After a round of threats and coaxing from Nan Zhi, the grey rat reluctantly revealed the whole truth.
As it turned out, the Painted Skin Ghost had only slipped into Dingyuan County in the past six months.
The Painted Skin Ghost was exceptionally fierce and cultivated by consuming human hearts. In no time, eerie, ghostly energy and thick Yin aura loomed over Dingyuan County.
Some minor spirits couldn't escape fast enough, fleeing the county overnight.
Yet for a local monster like the grey rat spirit—born in the city and burdened with a whole family—there was nowhere to run even if it wanted to.
“That Painted Skin Ghost loves devouring human hearts, especially those of vigorous young men. Eating one increases its cultivation by a full year.”
The grey rat spirit sprawled on the ground, crestfallen.
“Qiao Dalang is robust and brimming with Yang energy, so he naturally drew the Painted Skin Ghost's attention early on.
Poor Qiao Niangzi is so beautiful, and since the Painted Skin Ghost loves collecting the skins of beauties, how could it ever let her off?
Lately, the Painted Skin Ghost has been coming to the tofu shop every day, transforming into a glamorous woman to seduce Qiao Dalang while he grinds tofu.
Tainted by ghostly energy, the tofu naturally turned foul and rank.
I have lived under the Qiao family's roof for many years and owe them a great debt of gratitude. I truly couldn't bear to watch the Painted Skin Ghost succeed.
So whenever Qiao Dalang fell under the ghost's spell, I would crouch beneath the window and blow air inside to alert Qiao Niangzi.”
Only then did Nan Zhi understand:
Not only was the grey rat spirit not the culprit behind the disturbance, but it was actually the savior of the Qiao couple!
No wonder Qiao Dalang had hemmed and hawed, talking vaguely whenever nighttime matters were brought up.
It turned out he had been entranced by the Painted Skin Ghost's disguise.
If not for the grey rat spirit's secret warnings, Qiao Dalang would have had his heart and liver gouged out long ago, and Qiao Niangzi would have been skinned alive.
So did the Painted Skin Ghost strike at the Nan family because it thought its chosen prey was being meddled with?
Feeling its life was in grave danger, the grey rat spirit gave Nan Zhi a few more earnest warnings:
“That Painted Skin Ghost possesses profound powers; nothing that happens in the county escapes its eyes. I'm afraid it will soon learn of our conversation today.
I see your younger sister is also as lovely as a flower and fair as the moon. I fear... you'd better quickly inform your parents and relatives, and take your whole family to flee for your lives!”
“What about you?”
Even though she knew it was just a game, Nan Zhi still didn't want to see this loyal and righteous grey rat spirit die.
The grey rat spirit twitched its snout, a humanlike gloom washing over its face:
“That Painted Skin Ghost definitely won't spare my family. Now, we can only go seek refuge with my Seventeenth Uncle.
He took the mud ghost at the City God Temple as his godfather, so he must have some skill.
The Painted Skin Ghost can't burrow like us rats. As long as it can't find me, we'll naturally be fine.”
...
“Squeak squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak squeak!”
“Don't... fool... tofu... skin... ghost...”
“Squeak squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak!”
“Think... ghost...”
“Squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak!”
None of the onlookers could understand the conversation between Nan Zhi and the grey rat spirit.
Yet seeing the human and the rat taking turns making sounds as if conversing—especially with the Nan family's eldest daughter nodding from time to time—it genuinely seemed as though she could understand rat speech!
“Th-this... How is there such a massive rat in my firewood pile? Could it have become a spirit?”
Furious, Qiao Dalang raised his foot to stomp on it:
“Could the one making trouble in my home in the dead of night be this big rat?! This beast!
It ruined so much good tofu and cost me so much silver! It truly deserves to die!”
To his surprise, just as he was about to strike, the Nan family's eldest daughter lifted her foot, letting the big grey rat burrow into the firewood pile and vanish in the blink of an eye.
“Eldest Daughter Nan, what are you doing?!”
Seeing Nan Zhi blocking him, Qiao Dalang snapped viciously:
“This beast made it so our tofu couldn't sell and even pretended to be a ghost to harm people! Why on earth did you let it go?!
