Chapter 215: Eyebrow Filling
The deathly pale and hunch-backed old woman was staring blankly at Chen Ping'an's group.
The scholar who had knocked on the door had a very cowardly personality, and he didn't even dare to look directly at the old woman as he hid behind his companion, internally kicking himself for being so eager to step forward and knock on the door.
The scholar was quite an avid reader of various types of different books, and he had read no lack of stories concerning all manners of ghost and spirits, the majority of which fell into two categories. The first category contained the spirits that were very beautiful and alluring, such as the seductive fox spirits that lured in passing scholars.
The second category contained spirits that were ghastly in appearance, and at night, their residences would appear to be standard courtyards, but if one were fortunate enough to live to the next day, then they would discover that they had actually spent the entire night in an abandoned graveyard.
The scholar holding the torch was a little more courageous than his companion, and he jostled his large bookcase up and down to adjust its position on his back while rubbing his hands together for warmth as he forced a smile onto his face and asked, "Would you be able to take us in for a night, Madam?
“The rain is too heavy, and our friend here has already fallen unconscious from the cold. If we can't find a warm place for him to stay, he may not be able to make it through the night. Saving lives is one of the best deeds one can do, so please take us in out of the kindness of your heart."
The old woman wore a stern expression as she said something in the local dialect, and she seemed to have been asking a question.
The scholar could only offer an explanation using the same dialect.
The old woman turned her gaze toward Chen Ping'an, then suddenly asked in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, "You're a martial artist?"
Chen Ping'an nodded in response.
The old woman then directed her gaze toward the hilt of the peach wood sword that was strapped to Zhang Shan's back. In his conscious state, his breathing had become deeper and more even than when he was conscious. This was one of the remarkable things about Qi refiners.
Everything they did strove toward a return to simplicity, and that sometimes had rather surprising outcomes. Upon noticing the peach wood sword, the old woman's eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, "And your friend is a Daoist?"
Chen Ping'an nodded once again.
Finally, the old woman turned her attention back to the uneasy umbrella-holding scholar as she asked, "Are you a scholar?"
The scholar shook his head in response. "I haven't made any notable achievements in the imperial examination, so I wouldn't dare to call myself a scholar."
The old woman pursed her lips, then slowly hobbled out of the way as she said, "Seeing as you're all legitimate young men, you can come in and stay the night, but make sure to stay in your rooms and don't go walking around anywhere without permission.
“Otherwise, if you alert my master to your presence, then you'll have to bear the consequences on your own. There are braziers in the rooms that you can light yourselves, and there's no need to ask permission before you light them. You're all guests, and my master isn't so stingy that he would be bothered by the loss of some firewood."
After Chen Ping'an and the others had stepped into the courtyard, the old woman looked around outside momentarily, then quickly shut the gate. The thick and heavy gate was made to appear as light as a feather in her hand, and it was swung shut with ease.
This was quite a large estate with four sections, and Chen Ping'an's group was assigned to stay in one of those sections. There, they were told that they were forbidden from going into the courtyard in the back. The rooftops of the estate bore engravings of all types of beasts, birds, and scenery, while the window frames had also been intricately crafted. The ground in the courtyard was paved with azure and red bricks, making it very clear where the main paths were.
There were also corridors tucked under the eaves that sheltered one from the rain during storms like this one.
Upon stepping into one of the corridors under the eaves, the old woman completely vanished into the shadows. Right at this moment, there was a flash of lightning, and the two scholars caught a glimpse of the old woman's deathly pale smiling face, a sight so terrifying that they almost passed out on the spot before hurriedly making their way into the nearby room.
Still spooked by what they had just seen, the two scholars, who had the surnames of Chu and Liu, didn't dare to go to bed on their own, so they could only stay together in the same room for now. The scholar with the Liu surname set down his oil paper umbrella, then lit a lamp to read some sagely scriptures in order to calm his jangling nerves.
The scholar with the Chu surname was a bit more courageous. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been aware of this estate's existence. He set down the torch and began to fiddle with the brazier, pulling some fire sticks that were wrapped tightly in oil paper from his bookcase. With those, he was able to quickly light a fire, and the room began to gradually warm up.
