Chapter Forty-Six: Death

On the streets of Jiu Kang Lane, the shadows of a man and a fox stretched long under the moonlight.

“Oh, finally found my clothes!” The red fox, who was actually Zhou Hongxian in disguise, trotted on short legs, hopping cheerfully toward the garments she had abandoned earlier to escape.

Xie Qiao followed behind her. Though he knew the fox before him was Zhou Hongxian, hearing her melodious female voice from the fox’s mouth stirred a strange feeling within him. The red fox was indeed Lady Zhou, beyond question, but compared to the monstrous, vicious rat demon, she was lively and graceful, her face delicate and lovely, far removed from the sly image spoken of in tales.

Did all demons possess such nature? No, with the rat demon as precedent, Xie Qiao couldn’t believe so. Yet this red fox made him realize that, like humans, demons could be both good and evil.

“So heavy! Xie Ziping, could you lend me a hand?” she called.

“Lady Zhou, please tell me how I can help!”

“Pick up my clothes and place them on my back. I’ll find a corner to restore my human form, then take you to the county office for reinforcements.”

A smile, rare for him, appeared on Xie Qiao’s face. He bent down to assist the fox, then watched as she carried the bundle of clothes into a narrow alley.

Xie Qiao had witnessed Zhou Hongxian transform from human to fox, but had never seen her revert from fox to human. It was impossible not to feel a flicker of curiosity and fanciful thought, though he quickly restrained himself—his wife Liu Qian was still missing.

“Master Xie!” Suddenly, a voice called from the distant end of the street, and it sounded familiar.

“Who’s there?” As the person approached, Xie Qiao finally saw their face clearly by moonlight. “Wu Qing?”

It was an official from the county office—known in Tang times as a ‘bad person’—named Wu Qing, who rushed to Xie Qiao in panic, blood staining his clothes, terror written on his face.

“What happened to you? Why are you alone?” Xie Qiao already knew that tonight, Magistrate Cui Shen would dispatch most of the officials to hunt down the Rakshasa ghost. But seeing Wu Qing in such a state, he was deeply puzzled.

“My colleagues and I were ordered by Magistrate Cui to investigate. On the way, a night watchman said he saw a demon heading toward Jiu Kang Lane, so we pursued it. Suddenly, a pig-headed, human-bodied monster attacked us from behind, killing all my companions—I barely escaped. Master Xie, that demon may be closing in. There’s no time—run with me!”

Seeing Xie Qiao, Wu Qing seemed to have found a relative, his face showing a hint of excitement.

At the words “pig-headed, human-bodied,” Xie Qiao instantly knew it was the Old Ghost of Songpo, and his expression changed. But Zhou Hongxian had not yet returned. If he fled now, he would have no way to warn her; should she run into the Old Ghost, he’d be placing her in grave danger.

As Xie Qiao hesitated, Wu Qing drew nearer, blood heavily staining his collar—a sign of severe injury.

Meanwhile, Cui Shen arrived outside Jiu Kang Lane with his officials.

A scout suddenly shouted, “Magistrate, terrible news! There are many dead ahead!”

“What?” Cui Shen was shocked and hurried forward. He saw several mutilated bodies and scattered limbs lying in pools of blood.

“Magistrate, these are our own people!” Some recognized the dead by their clothing.

“That’s Lu Erbao! That’s Zhang Shengwang! And there’s a headless one!”

“The headless one is Wu Qing. I recognize his shoes—his wife just made them for him!”

“Heavens, why did they die so horribly? Who killed them?”

“This isn’t the work of humans! Could it be the Rakshasa ghost?”

Fear began to settle over the group. Some started to waver. “Mag—Magistrate, do we—do we still investigate?”

Cui Shen’s eyes trembled. He reached for the precious mirror hidden in his robe, gritted his teeth, and said, “Yes! We pursue! For the people of the city, for your fallen colleagues, I will see this through!”

Back in Jiu Kang Lane.

“Wait, stop!” When Wu Qing was only three paces away, Xie Qiao suddenly called out.

“What’s wrong, Master Xie?” Wu Qing looked perplexed.

