Chapter 4 Forty Thousand

"Eldest Young Master is exceedingly clever, he’s this small yet he can already eat on his own! Bai Shao, did you see it just now?" Song mama immediately recovered from her hatred and resentment, loudly laughing.

“I saw it! I saw it!” Bai Shao was overjoyed, hurriedly wiping away the milk from the corner of Eldest Young Master’s mouth. “Second Young Master is now also six months old, but he can’t stand up, can’t sit up, can’t crawl, and always wants the wet-nurse to hold him in her arms. She can’t let it go, otherwise he will loudly wail. A good several times, he cried until he nearly died from lack of air. Now that’s the behaviour of a fool!"

“A daughter needs to be raised in luxury, a son needs to be raised in poverty. Our Hou Household’s Young Master could only have one wet-nurse at birth. When he became two years old he had to be weaned, when three years old he had to be independent; his bathing, washing, and wearing of clothes all couldn’t be handled by other people. At five he entered school, at six learned martial arts. Our Hou family principles are righteous and distinguished, how many pillars and beams of the country had been forged by it……” Perhaps having recalled the current fallen state of the Hou Household, Song mama couldn’t go on. She turned around to sneer, “Look at the bad seed that cheap wh.o.r.e is raising – four wet-nurses by his side, female servants in the dozens. He must not be cold, must not be hungry, even lifting his own arms and legs is too tiring for him. Moreover, after he grows up, he would still remain a wastrel!”

The little servant girl repeatedly nodded in agreement, and took out three silver spindles and several hundreds of coins from the parcel. She whispered, "mama, all this money is for our Peng Hao Courtyard’s expenses. If it runs out one day, will Master really drive Eldest Young Master away?”

"Is there anything w.a.n.g Xianggan will not do? Merely driving Young Master away – I fear it’s not that simple." Song mama fed him milk as she creased her eyebrows. Her whole body had a very gloomy atmosphere.

“I heard a brother* at a pillar say, say,” The little girl wanted to speak but stopped.

*not blood related brother. A more accurate translation would be ‘bro.’

“Say?” Song mother raised her eyebrows.

“He said that once, he heard the Empty Cloud Sect Master tell Master that since Eldest Young Master had returned to collect his debts, once the forty-two silver coins were used up, he would leave his fleshly body to be reborn again. He told Master to finish the funeral preparations. Master even hypocritically pretended to cry for a long while.”

"Empty Cloud Sect Master, w.a.n.g Xianggan, aren’t they all just birds of the same feather! One of them pretending to be a mysterious occultist, one of them inciting ghosts and committing sins. Sooner or later, there will be retribution!" Song mama put her index finger on her lips and warned, "This cannot be repeated in the future. Our Eldest Young Master will surely live for a long time. Although, although Young Lady had the same dream, but as long as this Soul Settling Mirror is here, and all expenditures are carefully managed, Young Master will be fine for a while. There is still plenty of time. What Young Master’s fate truly is, we can slowly see, and slowly think of a solution. No matter what his origins are, since he was reincarnated into the belly of our young lady, he is our master.”

"Bai Shao understands, Bai Shao will take good care of Eldest Young Master. These forty-two silver coins we can use more carefully, and use for a long time. My family can"t even finish spending five liang of silver in a year."

“En, good child, quickly keep the money into the box and lock it, this is now all of our a.s.sets.” Song mother touched the head of the little servant girl.

You Shu burped. In his heart he was afraid that his biological mother had also placed importance on that dream. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been fearful of revealing even her face from birth until now. His mother could not guarantee her own safety, his father was ruthless and uncaring; spoiling the concubine and suppressing the wife. And there was still that evil spirit lurking by his side, refusing to leave. He wanted to smoothly grow up, but it was truly a rather difficult task. Fortunately, the two people had brought over a few yin-yang mirrors, which could temporarily keep the demon in check. Furthermore, they were somewhat loyal to himself. It was great fortune amidst all the bad luck.

As he thought to that point, You Shu’s eyes became glazed again. He was once again engrossed in meditation, and had long since dismissed the Empty Cloud Sect Master’s a.s.sertion that he will die young.

After hanging up the soul mirrors, the Yin wind no longer patronised Peng Hao Courtyard. Instead, it was the people in other courtyards who – one after another – suffered from chills, dizziness, and swelling brains, fatigue, and other kinds of symptoms. In the beginning, no one cared. Until one day, even Concubine Lin was infected by this illness. w.a.n.g Xianggan then attached importance to it and invited the Empty Cloud Sect Master to investigate.

