Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Upon seeing the approaching ghosts, Jian Feidao glanced at the merchant who had just calmed down, then silently moved the candlesticks used for lighting. The ghosts were carrying wine and dishes. One of them, a headless ghost whom he had met once before, had mentioned that he had an appointment with someone else, which might refer to this gathering.

Suddenly encountering four or five real ghosts, they were unsure if the merchant would be frightened again, so they decided not to comment for the time being. The dilapidated temple only had one candlestick for lighting, which was not very bright to begin with. As long as there was no obvious light shining on each other, they would not be able to tell that they were actually a group of ghosts.

"Hey, we meet again."

Ren Pingsheng leaned against the door frame first, making eye contact with the headless ghost in front of him. After carefully observing the other ghosts, he realized that none of them should be able to lose body parts.

Hopefully, this guy will keep a close eye on his head and not get his head ripped off on the spot. Neither he nor Jian Feidao are medical experts, and if they frighten the only mortal inside into getting sick, they'll have to call in someone to treat him on the spot.

Upon seeing Ren Pingsheng, the smile on the headless ghost's face froze. Looking further inside, there was also Jian Feidao. The two of them had such distinctive features that they were easily recognizable after just one meeting.

He had almost forgotten about the little incident that happened in the evening. Didn't he point out the way down the mountain to them? Why are you two big shots still here?!

The headless ghost was afraid of meeting them again. These two looked formidable, giving him the feeling that he could swat away ten ghosts with a single flick of his sleeve. Therefore, even though he was in a hurry to run away, he didn't forget to give them directions, hoping that they would leave quickly and that they would never see each other again.

Similarly, Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao were also afraid of encountering ordinary people late at night. They didn't want to hear the legends of white ghosts haunting them at night, and they didn't want to be mistaken for ghosts while other innate beings were being guessed as gods.

"How about...we go somewhere else?"

If you come here to drink, you have to face the people inside. The headless ghost really didn't want to go there, so he turned around and started advising his friend to go somewhere else.

But he also knew that the only building nearby that could provide shelter from the wind and rain and prevent them from being disturbed was this dilapidated temple that was still relatively intact. Although they had been dead for many years, these ghosts still tried their best to drink and laugh like the living.

"...Do you know this person?"

A ghost dressed as a scholar turned around and asked the headless ghost, "We've already reached the door. Of course, they've also seen Ren Pingsheng standing there. Because of the difference in appearance from ordinary people, they don't think the person in front of them is a mortal. But judging from his temperament, he doesn't seem like a monster from the mountains."

He felt that the person opposite him looked like a deity. They had a proper mountain god here, and he had never heard of a white-haired deity with an emerald green staff appearing in the vicinity.

"see once."

In addition to the favor of helping to chase the head, but since the two sides did not exchange names, the headless ghost never thought they would meet again, especially here, at this time.

"It was indeed a brief encounter."

Ren Pingsheng had no intention of making things difficult for them. He was standing at the door simply to observe what kind of ghost it was and whether it would pose a threat to the only mortal inside.

Now it's clear that they were just drinking together, had no magical powers, and were probably ordinary people in life, but they all seem to have died tragically. The oldest among them was just an ordinary middle-aged man.

"My friend and I are just passing through and need to rest for a while now that it's dark. Please make yourselves at home, gentlemen."

Kan Jianfeidao arranged the candlesticks, and Ren Pingsheng gestured for them to sit down and drink. The ghosts were eager to sit down and drink, as they had worked hard to organize this drinking party tonight. Duantougui wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't have time.

Aside from their identities, these ghosts looked no different from ordinary people. If you didn't notice the thin mark around the headless ghost's neck and the fact that they had no shadows, they would just look like four or five ordinary people who had come out to drink.

So the merchants assumed they were living people and didn't pay much attention when they saw the group come in. When they learned that Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao might know the headless ghost, the ghosts also assumed that since the people in the temple could talk to them so peacefully, they must not be human, or at least not ordinary people.

Well, judging from Jian Feidao and Ren Pingsheng's appearances, no one would think they are ordinary people. Who would dress like that and walk in the mountains at night, and even appear in an abandoned temple?

After the ghosts had arranged their things and sat down, the merchant looked at the middle-aged man dressed as a Confucian sage with surprise in his eyes.

"Mr. Zhan?"

He recognized him; wasn't he the instructor from his own region?

Unexpectedly, they ran into acquaintances in this desolate wilderness. The merchant was amused, and Mr. Zhan was also happy. When Ren Pingsheng saw that he could meet someone he knew in this ghostly place, he had a feeling that there was a story behind it. He immediately pulled Jian Feidao to find a corner to sit down and watched the merchant and Mr. Zhan "recognize each other".

