Unsheathed

Chapter 123: Encounter on a Narrow Path

The blind Daoist priest pointed the tip of his peach wood sword at the female ghost in the red wedding dress, and he asked, "Are you a demon or a ghost?!"

The female ghost lightly twirled the oil-paper umbrella in her hand, and standing alone on the mountain path in the distance, she appeared quite lonely and without any support. After making her way over, her red wedding dress was now already covered in mud. For some unknown reason, she hadn't used her mystical powers to form a dress that could repel dirt and water with the formless miasma in the mountains. It was clear that her bright red wedding dress was made from real silk, and perhaps it had even been made by the dressmakers near this mountain range.

Just then, the female ghost had ripped the skin off her face by swiping her hand down. At this moment, she slowly moved her hand up to once again plaster the skin back on her face, giving her a pale and colorless look. She looked much like a beautiful young woman who belonged in her room awaiting marriage. If it weren't for her sickly complexion, she would actually appear no different from ordinary young women. She was extremely close to the master and his two disciples now, yet even the blind old Daoist priest couldn't sense any demonic energy radiating from her.

In fact, these great demons who possessed high cultivation bases could already wander around human cities without any issues. As long as they didn't purposely approach the city god pavilions or the Wenchang pavilions and martial sage temples, they wouldn't be targeted and suppressed by the forces in these mortal cities. Of course, this was under the prerequisite that they were willing to conceal their demonic aura and suppress their innate desire to kill and cause catastrophes.

The corners of the female ghost's mouth moved slightly. Even though her lips remained unmoving, a voice sounded next to their ears once again.

"Daoist priest, you desire to vanquish demons and fiends to accumulate boundless merit and virtue, and so I came over here to meet with you. I eagerly await your so-called Five Lightning Righteous Technique."

The old Daoist priest was feeling increasingly astonished. The layers of the Inverting Compass in his sleeve wildly fluctuated back and forth. This was a compass that had four internal and external layers in total, corresponding to demons, spirits, Yin entities and ghosts, and mountain gods and river gods. Apart from the layer that corresponded to spirits, the three other layers of the Inverting Compass were all spinning and shaking violently.

This signified that the female ghost before them had an extremely complicated background. When she was still alive, it was extremely likely that she had been a great demon with a powerful cultivation base. After dying, she had transformed into a powerful ghost that was able to rule over a region. However, before comprehensively falling to evil, she had already gained the right to be promoted to a mountain goddess or river goddess.

The blind Daoist priest grumbled in grief in his mind. Compared to the tricky and scheming mountain ghost in Three Twigs Mountain, was this female ghost any weaker? In fact, were they even on the same level? The old Daoist priest did his best to maintain his expression and calm down his heartbeat, lest the female ghost pick up on his nervousness. He slowly lowered his peach wood sword and changed to holding it backward, signaling that he meant no harm.

With a generous smile, he said loudly, "Young Miss, even though your demonic aura is vast, giving you the ability to rule over an entire region, it's a rare pleasure indeed that my observations using my heart's eyes show me that there's little killing intent radiating from your body. You've committed few sins, and even the wisps of resentment circling around you are remnants from many years ago and barely worth a mention. As an itinerant cultivator, I can almost be regarded as a cultivator in the same vein as you, Young Miss. Yet, I've accidentally intruded on your territory and disturbed your cultivation. My apologies, my apologies."

The female ghost who had been gazing up at her oil-paper umbrella the entire time suddenly retracted her gaze and glowered at the traveling Daoist priest who was skilled in wielding lightning techniques. She finally opened her mouth to speak this time, saying, "Young Miss? Can't you see my wedding dress? Call me Lady!"

The female ghost wearing the bright red wedding dress was essentially roaring when she spoke the last three words.

The next instant, heavy rain crashed down and wild winds swept through the mountains.

There was a snap as the female ghost closed her oil-paper umbrella.

She held the umbrella with one hand and lightly stroked it with the other, gently removing the rainwater from its surface. However, her face continued to contort as she looked at the faces of the Daoist priest and his two disciples. "As expected of a blind person... An old and blind person! You can observe a person using your heart's eye, huh? Then let me bring you back to my residence. I'll have you ill-intentioned and bull-nosed[1] old Daoist priest understand what heart-wrenching pain is!"

