I Am Not a Master - Chapter 66

Old Master Yu lived at the end of the bridge outside Baiyu Town. At eighty years old, he was still relatively healthy despite some minor ailments. He was active and had a good appetite, and his family often joked that he might live to be a hundred. But one morning, Old Master Yu didn’t get up as usual. Normally, he would have been up early, even preparing breakfast. When there was no sign of him that day, his family went to check his room and found his body cold.

Old Master Yu passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. His children, though grieving, managed to organize the funeral. Given his age, it was considered a celebration of life. While they regretted not seeing him one last time or hearing his final words, they found solace in the fact that the siblings were close and the family was large. Old Master Yu likely had no regrets, which helped them come to terms with their loss.

Today marked the third day of the wake, with the burial scheduled for tomorrow.

Gu Feiyin had been watching from the bridge since early morning. There were many mourners dressed in white, and the sound of crying could be heard from afar.

She dared not get too close, choosing instead to hide behind an old tree to observe the situation. She was wary of the Yin Messengers, who could appear at any moment, and feared encountering them directly. Even the ghosts accompanying her were so frightened that they buried half their bodies in the ground, leaving only their heads exposed for a quick escape.

Gu Feiyin asked, “Is Yu still at home? Could he have already been taken by the Yin Messengers?”

A little ghost replied, “He’s there. I checked last night and saw Old Master Yu sitting in his living room, looking a bit dazed, as if he couldn’t believe he was dead.”

“I think I saw him too, just pacing back and forth at the door, not sure what he was doing.”

“Did you hear if the Yu family invited a monk to chant scriptures? I feel uneasy about it. They might accidentally transcend me too.”

“Don’t be silly. They’re not transcending you. Don’t expect to benefit from it.”

“…Oh.”

“Master, do you want to go over and take a look? We’re scared and really don’t dare to go, but you’re a Master, different from us. You could go and bring Old Master Yu out.”

Gu Feiyin was silent. It was indeed a big problem. If she dared to go over, she wouldn’t be hiding here. But staying here wasn’t a solution either; she needed to go over. Her eyesight was problematic, making it difficult to find a new little ghost even if she went. Besides, with so many people around, finding a ghost was inconvenient. Perhaps it would be better to wait until nightfall when fewer people were around, making it easier to see.

She waited all day until night fell. Around eleven o’clock, Gu Feiyin went to the Yu family again. By then, the place was no longer bustling with people, and there were no monks chanting. In the living room, a few Old Grandmas were mourning, while in the next room, two tables of mahjong were being played.

Gu Feiyin peeked in from the doorway but couldn’t see anything due to the foggy atmosphere. The ghosts accompanying her stretched their necks to take a look, especially at the offerings on the table, which made their mouths water.

“Have you seen Yu? Quick, call him out to say something.”

“Haven’t seen him. Old Master Yu doesn’t seem to be here.”

“Not here? Then where did he go?”

“No idea. He should be nearby. Let’s hurry and look for him.”

Old Master Yu hadn’t been buried yet, so he couldn’t have gone far. Not finding him in the living room where the body was kept, the ghosts quickly searched the other rooms. And indeed, they found him.

In the next room, two tables were occupied by people playing mahjong, and there was Old Master Yu. But something seemed off.

Old Master Yu was floating in mid-air, his eyes vacant and old, his face pale and stiff with streaks of blood tears. He hunched his back and lunged towards a woman in mourning clothes at the mahjong table. Unfortunately, being a ghost, he had no physical form, and his soul power was weak. He passed through the woman’s body, through the mahjong table, and even crashed into the wall on the other side.

Soon, Old Master Yu returned, repeating the action several times, his eyes filled with more blood tears each time, until he let out a piercing scream!

The sight left the group of wandering ghosts stunned. Old Master Yu’s ghostly appearance didn’t resemble someone who had died peacefully without regrets. The woman he seemed to harbor such hatred for was Gong Sisi, his youngest daughter-in-law.

