Noon.
In a restaurant nestled amidst green mountains and clear waters, Lin Zhao was dining with Qing Yan. The table was laden with dishes: soy-marinated beef, roast chicken, stir-fried asparagus, stir-fried green beans, and a bowl of fish soup – quite a feast. Their donkey grazed contentedly on the grass outside, its tail swishing. Lin Zhao poured himself a cup of green bamboo wine. After a bite of soy-marinated beef, he savored the wine, feeling thoroughly content.
"Brother," Qing Yan's large, clear eyes blinked up at him. "What does wine taste like?"
"Would you like to try?" Lin Zhao poured her a cup as well, smiling. "If you wish to be a refined young lady in the future, you may drink little. But if Qing Yan, you aspire to be a wandering female knight, a sword immortal on the mountains, or a martial warrior, then wine might become indispensable. It's fine to taste it early. Just one cup; you're still young and shouldn't drink too much."
"Okay." Qing Yan picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp. Instantly, her features contorted, and she sat there covering her face for a long moment. When she finally lowered her hands, she said softly, "Brother, the taste of wine is truly not very good…"
"You'll get used to it, and then you won't be able to do without it," Lin Zhao said, downing cup after cup with the air of a roguish traveler.
...
After the meal, he led the donkey and Qing Yan onward. Having promised Qing Yan to spend the entire day with her, he couldn't be lazy. They continued their journey. The scenery along the official road was exceptionally beautiful, with grass growing tall and swallows flitting about.
Evening.
A small town appeared in the distance: Peach Blossom Town. It was said to be one of the larger towns in the eastern reaches of the ancient Shu Kingdom. However, as Lin Zhao and Qing Yan entered the town after sunset, they found it strangely unsettling. As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, the households in the town had closed their doors. Even the eateries and taverns were shuttered. Furthermore, each house's door and window were adorned with talismans meant to ward off ghosts. Yet, though these talismans bore inscriptions, they lacked the crucial "spirit core," making them mere clumsy attempts by novice Daoists. They might deter minor spirits and specters, but against anything with even a modicum of cultivation, they were as useless as waste paper.
"Brother," Qing Yan, who had begun walking on her own after entering the town, held Lin Zhao's left hand. "Why is no one in the town?"
"I don't know. It's very peculiar." Lin Zhao stopped Qing Yan in front of an eatery and gently knocked on the door. "Shopkeeper, we're passing through Peach Blossom Town on our journey and need a place to stay for the night. We'll pay."
From within, a shop assistant's voice trembled as he held a peach wood sword. "The master… the master is already asleep. I can't make decisions on my own. Esteemed guest, perhaps you should try another place!"
"Boy," Lin Zhao frowned. "Why are you so afraid? Is there a haunting in the town?"
"Esteemed guest!" the shop assistant stammered. "If you know, why do you still come? Moreover, being outside, how dare you even mention that word? Hurry and leave. You can still make it out now and perhaps avoid being entangled. If you're slow, you'll regret it, and needlessly lose your life!"
"..." Lin Zhao nodded. "Understood. Thank you for the reminder."
He turned and smiled at Qing Yan. "Let's stay here for a bit and help the townspeople drive away the ghosts and avert disaster. What do you say?"
"Okay!" Qing Yan smiled and nodded.
At the town entrance.
A large well stood by the roadside, the primary source of water for the townspeople. As Lin Zhao and Qing Yan passed by, they heard intermittent sobbing coming from the ancient well. The cries were heart-wrenching. Qing Yan couldn't help but grip Lin Zhao's hand tightly, daring not to let go. The donkey, too, perked up its ears, looking thoroughly spooked.
There was something strange about this ancient well; the aura of a wronged soul was extremely heavy! Lin Zhao looked up and immediately saw a series of incredibly pale faces staring back at him, their eyes showing only the whites, devoid of pupils, looking at Lin Zhao with a sinister gaze: "Come down and keep me company. I am the most beautiful woman in this town. Come down and keep me company…"
"..." Lin Zhao met their gaze for a few seconds and then looked away. Truly unsightly.
He led Qing Yan and the donkey onward. Ahead lay a stone bridge, on which a figure shuffled along. It was a withered old woman clutching a desiccated infant corpse, weeping and looking at Lin Zhao. "My grandchild is asleep. Can you help me wake him? Please, help me wake my grandchild…"
Lin Zhao frowned, his grip on Qing Yan's hand tightening, and he brushed past the old woman.
Beyond the bridge, mournful cries could be heard. When Lin Zhao looked down, he saw a pale, swollen youth standing by the river, calling out to him: "Is there no kind soul to help me? I've soaked many people in the water. Please pull me out…"
Qing Yan gritted her teeth. Lin Zhao, however, remained unfazed. As a ninth-realm Sword Immortal, was he afraid of these mere first or second-realm ghosts and specters? After all, the so-called ghosts and spirits were ultimately driven by spiritual energy. How could the spiritual energy of a ninth-realm Sword Cultivator be compared to these phantoms? Still, Lin Zhao didn't directly use his talismans to disperse them. After all, such an act was not in line with the Confucian philosophy, and the principles of being human or a ghost were not meant to be treated so lightly.
He continued forward. With his sharp hearing and keen sight, Lin Zhao soon noticed a fortune teller in a house to his left, frowning. Beside him, a burly man with a thick beard shivered under a quilt.