The old Daoist priest attempted to lighten the mood, sighing and saying, "Milady, is there any need to take things so far? Is there no room to maneuver or relent?"

The female ghost started to slowly walk forward. She walked along the muddy path one step at a time, with one hand holding her oil-paper umbrella and one hand holding up her dress, revealing her soaked and soiled embroidered shoes. With a faint smile on her face, she replied, "Your Daoist cultivation is shallow, yet you still dare to face me with ill intentions. Yes, it's best that you die. Death will definitely be your best option. That way, you won't delay my husband's studies and delay him from passing the imperial exam..."

In the end, the female ghost's voice became nothing more than a soft murmur, with a gentle look also appearing in her eyes. However, her words which were like whispers to herself were completely drowned out by that lashing wind and pouring rain.

"Milady, do you truly insist on fighting to the death with me?" the blind Daoist priest asked with a cold chuckle.

The old Daoist priest had traveled to many places in the past few dozen years, and he had already wandered around almost half of the entire Eastern Treasured Vial Continent. He wasn't someone to be afraid of trouble, so upon seeing things reach this irreparable state, he softly shouted, "Little lame lad, as long as we work together and successfully repel the enemy, I promise you that I'll spare Little Jiu'er from offering me any talisman spring water for an entire year."

The lame young boy nodded in agreement. He reached over to grab the soul-summoning banner that read "subduing demons and capturing ghosts, eliminating fiends and safeguarding Dao", and he said in a solemn voice, "I'm ready."

The old Daoist priest forcefully stomped the ground before placing his index finger and middle fingers together on both hands, forming Daoist finger swords. He then quickly recited a sword spell, eventually finishing with the phrase, "urgent matter that needs immediate resolution".

The soul-summoning banner planted in the ground suddenly opened up from its initially crumpled state, and it was now billowing freely and flapping in the wind. The characters printed on it became pale white, and it was as if these characters were soldiers suited in silver armor and standing on the battlefield awaiting orders from their general. They started to run across the banner and enter formation.

The characters "subduing demons and capturing ghosts" flowed through the banner and entered the wooden pole, eventually traveling through the lame young boy's arms and shoulders and rapidly coursing through his body. In the end, these characters entered the young boy's ears and nose.

His eyes instantly became pure white, and each time he inhaled and exhaled, black smoke would float around his face and orifices.

The lame young boy clenched his hands into fists before tilting his head and unleashing a furious roar at the sky. His body became wreathed in black smoke, and the pea-sized raindrops surprisingly evaporated when they arrived within one meter of his head.

Compared to the female ghost who was concealing her Yin energy, the lame young boy appeared even more like a Yin entity or ghost who would devour innocent mortal humans.

The female ghost had been observing the round-faced little girl the entire time, and only when the lame young boy started to furiously charge at her did she finally turn to look at the relieved old Daoist priest. "Such a massive disappointment," she said calmly. "In fact, this can't even be regarded as a heretical path. Instead, it can only be categorized as a pathetic and crooked path. Sinners who accuse others of wrongdoing shouldn't be granted death. Instead, they should be granted life that's even more torturous than death."

The lame young boy arrived before the female ghost in a flash, and he leaped high into the air before throwing a kick at her head.

The female ghost didn't dodge, nor did she try to block his attack. One of her hands remained holding up her dress with two fingers the entire time, and her figure was graceful as she directly walked forward.

There was a loud thump.

The female ghost's head was "dragged out with its roots" and sent flying to someplace down the mountain.

However, the headless female ghost continued to advance forward.

After landing, the lame young boy once again whipped his leg at the headless female ghost, this time striking her waist.

Using the back of her hand that was holding the oil-paper umbrella, the female ghost lightly blocked the waist-severing kick of the lame young boy that carried immense force.

The lame young boy's attack was surprisingly unable to move the female ghost's hand a single inch.

However, borrowing the powerful reaction force, the young boy performed a twist in mid-air before throwing a palm strike at the female ghost's heart. "Subduing demons!" he roared in a solemn voice.

The silver characters "subduing demons" materialized on the back of the young boy's hand before automatically dismantling themselves one stroke at a time. In the end, these strokes gathered together to transform into a short silver sword that was brimming with killing intent. Enveloped in azure-white light, the short silver sword shot out from his hand and thrust at the female ghost's heart.

