Chapter Ninety-Two: Bringing Trouble Upon Oneself

The old woman leaned on her cane and kept striking the threshold, muttering under her breath.

Strangely enough, the moment the green-clad phantom heard her voice, it suddenly stopped and slowly turned its head. A hollow, featureless face faced the old woman before it fell silent.

Cui Yue’s neck loosened at once, and he hurriedly drew in great gasps of air.

“What a sin, what a sin! You’ve done enough harm already, so why won’t you stop?”

The old woman pointed at the green-clad phantom, her face full of pain and grief.

The ghost gave a few cold laughs, then turned away without another word and departed. In the blink of an eye, it became a pale blur and vanished without a trace.

“Cough, cough... cough, cough.”

Cui Yue lay prostrate on the ground, coughing violently. The searing pain in his chest and abdomen lessened somewhat.

The old woman, trembling on her cane, came over and helped him up, sighing to herself.

“Son, are you all right?”

Cui Yue exhaled long and hard and hurriedly waved a hand, signaling that he was unharmed.

When the old woman saw the small peach-wood sword in Cui Yue’s hand, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she asked urgently, “Young man, this... are you one of those yin-yang masters who catch ghosts and drive off evil?”

Cui Yue quickly tucked the peach-wood sword back into his pocket, his face reddening as he shook his head.

“Thank you so much just now, Granny. I’m not any kind of yin-yang master. This sword was given to me by a friend for protection.”

The old woman’s gaze dimmed. She let out a sigh, waved a hand, and turned as if to go back inside.

“Son, hurry down the mountain. You can’t stay here overnight.”

Cui Yue hastily stepped forward to support her, his mind now full of questions, eager to pour them all out at once.

“Granny, tell me, what exactly was that ghostly shadow just now?”

As soon as the old woman heard him, she quickly covered Cui Yue’s mouth, fear on her face, and said in a low voice, “Shut your mouth. Don’t ask anything. Pretend nothing happened. Don’t delay even a moment—leave the mountain at once. Remember this: never come back to this place again!”

“Why?”

“Son, if you trust me, then be obedient! That thing cannot be provoked, cannot be touched. Once it latches onto you, it follows you through life and death...”

As though recalling something unbearably terrifying, the old woman began to tremble all over.

Cui Yue still wanted to say more, but the old woman shoved him out in one motion, then turned and bolted the door tightly, shutting him outside. No matter how hard he knocked, she would not open up. She had closed her door to all guests.

Cui Yue suddenly felt that something was even more wrong. There might be some hidden secret here. He had nearly lost his life to that green-clad phantom just now, and it seemed this place was truly tainted with something sinister. Judging by the old woman’s warning, that thing was certainly extremely dangerous, and one’s life could be in jeopardy at any moment.

The situation was urgent. With the bespectacled one not by his side, he was no match for it at all. Add Zhang Hao and Da Zhuang, and their fighting strength could practically be ignored. Run!

Cui Yue had no time to think further and bolted at once.

“Zhang Hao, Zhang Hao, hurry, something’s happened!”

Zhang Hao had just swallowed a mouthful of tea when Cui Yue slapped him from behind. The tea nearly shot out of his nose and eyes.

“Cough, cough! Damn you, you bastard, you nearly choked me to death!”

Zhang Hao shot Cui Yue a glare and coughed a few times.

Choked to death? No joke, he really was about to die.

Cui Yue glanced around. There were still a few of Da Zhuang’s relatives nearby, so he instinctively swallowed his words, unable for the moment to figure out how to begin.

“What happened to you? Did a wild boar chase you naked into the village? Huh? Why is your neck so red? Be honest—was some village beauty taking liberties with you?”

Cui Yue nearly exploded in curses. Faced with Zhang Hao, that shameless lecher, he truly had the urge to hack him to pieces every minute.

“You lecherous fool, if anything, I should have dragged you out just now and let you be taken liberties with to your heart’s content!”

At that, Zhang Hao’s face lit with an unmistakably obscene expression. He pointed at Cui Yue, lifted his brows, and wore a look that said it all.

Cui Yue pulled Zhang Hao into a corner and said anxiously, “No time for your nonsense. Where’s Da Zhuang? Why haven’t I seen him?”

“Oh, Da Zhuang? He left a while ago to invite a feng shui master from the neighboring town. He should be back by the second half of the night.”

Cui Yue’s heart sank. Damn it. Of all times, Da Zhuang wasn’t in the village now. He was burning with anxiety.

In a low voice, Cui Yue told Zhang Hao everything that had happened.

At first, Zhang Hao thought Cui Yue was just trying to scare him, but seeing the urgency in his expression, he also realized how serious the matter was. His heart began to pound.

“Brother Cui, you’re sure that thing was real?”

“What nonsense. If you don’t believe me, go take a good look at the stone mill by the village entrance. Maybe you’ll get your wish and be thoroughly ‘taken liberties with.’”

Zhang Hao’s expression stiffened, as if making up his mind after a great struggle. Then he asked in a low voice, “Brother Cui, tell me the truth—does that female ghost really look like you said, fair-skinned, beautiful, and graceful?”

Cui Yue stared at him in astonishment, his eyes fixed on Zhang Hao. He silently lamented that this fellow was truly beyond saving, not even sparing a female ghost.

“You’re not wrong. That thing really is graceful and seductive to look at, kind of bewitching and alluring. Her skin is definitely pale, I can say that much. As for whether her face is actually beautiful... I...”

Zhang Hao was listening with growing excitement, swallowing hard. “And? And?”

His eyes nearly blazed with fire as he craned his neck in anticipation.

“Hmph. That thing doesn’t even have a face. Tell me—is it beautiful or not?”

“Huh? How could that be? Ah...”

Zhang Hao first froze, then let out a soft sigh.

“Whoa, you sound pretty disappointed. Didn’t expect your tastes to be so heavy.”

“Get lost. What nonsense are you spouting?”

Cui Yue shot him a hard glare. I look down on you.

“Enough useless chatter. Think of something quickly. Da Zhuang still hasn’t come back, and from what I can tell, that thing came with ill intent. There’s definitely some major secret behind this!”

“We should leave the village first...” Zhang Hao had barely begun when he saw Cui Yue’s expression darken. He hurriedly changed his tone. “No, leaving first definitely won’t do. How can true brothers be so unloyal? I think the best thing is for us to figure out where that thing came from first. As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll be invincible in a hundred battles. Once we understand its origins, we can treat the cause, not just the symptoms!”

Cui Yue snorted. Fine, at least you’ve finally said something reliable. If you dare abandon us and run again this time, you’ll be in for it.

Cui Yue came back to his senses and looked into the mourning hall. His expression changed in surprise. The hall was utterly empty. Aside from Da Zhuang’s younger sister, Xiao Feng, kneeling before the altar and burning paper offerings, everyone else had somehow left without a trace. Not a single person remained.

Strange.

No matter where one went, the custom was to keep vigil through the night with relatives and friends, mourning the departed and filling the room with living presence. Yet here, before midnight had even arrived, not even half a figure remained.