Every time they passed through a place, they would ask the local well-informed people about strange rumours and anecdotes… Xu Qi’an considered this, apart from directly trying to detect Dragon Qi, to be a rather effective approach.
Every Dragon Qi host was an extraordinary character, always keen to flaunt their abilities in public and cause a stir wherever they went, seizing all the attention.
However, depending on the richness of their Dragon Qi, the commotion they caused would also differ greatly. Some had Dragon Qi strong enough to shake an entire city, while others could only become the flashiest person on a given street.
Moreover, these were troubled times, with unrest everywhere. There were bound to be all sorts of mishaps and disturbances.
Li Lingsu smiled and said, “Go on then, what interesting stories have you heard?”
Miao Youfang, chewing on his chopsticks in a lazy manner, added, “The rules of the jianghu: when monsters and ghosts cause trouble, it’s called a ‘strange affair’, when villains from the jianghu rob and pillage, it’s called a ‘calamity’, when local landlords and officials commit adultery and oppress the people, it’s called ‘outrageous conduct’.”
“Senior, you’re asking about the first one.”
Xu Qi’an was surprised, “There’s such a distinction?”
He glanced at Li Lingsu, who was equally astonished and indicated this was the first he had heard of it.
Seeing this, Miao Youfang immediately felt quite pleased with himself and, shaking his head, explained, “You two are figures who stand far above the common folk, naturally you wouldn’t know much about the sayings and norms at the bottom rungs of the jianghu.”
After speaking, he noticed Mu Nanzhi shrinking closer to Xu Qi’an, her expression showing some fear.
Earlier, Xu Qi’an had asked if there had been any ‘strange affairs’.
The inn’s waiter replied: yes!
This meant that there had recently been several cases of monsters or ghosts causing trouble in this small county town.
Mu Nanzhi was most afraid of such supernatural things. Even with a beyond-mortal martial artist by her side, she did not feel secure.
Being watched silently by the customers, the inn’s waiter first glanced at the door to make sure no new guests were entering, then sat down next to Miao Youfang and said:
“It all started about a month ago. There was a man in the county called Li Gui, whose wife had died.
“Now, death is a common thing, normally nothing to remark on. But who would have thought that on the seventh night, Li Gui heard someone knocking at the door in the middle of the night. Li Gui, half-asleep, asked who it was.
“The person outside said she was his wife, wanting to come home to sleep, and even questioned why he had locked the door.
“Li Gui, not fully awake at the time, got up to open the door. But as he reached it, he suddenly remembered that his wife was dead, how could she possibly return?
“He was terrified, ran back to bed, and hid under his covers, not daring to poke his head out.
“Li Gui’s wife kept knocking at the door outside, asking him over and over why he would not let her in, repeating the same thing again and again.
“She kept at it until dawn, when the rooster crowed and the knocking finally stopped.”
Mu Nanzhi shivered, imagining herself alone at night and a man came to knock on her door, claiming to be Xu Qi’an, dead for seven days…
Her face instantly turned pale.
Xu Qi’an wasn’t aware that, in Mu Nanzhi’s imagination, he had become her ghostly husband. He asked, “What happened next?”
The inn’s waiter continued, “The next day, Li Gui reported it to the authorities, but they thought he was making things up. They gave him a beating and threw him out. That night, Li Gui’s wife came knocking again.
“This time, after a while of knocking without response, she crouched outside the window, peering into the house, and stayed like that the entire night…”
Mu Nanzhi was so frightened she froze, the little white fox in her arms nearly suffocating as she hugged it tight, its legs flailing wildly.
Miao Youfang, thoroughly engaged, queried, “How do you know she was crouching outside the window all night? Why do you know it in such detail?”
The inn’s waiter grinned, “It’s not over yet. After the rooster crowed, Li Gui’s wife left. Having been frightened for two days running, Li Gui decided enough was enough. Furious, he worked up his courage and…”
Miao Youfang interrupted, “Then he went to the authorities again?”
The waiter was momentarily lost for words, licked his lips, and forced a polite yet awkward smile: “A very fine wit, sir. But reporting to the authorities doesn’t require much courage…”
He paused, then looked solemn and spoke in a low voice: “He called some friends and went to dig up the grave.”
Mu Nanzhi whispered, “Did the corpse disappear?”
The inn’s waiter shook his head: “No, it wasn’t that. Li Gui and his friends dug up the grave, and found his wife lying perfectly still in her coffin. The body had already started to decay slightly.
“Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and scolded Li Gui for his nonsense. Receiving a beating from the authorities wasn’t undeserved. After all, the corpse was still in the coffin. Surely she couldn’t have climbed out during the night to scare him, then reburied herself before dawn?”
When Mu Nanzhi heard it wasn’t the work of ghosts, she lost her fear, and punched the air, “Li Gui is unfilial, making a spectacle of his dead wife.”
The inn’s waiter looked grave and shook his head: “Madam, please be patient and let me finish.
“Faced with everyone’s doubts and what he saw himself, Li Gui began to wonder if he had imagined the entire ordeal.
“But he was certain his senses were clear. So he carefully examined his wife’s corpse, and guess what he discovered?”
This waiter did have a talent for storytelling, knowing exactly when to build suspense, his facial expressions and gestures adding to the atmosphere. Xu Qi’an thought that if he weren’t so used to getting stories for free, he might have tossed the man a reward.
“What did he discover?”
A childish voice piped up from Mu Nanzhi’s chest, it was the little white fox.
