Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 253 The Terrifying Reputation of the Ghost Walkers
Ran Qing was surprised to hear the old fox's deliberately feigned weak voice.

"...The old lady actually knows Aunt Shen Er?"

Ran Qing asked politely out of curiosity.

Although I don't like monsters and evil spirits, it would be best to avoid trouble tonight.

The foxes were not hostile, and Ran Qing had no intention of provoking them, so she remained friendly and amiable.

In the thick fog, the old fox said in a hoarse and weak voice, "I haven't had the chance to meet her, but I heard about Aunt Shen's formidable reputation when I was a child."

"The story of how the Second Aunt crossed Poyang Lake and killed three ghosts in one night and destroyed the Ghost King in five days is widely known in Yuzhang."

After the old fox finished speaking, he coughed violently, appearing extremely weak as if he were about to die.

I must say, that old fox is very good at pretending.

The story of Aunt Shen's crossing Poyang Lake back then is indeed awe-inspiring—at least from an outsider's perspective.

The ghost king that lingered over Poyang Lake was a troublesome problem for the Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain in Yuzhang. Then, when Aunt Shen passed by, she easily killed him right in front of everyone… Those who didn't know the truth would only feel fear towards spirit mediums.

But Ran Qing knew very well that such a remarkable record came at the cost of his lifespan.

No matter how powerful the Ghost King is, he can't withstand the ancestral tablets of the spirit mediums' past masters...

Ran Qing smiled and remained silent in response to the old fox's flattery.

Perhaps it was the shock that the Second Auntie had left on this old fox that made him so friendly and amiable towards Ran Qing and the other two, and why he took the initiative to show weakness.

Generally speaking, mountain spirits and monsters are not so easy to talk to.

This den of foxes claims they've never harmed anyone, but that's utter nonsense. There's no one in their life who would believe such a thing.

Ran Qing cut to the chase: "It was an accident that we disturbed your family tonight. Our original intention was to catch a ghost here... If I'm not mistaken, there is a ghost here, isn't there?"

Ran Qingxian revealed his secrets, but while speaking, he pretended to look for something in his canvas bag and casually revealed the ancestral tablets of the spirit mediums.

He then put the memorial tablet back into the canvas bag, took out the corpse-driving bell, and said, "We won't drink the old lady's wine; catching ghosts is more important."

In the mist, the fat, hunched figure slumped on the bamboo chair, only a silhouette visible.

But Ran Qing clearly saw that the moment the ancestral tablets of the spirit medium were taken out, the old fox's body trembled in the mist.

It looked like it almost wanted to run away on the spot.

Seeing this scene, Ran Qing became even more certain that the old fox had witnessed the scene of the Second Aunt's extermination of the ghost.

He smiled and said kindly, "As long as the old lady doesn't make things difficult for us, we naturally won't harm your family."

Given Ran Qing's and the other two's qualifications and age, it's clearly presumptuous of them to say such things.

But when the ancestral tablets of the spirit medium's past masters were revealed, the old fox in the mist dared not utter a single objection.

It weakly and awkwardly smiled and said, "You flatter us, sir... The spirits are passing by our house. We feel honored and wish we could offer them the best food and wine. How could we possibly make things difficult for you three sirs?"

The old fox spoke in a very refined manner; one wonders what it was exposed to when it was learning to speak human language.

Logically speaking, even decades ago, there shouldn't have been any pedantic, pretentious scholars who spoke in a pedantic manner.

However, people in the shady business often speak in a somewhat mystical and superstitious manner.

Previously, when Aunt Liu spoke in tongue twisters and slang, it was like watching a movie.

Ran Qing was used to this and said, "Then please ask the old lady to take your fox cubs and grandchildren and keep the house closed. We're going to catch that ghost in the fog." That strange giant tree was clearly related to the terrain of this place.

The giant tree may have existed before the foxes came in to build their nests.

Foxes and giant trees must be neighbors.

Sure enough, the old fox in the fog said awkwardly, "Um... sir, the ghost you mentioned, could it be a big tree?"

Ran Qing nodded: "It's a ghost tree."

The old fox chuckled and said, "As expected... Your Excellency is here to catch a ghost, and we dare not block your way. But Your Excellency may not know that our family's house is built inside that tree."

"Sir, we dare not stop you from exorcising ghosts. But could you please open the gates here first and let our family out?"

"Also, when you're catching ghosts, could you please show mercy and not destroy the house inside?"

“Our family traveled thousands of miles to Zangke, and we finally found a place to stay. If this house is destroyed, our family will be homeless…”

The old fox pleaded for mercy cautiously.

Ran Qing was very easy to talk to and agreed to everything: "Okay, I'll remember that."

Don't be fooled by how easygoing this old fox seems; these mountain demons are cunning and vengeful. If you infringe upon their interests or offend them, their revenge will be extremely troublesome.

There is a story in "The Legend of Sister Erjie Exorcising Demons" about a fortune teller in hemp clothing who burned down a nest of rats that had become spirits when he was traveling around. He burned all the baby rats in the nest to death, and thus the old rats held a grudge against him.

But the fortune teller in hemp clothing was very powerful; that old rat was someone you couldn't afford to offend.

When the fortune teller in hemp robes grew old, the rat was unable to take revenge and instead died of old age first, and the hatred was passed on to the old rat's offspring.

After the fortune teller in hemp robes died, his son was also very powerful, and the rats were equally afraid of him.

This tradition continued for three generations until the great-grandson of the fortune teller finally declined, and his descendants lost their abilities.

As a result, on the day of the wedding at the great-grandson's house of the fortune teller, swarms of rats suddenly appeared from outside the village at night. Hundreds or even thousands of rats, like ants, crowded into the great-grandson's house, biting the newlyweds to death on their wedding bed, and injuring or maiming the rest of the family.

The living have lived for three generations, while those rats have lived for seven or eight generations. After so much time has passed, they still want revenge.

The descendants of the fortune teller in hemp clothing were almost wiped out by rats. It wasn't until Aunt Shen Er, who happened to be passing by, heard about this and took the initiative to exterminate the rats and wipe them out that the feud ended.

If it weren't absolutely necessary, Ran Qing wouldn't want to offend this den of foxes.

—Without the intervention of the ancient masters, he certainly wouldn't be able to wipe out this entire den of foxes.

He accepted the old fox's reasonable request in its entirety.

They shook the corpse-driving bell, causing the paper figures to dig out the seventeen soul-destroying nails from the ground.

Then, he led Mo Li, Long Zongshu, and Xiao Mianhua out of the Cat Temple, clearing the way out.

A thick fog suddenly rolled into the moss-covered stone temple, and some foxes could be vaguely seen running frantically through the fog.

The last one, the fat old fox slumped in the bamboo chair, was carried away by four dark figures.

As it passed by Ran Qing and the others, its appearance remained obscured by the thick fog.

But a faint stench of death emanated from the four dark figures carrying it.

The people carrying this old fox were clearly not paper figures...

(End of this chapter)