To practice the “Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse,” one must consider the feeding concerns of the “Five Ghosts Bag.”
If the bag is rarely opened, a single meal can suffice for a long period.
But if opened frequently, it requires a steady supply of fresh meat.
Back in Qingshan County, to nourish the bag, there was a time when he spent his entire days by the Bailang River pretending to be a fisherman.
Now that he’s left for Luo River, he dared not capture any.
First came the long-haired woman by the river, followed by the red ghost ship at midnight. Chen Mu now had an allergy to rivers, dare not stay long for fear of encountering ghosts again.
Thinking of this, he looked through the window towards the small pond around the gazebo.
The reason he chose this residence in the first place was partly because of the pond that connected to the Luo River.
The pond was linked to the Luo River through five or six large bamboo poles buried underground.
It ensured the circulation of fresh water and allowed some small fish to enter.
The fish would suffice for his own meals every now and then, but were hardly enough to feed the “Five Ghosts Bag.”
…
The next day, Chen Mu disguised himself and went to the North Market.
He found a shop selling pottery and ordered a hundred large water jars in one go.
The jars were one meter in diameter and about one meter three in height.
By evening, as the shop had gathered supplies from various places and delivered them, a hundred water jars were stacked in the courtyard, occupying more than half of it even when piled up on top of each other.
After hastily finishing dinner and sending the puzzled Jie Jia away, Chen Mu returned to his room to rest.
When the night was quiet and everyone else was asleep, Chen Mu quietly went out to the courtyard.
He climbed up to the roof to ensure that no one was around, then went down to the pond beneath the gazebo.
“Let’s get to work!”
He was to excavate a larger passage for the pond to facilitate the trapping of live fish.
He first blocked the bamboo pipes that connected to the Luo River and used the “Five Ghosts Bag” to move the water out of the pond.
Then he began to dig slanted from the bottom of the pond towards the Luo River.
Billowing black smoke settled at the bottom of the pond as layers of soil vanished into thin air. For every meter dug, he inserted a jar with its bottom cut off to serve as a conduit.
After a busy night, he finally completed the channel just before sunrise.
The tunnel was four meters underground and stretched over ninety meters in total.
As he broke through the last bit of dirt, the Luo River’s water gushed through the tunnel into the pond, quickly filling the dried bed.
Staring at the figures of fish faintly visible under the murky water, Chen Mu nodded in satisfaction, “It’s done.”
…
South Market’s Fan Tower, Four Seas Building.
Within a private room on the third floor, a group of people were toasting and drinking merrily.
“Hall Master Zhang truly is a hero of Qingshan County, having taken the seat of hall master not long after arriving in Nanyang Prefecture. Quite impressive!” Zuo Sheng raised his cup with a smile as he offered his flattery.
Zhang Ye hurriedly lifted his cup for a toast, drank it, and then waved his hands modestly, “Young Master Zuo, you jest. I’m quite aware of my own limitations.”
“It’s all coincidence, sheer luck.”
“Even though I’ve become a hall master, my foundation is weak, and it’s difficult to command respect. None of the seasoned hall masters in the gang think highly of me,” Zhang Ye said with a wry smile shaking his head.
Zuo Sheng nodded imperceptibly.
Not being blinded by power and status, this Zhang Ye had redeeming qualities.
Worth roping in to counter those old-timers in the gang.
“Luck is a form of strength, too. Out of so many members in the White Tiger Hall, why was it only Hall Master Zhang who succeeded in ascending to the position? It shows that Hall Master Zhang must possess remarkable qualities,” Zuo Sheng continued to praise.
Zhang Ye waved his hands again and again, not daring to display arrogance, but rather looking dejected, “I don’t even know how long I’ll be able to keep this position as a hall master.”
His mind drifted to that familiar scent he encountered that night.
That madman who used poison was also in Nanyang!
Can you not go and cause trouble for someone else?
Why just cling to me?
It had all started because that lunatic released mesmerizing smoke, ruining his deal with the Ai Mountain bandits, leading to their ambush and retaliation.
Add to that Commander-in-chief Li Wenlin’s widespread crackdown on thugs and ruffians, with the Bailang Gang being a major target.
This forced him to disperse his followers and flee from Qingshan County.
