Wandering Spirit Tavern - Chapter 4 - Wandering Spirits

Years later, Lin You would die in Feng Bei’s arms. In her final moments, she would recall the first time she met Feng Bei. They stood on opposite sides of a freshly painted coffin, the scent of rain-soaked earth mingling with the smell of varnish in the air. Feng Bei, clad in his Taoist robe, and Lin You, in mourning clothes, exchanged glances amidst the chaotic blend of scents-one face filled with fear, the other with a mix of sorrow and excitement.

Lin You said, “At that moment, I thought you were here to save me.”

Feng Bei replied, “That wasn’t actually our first meeting.”

Feng Bei hadn’t expected to encounter this girl, shrouded in yin qi, again. His mind was filled with the ghost stories his master had told him-tales of possession and spirits returning, each more terrifying and difficult to resolve than the last.

Meanwhile, Lin You saw Feng Bei as her savior, hoping he could use his Taoist techniques to help her escape from her strange “aunt.”

Neither could voice their concerns, so they stood there, separated by the coffin, unsure of how to begin.

The mysterious aunt broke the silence, warmly inviting Feng Bei and his junior brother into the house, leaving Lin You in shock.

It seemed the Taoist priests couldn’t help her-Lin You, who had just found hope, fell into deeper despair.

The funeral rite was to last three days, with several sessions in between, meaning the two Taoist priests would stay at Lin You’s home for three days. Lin You thought she still had a chance to find a moment alone to tell the priest about her situation. However, the two priests seemed to grow closer to the “aunt,” and whenever Lin You tried to approach the young Taoist, they appeared to deliberately avoid her.

By the second night, Lin You was growing increasingly anxious.

She couldn’t fathom what the woman intended to do, but she knew that if she voiced her fears now, everyone would think she was crazy.

In her fear, Lin You began to doubt herself. Was her mind playing tricks on her, or was her memory faulty? Perhaps the childhood memory was just a figment of her imagination, and the aunt was genuinely a good person. Otherwise, why couldn’t even the Taoist priests see through her?

After all, human memory is unreliable.

But if the memory was real, then these two priests were frauds.

Was it the priests who were foolish, or was she losing her mind? Lin You pondered which scenario was more beneficial to her, but neither was promising.

As Lin You’s confusion deepened, something even more terrifying occurred. The “aunt” offered to take over the night watch from her father, allowing him to rest for the night. This meant that only Lin You, the aunt, and the two Taoist priests would be on watch that night.

But the two young Taoists were likely clueless. Just as Lin You was growing anxious, the aunt had already offered the priests some wine.

“Don’t drink it.”

Lin You’s warning came too late. The priests had already started drinking, and her outburst startled them.

Realizing her mistake and that it was too late, Lin You resigned herself: “Never mind, go ahead and drink.”

Lin You was utterly hopeless. At that moment, the aunt sat down beside her.

“Why didn’t you get on the train that day?”

Lin You’s mind buzzed.

Her mother’s body lay before her, the room dimly lit. She sat calmly beside the aunt, appearing as a normal pair of family members keeping vigil over the deceased. But Lin You was on the verge of calling out for her mother.

“You, you…”

Lin You wanted to ask questions, and indeed, her mind was filled with them, but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate. After a long pause, she finally managed to string together a sentence: “What do you want?”

The woman replied, “I’m here to help you fulfill the promise you made as a child.”

Lin You asked, “Promise? What promise?”

The woman said, “You don’t remember? Come with me, and I’ll explain on the way.”

“Where to? I’m not going.”

Lin You said she wouldn’t go, but her body betrayed her, standing up on its own. Her legs, numb from crouching, shouldn’t have been able to move, yet they carried her, following the woman out of the courtyard.

Feng Bei didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, but when he awoke, only he and his junior brother remained before the deceased. His junior brother was still asleep.

There was still a spirit-pacifying mantra to chant that night. How had he fallen asleep? More importantly, he had resolved to protect a woman here. How could he have dozed off? Something was definitely wrong.

The woman he intended to protect was Lin You’s aunt, the one who had warmly welcomed him upon arrival.

From the moment he entered the courtyard, Feng Bei had been avoiding Lin You, who was enveloped in yin qi. Yet, he had been observing her and noticed that she was constantly watching the aunt.

Feng Bei immediately thought of stories about spirits possessing and harming people.

He deduced a tale of sibling rivalry, where the elder sister, filled with resentment, returned after death to harm the younger sister.

Despite lacking the courage to exorcise spirits, Feng Bei wanted to help the woman as much as he could. Partly out of human decency, and partly because the woman reminded him of his own mother-a gentle soul who had been tormented to death by evil spirits. This story was also why Feng Bei had turned to Taoism, but that was a tale for another time.

Upon waking and finding both women gone, Feng Bei panicked, unsure of what to do.

Should he risk his life for a stranger?

Did he even have the ability to help her?

If only his master were here. He was a courageous Taoist priest who would surely intervene.

Now, all that remained was him, a self-serving disgrace to Taoism. What should he do?

Should he wake his junior brother?

His junior brother was even less capable. He knew that his junior brother had spent years learning only ceremonial tricks, not a single thing about dealing with evil spirits. Waking him would only complicate matters.

In the end, Feng Bei decided to find the person, not out of a sense of justice, but because he understood that his master had brought him back for this very reason. If he failed, he would live the rest of his life in inner turmoil.

Feng Bei left the house, wandering aimlessly through the streets, wanting to use a search mantra but not even knowing the woman’s name.

It was already midnight, and the town’s lights were out. Fortunately, the moon was still up, allowing him to see the road.

Under the moonlight, the town turned blue. Feng Bei, in his yellow Taoist robe, sprinted down the blue streets. Suddenly, he slipped and fell flat on his face. When he looked up again, the street had changed, becoming lively and illuminated by many red lanterns. Various people wandered under the lanterns, and upon closer inspection, they were all deceased.

This was the scene from Feng Bei’s dream last night.

Feng Bei suddenly remembered the tavern from his dream. The dream must have been a hint, a clue from his master. The tavern was the key.

He ran through two streets, searching for the red lantern with the word “wine” on it.

The more he ran, the more ghosts filled the road.

Finally, he reached the street from his dream. The red lantern hung at the corner, but instead of the old man from his dream, there were many fierce-looking ghosts. They wore various outfits, some ancient, some modern, some neat and clean, others tattered and worn. But regardless of their attire, they were all doing the same thing-drinking.

Seeing this group of ghosts gathered at the tavern’s entrance, Feng Bei hesitated, unsure whether to approach. Then, the ghosts suddenly turned to look at him.

Feng Bei froze, instinctively reaching for the peachwood sword at his side.

To his surprise, the ghosts parted, making way for him.

He had no choice but to move forward, passing through the ghosts and entering the dimly lit tavern. Inside, he saw only three people: the old man from his dream, Lin You, and the woman he was meant to save. At that moment, Lin You and the woman were drinking together.

The old man saw Feng Bei and greeted him with a smile, “You finally made it.”