If it gets away and comes back later to plague my family, will your Nan family compensate us for all that lost silver?!”
Seeming utterly enraged, his face flushed bright red, his facial skin tightening:
“Everyone says Eldest Daughter Nan was possessed by an evil spirit and suddenly stopped being foolish these past few days.
In my opinion, you were probably possessed by a rat spirit! Your Nan family must pay for my family's tofu!”
Nan Zhi sneered coldly.
No wonder his reaction was so extreme—he clearly resented the grey rat spirit for ruining his amorous affair!
“Qiao Dalang, what nonsense are you spewing?!”
Nan Ye stepped in front of Nan Zhi like a hen shielding her chick, trying hard to maintain a stern expression on her small face:
“My Eldest Sister recovered because the Bodhisattva blessed her! What evil possession?!
If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll shout at the top of my lungs right now!
I'll let all the neighbors come see for themselves that your tofu shop has such a huge rat hole—
Let's see who dares buy tofu from your family in the future!”
“Have you lost your mind from overwork?!”
Looking troubled, Qiao Niangzi tugged at Qiao Dalang's sleeve and gave him a meaningful look:
“Eldest Daughter Nan is blessed by immortals. What spirit nonsense are you talking about?
Their Brother Yi serves at the yamen and carries official aura. How could their family have monsters?!”
With that, she smiled at Nan Zhi and said:
“It's just a slightly bigger rat, not any kind of spirit creature.
Tomorrow, I'll go outside the county and welcome a cat back to catch the rats.”
Nan Zhi stared at Qiao Niangzi for a moment before nodding in understanding.
Qiao Niangzi had a gentle temperament and was exceptionally good-looking. Beneath her slender eyebrows, her eyes were extraordinarily striking, looking like clear mountain springs.
Qiao Niangzi's realistic 3D model was truly beautiful.
Almond eyes and vermilion lips—a textbook classical beauty.
Combined with fair skin rarely seen in a small county, it was no wonder someone had set their eyes on her.
She nodded to Qiao Niangzi and pulled the still-bewildered Nan Ye back toward the Nan residence.
On the way home, thoughts raced through Nan Zhi's mind, while Nan Ye chattered away, sharing her own deductions:
“I heard Eldest Brother say before that beasts that live for a long time grow a bone in their throat. Once that bone dissolves, the beast can speak human tongue.
Presumably, the one causing trouble in the tofu shop all this time was that rat.
Rat urine is also toxic. Tofu tainted with rat urine smells rank and foul, which is why it stank...
Eldest Sister, is that right? Isn't that so?”
“Mm... yeah...”
Nan Zhi hummed noncommittally, but her gaze fell upon Nan Ye's extraordinarily pretty face.
Could it be that Nan Ye was also one of the Painted Skin Ghost's targets, and killing her wasn't just incidental?
Either way, based on how events had unfolded yesterday, the Painted Skin Ghost was bound to pay a visit tonight.
Since an unwelcome guest was coming to call, she naturally had to give it a proper reception.
Tonight, she would definitely make the Painted Skin Ghost understand the true wrath of a player!
...
The dead of night, the third watch.
“Clack! Clack! Clack!”
The night watchman's wooden clapper echoed thrice across the county. Dingyuan County was pitch-black, so dark that one couldn't even see their own outstretched fingers.
An owl flew across the sky, letting out an eerie screech that sounded half like crying and half like laughing.
Outside the gate of the Nan courtyard, extremely soft footsteps suddenly sounded.
Inside the courtyard gate, Nan Zhi, who should have long entered an AFK state, was instead sitting upon the bench Nan Dazhuang normally used for slaughtering pigs, her eyes shining brightly as she stared intently at the door.
What a joke—yesterday the Painted Skin Ghost had launched a sneak attack, so today she would pull an all-nighter just to fight it out!
The footsteps circled the courtyard again and again, as if the entity outside was searching for a way in.
After a long time, a hand as flat as paper silently reached in through the crack of the door and lifted slightly—
“Creak...”
The wooden door creaked softly, and a pair of small feet wearing embroidered shoes stepped inside.
Rate on N.U.