"乃是西面邪崇作祟。"虚云观主指了指蓬蒿院的方向。
“It’s the west side’s haunting and harming.” Empty Cloud Sect Master pointed in the direction of Peng Hao Courtyard.

w.a.n.g Xianggan’s face blackened. He hurriedly asked, “Is there a way to end this?”

“First evict the evil spirit, then This Dest.i.tute Taoist* will do a ritual. Afterwards there will be no more issues.” As Empty Cloud Sect Master flicked his horsetail whisk*, his entire image was that of a distinguished master.

*This Dest.i.tute Taoist: a humble way for a Taoist to refer to himself.

*Horsetail Whisk: A Taoist weapon

w.a.n.g Xianggan promised to do so repeatedly. He let the steward pack one hundred two liang of silver and handed them to a young Taoist disciple. Then he ordered people to take the Debt-collecting Ghost of Peng Hao Courtyard and send it far, far away to his hometown. After it has reached, he wouldn’t even allow the ghost to enter his ancestral home, and will instead casually banish him to a rural village. w.a.n.g Xianggan"s legitimate wife, née Song, fainted after hearing the news. When she woke up she cried and sobbed that she wanted her son. However, she heard the servant woman say that the young master had long since left.
On an old and shabby wagon, You Shu who had just turned one, was pinching a piece of walnut cake and slowly grinding at his new front teeth. Song mama held him, her facial expression extremely ugly. Bai Shao was gripping the money box and her eyes were slightly red. It could be seen that she had been crying previously.
“How can he be this ruthless? Really is a beast!” Song Mu mumbled to herself.

“More than that, he should be less than a beast!” Bai Yang added. Following that, she anxiously said, “mama, what are we going to do in the future?”

"Xin City* is w.a.n.g Xianggan’s hometown. Now that the w.a.n.g family has, one after another, risen in power by relying on him, in Xin city the w.a.n.g Family is the local tyrant. Our means are little, strength is weak, going there can be considered as entering a tiger or wolf’s lair. Née Lin’s heart is hateful and her hands are eager. Once she gives the villagers a command or two, Young Master will be in danger. Give me a moment while I think, wait while I think.” Song mama was distracted, as if her mind had no master.

*Xin City: Can also be translated as New City or New Town

“How about we bring along young master and escape!” Bai Shao tightly covered the money box, and suggested in a whisper.

Song mother silently pondered for a long time. Finally, she made her decision, “Alright, we’ll escape! Fortunately, before we came to Peng Hao courtyard, Young Lady had already eliminated the other slaves. As long as we evade the w.a.n.g family’s capture, our future days will be clean. We’ll first safely and stably raise Eldest Young Master until he’s big, then wait for him to succeed and return to meet the lady again."

You Shu’s expression was slow and dull as he gritted his teeth. However, inside his heart he was secretly weighing the pros and cons. According to the current situation, there was a higher chance of surviving if they escaped than if they moved forwards to Xin City. Once he went to Xin City, he was meat on the chopping board. No matter how that so-called Concubine Lin wanted to torture and kill him, it would all be condoned. She could also kidnap him to control his mother. If he left, in this regard it would actually be a relief for his mother.

In that case, go! Thinking of this, he “yinyinyaya” yelled twice, and even used his small fist to hit the soft pillow beside him.

Song mama smiled as she saw this, then sighed. “Look, Eldest Young Master has also agreed. In that case, let us plan and discuss it well.”

The pair planned. When they pa.s.sed by a small town they let the coachman stop and carefully rested for a night. Fortunately, the w.a.n.g family did not care about the life and death of the young master, and only sent a steward and a coachman to follow. Song mama spent several hundreds to set up a table of good wine and good food. She invited the two people to enjoy it. During the banquet, she constantly urged the guests to drink wine and make speeches, until the two men were drunk to the point of intoxication. After that, she picked up the luggage and took off into the night with Bai Shao.

Since childhood, Song mama has grown up in the countryside. Driving a coach was no challenge for her, and with one night of effort they were already a thousand li* away. When the steward and the driver woke up, the money on their bodies had already been plundered. The people and coach were also no where to be seen. They wanted to send a letter to the main family, yet feared that telling the truth will get them beaten to death. So they simply fled as well.

*li: Ancient Chinese unit of measure, approximately equal to 500 meters.

For quite a long time, the w.a.n.g Family did not receive any news of the people arriving safely in Xin City, and could only send people to search. Finding the inn where the people had once stayed, only then did they discover they had scattered and fled. w.a.n.g Xianggan had disliked this son from the very beginning, and naturally didn’t worry about his life and death. He put on an act and pretended to search for a few days then gave up. Concubine Lin was even happier to see her goal succeed, and said a good several nights of pillow talk. It led w.a.n.g Xianggan to directly wipe the Legitimate Son off the genealogy and use the excuse of ‘death from a violent illness’ to explain it to outsiders.