This was intriguing. Why did Old Master Yu harbor such animosity towards his daughter-in-law? He seemed to wish her dead. Was there some hidden story behind this?

“Master, Old Master Yu is inside, but judging by his appearance, it seems he wants revenge on his daughter-in-law.”

“Revenge?”

“I heard Old Master Yu died at night and was only discovered by his family the next day. Now, seeing how he resents his daughter-in-law, could his death be related to her?”

“I think it’s very likely. Otherwise, why would Old Master Yu act like this for no reason?”

The wandering ghosts peered through the window for a long time, whispering among themselves, increasingly convinced that Old Master Yu’s death was not simple and definitely had something to do with his daughter-in-law.

Gu Feiyin also craned her neck at the window, trying to see inside, but she couldn’t see anything.

Meanwhile, Old Master Yu hadn’t settled down. His ghostly figure loomed behind Gong Sisi, staring with vacant eyes, his wrinkled face stiff and eerie.

Gong Sisi wasn’t having a good night at the mahjong table. She kept losing money and felt terribly cold. Despite wearing plenty of clothes, holding a hand warmer, and having a heater at her feet, she still felt cold, so cold that her teeth chattered and her limbs stiffened, as if the warmth around her had no effect. She finally couldn’t help but ask her fellow players, “Aren’t you cold? I feel so cold. Why is it so cold today? The heater isn’t helping, and there’s no snow.”

“You’re cold? With a hand warmer and a heater, you’re still cold? Do you need to wrap yourself in a blanket?”

“It’s a bit cold, but not as cold as you. You must be in poor health.”

Poor health? She wasn’t in poor health. She rarely got sick throughout the year, ate well, and had a relaxed job. How could she be in poor health? Even her husband wasn’t as healthy as she was.

Gong Sisi tightened her coat around herself, clutching a hot water bottle, shivering uncontrollably. She glanced at the others in the room; none of them seemed as cold as she was, trembling all over.

Ever since the old man passed away, she had felt an unbearable chill. Initially, she thought it was psychological, but now, comparing herself to others, a bad premonition crept into her mind. She couldn’t help but glance back a few times, but all she saw was the pale wall behind her, nothing else. Despite the presence of others in the room, she still felt an eerie chill, as if the old man was still lying in the next room.

Her mind was a whirl of chaotic thoughts, and her face turned pale. She took a few deep breaths to force herself to calm down.

Really, there was no need to be afraid, because there were no such things as ghosts in this world. If there were ghosts, would there still be bad people around? Thinking this way, she felt somewhat reassured and exhaled, calming down.

But just as she blinked, she suddenly saw a small corner of the blue curtain being lifted by someone. A long-haired woman with a pale face was leaning against the window, her entire head pressed against the glass, her large eyes darting left and right as if searching for something.

This sight froze Gong Sisi in place. For a moment, she thought it might be a guest, but that couldn’t be right-the window was shut tight, yet the curtain was lifted as if the woman’s hand had passed through the glass to move it…

Coincidentally, the curtain shifted slightly to the left, and Gong Sisi watched in disbelief as it moved with no one touching it!

“Ahhh-there’s a ghost!!”

Gong Sisi was stunned, terrified beyond belief, her face contorted, and with a thud, she fell off her chair onto the floor!

With a swoosh, the lifted curtain fell back into place, closing and swaying a bit.

A gust of cold wind blew through, sending chills down everyone’s spine, filling them with dread.

Gong Sisi: “…??!!”

Gong Sisi: “Ah! There’s a ghost, a ghost! The curtain moved, the curtain moved!”

Everyone in the room was startled by Gong Sisi’s panicked screams, their hearts skipping a beat, feeling anxious. After all, there was a dead body lying in the next room, and Gong Sisi, a perfectly healthy person, suddenly got scared like this-could she really have seen something?

They all looked towards the window, but saw nothing-the curtain was perfectly closed, nothing was there, just a false alarm.

“Gong, why are you shouting? The curtain is fine, it didn’t move.”

“Exactly, Gong, don’t talk nonsense at night, or you might attract something bad.”

