When Huang Jiu saw me fully geared up, with my hand resting on the hilt of the coin sword, he quickly started to flatter me. "Brother Li, I just came to take a couple of puffs."
A couple of puffs?The corpse fragrance had dissipated by now, so I figured I could do him a favor and let him inside to take a few breaths.Huang Jiu hung onto the window, shaking his head like a wave drum, "I'll just stay by the window, no need to come inside and trouble you."
I raised an eyebrow. Was this guy planning to just eat without working?But if I called him out directly, I figured he'd probably run off. After some thought, I asked, "Old Huang, does your wife know you're trying to take a concubine?"
Huang Jiu immediately panicked, standing up straight and saying, "Brother Li, one can mess with their food, but not their words. My wife is coming back in a few days."
Sure enough, a whipped dog.I chuckled and said, "I won't tell anyone, but you've got to help me tonight, or else I'll spill the beans."Family discord—now that's a serious issue.Huang Jiu was frightened, but he didn't immediately agree. Instead, he slyly asked, "Brother Li, which sect did you learn your skills from?"
My grandfather never mentioned where the ancient book came from, and I'd only learned the first volume, so I was only half-educated.But I knew he was testing me, so I puffed out my chest and proudly replied, "It's a long story. My skills were passed down from my grandfather, but he always said, even the big shots from Maoshan would have to kneel down and call him senior if they saw him."
As I spoke, I realized I was probably blowing things way out of proportion.Besides, what Maoshan sect? That was just something I'd heard from old tapes at my childhood friend Pang's place. I didn't even know if it existed in reality.To make Huang Jiu believe me, I pointed to the woman on the bed and said, "You don't think my grandfather had some real skills, do you? Otherwise, how could he have arranged for me to marry a wife like her?"
Huang Jiu's eyes started darting around again.After a while, he slyly said, "Six days from now, have her return me a favor. What do you think?"
A favor from the female corpse?What exactly was she that even crafty Huang Jiu was interested in a favor from her?Six days…I was filled with anticipation and nodded in agreement.It didn't hurt to have someone breathing next to me for some courage.
Seeing that I agreed, Huang Jiu wasn't entirely convinced and asked, "What guarantee do you have that she'll return this favor?"I laughed twice and said, "She's my wife. If I tell her to go east, she won't go west, will she?"Huang Jiu pursed his lips, "That's not certain."From the look in his eyes, I knew what he was thinking. I scolded, "You think all men are like you? If she doesn't listen, I'll slap her across the face—do you believe me?"
Saying this, I walked over to the bed and lightly slapped the woman's face twice. Just as I pretended to slap her again, Huang Jiu's little legs shot up in fright, and he raised his paws, saying, "Brother, brother, I believe you! I believe you!"
With that, Huang Jiu jumped inside.Glancing at the woman on the bed, Huang Jiu quietly said, "Brother Li, just now wasn't me forcing you. You were the one who wanted to slap her."I gave him a disdainful look.But after slapping the woman twice, I began feeling uncomfortable all over, like two blades were hanging on my back, causing my hair to stand on end.I wasn't sure if it was psychological, but I slowly moved a little farther from the bed.
Huang Jiu, however, sat quietly in a corner and began meditating, looking quite dignified.I had a lot of questions for him, but after calling out twice without receiving a response, I gave up.Thinking that the woman might wake up in six days, I felt a little guilty. I moved closer to her bed and whispered in her ear, "Don't be mad at me. If I didn't do that, that beast wouldn't have agreed to help. You know, if I can't protect you and someone takes you away, what will happen? If you run into a perverted guy, won't he just ruin you?"I paused for a moment before continuing, "Since you're not saying anything, I'll take that as forgiveness. But don't come looking for me later."
After explaining myself, I let out a long breath, but the cold feeling seemed to intensify.Just then, the fire in the iron bucket popped twice, and the yellow flames turned green.Huang Jiu suddenly opened his eyes, standing on tiptoe and preparing to flee as his expression shifted.But the flames had just turned green, and I had already noticed. He had barely taken two steps when I caught up with him, grabbing his tail and pulling him back.
"You little rascal, you're not being honest!" I slammed him to the ground twice and quickly retreated back to the bed.The cold air was now clearly coming from outside.Huang Jiu rubbed his head, looking panicked. "Brother Li, leaving me here will just add another corpse. Let me go, and when my wife returns, she'll come and get revenge for you."
What a joke.Eating without working wasn't allowed here.I slammed him to the ground again and threatened, "If you dare run away, six days from now, I'll bring my wife to your place and wipe out your entire family. We'll see whose wife is more powerful—yours or mine!"
Better than a wife?It seemed like everyone had one.Huang Jiu looked miserable, his eyes fixed on the wooden door. He raised his price, "How about an extra favor?"
"Fine!"With something dangerous outside, I didn't hesitate to agree. After all, the favor wasn't mine to repay.At that moment, the fire in the iron bucket turned a deeper shade of green, casting a sickly light throughout the room.I was about to release Huang Jiu when the old, rotten wooden door suddenly flew off its hinges, showering the room with splinters.
At the doorway stood a little girl, around eight or nine years old, dressed in a red outfit that looked like it had been soaked in blood.As soon as she appeared, the flames in the bucket were suppressed to a tiny green flicker.I tightened my grip on Huang Jiu, who let out a squeal. "Tail, tail, Brother Li, my tail!"
I came to my senses and quickly loosened my grip. Huang Jiu hit the ground and quickly spun around, hiding behind me. He grabbed my pants leg and peeked out from between my legs, stammering, "Li, Li, Brother... This one is terrifying..."
"Shut up!" I said with a serious expression, unfastening the willow whip from my waist. I cracked it a few times, then spoke to the little girl, "Little girl, I'll let you absorb the corpse fragrance, but let's make a deal. I stay inside, you stay outside. No crossing boundaries, agreed?"
The little girl giggled, and as she did, the flames in the iron bucket danced with her laughter.The aura of death... was ridiculously strong.No wonder she was a Red-clothed Ghost.
After her laugh, the girl pulled out a dagger from behind her and threw it into the room. In a cold, sinister voice, she said, "Fine, you stay inside and I stay outside, but you need to give me the dan from her body, and then I'll think about it."
If she hadn't said "think about it," I might've actually considered cutting open the woman's body to retrieve her dan.After all, this was beyond my ability.But since she said "think about it," I guess I'll let her think it over.