The only broken-hearted person in the w.a.n.g family was née Song, but when she carefully pondered over it in the dead of night, she understood Song mama‘s pains. She knew that if her son remained in the w.a.n.g family, sooner or later he would die. So why not leave. Since then, she closed her door to visitors, abstaining from meat and chanting prayers in hopes of acc.u.mulating some merit for her son, so that he can peacefully and safely grow up.

It is said that the most dangerous place is the safest place. Song mama did not hide far away, and instead came to the Da Ming Dynasty’s Longxing region, Liangzhou. Liangzhou was only a three day journey from the capital. The land it occupied wasn’t large, but was extremely prosperous. The top families of the Da Ming Dynasty were mostly founded in Liangzhou, where they built their ancestral homes and sent people to meticulously look after. Therefore, Liangzhou’s security was very tight. There were officers and soldiers patrolling the street all day. She expected that the w.a.n.g family would not have the courage, not to mention the face, to send people and brazenly look for someone here.

Song mama"s guess was correct. The w.a.n.g Family indeed did not dare to let people swarm there and act mighty, and search in Liang Province where the city’s arrangement was complex. Instead, they announced news that the Legitimate Son had died of a severe illness. As such, the several people stayed in Liang Province.

Song mama did not dare to lightly use the silvers left by the lady, and had her own and Bai Shao’s valuables and jewelry sold away. She rented a farmhouse in the suburbs, at a place called Jade Water Village, and relied on embroidery to make a living

Unknowingly, You Shu had already grown to the age of five. Because Song mama had decided to cultivate the eldest young master’s talents, and return to meet with the young lady in the future with the intentions of seeing the young lady able to hold her head high again, she basically did not dare to use the forty-two silver. Although living in the countryside wasn’t very expensive, when young masters grew to six or seven years old, he could go to school. A year of schooling’s courtesy gifts* to the teacher will cost five or six silver coins, not to mention the various expenses of future civil examinations. If only a child student or scholar was being nurtured, forty-two silver coins were enough, but to cultivate a champion, it would cost at least more than a hundred or two hundred liang of silver.

*courtesy gifts: In ancient China teachers did not accept official school fees in exchange for teaching a child because it was deemed as vulgar. The scholarly pursuit of knowledge and the impartation of knowledge should not be tainted by materialistic objects like money. Hence, the teachers accepted ‘courtesy gifts’ instead. These were given to the teacher by the parent or guardian of the child, as thanks for the teacher’s mentorship.

Even if Song mama worked harder, she could earn at most one or two taels of silver coins in a year. So, there was still a need to scrimp on clothes and shrink meals. As such, the days pa.s.sed very anxiously, what they wore were coa.r.s.e linens, what they ate were a variety of grain types, and only at the end of the year could they taste a little bit of meat. Fortunately, You Shu had transmigrated from the last days. Towards his present life, not only did he not feel bitter, he was very satisfied. To him, being able to eat his fill was the greatest happiness. As for the rest, there was no need to bother.

However, there are always a few things that are unsatisfactory in the world. The present days were indeed much better than staying at the w.a.n.g Family, but that debt-collecting ghost had also followed them here. Song mama did not forget to take away several Yin-Yang mirrors when she left. Each of them she suspended in the rented courtyard. The first two years they really worked, but the debt-collecting ghost absorbed more Yang and slowly condensed a corporeal body. It was no longer afraid of mirror’s reflected light. From time to time, it would inflict harm on You Shu.

A/N: So, I’ve said that I will release an entire arc on April 30th, and now it’s already May 21st and I have yet to finish Chapter 10…… apologies for the wait, I’ve been busy with school and still am. ;-;

Chapter 5 Forty Thousand

There were similarities between Super-Brain Aberrants and Spiritual Aberrants. If they gathered spiritual power at their eyes, they could see things that did not exist in the real world. The energy of most souls were weaker, and their true shape could not be discerned. However, demons comprised of a high-energy body. As long as You Shu carefully observed, it was still possible to see the debt-collecting ghost’s appearance. The other party was not strong enough, its’ so-called corporeal body was also just a blurry figure. It looked shrivelled, thin, and extremely wretched. He seemed to be still unwilling to give up this body, and would often circle around You Shu. He’d flying up and down, shouting loudly with his mouth, “Return my fleshly body! That skin should have been mine!” As he spoke, he would reach out his hands and push with all his might.

You Shu felt that his skin was terribly bleak and chilly, but had no solution. He could only pretend to have seen nothing and heard nothing. The vapour of the Debt-collecting Ghost’s body grew denser and denser daily, and his facial features were also clearer and clearer each day. In contrast, some people in Jade Water Village began to show symptoms such as dizziness, blurry vision, lethargy, and emaciation.