“Come on, let’s continue playing mahjong.”

Gong Sisi staggered to her feet, still shaken, staring at the tightly closed curtain. No, it couldn’t be, she couldn’t have been mistaken. She was sure she saw a long-haired woman outside the window!

She swallowed hard, her eyes trembling slightly, still in shock, saying, “I really saw someone outside the window pulling the curtain. Go outside and check, see if someone came. Really, I’m not lying.”

The curly-haired woman sitting across from her coughed and said, “Gong, stop it. How could anyone come at this hour? Even if someone did, wouldn’t they call out? You must have been seeing things!”

Gong Sisi suddenly realized it-yes, it was already midnight. Who would visit at this hour? Could it be that she really saw a ghost? No, that couldn’t be possible; there are no ghosts in this world!

She was sweating profusely, her soul seemingly detached from her body, struggling to keep her spirits up as she continued to play and lose significant amounts.

By now, Gu Feiyin had already taken the wandering ghosts outside the door. She hadn’t expected to be discovered; the sudden scream almost terrified her into stupidity, prompting her to run immediately, fortunately without being chased by anyone inside. After all, she couldn’t just explain that she was there looking for the ghost of Old Master Yu, could she?

Luckily, she had already found the ghost of Old Master Yu; everything else could be handled easily. She could just have one of the wandering ghosts fetch Old Master Yu, right? Unfortunately, although she did send for him, Old Master Yu simply wouldn’t come out, ignoring her questions as if he hadn’t heard them at all.

With no other choice, Gu Feiyin had to go back in. By this time, Gong Sisi was nearly in tears from her losses. Her complexion grew worse and paler, and she looked visibly unwell. The three people at her table felt she was becoming frightening and difficult to deal with. However, they were too engrossed in their winning game to really care; they thought Gong Sisi was merely upset because she had lost money and her father had passed away.

Gong Sisi was distressed; she threw out another card, scored a ‘pao’, and it turned out to be a superb clean hand. Her face fell immediately, thinking to herself that she had indeed encountered a ghost tonight, and that she couldn’t continue playing. She decided to invite a Monk the next day to chant some scriptures.

Just then, the light above her head creaked ominously and went out, plunging the entire room into darkness!

Startled, Gong Sisi jumped; she wanted to ask if the fuse had blown or if there was a power outage. In the next instant, cold, stiff hands gripped her throat, cutting off her words and making it difficult for her to breathe. Her vision blurred with white spots, and she couldn’t utter a single word.

Desperate for help, she frantically kicked at chairs and tables. She could still hear people around her talking calmly and leisurely, as if no one noticed she was being strangled.

“What happened to the electricity all of a sudden? Did the circuit breaker trip?”

“It can’t be a power outage, then we can’t continue our game.”

“No, I’ve lost a lot tonight and I want to win it back. Let’s check it out quickly; if there’s no power outage, then it’s still okay.”

“It really is something, losing power during the New Year!”

“Damn, it’s so cold, why did it suddenly get so cold? Haha, maybe Uncle Yu has come back?”

“Don’t talk nonsense…”

Gong Sisi felt a chill down her spine as she listened to the people in the room open the door and walk out one by one, their voices fading away. No one bothered to ask her anything; it was as if it didn’t matter if she died there.

Shivering in fear, she clasped her hands around her neck and then felt a pair of cold, wrinkly hands…

Wrinkles? Everyone playing Mahjong in this room was in their thirties and forties, and though they all had rough hands from work, their hands were strong and firm, not loose and wrinkled like this…

A cold realization struck Gong Sisi-it must be her father-in-law seeking revenge.

When the men went out to fix the tripped circuit breaker and the lights came back on, the card players breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, it’s not a power outage. We wouldn’t be able to play mahjong if it were,” they said before returning to the room. To their shock, they found Gong Sisi lying unconscious on the floor, her breath barely perceptible, her face pale, covered in cold sweat, and her neck marked with several purple bruises.

They looked at each other in confusion, utterly baffled by the situation.