"Is that shrew still yapping?" the burly man asked.
"Hmph," the fortune teller scoffed. "Since you know fear, why did you do evil in the first place? She was the most beautiful woman in town, admired by many men. She could have married into a good family, but you forcibly defiled her and dumped her body in the ancient well. Now she's become a specter, and you know fear? The authorities can't find you, but the spirits and gods of this world see all."
"Shut up!" The burly man's face was filled with anger. "If you weren't my elder brother, I would have cleaved you down with a single blow long ago. See if you dare to spout nonsense!"
"Bang!" The door of the house was suddenly kicked open. Lin Zhao strode in, raising his hand. With a hum, the Great Wilderness Ancient Sword was pointed directly at the burly man's forehead. The surging sword intent pinned the man to the bedside, leaving him unable to move. The fortune teller let out a wry smile. "Is the young hero here to uphold justice?"
"Indeed." Lin Zhao smiled brilliantly. "I am an outsider, so I am unaware of the situation. Since you are a local, sir, I would like to ask, the wronged soul in the ancient well—is she the work of your brother, correct?"
"..." The fortune teller didn't want to nod. If he nodded, his brother would be doomed. But under Lin Zhao's gaze, he couldn't avoid it and could only nod slightly. "Precisely."
"Good." Lin Zhao smiled and asked, "What about the old woman with the desiccated infant on the stone bridge?"
The fortune teller said, "That is Granny Ma from town. She only had one son and a daughter-in-law. Her daughter-in-law gave birth to three daughters consecutively. Granny Ma was also heartless. To force her daughter-in-law to have a grandson, she secretly smothered all three granddaughters. Her daughter-in-law was a strong-willed woman. After giving birth to a male infant on her fourth try, she hanged herself, saying she was sorry to her three daughters and would repay them with her own life. The male infant also died not long after birth. The townspeople said this family had committed too many sins and incurred divine wrath. Granny Ma's son drank poison and died after his wife. Only Granny Ma remained. She clutched her long-deceased grandson, set fire to her house, and died in the flames. Now her spirit often comes out to haunt people, filled with resentment."
"It's their own doing, and they still have the audacity to feel resentment?" Lin Zhao frowned. "What do you think, sir?"
The fortune teller smiled. "Actually, I also think they got what they deserved."
"And the youth in the river?"
"That one…" The fortune teller said, "That's the son of the Zhang family. He drowned while swimming in the river a few years ago. His body was never found. Some say he sank deep into the mud and couldn't be located. So he's appeared repeatedly since then."
"Understood." Lin Zhao spread his five fingers, firmly gripping the burly man's head. "I'm going to drive away the ghosts. Do you want to watch, sir?"
"Alright…" The fortune teller smiled. "I've spent my life telling fortunes. This time, I'll watch someone who can discern heaven's will and determine fate. That would be good…" In truth, the fortune teller had long realized that Lin Zhao's cultivation was extremely high; he was one of those legendary immortals from the mountains. The local government of the town had repeatedly begged the imperial court to send mountain immortals to drive away the ghosts, but no one had come. Those esteemed figures from the mountains disdained to meddle in such mundane affairs. Now, finally, someone who didn't mind being meddlesome had arrived.
...
Beneath the stone bridge.
Lin Zhao, Qing Yan, the fortune teller, the donkey, and the burly man stood by the river. Looking down at the small river, the soul of the drowned youth was nearby, his eyes wide open. "Big brother, will you help me?"
"Yes!" Lin Zhao smiled. "I'll help you be laid to rest. Don't rush."
"Mm-hmm!" The youth, despite his spectral appearance and hideous grin, still smiled. "Thank you, big brother!"
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and drew a tracking talisman across the spectral youth's front, then set it alight. The tracking talisman instantly turned into a blazing flame that shot downstream, landing in a patch of reeds.
"So the body drifted downstream," the fortune teller realized with a sudden understanding.
Lin Zhao said, "Sir, during the daytime tomorrow, you can find people to excavate here. Once the body is unearthed, place it in a coffin and have his family bury him properly."
"All right," the fortune teller nodded.
"Big brother…" The spectral youth looked at Lin Zhao, mimicking the gesture of martial artists, and cupped his fist lightly. "Thank you. May your life be smooth and your good deeds be rewarded."
"Go," Lin Zhao smiled and nodded. "Hurry and reincarnate, and don't scare people anymore. If you have the chance in your next life, come out and roam the martial world like me!"
"Okay!" The youth smiled, and his soul slowly dispersed in the wind.
...
On the stone bridge.
The old woman, clutching the infant corpse, stared intently at Lin Zhao and his companions. "Can you wake my grandson?! If not, then you all will die!"
"Clang!" Lin Zhao raised his hand and drew his sword, Li Quan. His eyes held a faint anger. "Your grandson is your descendant, but is your granddaughter not? You heartless old beast, having caused the deaths of so many loved ones, what right do you have to complain and lament here? Vanish completely!"
He thrust his sword forward!
"Boom—" Beneath the heavenly might of a sword that could slay immortals, even immortals could be cut down. How much less a mere first-realm specter standing before him? The old woman's figure was instantly shredded by the sword energy, completely vanishing from heaven and earth, leaving not even a wisp of a residual soul.
Eighth chapter complete. Brothers, vote for recommendations!