “Gege flatters me!” She looks up at him and revels in how the merchant seems absolutely captivated by her. “This Meimei was only travelling through the village, but stopped because she started to get hungry…”
She doesn’t have to say much more. The man jumps at the opportunity without further prompting, “Allow me to treat Meimei to an early lunch!” He puffs out his chest, “I’ll bring you to the best restaurant in Puqi!”
She learns his story as they walk to the restaurant. Apparently he’s a travelling merchant who often passes through Puqi whilst on his way to do business. He’s not overly familiar with the locals here, which is good for Zhu Huan—it means that when she finally drains his blood and devours his body tonight, nobody’ll be rushing to find his corpse. Her chances are likely good as well, because men are less careful when they’re travelling away from home, always willing to let a beauty into their bed for a night. It's not like their wives would ever know!
The restaurant is quaint, but at least well-kept. The merchant greets the boss cheerily, snagging a good table while playing up the perfect gentleman role for Zhu Huan. He orders an array of dishes—obviously trying to flaunt his wealth—but Zhu Huan has no intention of touching any of it. Human food is bland and boring in comparison to human meat, not her preferred palate at all. Besides, while sizing the man up, she concludes that it’s better to not spoil her appetite before tonight.
“Laoban, bring us a pot of that special tea!” The merchant calls out to the boss, before turning to Zhu Huan. “Puqi sells the best yang replenishing tea, brewed in-house by a local Daozhang! I always buy some tea leaves in bulk whenever I’m passing through.”
Zhu Huan blinks. Eh? Not that Daozhang again!
The boss sweeps by, bringing the pot and two cups. “This tea banishes excess yin energy and guarantees stronger, robust health!” He claims. “Gongzi has a keen eye, choosing such a blend!”
Banish excess yin energy?
Zhu Huan is a ghost. She has only yin energy!!!
She eyes the cup poured and set in front of her with mounting fear. If… if she drinks this… could it possibly kill her? Normally, she wouldn't fear any old mortal tea—don’t most of these sellers usually lie about the healing properties of everything on their menu? But this Xie Daozhang guy obviously knows what he’s doing if he’s managed to caution the entire village against ghosts!
She wants to push the cup away, but both the merchant and the boss are watching her expectantly, waiting for her reaction. Gingerly, she picks up the cup, bringing it to her lips… and takes a small, small sip.
Nothing happens. The merchant smiles at her, pleased, while Zhu Huan sets the cup down. Huh, so maybe that Daozhang really isn’t—
Suddenly, a terrible stomach cramp hits Zhu Huan, and she doubles over in unimaginable pain!
“Meimei?” The merchant says at the same time as the boss says, “Guniang! Are you alright?”
No, she is not alright!! It feels like her stomach is eating itself from the inside out! What the hell was in that tea!
Gripping her stomach and letting out a low, pained moan, Zhu Huan tries to stop herself from shaking uncontrollably. The merchant leaps up from the table, stark concern on his face. “Meimei? What's wrong!? Are you alright?” His head whips to the boss. “What did you put in that tea!” He demands angrily.
“Nothing!” The boss defends himself. “It's just the special tea leaves! I swear!”
Zhu Huan has no time to listen to their quibbling. Nausea builds in her stomach exceptionally quick, so she pushes away from the table and hobbles to the door. She can't throw up in front of these people—how would the merchant take her to bed if he sees her sick?! She just needs to hide somewhere for a moment, just long enough for—
Unfortunately, the merchant rushes to follow her outside of the restaurant, and witnesses the moment that repugnant black goo comes spilling out of Zhu Huan’s mouth. She can't see how he recoils in disgust, but she can definitely hear the sound of his shoes running away from the terrifying sight that is her.
Ugh, damn it! She was so close! All she wants is a meal—why is this village being so difficult!
She doesn't stop throwing up for another five minutes. By then, she feels so weak and feeble that she has no choice but to stumble to a nearby bench to deposit herself onto. An acrid taste coats her tongue that won't fade no matter how much she spits and scrapes her tongue.
Stupid tea, stupid village, and stupid Daozhang!!!
•••
Zhu Huan only regains the strength to walk again by late evening, by which point she’s feeling so defeated that she doesn’t even think about who to eat. She sits idly on a large boulder, watching a group of children play with each other, kicking around a shuttlecock. One of the boys fumbles a kick, sending the shuttlecock flying in Zhu Huan’s direction. She reaches up and easily catches it in her right hand.
“Hey kids,” She calls to them. “C’mere. Jiejie has a question.”
The kids—four boys and three girls—walk up to Zhu Huan with varying levels of confidence.
“Can we have our jianzi back?” One of the girls, with her hair in twin braids, asks.