Since Gong Sisi had been strangled into unconsciousness, the two brothers sleeping in the house rushed over. They had been busy and up for two nights straight, and had only just gone to sleep. They hadn’t expected to wake up to such an ordeal.

Especially Gong Sisi’s husband, Old Master Yu’s third son, who was furious to see his wife strangled. “What happened? Who did this?” he demanded, his anger exacerbated by the recent death of his father and now his wife’s near-death experience.

“No, I don’t know. We just came back and found Gong like this. I was out with them when the power went out, and I certainly didn’t strangle her. Besides, I have no grudge against her. Why would I do such a thing?”

“I was the first one to leave when the power went out, and I didn’t do anything! I just wanted to win some money. Do I look like someone who wants to shorten their own life by committing murder?”

“I have a young child. How could I, as a mother, leave my child to kill someone I have no quarrel with?”

“Third Yu, think about it. With so many eyes here, who would choose such a time to kill her?”

The room held only eight people, excluding Gong Sisi, making seven. All were neighbors and familiar with each other’s families. They truly had no deep grudges that would justify killing Gong Sisi, especially not in front of so many witnesses.

Third Yu carried Gong Sisi back into their home. By then, she had regained some breath, but her throat was injured from the strangulation, making it extremely painful to breathe, let alone drink water or talk. Third Yu said, “You rest; I’ll go get a doctor to get some medicine for you.”

Gong Sisi was both anxious and scared, clutching at Third Yu, not letting him leave. Third Yu reassured her, “I’ll be right back, don’t be scared.”

As Third Yu left without looking back, Gong Sisi wrapped herself in a blanket, trembling. After much thought, she took out her phone, swapped the SIM card, and started typing a message. With shaking hands, she wrote about everything that had happened to her that night and asked what she should do next. Should she ask a Taoist to perform a ritual? She was truly terrified; the night’s events were too bizarre and far from simple… That old man had truly turned into a Malevolent Ghost seeking revenge!

As the room gradually emptied, the wandering spirits led Gu Feiyin to the window of Third Yu’s room. Fortunately, the Yu Family’s house was a simple two-story building, with four rooms neatly lined up on the first floor. The upper floor was reserved for visiting relatives. Third Yu had set up a makeshift bed on the first floor, where Gong Sisi was curled up under the covers, sending text messages.

As she typed, a rustling sound came from the window. The room was so quiet that any noise seemed amplified. Startled, she couldn’t resist pulling back the covers to take a peek. That glance nearly scared her out of her wits-something had pulled back a small corner of the tightly drawn curtain, revealing a Long-haired Woman standing outside the window. The bright moonlight illuminated her long hair, and Gong Sisi could faintly see the woman’s pale face and her dark, cold, bloodthirsty eyes.

The Long-haired Woman craned her neck to peer inside, her appearance both eerie and terrifying.

“Tap, tap, tap, tap.”

The sound of tapping on the window was soft and light, like a ghost knocking at the door. Gong Sisi was trembling all over, forgetting even the pain in her neck. Why was this Long-haired Female Ghost looking for her? Why was she knocking on her window? As she wavered between fear and uncertainty, she saw the Long-haired Woman beckoning, as if calling someone.

“Yu, Yu…”

“Come out quickly…”

“Stop playing around, come out, I need to talk to you.”

The Long-haired Woman’s haunting voice echoed in her ears, making her mind go blank and her scalp tingle. She covered her mouth, forgetting to breathe! Her mind raced-who was the “Yu” the Long-haired Woman was calling? Could it really be her father-in-law?

Why would her father-in-law be in her room? Was it really him who had strangled her earlier?

Gong Sisi was nearly paralyzed with fear, her body rigid and trembling. She didn’t even notice the vibration of her phone, feeling it was a burden, like a death knell, wishing she could throw it away!

“Come out, I just need to ask you something, then I’ll leave.”

“Ah… are you seeking revenge?”

“Alright, go ahead and take your revenge, we’ll talk after. I’ll wait for you outside. Heh heh.”

