Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

At this moment, the sun has almost set, the water is dim and a pile of tattered fishing nets are floating on it. The people on the boat are discussing strange things such as water ghosts. At this moment, a living person's head emerges from the water in front of you. The person floats out of the water and waves to the people on the boat.

Tell me, isn't this scene terrifying?

Although the boy was handsome and waved at her, clearly trying to be friendly, Ling Ziling was quite certain that the boy was also a water ghost, without any malevolent energy, and probably had only been dead for a few years.

The other party wasn't targeting Bai Qiulian, and didn't seem to be there to harm anyone. Ling Ziling saw him helping a water bird untangle its net, then looked away, intending to ignore it.

Seeing that Ling Ziming clearly saw him but didn't react and even seemed to be leaving, the boy in the water panicked and quickly sank into the water. When he came out of the water again a moment later, he had already grabbed the hull of the boat, with half of his body floating on the boat.

"Please wait, young lady! You saw me, right? Is Sister Bai here? I'm here to help; a water ghost is trying to capture her!"

"...Aren't you a water ghost?"

Ling Ziling sized up the uninvited water ghost boy. His appearance was not much different from that of a living person, and he did not have any resentment on him. This was indeed a new water ghost who had not been dead for long.

“I’m different from those guys, I’m here to help!”

Seeing that the other party did not believe him, the boy anxiously continued to come to the boat, and even tried to reach out to grab Ling Ziling's sleeve, but was dodged by the other party taking a step back.

"Given your identity as a water ghost, for your safety, it's best to stay away from me."

Monsters can control their yin energy to prevent harming people, but ghosts cannot. Monsters have physical bodies and are considered living beings, while ghosts rely entirely on yin energy to manifest. They are themselves a large aggregation of yin energy and cannot control the yin energy to disperse outwards on its own.

Just like Miss Li, as a ghost, her yin energy can clash with the yang energy of the living without her knowledge. In order to deal with the water ghost as soon as possible, Ling Ziling carried some auxiliary magic items with her in advance. If this water ghost boy gets close to her at this time, she cannot guarantee that she will not be triggered by the yin energy on his body.

She has indeed grown up safely and can easily cast all kinds of advanced spells, but when it comes to magic items, she can't guarantee that the passive skill of "sometimes working and sometimes not" is still on that pile of magic items.

Moreover, what she needs to catch now is the water ghost. This water ghost, who looks like a young boy, is even taking the initiative to come close to her. If he has been watching from the water, he must know what Ling Ziling does. It's really strange.

The boy did know Ling Ziling's identity, so when he was reminded not to get close, he obediently withdrew his hand. As a newly recruited water ghost, he was practically powerless compared to his peers.

“I’m really here to help; I know where those guys are hiding.”

"How can I trust you?"

"Sister Bai has been kind to me. Go ask her if she knows Wang Liulang."

"This naming style again..."

Hearing this name, Ling Ziling recalled the noisy Wulang and Shiyilang from before. Apart from the rule that men take their courtesy name at the age of twenty, some families with many children would only give them nicknames first, and then formally give them their given name and courtesy name together after the children have come of age safely.

Such nicknames can be chosen from poems if you want something nice, or simply represented by numbers if you want something simple. The fact that this water ghost is called Wang Liulang suggests one possibility.

He died in the river before he reached the age to receive a formal name.

"Wait, I'll go ask Miss Bai."

Looking around, there were indeed no other water ghosts. The one in front of her seemed to have no intention of harming anyone. Ling Ziling went back to find Bai Qiulian, but neither Bai Qiulian nor Mu Changong were there.

After circling around, they found Bai Qiulian hiding in a corner. It seemed she remembered that she wasn't on the ship and knew she couldn't be seen by too many people.

"Wang Liulang...is he a water ghost?"

"Yes, you know him?"

"I know him. He fell into the water while drunk a few years ago, drowned, and became a water ghost."

Ling Zi Ling: This is such a familiar plot.

Once again, Ling Ziling thought of Shiyilang. She knew them because that little drunkard had gotten drunk and rolled into the moat, and she had rescued him.

It was so close, so very close, that Shiyilang ended up with a similar fate to Wang Liulang.

“That child is pure of heart, which is indeed different from other water ghosts. He still has reason and can be trusted.”

"Okay, then you should hide first."

With Bai Qiulian's assurance, Ling Ziling relaxed. Although Wang Liulang was weak as a fellow water ghost, he could still understand the thinking of his fellow water ghosts and knew where to hide.

The biggest difference between Wang Liulang and his companions was that he was very clear that his death was an accident caused by himself. Although he was unwilling, he admitted that he was the one who loved to drink and that he was the one who lost his footing while drunk.

