Chapter 32 Chapter Thirty-Two — The Guanyin Pendant

"Imm… immortal master, the dirty thing comes!"

Squire Huang shuddered; the talisman-water nearly spilled. His face was deathly pale, both legs quaking, eyes full of terror.

"I know. Do not panic — keep feeding the principal wife the talisman-water."

Li Daoxuan was quite calm; after all he had seen the world — no matter how fierce this ghost, could she outdo Sister Yu?

He gripped the umbrella handle but did not open it, fearing Sister Yu's appearance would startle the ghost away.

Squire Huang steeled himself and poured the water into his wife's mouth.

The windows all around trembled; a wisp of black smoke rose, faintly gathering into a human shape, long hair hiding the face, charging at the principal wife.

At last she showed herself!

A keen light flashed in Li Daoxuan's eyes; this ghost's hiding was most skilled — only when she showed of her own accord was there chance to destroy her!

"Sun rises in the east, darkness blazes; eyes bewildered, heart astray; hands and feet unfit to move; primal qi, heavier than a mountain's fall — swiftly, swiftly, as the law commands: Fix!"

A Paralysis Talisman flew out, turned to golden light, and stuck upon the female ghost.

In an instant the female ghost froze in midair.

Clang!

A cold gleam flashed; the precious sword was already unsheathed.

Li Daoxuan gripped the Fish-Intestine Sword and drove it hard at the female ghost's heart. The thrust was but a common straight pierce, yet light and swift as lightning, nimble yet precise — showing his progress in swordsmanship of late.

A sharp, shrill cry rang out; Li Daoxuan's Fish-Intestine pierced her, and dense killing-sha invaded her yin-soul, agony unto her.

Then the Paralysis Talisman upon her head began to tremble.

"No good — the Paralysis Talisman fails!"

Li Daoxuan reacted swift as thought; in a breath he sheathed the sword, slapped a Five-Thunder Talisman upon her, and at once used Shrinking the Earth to open distance.

Sure enough, the next moment the Paralysis Talisman drifted down and the female ghost regained freedom — yet she did not press forward, but clutched where the Fish-Intestine had pierced, staring at Li Daoxuan with something like wariness.

Li Daoxuan sneered, pinched the Heaven-Thunder Seal, and silently worked the art.

"Five thunders, five thunders, hasten to Huang Ning; mist and change, roar of lightning and thunder; at my call you come, swift send the yang sound — swiftly, swiftly, as the law commands!"

Boom!

Thunder was born in the clear sky; a bolt fell and stove through the roof, blasting a pit, all around scorched black.

But Li Daoxuan felt no elation, for at the very instant the heavenly thunder fell, he saw the female ghost vanish, the space empty.

The heavenly thunder had missed her!

This wholly exceeded Li Daoxuan's expectation; know that a Five-Thunder Talisman was stuck upon this female ghost!

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In such case, so long as she remained in the mortal realm, she could not evade the heavenly thunder.

But the fact was, she had truly vanished.

Li Daoxuan worked his Dharma eye, yet could not see her trace, as if all a moment ago were illusion.

The Heaven-Subduing Demon Scripture stirred not at all — plainly the female ghost had not dissipated.

"Truly strange; pity my master is not here, or he might know the cause."

Thinking, Li Daoxuan opened the oil-paper umbrella.

Chen Ziyu, in her wedding dress, drifted to Li Daoxuan's side.

"Sister Yu, can you find her?"

Chen Ziyu closed her eyes; her long hair moved without wind and lengthened, like a black waterfall, and in moments covered the whole Huang residence.

After a while she withdrew her hair; her wedding dress dripped blood, and upon the ground appeared a line of delicate script.

She is here… but cannot be found…

Li Daoxuan started — that even Sister Yu could not fix her location; this female ghost's hiding was too skilled.

From their exchange she was not overly strong; in direct fight no match for Li Daoxuan, yet she had a trick of concealment and stealth, appearing and vanishing without trace.

