Snap!
The young man snapped his fan open with a flourish, a pleasant smile on his face.
“You are too modest, Fellow Daoist. With your divine foresight, I imagine you predicted that my junior sister and I would come to visit today.
“I am Shen Luohe, a demon-catching officer of the Demon Suppression Division. Beside me is my junior sister, Hua Xijian. I assume you must be the one whose name has been spreading like wildfire throughout the Shouzhou region lately... the Dream-Walking Immortal, Nan Zhi of the Nan family?”
Beside him, Hua Xijian glanced at Shen Luohe with a strange look in her eyes.
What in the world was a “Dream-Walking Immortal”?
Nan Zhi noticed the way the man’s gaze hesitated on her face, and she knew he had actually wanted to say “Female Zhong Kui.”
He had likely changed his wording at the last moment, fearing that saying it during their first meeting would be misinterpreted as a jab at her appearance.
“Your calculations are not far off either. I am indeed Nan Zhi.”
Nan Zhi didn't know how cultivators usually greeted each other, so she decided to skip the professional flattery and got straight to the point.
“I assume you have come regarding the Painted Skin Ghost and the demon tiger. My home is a bit of a mess and not suitable for guests.
“I happen to know a small shop nearby that serves excellent braised mutton and steamed chicken with wine. Why don't you join me there? We can eat and talk at the same time.”
Seeing how direct and blunt Nan Zhi was, the two disciples exchanged a look.
“Very well. Lady Nan is truly a straightforward and fascinating person.”
Shen Luohe covered the lower half of his face with his fan, his deep brown eyes revealing a hint of surprise as he readily agreed.
“A guest should follow the host’s lead. Since the host is kind enough to entertain us, my sister and I would be honored to accept.”
Letting a fellow cultivator they had just met treat them to a meal...
Furthermore, this was the mortal world, not the cultivation world; this would cost actual silver.
They had heard that Nan Zhi had grown up in poverty and that her family made a living by slaughtering pigs. Earning money wasn't easy for them, so how could they have the face to take advantage of her?
Hua Xijian frowned and shot a look at Shen Luohe.
The latter, however, remained perfectly composed, looking entirely unbothered.
Hua Xijian felt a surge of annoyance and gave her unreliable senior brother a sharp glare.
Nan Zhi didn't notice the silent exchange between the two.
Or rather, even if she did, she acted as if she hadn't.
These two were almost certainly bringing good news from the Demon Suppression Division, so treating them to a meal was only right.
...
...
The three of them, each with their own thoughts, arrived at the tavern and took their seats. The main hall was packed with guests, and the atmosphere was lively.
A waiter with a cloth draped over his shoulder bustled back and forth with a large teapot, refilling the customers' cups.
A plump, squinty-eyed shopkeeper leaned over the counter, his fingers clicking rapidly against an abacus.
Groups of idle men, waiting for errands or wine-buying jobs, lingered outside the door with their necks craned, listening to a storyteller spinning a tale.
The storyteller, dressed in a long robe, had set up a small stage in the hall. With a folding fan, a gavel, and a cup of tea, he spoke with passionate eloquence, his words flowing like a river:
“...Now, let it be told that within Wenshan dwelt a fierce tiger. It occupied the mountain, a malevolent beast that devoured more than a hundred thousand people in a single year! Beneath its command were three thousand vengeful ghosts, each possessing formidable skills. In life, they were all wicked bandits, murderers, and arsonists...”
As he spoke, someone from the audience interrupted. “A hundred thousand people in a year! Could a tiger even eat that much?!”
Bang—
The storyteller slammed his gavel down and glared.
“How would you know if that demon tiger couldn't? That beast was hundreds of feet long, with a head like a cave and a mouth like a millstone! With one breath, living men were sucked in; with another, only white bones flew out.
“If it couldn't finish them all, it would hang thirty thousand up to dry, chop thirty thousand into mince for filling, and keep the remaining thirty thousand to soak in wine...”
The crowd gasped in unison, leaning back in shock.
The storyteller, looking triumphant, continued his rhythmic narration:
“This demon tiger plagued the people for a long time. Countless heroes of the martial world went to subdue it, only to return in defeat—or rather, to become tiger food.
“The immortals in the heavens could not bear to see the people suffer, so they sent down a divine power. It is said that eighteen years ago, in Lingbai Alley, a woman named Chen Jingui went into labor and gave birth to a daughter named Nan Zhi.
“At the moment of her birth, the room was filled with a brilliant red light and a heavenly fragrance. Yet, for eighteen years, she remained dazed and simple-minded, ignorant of the world’s affairs. Do you all know why?”
“Why? Tell us quickly!”
“Was she just born a fool?”
“She must have seen the true form of a god and gone wandering through the Great Void in her dreams!”
“I know! This woman is the reincarnation of Zhong Kui! A natural-born star of slaughter!”
The tavern guests chimed in one after another, their guesses becoming more ridiculous by the second.
Damn it.
So it was this group of people spreading the rumors in the city.