After that, he inspected his surroundings momentarily, then patted the bed in the room to find that the blankets were slightly damp and were giving off a slightly rank and moldy odor. This was only to be expected.
Ever since the beginning of spring this year, it had been raining virtually constantly in Colorful Garment Nation, so the blankets in a vacant guest room naturally weren't going to be in the ideal condition. In any case, it was already very fortunate that they had a place to stay at all, and the scholar certainly wasn't going to criticize the estate owner over something like this.
The scholar with the Chu surname was quite handsome with a tall and slim figure, and his hair was bound neatly within an azure bandana. There was a disposition of righteousness about him, and as he inspected his surroundings, he discovered that the window frames were very intricately crafted with things like bats and carp engraved onto them, all of which had positive connotations of luck and prosperity.
All of a sudden, he leaned in closer to the window to find that there were some traces of red paint on a slightly wider wooden sill between two of the windows. The red paint was rather unclear, but he could just barely make out the fact that it was spelling out some text.
As the room gradually warmed up, the scholar with the Liu surname was also becoming more courageous. He set down the book in his hand, and upon noticing that his companion was staring at the window, he cast his gaze toward the same direction, only to spot a burst of bright red light beside the window, which illuminated the face of the ghastly old woman, who declared in a raspy voice, "It's already quite late, so you should both go to bed."
The sudden emergence of the lantern-bearing old woman almost scared the pair of scholars to death.
The old woman had just made her way over from the room directly across from this one, and Chen Ping'an had also been reading inside and seen the old woman through the window, yet his reaction was nowhere near as panicked and distressed.
The old woman shook her head as she hobbled away while chuckling to herself, "Looks like scholars really are cowards."
In the other room, Chen Ping'an was standing near the window, and he said in a quiet voice, "She's gone."
Zhang Shan had regained his consciousness as soon as he entered the estate, and he was instantly reinvigorated upon taking a Yang Restoration Pill washed down with a swig of the wine from Chen Ping'an's gourd. Originally, he had been unwilling to waste a pill, but he had suddenly felt a flash of demonic Qi in the area, and he didn't dare to conserve his pills any longer. After all, his life was more precious than a single light snow coin.
Zhang Shan sat up on the bed, dressed in a new and dry Daoist robe as he leaned down beside the brazier, using the fire inside to warm his hands. As he did so, he said in a quiet voice, "Let's take turns on lookout duty tonight, Chen Ping'an. Otherwise, I won't be able to rest at all. I can't shake the feeling that something's not right about this place."
Chen Ping'an smiled as he replied, "All you need to do is hang your peach wood sword and demon detecting bell by the window. I'm not familiar with things like demons and spirits, so I'll need the bell to alert me if any of those things are nearby. As for keeping lookout at night, that's something that I'm very good at, so just rest assured and sleep. I'll make sure to wake you up if something happens."
Zhang Shan thought about this for a moment, then made up another excuse not to immediately go to bed. "Alright, I'll hang my peach wood sword and demon detecting bell by the window, but I'll warm up by the fire a bit longer before I go to bed."
While Zhang Shan was hanging up his wooden sword, Chen Ping'an said, "Someone previously inscribed runes onto the windowsill, but it must've already been quite a long time, and the runes aren't very clear anymore. However, they should be Daoist runes. Do you recognize them?"
Zhang Shan initially hadn't noticed these runes, but after hearing what Chen Ping'an had to say, he carefully inspected the windowsill, and only then did he notice some traces of the runes. He couldn't help but be impressed with Chen Ping'an's attention to detail, and as he carefully inspected the runes, a grim look slowly appeared on his face.
After that, he gently wiped a finger over the indistinct runes before sniffing at his own fingertip, following which he sat back down in silence.
"If things really are as I imagine, then we're in a bit of trouble. The runes inscribed on the windowsill are meant to ward off ghosts, and judging from those remnants, they appear to be a type of divine runes from Divine Edict Sect.
“The runes are extremely powerful, indicating that they were inscribed by a figure of high seniority from Divine Edict Sect, and they cover virtually the entire window. On top of that, the strokes are very urgent, so that senior had to have been facing some extremely formidable ghostly entities."