You Shu knew in his heart, that they had also been ensnared by the debt-collecting ghost. Because they did not have mental power to protect their bodies, their Yang energy were hence sucked away. If this continued, it is unknown whether or not they will live on. You Shu could not save them. In fact, he couldn’t even save himself. The demon was growing, but his spiritual power was still stagnant. No matter how he meditates, there wasn’t any way for him to quickly improve. Perhaps, after a few years pa.s.ses, this demon will want his life.

Hence, he had the malt candy that Song mama had given himself distributed to the children in the village and let them pa.s.s on the matter of how there was a ghost nearby. He was very skilful. The adults asked, but did not know where the rumours came from. Whether there was truly a ghost in the village, the people were unclear, but the few unlucky ones who had been haunted by the ghost were all shocked, and had a sudden revelation.

Not long afterwards, several households jointly contributed funds to invite a ‘Way of Dao is profound and lofty’ Master who took out a compa.s.s and walked from the village head to the village tail. He pointed here, nodded there, making a huge fuss. When they pa.s.sed his home, You Shu was pinching a piece of maltose candy, licking it with immense concentration. He saw the ghost follow behind the Master, and its long tongue had been inserted into the top of the Master’s skull, seeming to be sucking something.

You Shu’s expectant feeling was instantly lost. This Master was obviously a swindler. He was unaware of even the ghost beside him, how could he capture the ghost? However, on the surface his performance was serious and dignified. Holding a peach-wood sword, he danced for half a Shichen*. Then he sprayed a mouthful of wine on the candlestick, and a huge flame was ignited, arousing the a stream of cheers from the villagers.

*Shichen: One Shichen = 2 hours.

You Shu stood on the outskirts of the crowd. After he finished licking the maltose, he took out a piece of preserved fruit from his pocket. He kept it in his mouth and slowly sucked the sweet juice. While sucking, he shook his head and walked far away. That night, someone found the Master’s corpse in the vegetable plot at the east end of the village. The clothes were stained with alcohol, seeming as though he had drunk to the point of intoxication, lost his step and fell to death.

Song mama and Bai Shao crowded together and softly mumbled their misgivings, saying that the Master had died unnaturally. You Shu pulled away from his meditation; his little brow was wrinkled tightly, and expression was extremely sombre. Although the debt-collecting ghost previously had resentful energy, it was not dense. Now that it had been tainted with a human life, will the resentful energy evolve? He had to know if demons were the same as zombies, also cla.s.sified by rank, and if whether they had a human life in their hand was an important criteria for judging the degree of danger.

You Shu knew, this ghost has become more and more dangerous. He had to quickly find a way to save himself. He had never thought of communicating with the other party. Trying to reason with a demon was like asking zombies to stop eating humans. It was simply wishful thinking. He did not understand the Yin and Yang Art of Dao, did not know how to catch ghosts, and even if he had learned he had no practical experience. He could only pick up Song mama‘s Buddhist scriptures and silently chant them all day. However, he was originally an atheist. Towards Buddha, he did not have a sincere heart. The verses he read hence also became common speech, and had no effect on the demon.

He pa.s.sed two months in this manner. Three people in the village died one after another. For sometime, the peoples’ hearts were apprehensive, and rumours were rampant. You Shu did not dare to go out at the time, because that demon had already completely cultivated a human form and was no longer a bundle of fleeting fog. Often, when You Shu was unprepared, he would push him into the pond or have heavy objects at high places dropped onto his head. Fortunately, You Shu came from the end of the world, and his survival skill points were maxed out. When he fell into the pond, he swam out on his own. When heavy objects fell, he also riskily dodged them. Just that, when he returned he had a serious illness, and for the subsequent dozen or so days his high fever did not recede.

Song mama was badly terrified. She did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to invite a doctor from Liangzhou City to treat the young master, and even bought a small root of ginseng tonic. Only after all the family property had been wiped clean did she consider him saved.

You Shu had thinned a lot after he recovered from his illness. His two cheeks were sunken, his skin was sallow, and his previous spirited demeanour was totally absent. At a glance, he looked like a monkey. He was quieter than before, and would flip through Buddhist scriptures all day. He would not speak, and was also expressionless, causing Song mama and Bai Shao to become terribly anxious.

Today was the Buddha’s birthday. Kai Yuan Temple was organising a grand Pañcavārṣika.* Song mama and Bai Shao had saved up some donation money and intended to pray for the Young Master. The three people came to the temple in an oxcart, where the crowd was immense like the mountains or the sea, and the Yang energy was extremely abundant. Demons relied on sucking Yang to survive, but that was only in regards to individual people; if the Yang of tens of thousands of people was gathered together, it will cause great harm to them.