“In a minute.” Zhu Huan waves her hand dismissively. “Do you guys know someone around here named Xie Daozhang?”
“Ehh? Who doesn't!”
“Of course we know Xie Daozhang!”
“Tell me about him.” If this man is to be her enemy, Zhu Huan needs to know all she can about him. It seems the kids aren't put off or made wary by her question at all, because they all jump at the opportunity to answer:
“Xie Daozhang is the best! He lives in that shrine over on the hill,” A boy, likely the youngest of the group, points somewhere to their left.
“He’s really kind…”
“Sometimes he comes to my house and A-niang gives him our broken bowls and plates. He helped my Gege fix a table once!”
“I remember the day he first came, he was so weird. But I like him now.”
“He has a husband named Hua-Ge! And he’s suuuper tall!”
“He’s not that tall…”
“Yes he is! Much taller than you!”
“Hey! My A-niang says I’m still growing!”
The girl with the twin braids opens one part of her robes to show Zhu Huan multiple talismans sewed into the fabric. “Xie Daozhang gave us these cool talismans he said are gonna protect us from scary stuff! Now we can play outside and not be scared!”
The kids all scramble to show Zhu Huan their own talismans. It doesn't take more than one glance for Zhu Huan to realize—
These are extremely powerful protective spells! A ghost of Zhu Huan’s caliber is no match for stuff like this.
Who exactly is this man? Why is he so intent on protecting a small, impoverished village in the middle of nowhere?! And most importantly, why is he stopping Zhu Huan from having her meal!!! She deflates as she realizes she might not get the chance to eat in this village after all.
The kids continue chattering, completely inconsiderate of Zhu Huan’s inner conflict.
“I’ll tell you a secret, Jiejie. Xie Daozhang says he's just a humble worshipper of the Crown Prince of Xianle—that's who the shrine is for, by the way—but I think he's lying.” The boy pauses for dramatic effect. “I think Xie Daozhang is the crown prince!”
“Ehh??? You’re crazy! No way!”
“He does kinda look like the painting at the altar…”
“That's impossible! Xie Daozhang plays jianzi with us, and he helps my Shushu with the farm! I even saw him pick up and eat a mantou from the ground once! What kind of god would do that?”
“Well I think Hua-Ge is the crown prince!”
“That’s even more unlikely, yous gotta be kidding! How'd you come up with that?!”
“It's ‘cause he can eat Xie Daozhang’s food without even flinching! So he's gotta be a super powerful god, right?”
“Well… that's a good point…”
“I ate one bite of Xie Daozhang’s rice once and I got a stomach bug for a week!”
“Only a week? Lucky… must’ve been a good batch…”
“Xie Daozhang made us mantou one time, but when I tried to eat it, it got stuck in my throat. It was hard as a rock, no joke! Hua-Ge flipped me upside down and hit my stomach once—boom! I spit it out! Super crazy.”
“Why would a god even live in their own shrine? Don’t they have huge palaces in the heavens?”
“Maybe he's a humble god?”
Everyone quiets for a moment, as if unanimously thinking, yeah, no such thing as a humble god.
A woman standing at the doorway of a nearby house starts calling to the kids to come inside for dinner, so Zhu Huan tosses them their shuttlecock and stands up to leave. The sun is about to set, completing Zhu Huan’s third day without eating any humans. Her stomach grumbles pitifully as she returns to the main footpath, watching vendors bid each other goodbye as they close up their market stalls, and neighbours fall into step and conversation with each other on their way home. What rotten luck! What's she supposed to do now!
•••
Despite preferring… more dignified methods of trickery, Zhu Huan has to admit that, every now and then, one has to make sacrifices for the sake of the greater good. Or perhaps, for the sake of their stomachs. She hasn't had to use this trick in three years—not since she was a fresh ghost unaware of the workings of the undead, resorting to small-scale, dubious tactics that even fools would know to avoid.
Still, she’s desperate, which is why she’s fallen back on this: hiding behind a bush on the main road, mimicking crying baby noises to attract passersby.
Yes, it's embarrassing, and rarely do people actually fall for it, but she's had a few occasions where a curious teen or a concerned mother came by to see who's baby got lost in the dark. Then she’d jump out at them when they least expected it, sinking her teeth into their necks to drain their blood before dragging their corpse behind some tree to devour.
But Puqi Village must be devoid of good samaritans, because even two hours later, not even one person out of the twenty that walked by even bothered to stop!
Some even shuffled by quickly, sending nervous looks to where Zhu Huan was hiding, as if she were some evil monster trying to eat them!
Well, she was, but that's besides the point. It's the principle of the matter! You’re supposed to help lost, scared children get back home! Not ignore them!