Zhang Shan heaved a forlorn sigh here, then continued in a remorseful voice, "If I had known this would happen, I should've taken that Yang Restoration Pill earlier. If I had done that, I would've been conscious as we were approaching this estate.
“I have a decent level of proficiency in skilled geomancy and feng shui, and even from afar, I would've been able to get a rough idea of the characteristics of this property, including whether the feng shui accumulated here is of the Yin or Yang attribute and whether it's deviated from the path of righteousness. With that information, I would be able to extrapolate many things. I'm sorry, Chen Ping'an, my stinginess has put you in a very perilous situation."
Instead of consoling the remorseful young Daoist priest, Chen Ping'an jibed, "Isn't eliminating fiends and defending Daoism your forte, Esteemed Heavenly Master Zhang?"
Zhang Shan hurriedly waved his hands as he said, "Please don't refer to me as Heavenly Master."
A hint of longing appeared in his eyes as he continued in a quiet voice, "True Heavenly Masters are all direct disciples of the Li Clan from Mount Longhu's Heavenly Master Residence. All of them are esteemed figures dressed in yellow and purple, and aside from that, Heavenly Masters of the Middle Five Tiers from outside the Zhang Clan are also awarded the official title of Heavenly Master.
“Even among Mount Longhu's Heavenly Masters, there are many distinctions. The first-rate Heavenly Masters are all Upper Five Tiers immortals who are revered and worshiped in the ancestral hall of Mount Longhu. Below them are the direct lineal descendants of the Zhang Clan, one of whom will hold the Heavenly Master Seal and an immortal sword.
“Below that comes all of the Heavenly Masters from outside of the Zhang Clan who are cultivating on Mount Longhu. As a natural blessed land, Mount Longhu is open to the outside world, as long as those Qi refiners promise to leave the mountain to slay demons and eliminate fiends once they reach a certain level in their cultivation.
“When that time comes, Mount Longhu will bestow upon each of them a peach wood sword. This is the allure and generosity of Mount Longhu, and it's a place that all Daoist priests from other continents like myself regard with reverence and longing."
Chen Ping'an listened carefully to what Zhang Shan had to say, gaining a deeper understanding of the concept of Heavenly Masters in the process.
The heavy storm continued, and bursts of faint crackling would occasionally ring out from the pair of petite stone lions situated on either side of the entrance of the estate.
The old woman was standing on a small stool in the courtyard, hanging her lit lantern on one of the pillars in the corridor. The flame inside the lantern was flickering in the wind, and all of a sudden, it was snuffed out entirely.
As it turned out, the wick inside had run out.
The old woman began coughing as she got back up onto the stool, then removed the lantern before pulling a new flame out of her sleeve, one that was as red as blood. If one were to look closely at the flame, they would notice that it had no wick.
The old woman turned around so that her back was facing the courtyard, then plucked a white hair off her own head before piercing it forcefully into the center of the flame, as if she were using it as a wick. After that, she gently breathed into the flame, and it was instantly ignited before being placed into the lantern, which was, in turn, hung up on the pillar once again.
The lantern continued to sway in the wind, illuminating its surroundings with its bright red radiance.
On a clear night, it would've been sure to attract moths, and it was unclear what the purpose of lighting a lantern was on a stormy night in such a secluded estate.
Zhang Shan didn't feel like sleeping, so he began telling Chen Ping'an some stories about perilous encounters that he had previously had with demons and spirits. Chen Ping'an was listening to the stories while taking small sips of wine out of his red gourd when he suddenly brought a finger to his lips in a silencing motion.
Zhang Shan immediately fell silent and turned his gaze toward the peach wood sword hanging by the window, but the demon detecting bell remained completely still.
Moments later, the sound of door-knocking rang out, and as it turned out, they were being visited by the pair of scholars. Chen Ping'an made his way over to the door before opening it. The storm outside was still as ferocious as ever, and the wind was so strong that it was blowing the rain sideways, so there wasn't a single dry spot even in the corridors under the eaves.
The scholar with the Chu surname was holding an umbrella in one hand and a wine flagon in the other with a smile on his face, while the scholar with the Liu surname was breathing onto his own hands to keep them warm.