*Pañcavārṣika: A grand gathering meant for feasting and gathering donations to the Bodhi tree.

The moment the demon saw the fiery red Yang energy rising in the air, he was instantly frightened and hid. You Shu felt the chill that had been tightly attached to his back immediately vanish, and resisted the desire to look back. He tugged the corner of Song mama’s shirt and followed her to the front hall. Song mama had long since finished praying to the hundreds of Buddha statues in the temple. As for her preparations to ask for blessings for the Young Master, she worried that it will tire him. Hence she let Bai Shao take him out to play.

Bai Shao pulled You Shu out of the main hall. Seeing there was a fate-drawing stall* at the side, for a moment her heart had an unbearable itchiness. She took out a copper plate and bought a stick of Tanghulu* for the young master, then let him stand by the side and wait. After that she bought a fortune bag*, and ran to the Bodhi tree* at the outer courtyard to hang it.

*fate-drawing stall:

*Tanghulu: stick of candied hawthorn or other fruits

*fortune bag:

*Bodhi tree: also called Sacred Fig.

You Shu stood in the open s.p.a.ce outside the hall, expressionlessly licking the candied fruits. Suddenly felt a piercing pain at his back. He turned his head to look, but saw a group of children from Jade Water Village standing not far away, their hands holding s...o...b..a.l.l.s and tossing them towards him. As they threw they snickered and laughed, saying, “Fool, come over ah, come chase us.”

In his previous life You Shu had lived to fifteen. Moreover, his personality was very quiet, so how could he play with a group of little brats? He turned back and continued to expressionlessly lick his candied fruits. The group of children refused to give up and deliberately had the s...o...b..a.l.l.s packed as hard as a stone, then threw them towards him, one after another. You Shu couldn’t hide from the s...o...b..a.l.l.s. They were as densely gathered as raindrops, so he could only run around while looking at the surroundings to see if there was any place to hide.

The surrounding area was all flat land, there was nothing to take shelter behind. You Shu wanted to run into the temple, but he saw that several children were already standing at the doorway, blocking the way – their faces wore malicious smiles. South was a high wall, so there was no escape route. There was only one large bamboo basket placed in the corner, left by someone unknown. You Shu had no choice. He could only run over and turn over the basket, bracing himself. The s...o...b..a.l.l.s fell like raindrops and slammed onto the bamboo basket, making a resounding “pa pa pa” noise. The finely crushed beads of snow came in through the cracks and splashed on his face, freezing him til he was constantly shivering.

When the group of children saw that You Shu was only hiding and evading, not resisting, they felt the thrill of bullying the weak heighten. When they finished throwing the s...o...b..a.l.l.s they picked up wooden sticks, intending to open the bamboo basket and have You Shu soundly beaten up. You Shu was squatting in the bamboo baskets and blankly licking the candied fruits. Those who have experienced the end of days know a certain truth. No matter how critical the situation, even when escaping with their lives, the food when cannot be discarded. Hence, You Shu circled around the open s.p.a.ce running haphazardly, but the stick of candied fruits was still gripped firmly in his hands.

Under the roof of the main hall, a 14 or 15-year-old boy was squinting his eyes and staring at this farce. He was standing upright, sleeves swaying in the wind. Even his immature facial features were already faintly revealing a peerless appearance. The extravagant air throughout his whole body was even more daunting. Two people with st.u.r.dy physiques followed behind him, guarding left and right, their expressions alert.

“Master, do you want to drive them away?” one of them whispered.

“No need, it’s pretty interesting.” The youth waved his hand. “The way of the world is as such. It’s nothing more than reliance on money to bully the low, relying on strength to bully the weak. Even a three-year-old child can’t be excused.”

“Master, then this subordinate will go save the child?” Another stepped forward.

“He won’t die, what’s there to save him from?” The teenager’s voice was cold, and his expression extremely indifferent.

Not far away, a group of children were preparing to kick over the bamboo basket, then use sticks to chaotically and tyrannically beat up. However, You Shu suddenly stood up carrying the bamboo basket on his head. He quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed one of the children’s wooden stick, and merciless. .h.i.tting his legs. That person thus fell to the ground, hugging his legs and howling. The rest of the people hastily gathered to help. But You Shu was like a little turtle; carrying the bamboo basket, he gave them a beating. After hitting several times he let all of the children go. Although his soul was already fifteen years old, his body was only five years old and younger than these children. These children could encircle him, so why can’t he fight back?

