I spent a night alone with Qing Dai in the old Huangshan.
The feeling was wonderful, truly, truly wonderful.
Even though she was a ghost, I knew that humans and ghosts must tread separate paths.
Qing Dai and I would have no future.
But love, when it arrives, seems to render all obstacles powerless.
As long as two hearts are together.
I would face anything without a second thought.
As dawn approached, Qing Dai finally turned to leave.
Watching her disappearing figure, I took a deep breath, a faint smile on my face, and headed back towards the shop.
Back at the shop, Xiao Mei had already curled up on the sofa and fallen asleep.
Without disturbing her, I showered and went to my room to sleep.
When I woke again, it was already noon the next day.
Calculating the time, it wasn't long before the Dao Alliance launched its campaign to eradicate the Black Demon forces.
The world was in turmoil, with various factions stirring.
All it took was a single order from the Dao Alliance's high command for them to gather in the Ba Chuan region and, with thunderous force, cleanse this underworld faction's lackeys.
Although the Dao Alliance's morale was high,
and all the sects were sharpening their weapons,
I knew all too well that any battle would inevitably result in casualties.
Once the fighting truly began, it could well be a matter of life and death.
Thinking of my grandmother in the countryside, I decided to go home for a few days to spend time with her.
Even if something were to happen, at least I would feel better.
With this thought, I packed my bags and said to Xiao Mei:
"Xiao Mei, I'm planning to go back to my hometown for a few days. Are you coming with me, or staying at the shop?"
Hearing my question, Xiao Mei looked up:
"Can I watch Animal World if I go back?"
I shook my head:
"It's hard to say. My old home only has a receiver with a few channels."
"Then I won't go back, I want to watch Animal World! I can see Great White Sharks tomorrow, and I want to know about the animals that live in the sea, and the ocean world..."
Xiao Mei looked very earnest.
Seeing her thirst for knowledge, I didn't refuse.
After all, I didn't really want to take Xiao Mei with me.
"Alright! Then you can stay here by yourself for a few days. If you get hungry, tell Old Mo to buy you chicken, or go catch some in the mountains yourself."
"Got it, got it! I know!"
Xiao Mei said impatiently.
Looking at an East African Black Rhino on the screen, she was like a fan:
"It's so handsome! So majestic!"
I looked at the Black Rhino on the television. I could see it was majestic, but handsome? Not at all.
Never mind, I wasn't an animal, and my aesthetic taste was different from theirs.
Afterwards, I finished packing my bags.
I brought some of my gear with me, such as the demon-subduing pestle, divine fire talismans, invisibility cloak, and Yin-Yang Orb.
I went to Wang Shou Tang to inform my martial uncle.
My martial uncle had been busy with his new medicinal wine formula every day for the past few days.
When I informed him, he made me drink half a jin again.
He said it was for me to taste.
If not for my cultivation, half a jin of his high-proof medicinal wine would have put my martial uncle to sleep for three days straight.
As for Old Mo, I hadn't seen him for the past couple of days.
He hadn't contacted me on WeChat either.
My martial uncle said he had been taking Xiao Yao to meet his parents, and he didn't know how that had gone.
But knowing Old Mo's personality, whether his parents agreed or not, this matter was essentially settled.
After bidding farewell to my martial uncle, I took a bus back to my hometown.
The last time I had returned was over half a year ago.
At the large supermarket in the station, I bought a lot of things for my grandmother, as well as a few sets of clothes.
The journey was smooth, without any incidents.
After a few hours of bumpy travel, I finally arrived at the town.
As I stepped off the bus, I noticed the town was eerily quiet.
Even though it wasn't the New Year, most of the young people in the town and surrounding villages had gone to work elsewhere.
But when I returned last year, the town had been quite lively.
Yet, returning today, there were far fewer people in town.
Many shops were even closed.
It felt strange, this desolation...
But wanting to get back quickly, I found a passenger tricycle in town and headed towards the village.
On the tricycle, I asked the driver:
"Master, why are there so few people in town today? It seemed quite lively when I came back last year."
As soon as I finished speaking, the tricycle driver replied:
"Ay! Don't even mention it. There have been several deaths in town recently, and now the whole town is in a panic. Many people have left, and those who remain are not venturing out."
My heart sank, and I asked curiously:
"Deaths? What happened?"
The tricycle driver continued pedaling, and amidst the "buzzing" engine noise, he continued to tell me:
"It's a drought today! The water level of the Qingshui River has been continuously dropping, and the riverbank in our town is almost completely dry.
And guess what happened.
Beneath the riverbed, four stone oxen and a stone Buddha appeared."
"Stone oxen and a stone Buddha?"
I said in surprise.
I faintly remembered that when I was on the Qingshui River with the corpse retriever Jiang, dealing with water ghosts, he had activated a river-镇 (zhen) formation.
At that time, four stone oxen, meant to calm the river, had emerged from the water.
What was going on? Were there river-镇 stone oxen and a stone Buddha near our town?
"Yes, stone oxen and a stone Buddha, all bound by chains. They looked very sinister.
But someone said there was an ancient tomb beneath the stone Buddha, and there must be gold there.
So, the villagers swarmed forward, overturned the stone Buddha, and smashed the stone oxen.
Since then, the town hasn't had a single peaceful day.
In that river, six or seven people have drowned, one after another..."