The female ghost raised her hand and pinched the sharp flying sword that was just about to pierce through her bright red wedding dress with two fingers.

The flying sword that measured only a foot long rang and shuddered violently.

"So be it if I lose my head," the female ghost said unhurriedly. "However, this wedding dress definitely can't be damaged. It can be washed if it becomes dirty, but mending it after it becomes damaged will render it no longer beautiful. Otherwise, why does my husband always tease my needlework...?"

The lame young boy almost immediately followed his palm strike up with an uppercut. However, he didn't shout the words "capturing ghosts". Even so, a flying sword still formed from the characters on the banner and shot out from his fist. His expression was awkward and stiff, but the lame young boy definitely wasn't a slow-witted fool.

Lashing out to kill his enemy, the lame young boy used both open and concealed attacks.

A deafening roar suddenly exploded at this moment, bellowing, "Lowly ghost, this Daoist priest is going to enforce justice on behalf of the heavens! You might be missing your head, but I'm still going to blast your soul with bolts of furious lightning!"

A bolt of white lightning crashed down from 30 or so meters above the mountain path.

The female ghost didn't let go of her oil-paper umbrella. With her other hand, she first pinched the "subduing demons" flying sword with her index finger and thumb before raising her hand slightly and catching the "capturing ghosts" flying sword with her ring finger and pinky.

With a graceful thrust, she then slammed her elbow into the lame young boy's head, sending him flying back and crashing into the muddy mountain path, where he slid for another three meters before finally coming to a stop.

The female ghost raised her oil-paper umbrella and opened it with a soft snap.

The bolt of white lightning crashed into her umbrella, creating brilliant sparks.

Exerting slightly more force with her four fingers as she stood under the oil-paper umbrella, the female ghost forcefully snapped the two flying swords in half. After falling to the ground, the shattered swords transformed into two puddles of silver liquid before quickly mixing together with the mud.

With a wave of her hand, the female ghost's head flew back and reattached itself to her neck. Her veins and flesh knitted back together, and it wasn't long before she recovered her original appearance.

Using her free hand, she removed a few blades of green grass from her hair.

"Again!"

The blind old Daoist priest's heart shuddered, and he knew that he would have no chance if he didn't unleash his full power and fight as if his life depended on it. He took a deep breath, and his expression became dignified as a faint yellow glow enveloped his body.

He lifted one foot off the ground, and he pulled a fist back and heavily hammered it against his abdomen. Meanwhile, he raised his other palm to the sky, causing his sleeves to slide down and reveal a string of sanguine symbols on his elbow.

"A breath forms clouds and rain, a smile summons thunder and lightning! Recite atop clouds, immortals point the way!" the old Daoist priest recited in a solemn voice.

The female ghost pursed her lips. As she walked past the severely wounded young boy with her oil-paper umbrella still in hand, she casually raised a foot to kick him aside, annoyed that he was blocking the path. The young boy flew down the mountain, yet he immediately vanished from mid-air.

The round-faced little girl went crazy, and she used the small silver blade to cut her palms and arms before chaotically smearing blood all over her face. After doing this, she charged at the female ghost to fight her to the death.

However, the little girl forgot that it was pouring rain at this moment. Moreover, she didn't have the immortal power to maintain the spiritual energy of the talismanic symbols like the old Daoist priest. Thus, her face was already washed clean by the time she arrived in front of the female ghost. All that remained was rainwater that continued to slide down her face. Meanwhile, her blood had already been washed away.

The female ghost threw a casual slap, striking the little girl's face and immediately sending her soaring through the air. Like the lame young boy, she quickly vanished from mid-air.

Afterward, a bolt of white lightning that was as wide as a bucket would crash down at the female ghost for each step that she took. After smashing into her oil-paper umbrella, the bolts of white lightning would explode apart and send arcs of electricity crackling into the surroundings.

If someone were to gaze at this mountain from a distance right now, they would see arcs of white lightning snaking down from not high up in mid-air before exploding apart in a brilliant manner in the mountain forest.

————

Initially a light but dreary drizzle that could be navigated with bamboo hats on their head, the rain suddenly transformed into a torrential downpour without any warning. It was extremely difficult to continue forward.