She's broiling in her own anger and disappointment when suddenly, she hears a voice:
“Who’s crying? Is someone there?” Says a man, voice coloured with concern as he approaches her hiding spot.
Zhu Huan feels her heart soar! Finally! Now’s her chance!
Preparing herself, Zhu Huan crouches in position, waiting for the perfect moment, right when he’s close enough… then she can…
POUNCE! Zhu Huan leaps upwards, hands flying outwards to catch her prey, teeth sharp and bared, ready to sink into flesh—
Flesh that… isn't there?
Zhu Huan somehow misses her target and tumbles down to the ground.
Huh??? But she’d aimed perfectly! The man was just there—how did he—how did he move so quickly—
“Oh wow!” Says the man, his voice now coming from Zhu Huan’s right. “You’re definitely not a baby.”
Zhu Huan’s head whips around as she prepares to curse him out. “You—obviously I’m no—!!” She pauses as soon as she sets eyes on him. He’s half shrouded in darkness, but from what she can see, he’s a man with long brown hair, wearing white… white cultivator robes?
“Xie Daozhang?” Falls from her lips before she even realizes it.
Xie Daozhang blinks. He scratches at his cheek awkwardly, “Ah… you know me?”
Know him. Know him? Zhu Huan has had no choice but to know him! A sudden wave of rage courses through Zhu Huan’s body as she leaps onto her feet, pointing an accusatory finger at the man. “YOU!!!”
Xie Daozhang points at his own chest in confusion. “Me?”
“YOU!” Zhu Huan repeats. “You’re the reason I couldn’t get a single bite around here! You… you and your stupid tea, and talismans, and—and everything!!! This is all your fault!”
The man backs up slowly, clearly confused by her random outburst. “Hold on… let's not get ahead of ourselves here—wait, my tea…?”
But Zhu Huan isn’t listening to him, continuing with her spiel. “This is just unacceptable! Who teaches an entire village to check handprints and hair density! Who sells ghost-killing tea in a regular restaurant! And don’t think I haven't noticed the protection talismans posted up on every building—how’s a girl supposed to get her daily nutrition in if you won't even let her eat!”
At some point, her yelling seems to draw a small crowd of spectators. They whisper among themselves:
“Hey, isn't that lady the one that threw up at the restaurant earlier? Why’s she yelling at Xie Daozhang?”
“How disrespectful…”
One of the onlookers steps out from the crowd, crying out, “Hey, it's that ghost lady from last night! Zhu-Jie! I knew it!”
Zhu Huan looks up, and her face pales—it's that rude young girl who slammed the door in her face!
“Xie Daozhang, she’s a ghost!” The girl continues. “She tried to enter my A-yi’s house and eat us! But I caught her, ‘cause I paid attention to your lessons!” She says the last part proudly, a smug grin on her face.
“Well done, Xiao-Feng!” Xie Daozhang praises her, clapping his hands. “You really are my best student.”
He turns to Zhu Huan. “And for you! You’re not allowed to hurt anyone in this village. You’ll be coming with me.”
In one swift movement, a long white bandage slips out of Xie Daozhang’s sleeve and wraps itself around Zhu Huan so tight that she can't move. He picks her up smoothly and plants her on his shoulder, as if she were a mere sack of rice!
“Let me go!” Zhu Huan wriggles in his grip, but to no avail, and Xie Daozhang starts walking back to the path. The onlookers follow him, curious as to what he’ll do to a ghost he caught in their village. After all, he’s always warning them about being diligent and guarding themselves against evil. Zhu Huan complains and squirms the whole trip back to Puqi Shrine—apparently, Xie Daozhang’s home—and only stops when they enter the building and he unceremoniously drops her onto a chair. The rest of the audience crowds into the small room alongside them.
“I hope you have a defense for your actions,” Xie Daozhang says, raising an eyebrow. “I don't want to resort to any harsh consequences if I don't have to.”
Ah, damn it. Zhu Huan knows she’s in a tight spot, but still tries what she does best—which is pulling on heartstrings. Letting a single tear drop from her eye, she sniffs, “This Meimei was only looking for a place to stay last night. She didn't mean any harm!”
“Liar!” The girl in the crowd immediately calls out. “You just said you were trying to eat us!”
SHUT UP! Zhu Huan says in her head.
“Daozhang, cut her head off!” Someone else in the crowd yells, leading to a chorus of cheers and agreements.
“Throw her off a cliff!” More cheers.
“Feed her your cooking!”
“Hah? Why does that make my cooking sound like a punishment?” Xie Daozhang questions.
The crowd goes silent. Someone coughs.
Xie Daozhang puts his hand up. “Anyways, let’s not be extreme. Guniang,” he says, turning to Zhu Huan, “I’m sure you’re aware it's immoral to kill and eat innocent mortals.”
