Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 23 The Painted Skin Ghost

Upon receiving Xuanjizi's approval, Magistrate Sun was overjoyed.

He repeatedly said, "Your Excellency is merciful! Your Excellency is merciful! This humble official... this humble official is moved to tears!"

"How can a venerable immortal be confined to this filthy place? Please! Please come to my humble abode, and allow me to extend my hospitality!"

Magistrate Sun stepped aside to lead the way, adopting an extremely humble posture.

Xuanji Zi didn't say anything, only nodded slightly, and his withered body followed him down the creaking wooden stairs.

Qi Yun followed closely behind, carrying a satchel on his back.

The scene at the entrance of the inn made Qi Yun's eyelids twitch.

A shabby procession blocked the street: several emaciated musicians wearing patched uniforms, their drumheads torn and their suona bowls dented. Upon receiving the command, they puffed out their cheeks, and the gongs and cymbals went silent, while the suonas howled out of tune, making a racket that gave people a headache.

A faded blue sedan chair with patched up sides sat shakily in the middle, its poles worn smooth from wear.

The two men carrying the sedan chair were as thin as sticks, staring longingly at it.

Magistrate Sun took two quick steps, personally lifted the greasy sedan curtain, and bowed, saying, "Master, please get in the sedan!" Xuanjizi glanced at the shabby sedan, his face expressionless. He held onto the sedan frame with his withered hands, bowed slightly, and climbed inside.

The sedan curtain was lowered, concealing the faded Taoist robe.

"Young Taoist priest, I'm sorry to trouble you to ride this beast!"

A yamen runner led over an old horse that was equally thin and bony, with a mane that was disheveled and a saddle that was also very old.

This was the first time Qi Yun had ever ridden a horse in his life. He was a little nervous, but he didn't show it on his face. Following his memory, he grabbed the front of the saddle, flipped over, and mounted the horse smoothly. The horse snorted and foamed at the mouth.

The broken gongs and drums began to howl again, and the procession slowly moved forward.

Magistrate Sun led the way on foot, flanked by two yamen runners, while musicians played out tuneless tunes with great effort.

The old horse was unsteady on its feet, and Qi Yun, sitting on it, swayed with the bumps and jolting, as if he were being paraded through the streets by this dilapidated ceremonial procession.

Along the street, some bold residents pushed open half a door, revealing their bewildered eyes as they looked at the strange group of people.

Upon arriving at the rear residence of the county government office, a completely different scene unfolded.

Although it lacks ornate carvings and painted rafters, the ground is paved with blue bricks and there are a few clumps of bamboo, giving it a touch of the dignity of an official's residence.

A feast had already been set out in the flower hall.

Magistrate Sun dismissed his attendants, leaving only a capable old steward to serve him.

The aroma of the dishes on the table, like an invisible hand, suddenly gripped Qi Yun's stomach. Ever since he followed Xuan Jizi, he had been eating and sleeping in the open, gnawing on hard, rock-hard coarse grain cakes and drinking cold mountain stream water. The little bit of oil and fat in his stomach had long been completely emptied out.

Before my eyes: a whole, glistening, reddish-brown roast chicken; a plump, trembling braised pork knuckle; steamed fish scales shimmering with silver light; emerald green seasonal vegetables; and snow-white rice steaming hot...

Qi Yun felt a "thump" in his stomach.

Magistrate Sun earnestly invited Xuanjizi to take a seat and raised his wine cup to express his gratitude.

Qi Yun and Xuan Jizi also raised their teacups in greeting.

After finishing one cup, Magistrate Sun and the old Taoist priest began discussing serious matters. Qi Yun, unable to get a word in edgewise, picked up his chopsticks and instantly devoured a glistening, trembling piece of pork knuckle skin and a large chunk of lean meat. His teeth tore through the tender skin, and the rich oil mixed with the aroma of soy sauce exploded in his mouth, the flavor shooting straight to the top of his head.

He picked up another chicken leg and gnawed it down to the bone in a few bites.

He shoveled rice into his mouth, mixing it with the meat gravy, and swallowed it whole. His cheeks bulged as he devoured the food, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Master, the matter of that demon cannot be delayed."

The person who drew that image the other day must have seen it.

"I will now explain the details to you in more detail."

He put down his wine glass, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of fear, "This disaster started at the 'Peaceful Inn' on Shili Slope outside the city!"
About eight or nine days ago, a traveling merchant passed by and found the shop closed and the smell of blood overwhelming. He broke down the door and saw... alas! The elderly couple who owned the shop were dead... in a gruesome state, barely recognizable as human!
The constables went to investigate, but they had also vanished! Later, they found... gnawed remains in the nearby woods!

His throat bobbed, as if he could still smell the stench.

“Since then, the city has been in turmoil!”
First, a night watchman in Willow Lane in the west of the city stumbled upon... stumbled upon that thing crawling and gnawing deep in the lane... He was so frightened that he fled for his life, and later, based on his description, he drew the appearance of that half-human, half-ghost!

Then, people went missing one after another in the south and north of the city!

The day before yesterday... The day before yesterday, a team of five night patrol officers, along with their fire sticks and lanterns, disappeared without a trace!

Only in the back alley of the City God Temple did I find... I found half a torn piece of soap and a pool of foul-smelling slime!
Including the elderly couple and the missing constable... that's twelve lives lost in total!

Magistrate Sun's voice trembled with tears, "The city is now filled with an atmosphere of panic. People stay indoors as soon as it gets dark, and everyone is filled with fear! I... I am truly... at my wit's end!"

After listening, Xuanjizi tapped his withered fingers lightly on the edge of the table, his expression as solemn as thick ink that could not be dissolved.

"Lord Sun, I recognize the ghost in the wanted poster; it is the 'Painted Skin Ghost'!"
This beast is extremely dangerous and cunning.

At first, it wore human skin, but it did not yet have human characteristics; it could not speak, and it could not eat human food! It was still easy to identify.

But with each person it devours, it steals a bit more soul essence and gains a bit more disguise ability!
It has now claimed more than a dozen lives…

The old Taoist priest raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning, "He has donned human skin and mingled in this Qingyang City; I'm afraid he's no different from an ordinary person!"
Its aura was concealed, its ghostly presence deeply hidden, making it extremely difficult for ordinary people to discern.

Finding him among tens of thousands of people is like searching for a needle in a haystack!

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Sun's face turned deathly pale, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his voice trembled: "A...real person! What should we do?"

Are we... are we just going to let it run rampant?

"Please, Master, you must find a way! Save the lives of all the people in Qingyang!" He almost rose from his seat to kneel again.

Xuanjizi pondered for a moment, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and decisively said, "The only plan now is to set up an altar and devise a plan, borrowing the power of heaven and earth to find out the demon's whereabouts!"

"Open the altar?" Magistrate Sun asked urgently, as if grasping at a lifeline. "What does the Master need? I will do it immediately! I will use all the resources of the county to prepare everything for the Master!"

“Hmm,” Xuanjizi nodded slightly, his voice clear and steady, as he listed a series of items, “A clean courtyard is needed, with a three-tiered altar set up on a base of bluestone, free of any other colors. The top of the altar should be covered with a whole sheet of yellow cloth, which must be brand new and flawless.”

Set up a main altar with an incense table, made of peach heartwood that is over a hundred years old, nine feet long and three feet three inches wide, along with five plates of seasonal fresh fruit and nine jars of clean water…

Compared to the makeshift altar cobbled together from a few broken tables and chairs in the back alley of the slums last night, the scale and materials required this time are worlds apart, demonstrating that Xuanjizi is going all out this time.

(End of this chapter)