The eerie wind in the courtyard suddenly vanished, and the mournful, weeping cries faded away along with it.
Ji Zhaoxi sat on the threshold, a look of confusion on her face.
Since Xie Qingyan could see her, why had he ignored her during the day? Did he know she had been following him the whole way?
After a long time, a sound finally came from inside the room.
Ji Zhaoxi tentatively touched the door, then floated inside.
Xie Qingyan was wearing only his inner garments. He paused when he saw Ji Zhaoxi, but didn't say anything.
Ji Zhaoxi sat obediently in the corner. "Daoist Xie, did you know I was following you all day today?"
Xie Qingyan took a sip of tea and calmly replied, "I knew."
"Then why didn't you kill me?" Ji Zhaoxi asked, somewhat puzzled.
"This humble Daoist only slays evil spirits that slaughter the innocent and thirst for blood."
Xie Qingyan went back to drawing his talismans.
"But I've done a lot of bad things! I sucked a lot of meat from the auntie's house, I'm always pretending to be a ghost to scare people, and I even lie on their backs to frighten them!"
Xie Qingyan finally stopped his brush and looked calmly at Ji Zhaoxi. "Does Miss need this humble Daoist to help you cross over?"
Ji Zhaoxi quickly shook her head. "I don't want to be crossed over. I just want to do bad things and then die by your hands."
Xie Qingyan spoke lightly, "Then Miss should find someone else."
Ji Zhaoxi fell silent.
Even when Xie Qingyan blew out the lamp and prepared to get into bed, Ji Zhaoxi was still sitting in the corner.
Xie Qingyan looked at her quietly.
Ji Zhaoxi said earnestly, "There shouldn't be any distinction of gender between humans and ghosts, right?"
They weren't even the same species anymore.
Xie Qingyan didn't say a word; he simply went to sleep in silence.
Early the next morning, Squire Zhao woke up. He had been scared to death by the demonic wind the night before, and he could still faintly hear the female ghost crying.
"Daoist, you absolutely must catch that ghost. If you don't catch her, I won't be able to sleep well for a single day." Squire Zhao wiped away his tears.
Xie Qingyan looked at him calmly. "Patriarch Zhao, please do not worry. This humble Daoist will do his best."
Hearing Xie Qingyan say this, Squire Zhao was immediately relieved.
"Then, Daoist Xie, let me take you to breakfast."
Xie Qingyan nodded. "Please wait a moment, Patriarch Zhao."
Then, Squire Zhao watched helplessly as Xie Qingyan burned a talisman paper. He didn't know what it was for, nor did he dare to ask.
The more you know, the faster you die.
If Daoist Xie burned it, he surely had his reasons.
Ji Zhaoxi happily pounced on it. "It's the votive energy from last night."
Xie Qingyan was such a good person. Even when he was going to eat, he hadn't forgotten about her.
Dying by Xie Qingyan's hands would be considered a good ending.
By the time Ji Zhaoxi finished absorbing the votive power and found Xie Qingyan, Patriarch Zhao was introducing the dishes on the table to him.
Ji Zhaoxi couldn't understand, but she knew these were dishes ordinary people couldn't afford.
"Daoist Xie, you can try this dish first," Patriarch Zhao said cheerfully.
Just as Ji Zhaoxi was about to inhale a bit of it, she was blocked by Xie Qingyan's chopsticks.
Ji Zhaoxi froze for a moment, then inhaled from the food on his chopsticks.
"Too sweet."
Xie Qingyan ate it without changing his expression. Patriarch Zhao couldn't tell whether Xie Qingyan found it delicious or not. It felt as if, to Xie Qingyan, none of these things had any taste.
"Daoist Xie, what do you think?"
Xie Qingyan nodded. "Very good. Thank you for your hospitality, Patriarch Zhao."
Patriarch Zhao hurriedly said, "It is what I ought to do, Daoist Xie."