"Imm… immortal master…"

Squire Huang watched Li Daoxuan open the umbrella and talk to himself, and his heart grew hairy; he quavered, "A moment ago… thank the immortal master for saving my life; that female ghost… is she dead?"

Li Daoxuan shook his head. "She is wounded by me, but still in your residence, hidden."

Squire Huang shuddered and entreated, "I beg the immortal master to destroy that ghost, protect my family's lives — Huang is willing to offer three hundred taels of gold!"

Li Daoxuan's performance a moment ago had wholly convinced him; now he was utterly believer, a drowning man clutching straw.

Good heavens — the bounty tripled at a stroke!

Li Daoxuan was about to speak, when he saw the principal wife show a look of pain, and a sobbing sound rose in her throat.

He peeled off the Paralysis Talisman; the principal wife at once vomited, finally spewing much black blood, her color much ruddier.

She panted, her gaze clearing, and looked to Squire Huang through tearful eyes.

"My lord, I… what happened to me?"

Squire Huang was much moved, stepped forward and seized her hand. "Excellent, excellent — rest easy; I have invited a truly able immortal master; we are saved!"

Then Li Daoxuan stepped forward. "Lady, one thing I would ask; I hope you answer true."

A flicker of doubt showed in the principal wife's eyes.

"He is the immortal master I invited; though young, his skill is great — it was he who drove back the female ghost!"

Hearing this the principal wife nod, "Immortal master, pray ask."

"Lady, why did the female ghost seek you out? Or rather, why the Huang residence?"

That female ghost, wounded by him yet wary, still would not leave the Huang residence — plainly she bore it immense resentment.

At the question the principal wife and Squire Huang exchanged a glance, both eyes a little evasive.

Li Daoxuan frowned; as expected, there was a problem.

"Lady, this matter is grave; I hope you do not deceive, or your poor Daoist may be unable to save you."

Hearing this, Squire Huang bit his teeth, about to speak, but was stayed by the principal wife.

"My lord, let me speak."

"Immortal master, this female ghost was in truth a maidservant of my Huang house, named Xiaocui. Clever and quick, she won my favor and became my personal maid."

"But who knew she had sticky fingers, often stealing the house's goods to sell for coin; later I discovered it and punished her severely — thus she bore a grudge."

"Once she even sought to secretly poison my food; fortune that the steward caught her. That day I was so angry I had men whip her — and after but a few lashes, she breathed her last."

The principal wife sighed. "Even so, for old affection's sake I paid to buy her a coffin and bury her. Yet who knew her resentment ran so deep, that after death she became a vengeful ghost…"

Having heard the principal wife, Li Daoxuan nodded, and asked again, "Where is her corpse buried? Perhaps burning it would destroy her utterly!"

The principal wife's gaze flickered. "This… I entrusted to the steward then; only he knows."

"And the steward?"

"The steward, fearing the ghost's revenge, has fled to the countryside, and will not soon return."

Li Daoxuan knit his brows slightly; it seemed the principal wife still hid things from him.

"Another question: the ghost first sought you, yet you only had nightmares — she did not strike you. Why?"

This ghost was fierce; even a Maoshan Daoist with some arts met doom; the principal wife was but ordinary — why live to now?

The principal wife loosed the right hand she had kept clenched; within was a small Guanyin jade pendant, finely carved, of luminous stone — only covered in cracks.

"This Guanyin pendant is a treasure my mother left me, said to have been consecrated by an eminent monk; I wear it close. In that stretch, each nightmare added a crack to the pendant — perhaps it guarded me."

Li Daoxuan examined the Guanyin pendant; he could sense within it a warm, vast force, only little remained now.

It was a low-grade protective artifact, but now near broken.

"So it is."

Li Daoxuan thought, then said, "Thus: Squire Huang, you and the lady and the servants all leave first, to lodge elsewhere; tonight I alone stay here, and meet the female ghost again."

Squire Huang hastily nodded. "All as the immortal master commands!"