You Shu had the group of bear children beaten until they cried for their fathers and shouted for their mothers. Afterwards he walked over to the leader, grabbed several handfuls of snow, and poured it into the other’s clothes. The boy shouted shrilly, while shouting he frantically took out the snow. You Shu picked up the candied fruit that had fallen on the snow, blew it, then walked away. There was still no expression on his face. While he was walking in a deserted place, he suddenly felt a cold wind attack. Following that the back of his head was gripped by a big hand, and ruthlessly slammed into the thick, unswept snow.

The snow blocked his nose and mouth, making it difficult to breathe. His brain began to show signs of oxygen-deficiency, and his consciousness also gradually became blurry. He vaguely heard a spiteful voice whisper beside his ear, "My name has long been printed on King Yama’s* life and death ledger, but you took my fleshly body, and had me become a wandering ghost! Since you’ve taken my flesh, you had to collect my debt for me. Now that the forty-two silvers have been spent, you can die!" The words fell, and more and more force was used to press You Shu into the layer of snow.

*King Yama: King of h.e.l.l in Buddhism, who presides over purgatories, and Saṃsāra (circle of life / reincarnation)

You Shu frantically struggled, but it was in vain. Seeing that the air was about to be cut off, the demon suddenly asked in panic, “Purple Dragon Energy? How can there someone with Purple Dragon Energy* here?”

*Purple Dragon Energy: 紫色龙气; can also be translated as ‘Purple Emperor’s Energy’.

The big hand at the back of the head disappeared instantly. You Shu hastily turned his body to sit up, panting as he took big mouthfuls of air, his small face having become the colour of pig’s liver. At the same time, a pair of black, shin-length boots step by step came closer, stopping to stand three meters in front of him.

“Why are you burying yourself in the snowdrift?” The person who came was standing vertically, his hands clasped behind his back. A pair of fierce and sharp eyebrows slightly rose, showing some curiosity.

You Shu did not raise his head to look. Instead, he lifted up the stick of candied fruit that was still firmly squeezed in his hand. Mouth by mouth, he bit down and ate it all. Early on during the apocalypse, he developed a habit of ‘binge-eating upon suffering shock.’ Only the feeling of a satisfied stomach could help him to suppress the fear of having his life on the line. In the apocalypse, there was nothing more precious than food and water.

However, the malt sugar on the surface of the candied fruits had long since been licked cleaned up by him. Now there were only a few half-cooked hawthorns left. After chewing them, the sour taste almost made him weep. He immediately grabbed his cheeks, forcefully kneaded them a few times, then swallowed the whole mouthful of sour fruit flesh into his stomach. Following that, he let out a long exhale.

After eating, the feeling of fear vanished like a bubble. At this, You Shu finally raised his head and carefully sized up the youth in front of him. The other party’s appearance was beyond outstanding, furthermore, there was a distinguished air and temperament different from common people. He was currently narrowing a pair of slender phoenix eyes* and using a strange expression to stare at him.

*phoenix eyes:

“Are you alright?” The youth inquired.

“I’m fine, thank you.” You Shu wiped away the grains of snow on his face and cupped his hands towards the boy in salute*.

*salute: You probably see this a lot in ancient Chinese dramas;

“Thank me for?” The youth’s tone carried slight doubt.

“All in all, thank you.” You Shu didn’t want to announce all over the fact that he was being haunted by a demon, so he didn’t say much. When the demon left, he mentioned “Purple Dragon Energy.” This so-called Dragon Energy was supposed to be an attribute possessed by the emperor and could resist all the evils in the world. And right here, there were only he and the youth. Whose body possessed the Purple Dragon Energy went without saying.

In other words, this youth was his saviour. If the other party had not coincidentally arrived, he would have already been murdered by the demon. This body was originally supposed to be the demon’s? Already been entered into Old King Yama’s life and death book? Hilarious! All ordinary matters have a first-come-first-serve basis. You Shu had slept in his mother"s womb for a full ten months. Only when he was born did the demon tardily come, desiring to s.n.a.t.c.h his body. How did this body become the demon’s? Thinking of this, killing intent swiftly swept across You Shu’s eyes. Although his emotions were indifferent and he was especially pacifist, he had crawled and brawled for six years in the apocalypse. Naturally, he was not a saint either. Today he had no way to deal with the demon, but this did not represent that in the future he would still be unable do something about him.

The youth still wanted to ask again. You Shu had already swept away the snow on his face and head and staggered far away. His hands were still gripping the bamboo stick that had been used for the candied fruit.

“Odd.” The teenager shook his head and idly strolled away as well.

You Shu walked to the empty land in front of the temple hall. Bai Shao had already hung the fortune bag and was anxious looking around in all directions. Seeing him come over, hurriedly went up to meet him, asking, “Young Master, where did you run to just now, it made This Slave anxious to death! Ya, why is your hair and clothing this wet? Definitely had been naughty huh? Go, This Slave will bring you to the kitchen to dry.”

