Chapter 90

When Gu Feiyin left for work in the morning, she was surprised to find that there had been a heavy rain during the night. Puddles dotted the ground, and water droplets dripped steadily from the eaves, making the whole world look brand new.

The woman in red ghost said that last night there was thunder and lightning, a violent storm raged all night, as if splitting the world apart. The little ghosts by the river at the overpass were so frightened they howled and didn’t dare step outside. Even her group hid inside, too afraid to go out. But she herself hadn’t woken up.

“With all that racket, even pigs would have woken up, but you wouldn’t no matter how I called. Just what were you dreaming of?”

Gu Feiyin sighed, not wanting to talk about it at all. After all, her death had been so stifling. She never thought she would die so cleanly, shot right through the head without even a chance to struggle. Even more unexpected was that her whole family was slaughtered, all because they had too much money. Was that why she was so poor in this life?

Passing by a bun shop, she spent three yuan on a beef bun and a tea egg, eating as she walked toward the amusement park. Her mind was preoccupied, and she nearly choked on the egg yolk, so she quickly stopped thinking too much and focused on her breakfast.

Liao Yuan the monk hurried along, his old, osteoporotic legs moving surprisingly fast, almost leaving Jingxing behind.

“Shizhu Gu, Shizhu Gu, please wait!”

Eh? Gu Feiyin turned to see Liao Yuan the monk rushing over, with Jingxing following behind, calling for him to slow down. Gu Feiyin asked with curiosity and anticipation, “What’s the matter? Has the time finally come to help me regain my prosperous fate?”

Liao Yuan the monk: “……”

He couldn’t help feeling sour again. What was up with Sis Gu? Back then she loved all things shiny; whenever someone died, she’d be the first to rush in, mingling with the little ghosts to snatch Paper Money. Now that she was alive, her interests hadn’t changed at all-and seemed to be getting worse.

She’d fallen right into the money pit, never bothering with cultivation.

He couldn’t help remembering what Shifu once said: ghosts are the same as people, both go from weakness to strength, then from strength to decline. Just as humans progress from birth to middle age to old age and death, ghosts go from birth to power to weakness. If a person cannot attain the Great Dao, or a ghost cannot become a Ghost Immortal, if they cannot surpass the cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death, the end is always the same.

But Sis Gu was as lazy as a pig. All she thought about was eating or hoarding wealth. Only in times like this did she show a bit of motivation. For her to become a Ghost Immortal was nothing short of a pipe dream. When the time came, he feared her only path would be to dissipate entirely.

Back then, when he was young, he anxiously asked, “Sis Gu looks scary, but she saved me. She’s a good ghost-I don’t want her to die.”

His Shifu was silent for a while, then shook his head, saying nothing at all. He had never seen his Shifu show such a troubled, helpless expression. In his memories, Shifu was all-capable; nothing could stump him. But now, even he couldn’t help?

He thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s try to persuade Sis Gu to cultivate well, become a Ghost Immortal as soon as possible, so she won’t have to dissipate.”

His Shifu smiled and said, “Gu Feiyin is entangled by murderous karma, but also full of merit. Whether she can become a Ghost Immortal depends on heaven’s will.”

“Sis Gu isn’t bad. She even saved me. I’ve never seen her hurt anyone. Why does she have so much murderous karma? Besides, if heaven really cared about good people, why do so many die unjustly?”

“Enough nonsense.”

He shut his mouth, hearing his Shifu continue: “More than ten years ago, Mu Village wasn’t called Mu Village; back then, it was called Gu Family Town. Gu Family Town was wiped out in one night-over a hundred people died, not just Gu Feiyin, but her parents and older brother as well. Among the dead were not only villagers, but also half of the murderers-the bandits who carried out the massacre. None of them survived.”

He was stunned for a long time. “The bandits died too? Was it because they fought over the loot and killed each other?”

“Yes and no. When the authorities closed the case, they ruled it as internal strife.”

He was secretly pleased, thinking those villains deserved it. Human greed knows no bounds; evil will be repaid with evil.

“But how could things be so simple? People say the bandits killed each other, but the truth was covered up.”

“How do you know, Shifu?”

His Shifu said, “My Shifu told me.”

Liao Yuan’s Shifu’s Shifu-his grandmaster.

He remembered Shifu mentioning that before his grandmaster became a monk, he wasn’t a monk at all. It was said he was originally a layman, fleeing war until he reached Zhenguo Temple and was saved by the abbot. He lived in the temple for several years, and by chance, he became a monk. Later, while begging for alms, he found Shifu.

Before ordination, his grandmaster was a notorious drunkard, a half-immortal no one believed in. It was this half-immortal who once prophesied that the second daughter of the Gu Family faced a deadly fate. After Gu Family Town was destroyed, he was forced to wander, only returning home many years later.

He suddenly understood, “So those bandits were killed by Sis Gu?”

After she was killed, hatred rose from her heart. She became a Malevolent Ghost and killed over fifty people!

That’s why she was weighed down by murderous karma but also filled with merit-because she killed people, and also saved many.

……

Gu Feiyin saw Liao Yuan the monk deep in thought, not saying a word, his small eyes empty and unfocused as he looked at her. She couldn’t help but furrow her brows. “Isn’t that right?”