Pfft, what morals did ghosts have? “I was hungry! You think us ghosts can just eat your nasty human food and be satisfied? It's like if I told you to eat insects!”
“Insects aren't all that bad…” Xie Daozhang trails off awkwardly, scratching his cheek again. Coming back to himself, he crosses his arms firmly: “But anyway, such actions aren't permitted here. I’m going to have to escort you out of Puqi Village.”
“Ehhh???” One of the villagers cries. “Only escort? Daozhang, she could hurt someone else!”
“Yeah! Don't let her go so easily?”
“And who are you to judge Gege’s choices?” A deeper voice comes from behind all of them. Turning around, the villagers exclaim, “Xiao Hua!”
“Quickly, tell Xie Daozhang he's gotta get rid of this ghost!”
“Yeah!”
Xiao Hua leisurely walks up to Xie Daozhang, and Zhu Huan has to agree with those kids from earlier—he certainly is quite tall.
“San Lang…”
“It's okay gege, I understand,” Xiao Hua replies, before turning to address the crowd at large. “Gege and I will take care of this ghost tonight. It won't bother any of you again.”
“But—she’s dangerous!”
“Hasn't Gege taken care of you all so well already?” Xiao Hua cuts them off. “He’s the reason why this ghost hasn't been able to touch any of you. Are you going to start doubting him now?” He challenges with a tone of finality.
Disappointed, the crowd files out of Puqi Shrine, sending forlorn glances back to the three still in there. It’s obvious they were anticipating a show. Once they all leave and Xiao Hua shuts the door, both him and Xie Daozhang turn to Zhu Huan.
“Gege, is this ghost causing trouble for you?” Xiao Hua’s expression goes from pleasant young man to terrifying, murderous demon. Zhu Huan feels her blood turn to ice. What kind of odd company does this village keep?
“Ah, San Lang, it's alright… don't terrify the young woman.” Xie Daozhang says kindly. “She’s a fairly new ghost, I can tell. I’m sure she’ll be better off living in Ghost City.”
“I don't wanna live in Ghost City!” Zhu Huan scowls. “I hate being tied down to one place!”
“You don't have to live there then. Just source your food from it!” Xie Daozhang offers.
“What's the difference between getting human meat from Ghost City or hunting for it myself?” Zhu Huan sneers. “Does Ghost City kill people morally, or something?”
“Well…” Xie Daozhang laughs. “Not always…”
“Killing humans for food within the boundaries of Ghost City is strictly forbidden,” Xiao Hua recites, the words flat and practiced and distinctly bored. “All human meat sold within the market has to be sourced from corpses that were already found dead—we have a strict no-fresh-meat policy. Of course, not everyone follows the rules… but you’re better off eating there than getting caught by a cultivator out here.”
What does he mean by “we”?
Xie Daozhang nods sagely. “You’ll be dispersed out here! Better to stay in Ghost City, Guniang. Plus, there’s plenty of culinary options there fit for ghostly palates, not everything is about human meat! Give it a chance.”
She wants to argue, but there's something about Xiao Hua that's so palpably terrifying that she finds herself swallowing any words of protest. In fact, she doesn't argue much at all when Xie Daozhang busies himself with drawing a distance shortening array, cowed as she is by the strange man’s aura. When Xie Daozhang is out of earshot, Xiao Hua’s eyes fix on Zhu Huan with frightening intensity.
“You,” he hisses—and Zhu Huan gulps, shivering—“if I ever catch you back here again, I’ll disperse you myself.” His eyes glint crimson, and for a moment, Zhu Huan feels almost crushed by the weight of his gaze. But then Xie Daozhang returns, smiling wide while dusting chalk off his hands, and Xiao Hua’s face switches back into an indulgent and carefree smile.
“All done! Let's get you going. Ah, Ruoye, you can let her go now… come on, come on… let's get you something for the road, Guniang. Do you fancy mantou? I might have a mooncake around here somewhere…”
In short order, Zhu Huan finds herself standing in the middle of a busy street in Ghost City, hands piled high with rock-hard mantou and stale mooncakes.
How did she even end up in this situation? Glumly, she tosses the food she’s been given to some street beggars. Well, at least she’s not dispersed.
As she slips into the raucous crowd, wandering the streets in search of some actual food, Zhu Huan can't help but think what an odd village that was. Such a weird, cautious cultivator, and his even weirder, scary husband.
She hopes she’ll never have to come across them again. Smirking, Zhu Huan shakes her head—what respectable cultivator would ever come to Ghost City anyways? Especially one so wary of ghosts? Yeah, as long as she steers clear of Puqi Village, she’ll probably never see them again.
Right?