The sinister and terrifying manner, especially the clear intent in those words, shattered Gong Sisi’s mental defenses. She screamed at the top of her lungs, shouting frantically, “No, it wasn’t me, I didn’t kill you, it wasn’t me! You can’t take revenge on me, you should go after him, I’m innocent!”

“Every grievance has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. You can’t kill me, I’m innocent, I don’t want to die!”

“You old fool, get lost, get away.”

“The Taoist and Monk are outside. If you harm the innocent, they’ll capture you and scatter your souls.”

Her voice was hoarse and raspy, her demeanor frantic, as if possessed, warily scanning her surroundings. She vaguely saw a hunched figure standing by the bed, a shadow she knew well, almost identical to her father-in-law, even wearing the same clothes she had watched him put on.

Old Master Yu glared at her with his gray-white eyes, extending his hand and reaching for her throat again!

Gong Sisi scrambled off the bed, staggering as she ran outside, babbling, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t kill you, I didn’t do it, it wasn’t me… Go away, leave me alone!”

“Help, someone help! Someone is trying to kill me!”

“Dad, I’m sorry, please don’t kill me, I didn’t mean to, I really didn’t mean to…”

Although there were few people around at the time, there were still several Old Grandmas lying in the living room, wailing in mourning. Despite their age, they were not deaf. Hearing the wife of the third son shouting in such a strange way, they were filled with confusion and suspicion. What did she mean by her words? Who did the wife of the third son kill? And why was she calling out ‘Dad’? It couldn’t possibly be that she had killed Old Yu?

The Old Grandmas were deeply puzzled when suddenly they heard a “bang” – the sound of a cup hitting the floor.

Turning around, they saw Third Yu standing at the doorway, his face grim. His eyes, wide as bells, he stormed up to Gong Sisi and angrily demanded, “What are you saying? Say it again! Who did you kill?”

Gong Sisi, jolted awake, looked at Third Yu dumbfounded and stuttered, “I, I, I didn’t…”

Third Yu, grinding his teeth, said, “Your real father, my father-in-law, is still very much alive. The only other ‘Dad’ you could be referring to is my father currently lying in the coffin. Tell me, does my father’s death have anything to do with you?!”

Gong Sisi frantically shook her head, “No, it has nothing to do with me!”

She was about to explain further when behind Third Yu, a figure appeared, hunched and looming ominously, staring at her with a sinister expression, “It was you, you killed me.”

Gong Sisi stared back blankly, her body rigid, her throat making a creaking sound as she was unable to utter a word.

Third Yu, noticing Gong Sisi’s strange gaze, turned around but saw nothing.

In the next instant, a loud “bang” resounded as the coffin, previously set properly on the side, tipped over onto the floor. Old Yu’s body tumbled out, his entire frame stiff and shrunken, his cheeks hollow, yet his eyes wide open, staring in the direction of Gong Sisi!

This shocking turn of events startled the Old Grandmas, causing alarm to surge through them as they quickly got up and headed out of the living room. This was a case of a corpse coming to life!

Third Yu was also startled by this bizarre occurrence. The coffin had been properly placed on the floor; how could it have flipped over without reason? The situation was utterly eerie, and as he let go of his grip in panic, Gong Sisi managed to break free and scurry to one side. The corpse’s wide-open eyes seemed to follow her, unblinking and fixed firmly on her.

Terrified, Third Yu watched Gong Sisi as she weakly muttered, “She didn’t kill him, it wasn’t her fault,” while struggling to get up from the ground and run outside, those eyes seeming to follow her…

Finally, she tripped over the doorstep and fell with a thud, struggling for a moment before finally passing out.

Now, the entire Yu Family home was brightly lit. First Yu and Second Yu had also arrived, and upon hearing what had happened, their faces darkened like the bottom of a pot.

Who could have imagined that their father had not died a natural death but had been murdered?