Cold sweat trickled down Xie Qiao’s forehead. “I was here by chance. Why did you show no surprise at seeing me?”

Wu Qing paused, then answered, “Master Xie, my mind is only on escaping. How could I care about such things?”

The answer seemed reasonable, yet Xie Qiao’s cold sweat only worsened. “Tonight, the moon is dim. When you called to me, I saw you as just a half-height shadow, yet you instantly recognized me. Is that normal?”

Wu Qing grinned, his smile stiff and horrific. He raised both hands, pressed them to his neck, and lifted his own head clean off. Under Xie Qiao’s trembling gaze, Wu Qing held his head to his chest, and from his abdomen came the chilling voice of the Old Ghost of Songpo: “No wonder you’re Magistrate Cui’s advisor—you noticed even the smallest clue! Hahaha, hahaha—”

Xie Qiao turned to flee, but the Old Ghost calmly placed the head back, then transformed into a streak of black smoke and lunged at him.

“Ah—” Xie Qiao screamed, his body lifted high under the moonlight, his abdomen pierced through from behind by the Old Ghost’s claws.

“Trying to escape? Hehehe, what a handsome head—if I don’t keep it for myself, it would be a shame.”

“You—what have you—done to Qian Niang?” Blood gushed from Xie Qiao’s mouth as he died, his wife Liu Qian’s image flashing in his mind.

“No need to worry about Qian Niang. I merely punished her a bit—I couldn’t bear to destroy her soul yet! If I wear your head, Qian Niang will surely give herself to me, don’t you think? Hahaha, hahaha—”

“Xie Ziping!” Just then, Zhou Hongxian, restored to human form and dressed, arrived and was shocked at the scene.

“Oh, Fox Lady, you’re finally here! Seeing you unharmed, I suppose my useless second brother met his end at your hands?” The Old Ghost pulled out his claws, letting Xie Qiao’s body fall, then turned to Zhou Hongxian with a sinister smile.

Zhou Hongxian looked at Xie Qiao’s corpse, sorrow in her eyes, her anger rising as she shouted at the Old Ghost, “You wicked fiend! You’ve occupied a man’s wife for years, and now you’ve killed him—does Hell not await you?”

“Hahaha, Hell?” The Old Ghost laughed wildly, mocking Zhou Hongxian. “Fox Lady, you’re more naïve than a three-year-old. You don’t even know what Hell is, do you? Let me tell you—it’s no different from the living world. Demons run rampant, weak ghosts suffer! I bribed the ghost officials with a few beautiful female ghosts, so they let another headless ghost take my place, leaving me to roam free among mortals. Hahaha!”

Zhou Hongxian was left speechless, but the Old Ghost was already closing in as waves of black smoke. She had no choice but to turn into a breeze and duel him in midair. Yet the black smoke nearly blocked all escape routes, forcing her to dodge carefully within the limited space.

From within the black smoke came the Old Ghost’s triumphant laughter: “Fox Lady, you’re truly a tempting sight—beautiful face, alluring figure. I bet you used your charms to lure my brother to his death, didn’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll avenge him. Then I’ll use your inner elixir to become a true demon, turn your soul into a ghost slave, and you’ll serve me alongside Qian Niang. The blessings my brother missed, I’ll enjoy for him! Hahaha!”

Zhou Hongxian’s anger grew, silently cursing the Old Ghost’s ancestors, but she dared not reply, fearing her weak cultivation would be further drained, just as the Old Ghost desired.

“Magistrate, what is that in the sky?” Cui Shen and his officials arrived. Though they couldn’t see Zhou Hongxian as a breeze, the black smoke of the Old Ghost stunned them.

“Magistrate, that seems to be Master Xie lying on the ground ahead!”

“What?” Guided by an official, Cui Shen saw Xie Qiao’s corpse and his eyes widened.

“Master Xie seems to be dead!”

“Ziping!” Cui Shen cried in anguish, rushing to Xie Qiao, but was stopped by several officials. “Magistrate, don’t go! That black smoke is swirling above Xie Qiao—don’t risk it!”

