A master of metaphysics is farming.

The carriage had been traveling for most of the day when a sudden downpour began, causing night to fall.

Xing Ji found a deserted house to stay in, where several other people were also taking shelter from the rain. When they saw their large horse-drawn carriage, they all curiously craned their necks to look inside.

In the last rays of the setting sun, one could see a woman in a thick, crescent-shaped dress, draped in a deep purple cloak, and holding a large black umbrella, stepping down from the large carriage. She had a beautiful face.

Behind her was a man dressed in a dark blue robe, his black hair tied up high, his posture leisurely, walking closely behind the woman.

The two went inside, nodded to the people seeking shelter from the rain, and chose a secluded corner to sit down. Xing Ji brought in a stove from outside, placed it in front of them, and then lit a fire with dry grass from the abandoned house.

Xiang He rubbed her hands together to warm them, "It's so cold today, and the rain just started." She tugged at her skirt, "This moon-white color gets dirty so easily..."

"If you walk slower, you won't get it."

He Sui'an took the food box from Xing Ji and took out a plate of braised pork. "Miss Jiang really understands you. She specially prepared this meat dish."

"Of course, she was very thin when she first met me."

Xiang He fanned the aroma into her nose with her hand, her eyes casually sweeping over the other people, including men, women, and two children who were eating their shriveled flatbreads while staring longingly at Xiang He's plate of meat.

Her eyes darted to another corner. In the cold winter night, she was dressed in thin clothes, hugging her knees, her head buried between them. As if smelling a fragrance, she slowly raised her head, revealing a pair of lifeless eyes.

He looked like a man; his eyes gleamed as he looked at the two children, his hand trembling as he reached out, "Could you... share some with me... I'm so hungry..."

The two children, barely out of their teens, huddled in their mother's arms, while the younger girl, pried open her arms slightly and offered the item in a trembling voice, "Here, for you..."

The man's eyes lit up at the sight of the food. His thin, bony hand stretched out, about to touch the flatbread, when Xiang He walked over with the plate of meat and placed it directly in his hand.

"Eat mine," Xiang He said with a smile to the family. "Why don't you go sit over there? It's warmer there, you can eat something hot together."

"This...this isn't quite right...?"

The couple were visibly reserved, but the two children looked on with hope. Xiang He smiled gently and said, "Don't let the children get cold, go on over there."

He Sui'an waved to them, "Come and sit down, it's alright."

Seeing that neither of them minded, and that the bonfire was indeed attractive, the couple took their two children over and sat down, trying to avoid it as much as possible.

Xiang He turned to look at the emaciated man, "If you also feel cold, why don't you come and sit down?"

The man held the meat in his hands, but his eyes were fixed on Xiang He. His sunken eyes appeared very large, and when he stared at Xiang He, there was a hint of suffocating evil in them.

However, after a moment, Xiang He lowered her head to eat the meat. She only glanced at him indifferently, her expression calm and unwavering. She then turned around, walked over, sat down, and drank the warm tea that He Sui'an handed her.

Xiang He took out all three dishes that Jiang Xinyue had given him. At first, the family seemed a little reserved, but Xiang He was sweet-talking and quickly became familiar with them.

The two children were still sitting next to He Suian, looking at the dense words on the book, nodding blankly and reading aloud as they followed along.

"In this freezing weather, and during the New Year holiday, where are you headed, elder brother and sister-in-law?"

The couple frowned deeply. The elder brother sighed, "My mother lives in the village up ahead. She sent word this morning that she's not going to make it. I have to see her one last time..."

Upon hearing this, Xiang He poured hot tea into their bamboo tubes. "It's unfortunate that we encountered this heavy rain, but it might stop in a while. Do you want to continue your journey?"

The sky had darkened, and the only light coming from the fire in the abandoned house was the sound of rain outside. The eldest brother pulled the two children's coats tighter.

"Let's get going as soon as possible..."

Xiang He also looked outside. The rain stopped just like that. He stared at the carriage and pondered for a moment.

Then he looked at He Suian and asked, "How about we give him a ride?"

"also may."

The sister-in-law waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no! How could we do that? We're dirty!"

