A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

The wind blew all night on Peach Blossom Mountain.

The tips of the peaches are already red.

Shu Baimei smelled the peach, and a pure fragrance flowed from it, entering her nose and then her heart and lungs, nourishing her body.

One peach was enough to fill her up with that pure and refreshing scent.

She was never greedy; she ate one peach a day, and her body visibly became firmer.

Hu Yunying could barely eat two a day, while Guo Lanying could only eat one.

The only place that can give people a sense of purity is the peach grove in the Bagua Formation. The gathered spiritual energy of heaven and earth nourishes the peach trees, and the fruit they bear also nourishes people.

Hu Yunying and Guo Lanying are becoming more and more beautiful.

What woman doesn't love beauty?

Whether she's a female knight-errant, a noble lady, or a commoner's daughter, beauty is a fatal temptation for women.

Noble ladies use bronze as a mirror, commoner girls use water as a mirror, and female knights-errant use men's eyes as a mirror.

So two women and a female ghost would occasionally drift past Zhang Zhengdao's eyes.

As Hu Yunying passed by, she put on an affected air, acting like a demure young lady from a respectable family.

Her incredibly awkward posture and expression made Zhang Zhengdao want to punch her in the face several times.

Guo Lanying, on the other hand, was quite shy and timid.

Especially after a few people had drinks together, the figure seemed to vaguely overlap with that of number 18.

The sky above Peach Blossom Mountain was as clear as if it had been washed. A few white clouds floated lazily in the azure sky.

Sister-in-law Gui has come to Peach Blossom Mountain.

It was Supervisor Sun who sent her to invite Zhang Zhengdao.

Upon seeing Zhang Zhengdao, before even entering the main hall, Sister-in-law Gui knelt down with a thud, weeping and kowtowing. She was helped up by Hu Yunying and Guo Lanying and led into the Taoist temple.

"Sun Zhenjian sent me..."

After calming down, Sister-in-law Gui said to Zhang Zhengdao with red eyes.

"I was wrong before, but today, for the sake of our fellow villagers, let's give that father and daughter some face. You will certainly not be shortchanged on your money!"

Zhang Zhengdao nodded.

"I know everything. They're just unfortunate souls too!"

Sister-in-law Gui didn't say anything, but Zhang Zhengdao had already figured it out.

Scholar Kan died.

It died before it was brought home.

The body was placed on a straw mat in the main room, without even a thin coffin.

Kan Xiucai's daughter, Kan Shushen, fainted from crying.

Sister-in-law Gui, fearing something might happen to Kan Shushen, stayed with her the whole time, even closing the winery. Unexpectedly, after dinner, Kan Shushen cried herself to sleep in a side room.

Sister-in-law Gui thought she would take a nap, but she was so exhausted that she couldn't stay awake any longer and dozed off.

When it was time to light the lamps at night, Sister-in-law Gui suddenly woke up, looked around but couldn't see anyone. Remembering that Kan Shushen was sleeping in the side room, she hurried over to check on her.

Upon seeing this, Sister-in-law Gui screamed and fainted immediately.

On the beam of the side room, a lone person was suspended by a rope, swaying in the wind.

Kan Shu-shen hanged herself.

The town immediately erupted in chaos.

The old night watchman took Kan Shushen down from the beam, laid out a straw mat, and placed Kan Shushen and Kan Xiucai side by side.

He had long since stopped breathing, and the county coroner arrived; it was determined that he had died by hanging.

Two lives lost, one unborn!

The townspeople were filled with unease.

It wasn't just pity for the wrongful deaths of the scholar Kan and his daughter, nor just anger at the tyrannical and lawless actions of You Danzhi, the prefectural magistrate of Lingzhou, but also fear for the wronged soul of Kan Shushen.

Rumors circulated throughout the streets and alleys that Kan Shu-shen might become a vengeful ghost.

So the next morning, Sun Zhenjian sent Sister-in-law Gui to invite Zhang Zhengdao over so that the father and daughter could be buried on the mountain as soon as possible.

This matter caused quite a stir, and Zhang Zhengdao had heard about it from the townspeople who came up the mountain seeking peace charms.

Without a word, Zhang Zhengdao packed his tools and, with the two women, followed Sister-in-law Gui down the mountain. The group remained silent the entire way, except for Sister-in-law Gui's occasional sobs.

Upon arriving in town, we were greeted by people from the town all the way.

Zhang Zhengdao is now their backbone.

They're still scared!

Ghosts who died unjustly do exist, but those who died with their unborn child are said to be very powerful, capable of devouring people for miles around. They were truly terrified, as they escorted Zhang Zhengdao and his companions to the Kan family's home, recounting the family's tragic fate.

Zhang Zhengdao nodded without replying and walked quickly.

They arrived at Scholar Kan's house in no time.

The place was already surrounded by people, three layers deep.

Upon seeing Zhang Zhengdao approaching, they all dispersed, making way for him.

Among the crowd, Zhang Zhengdao also spotted two familiar faces: Yin Jue Shou Hai Tianfu and Sword God Qin Shouzhong. However, upon seeing Zhang Zhengdao, the two old men shrank back, not daring to approach and greet him.

They didn't really believe in ghosts, especially the idea that a pregnant woman who died unjustly would become a vengeful ghost. Besides, they were confident that even if ghosts existed, they could kill them with a single sword strike from their four masters.

