Night draped over the land like water.
The jade rabbit rose in the east, and ink-stained dark clouds drifted by, obscuring most of the moon’s disc.
Vast shadows fell over Dingyuan County, like a heavy black curtain.
“Clack! Clack! The second watch has struck!”
“Dry weather and parched timber!”
“Beware of fires and candles!”
The alleys and lanes of Dingyuan County intertwined and the wards connected in a messy, maze-like sprawl.
In the dead of night, only the night watchmen accustomed to their well-worn paths could navigate by the flicker of their handheld lanterns.
High above, a night bird screeched a few more times.
Old Zheng, the night watchman, was fifty-three years old, an old widower who had lost his wife in his early years.
Now, as long as he ate his fill, the whole family was fed.
Every day after finishing his watch, Old Zheng would head to a shop in the south of the county for a hot bowl of noodle soup, then buy a jug of wine, two liang of marinated goose, and two side dishes from a tavern.
After a wonderful sleep, he would wake up to eat and drink in the evening breeze—a life so comfortable he wouldn’t trade it to become an immortal.
“Clack! Clack! The second watch has struck!”
“Dry weather and parched timber! Beware of fires and candles...”
Old Zheng struck his wooden clapper, walking forward along his familiar route.
Just then, a cool breeze blew in, parting the clouds to reveal the moon and causing the candle flame in his lantern to flicker.
Old Zheng felt as if sand had gotten under his eyelids. Just as he reached up to rub them, he saw a veiled young woman standing at the end of the road:
“Giggle.”
The maiden had a graceful, curvaceous figure. Though her features were hidden, her delicate veil fluttered, wafting waves of sweet fragrance:
“Come here.”
“Come over here.”
Old Zheng swallowed hard, wondering if she was a courtesan from some brothel:
“Which establishment are you from, miss? Did you lose your way? It’s chilly at night, you should hurry back!”
The young woman swayed her hips as she slowly drew near, a pair of soul-captivating large eyes fluttering behind the veil:
“Come look at me... look at me...”
The almost coquettish tone addled Old Zheng’s senses. As if possessed by a ghost, he reached out and lifted the veil—
Beneath the veil, a bloody maw bristling with sharp teeth opened slightly. The woman’s voice remained enchantingly flirtatious as a fuzzy, bright red face filled Old Zheng’s vision:
“Look at me—do I look like a human, or a god?”
“Aaaaargh!!!”
Old Zheng’s bloodcurdling shriek pierced the sky, startling awake half of Dingyuan County.
...
“Eldest Sister, do you have free time today?”
Curled up on the sofa wearing a sheet mask, Nan Zhi watched her game character also sitting cross-legged in meditation on the tablet beside her.
Above its head, the green experience bar was creeping up at an excruciatingly slow pace.
On the screen, Nan Ye sat by the bedside, embroidering something stitch by stitch.
She seemed to be embroidering shoes and socks for Nan Dazhuang.
The Dragon Boat Festival was just around the corner, and the weather was growing hotter by the day.
Nan Dazhuang had once complained about his footwear being uncomfortable, and little Nan Ye had taken it to heart.
Just as Nan Zhi took another glance, a knock sounded at the door, followed by a youth’s clear voice coming through the screen:
“The matter Eldest Sister asked me to look into a few days ago has some leads. Do you want to come with me to Wang Family Bridge to take a look?”
A quest?
“Yes, yes, yes! Of course I’m free!”
Nan Zhi scrambled up in a flash, not even taking off her sheet mask as she called back, “Naturally I—”
Before she could finish, she saw Nan Ye pouting with a jealous little look on her face:
“Eldest Sister has been going out with Big Brother all day lately. Do you still remember what Mom told you before leaving?”
Nan Zhi racked her brain, answering somewhat sheepishly, “Uh... go out less, and at least nurse this skin pale first before anything else?”
—Heaven have mercy, this stupid game didn’t have character customization! Otherwise, she would have pulled off a Nüwa mending the heavens and sculpted herself a devastatingly handsome face so breathtaking it would incite heavenly wrath.
The door opened, but Nan Yi didn’t come in. He merely swept a glance inside and said to Nan Ye with a grin:
“How much vinegar did Sister Ye drink? It’s so sour my teeth ache. I have serious business with Eldest Sister today. If you’re not scared, why don’t you come along to take a look?”
Nan Zhi was somewhat curious. “Looking at your expression, did something major happen in the county?”
“No murders, so it’s not really a major affair, just a bit tricky.”
Nan Yi pondered for a moment before frowning and explaining slowly:
“These past few days, all the night watchmen in the county have taken sick leave at home. Constable Zhang sent us to check up on them.
“Yet those watchmen would only say they encountered a monster while on night patrol, refusing to elaborate further.