He was also smiling as he said, "Brother Chu brought a few flagons of fine wine with him on this journey, and there's still one left. As the saying goes, sharing is caring, so if you don't mind, how about joining us for a drink? But let me make this clear in advance: I have a very high alcohol tolerance, so I won't be able to spare much wine for you, I hope you won't mind."
Chen Ping'an raised the gourd in his hand with a smile as he replied, "I've brought my own wine, so the three of you can share that flagon."
The scholar with the Liu surname stepped into the room as he chuckled, "That sounds like a fantastic arrangement to me."
The scholar with the Chu surname followed him into the room, then set down his umbrella in the corner. The four of them sat around the brazier for a moment before the scholar with the Liu surname slapped a palm to his own forehead. "I forgot to bring cups!"
He then turned to his companion with a wry smile as he said, "I'm too scared to go back for them, Brother Chu."
The scholar with the Chu surname stood up with a slightly exasperated smile as he said, "If there really are ghosts and spirits in the world, then there would be no need to fear death, would there? If you think about it that way, then it's a good thing. Besides, scholars like us walk the path of righteousness, so even if ghosts and spirits did exist, they would fear and respect us, so what do you have to fear?"
With so many people in the room, the scholar with the Liu surname was clearly emboldened, and he was even in the mood to be making jokes. "I can't even secure a decent mark in the imperial examination, so I can barely be referred to as a scholar. In contrast, you're far more well-read than I am, Brother Chu, so of course you have nothing to fear."
The scholar with the Chu surname shook his head before departing, and he quickly made his way over to the room across the courtyard, bringing back four wine cups with him shortly thereafter. Two tall and proud five-colored roosters were painted onto the inner walls of the cups, and Zhang Shan accepted one of the cups before asking, "Brother Chu, Brother Liu, could these be the cockfighting cups unique to Colorful Garment Nation?"
The eyes of the scholar with the Liu surname immediately lit up. "You've heard of our Colorful Garment Nation's cockfighting cups?"
The lamp on the table wasn't very bright, so Zhang Shan held his cup between two of his fingers as he tilted it toward the brazier, using the light of the flame to carefully observe the pair of five-colored roosters as he mused, "These cups are extremely renowned, so of course I've heard of them.
“I come from Complete Reed Continent in the north, and during my travels, I once saw a pair of martial artists gamble exorbitant amounts of wealth using these cups. It's a very remarkable thing. I hear that all you have to do is fill the cup most of the way with wine, then inject a wisp of spiritual energy into the wall of the cup, and the two roosters would begin fighting to the death on their own.
“Apparently, even 10th tier Sages are unable to predict the outcomes of the cockfights in advance. Hence, any cockfighting cups that make it out of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent instantly have their prices spike up by hundreds, sometimes even thousands of times. The cockfighting cups of Complete Reed Continent are one of the important items required to board the Kun ship at the ferry station in Southern Stream Nation."
A proud look appeared on the face of the scholar with the Liu surname, and he smiled as he nodded in response. "I don't know anything about spiritual energy, but what I do know is that the Qi refiners of our Colorful Garment Nation like to use these cups for entertainment purposes. After pouring some wine into the cups, all they have to do is squeeze the cups between their fingers for a moment, and the roosters inside would immediately spring to life before fighting to the death.
“As for why these cups are considered to be so precious, I once read from some historical chronicles that the five-color soil used to fire these cockfighting cups is a unique type of soil that'll quickly lose all of its unique properties upon leaving Colorful Garment Nation, and that's how cockfighting cups became unique to our nation."
Zhang Shan nodded in response with a contemplative expression, thinking to himself that if anyone could establish a monopoly over this five-color soil, then they would surely be able to reel in massive profits.
Chen Ping'an was quite willing to believe this claim. Due to his past pottery firing experience, he was very familiar with the properties of soil. The kiln workers of the Dragon Spring Prefecture had worked in pottery firing for generations, and that required them to develop a thorough understanding of soil. As a result, Chen Ping'an had heard many fantastic and wacky stories about soil from them.
For example, Old Man Yao had once told him that all clay had its own fate, just like humans. Some was molded into Bodhisattvas to be worshiped and revered, some was made into fine porcelain to be used by imperial clans, and some was made into crude pots and jars used in the households of common folk.