Especially after Hai Tianfu and Shu Baimei had their fight last time, this confidence became even stronger.

They were just there for the spectacle, and they were more interested in seeing what Zhang Zhengdao would do.

Using supernatural methods?

Zhang Zhengdao spotted the two corpses lying on the straw mat in the main room at a glance.

Neither of the two corpses showed any signs of soul energy fluctuations.

This proves once again that there are no ghosts in places where spirits gather. Shu Baimei is a unique exception, one in a million.

This world, a myth that transcends reality, seems to have yet to be discovered by itself.

It's a good thing that nothing was discovered.

At least that's what Zhang Zhengdao used to think, proving that there was no spiritual energy revival in this place, and that even the big shots in the God and Demon Realm wouldn't bother to take a look.

But seeing the plight of the Kan family, he suddenly felt that his thinking wasn't quite right. Heaven's justice is obscured, and human nature is so unjust; who will uphold justice?

He sighed and said to the crowd, "Everyone, please disperse. Let those who went go in peace. Everyone can go home safely. With me here, everything will be alright!"

After hearing Zhang Zhengdao's words, everyone dispersed.

Since successfully praying for rain, Zhang Zhengdao has undoubtedly become a highly accomplished master in Linbin Town. He is someone who can summon the Wind Goddess and the Thunder God, and can also command the Dragon King to make it rain.

They always believed that the rain was sent by the Dragon King at Zhang Zhengdao's behest.

The crowd dispersed, but Sister-in-law Gui remained.

She instructed someone to go to the coffin shop in town to buy two coffins.

Zhang Zhengdao instructed two women with red eyes to set up the venue and prepare the equipment for the ritual.

Sister-in-law Gui stood beside Zhang Zhengdao and whispered, "Taoist Master, are their souls still at peace?"

Zhang Zhengdao glanced at Sister-in-law Gui.

This woman was one of the few kind-hearted women in town.

"I might disappoint you."

Zhang Zhengdao was still telling the truth.

"When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out!"

Sister-in-law Gui could tell what was going on. She sighed deeply, stared blankly for a while, and then said to Zhang Zhengdao, "I'm so sorry to trouble you with everything, Daoist Master."

"It's nothing, I'm just doing my job because I'm paid!"

Zhang Zhengdao nodded and started having the two women play music while he chanted scriptures on the side. He was chanting the *Taiyi Jiuku Duren Jing* (Scripture of the Great Unity Who Saves People from Suffering). Although he didn't have a soul, this was his profession, and he still had to maintain basic professional ethics.

Hai Tianfu and Qin Shouzhong had been hiding in the crowd watching the commotion.

After the crowd dispersed, they jumped onto the roof of the ancestral hall of Sun Zhenjian's family, which was not far away. They sat on the ridge, each with a pot of wine, and the Sword God Qin Shouzhong was even gnawing on a roast chicken.

"Is there really a ghost?" Qin Shouzhong asked.

“At least Shu Baimei is!” Hai Tianfu replied, taking a sip of wine. “Everyone in town says that Kan Shushen will become a vengeful ghost, but I can’t feel it.”

"You can sense it?" Sword God Qin Shouzhong didn't believe it.

Hai Tianfu: "I have fought with Shu Baimei, and I can clearly feel something like internal energy. It is even more refined than internal energy. If it weren't for the fact that such refined things are relatively rare, I probably wouldn't be able to beat Shu Baimei."

"So powerful?" Qin Shouzhong was astonished.

To be honest, he had always looked down on clowns like the Five Monsters who patted themselves on the back. If the Five Monsters attacked together, he could wipe them all out in just two or three moves.

But Haitianfu had no reason to lie to him.

"Yes, that's what makes the Taoist priest so remarkable," Hai Tianfu said wistfully.

That feeling of being utterly powerless against Zhang Zhengdao with just a glance is something I really don't want to experience again, nor do I want to upset Zhang Zhengdao again.

"So, it seems the Kan family has no chance of revenge." Qin Shouzhong had been planning to see a play about a ghost seeking revenge, a scene often depicted in traditional operas, but now that's not going to happen.

The two chatted casually as they talked.

The night is already deep.

Zhang Zhengdao dismissed the villagers who had come to keep watch on their own initiative. He felt somewhat comforted by their simplicity and honesty. He then proceeded with the ritual according to custom.

Then he lit a lamp at the entrance of the main room and stood guard over the two coffins.

Two women sat on chairs on the other side, dozing off in a daze.

Zhang Zhengdao took out a pair of scissors.

Then, to the astonishment of Qin Shouzhong and Hai Tianfu, who were watching from afar, he cut out the shape of a woman from yellow paper. It was a thin piece of paper that looked exactly like a woman pregnant.

Zhang Zhengdao casually tossed the piece of paper with the human figure in the air and uttered, "Hurry—"

The piece of paper immediately began to float in the air, carried by the night wind, until it reached the sky.

The piece of paper grew a little bigger as the wind blew it.

With another breath, it transformed into a woman floating in the air, dressed in plain clothes, pregnant, with long hair flowing over her face.

Finally, it was blown away by the wind and disappeared into the night sky.

Qin Shouzhong's mouth was agape, and the chicken leg in his hand slipped from his grasp with a thud and landed on his foot.