The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Chen Atang looked at himself in the mirror. He was still the same person, but his face was completely hairless, as smooth as a steamed bun.

He sighed, obediently wrapped himself in a black cloth, walked towards the goose pen, looked around for a while, and picked the fattest goose.

He struggled with the goose for a while, then successfully put it into a bamboo cage, carried it out the door, and got out.

He kept his head down and walked quickly, hoping no one would pay attention to him, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

"Hey, Old Chen finally went out again today. Why is he still dressed like that? And why is the goose locked up? Not showing it off anymore?"

Chen Atang replied irritably, "This is for the Xu family, for their tax collection."

"Oh, the Xu family." The passerby was already used to Chen Atang's attire; he had only teased him casually earlier. His attention was immediately drawn away. "Are you really going to marry him?"

The passersby looked on with curiosity, after all, the idea of ​​a living person marrying a ghost was something that only happened once in several lifetimes.

"If you're so curious, why don't you just go and ask?"

"Oh, well, you're here, so ask around for me." The passerby winked. "I know a craftsman who makes top-notch wigs; they're indistinguishable from real hair. I'll introduce you to him."

Chen Atang ignored him and quickened his pace.

The Xu family's house was located in a quiet alley in the north of the city. The storefront was small, the wooden door was tightly closed, and a few people were gathered at the door watching the commotion.

When Chen Atang came over carrying a goose, everyone's eyes were focused on him. They looked him up and down for a moment before making way for him.

Chen Atang braced himself and went to knock on the door.

"Squeak—"

The front door looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. It was ajar, and a young face was visible. He had delicate features, but dark circles under his eyes were hard to hide.

Chen Atang recognized the face; it was Xu Sheng, the man everyone in the city was talking about.

Xu Sheng glanced at the bamboo cage in his hand. "The goose has arrived?"

"Yes." Chen Atang handed over the cage. "Sir, are you satisfied with this goose?"

Xu Sheng didn't look at the goose, but only at the black cloth on his head: "Why are you dressed like this?"

Chen Atang froze, then stammered, "N-nothing, I just have a strange illness and I'm afraid it might frighten people."

Xu Sheng glanced at him again, but didn't ask any more questions. He took the goose cage, but didn't let Chen Atang in. He took out some money from his sleeve and stuffed it into the man's hand.

"Thank you," Xu Sheng said softly, and was about to close the door.

"Um, that..." Chen Atang, clutching his money pouch, blurted out as if possessed, "Master, are you really going to marry...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Atang couldn't continue. He really wanted to slap himself. How could he even ask such a question? That stranger must have confused him.

But then he thought about it again and realized that he was indeed very curious, Chen Atang reflected on himself. He looked up, about to apologize, when he met Xu Sheng's staring gaze.

Chen Atang felt uneasy under that gaze; Xu Sheng must not have rested well these days, his eyes were bloodshot.

"Have you seen her?" Xu Sheng suddenly asked.

Chen Atang was taken aback: "Who?"

"E Niang."

Chen Atang shook his head.

"She's fine."

Chen Atang seemed to see something in Xu Sheng's eyes that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Xu Sheng's eyes were like candlelight burning, making his brows feel hot.

The door closed.

Chen Atang stood outside the door, stunned for a long while. The onlookers crowded around, asking him all sorts of questions, but he didn't hear a word they said.

Inside the Xu family courtyard, most of the courtyard was covered with black umbrellas, blocking out the sunlight. Only a small area was left with tables and chairs, allowing a little light to shine through.

A man dressed in a blue cloth robe, with his hair neatly combed, sat there, holding a cup of tea, talking to Xu's mother. When he saw Xu Sheng bring in a goose, he put down his teacup and his gaze fell on the goose.

"Did Chen Atang send this?"

Xu Sheng nodded and placed the bamboo cage in the courtyard.

The old man in plain clothes walked over, bent down to examine it closely, and the goose glanced at him and suddenly pecked at him.

"Alright." The old man in plain clothes withdrew his hand, dodging the attack, and looked at Xu Sheng again. "Is everything prepared?"

"We await your decision, sir."

The old man in plain clothes took out the birth charts, looked at the two people's birth dates and times, and calculated with his fingers.

"A person with a pure and upright birth chart, free from clashes and conflicts, is destined to be a scholar."

Xu Sheng listened quietly, his face expressionless.

The old man in plain clothes looked at Xu Sheng. The Yin virtue on Xu Sheng's body was a pale yellow color, emanating from his body. Although it was not very strong, it was solid and did not dissipate.

He nodded. Xu Sheng, though he lost his father at a young age and his family fell into poverty, had never done anything evil. He studied, supported his mother, and lived a law-abiding life, accumulating this good fortune. It was precisely because of this that he was able to keep the ghost beside him in check.

Thinking of this, he took out a few talismans, copper coins, yellow paper and the like from his sleeve.

It's time to meet the real deal.

"Please ask her to come out."

Xu Sheng took a deep breath, turned around and walked towards the backyard.

The old man in plain clothes heard his footsteps gradually receding into the distance, pausing for a few moments, then slowly approaching again. There were no other footsteps, but a figure had already followed.

She was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a light-colored dress, with her hair simply tied in a bun. She walked slowly, her footsteps making no sound, her skirt moving without any wind.

"Eniang greets you, sir." The girl approached and gracefully bowed.

The old man in plain clothes looked up. The girl didn't have the putrid, foul aura that usually emanated from ghosts; instead, she possessed a clear, almost transparent light, faint yet pure and gentle. It was this light that allowed the woman to walk in broad daylight, though she still feared the sunlight, it was still quite remarkable.

The old man in plain clothes saw this and already had a plan in mind.

Without saying much, he spread the yellow paper on the table, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote down their birth dates on the paper. After the ink dried, he folded the paper into a neat little square.

The old man in plain clothes paused, met their gazes, and slowly said, "This is a letter from the underworld. Marriage between a human and a ghost is an overstepping of boundaries. I must report this to the underworld. Once this letter is issued, there is no going back."

Upon hearing the name of the Underworld, Xu Sheng subconsciously looked at E'niang, a look of worry flashing across his face: "Xue'e..."

E'niang gently tugged at Xu Sheng's sleeve, silencing his words: "It's alright, I'm not afraid."

The old man in plain clothes nodded and comforted her, saying, "You two are a match made in heaven. You are virtuous and she is without resentment. One is willing to marry and the other is willing to be married. You are neither harming anyone nor going against your conscience. Notifying her in advance is just to leave your names in the underworld to avoid trouble in the future."

Xu Sheng suppressed his worries, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you, sir."

The old man in plain clothes waved his hand, took out a few more sheets of red paper from his cloth bag, and continued writing: "I'll write the marriage certificate as well. Tomorrow, the matchmaker will send it to your Cheng family, just to go through the motions and let outsiders know that you are officially married."

He finished writing the last stroke, put down his pen, and looked at the two of them.

"The date was set for three days later. The yang ceremony was performed at dusk, and the yin covenant was performed at midnight."