When Chen Ping'an suggested that they find a place to shelter from the rain, Lin Shouyi held his bamboo hat with one hand to prevent the relentless rain from pushing it crooked before saying in a serious voice, "Something's not right."

Li Huai grabbed Li Baoping's sleeves and shouted, "I'm a bit scared!"

"Isn't Senior Yin god a ghost as well? What are you afraid of?" Li Baoping said, educating the little boy.

"Oh, you're right!" Li Huai exclaimed, with his eyes lighting up.

He then turned around to issue an instruction to the white donkey trailing behind Lin Shouyi, "Little white donkey, don't get lost."

The donkey snorted in reply.

The Yin god appeared beside Chen Ping'an, and it told him in a hoarse voice, "There's a female ghost watching over the mountains and rivers of this place. She's exchanging blows with the old Daoist priest right now, and if everything goes as expected, then it's almost certain that she'll achieve victory. Her origin is unclear, but what's clear is the fact that her cultivation base is quite high. If it were during normal times and at another location, then I could indeed capture her with no problem. However, at this time and in this place... It's unlikely that I'll succeed."

The Yin god carefully scanned the surroundings before explaining, "The formal mountain gods and river gods listed in the Mountain and Sea Genealogical Record all have their own mountains and territories or areas of jurisdiction. When they fight with others in their territory, they'll naturally gain a clear advantage due to having the favor of the surrounding heaven and earth.

"Apart from these areas, there can indeed be powerful demons or fiends in the mountains and rivers not assigned formal gods by the imperial court. However, it will be impossibly difficult for them to create territories that are similar to Confucian schools and academies, Daoist temples and blessed lands, or Militarian ancient battlefield ruins. These aren't things that can be created with a powerful cultivation base alone. On top of that, one also needs to have immense fated opportunities. However, the heavens have never favored Yin entities like me, so how can it be easy to openly rule over a piece of land akin to how mortal empires rule over provinces and cities?"

"Senior Yin god was definitely a scholar when he was alive," Li Huai murmured to himself in a timid manner.

The Yin god's voice became solemn and low, and he pointed at the mountain path underfoot before continuing, "I have very bad news for you. The ruling female ghost here is already no inferior to mountain gods. In fact, it's even possible that she's enjoying the power of a river guardian at the same time. Everything about her exudes a sense of strangeness.

"Also, the path that you're walking was put under a mystical ability by the female ghost from the very beginning. Right now, you're walking on a 'path to the underworld' that she secretly laid. I'm a Yin entity, so I can naturally enter and exit this path as I please. However, it's possible that I might severely wound your physical bodies and souls if I try to forcefully lead you out of this path."

"Senior Yin god, since you're unable to defeat her, and since we're unable to leave this path, what else can we do?" Lin Shouyi asked in a calm and composed voice.

"We'll discuss this when she appears. Rest assured, I definitely won't allow her to injure any of you," the Yin god replied in a solemn voice.

The Yin god felt slightly guilty and remorseful. He regretted the fact that he had chosen to forge forward against the aura of righteousness just then. Even though this would greatly benefit his cultivation in the future, to an inestimable degree no less, the problem was that it had temporarily reduced his cultivation to just 75 or so percent of what it had originally been. And now, they had also fallen for the female ghost's trap. In fact, it was extremely likely that her target had always been Chen Ping'an and the others to begin with, not the blind old Daoist priest and his two disciples.

The white paper lanterns that hovered above several kilometers of the mountain path were nothing more than bait to lure them over.

The Yin god's expression was complicated. The cultivation base of the blind old Daoist priest wasn't especially high, yet his tongue was truly as barbed as could be.

"All of you, stand behind me," the Yin god said.

It wasn't long before the Yin god reached the front of the group.

Chen Ping'an and Lin Shouyi stood directly behind him, with one to the left and one to the right.

Chen Ping'an had already swapped his machete out for Auspicious Talisman, while Lin Shouyi's hands were resting by his sides, with a paper talisman in each of his sleeves.

Li Baoping and Li Huai stood behind them.

At the very end of the group was the white donkey, which was stomping the ground in slight irritation and unease, sending mud flying everywhere.

