Evil disturbances were frequent, and Chen Mu had no good solutions.
During the day, he kept close to Jie Jia, and at night, he took refuge next to the Zuo Family.
Both of them were beings capable of dealing with ghosts.
At the same time, he also hastened to increase his proficiency in the Shape Cultivation Technique.
Jie Jia once said that once the Shape Cultivation Technique was greatly achieved, it would have a slight ability to resist ghosts.
…
At night, a sudden scream woke Chen Mu from his deep sleep.
The voice was filled with terror as if encountering something extremely horrifying.
Chen Mu immediately got up and ran to the window to listen quietly.
Yet, outside, it was all quiet, not even the sound of insects on a summer night.
Ghosts?! Was it that close?!
That scream from just now was not far from his location.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have heard it so clearly.
Chen Mu dared not go back to sleep.
He dressed and sat by the door, ready to flee at any moment.
He stayed nervously vigilant all night long.
Only when dawn broke did he cautiously step out of his room.
On his way to the house in the west of the city, Chen Mu encountered a group of yamen bailiffs.
They had surrounded a small alley, blocking the curious onlookers around.
Chen Mu couldn’t help but look over.
All he saw was pitch blackness in the alley, as if a large fire had swept through.
A tightness gripped Chen Mu’s heart.
Yesterday afternoon, when he passed by here, the alley was still in good condition.
The entire alley was charred black; the fire must have been intense.
But he hadn’t seen any flames from midnight till morning, nor had he heard any noise.
The thought made him tense up at once.
Could it be the work of ghosts?
He didn’t dare to look any longer and hastened away.
Before leaving, he also noticed the figure of Zuo Family’s eldest son amid the crowd.
The other party had a grave expression, staring intently at the pitch-black alley.
Chen Mu grew even more anxious.
Even the Zuo Family’s eldest son took it so seriously, this incident must have something to do with the disturbances!
Weren’t ghosts only supposed to scare and possess people? How could they also set fires without a sound?
…
“Ghosts vary in strength,” Jie Jia said indifferently behind Tianyi Studio.
Chen Mu smacked his lips, feeling uneasy.
He didn’t even know how to deal with ordinary ghosts, and now there was a powerful one.
“Wouldn’t the magistrate of Li think of something? After all, this Qingshan County is under the control of the Li Family, right?!” Chen Mu said annoyedly.
“The direct descendants of the Li Family have been sent to Nanyang Prefecture,” Jie Jia said blandly.
“Would he really give up such a big family business?” Chen Mu asked in disbelief. Was he planning to sneak away?!
“He hasn’t left himself,” Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu and said calmly.
Chen Mu calmed down and pondered, “This Magistrate Li must have something to rely on, but that reliance isn’t very secure.”
Jie Jia nodded, “Including Zhu Yi Pavilion, he has issued rewards through the secretive channels of Qingshan County, searching for large evil-warding treasures. So far, there’s no news.”
“Gentle Breeze Observatory outside the city also has some methods. In times of crisis, they can hold on for a couple of days.”
“Gentle Breeze Observatory?” Chen Mu immediately took mental note.
When he first arrived in this world, he woke up at the Gentle Breeze Observatory.
His predecessor inexplicably died at Gentle Breeze Observatory, which had always made him wary of the place.
He hadn’t expected that they really had ways to deal with disturbances.
Even though Magistrate Li was actively responding, Chen Mu still felt uneasy.
He didn’t want to depend on others for his safety.
“Is it safe in Nanyang Prefecture?” Chen Mu suddenly asked.
At that moment, he had the idea of leaving Qingshan County.
“It’s relatively safe, but the road is not easy to travel,” Jie Jia said.
Chen Mu looked at Jie Jia with confusion.
“Now, Da Liang is plagued with natural and man-made disasters; bandits roam the wilds, and ghosts lurk on the road. It is indeed not easy to travel,” Jie Jia explained patiently.
“Can’t we follow a merchant caravan?” Chen Mu asked.
Although Qingshan County was remote, there were always one or two caravans daring to trade with Nanyang Prefecture.
“Those people might not fear bandits, but they have no means to deal with ghosts,” Jie Jia said calmly. “You only see the caravans that successfully return, but those that don’t make it back, you can’t see even if you want to.”
Chen Mu’s face turned grim.
“Is there really no safe way to travel?” Chen Mu couldn’t believe it.
Otherwise, how did Magistrate Li manage to send the family’s direct line away?
What’s more, there was the owner of the Mysterious Painting Gallery, Boss Zhen, who also went to Nanyang Prefecture.
Jie Jia didn’t say a word, his eyes darted towards Chen Mu’s right sleeve.