This mountain road leads to Mr. Zhan's hometown. When businessmen come here to discuss business, they naturally know about this. In his hometown, Mr. Zhan is considered a romantic and famous figure, especially known for his unrestrained and wild behavior after drinking. In short, he is quite famous.

However, starting from a certain year, the merchant could no longer see this carefree instructor. Businessmen often travel around and rarely see their families, so he didn't care that he couldn't see Mr. Zhan.

When they met him near his hometown, the businessman assumed he had resigned from his official post and returned home. Neither Mr. Zhan nor his friends gave a direct answer to this claim.

By now they could see that the person in front of them was alive, and it was best not to mention that they were dead and had become ghosts, as it wouldn't be good for the person's heart.

However, Mr. Zhan was still very happy to run into an acquaintance. He immediately invited the businessman to join the drinking party, and the others also followed the principle that the more people there were, the more lively it would be. They even tried to pull Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao, who were sitting in the corner, over.

Of course, Duantougui didn't dare to invite him casually. He still remembered Jian Feidao's identity as a Taoist priest, but now that an ordinary person had infiltrated the situation, if he revealed this, they would have to explain together why he was afraid of Taoist priests.

What kind of person would be afraid of a Taoist priest? A ghost, a monster, or something else entirely, definitely not an ordinary living person like a merchant.

"We already had a round of drinks before coming here, so we won't participate anymore. We have to keep going tomorrow morning."

When they brought wine to ask the two City Gods about their stories, neither of them drank any of it; they gave it all to the people telling the stories. Now, saying this is just an excuse to refuse.

Since the few dead people drinking and laughing together are the ones who are enjoying themselves, where did their food and drink come from? The most likely source is the offerings made at their graves, and these things are not to be eaten casually.

As for the businessman who gladly accepted the invitation, he was the only one present who was kept in the dark. Neither of them stopped him, firstly because there was no suitable reason, and secondly because he estimated that he would not see Mr. Zhan again after today, so it was better to be happy during this last meeting.

For now, he only thought that Mr. Zhan had resigned and gone home. He would find out the truth when he went out of the mountain tomorrow and asked around. He was afraid that he would not encounter such a thing again in the future.

The night was very lively. The dilapidated temple, which should have been deserted, was filled with laughter and toasts. In the end, a few ghosts and a living person got drunk and started playing drinking games. Ren Pingsheng found it interesting and wrote them all down.

They were playing drinking games and taking notes at the same time. It was a nice scene. If you ignored the fact that Ren Pingsheng could still write down the notes without any problems even in the dim lighting, then Jian Feidao even took out his flute and played a few tunes for them.

The businessman, being an ordinary person, was the first to get drunk. He only had a few rounds of drinking and eating before leaving.

According to them, the mountain god dislikes noise. Whether it's a monster or a ghost, if someone sets up a feast anywhere in the mountain, the mountain god will come out to warn them, or even personally beat them. Everyone who wants to organize a feast must prepare in advance.

This dilapidated temple was near the foot of the mountain, next to the road leading down the mountain, and could barely be considered a "secret base," so they specifically chose this place to drink.

Ren Pingsheng asked them curiously if they had ever seen the mountain god, and was given a description of an image with a narrow and long face, about two or three feet long. He then made a simple mental image based on this description.

...Are you sure this is a mountain god, and not the horse-faced demon from the Ox-Head and Horse-Face legend?

The next morning, the two followed the merchant's route and walked out of the mountain together. During the day, the details of their clothing could be clearly seen. The merchant looked at Jian Feidao's clothes with gold trim and Ren Pingsheng's emerald green cane that looked like it was carved from a single piece of jade. He realized that he had met a hermit master.

Upon reaching their destination, the two parted ways. The businessman had been so drunk the night before that he had fallen asleep. Mr. Zhan and his friends were still sober at the time, but when they woke up in the morning, they were nowhere to be found. He couldn't help but ask the people around him if Mr. Zhan and his friends had returned safely.

It would have been better not to ask, because what they found was shocking, and both the person asking and the person being asked were shocked by what the other said.

According to the villagers, Mr. Zhan has been dead for many years. How could the businessman still be drinking and chatting with him? But the drinking party last night was indeed true, and the businessman could still smell the alcohol on himself from the previous night.

“One night, Mr. Zhan came home drunk and rode his horse across the steps. The horse went out of control and crashed into the cypress trees on both sides. Mr. Zhan also hit his head on the trees. When everyone heard the noise and came out to check in the middle of the night, he was already dead.”