…

The haunting at Old Master Yu’s house spread far and wide, becoming the talk of the town with vivid and dramatic details. It was said that Old Master Yu died innocently and unjustly, murdered by his daughter-in-law. He returned as a Malevolent Ghost seeking revenge, which frightened Gong Sisi into confessing everything. The very next morning, the police showed up. After thorough investigation and evidence collection, including uncovering text messages between Gong Sisi and her lover, it was confirmed that Old Master Yu’s death was unnatural.

The incident occurred during the New Year celebrations. After dinner, all of Old Master Yu’s sons and daughters-in-law went to the town’s tea house to play mahjong, except for the youngest daughter-in-law. She claimed she was tired from the previous days and wanted to rest at home. However, after dark, she sneaked out to meet a man. Their relationship was already inappropriate, and by chance, they were spotted by Old Master Yu, who was returning from a walk.

Old Master Yu could hardly believe his eyes, but the undeniable sight of his daughter-in-law and another man together enraged him. Trembling with anger, he shouted, “You shameless woman!” and turned to inform his son. Terrified at the prospect of being exposed and losing their standing in the town, Gong Sisi and her lover couldn’t let that happen, especially as they both had families of their own.

Gong Sisi and her lover desperately tried to stop Old Master Yu from leaving. Amidst their struggle and repeated disputes, an accident occurred. Given that Old Master Yu was already eighty years old, he soon passed out from sheer rage.

Instead of seeking medical help, Gong Sisi and her lover, relieved by the turn of events, dragged Old Master Yu back inside the house under the cover of darkness, pretending as if nothing had happened. By the next morning, they discovered that Old Master Yu had passed away without anyone knowing exactly when.

That night, while Old Master Yu’s other family members were out playing mahjong until one or two in the morning, no one thought to check on the old man, which delayed the discovery of his death.

Moreover, there were no visible injuries on Old Master Yu’s body, and he died in his own bed, leading everyone initially to assume his death was natural due to old age. This misunderstanding eventually led to the rumors of the Yu Family being haunted.

“People never expected this from Gong Sisi; she seemed so honest normally. To think she would conspire with an outsider to kill her own father-in-law!”

“As the saying goes, ‘You can know someone’s face but not their heart.’ Gong Sisi has caused the death of a person-how malevolent!”

“Indeed, so malevolent. If they had taken Old Master Yu to the hospital, he might still be alive. They could have just divorced, but instead, they brought him inside and neglected him, not even offering him medicine. Old Master Yu’s death is truly a senseless and pitiful tragedy.”

“Alas, Third Yu really had it rough. It was bad enough that his father died, but to find out it was his own wife who did it? I bet First Yu and the others must have died of rage too! And Gong Sisi, she’s something else; the person she killed is lying right next door, and yet she can play mahjong with us without batting an eye. Tsk, tsk.”

“Right, I heard that Gong Sisi got caught because Old Yu became a vengeful ghost and came back for revenge. That night, a lot of people saw it happen. They said Gong Sisi was strangled out of nowhere, and they even said Old Yu jumped out of the coffin. The man was dead but still knew to keep his eyes on Gong Sisi, with his eyes bulging out. It was so eerie.”

“True, I’ve also heard about it. The Yu family’s haunting is fierce!”

“…No way, how can there be ghosts in this world?”

Gong Sisi and her lover were naturally arrested, and there was no escaping this time, but that’s a story for later.

At this moment, Old Master Yu had just gotten his revenge, unveiling the ugly truth behind Gong Sisi. He couldn’t help but glare fiercely at his stunned younger son, causing the boy to burst into tears, his face twisted in pain. Only then did he close his eyes, satisfied, and died again.

Third Yu let out a loud wail, kneeling on the ground and weeping inconsolably, past any help others might offer.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Dad. It’s all my fault, all my fault. I caused your death!”

“I was wrong; I shouldn’t have married that wicked woman!”

“Dad, Dad-”

…

Old Master Yu didn’t look back; as he drifted out of the Yu household, he saw a long-haired girl hiding behind a tree, holding the hands of a disheveled male ghost and several little ghosts.

Well, it was his first time seeing ghosts, even though he was one himself. Old Grandpa was quite intrigued: “Are you really ghosts?”

