With virtue

In a place like this, the youngest sister, who is usually quite oblivious, actually managed to fall asleep.

Zhao Yunshu had no intention of sleeping. Tonight was the first day, and if any trouble arose, it would probably be tonight. Being new to the place, it was best to be careful. Staying up all night wouldn't be a problem.

Of the three, only Bai Qian was truly unable to sleep.

She was feeling a bit irritable and vaguely worried. It was impossible for her not to be afraid, but she wasn't that afraid either, which made it even harder for her to sleep.

This feeling is the most unbearable. It's not that you're truly terrified, but there's a kind of subtle thorn in your back that keeps your nerves constantly on edge, making it impossible to relax and rest peacefully. The constant pressure can easily lead you into a state of extreme irritability or even mania, and it's the easiest way to drive someone crazy.

So, we can see that she first walked around the room a few times, then looked at the sword sheath. Still feeling uneasy, she went to the window to look at the tiger she had just cut out, which still had the incantation and talismans that Zhao Yunshu had just cast on it.

Then she gently tapped the window frame with her fingers, feeling the texture of the wood and the emptiness outside.

Then he drew his sword and began to wipe the blade until it gleamed.

"Hey, how about we sit down and chat for a bit?" Zhao Yunshu said, somewhat amused and exasperated, as she watched her fidgeting as if she had thorns in her butt.

As he spoke, he took out some dried meat, two dry biscuits, and finally placed the gourd from his waist on the kang (a heated brick bed). He then gestured and invited, "You look like you're in so much pain. Why are you so tense? Come, have some food and drink."

This gourd was brought from the Taoist temple. Although the young Taoist priest doesn't drink excessively, he can still have a couple of sips occasionally without any problem.

Seeing the young Taoist priest's behavior, Bai Qian snorted coldly, then sat down next to Zhao Yunshu, picked up a piece of dried meat, chewed it, and then, feeling thirsty, didn't hesitate to drink from the gourd. "Ha! Your wine is terrible, it's not even worthy of being called mixed wine, it's all sour, it's turned into vinegar!" she said mockingly, putting down the gourd.

"You clearly use a purple-tipped brush and a white jade inkstone, but with just one of your brushes, a single hair could be enough for a pot of fine wine, right?"

"Haha, I'm used to it. My master drinks this too, so just make do with it," Zhao Yunshu said with a smile.

The two of them took turns eating and started chatting.

First, Bai Qian looked around repeatedly, confirming that the night sky outside was dark and quiet, with only the chirping of insects, so there was no sound at all. So she sat back on the kang and chatted with Zhao Yunshu in a low voice.

She started speaking in a low voice, afraid of disturbing her younger sister's sleep, but as she talked, she began to boast about how she got her nickname "A Gust of Wind".

It turned out that she had offended a group of bandits. The bandit leader had a fine steed called "Wind Chaser." This Wind Chaser was extremely swift and magnificent. It was a precious horse from Danqiu. It was said to be a spirit that had been tamed by a Yaksha horse. It was formed from the blood of an evil spirit and could travel a thousand miles a day and eight hundred miles at night.

Then the bandits robbed the caravan and obtained a priceless sword inscribed with "White Silk". It is said that when this sword was drawn, the sky turned white, a white silk ribbon stretched across the sky, the moon's shadow was like silver waves, and the light shimmered like spraying snow. It is said: "For eternity, one has always suspected that the white silk ribbon flies, a line that breaks the green of the mountains."

Instead, she tricked the bandits and stole the white silk, which angered them so much that they rode the Wind Chaser to catch up. The Wind Chaser galloped wildly, chasing after her.

However, she was extremely agile and claimed to have practiced a divine skill, possessing the speed to chase the sun and lightning. She outran four legs with her two legs and even left the swift horse behind, hence the nickname "A Gust of Wind".

At this point, she became animated, raising her voice so much that her younger sister almost woke up.

Zhao Yunshu naturally applauded and praised her for her skill. Since she was getting into the conversation, there was no need to make suggestive remarks; speaking out of turn could lead to trouble.

Praised by the young Taoist priest, she became even more enthusiastic and said that she had once discovered a group of human traffickers in Jiangling. She then chased the traffickers alone for half the city, going through alleys, climbing tall buildings, discerning clues from the crowd, and running wildly from the center of the market, stepping on the shoulders of the crowd. Finally, she climbed over the plaque of the prefectural government office and rescued the four children at the city gate. She told the story in great detail.

Zhao Yunshu listened attentively, occasionally clapping and cheering, but never offered any rebuttal.