Compared to other water ghosts who become unrecognizable or even lose their minds due to years of resentment, Wang Liulang is a rare, lucid ghost.

"It's hard to believe that you two are actually of the same kind."

Looking at the several water ghosts that had been captured, some with green faces and fangs, and others dressed in black, none of them looked human at all. Looking at Wang Liulang, who looked quite human, Ling Ziling couldn't help but sigh that the appearance of water ghosts varied.

Thankfully, there were no ordinary people around. A gathering of such a group of demons and monsters would have terrified countless people. I would like to express my gratitude to the Mu family for their cooperation.

“They have been trapped in the river for many years and have long been filled with resentment and lost their humanity. If I were trapped for decades or hundreds of years, I would probably be the same.”

Wang Liulang didn't feel anything about it. In the years he had been a water ghost, he had seen all sorts of things.

"I don't know what they're thinking. Water ghosts are just souls that can't be reincarnated in the river. The Dragon King doesn't even look at us. Even if we capture Sister Bai, the credit will go to someone else in the end. We won't get any credit."

He came to help stop it for two reasons: first, Bai Qiulian had been kind to him and he didn't want his benefactor to be in danger; second, he knew that the people in the Dragon Palace didn't like water ghosts either, and that these fellow beings were just doing futile work.

Oh no, it wasn't a complete waste of effort; at least their fishing nets successfully caught a few fish.

"Mukuro?"

Upon receiving news that the crisis with Ling Ziling had been resolved, Bai Qiulian emerged from the shadows. Although she already knew that Wang Liulang was there, she was still somewhat surprised to see him.

"You should already have someone to replace you, and you should be leaving the river to be reincarnated by now. Why are you still like this?"

Water ghosts don't necessarily have to deceive or capture people to find a substitute. Another way is to wait until someone drowns in the same body of water, and that person will take the place of the original water ghost, thus freeing the former from reincarnation.

However, this waiting is truly a matter of fate and luck. If the timing is right, one can find a replacement within a few years of drowning. If the timing is wrong, one has to wait for decades. Eventually, when they can no longer wait, they start actively capturing people, hoping to find a scapegoat who can relieve their suffering.

Wang Liulang was the lucky one. He should have been replaced by the newly drowned people a few days ago. How come he is still one of the water ghosts in the river?

“There is indeed someone who could take my place. A few days ago, a woman was crossing the river; she was supposed to be my substitute, but…”

Wang Liulang paused for a moment, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

“She is not alone; she has an infant in her arms. I do want to be free, but I cannot bear to lose two lives for my sake.”

So Wang Liulang gave up this opportunity and instead pushed the woman in the water, safely bringing her ashore, while he continued to be a water ghost.

“There’s a fisherman at the place where I drowned. He would offer wine to the creatures in the water. Now he drinks with me every day, and I help him chase the fish. It’s not bad to be a water ghost like this.”

Compared to his fellow water ghosts who were filled with resentment and were determined to do evil, Wang Liulang was very open-minded and was a breath of fresh air in the world of water ghosts.

The troublemaker was caught. Wang Liulang went into the water to clean up the fishing nets that were floating around. Looking at the boy who had sunk into the water and disappeared, Ling Ziling remembered what the other person had said: Bai Qiulian had done him a favor, so he came to help.

The place where Wang Liulang drowned was a small tributary of this river, quite a distance from the main river. Merchant ships came and went on this side, but where Wang Liulang was, there were only fishermen and small boats to cross the river.

Ling Ziling was curious: what favor could have made him travel so far to help?

"...Actually, it can't be considered a favor."

Bai Qiulian hesitated about this matter.

"I happened to be swimming by when he fell into the water while drunk. I wanted to lift him up and bring him back to shore, but I was stopped by the previous water ghost and in the end I couldn't save him."

In the end, the boy drowned, taking the place of the former water ghost. Bai Qiulian tried to save him but failed. Wang Liulang didn't blame her and still remembers her kindness to this day, regarding her as his benefactor.

"I helped him calculate that there would be a successor. All I knew was that a woman would be crossing the river, but she would fall in and drown halfway through..."

Bai Qiulian was unaware that the woman was carrying an infant, and she never expected that Wang Liulang, despite being a water ghost for several years, would not have lost his compassion and would be willing to help save people.

The fishing nets in the water gradually decreased, and some waves rose again on the river. Bai Qiulian looked up and gazed into the distance.

"It's my mother calling me."

"Go ahead, it's getting late."

Because of the water ghost's interference, things on the ship dragged on until late at night, and it was indeed quite late.

Bai Qiulian nodded to Ling Ziling, then leaped into the water. Amidst the waves, a white shadow appeared beneath the surface and swam away into the distance under the moonlight.