Zhuang rolled his eyes: “You’re a ghost yourself, and you still doubt that we are?”

Old Master Yu chuckled, his expression growing eerily stiff: “It’s my first time seeing this, just curious.”

But Zhuang had just finished speaking when he got hit, the reason being that as a ghost and a snack, he had no right to talk.

Zhuang: …

A few little ghost heads said: “Your family is quite peculiar too; we thought you died a natural death. It’s a shame, otherwise, you might have lived to be a hundred and one.”

“Living that long is annoying too. Can’t eat, can’t walk, always sick every few days. It’s suffering. Now I’m relieved; I haven’t moved this fast in decades!”

“…” Well, you seem quite relieved about it, “Our Master has something to ask you, just say what you know.”

Only then did Old Master Yu turn to the long-haired Master. Well, this little girl looked pretty spooky to him, especially when she peeked through the window earlier. It almost scared him out of his wits; he thought some Big Ghost had come to eat him while he was cultivating as a Ghost Cultivator. Scared nearly to death, it was a good thing it was just a misunderstanding, or he would have really cried.

Gu Feiyin said, “Yu, I wanted to ask you something. Have you always lived in Baiyu Town?”

Old Master Yu thought for a moment and replied, “Pretty much, I moved here with my grandfather. We didn’t live here before. Why?”

“That’s long enough, over seventy years. I wanted to ask you, do you know about Mu Mountain and Mu Village?”

“Mu Mountain, Mu Village?”

“Yes, I’ve been looking for it for a long time.”

Old Master Yu seemed to have some recollection. After pondering for a while, he said, “I heard my grandfather mention Mu Village. He said Mu Village was originally a peaceful little village, but one day, a band of robbers came, pillaging and murdering without restraint. Many people died, and the entire village was destroyed. It was said that this case shocked the entire province, causing panic among the villagers. Many villages set up traps at their entrances, fearing they would be raided.”

Gu Feiyin was taken aback, “Mu Village was destroyed? When? That’s impossible, how could it be?”

She remembered Mu Village being perfectly fine. How could it have been destroyed?

“Probably decades ago? It was during my grandfather’s time, so I’m not sure. By the way, why are you looking for Mu Village?”

Gu Feiyin replied, “My home is in Mu Village. I want to go back.”

She truly hadn’t expected Mu Village to have been raided by robbers. When did this happen? Why didn’t she have any memory of it?

In her memories, Mu Village was harmonious and beautiful. Although the villagers would argue and haggle, most were not bad people. Especially the children who carried baskets up the mountain to collect firewood; she would follow them to play when she was bored, even though they couldn’t see her.

Of course, this blissful time ended when the Handsome Monk arrived. The villagers were particularly devoted to him, visiting him on the first and fifteenth of each month. Everyone had an amulet for peace, and even the children wore several around their necks, making her too scared to play with them, feeling lonely for a while.

Back then, she would help drive wild boars into traps, and every time she saw the little kids jumping with joy, she would jump out and scoff, scaring them into running away, which delighted her. The kids were terribly timid. But after the Handsome Monk came, if she scoffed, the kids would use their amulets against her, making the Handsome Monk her nemesis.

But it’s normal for her not to remember; her memory wasn’t great, and she couldn’t recall much from when she was alive.

Gu Feiyin asked, “Do you know where Mu Village is?”

Old Master Yu replied, “If my grandfather was correct, this should be Mu Village. He said Baiyu Temple was very famous in Mu Village, attracting people from miles around to worship. Gradually, Mu Village expanded into a town, becoming famous because of Baiyu Temple. Eventually, Mu Village was renamed Baiyu Town.”

Gu Feiyin exclaimed, “What???!!!”

…

After being discharged from the hospital, Zhen Du hurried to Baiyu Temple. He feared that if he lingered outside any longer, given his streak of bad luck, he might not even be able to crawl back. If Shifu knew he died far from home, it would surely sadden him.

He just wondered where his destiny truly lay.