After having some wine, the scholar with the Liu surname had become slightly inebriated, with a hint of redness creeping onto his cheeks. His mood had improved significantly, and he smiled as he said to Zhang Shan, "I can tell from the peach wood sword on your back that you're a cultivator. Would you be able to make these roosters in these cups spring to life? If so, we could make some bets and have some fun. What should we bet on?"
It was clear that the scholar was a completely different person under the influence of alcohol, and he appeared to have also been a gambler at heart.
The scholar with the Chu surname sighed as he dissuaded, "You've already had enough to drink, so you should go to bed, Brother Liu."
Zhang Shan also hurriedly replied, "A cockfighting cup is worth a lot of money, so let's not waste one here."
The scholar with the Liu surname downed his cup of wine in one go, then hurled the cup viciously into the wall, shattering it into countless pieces as he chortled, "We have to toil away and work ourselves to the bone in order to afford things like this, yet they continue to outlive us long after we're dead. How absurd is that? How much is a cockfighting cup worth?
“Only two taels of silver in Colorful Garment Nation, but how much is a Jinshi title worth? That's far more expensive. At the very least, I can't afford one..." [1]
An awkward look appeared on the face of the scholar with the Chu surname, and he explained, "Brother Liu always likes to ramble about ridiculous things when he's drunk, so please don't mind him."
Chen Ping'an merely smiled and continued to drink in silence.
In the end, the scholar with the Liu surname was helped back to his room by his companion, with Zhang Shan escorting them to the door.
Meanwhile, Chen Ping'an remained seated as he took a glance at the entrance of the room.
————
Under the heavy rain, a burly man with a thick beard and a saber strapped to his waist was wading through the mud, arriving in front of the estate before knocking on the gate.
The old woman stood on the other side of the gate as she asked in a raspy voice, "Can I help you?"
"I'm here for shelter!" the man yelled.
"You speak with the demanding arrogance of someone who's not here to seek shelter from the rain," the old woman said in a snide voice.
"What? Are you telling me that there's no place for a single man like myself to stay in this entire estate?" the man snapped.
"We do have room for you to stay, but my master won't be pleased with someone as arrogant and demanding as yourself," the old woman sneered. "My master is not a very accommodating person, so if you irk him, not only will you be able to stay the night, you may even end up having to stay longer than you bargained for."
The individual strands of the man's beard resembled hard nails, and he gripped onto the hilt of his saber as he glowered at the old woman with a menacing expression. "Cut the chit-chat and let me in! If I stay in this rain any longer, I'm going to fall sick. How am I going to go to the brothels if I get sick? Those little vixens will suck me dry in seconds, then laugh at me for my lack of stamina!"
The gate slowly swung open as the old woman sighed, "It's much better to be laughed at than to lose your life."
The man bristled slightly upon hearing this, then quickly burst into laughter as he replied, "This body of mine has accumulated over three decades' worth of Yang energy, so I ain't scared of shit! Not only will demons and spirits be too scared to face me, even if their ancestors come out to play, they'll run for their lives when they see me!"
The man made his way into the courtyard as he spoke, and his brows furrowed slightly as he inspected his surroundings.
The old woman slammed the gate shut once again, and all of a sudden, a loud crack rang out outside.
As it turned out, the head of one of the stone lions outside had fallen onto the ground and shattered into pieces, but the noise was completely drowned out by the sound of the ongoing storm.
————
In the affluent clans of some of the nations in the southern part of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, many women lived in boudoirs, and some of the more strict families would even remove the staircases leading to the upper floor, essentially trapping a woman in a makeshift tower until the day that they were meant to be wed.
In one of the sections of the estate was one such boudoir, and despite the fact that it was very late at night, there was a man filling out the eyebrows of a woman, who was laying on a reclining chair.
The man was gently working at the woman's brows with an eyebrow pencil, but the woman's face was nothing more than a severely mangled mass of decaying flesh, through which many sections of bone were revealed. There were even maggots visibly squirming in her flesh, yet...also visible was her faint smile.
1. It's probably no surprise to all of you that corruption existed even in ancient times, and it's said that wealthy families purchasing scholarly titles was quite a common occurrence. Of course, this is a serious crime, but that wasn't much of a deterrent for the wealthy and powerful. ?
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