The waiter looked around blankly: “Who spoke?”
As his gaze was about to linger on the princess consort’s ample chest, Xu Qi’an pressed his face back with a hand and indifferently said, “Continue.”
Mu Nanzhi took the opportunity to pinch the little white fox’s bottom, warning the little thing not to butt into the conversation.
Otherwise, there would be yet another ‘strange incident’ in the small county town today.
The waiter responded obsequiously and continued:
“Li Gui discovered that his wife’s shoes were covered in mud.
“Just think, the body was lying in the coffin, so how could her shoes get muddy? Unless…”
He said in a sinister tone, “The corpse could walk on its own.”
Mu Nanzhi lowered her head to drink tea, trying to conceal her inner fear.
If I told you the story of ‘A Wicked Ghost’1 tonight, wouldn’t you be so frightened that you’d immediately want to share a bed with me… Xu Qi’an muttered inwardly.
By this point, Li Lingsu and Miao Youfang had already concluded that the story the waiter told was exaggerated.
It was not even half true and half false, but rather nine parts false to one part true.
Seeing that the guests looked disbelieving, the waiter snickered confidently:
“Are you all not convinced?
“Many outsiders don’t believe it at first, but in the end, they all come round.”
The experienced Miao Youfang raised his eyebrows: “Oh, there’s more to the story?”
The waiter tapped his finger on the table like a storyteller striking a wooden block and said:
“After Li Gui raised his doubts, his relatives and friends became scared as well, hurriedly buried the grave, and ran home. Not long after, the story spread around the county.
“Then, an old woman claiming to be a soothsayer sought out Li Gui and told him that his wife could not rest in peace because she had offended the temple god.
“The soothsayer said that Li Gui’s wife had been disrespectful to the temple god while alive, which led to her misfortune and that she would continue to suffer after death, never to find release. It would even bring calamity upon her family.
“Li Gui was enlightened after hearing this and recalled something from his wife’s life.
“Back when his wife was alive, she once went to visit her mother and, on her return to the city, was caught in a heavy rain and sheltered in the City God Temple.
“The City God Temple had long been abandoned. After getting drenched by the rain, Li Gui’s wife burned one of the wooden effigies from the temple for warmth.
“After that, her health declined, and after she was bedridden, she woke every night from nightmares, claiming to see little spirits coming to fetch her soul. Li Gui thought she was delirious and just having bad dreams.”
The waiter continued:
“Only then did Li Gui realise that his wife had offended the temple god and asked the soothsayer for help.
“The soothsayer told him to remake a statue for the little spirit and offer incense for three days, and the misfortune could be resolved. So Li Gui emptied his savings to rebuild the statue and even renovated the City God Temple.
“Since then, his wife never came to trouble him again.
“Now the City God Temple’s lively, with people burning incense every day. It’s said to be effective, whatever you pray for, you receive. And those who show disrespect to the deity have all suffered punishment.”
Li Lingsu smiled and asked, “How effective is it then?”
The waiter looked around and lowered his voice:
“Funny you should ask, I happen to know something about that. Boss Zheng from the rouge shop on Guanghua Street is devout. Because another shop opened opposite and took away his business, he went to the City God Temple to curse the rival and ask for their ruin.
“That very night, the rival shop’s boss hanged himself at home.”
Miao Youfang’s thick eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Li Lingsu, however, kept smiling and asked, “How do you know this? Did Boss Zheng tell you himself?”
“He really did!”
The waiter’s voice grew even lower: “A few days ago, Boss Zheng got drunk here and let it slip inadvertently.”
Li Lingsu frowned, putting away his smile. “So why didn’t you report it to the authorities?”
The waiter asked in surprise, “Why would I report it? Never mind whether the government cares or not, what does it have to do with me? If I offended the temple god, my life would be over!”
At this, Xu Qi’an knocked on the table and said coolly:
“Enough, go and serve the food.”
“Right away!”
The waiter, having indulged himself, left satisfied.
Once he had disappeared from the hall, Xu Qi’an pondered aloud:
“This doesn’t sound like something a Dragon Qi host would do.”
It was too bizarre and outlandish.
Li Lingsu asked, “So, should we intervene?”
Before Xu Qi’an could reply, Miao Youfang interrupted:
“Of course we should. If someone is murdered, the killer must pay with their life. After we eat, let’s go to the City God Temple for a look. Besides, I want to see just how divine this temple god really is.”
Xu Qi’an nodded and looked at the Holy Son. “What do you think of Li Gui’s experience?”
Li Lingsu understood what he was really being asked:
“It can’t be a vengeful ghost causing mischief. The souls of ordinary people are weak, before the seventh day they’re muddle-headed, and after the seventh day dissipate like smoke, unless someone skilled in Daoist arts refines the soul.
“But the waiter just said it was the corpse causing trouble, so I think it’s some kind of corpse-controlling method. Or shall we dig up the grave and do an autopsy?”
After saying this, Li Lingsu suddenly realised why Xu Qi’an had become so famous in the capital, because he liked meddling in other people’s business.
Just like Li Miaozhen could become Lady Flying Swallow.
By comparison, Brother Yang was not so persistent in such matters.
Xu Qi’an smiled and asked, “But to what end? All that trouble, just to rebuild the City God Temple?”
Li Lingsu looked thoughtful.
After the meal, they asked the waiter for directions to the City God Temple, then Xu Qi’an and his group left the small county town.
1999 Hong Kong horror movie ↩
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