"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
Shitou bragged confidently, only for Hong Ling to land a quiet punch on his lower back. "I told you not to be so flashy!"
Shitou rubbed his back, pouting dejectedly. "Oh..."
"Forget it." Hong Ling shook her head. They weren't exactly hiding their identities anyway, and solving the problem sooner would be for the best.
Wang Er led Hong Ling and Shitou onto the ship. He nimbly checked the anchor and sails before turning to ask, "Immortal Master, when should we set sail? I'll go prepare right now!"
He only wished to drive the ghost away as quickly as possible. His entire family depended on this merchant ship for their livelihood, and Wang Er had been without income for many days.
"The sooner the better. It's best if we can set off now," Hong Ling said, not wanting to delay.
"You got it!"
Wang Er responded crisply and sprinted toward the sundries shop on the pier, shouting as he ran, "I'll go get the crew! Please wait a moment!"
Not long after, Wang Er returned with several crewmen.
The sailors all looked hesitant, their steps sluggish. Rumors of the ship being haunted had spread far and wide, and they had long been too terrified to step foot on Wang Er's vessel. If Wang Er hadn't mentioned that immortals would be accompanying them for safety and promised heavy rewards, they wouldn't have come for anything.
While the ship was underway, Hong Ling and Shitou took the opportunity to inspect the entire vessel thoroughly.
The hull wasn't large, divided into a front cabin, middle cabin, and rear cabin. The front cabin was piled with fishing nets and ropes, the middle cabin consisted of small sleeping cubicles, and the rear cabin stored fresh water and dry rations.
The two scanned every corner with their divine sense. They only sensed a faint trace of Yin energy and resentment in the gaps of the wooden planks in the middle cabin. The aura was weak, yet they simply couldn't find where the ghost was hiding.
When Wang Er approached and saw the two returning from their investigation, his voice trembled with tension. "Immortal Master, the... has the vengeful ghost been eliminated?"
Hong Ling shook her head, her brow slightly furrowed. "There is indeed the aura of a ghost. Tell me the details of the haunting again, as specifically as possible."
Wang Er sighed and crouched by the side of the boat, looking miserable.
"The first time the ghost appeared was a month ago.
"My brother Li Shiyi and I took a few workers to a neighboring county to deliver goods. We were lucky that time and made some money. On the way back, everyone had a bit of wine and was chatting and laughing. Everything seemed normal at first.
"Until the middle of the night, when the night watchman, Li Shiyi, suddenly ran over in a panic. He woke us up, saying he saw a woman on the deck."
Wang Er's lips twitched into a bitter smile. "I scolded him at the time, saying he was just drowsy from the drink and missing women too much. Every soul on this boat was a man; where would a woman come from? I told him to go to the cabin to sleep while I took over his watch."
"What did the woman look like?" Shitou asked. "Did you see her later?"
"No, I didn't see anything," Wang Er shook his head.
"And what about Li Shiyi?"
"He... disappeared." Wang Er's eyes dimmed. "When we returned to White Jade Port the next day, we only realized someone was missing because we were short-handed while unloading."
"I thought he was just in a hurry to get home to his wife, so I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until three days later when I went to his house that his wife told me Shiyi had never come home."
At this point, Wang Er's voice dropped. In these times, a disappearance was almost synonymous with death.
"What happened after that?" Shitou pressed.
"After that, I rested for half a month. When I set sail again, Li Shiyi and I took turns on the night watch, fearing another accident."
Wang Er's knuckles turned white. "But the accident came anyway. In the middle of the night, my brother suddenly ran over screaming, saying he had also seen a ghost on the deck. It wasn't a female ghost, but a man."
"Wang San said the ghost was pale all over, wearing thick rouge on its face, and was dancing on the deck."
"I immediately rushed out with three workers, but the deck was empty. There weren't even any footprints."
Wang Er swallowed hard. "The next morning when we hit port, Wang San and another worker... also disappeared. No living person was found, and no corpse was left behind."
"Since then, I haven't dared to sail. I always feel like we accidentally offended something foul somewhere. Otherwise, why would people keep dying one after another..."
Hong Ling's mind stirred as she caught the key point. "You mean both times the ghost appeared were at night? And it was always an isolated person who saw it first?"
"That's right," Wang Er nodded. "The first time it was Li Shiyi on watch alone, and the second time it was my brother alone. Everyone else was sleeping in the cabin and saw nothing."
The clues were gradually becoming clear, yet the ghost's hiding place remained a mystery.
Hong Ling pondered for a moment and decided to recreate the scene. "Tonight, I will keep watch on the deck. All of you stay in the cabin and let Shitou protect you."
No one objected. Wang Er even let out a sigh of relief. "Then I shall trouble the Immortal Master!"
The Plague Rat lazily opened an eyelid, looking at Hong Ling with a bit more respect. It hadn't expected this little girl to take the most dangerous task for herself.
With the decision made, everyone dispersed and began their respective tasks.
Shitou had already seized the moment to begin cultivating on the spot.
With such a tireless overachiever nearby, Hong Ling didn't dare relax either. She found an empty spot, sat cross-legged, and silently activated her cultivation technique.
When night fell, the wooden ship drifted in the middle of the lake. It was surrounded by pitch-black water, with only a single oil lamp hanging at the bow casting a dim light.
Hong Ling stood alone on the deck with the Plague Rat perched on her shoulder. Inside the cabin, Shitou held his bone blade while guarding the door. Wang Er and the three crewmen huddled in a corner, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Time ticked by. The water surface was so calm there wasn't even a ripple, and even the sound of the wind had grown faint.
Hong Ling stared at the water but found no abnormalities.
There was no eerie woman, no man wearing rouge—only a faint trace of Yin energy that lingered persistently, signaling that a ghost was indeed present.
It wasn't until dawn was approaching that Hong Ling frowned and sighed. "It seems that ghost won't be coming out tonight."
The next morning, Shitou emerged from the cabin. As soon as he stepped onto the deck, he saw Wang Er, who had dark circles under his eyes, throwing a burlap sack into the lake.
The sack seemed to contain something heavy, creating a significant splash as it hit the water.
"Brother Wang Er, what are you throwing?" Shitou asked curiously.
A crewman explained with a smile, "The Immortal Master might not know, but these vast waters easily breed evil spirits. The ships of our White Jade City only dare to sail here because of the protection of the Lake God, who was personally appointed by the White Jade Immortal!"
"The burlap sack contains meat as an offering to the Lake God. As long as the offering is sufficient, the Lake God will protect us and prevent the demons in the water from causing trouble."
"Every ship does this?" Shitou pressed.
"Of course!" Wang Er nodded. "This is the rule of the waters. No one dares to break it."
After the crewman finished speaking, he lit three sticks of incense, bowed respectfully, and then inserted the incense at the bow of the ship.
Shitou shook his head slightly, offering no comment.
If the Lake God were truly that effective, this ship wouldn't have been targeted by a ghost in the first place.
Rate on N.U.