At this moment, the mysterious person appeared again, and he estimated that it wouldn’t be long before he would become a laughingstock.
“When did I offend that lunatic?” Zhang Ye wondered more than once, in his midnight reveries, “When I offended him, why didn’t I kill him!”
Zuo Sheng was increasingly pleased with Zhang Ye’s attitude and revealed alliance information in his words.
Zhang Ye was instantly overjoyed.
The eldest son of the Zuo Family was Master Jin Wuduan’s closed-door disciple. Forming an alliance with him meant that he would be considered one of the gang leader’s staunch supporters. He didn’t have to worry about being ostracized for the time being.
Both parties had thoughts of uniting, and their conversation grew increasingly congenial.
The leaders chatted and laughed merrily. In a corner, the beady-eyed man Sun Fu and Zhen Fan, two of his underlings, were also engrossed in their own heated discussion.
The topic eventually turned to Zhang Ye’s experience arriving in Nanyang Prefecture.
“You and a scholar surnamed Chen, arrived at Nanyang Prefecture together?” Sun Fu’s small eyes narrowed, hiding his constricted pupils.
“Right, that scholar was quite ordinary, but he had remarkable culinary skills. Even roasting meat in the wild, he could create a masterpiece. That flavor, tsk tsk…” Zhen Fan, cheeks flushed from drinking, didn’t notice Sun Fu’s unusual demeanor.
Sun Fu feigned curiosity and kept inquiring.
After a while, Sun Fu looked up at his own gang leader and the newly appointed head of White Tiger Hall.
“Could there be anything amiss here?!”
Lin Que had someone tailing the scholar surnamed Chen who then died unexpectedly; Zhang Ye became the hall leader out of the blue, and now his own hall leader was here to form an alliance.
“Could the disaster that befell White Tiger Hall be the doing of these three masters, working together?” Sun Fu’s heart thumped heavily.
These three were all from Qingshan County. Moreover, the other two had come following the Zuo Family’s caravan.
“Hiss…” He couldn’t think further, to do so would court disaster!
At that moment, Zuo Sheng just happened to turn his head with a smile.
Sun Fu’s scalp went numb.
Could it be that the hall leader knew about him secretly investigating that scholar?!
Doomed!
He couldn’t be blamed, that high reward was simply too tempting!
“What should I do?” Sun Fu pretended nothing was amiss as he clinked cups with Zhen Fan.
…
Chen Residence, Shanglin Neighborhood.
Jie Jia walked into the courtyard, frowning at the five or six large jars by the wall, filled with fish.
In the shady area beside the wall, several bamboo racks were placed, with layers of flat bamboo baskets on top, drying fish meat and rice balls in the shade.
Walking into the gazebo, he saw a table full of dishes, all fish except for a specialty smoked meat, including fried, steamed, and stewed varieties!
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He felt as though he had returned to Qingshan County.
“How did you catch so many fish?” Jie Jia was very curious.
Chen Mu waved his hand lethargically, “Trade secret, no disclosure.”
He had toiled over the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse the entire day and was nursing a headache.
Here’s your stuff,” Jie Jia handed Chen Mu a long wooden box.
“Sleeve Sword Technique?” Chen Mu’s eyes lit up.
Opening the wooden box, a pair of short daggers, each the length of a forearm and completely grey, were revealed.
“No scabbard is provided, as the Sleeve Sword Technique isn’t suited for scabbards,” said Jie Jia.
Chen Mu nodded repeatedly, caressing the daggers fondly.
The blade, hilt, and the small, oval-shaped sword guard were seamlessly integrated, without the slightest joint or crevice.
“Ebony wood is unique, requiring only a special technique to melt. Once cast into shape and refined with careful polishing, it becomes a top-tier weapon.”
“After removing impurities and the associated loss, your piece of ebony wood was just enough to forge these two daggers.”
Chen Mu thrust out his hand casually.
Poof!
A soft sound ensued, and a hole appeared in the stone table in front of him.
These were much sharper than the previous two daggers he owned!
He tossed a fabric bag filled with silver taels to Jie Jia and contentedly pocketed the daggers.
Now equipped with these sharp weapons, Chen Mu felt a slight increase in his sense of security… by a fraction.
It couldn’t be more.
After all, these things couldn’t kill ghosts.