On a crowded street, a woman and a man walked side by side. The man carried his sword on his back. They walked towards the poster wall where a crowd had gathered beside the city gate.
"Ten thousand silver ingots for anyone who catches the grave robber ghosts," Man One exclaimed.
"I would rather choose my life over those ten thousand silver ingots," Man Two whispered, leaning closer. "I heard that the latest Taoist master tried to send the ghost back to the underworld, and was seriously injured and died of internal injuries. The ghost sucked the life out of him."
"Yes, when they found him," Man Three added, "he was black and blue from head to toe."
"The worst part was that all the bones in his body were shattered into pieces," Man Two interrupted, his voice dropping to a horrified whisper.
"What a horrible way to die!" Man One gasped.
"Many hunters have tried, but they all died in the end," Man Three said grimly.
"How many?" Man One asked.
"I heard that, including the latest Taoist master, there were twelve," Man Two replied.
"Look at this poster," Man Three pointed. "It has been here for almost two months. No hunter dared to take it down."
"It's a pity," Man One lamented.
The woman and the man, Zhao Renshu and Ping'an, approached the group. They had heard enough. Zhao Renshu gently patted one of the men on the shoulder to make way. He went to the poster board and removed the poster. The people around him gasped, their mouths agape.
"Another body to collect tomorrow morning," Man Three shook his head, muttering.
Zhao Renshu smirked with a smile at the group of people and stroked his chin with the thumb of his left hand. A woman in the crowd smiled at him, and he gave her a flirtatious smile in return. He walked towards her, and the two walked side by side down the street, looking for the owner of the poster.
When Zhao Renshu and Ping'an approached the house number on the poster, there was already a group of people gathered at the front door.
"Master, this person is the one who tore up the poster," a servant announced, pointing to Zhao Renshu.
"Young man, are you the one who tore off the poster?" Master Fu Chen asked, his gaze fixed on Zhao Renshu.
"Yes," Zhao Renshu replied confidently.
"May I know your name?" Master Fu Chen inquired.
"For what?" Zhao Renshu countered, a playful challenge in his tone.
"Just in case you fail to do it," Master Fu Chen said with a wry smile. "I will know how to write it on your tombstone."
"Ha... Ha... Ha..." Zhao Renshu chuckled. "Just get your money ready. Where is this graveyard?"
"I will take you there," Master Fu Chen offered, turning to lead the way into a narrow dirt road. Tall vegetation lined both sides of the path.
"This cemetery belongs to the richest people in this town," Master Fu Chen explained as they walked. "The Fu and Wu ancestors are also buried here." He worried. "About three months ago, the grave keeper suddenly died. The coroner concluded that the cause of death was that his heart had suddenly stopped. The next grave keeper also died, and the cause of death was the same as the first one. The third grave keeper survived, though."
"He saw the ghost?" Zhao Renshu prompted.
"He said he heard strange sounds. When he walked outside, he saw white shadows flying around the house," Master Fu Chen explained, stopping abruptly. "He ran back into town in the middle of the night. He was seriously injured, but his life was not threatened." Master Fu Chen gestured forward. "We are here. The house is there."
When the three walked to the wooden house, four servants came out.
"When I heard that you tore off the poster, I made arrangements," Master Fu Chen stated. "There should be enough food to last a full week. If this problem cannot be resolved, I will ask the servants to send more food." Master Fu Chen and his servants were ready to leave the grave area. He said, "Young man, we have to get back before sunset. Good luck." He walked to the gate, then ran back. "If you catch the ghost, send us a signal." He handed Zhao Renshu a small firework.
"If I send the signal, you come with the money, okay." Zhao Renshu said.
"Will do," Master Fu Chen replied. He waved at Ping'an and Zhao Renshu and quickly descended down the dirt path with his servants.
Zhao Renshu and Ping'an walked inside the wooden house. Inside the wooden house, there was an old wooden table with two benches. On the left was a small kitchen, and on the right was a medium-sized daybed with a long pillow.
"At least, there's a bed this time," Ping'an said, putting their two bags on the table next to it. "I'll cook something."
"I'll walk around," Zhao Renshu replied, walking out of the door.