Bai Shao bought several roasted sweet potatoes from the monk chef for the Young Master to eat, then took off his outer robes. She used wooden sticks to hold them beside the stove and tightly wrapped the Young Master’s thin body with her lined jacket. As long as there was something to eat, You Shu would be especially quiet. Small mouthfuls by mouthfuls, he gnawed on the sweet potatoes. And, intentionally or unintentionally, he asked the monk chef about that wealthy youth’s origins. He discovered that the other party was temporarily staying in Kaiyuan Temple to practice Buddhism with an unshaven head*. Hence, his heart had an idea.

*practice Buddhism with an unshaven head: Buddhist monks who devote their entire life to Buddhism shave their heads. Buddhist laymen or ordinary devotees would not shave their head. To practice with an unshaven head would mean to practice Buddhism more casually, as a normal Buddhist and not a highly devote monk.

About half an hour later, Song mama finally came over to find them with a basket of joss sticks. She said joyfully, “Alright, I’ve given Young Master a longevity plaque*, from time to time we’ll come back to add offerings so that Young Master can live to a hundred.”

“There’s still Young Lady…” Once Bai Shao said this, she recalled that the young Master did not know his own origins and hastily stopped speaking.

Song mama didn’t wish for the young master’s personality to be clouded by hatred and revenge. After he grew up, became successful, it wouldn’t be too late to tell him the entire truth. Thus, she fiercely glared at Bai Shao and pulled up the Young Master, wanting to return home.

You Shu silently followed behind Song mama. When they had walked to the entrance of the temple, he finally said, “Mama, I want to stay at Kaiyuan Temple to practice Buddhism with an unshaven head.”

“Young Master, what did you say?” The bottom of Song mama’s feet slipped and she almost fell.

“I said that I want to stay in Kaiyuan Temple to practice with an unshaven head.” You Shu supported her, repeating. The forty-two tales of silver had already been spent. The demon believed that the debt had been paid off, and hence steeled his heart, desiring to pull him down to h.e.l.l with him. If he left that youth who carried Dragon Energy on his body, there was only a road to death.

“You this child, why would you suddenly want to leave home? Did someone say something?” Song mama’s gaze was cold and severe as she looked towards Bai Shao. The alarmed Bai Shao anxiously waved her hands.

"n.o.body said anything to me." He looked at the surroundings, saw that no one else was nearby, then whispered, "I won’t hide this from mama. Recently I’ve been haunted by a demon, always saying that this body should be his, that he came to collect a debt. He also said something about forty-two silver coins that have already been spent, so I must die. In the recent days, he would often harm me, pushing me into the pond, pushing down the steps, repeatedly carrying out sabotage. Just now, in the temple, he even grabbed the back of my head and pushed me into the snowdrift to suffocate. Fortunately, a temple guest who had an honourable air pa.s.sed by, so he retreated. If I return with mama, it’s uncertain what day I will meet with the demon’s plot again. It’s not as safe as waiting by the rich person’s side. Moreover, this is a temple, perhaps Bodhisattva will also bless me.”

Of course, You Shu absolutely did not believe that last sentence. If Bodhisattva could really save people, vanquish demons and subdue devils, how could the demon be this rampant, setting down its killing hand in the midst of a temple. This showed that Kaiyuan Temple wasn’t any kind of sacred and inviolable sanctuary.

Song mama and Bai Shao were stunned as they listened. When they recovered their spirits they hurriedly went to check the back of the Young Master’s head, and really saw a faint crimson hand-print on the white and tender skin of his head. Looking at the size, it should belong to an adult man. Connecting the thought of how Jade Water Village frequently had people meeting misfortune, then thinking of five years ago, when Young Master had been born and both Master and Young Lady had the same dream – Song mama and Bai Shao were already deeply and doubtlessly convinced of the ghost.

What was ‘body should be his’ supposed to mean? Was this to say, the debt-collector ghost had not been able to reincarnate into Young Lady’s stomach, and Young Master had occupied it first instead? Young Master was not some ghost, he was the Young Lady’s own flesh and bones that she had bitterly nurtured for ten months in her womb ah! Song mama was ecstatic one moment, and mournful the next. Hugging You Shu’s thin and small body, she sobbed so much that she couldn’t speak, stuttering, “My, my Young Master you’ve had a bitter life ah, you’ve suffered such a huge wrong, why didn’t you say it earlier ah! If Old Slave had known, Old Slave would have certainly begged an expert* to come save you.”

*Expert: Also known as Buddhist / Taoist masters, or other spiritual experts.