Upon seeing the white shadow in the water, Ling Ziling's eyes immediately brightened.

"Wow."

It's a baiji dolphin! The white girl is a baiji dolphin!

No wonder her aura is different from that of fish monsters. Bai Qiulian's original form was not a fish swimming in the river, but a baiji dolphin that also lived in the water, but was not considered a fish.

With the water ghost issue resolved, the fishing nets on the river gone, and Bai Qiulian no longer coming, the merchant ships continued their journey as usual. The sound of Mu Changong reciting poetry could still be heard on the ships, and Ling Ziling could occasionally see other ships on the same path. The non-human monk appeared.

After a few days of peace and tranquility, a sudden change occurred.

Initially, when the boat was resting at the shore, an old woman came. Ling Ziling immediately recognized that the old woman was not human, and her aura was familiar, similar to Bai Qiulian from a few days ago.

As soon as the old woman arrived, she stormed over to the woman who was reciting poetry, banging her cane and accusing her of trying to kill her daughter.

This accusation was completely unfounded, leaving Mu Changong utterly bewildered. He had been on the boat the whole time and had almost encountered a water ghost, so how could he possibly harm someone else's daughter?

This old woman was Bai Qiulian's mother. She said that after hearing Mu Changong recite poetry, her daughter lost her appetite and fell ill from longing. The only solution now was to have Mu Changong marry her daughter, and she could not refuse.

After all that fuss, it turned out that the old mother had come to act as matchmaker for her daughter. Mu Changong had met Bai Qiulian and liked her very much. Of course, he was happy for the beauty to take the initiative, but he knew his father's temper. Even if he agreed, it wouldn't matter. Master Mu would definitely not agree to the marriage.

But the old woman didn't care. She only told Mu Changong to go back and tell the truth, and declared that there was no room for discussion. If they didn't agree, they wouldn't be able to leave.

Although this woman came in a fierce manner, she meant no harm. Moreover, she was Bai Qiulian's mother, so Ling Ziling didn't pay any attention to her. She just casually sighed at the old woman's toughness and stood outside to listen to the whole thing until she left.

Mu Changong was unaware of Bai Qiulian's and his mother's true identities. He didn't understand the harsh words she said at the end, but because he also wanted to marry Bai Qiulian, he told his father everything.

As expected, Master Mu refused and gave Mu Changong a severe scolding. In his view, the other party's background was unclear, and they were eager to offer their daughter, so they might not be a good family. He firmly disagreed with the marriage.

The next day, many sandbars appeared around the ship, blocking it and preventing it from moving.

"Master, do you have a solution to this?"

"I am just a spiritual practitioner, not a wishing well."

Ling Ziling looked at the sandbars emerging from the water. She wondered how deep the river was and how wide it was. Bai Qiulian's mother had cleverly used the sandbars to block all the boats.

So here's the question: if the mother is so powerful, able to stop boats with river sand, why is her daughter so weak? Just from that one skill, Ling Ziling feels that the other could take down water ghosts with a single cane. Why don't you teach your daughter more?

"Moreover, this matter concerns other people's relationships and so I shouldn't interfere."

If it were just a matter of getting the boat out of the sandbar, Ling Ziling would certainly have a way; she could simply clear away the abnormally accumulated sand in the river. But the key to this matter wasn't with her; it lay with Mu Changong and Bai Qiulian.

"...Taoist Master, aren't you saying the wrong thing?"

After spending these days together, Mu Changong no longer regarded Ling Ziling as an ordinary girl. This man could draw talismans, dance with swords, and exorcise ghosts and demons. He did indeed treat people like a wishing well.

But it's okay if it's not resolved, that's what they say. Isn't this concept of karma something that Buddhism talks about?

"Whatever, just borrow it."

Since there are no violent monks here, she'll just use them. What? The monks on the next boat? Those on the next boat aren't even human; we don't even know if they're real monks.

Even though the ship couldn't leave, Master Mu wasn't worried. Since all the other merchant ships traveling the same route were blocked by sandbars, none of them, as competitors, could leave, so there was no need to rush.

Mr. Mu even calculated that the delay in their shipment would allow them to avoid the peak season and make a profit by selling it off-season.

But since something had happened, it wouldn't be good to leave the other side unaware. Luckily, the ship was docked, so Master Mu planned to take a few people with him to deal with other matters first, leaving Mu Changong here to look after the cargo on the ship.

"...Has your father always been this carefree?"

Watching Master Mu walk away with an air of nonchalance, Ling Ziling turned to ask Mu Changong.

Although Mu Changong is an adult, this kind of thing, which involves sandbars emerging from the water, doesn't seem simple at all. Master Mu, are you really so comfortable leaving your son here?

"...It has always been like this."

Mu Changong sighed.