Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 52 Qingfeng Ferry

"Master Zhang, I can help you. But there's one condition."

Master Zhang quickly said, "Young Master Zhou, please speak."

"You should build a grave for that concubine in the courtyard and offer sacrifices to her on holidays and festivals. Once her resentment subsides, she will naturally stop causing trouble."

Master Zhang hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I promise you."

Zhou Ning followed Master Zhang to his house.

The house was very large, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and it was quite impressive.

But the courtyard did indeed have a gloomy atmosphere, and even sunlight couldn't penetrate it.

Zhou Ning walked around the courtyard and found the source of the resentment.

Under an old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard.

"This is it."

He squatted down and touched the ground with his hand.

The soil was cold, and a faint black mist seeped out.

He took out several "rebirth talismans" from his bag, pasted them on the ground around the locust tree, then sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and recited the mantra for deliverance.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, soul to the netherworld, lest you linger in the mortal realm. May you be reborn in paradise, where reincarnation proceeds in its orderly fashion..."

The talisman glowed with a golden light, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

A phantom figure floated out from underground; it was a young woman dressed in a red wedding gown.

Her face was pale and her eyes were full of resentment, but when she saw Zhou Ning, her resentment gradually dissipated.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Zhou Ning said, "I'm here to help you. I already know about your grievances. The person who harmed you has been dead for decades. Your revenge has been taken. Let go of your obsession and go to be reincarnated."

The woman remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.

Her figure gradually faded, turning into specks of golden light and dissipating into the air.

The eerie atmosphere in the courtyard dissipated.

Master Zhang stood aside, dumbfounded.

"Young Master Zhou, is this...that's all?"

Zhou Ning stood up and dusted off his robes:

"It's over. Remember to build a grave under this tree and worship it on holidays and festivals. Her resentment has dissipated, and she won't cause trouble anymore."

Master Zhang was extremely grateful and insisted on giving Zhou Ning two hundred taels of silver.

Zhou Ning only accepted one hundred taels of silver and distributed it to the poor people in the town.

That night, he stayed in the guest room of Zhang's house and slept soundly.

The next morning, just as Zhou Ning was about to leave, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the door.

He walked out of the courtyard and saw several people standing at the gate, men and women, old and young, all of whom were townspeople.

"Young Master Zhou, please help us."

"Young Master Zhou, my house is haunted too."

"Young Master Zhou, my son has been kidnapped by a monster."

Zhou Ning gave a wry smile.

It seems his reputation has truly spread.

He spent the entire day dealing with several strange incidents in the town.

Some are haunted, some are harassed by spirits, and some are under black magic.

Although they were all minor issues, he had to personally handle each one, which took up a lot of his time and energy.

As evening fell, he finally finished dealing with everything and returned to the inn, exhausted.

"Young Master Zhou, you've worked hard."

The innkeeper brought over hot tea, his face full of admiration.

Zhou Ning took a sip of tea, shook his head, and said, "It was nothing, not worth mentioning."

The shopkeeper sighed:

"Young Master Zhou, you can only help for a while, not forever. There are too many people in this world who need help."

Zhou Ning was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll help whoever I can."

He paused, then continued, "Shopkeeper, are you familiar with the situation in the North?"

The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly: "The North... it's not peaceful there. I've heard that demons are rampant, and countless people have died or been injured. The imperial court has sent several groups of people, but all have returned empty-handed."

He lowered his voice: "Some people say that's the territory of the Black Mountain Demon. Whoever goes there dies."

Zhou Ning nodded: "I understand."

He stood up, went back to his room, and packed his bags.

That night, he did not sleep, but sat cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

The next morning, before dawn, Zhou Ning left Luoxia Town and continued north.

He walked very quietly, without disturbing anyone.

After leaving Luoxia Town, Zhou Ning continued north.

After walking for about two days, he arrived at a ferry crossing called "Qingfeng Ferry".

A large river runs north to south here, with a wide surface and rapid current.

If you want to go north to the border, you must cross the river here.

There was a tea stall next to the ferry crossing, where several traveling merchants and travelers were resting and drinking tea.

Zhou Ning also went over, ordered a bowl of tea, and sat in the corner to slowly drink it.

The owner of the tea stall was an elderly man in his fifties surnamed Sun, who was very talkative.

While greeting the guests, he talked on and on about the situation in the north.

"I heard there's fighting again up north. Monsters are attacking the city; many people have died." Boss Sun shook his head and sighed.

"The imperial court sent people from the Demon Suppression Division, but they didn't see any results."

A man who looked like a businessman chimed in:

"That's right. I have a friend who does business on the border, and he says those monsters are endless. You kill one batch and another one comes. I don't know where they come from."

"Where else could we come from? Montenegro, perhaps?" another old man said in a low voice.

"I heard that the Black Mountain Demon has raised tens of thousands of demon soldiers, just waiting to march south."

As Zhou Ning listened to these discussions, his heart grew heavier.

Just as he was about to get up to go to the ferry to find a boat, he suddenly felt a gaze fall on him.

He glanced up without making a sound and saw a middle-aged man in a black outfit sitting in the corner of the teahouse. He had an ordinary face, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp.

He had a bronze plaque hanging from his waist with the character "镇" (zhen, meaning town) engraved on it.

People from the Demon Suppression Division.

The middle-aged man seemed to notice Zhou Ning's gaze, nodded slightly to him, then got up and walked over to sit down opposite him.

"Excuse me, young man?"

Zhou Ning nodded: "Please go ahead."

The middle-aged man ordered a bowl of tea, took a sip, and casually asked:

"Young man, where did you come from, and where are you going?"

Zhou Ning said, "We came from the south and are heading north."

"What are you going north for?"

"travel."

The middle-aged man smiled, took the bronze plaque from his waist, and placed it on the table.

"My name is Han Wei, from the Northern Garrison Division of the Demon Suppression Bureau." He stated it bluntly:

"Young man, I can tell you're no ordinary person. There's spiritual energy emanating from you; you must be a cultivator?"

Zhou Ning did not deny it: "I am Zhou Ning, a cultivator from Qingyun Mountain."

Han Wei's eyes lit up: "Qingyun Mountain? Is that the Qingyun Mountain where Immortal Yan Chixia resides?"

Zhou Ning nodded: "It is indeed my master."

Han Wei quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "So you are Master Yan's esteemed disciple! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

Zhou Ning returned the greeting: "Lord Han, you are too kind."

Han Wei sat down again and lowered his voice:

"Young Master Zhou, to be honest, my trip north this time is to investigate the movements of the Black Mountain Demon. Recently, the Black Mountain people have been very active, and the border is in dire need of information. The imperial court has issued a strict order for the Demon Suppression Division to find out the details of the Black Mountain Demon within a month."

Zhou Ning asked, "What did Lord Han find out?"

Han Wei shook his head:

"There's not much progress. The Black Mountain Demon is too cunning. His lair is deep in the north, heavily guarded, and our people can't get in at all. Several scouts we've sent out have all been wiped out inside."

He paused, looking at Zhou Ning:

"Young Master Zhou, since you are a disciple of Immortal Yan, your magical abilities must be quite formidable. Would you be interested in joining the Demon Suppression Division to fight against Black Mountain?"

Zhou Ning thought for a moment and said:

"Lord Han, my journey north is precisely to investigate the Black Mountain Demon's background. But as for joining the Demon Suppression Division, please allow me to consider it."

Han Wei nodded:

"No rush. Here's my contact information. You can contact me anytime if you change your mind."