Chapter 64: Danger in the Mountains
Mu Lichuan felt Mi Shen had psychological issues. His bizarre behavior was being blamed on him. Even though he was now a cultivator, he hadn’t even stepped through the true threshold yet, he had only grasped the basics.
"Don’t you know there’s a tactic called ‘playing hard to get’?" Mi Shen stared directly into the boy’s deep eyes.
A man who had never had a weakness now found himself twisted up over a stranger who looked like a teenager. It was unsettling. He refused to allow anything or anyone to slip beyond his control.
"You’re insane! I’m not a woman, why would I try to get your attention? If you think something’s wrong with you, go see a psychologist!" Mu Lichuan tried to push himself up, but his body refused to obey.
Mi Shen frowned. "Give the painting back to me." It felt like an addiction. That ink painting had originally been his, after all.
Mu Lichuan found his attitude strange. "Are you poisoned? Or… has someone planted a gu curse on you?"
In his opinion, how could someone develop feelings for a painting? That thing was trouble, keeping it would only bring harm to both of them.
"A gu curse? What’s that?" Mi Shen’s tone was flat.
Mu Lichuan explained, "A gu is created by sealing poisonous creatures in a vessel, where they fight until only one survives. This ultimate venomous insect, refined through mutual slaughter, becomes the mother gu. Its offspring are then used to cast curses. If you're this obsessed with a painting, it's as if you've been struck by a love gu—" He trailed off, sensing the dangerous shift in the man’s gaze.
[情蛊 (qíng gǔ): lit. Love gu; a curse that binds the victim to obsessive desire.]
"Are you saying I’ve developed feelings for an ink painting?" That was ridiculous. He had barely even looked at the thing, he’d just felt unwell afterward.
The only reason he wanted it back was because of the boy.
Mu Lichuan didn’t answer, but his eyes said everything.
"The world is full of strange people. Even a Young Master like you isn’t immune to human emotions, right? There’s no shame in loving a painting." Mu Lichuan deliberately said this to disgust the man holding him.
Mi Shen’s lips twitched. He released Mu Lichuan, who scrambled to the other side of the car like he was avoiding something filthy. "Since we clearly can’t stand each other, let’s just never meet again, alright?"
The car door was still locked—otherwise, he’d have bolted already. Walking back, waiting for He Chen, or even calling a private car would all be better than riding with this young master.
"Who said I can’t stand you? If that were true, would I have let you stay at my place? Would I even care if you’d bewitched me? Since you know so much about curses, maybe you—" Mi Shen’s voice was icy.
Mu Lichuan yanked at the door handle again. "Mi Shen, I don’t have time for this nonsense. Let me out." Threats only worked once.
"Let him out." Mi Shen’s mood was foul. He didn’t believe in the supernatural, he wanted a scientific explanation. But some things were beyond his control.
Standing on the roadside, Mu Lichuan watched the line of cars disappear. The air instantly felt fresher. He had to admit being near Mi Shen was suffocating.
The boy stood alone on the mountain road, winding paths stretching on either side. No houses in sight. He strolled forward leisurely, as if being stranded didn’t bother him at all.
Drip… drip…
At first, Mu Lichuan thought he was imagining the sound of water. But it grew louder, closer, as if luring him somewhere.
He checked his phone and saw it was almost sunset. The mountains were bathed in fading golden light, but an unsettling silence hung over everything.
Drip… drip…
The sound drew him in. If something was trying to lead him somewhere, he might as well see where it went.
The old Mu Lichuan would've been afraid, but now he felt a spark of curiosity.
As the last light vanished, the road darkened. Only his footsteps broke the heavy stillness.
The fog thickened, visibility shrinking to a meter. Then the asphalt beneath his feet turned to dirt.
He was unfamiliar with Lingchuan City, and this road to He Village was completely new to him. According to online reports, the road hadn't been paved until a couple of years ago. Before that, it was notorious for accidents, and drivers usually avoided it after dark.
Drip… drip…
Closer now. Mu Lichuan pretended to be entranced, eyes glazed, movements stiff.
Tall, blackened grass swallowed the path. Part of him wanted to turn back, but if he left this thing unchecked, how many more would die? As a cultivator, ignoring it could create a demon in his heart later.
"My lord… you’ve returned…"
Suddenly, he stood before an unmarked grave. A female ghost in red floated before him, her voice sweet.
If he were truly entranced, he wouldn’t see her rotting face. "Who could love a ghost like you? My lord? Give me a break." His eyes cleared, a smirk playing on his lips.
Her attire and accessories marked her as ancient, but how long had she been dead?
"You—you’re not under my spell?" The ghost’s appearance was gruesome - matted hair, half her skull missing. Likely mauled by beasts or hacked apart.
"Spell? More like cheap illusions." Mu Lichuan wrinkled his nose. "You thought this could seduce men? Have you ever looked in a mirror?"
The ghost recoiled in surprise, but the boy's eyes remained sharp and clear, untouched by her spell. She lunged at him with her claws, only to be stopped by an invisible shield.
"You—you’re a spirit queller?!" Fear twisted her voice. How could someone so young see through her?
[驅鬼師 (qū guǐ shī): Spirit queller, a Taoist-trained specialist who subdues and seals restless spirits using ritual tools (talismans, incantations, and enchanted weapons)]
She’d lurked here for centuries, flawless in her hunts. Just a few more years, and she’d break free. She couldn’t fail now!
"You could say that." Mu Lichuan nodded. "A ghost who preys on humans doesn’t deserve to exist." Mercy to enemies was cruelty to oneself.
"Sir, I had no choice! An evil exorcist trapped my ashes here, I can’t reincarnate! I died unjustly!" Her voice dripped with tragic sweetness.
"Really? Innocent?" His face softened with sympathy.
"Yes! My husband left for the imperial exams… three years passed with no word. On the fourth year, I wore my wedding gown every day, waiting… then that ritual master killed me!"
[法师 (fǎshī): ritual master, a formally trained Taoist who specializes in controlling spirits through state-sanctioned ceremonies, using standardized talismans and imperial-approved methods]
"Please, spare me! Being a ghost is hard… I’ve only just begun cultivating…" Her voice turned seductive, trying to sway him.
Mu Lichuan studied her. "Ever heard the phrase ‘lies as plentiful as a ghost’s words’?"
Before she could react, he flung an exorcism talisman, infused with a wisp of soul energy.
His soul remained unshaken only because of the dragon energy protecting him. Otherwise, a centuries-old ghost wouldn’t be this easy to handle.
The talisman wasn’t his own work, it was given by Xiao Mo. Its power was undeniable.
The ghost’s shriek lasted less than a second before she dissolved into ash.
Mu Lichuan approached the grave and saw a red thread binding something beneath the headstone, worn and frayed with age. A little longer, and the ghost would’ve broken free.
How many lives had she drained? How many men lured to their deaths?
Maybe her death had been unjust. But as a ghost, she’d chosen evil. Her resentment festered, driving her to kill.
As for the "evil ritual master" she mentioned, he might’ve been real. Cultivators walked both righteous and dark paths. But why trap a ghost like this? Why deny her reincarnation?
A thought flickered in Mu Lichuan’s mind, then vanished before he could grasp it.
"Annihilation is your atonement." He dispersed the lingering Yin energy.
Even with the ghost gone, this place had become a minor Yin-gathering site. Left unchecked, it would still harm passersby.
As he turned to leave, a bone-deep chill crawled up his spine.
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