Chapter 5: Haunted by the Water Ghost

Nanyang City.
County Government Office.

Gu Xian’s eyes were narrow and sharp; a long sword hung at his waist, his posture upright and resolute like a pine tree.
His senior sister stood beside him, arms crossed over her chest, accentuating her ample curves that surged like waves.

Next to them stood a middle-aged man with a stern expression—the magistrate of Nanyang County. At this moment, he was staring wide-eyed, filled with shock and disbelief, at the corpse of a fox demon lying on the ground.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, “You two Immortal Masters truly possess remarkable skills. In less than half a day, you have slain the fox demon. I must thank you on behalf of all the county’s people.”

“Magistrate Chen, your words are too kind.”

The magistrate Chen pulled a white porcelain bottle from his sleeve. “Immortal Masters, this is the Spirit-Nurturing Pill I promised earlier. Please accept it with a smile.”

Gu Xian opened the bottle and gently inhaled; a faint herbal fragrance wafted to his nose.

He put the bottle away and gave a slight nod to his senior sister—the Spirit-Nurturing Pills inside were genuine.

Gu Xian cupped his fists toward the magistrate. “County Magistrate, with this matter settled, my senior sister and I shall take our leave. Until we meet again.”

“Immortal Masters, please wait.”

Just as Gu Xian was about to turn and leave, the magistrate suddenly grabbed him.

The young man, his brow slightly furrowed, asked, “Magistrate Chen, do you still have business?”

The magistrate released Gu Xian with hesitation. After a moment, his expression gradually firmed.

“To be honest, there have been many cases occurring recently in the city. I ask for your help in clearing them out as well.”

Gu Xian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. This fellow was quite shrewd—he had never mentioned this earlier when asking them to slay the fox demon. Now that he saw their formidable cultivation, his mind had become more active.

After a brief pause, Gu Xian slowly nodded. “We can handle it, but not at the previous price.”

His earlier agreement to accept two Spirit-Nurturing Pills as payment had been more about showing his strength quickly to gain their respect.

Now that their purpose had been accomplished, the compensation had to be renegotiated.

The magistrate’s face showed a flicker of struggle, but after a moment, he nodded through the pain.

“For each demon slain, I will pay you up to six Spirit-Nurturing Pills.”

Seeing Gu Xian hesitate, his tone became somewhat pleading as he hurried to add, “Master Gu, you know that Nanyang County has always been poor. This is the utmost we can offer. If you don’t agree, we must seek Immortal Masters from elsewhere.”

Hearing this, the senior sister gently tugged at her junior’s sleeve.

Gu Xian ceased bargaining.

“Magistrate Chen, it’s agreed then.”

Upon Gu Xian’s acceptance, Magistrate Chen breathed a sigh of relief. With demons causing havoc in his jurisdiction, failure to act swiftly could cost him not only his official post but possibly his head.

Chen’s efficiency was surprisingly swift in such times. Within fifteen minutes, he summoned two constables to escort Gu Xian and his senior sister to the site of the latest demon disturbance.

Night had already fallen.

Nanyang County, already impoverished, had few places of amusement, rendering the city quiet and somber.

The two constables carried lanterns and soon arrived outside a narrow alley.

Looking into the alley, it was pitch-dark and deep, with chilling gusts of wind that seemed to carry eerie melodies.

Gu Xian stepped forward first, entering the alley. The two constables exchanged glances; though frightened, they followed closely behind, mindful of their livelihoods.

In the lantern light, the alley’s walls appeared ancient and cracked, the fissures resembling ghostly faces that sent shivers down one’s spine.

After a moment, the three stopped outside a residence deep within the alley.

One of the lean constables smiled, “Immortal Masters, this is the place.”

Gu Xian and his senior sister each brought two fingers together and lightly brushed them across their eyes, a soft golden light veiling their gaze.

They looked up to see two door gods pasted on the gate, clad in armor and wielding weapons, exuding a formidable aura.

The senior sister sighed, “The divine radiance of the door gods’ images has long since faded; they offer no protection or blessing now.”

Pushing open the door, a pungent stench immediately assaulted them.

In the courtyard stood a delicate-looking woman holding a dark-skinned little girl. Both appeared worn and fearful, their eyes fixed anxiously on the officials.

As well as on the two young figures clearly regarded with great respect by the constables.

The lean constable sighed, “Sir, the deceased is Liu Da, a boatman from the Qingliu River outside the city. Now that he’s gone, this woman has attracted the attention of Lord Zhou from the southern district. Poor widowed mother and orphan—how will they survive?”

Gu Xian glanced at the little girl, then the four of them entered the bedroom.

The room was dimly lit by candlelight, and the foul odor emanated from here. On the floor lay a corpse, unlike the dried husk they had encountered earlier outside the city; this one was pale and swollen, as if waterlogged.

“Master, Liu Da finished work early this noon and came home to rest. Not long after, he transformed into this.”

Golden light flickered in Gu Xian’s eyes; a plan was already forming in his mind.

He summoned the woman outside to question her.

“Did Liu Da say anything when he came home today?”

The woman thought carefully for a moment. “He seemed to say something about ‘The Dragon King is going to take him to ascend,’ or words to that effect, but he was vague, and I don’t recall clearly.”

Gu Xian nodded lightly, about to leave when he caught sight of the dark-skinned girl in the courtyard.

After a moment’s thought, he withdrew a yellow talisman from his sleeve and handed it to the woman.

“Place this talisman above your door; the evil spirits will depart.”

The woman gratefully accepted it with both hands, her thanks unspoken yet profound.

Then Gu Xian instructed the two constables, “Collect Liu Da’s body and return to inform Magistrate Chen. I will be back shortly.”

He then looked at Liu Suiyi. “Senior sister, you should return with them.”

Having said this, he stepped outside.

Liu Suiyi quickly followed. In the deep alley, her face was full of confusion. To prevent others from overhearing, she sent a message through mind transmission.

“Junior brother Gu, what exactly is going on? Why, after entering Nanyang County, have you forbidden me from acting?”

Gu Xian replied mentally, “Senior sister, don’t ask too much. There will surely be chances for you to act in the coming days. Just don’t falter when the time comes.”

Liu Suiyi scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Am I really that unreliable?”

Gu Xian wanted to say yes, but seeing the dangerous gleam in her eyes, he swallowed the words.

Then, with a flash, he vanished into the pitch-black alley outside.

In the Liu family’s courtyard, the two constables looked at each other nervously. They were reluctant to handle the corpse but lacked the courage to refuse, especially with an Immortal Master watching. If they angered him, their mortal bodies wouldn’t withstand his wrath.

Fifteen minutes later, Gu Xian arrived at the Qingliu Riverbank. He wiped his hands on his legs and retrieved two swift-travel talismans.

A faint golden light shimmered in his eyes, granting him extraordinary night vision.

Around him, deathly silence reigned, broken only by ripples dancing on the river’s surface.

Soon, he spotted a strange figure not far from the shore, moving toward the bank.

Focusing intently, Gu Xian was shocked to see the figure’s feet hovering above the ground, hair disheveled, surrounded by a chilling, damp aura.

The bright moonlight revealed that the figure cast no shadow.