Ji Zhaoxi didn't dare to directly inhale the food's essence anymore. She was afraid that if Squire Zhao picked up a dish she had fed on, he would be frightened into fainting again.
Ji Zhaoxi hesitantly pointed at the dish in the middle, then looked at Xie Qingyan with eager eyes.
Xie Qingyan paused, but still picked up a piece. Ji Zhaoxi immediately took a sniff, and her eyes lit up.
"Delicious!"
Squire Zhao observed the dishes Xie Qingyan picked from, gaining some understanding of his preferences, and planned in his heart to have more of them made next time.
Ji Zhaoxi had enjoyed her meal thoroughly, but she suddenly realized that the food she had absorbed the essence from would become tasteless, and Xie Qingyan had just eaten so much of it.
"Daoist Xie, I think I'll stop eating," Ji Zhaoxi said with a miserable face, sitting in the seat next to him.
"It's fine," Xie Qingyan said flatly.
Opposite him, Squire Zhao was stunned for a moment, then immediately became delighted.
"Is it really fine, Daoist Xie? Now I can rest easy."
"I asked someone to inquire, and Shaman Wang will be back tomorrow. When the time comes, I'll have to trouble you to have a chat with her."
Xie Qingyan nodded. "Naturally."
Ji Zhaoxi complained in a low voice, "Shaman Wang has so many little ghosts, and they specialize in stealing my votive power to eat. Daoist Xie, you must teach her a good lesson."
Several times she had grabbed the votive power first, only for those little ghosts to snatch it away.
"Patriarch Zhao, I heard there is a female ghost in the village," Xie Qingyan suddenly said.
Speaking of this, Patriarch Zhao had plenty to say. "Daoist Xie, there is indeed a female ghost in the village, and she's a terribly unlucky one at that."
"She was an orphan, all alone since she was a child. Then one day, she tripped over a stone while walking on the road and fell to her death."
"The Daoists who came before all said she died too young, so her resentment is especially heavy. The villagers are all terrified of her. Ever since then, she's been wandering around the village."
Xie Qingyan listened, looking thoughtful.
Ji Zhaoxi proudly patted her chest. "That's me."
Xie Qingyan: ...
"Then where is her corpse now?" Xie Qingyan frowned.
Squire Zhao shook his head. "I heard it was dragged away and eaten by wolves."
He didn't forget to add his own commentary: "I've never seen anyone so unlucky in my entire life."
Ji Zhaoxi also sat beside them with a melancholy expression. "When I woke up, I couldn't find my body anymore."
Xie Qingyan pondered for a moment. "If the corpse was eaten by wolves, there wouldn't be a ghost in the village. That young lady's body must be hidden somewhere."
Squire Zhao looked at him in surprise. "Are you going to look for that female ghost's body, Daoist Xie?"
Xie Qingyan nodded. "She is a pitiful person. This humble Daoist wishes to help that young lady cross over."
Ji Zhaoxi immediately grew anxious. "I don't want to cross over! I don't want to cross over! I don't want to reincarnate! I just want my soul to scatter and perish!"
What was wrong with this Xie Qingyan? Why did he want to help every random ghost he met cross over?
But no matter what she said, Xie Qingyan just ignored her. Now he wouldn't even look at her.
Ji Zhaoxi was a little angry and blew a few breaths on his back. Even Patriarch Zhao sitting opposite them felt the chill, but Xie Qingyan didn't seem to feel a thing.
She directly pressed herself onto his back.
A person with a ghost pressing on their back would feel as if their whole body was filled with cement, experiencing a bone-piercing, gloomy coldness from head to toe.
As soon as Patriarch Zhao got close to Xie Qingyan, he suddenly felt a wave of coldness. He shivered from the chill and immediately moved a bit further away from Xie Qingyan.
Xie Qingyan followed Patriarch Zhao toward the apple orchard. The person on his back kept squirming around. Xie Qingyan sighed helplessly and hoisted her up to steady her.
"Miss, this humble Daoist is going to be strangled to death by you."