"This……"

So last night, he saw Mr. Zhan as a ghost? And the people he was drinking and laughing with were a group of dead people? And there were two white-haired people... Oh, those two are alive. They were walking down the mountain together this morning under the sun. Those two are definitely alive.

Last night's drinking session, coupled with the shock of the ghost encounter, left the businessman's mind in a daze. He never expected that going out to discuss business would lead to such a ghostly encounter.

……

After bidding farewell to the merchant, Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao went to find the wealthy family that had supposedly fought with the fox. Although the incident was bizarre, it had indeed happened and was easy to find out.

When they found it, they saw a giant descending from the sky, more than ten feet tall and several feet thick, wielding a large sword and slashing at the people on the ground.

Such a grand entrance! The two exchanged a glance and stepped forward. Jian Feidao helped the person who had fallen in panic to his feet, while Ren Pingsheng came to the giant's feet, swung his jade bamboo staff, and with a "poof," the once terrifying giant deflated like a punctured balloon.

"...Isn't it a little too crispy?"

Although they could tell at first glance that this wasn't a very powerful spell, Ren Pingsheng only struck once. That last strike wasn't even a basic attack; he felled so swiftly and cleanly.

After the giant fell, it was discovered that it was just a straw staff. With such a clever trick, it was as if the vegetable mother was opening the door for her vegetable son, and the vegetable had arrived home.

That wasn't all. After the giant fell, several arrows shot from afar, still aimed at the person the giant had been chasing. Jian Feidao simply flicked his sleeve, and the arrows were easily deflected.

Jian Feidao picked up a few arrows and slashed at them. Good heavens, they were just wormwood stalks.

"..."

Looking at the straw-woven mourning staff on the ground, then at the wormwood stalk in his own hand, and at the fox soldiers hiding in the shadows opposite him, who thought they were well hidden but were actually not hidden at all by the standards of a Xiantian human, Jian Feidao was speechless.

“I said…”

Ren Pingsheng tapped the jade bamboo staff on the ground, sending the mourning staff flying. It landed right where the fox soldiers were hiding, probably hitting the fox on the head. The mourning staff landed, causing the fox soldiers to gasp in shock and scatter in all directions.

"...Is this really not just playing house?"

Giants made of straw, arrows made of wormwood stalks—in the past, Zhuge Liang borrowed arrows with straw boats, using straw dolls to catch real arrows; now, fox soldiers launch a straw magic attack, using straw fake arrows to stab real people.

They had previously heard that humans and fox spirits were fighting in groups, and they wondered how ordinary mortals could fight monsters to a standstill. Now they understood that it wasn't that the humans were too strong, but rather that the fox spirits were simply too weak.

These straw-made contraptions have almost no destructive power. Even if the two of them don't make a move, as long as a few of the people behind them have slingshots, they can easily take down the giant with some stones.

Weak, so weak, it's unbearable to look at.

As the fox soldiers fled, some weapons fell from their bodies, which looked like swords and knives. Ren Pingsheng walked over, picked up one of the knives, and with a flick of his wrist, the originally gleaming silver blade instantly turned into a sorghum leaf.

It seems these fox soldiers don't have any proper weapons at all.

"This spell is quite interesting. I wonder if Xiu'er will like it."

They're all just pranks and illusions, good only for playing tricks and causing harassment. They don't cause any real injury or death, and the harm they cause is probably less than someone else being startled by seeing a giant and then tripping and twisting their ankle.

That's precisely why they were even more curious about what grudge this family had against the fox spirits. These fox soldiers couldn't even speak human language; they were clearly a group of little guys who had just gained intelligence and were barely even considered to be among the monsters.

In contrast, the mastermind behind this probably doesn't have much magical power. A monster with this level of power should avoid humans as much as possible. Why would it make an enemy of mortals and launch such an attack?

Realizing the attack was over, the homeowner looked at the wormwood stalks on the ground and stomped on them angrily. Judging from his expression, this harassment had happened many times before, and only today was this the first time someone had been frightened and fled.

So what exactly happened? A family ended up playing a battle of wits with a group of fox spirits, and the fox spirits didn't seem to be able to do much damage. It was really interesting.

Oh right, Ren Pingsheng also found a small horse from where the fox soldiers were hiding. It was probably for the fox soldiers to ride, but the horse wouldn't move and just stared straight ahead. He used his strength as a Xiantian human to pull the horse out. After hearing a sound like a cricket chirping, the horse fell down and turned into a grasshopper that hopped away.

Regardless of the foxes' magical power, they had to admit one thing: the magic was quite fun.