Xiang He had already stood up. "It's alright, he's the owner, he makes the decisions. Let's get in the carriage, we can't let the two children get cold, can we?"

"This……"

The sister-in-law looked embarrassed, but the eldest brother immediately pulled the two children aside and thanked them profusely, saying, "Thank you so much for your trouble!"

"Don't be shy," Xiang He picked up the large umbrella beside her. "Let's go, it'll be hard to walk around late at night."

As soon as He Suian got up, Xing Ji had already taken the stove into the carriage, and the group boarded the carriage.

The two children, sitting in the large carriage, sighed and glanced at the man in the corner, asking, "Isn't he leaving?"

Xiang He reached out and lowered the carriage curtain. "They're probably people with nowhere to go. Don't look."

The little girl nodded blankly, but He Sui'an felt that Xiang He's attitude was strange. It seemed that there was something wrong with that "man".

However, there were still ordinary people around, so he couldn't ask too many questions.

The carriage traveled for a while longer under the cover of night until the elder brother called out at an intersection, "Let's stop here and walk in."

"Be careful on the road, especially at night."

The two children said their thanks in a clear voice, "Thank you, big brother and sister!"

"You're welcome."

They kept thanking him after getting off the carriage, and only started walking into the village after the carriage had gone far away.

Inside the carriage, He Sui'an flipped through a book, asking, "What's wrong with that man?"

"Shhh."

He Suian looked up and saw Xiang He holding her index finger to her lips, her eyes fixed on the left car window. As she looked down, she saw the car curtain swaying in the wind, and as it fluttered, a bony hand suddenly appeared.

Startled by the sudden turn of events, He Suian dropped his book without uttering a word.

Xiang He laughed out loud, "They actually found it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a face with sunken cheeks appeared, with big, round eyes smiling and a mouthful of yellow teeth showing. His head was right outside the car window, and it was unclear how he had caught up with him.

While He Sui'an appeared stunned, Xiang He seemed remarkably calm.

She reached into the cloth bag, feeling the icy touch on her fingertips, and took out the copper coin sword.

"This creature is called Yu Shuai. It always appears on cold winter rainy nights. It asks people for food and lodging. If the host gives it food, it will pester the host."

That face seemed frozen in time, and He Sui felt a little relieved. "They've become clingy just because I gave them food? What could they possibly do? Something harmless?"

Xiang He rubbed the copper coin sword between his fingers, his face grim. "How could it be harmless? After all, it's an evil spirit. If you get entangled with it, it'll be troublesome, just like now."

As soon as she finished speaking, her gaping mouth widened, becoming as big as the car window, and instantly shot towards He through the window.

Xiang He calmly manipulated the copper coin sword. Just as the mouth was about to reach her ear, she swiftly swung the sword, the coin sword glistening with blood from her fingertips, and plunged straight into the gaping maw—

“Oooooh…”

The copper coin sword slid into his mouth, making a sizzling sound as it emitted light. His mouth began to twist and gradually shrank, his fingernails scratching his face as he screamed in pain.

Hearing the commotion ahead, Zhu Nan turned to look and saw a human-shaped body clinging to the side of the carriage. There was clearly no foothold, but he was able to stick to it!

At this moment, he was clutching the leather face and howling in pain, with a small sword stuck in his mouth.

"hiss……!"

"parking."

Xing Ji tightened the reins to stop the horse. Xiang He and He Sui got off the carriage and looked at the rain stains on the carriage wall, which looked like a puddle of mud stuck firmly to the ground.

Xiang He stepped forward, took out a talisman, placed it to his lips and silently recited a few words. Taking advantage of his pain, he stuck it on his forehead, and when the flames suddenly appeared, he let out an even louder howl.

Until his body was completely burned to death, leaving behind a copper coin sword on the ground.

Xiang He bent down to pick it up and said calmly, "Yu Shuai accepted other people's things to fulfill a pact that the person was kind and edible. He then came to the door and killed and ate the person who brought him the food."

Upon hearing this, He Suian frowned. If he were to accept the little girl's pancake, the fate of that family would be predictable.

So scary...