Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

After Liu Qingyuan left, the scholars' drinking party came to an end. If it were according to the usual procedure, after the drinking party, there should have been a poetry and song appreciation session, which was the domain of a few talented people, specially to show off the scholars' literary demeanor.

But after being shocked by Liu Qingyuan's actions today, everyone lost their mood for drinking, composing poems, and discussing literature. All they wanted to do now was tell their families about their encounter with the "immortal" and the immortal's plan to stay temporarily outside the city.

Even Wang Zifu, one of the organizers of the drinking party, had long lost interest, so the party ended hastily, and everyone went home to tell their families.

In their view, the appearance of immortals and the news of more extraordinary people appearing in the future were things they had personally experienced and were certain to be true, things that the immortal who called himself Sword Immortal Traces had said in person.

But when these shocking words reach the ears of others, their first reaction is that this person has just returned from a drinking party and may not be sober yet, still talking nonsense.

"Sister-in-law, I'm telling the truth. I'm really not drunk."

Wang Erlang was one of those suspected of being drunk. In fact, he drank very little, otherwise he wouldn't have been the first to notice the things being thrown out and quickly realize that they might hit someone.

Even so, with people coming and going at the table, he inevitably became heavily intoxicated, and what he said was quite shocking. Since his elder brother hadn't gone to the banquet, the first thing he did upon returning was to tell the other party about his encounter with the immortal at the restaurant.

When he returned, he didn't see his elder brother. Only his sister-in-law, Chen, was at home. Wang Erlang wasn't surprised. His brother had been running around lately, leaving early and returning late, without saying where he was going. The family was used to it.

The two brothers' parents passed away early, and the younger brother was not yet married. Therefore, the household affairs were always managed by his sister-in-law, Chen, the wife of the eldest son. Chen managed the household very well, allowing the two brothers to focus on their studies without any worries.

Therefore, the two brothers would often discuss matters with her, so even though Wang Erlang didn't see his elder brother when he returned, he didn't hide it from her and told Chen Shi directly.

"It's true that a few Taoist priests have come to the city recently, but I've never heard of the immortal you're talking about."

Liu Qingyuan had only been there for one day. No matter how striking her appearance was, it would take time for the news to spread. The story of the white-haired Taoist had not yet reached Chen Shi's ears. In her opinion, what Wang Erlang said was truly unheard of. And seeing the smell of alcohol on the other party, she felt that he was still drunk.

However, she also understood the other person's personality. Unless someone at the drinking party forced him to drink, Wang Erlang would not really get drunk and go home. Moreover, the other person spoke clearly and logically, and did not seem like a drunkard.

The fact that a wine glass hit a passing immortal, and that the immortal planned to stay nearby for a long time, is such an absurd and coincidental event that it's really hard to believe.

"I'm not lying. All the classmates here saw it. Immortal Sword Master just arrived in the city today. After today, this matter will spread."

Most scholars were thinking of hurrying home to inform their relatives and friends so that they could give them a heads-up if they saw each other again, and so that they would have a way to deal with any strange or supernatural things they might encounter.

"This is just a small town; how could it be a place for immortals to reside permanently?"

Chen could never quite grasp the logic. Although there was no shortage of high-ranking officials and nobles here, it was not the capital city. Even a storyteller wouldn't know a fancy name for them. If the other party was really an extraordinary immortal, why would he come here instead of visiting the emperor directly?

"The immortal said he was just coming to the mortal world for a short trip and didn't intend to have much interaction with humankind. Besides, it's not like we have nothing here. Didn't someone once say there were monsters in the mountains in the southwest?"

Is this a good thing?

Chen shook his head helplessly. Famous places elsewhere are either celebrities and talented people or scenic spots, but here they are called mountain monsters.

Despite saying she didn't believe it, Wang Erlang was always honest. Even if he wasn't a real immortal, the person he was talking about was definitely capable. Chen Shi still made a mental note of it.

Just then, the eldest son of the Wang family returned. He was a little surprised to see his younger brother. He had attended the drinking parties of his classmates from the private school a few times before and knew the general process. He knew that Wang Erlang should not be able to return at this time.

"Why are you back so early?"

"Big brother's back? Perfect timing, I have something to do..."

"Um, I have something to take care of..."

Upon seeing his elder brother return, Wang Erlang intended to repeat what he had just said to Chen Shi, only to find that Chen Shi had also returned with business to attend to, and the two brothers' conversations unexpectedly overlapped.

"Uh……"

Compared to his younger brother's eagerness, the older brother seemed hesitant, as if he had done something shameful.

"...Why don't I go first?"

"Brother, you go first."

Since he had already told Chen Shi once, Wang Erlang was now more curious about what his elder brother had to say. He looked guilty and kept glancing in Chen Shi's direction. Chen Shi had been going out a lot these days and hadn't stayed at home. Wang Erlang had a feeling that Chen Shi's current behavior was related to her unusual behavior these past few days.

The two Wang brothers were a few years apart in age. The younger brother was still studying at the private school according to the rules, while the elder brother had been married for several years. Therefore, unlike most students, he did not need to report to the private school on time. However, this did not mean that he could stay away from home all day.

"This one……"

The eldest son of the Wang family, let's just call him Wang Sheng. Wang Sheng has indeed been away from home recently because of something that's a bit shameful. He realized that he couldn't keep it a secret any longer, so he came back this time to talk about it.

He hadn't expected his younger brother, who had gone out to a drinking party, to return so quickly. He had already prepared what he would say to his wife, because what Wang Sheng was about to say was directly related to his wife's attitude.