A female ghost wearing a red wedding dress and holding an oil-paper umbrella slowly walked over from the distance. She was dragging the blind old Daoist priest by the leg using her other hand, and she finally came to a stop when she arrived a dozen or so meters in front of Chen Ping'an and the others. One after another, countless lanterns lit up above the mountain path. This was the same case even behind Chen Ping'an and his companions. Orbs of soft red glow cast a red sheen over everyone's face.

The female ghost tossed the old Daoist priest between them, and it was unknown whether he was alive or dead. There was a look of "delighted surprise" on her face, and she used her finger to count them before saying, "Oh, so many esteemed guests. One, two, three. There are three scholars as well. Hmm, which one of you is a virtuous Confucian? My husband once made the resolve to become a virtuous gentleman so that he could bring peace to the lands and people. You people are so young, yet you've already managed to achieve my husband's long-cherished ambition."

Chen Ping'an wanted to step forward, yet the Yin god shook his head and said in a quiet voice, "There's no rush."

The female ghost cocked her head and looked left and right, sizing up the three children who were carrying small bamboo bookcases. "My husband often said that only those with upstanding character can be genuinely regarded as scholars. Thus, I'll ask my subordinates to invite the passing scholars to my place whenever I yearn for my husband who's yet to return from his distant journey. I'll lavish them with beautiful maidservants, the only existing copies of ancient books, and thousand-year-old guqins[2]. I enjoy listening to them make their pledges of undying love, and their artful manner of uttering these proclamations of love are ones that can only be achieved by scholars who have filled themselves with the knowledge of poems and books."

After saying this, the female ghost focused her attention on the Yin god and continued with a faint smile, "Senior Yin god, you're truly out of luck this time. If it were a few years ago, then I definitely wouldn't have dared to show myself before you. "

She lowered her head and laughed softly with her hand covering her mouth. There was affection in her eyes, and she murmured to herself, "It's indeed not good for women to show their faces in public."

However, her deathly pale face appeared far too creepy under the soft illumination of the lanterns.

Li Huai stuck his head out to take a glance, yet he was so terrified that his legs immediately started to shiver.

The female ghost smiled and asked, "It's been far too long since I've chatted with anyone, so I really couldn't help myself just then. You guys don't mind, do you?"

She remembered something, and she gently closed her oil-paper umbrella.

At almost the exact same moment, the torrential downpour suddenly came to a stop. Not a single drop of rain remained in the sky.

"Dare I ask, milady, what eventually happens to the scholars who are invited to your residence?" Lin Shouyi asked with a smile.

The female ghost started to walk forward again, with the smile vanishing from her face. "Them? In the end, I'll cut these scholars who have betrayed their promises in half at the waist. After helping them stop their bleeding, I'll plant them in my garden.

"Because I want to know whether these so-called scholars that my husband always talked about will also bloom in the soil. Will they also yield fruitful results?

"However, they always leave me bitterly disappointed. They merely transform into racks of dry bone. However, maybe it's because these people can't be regarded as genuine scholars yet. So, your arrival here truly filled me with immense happiness."

Lin Shouyi's expression was livid.

Li Baoping shook in anger.

Meanwhile, Li Huai decided to simply cover his ears and mumble, "I'm not listening, I'm not listening..."

"I used to like scholars in the past. However, I detest disloyal people the most!"

The female ghost slowly looked up. There were tears of blood trickling from her eyes.

Those who became obsessed in love would always suffer disappointment and betrayal.

Streaks of blood started to slide down from the top of the white paper lanterns that were hovering in mid-air above the mountain path. In the end, the lanterns were all extinguished.

"In the end, I finally realized that there's not a single scholar in the world who isn't a disloyal person..."

The female ghost's face was covered in blood. She casually tossed her oil-paper umbrella aside, the umbrella that had once been the token of love between her and her husband. She covered her face with both hands, and the aggrieved sobs that she tried so hard to suppress softly seeped out from between her fingers.

"Husband, I don't blame you... Please come back..."

1. Because Daoists focus on inhalation and exhalation, they're sometimes referred to as bull-nosed Daoist priests. Another reason could be due to their Daoist hat looking like an upturned bull's nose. One final reason might pertain to the fact that Laozi once rode an ox during his travels. ☜

2. Guqin is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument traditionally favored by scholars. ☜