“So Constable Zhang wanted to invite Eldest Sister to take a look and see if some evil spirit is making trouble.”
—Ever since the Painted Skin Ghost died, someone had spread rumors that the one who killed the ghost wasn’t Nan Dazhuang, but the eldest daughter of the Nan family.
Others swore up and down that the eldest daughter of the Nan family had learned the immortal technique of “Universe in a Sleeve” in her dreams, able to stuff evil ghosts into her sleeves with a single wave of her hand.
Therefore, whenever Nan Zhi went out during this period, many people looked at her with awe and fear, and some busybodies even privately referred to her as a “Shen Po.”
Constable Zhang was that bearded bailiff from that night, who had always been on good terms with Nan Yi.
Who knew where he had caught wind of the rumors this time, prompting him to tell Nan Yi to bring her in.
“The night watchmen?”
Nan Zhi was puzzled. “Multiple watchmen saw the very same ghost?”
Nan Yi nodded. “That’s what all the watchmen claimed.”
Could it be the mud ghosts from the City God Temple?
No, the ghosts in the City God Temple were well-behaved. Even if they had no offerings to eat, they wouldn’t just manifest to scare people.
Could a new malicious ghost have arrived in Dingyuan County?
That shouldn’t be.
Why didn’t the map show it?
Then again, it worked out perfectly—she was waiting to farm experience points and level up!
Nan Zhi tidied up and prepared to head out with Nan Yi. Before leaving, she asked Nan Ye if she wanted to come along.
Upon hearing there was a ghost, Nan Ye’s little face turned pale with fright, and she shook her head repeatedly.
Amused by their little sister’s reaction, the two siblings gave a few reminders before hurrying out the door.
...
Nan Zhi accompanied Nan Yi to the homes of several night watchmen, finding that all of them were in a miserable state from extreme terror.
Some couldn’t even get out of bed to walk and could only lie flat on their stomachs, looking exceedingly pitiful.
Yet no matter how Nan Yi questioned them, the watchmen kept their mouths firmly shut about the specifics of encountering the ghost, merely repeating that they had seen a ghost and refusing to say anything else.
Especially an elderly watchman among them called “Old Zheng.”
Seeing that the person accompanying Constable Zhang was a young maiden, he closed his eyes and tried to drive them out:
“Leave, leave, hurry and leave! What’s there to say! Bad luck, pure bad luck!”
“Hey! You old codger, you truly have eyes but fail to recognize Mount Tai!”
Constable Zhang’s beard bristled with fury as he cursed:
“You haven’t shown up for work several days in a row! The Registrar chewed me out multiple times, saying if you can’t return by tomorrow, you can kiss this month’s silver goodbye!
“Have you lost your mind, you old fool? Spite whatever you want, but never spite silver!
“This is the daughter of Nan the Butcher, a very capable person! If you really ran into some evil creature, you’d better spill it right away!”
Hearing the name of “Nan the Butcher,” Old Zheng, lying on his stomach in bed, raised his head, only to quickly lower it again.
Only after a long silence did he grumble awkwardly:
“No, no, she’s an unmarried young maiden! How could such things, how could such things ever be spoken aloud to her?”
Unspeakable?
Nan Zhi understood. Nodding to Nan Yi, she made an excuse to step into the courtyard.
Old Zheng lived alone, and his courtyard wasn’t large. The tools of his trade were piled in the corner, covered with a layer of dust from days of disuse.
A coarse cloth garment hung in the yard, washed so many times it had turned pale.
There was a firewood pile in the backyard. Nan Zhi habitually opened the mini-map and suddenly furrowed her brows:
Hmm?
...
A moment later, Nan Yi and Constable Zhang filed out of the room one after another, though the expressions on their faces were quite peculiar.
“What is it? Why do you have such weird looks on your faces?”
Nan Zhi asked curiously, “What did Old Zheng confess?”
If she hadn’t asked, it might have been fine, but the moment she asked, Constable Zhang shook with laughter like a sieve, his bearded jaw trembling wildly:
“Damn it all, hahaha, hahahahaha! That ghost... that ghost is truly a nuisance... hahahahaha!
“No, no, I can’t bring myself to say it. Brother Yi, you tell her!”
Somewhat helpless, Nan Yi pulled Nan Zhi to a corner and explained in detail:
“That ghost is an absolute headache. Old Zheng said ever since the ghost targeted him, it has caused trouble at his home every single night.
“Not only does it imitate roosters crowing in the middle of the night, but it also... also, when he’s using the toilet, it uses a sorghum stalk... uses a sorghum stalk to...”
At this point, Nan Yi’s face flushed red like a persimmon. Stifling his laughter with all his might, he barely managed to finish the sentence:
“...poke him in the butt with a sorghum stalk.”
Nan Zhi’s face was covered in question marks.
???
Care to say that one more time?
Rate on N.U.