Liao Yuan the monk felt a pang of sourness in his heart. He pouted in grievance, and just as he shook his head twice, he saw Sis Gu’s sparkling eyes dim instantly. She turned her head, gnawed on her Tea Egg, and walked away.

Liao Yuan the monk: “…?!”

Jingxing couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Shifu, aren’t you just asking for trouble?”

Liao Yuan shot his disciple a glare. Could you just shut up? Do you even know what to say and what not to say? He waved his young disciple away and then hobbled after Gu Feiyin on his old legs. “Shizhu Gu, wait for me. I have something important to discuss with you.”

Gu Feiyin didn’t seem to care. What could possibly be more important than her prosperous fate? Absolutely nothing.

“What is it?”

“Well, last night, did you notice anything unusual?”

Hmm? Gu Feiyin glanced at him. Could this old monk even see what she dreamed about? His cultivation must be quite advanced. If that were the case, her prosperous fate might still be within reach.

Gu Feiyin asked, “Does this have something to do with my prosperous fate?”

“…” Liao Yuan’s mouth twitched. “Shizhu, could you first tell me what exactly happened?”

She scratched her head, feeling that the beef bun in her hand suddenly didn’t taste as good anymore. She took two big bites, finished it off, and casually tossed the plastic bag into a nearby trash can. Only then did she reluctantly say, “I dreamed about what happened when I died.”

Liao Yuan thought to himself, as expected. The eerie lightning and thunderstorm last night were clearly signs of some celestial anomaly.

“I’ve never dreamed about it before, but last night, I suddenly did. Is there a special reason for that?”

“That… I’m not sure.”

“Hmm?”

“…”

Liao Yuan looked at Sis Gu’s dark, narrowed eyes, and it reminded him of the terror he felt as a child under the shadow of fear. He gulped and said, “Perhaps it’s just the will of heaven?”

“The will of heaven? What will of heaven? Goddamn Heaven keeps messing with me. Now that my life is getting better, it decides to come and ruin my peace?” Truly, Goddamn Heaven was ruthless.

Suddenly, a thunderclap roared in the sky, making Gu Feiyin’s scalp tingle. She glanced at the sky, then quickly ran under the eaves of a nearby house to hide, afraid that another bolt might strike her. She cautiously peeked at the sky, looking so timid it was almost comical.

Goddamn Heaven: … 🙂

Liao Yuan the monk: “…”

Jingxing: “…”

…

Liao Yuan turned his head as if he hadn’t seen anything. Honestly, he could understand. If he remembered correctly, Sis Gu had been struck by heaven thunder before. The sheer power of heaven thunder was immense; the fact that she hadn’t been obliterated was already a miracle.

At this moment, he completely forgot about Sis Gu’s greed, ruthlessness, and cold-heartedness. Instead, he looked at her with immense sympathy and pity.

Jingxing, however, was utterly baffled. He couldn’t understand why his Shifu always looked at Shizhu Gu with such a mix of admiration and reverence, like a child gazing at their mother. But Shizhu Gu was at least seventy years younger than his Shifu. Wasn’t that little look of his completely misplaced?

Jingxing decided he must be mistaken. His Shifu couldn’t possibly be like that.

What he couldn’t understand even more was his Shifu’s behavior. Every morning, his Shifu would escort Shizhu Gu to work. Since he couldn’t afford to enter the amusement park, he would wait outside. Sometimes, he would visit nearby temples to preach, and when Shizhu Gu finished work, he would come to pick her up. Rain or shine, he never missed a day.

Sometimes, he would even offer her fruits as if presenting treasures-an orange, an apple, or a piece of candy. Every time Shizhu Gu saw them, she would nod in satisfaction and eat them with great relish. This would make his Shifu incredibly happy, as if her praise was the greatest reward.

Shizhu Gu, while eating, would sometimes remark that the feeling was oddly familiar. It was as if someone used to leave offerings at her grave. She vaguely remembered it was a little kid, who would drop the offerings and run away, as if afraid a ghost might chase after him. Such a timid little thing.

Liao Yuan the monk: “…”

Jingxing couldn’t help but feel a little sour. His Shifu had never treated him with such devotion. More than that, he was puzzled.

“Shifu, who exactly is Shizhu Gu to you? Why are you so good to her?”

“When have I ever been good to her? Go away, stop following me.”

“… :)”

Jingxing watched as his Shifu trailed behind Shizhu Gu, looking for all the world like a little lackey.

Gu Feiyin, munching on an apple, glanced sideways at the young monk. A familiar scene suddenly flashed through her mind. She was sitting by a fire, half her body missing, while a young monk roasted a chicken. As he roasted, he whimpered, “Shifu is going to punish me, boohoo. I’ve broken the precepts. I can’t be a monk anymore, boohoo.”

“You said you wanted to repay my life-saving grace. What you’re doing now is repaying me. If you don’t, that makes you an ungrateful wretch. Your Shifu would punish you even more.”

The young monk blinked his teary eyes and, in the end, couldn’t hold back his sobs.

“What are you two doing?”

A cold voice came from behind. The young monk saw his Shifu approaching with an imposing air and was so frightened he hiccupped, covering his head and hiding to the side.

She rolled her eyes, took a big bite of the half-cooked wild chicken, and quickly scampered away on her unsteady body. She floated and wobbled, disappearing in no time.

“What mischief have you been up to with that little ghost?”

The young monk was punished to clean the latrines. He cleaned them for an entire month.