As for why she had the stamina to chase after lightning every day, yet still couldn't catch up with a group of human traffickers, that's another story.

Bai Qian became even more excited and recounted how he had uncovered the scheme of a group of river bandits at the Yangtze River ferry and, with a slender sword, had defeated nineteen heroes by the river.

These bandits along the Yangtze River were all incredibly skilled swimmers, able to perform amazing feats of skill even on the water's edge and in the waves. They could walk on the water as if it were flat ground, and it was said that the water never even reached their bellies. Even water ghosts couldn't match their swimming prowess.

During the Three Kingdoms period, there was a famous general named Huang Gai, who came from the banks of the Yangtze River and was very skilled in swimming. In the Battle of Red Cliffs, he used the ruse of feigning injury to deceive Cao Cao. How did he escape from the chaos of battle? In fact, it was during the coldest time of the year that he fell into the river with his armor, but he did not sink and swam all the way to the shore.

Although these bandits were not as skilled as General Huang Gai, they were still quite capable. However, they did not fare well against Bai Qian. She sent them all flying off the ship with a single sword stroke, thus saving a ship full of wealthy merchants. She received many gifts as thanks, which she distributed to the poor, keeping only a little for herself.

Perhaps it had been a long time since anyone had talked to her about these things. She was so happy that she even put her feet up on the kang (a heated brick bed), showing no trace of a girl's demeanor.

Zhao Yunshu sat on the kang and watched the other woman drink some forced wine and start talking nonsense. Suddenly, he found it a little funny. This woman, although she was loud and boisterous, was not annoying.

If it weren't for her rambling, the night would have been much harder to endure.

The young Taoist priest suspected that only three out of ten of her stories were true, but he didn't expose her and let her continue. Just then, an owl outside the window let out a cooing sound that drifted into the room.

He called out once and then stopped, but the sound still attracted the attention of two people, thus interrupting Bai Qian's rambling.

Bai Qian fell silent for a moment, and Zhao Yunshu also looked out the window. After confirming that nothing was wrong, she turned her attention back to the window.

Bai Qian's words were interrupted. She was a little annoyed, caught up in her enthusiasm, but she couldn't blame a bird. She also noticed her voice was getting louder, so she lowered her voice and said to Zhao Yunshu, "Enough with the small talk, let's get down to business. Tell me, what's going on with this place? I don't even know what kind of weird place this is. And there's a whole bunch of living dead dreaming in that ghost cave on the mountain. I've traveled all over and seen my share of the world, but something like tonight is truly a first for me. Taoist, how did you get here?"

Zhao Yunshu pondered for a moment, then, without hiding anything, said, "I came from Dingzhou and was heading southwest to find a big tree called 'Grandpa Old Tree.' On the way, I met some refugees and followed them into a village called Liu Family Village. The people in the village were very hospitable, offering me lodging and wine, but I didn't touch any of it. When I woke up, I was in that cave."

He paused for a moment, then added, "I think I even tried to persuade several people in my dreams, trying to wake them up, but unfortunately, none of them were willing to leave after waking up."

Bai Qian said, "They didn't care. We were both quite cautious, but we still fell for it. Could it be that they drugged us while we were asleep and then carried us here? But why go through all this trouble?"

Zhao Yunshu smiled and said, "Maybe we're just like them, still dreaming."

He continued, "I don't actually know if you're the person in this dream. Maybe you're one of those things that came out of nowhere, trying to trick me into talking in this dream. Or, how do you know it wasn't me dreaming about you? And how can I be sure you're the person in my dream?"

Bai Qian shivered, his face changed, and he pointed a finger: "You son of a bitch, don't scare me!!"

As she spoke, she pinched herself, and the pain calmed her down a little.

Bai Qian shuddered and cursed, "You old bastard! Saying these things in the middle of the night, you're really a scoundrel!" "Just kidding, at least we both know we're telling the truth," Zhao Yunshu said.

Bai Qian nodded: "That's true. The fact that you can say that shows it's not a dream of mine. I wouldn't dream of such things. Besides, I don't understand the spell you just used. Dreams shouldn't involve things you don't understand."

After saying that, she glanced at the pile of dry straw on the kang (a heated brick bed), where her younger sister was fast asleep.

Zhao Yunshu didn't respond, and the room fell silent again.

The night is still long, and no one knows whether what awaits them after dawn will still be the human world.

Time flies, the moon is high in the sky, and midnight has just passed.

The wine jug was empty, the dried meat on the table was all gone, and the biscuits were all gone too. It was time to go to sleep.

But at that moment, the torch inside the room suddenly flickered, and the flame swayed as if it had been blown by the wind.