Ping'an put the food on the table and waited for Zhao Renshu to come back. After waiting for about thirty minutes, she saw Zhao Renshu walking back. He sat at the table opposite her. Ping'an and Zhao Renshu began to eat. After dinner, Zhao Renshu blew out the candlelight and climbed into bed. Ping'an and Zhao Renshu lay side by side. Zhao Renshu embraced Ping'an.
Zhao Renshu kissed Ping'an's forehead. "Goodnight, love."
Ping'an kissed his neck. "Goodnight," she murmured.
Zhao Renshu smiled at her, and they closed their eyes, falling asleep.
Around one o'clock in the morning, screams and weird sounds awakened Ping'an and Zhao Renshu. They walked to the window and saw four white ghost figures flying around the house. The ghosts' long hair covered their faces. Their nails were long and dark. Ping'an and Zhao Renshu saw enough, so they walked out of the wooden house and faced the four flying "ghosts."
"Wooo....wooo... I... died horribly..." Ghost One whispered, a low moan.
"Vengeance... I want revenge!" Ghost Two yelled angrily.
"I am so cold.....I am so lonely... Hungry..." Ghost Three whimpered.
Ghost Four landed on the ground. "I will suck the life out of you," he hissed, walking clumsily towards Zhao Renshu and Ping'an.
"I have never seen such talkative ghosts before," Zhao Renshu quipped, smirking with a smile at the figures. He turned to Ping'an.
"Agree," Ping'an nodded.
Ghost Four flew directly at Zhao Renshu. Zhao Renshu jumped, delivering a high kick that landed on the ghost's neck. The kick caused the ghost to fly thirty feet away and completely destroyed the well. The remaining ghosts charged towards Zhao Renshu. Zhao Renshu fought fiercely with the ghosts. Zhao Renshu flipped, executing a combination of multiple kicks that landed on Ghost Number Two, which sent him flying straight into the house wall.
Ghost Number Two was seriously injured, lying on his stomach. The ghost then slowly stood up, trying to attack Ping'an, but she directly sent a magic rope talisman at the injured ghost. The talisman rope tied the robber's feet together, causing him to fall down flat on his stomach. The grave robber hit his face hard on the ground, causing severe bleeding from his nose. Then, the talisman rope wrapped the robber's entire body from feet to neck in a matter of seconds. The grave robber was tightly bound, defenseless, face down on the ground.
The three remaining ghosts surrounded Zhao Renshu. When Ghost One was about to attack Zhao Renshu from behind, Ping'an sent another rope talisman at the robber. The talisman turned into three icicles and flew directly to Ghost Number One. The ghost robber dodged two icicles, but the third icicle hit him right on his right shoulder, causing him to fly two feet away. The fallen robber had difficulty getting up, so Ping'an sent out another rope talisman at him. The tight rope also tied him down.
The remaining two ghost robbers took out two medium-sized daggers and began to attack Zhao Renshu. When Zhao Renshu flipped over one of the robbers, he conjured a spell and stuck the talisman on the robber's back.
The robber felt like a thousand pounds of weight had fallen on him. He fell to both his knees.
"I..... Can't... Move..." Ghost Robber Four uttered one word at a time, struggling.
Ghost Robber Three lunged, launching his final attack on Zhao Renshu. Zhao Renshu prevented the attack by twisting the robber's right hand. He then forcibly kicked the ghost's lower abdomen. The fallen robber shrank in pain and knelt on the ground. Ping'an sent another rope talisman at the last fallen ghost robber. Zhao Renshu then sent out the firework signal.
Ping'an and Zhao Renshu drank their tea, sitting on the wooden bench outside the house, admiring the full moon while the four "ghosts" struggled to escape.
"Don't bother," Ping'an said, her voice calm. "This is not an ordinary rope. It is a talisman magic rope. The more you struggle, the tighter it becomes."
Around two in the morning, people from the town and ten law enforcement officers rushed to the scene. Master Fu Chen was among them.
"You really caught the ghosts, young hero!" Master Fu Chen exclaimed, overjoyed.
No one dared to approach the four fallen "ghosts." They were afraid that the "ghosts" would absorb their life energy.