Chen Mu’s face immediately darkened.
This old man was eyeing his money pouch again!
The road was unsafe, but as long as he found a reliable bodyguard, there was nothing to fear.
Jie Jia was just such a trustworthy bodyguard.
“Does Qingfeng Observatory have a way to deal with ghosts?” Chen Mu asked, feigning a look of hope.
“Yes,” Jie Jia replied, calm and collected.
“But the price for their help is something you can’t afford,” Jie Jia said deliberately in a cold tone.
Chen Mu’s complexion immediately sank.
Seeing Chen Mu’s displeased look, a hint of amusement flashed in Jie Jia’s eyes.
“Nanyang Prefecture has a large Evil-Repelling Mirror, and incidents of nefarious spirits are rare. It’s also home to several major families, who all have their ways to restrain ghosts,” Jie Jia coaxed with a softened tone.
“Go ahead,” Jie Jia said affirmatively in a soft voice, “I can guarantee your safe arrival there.”
Chen Mu became serious, “You’re saying Qingfeng Observatory has some skills?”
“What’s the matter?” Jie Jia asked, puzzled while nodding. Shouldn’t this be the time to discuss the bodyguard’s fee?
“Then let’s not go,” Chen Mu said, nodding calmly. “You might not know this, but I have a good relationship with Cheng Yi of Qingfeng Observatory. Last time, I stayed there for more than half a month.”
Jie Jia: “…”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known there was such a safe haven in Qingshan County,” Chen Mu chuckled.
“Thanks a lot!”
Jie Jia’s face immediately darkened.
…
At night, next to the Zuo Family’s large house.
Chen Mu shut all the doors and windows tightly.
He didn’t dare to light any lamps, and every action was made silently, for fear that any noise might attract ghosts.
Groping in the dark, he took out a clay pot from under the bed.
Chen Mu sat at the square table in the room, pouring out a pile of silver pieces and copper coins from the clay pot to count.
He spoke lightly during the day, but it was mainly to tease Jie Jia.
He had no friendship with Cheng Yi. It was good enough that they weren’t enemies.
From their few interactions, that snooty priest had never shown any good attitude towards him.
In a real crisis, he might indeed need to spend money to have Jie Jia escort him away.
One hundred and fifty-six taels of silver, nine hundred and sixty-seven copper coins.
“It’s not quite enough,” he murmured.
Given old man Jie Jia’s greedy nature.
He wasn’t sure if this was enough to hire him.
“The Bailang Gang is no good either,” Chen Mu said with dissatisfaction.
Lately, those fellows were getting shrewder. They didn’t carry a single copper coin on them.
Last time, that Master Jia of theirs got drunk and was found with only a tael of silver pieces after being searched.
Master Jia, the leader of the three gang bosses of the Bailang Gang, only had a tael of silver on him—that was just shamefully low!
“Just in time, I’ll be going to sell fish tomorrow. I might as well have a chat with that leader Zhang,” Chen Mu thought aloud.
As the boss of the gang, he should be wealthier than the gang leaders, right?
…
The next day, in a civilian house on the western side of Cheng Jia Alley.
A few members of the Bailang Gang were patrolling.
“Don’t leave after we disband this afternoon. Big bro here will take you to Anle Square for some fun,” declared the youthful leader with a grand gesture.
“Did your wife come into some good fortune yesterday? She didn’t take away your monthly salary?” taunted a gang member from behind.
“Go away! Why should I give her my salary silver!” the leader retorted, stroking his bald head and sticking his neck out stubbornly.
“Big bro’s got backbone!”
“Big brother is mighty!”
“Haha…”
The young leader wasn’t upset being teased by his subordinates, and he just chuckled, “I told her I was going to buy her some rouge from Apricot Blossom House today.”
“And you still dare to invite us to drink and be merry? Without money for rouge, ain’t you afraid your wife will scratch you?”
“Haha…”
“A clever man has his own ways,” the young leader said, looking self-satisfied.
“I’ll just say that I ran into that toxic customer again today, and all my money got snatched away—gone!”
The gang members suddenly gaped.
“Why didn’t I think of that!” one short, plump gang member immediately started banging his head in frustration.
“Hehe!” The young leader smirked with pride, his bald head seeming even shinier for a moment.
The next moment, however, he suddenly felt dizzy, and when he looked up at the sky, there seemed to be two suns.
A bad premonition suddenly crept into his heart.
Turning his head, he saw that his subordinates had already skillfully collapsed under the shade of a large tree.
He had just taken two steps when he fell to the ground with a thud.
This familiar sensation…
Fuck!