Where did the wind come from?

Zhao Yunshu and Bai Qian looked up at the same time. Yao Mei was curled up on the haystack. Her body shrank suddenly, but she did not wake up.

Immediately afterwards, the door suddenly slammed shut!

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but the cinnabar runes on the doorposts have already lit up!

The force of pushing and pulling the door was blocked by the glowing red light. The red light of the runes continued to spread rapidly along the wood grain, sealing the door completely.

The thing outside kept bumping into things, one after another, each time with more force than the last. Each time the red light was bumped, it grew brighter until it glowed so brightly that it illuminated the furnishings inside the room.

Bai Qian was feeling a bit tipsy. It was already late, and she had been boasting a lot. Talking too much would make her tired, and she was feeling sleepy and half asleep when the commotion suddenly startled her awake!

But then she leaped up, sword in hand, and cursed, "I'll fuck your mother!"

These four words, spoken with great force and clear pronunciation, sounded particularly loud in the haunted house late at night.

Even the young Taoist priest couldn't help but glance at her sideways. Although this woman was disguised as a man and had suppressed her beauty to a great extent, it was still clear that she was pretty. But she was really... rude. She could curse so easily.

Bai Qian was glanced at by him and also noticed Zhao Yunshu's gaze. He felt somewhat embarrassed, but since the matter was urgent, he couldn't worry about anything else. He quickly drew his sword, assumed a starting stance, and the thin sword was drawn, its cold light shining like a ribbon, which did indeed have a bit of a murderous aura.

Zhao Yunshu also stood up, but did not draw his sword first.

We really don't know what the thing on the other side is, so the sword might not be useful. Let's find out more about it first.

He quickly ran to the door, squatted down, and peered through the crack, trying to see what was outside. The young Taoist closed one eye and looked through the crack with the other; it was pitch black outside, and it seemed like there was nothing there.

He was about to take a closer look when... a blood-red eye came closer, staring directly into his eyes.

The eyeballs were about the size of eggs, as red as if dripping blood, with extremely small pupils, like a black dot poked into a red cloth with a needle.

It pressed itself against the crack in the door, staring intently at Zhao Yunshu, their eyes locked in a silent battle.

Zhao Yunshu felt a chill run down his spine, and he jerked his head back, blurting out, "Fuck you!"

As he cursed, he swiftly drew his sword and thrust it through the crack in the door. The blade pierced through the crack, and a strange "creak" came from outside. The red-eyed man shrank back sharply, and the door shook heavily again before calming down.

Zhao Yunshu took a half step back, cold sweat beading on his forehead, staring at the door panel.

Bai Qian watched all this from behind, first stunned, then burst into laughter: "You say that too! You were just looking at me, and now you're cursing me yourself!"

Zhao Yunshu wiped his face, ignoring her, and simply wiped the red blood from the tip of his sword on the door.

The peach wood charms and cinnabar on the door still gleam.

He said, "The things outside haven't gone far."

Bai Qian's laughter stopped abruptly. She carefully raised her sword, pressed her ear against the wall, and listened intently. Sure enough, there was still a soft sound in the courtyard, like something wet crawling slowly along the ground.

The two held their breath and pressed themselves against the wall, following the wet crawling sounds, slowly moving towards the window from the left and right.

The sound came from near and far, left and right, like a mop moving along the base of the wall.

After a short while, the sound traveled around the house and stopped outside the window.

A blurry, inhuman shadow was projected onto the window paper, silently clinging to the frame, whether listening or watching, it was unclear.

Looking into those eyes, Zhao Yunshu and Bai Qian exchanged a glance, gripped their swords even tighter, and stood on either side of the window, one on the left and one on the right, holding their breath.

Suddenly! The paper windowpane bulged out!

Dozens of hands suddenly reached in through the paper window!

Those hands, some black, some white, some as thin as withered branches, some rotten to the point where only half of the finger bones remained, some with nails that grew wildly long and curved like hooks, surged into the house like tangled branches breaking through thin ice!

Bai Qian cursed in surprise, and with a horizontal slash of his thin sword, he severed several hands that reached out in front of him.

Zhao Yunshu also drew his sword and slashed. Wherever the sword flashed, severed fingers flew off and black blood splattered onto the wall.

However, there were simply too many hands; as soon as one was severed, another would reach in, densely packed, blocking the window like a tangled mess of weeds. And what's more! These hands seemed to pass right through the window paper, without actually breaking it!

Just then, a red light flashed on the window paper.

The tiger paper-cut window decoration, which was originally just a decorative sticker, suddenly leaped down from the window paper!