"Do you have the ten thousand silver ingots?" Zhao Renshu asked Master Fu Chen directly.
"Yes, bring it over here," Master Fu Chen instructed his servants.
Ten servants brought two large boxes and placed them in front of Zhao Renshu and Ping'an.
"I looked around during the day, and the surrounding environment was good. The feng shui here is good," Zhao Renshu explained. "The people who designed this cemetery are well-educated. It is impossible for ghosts to rob the grave." He smiled at Ping'an. "But... very possible for men to rob the grave."
"The dead buried here are from upper-class families," Ping'an added. "Think about all the jewels, gold, jade, and silver that were buried with them."
The people in town were taken aback.
"Also," she continued, pointing at Ghost Number Two, "ghosts do not bleed."
The people in town nodded in agreement, murmuring amongst themselves.
Zhao Renshu walked to the four wounded "ghosts." "Your so-called ghosts are just tomb raiders," he declared.
"Then how can you explain the cause of death, the serious injury of the former grave keeper, and the hunters who died?" Master Fu Chen challenged.
"The two previous grave keepers died because they might have been scared to death," Zhao Renshu explained patiently. "The third grave keeper was still young, so he ran down the mountain. In the process of running for his life, coupled with the disadvantage of the night, he injured himself. The hunters who died were because their skills were no match for these impostors."
"If they are so ruthless, why let the third grave keeper live?" Master Fu Chen pressed.
"So he could spread fear to people," Zhao Renshu replied with a knowing grin.
"Men, take these scumbags away!" the lead officer commanded.
The four grave robbers were dragged away by the law enforcement officers.
Zhao Renshu took out a talisman, recited a spell, and threw the talisman on the ground. A white smoke emerged, and a man stood right before their eyes. The townspeople were shocked.
Shan walked to the money chest. He opened it, then took two silver ingots and threw them to Zhao Renshu.
Zhao Renshu glared at Shan with a wicked grin.
"When you run out, I will send it to you again," Shan said expressionless, then vanished with the money chest.
Master Fu Chen was so shocked he could hardly speak. "He... He... He...." He almost fainted.
"Congratulations everyone," Zhao Renshu burst out laughing. "Everyone has witnessed the presence of a real ghost!"
Master Fu Chen fainted into his servants' arms.
Zhao Renshu and Ping'an refused to return to town with the townspeople. They walked into the wooden house and closed the door. Ping'an and Zhao Renshu lay side by side on the bed again.
"I'm impressed. Your skills are much better," Zhao Renshu praised, turning to Ping'an.
"I want to be able to conjure talismans out of thin air like you," Ping'an replied, her voice soft.
Zhao Renshu sympathetically pulled Ping'an into his embrace and gently kissed her on the forehead. "It takes time. We have a lifetime to learn. One day, you will be as good as me, or even better." He kissed her forehead again. "Where are we going next?"
Ping'an looked up at Zhao Renshu. "I don't know."
"How about Capital City?" Zhao Renshu suggested. "It's only a day's walk from here."
"Why?" she asked, lowering her voice and adjusting herself to face the ceiling.
"You've never been there, plus we can visit Baiyu," he smiled at her.
"No, if he wanted to see us, he would have already. He knows where we are. He chose not to come," Ping'an said, a faint smile playing on her lips, tinged with a sigh. "We should respect his decision."
"Don't you miss him?" Zhao Renshu asked softly.
"Yes, but... let's go home," Ping'an replied, her voice trailing off.
"Okay, dear," Zhao Renshu said, knowing that whenever Guo Baiyu's name was mentioned, it would hurt her. He placed his left arm under her neck and held her with his right arm. "Tomorrow we will go into town and have a look at the market."
"What do you want to buy?" Ping'an asked, a little curiosity in her voice.
"I don't know, let's see what we find," Zhao Renshu mused. "I also want to try some food and wine. We can leave this town when we get bored."
"Sounds great," Ping'an agreed.
"Good night," Zhao Renshu whispered, kissing her forehead again.
"Sweet dreams, love," she replied, kissing his left cheek. Ping'an closed her eyes, but a familiar ache lingered in her heart as she pictured Guo Baiyu's face, wishing he were there beside them too.