Cui Shen, both mentor and friend to Xie Qiao, burned with rage at his death. “Then shoot it with arrows!”

At his command, the officials fired arrows at the black smoke. The Old Ghost, though unafraid, was angered by their actions—especially upon seeing Cui Shen, the one who had beheaded him years before.

“Magistrate Cui, you’ve come at last!” The Old Ghost condensed several streams of black smoke into a hideous form, advancing menacingly.

The officials jumped at the sight, “Ah, why does it look like Wu Qing?”

“Magistrate Cui, do you recognize me?” The Old Ghost sneered.

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Cui Shen’s eyes filled with confusion. His intuition told him this wasn’t Wu Qing, but he couldn’t identify the Old Ghost. “Who are you?”

Having escaped the Old Ghost’s encirclement, Zhou Hongxian considered fleeing, but seeing Cui Shen—the father of Cui Yu—and the dead Xie Qiao, she couldn’t bear to leave. She landed and revealed herself. “Magistrate Cui, he’s the charlatan you beheaded years ago, now a vengeful ghost seeking you and Xie Ziping. He’s killed many—run, all of you!”

Her sudden appearance startled everyone. Cui Shen recalled the case from years past and understood at last. But he was even more puzzled about Zhou Hongxian’s identity. “Madam, you don’t appear human yourself. May I ask what you are?”

Zhou Hongxian was anxious. “Don’t worry about what I am—just run!”

The Old Ghost sneered, “Fox Lady, you’re foolishly adorable!” With that, he transformed into black smoke and lunged at Cui Shen. “Magistrate Cui, pay for your crimes!”

“Magistrate, run! The fiend is coming!” The officials shouted.

Cui Shen’s forehead sweated, but he carefully reached into his robe.

“You’ll all die!” the Old Ghost snarled within the black smoke, when suddenly his vision was blinded by a white radiance, so bright he could hardly open his eyes.

“What is this?” As the light faded, the Old Ghost’s vision returned. His claw was just inches from Cui Shen’s face when an intense burning sensation surged from his claw, spreading instantly through his body, as if he were cast into a blazing inferno.

From Cui Shen’s perspective, the Old Ghost’s claw was just inches from his nose when the fiend’s entire body erupted in flames, consumed from head to toe, and finally disintegrated into ashes carried by the wind. Was it over? Cui Shen could hardly believe it, his legs tingling with shock.

“Magistrate!” It all happened so suddenly that the officials had no time to flee. Seeing Cui Shen nearly collapse, they hurried to steady him.

Zhou Hongxian, too, was stunned. She never imagined the Old Ghost could be dispatched so easily. She was deeply awed by the power of Cui Shen’s mirror, and grateful that its light hadn’t fallen upon her—she dared not guess what would have happened.

“Magistrate, that lady isn’t human either. Should we use the mirror on her as well?” An official eyed Zhou Hongxian sharply.

She panicked. “Don’t! I’m good—I’m a good person!”

“You’re not even human—how can you claim to be good?”

Others disagreed. “No, she warned us earlier—she showed no malice.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hongxian felt there were still reasonable people in the world.

Suddenly, someone spoke, “Wait, I remember seeing her during the bandit raid at Qingfeng Village! I stood beside Master Xie then—he raised a torch and called out to her, but she fled in a blink. Now Master Xie has died mysteriously, and she appears beside him. Could there be some connection?”

All that happened tonight—so many deaths—had filled the officials with fear. The words ignited a clamor.

“She and the fiend are accomplices, maybe she tricked us by pretending!”

“Yes, she fled from Master Xie then, now stands beside him—maybe she killed him!”

“Magistrate, she isn’t human. To be safe, use the mirror on her!”

“Yes, if she’s good, the mirror won’t harm her. Just try it, Magistrate!”

Cui Shen gazed at Xie Qiao’s corpse, his heart aching, his mind unsettled by the uproar. Almost unconsciously, he raised the precious mirror.

Sensing danger, Zhou Hongxian cried out, “Magistrate Cui, don’t! Though Xie Qiao is dead, I can save him. If you kill me, all hope will be lost!”