“Mama, there’s no need to blame yourself, most experts are swindlers.” You Shu clumsily patted Song mama’s back. “Those experts the village had invited, all of them can’t do anything to the demon, only when he saw that honourable person did he retreat.”

“Who is the honourable person? Mama will beg him to shelter you.” Song mama pulled away from her grief, picked up the young master in a hug and walked into the temple.

“Would ordinary people dare be tainted by the matters of G.o.ds and ghosts? Not mentioning it would be fine, but once said, he would definitely want to drive me away. Mama definitely must not be impulsive. I can stay in the temple and thus be able to protect myself while devoting myself to Buddha every day, making the demonic ghosts retreat. Here is the Buddha’s holy land, it won’t be easy for evil to commit evil." You Shu had never said such a long speech in one breath before, but in order to dispel Song"s mother"s thoughts, he had to patiently persuade her.

This so-called honourable n.o.ble person was far beyond the understanding of Song Mu and Bai Shao. If they rashly went forward, provoking his suspicion wasn’t as important; he was afraid that the other party prohibited any talk of the supernatural, and would instead close his road to survival. So why not stay in the temple and become an amateur disciple pract.i.tioner. After he slowly grew closer to youth he’d plot the rest.

Song mama was persuaded. She praised the Young Master for being thoughtful while finding the head of Kaiyuan Temple, saying that she wanted to foster the child there. Some children had hard Eight Characters*, their fortune and fate fragile. Parents would fear their children dying young, and thus send them to a nearby temple to be fostered. Every month, they would come to send donations. This was one of the methods to enter the temple, and the temple head had no reason to refuse. Immediately, he accepted You Shu.

*hard Eight Characters: their fate and future life – derived using Chinese astrology and their birthdates – will be hard / difficult / unfortunate.

You Shu sent away Song mama and Bai Shao who were reluctant to part. Only after that did he return to his room and change to a moon-white monk’s robes. He turned around the surroundings and discovered that a courtyard in the east was the most s.p.a.cious and orderly. From time to time, there would be two strong men standing guard at the round archway. You Shu couldn’t understand – a kinsman of the excellent imperial family, why would he stay at an obscure small temple. Judging from the actions taken by the monks indifferently, the true ident.i.ties of the teenagers seem to be unknown. However, Liangzhou was the place where Longxing was located, and where the elites gathered like clouds. Kaiyuan Temple was one of the closest temples to the Imperial Mausoleum. Thinking of it this way also made sense.

You Shu squatted at the corner of a wall, quietly observing the scenery inside the courtyard. His hands weren’t idle either, with two or three movements he piled up a half-meter tall small snowman. He used black stones for its eyes, yellow tree leaves for its mouth, and two dead branches as its hands. At a glance, it was quite childlike. For a long time, he did not see the boy exit the door. Seeing that meal time was approaching, he rubbed his belly and “deng deng deng” ran towards the kitchen. Eating was eternally his top priority.

Not long afterwards, the youth dressed in a sable fur coat slowly walked out of the courtyard. When he pa.s.sed the corner and saw the little snowman quietly standing in the icy wind, he involuntarily stopped his steps, his gaze revealing fondness and nostalgia.

The two subordinates hastily hung their heads to hide their sympathetic expressions. In their hearts, they knew the Master must have thought of the late Empress again. That year, the late Empress also loved to pile two small snowmen in front of the master’s palace, saying that it was to let the little snowman represent her in guarding him, the imperial son. If the late Empress was still here, would the master have fallen to this place?

The youth seemed very knowledgeable on how to control emotions, and in only an instant he vanished the fragility in his eyes. He continued to move forward and suddenly stopped again, saying lightly, "Bring it inside the courtyard, it would be hard to avoid it getting kicked by novice monks if it’s left here.”

The two brawny men softly agreed, and carefully lifted the snowman, placing it under the plum tree in the courtyard. The master just needed to open the window to see it, as if it was one of those the late Empress had personally made for him in past years.

The demon seemed to have suffered a fright, for one and a half months he did not appear once. You Shu ate well, slept well. His thin body grew a little flesh, but at a glance still looked very feeble, as if it could float away once the wind blew. Recently he became addicted to the scriptures in the sutra library and often ran in secretly to read. Endlessly absorbing new knowledge was the instinct of a Super-Brain Aberrant. He had no way to control it. As long as it was a book he had never seen before, he would have to read it until he understood, read it until it was transparent to him, then store it in his brain which could be compared to a computer.

Today, after reading the last scripture, he took out a steamed cornbread* from his bosom and gnawed as he walked. He pa.s.sed by a huge water tank. Suddenly, he felt a Yin wind howling as it swirled over.

*Steamed cornbread: 窝窝头;