Nan Zhi hadn't even warmed her seat before she wanted to get up and leave, but she was stopped by Shen Luohe’s fan.
“Lady Nan, this storyteller is quite entertaining. There is no harm in staying to listen. Besides, getting up now would only draw unwanted attention.”
Nan Zhi looked around. The tavern was full, and even the waiter pouring tea was listening so intently that he didn't notice the cup overflowing.
She had no choice but to hide her face and sit back down.
Having successfully piqued everyone’s curiosity, the storyteller was in high spirits. He leisurely fanned himself and took a sip of tea before coughing once to continue.
“In truth, an immortal had calculated that eighteen years later, someone would be needed to subdue the demon tiger. Thus, they bestowed a divine gift, taking this Nan Zhi as a disciple.
“For eighteen years, Nan Zhi’s soul wandered through a celestial wonderland in her dreams, where she learned many arts for subduing demons and slaying devils. Unfortunately, the people of the world were ignorant and could not see her extraordinary nature.
“Fortunately, the Nan couple were kind-hearted people and raised her well until she was eighteen. On the day her younger brother was cornered by the fierce tiger deep in the mountains, a brilliant light suddenly flashed in her eyes. She turned toward Wenshan and let out a great cry:
“‘Monster! Do not harm my brother! I have come to strike you down!’
“Suddenly, celestial mist rolled in. Nan Zhi rode upon the wind, traveling a thousand miles in a single day. In the blink of an eye, she reached the heart of Wenshan, standing alone against the three thousand vengeful ghosts and the demon tiger.
“The demon tiger, arrogant in its power, did not take Nan Zhi seriously. It spoke insolent words and even wounded her younger brother—”
Clack!
The storyteller slammed the gavel down again, his face flushed with excitement.
“Fury rose in Nan Zhi’s heart! With a thunderous battle cry, she unleashed her full power, summoning thunderclouds to strike the tiger and slay the chang ghosts.
“That demon tiger was also incredibly powerful. It let out a roar like crashing thunder and spat out a poisonous mist to ambush her, a foul breath that could scatter one’s very soul!
“But Nan Zhi would not be outdone! She let out a great shout—‘Grandfather Thunder, aid me!’—and opened her mouth wide, devouring those three thousand vengeful ghosts! In her hand, she brandished a divine weapon gifted by the immortals, swinging it with the force of a hurricane.
“In the end, of those three thousand ghosts, one thousand were swallowed into her belly, one thousand were struck dead by the divine lightning she summoned, and the last thousand were actually scared to death by her presence! Ah, that scene was truly terrifying to behold!
“Even the demon tiger fell to its knees, begging for mercy and offering up precious treasures to save its life. But can you guess what Nan Zhi said?”
Without waiting for an answer, the storyteller let out a long breath, clearly enjoying himself.
“Nan Zhi declared proudly, ‘I am a disciple of the immortals. How could I ever collude with a man-eating monster like you? My Qingyun Sect has existed for one hundred and thirty-seven generations, and every generation has taken the slaying of demons as its duty! Our founder, the Great Fox of Tushan, once helped Great Yu tame the floods! I should not have to kill you, but you are truly malicious, devouring humans and swallowing souls. You bring shame to the demon race, and I cannot let you live!’
“With those words, Nan Zhi used her divine weapon to sever the monster’s head and departed with grace!
“As the saying goes: ‘Righteousness is often found among butchers; an immortal descends to claim the tiger. The eldest daughter of the Nan family meets a grand fate, slaying the monster outside the Qingyun Sect!’”
“Excellent!!”
“Wonderful!”
“As expected of an immortal’s disciple! That is exactly how things should be done!”
“Truly satisfying!”
The gavel struck one last time, and the audience erupted into cheers and applause. The atmosphere was so electric it felt as if it might lift the roof off the tavern.
...
“I went there by carriage that day. It took an hour. And I didn't use any divine weapon to kill the tiger; I used my father's slaughtering knife.
“The demon tiger wasn't hundreds of feet long either; it was barely over ten feet including the tail. And there weren't three thousand ghosts, just seven or eight chang ghosts who were ordinary people in life.”
In a corner of the tavern, Nan Zhi sat with a dark expression.
“I don't like to let out weird battle cries when I fight, and I certainly don't shout ‘Grandfather Thunder, aid me.’
“As for my brother, he fainted from fright before he even saw the demon tiger that day and had to be carried down the mountain. Even the bruises on him were from my parents beating him for causing trouble.
“Most importantly... I. Do. Not. Eat. Ghosts.”
To her left, Shen Luohe was struggling so hard to hold back his laughter that he looked like he might die.
To her right, Hua Xijian’s face was flushed red. She looked up at the ceiling, then down at the floor—anywhere but at Nan Zhi.
Nan Zhi asked herself if she had committed some terrible sin in a past life.
She could handle being killed by a monster. She could handle being stabbed in a duel with another cultivator.
But she absolutely could not handle this level of social death in front of fellow cultivators she had just met.
Rate on N.U.