A few days ago, Wang Sheng accidentally woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep. Since he had woken up so early and had nothing else to do, he planned to go for a walk before dawn and go out to greet the sunrise, which he considered a leisurely and elegant activity.

Not long after Wang Sheng left his house, he unexpectedly encountered a beautiful young woman who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. She was also taking a walk on the street outside, and she was walking ahead of Wang Sheng, walking very slowly.

Wang Sheng found it strange that such a beautiful young girl would come out before dawn, all alone outside. He took the initiative to talk to her, and after several conversations, he learned about her tragic past.

The girl's parents were vain and sold their daughter to a wealthy family as a concubine for money. As soon as she entered the house, the first wife became jealous of her youth and beauty and made things difficult for her at every turn. The girl couldn't take it anymore, so she took advantage of the darkness and ran away.

Upon hearing her story, Wang Sheng felt a surge of "sense of justice" and offered to help her. Then, before long, he took the girl home and hid her in a secret room in another study in the courtyard. He kept it a secret from his family for several days.

So Wang Sheng didn't go out these past few days; instead, he took a roundabout route to that secret room to keep the girl company. No wonder so many acquaintances around him didn't know where he had been these past few days.

The reason I'm bringing this up today is twofold: firstly, Wang Shengde's scandal has died down these past few days, and I intend to reveal it to Chen.

"no!"

After hearing this, Chen raised her eyebrows, clearly disapproving of Wang Sheng's actions. However, her agitation was not due to her husband hiding a girl at home, but rather because of the girl's identity.

That's not something you can just brush off with a "tragic background." A concubine who ran away from a wealthy family is a problem in every way.

"She didn't even say which family she came from. What will we do if the nobles in this city investigate?"

Although their royal family was not as distinguished as Prince Fu's, they still owned several properties and had a respectable courtyard, respectable enough to build several secret rooms. However, if they were to face truly powerful and noble families, they would be no different from fish on a chopping board.

How could one take in a concubine who ran away from a prestigious family? If she were discovered, they wouldn't even know she was hiding in their house. Chen didn't even dare to imagine how much trouble that would cause.

Moreover, the girl has been out for so many days, yet there's not a single word about it in the city. It's unreasonable that the newly acquired concubine just ran away and they didn't care.

Either, as the girl said, the wife of the wealthy family disliked her and ran away, leaving her to fend for herself, perhaps even waiting for an opportunity to harm her; or, the other side felt that family scandals should not be aired in public and had been secretly looking for her. This situation was even worse, as once they discovered that she was here, the Wang family might become the criminals who kidnapped the concubine of a wealthy family.

"Get her away quickly. If you offend the powerful families in the city, how will you and your second brother ever achieve any fame or fortune?"

If they are discovered, the other party will pin a charge of being a Tibetan on them, and with such a lawsuit, their family will be finished.

"But……"

Whether this man was skilled and daring or genuinely wanted to save the beauty from her suffering, Chen had already explained the trouble, but Wang Sheng still wanted to persuade her to stay.

In his opinion, the girl had been hiding in the secret room for several days without any news from the outside world, so perhaps the matter was already over.

"Brother, don't do anything foolish."

Wang Erlang also supported getting rid of the woman. The older brother hadn't been to the private school much these past few days, but he, the younger brother, went to class on time every day. The town wasn't big, and there was only one private school. There were quite a few students like Wang Zifu who came from wealthy families. After they got along well, they loved to chat about all sorts of things. They had never heard of any family losing a concubine.

Moreover, the woman didn't say where she came from. Her origins are unknown, which could lead to endless trouble!

Originally, Wang Erlang rushed back, wanting to share with his family about his unexpected encounter with the immortals that day. But now, his elder brother has interrupted him. Let's not talk about the immortals for now; tonight, let's deal with the problem of that concubine who supposedly ran away from a wealthy family.

"Let's send her away tomorrow and ask that girl if she has any relatives. We have no relation to her, and if the matter is investigated by the authorities, we won't be able to explain ourselves."

After all, they were brothers, and Wang Erlang could see clearly what his elder brother was thinking. Judging from the other party's unwillingness to drive the girl away and his constant hints to Chen about the girl's pitiful state, it was clear that the other party was considering taking the young and beautiful woman as a concubine because she seemed to be helpless.

He had no objection to taking a concubine; his family could afford it. But it absolutely could not be a concubine who had run away from a wealthy family and whose background was unknown.

It was already dark, but tonight, this family of stock market speculators wouldn't be able to sleep.

……

"Two...it looks like we'll have to go into town again tomorrow."

In a state of sudden enlightenment, Liu Qingyuan pondered to himself that in the original story, a mere painted skin could easily disembowel a person. If it weren't for the assistance of a highly skilled Taoist priest, the scholar's entire family might not have escaped.

Now there are two of them instead of one. What would happen if the two of them teamed up?

But now that it was almost night, Liu Qingyuan had no choice but to go into the city tomorrow, no matter how worried she was. After all, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to wander the streets in all white at night. She didn't want to fail to catch the painted-skin ghost and end up scaring the night watchman to death.

"Where does Miss Xiao Cui live? I'll take you home."

"No need, no need. I'm used to living a wild life here, I don't have a proper place to stay."

Fox spirits, after all, can't escape the word "fox." No matter how human-like they are, they still started growing from fox cubs. Xiao Cui is considered young among fox spirits, and she's a mischievous one. After running away, she ran wild in the mountains. There was no mother to supervise her, no Wang Yushi's family, and she had a little sister to play with, so she was very carefree.