The ultimate master in the city

Chapter 57 Young man, something's up with your family.

"I didn't find out anything."

Zhou Fengchen shook his head, threw away the candied hawthorn skewer, and sat down on the tree root. "I can't sense any yin energy in broad daylight, so opening my third eye is useless. I just heard that someone in the village picked up a wife. Does that count?"

"Yes, it counts!"

Monk Yuanzhi untied the oil paper package in his hand and handed Zhou Fengchen a few pieces of pastry. "This is osmanthus cake that the old man gave me when I went to beg for alms. It tastes really good. Try it first."

Zhou Fengchen picked up the pastry and took a bite. It was really good, fragrant, crispy, and smooth, sweet but not greasy. It just had a slightly unpleasant odor, though he didn't know where it came from.

Monk Yuanzhi continued, "Let me tell you, that young man's wife is the one we're looking for."

Zhou Fengchen perked up. "How so?"

It turned out that Monk Yuanzhi and Zhou Fengchen encountered different situations. When he entered the village, the villagers were curious and glanced at him a few times, but no one paid much attention. Monk Yuanzhi just walked and stopped while chanting Buddhist prayers, and as a result, he did not find out anything special. However, he did hear from a gossipy woman passing by that someone in the village had picked up a wife.

He found this matter rather strange, so he kept an eye on it and followed the direction that the gossipy women were unconsciously pointing in as they chatted.

At the very back of the village, there was a family with three drab, gray tiled houses. In the courtyard, someone was begging for candy.

Monk Yuanzhi thought to himself that this was probably the place, so he stepped inside, squeezed through the crowd, and blocked the door, saying, "Amitabha! This humble monk has come to beg for alms."

This family makes osmanthus cakes. An old man in the house handed him a paper bag of osmanthus cakes and pretended to chant "Amitabha"!

Monk Yuanzhi took the pastries and deliberately glanced into the room, where he noticed a young couple. The man was unremarkable, but the woman caught his eye.

She was slender and curvaceous, with a face that exuded charm and allure. She was clearly a rare beauty. Most importantly, her brows held a sinister air, and her aura was somber that she seemed inhuman.

"I guarantee this woman isn't human."

Monk Yuanzhi said to Zhou Fengchen, "I didn't dare to disturb her at the time, so I rushed back. The ghost messengers asked us to come here to catch the ghost, and I guessed it must be her."

"That seems plausible! But appearing in human form in broad daylight..."

Zhou Fengchen thought for a moment and said, "He has at least a hundred years of cultivation."

Monk Yuanzhi's expression changed, and he said dryly, "I'm not so sure about that. What about you?"

"We'll have to go and see for ourselves before we can make a judgment."

Zhou Fengchen glanced at the osmanthus cake in his hand, spat it out twice, and cursed, "What the hell is this stuff? The more you eat, the more pungent it becomes!"

Monk Yuanzhi finished the osmanthus cake in his hand in a few bites, then, after feeling it for a moment, asked doubtfully, "No, is it because your mouth is greasy?"

"My mouth can be sexy? You're the one with a sexy mouth, your mouth's practically blessed..."

The two men lifted the lever for a while, and it was already getting dark.

Monk Yuanzhi led the way, with Zhou Fengchen following behind. The two circled around and arrived at the back of the house from behind the village.

Behind the house was a hill covered with weeds. The two squatted in the weeds, looking at the back window of the house. Unfortunately, the window glass was covered with dust from many years ago. They could only see the shadows moving around, but they couldn't see who it was.

Zhou Fengchen lowered his voice and said, "Don't make a sound, I'll go take a look."

With that, he flashed away like a ghost, weaving left and right without making a sound, and in the blink of an eye, he was on the roof of that house.

Monk Yuanzhi was filled with envy and jealousy. After traveling all over the country for so many years, this was the first time he had ever seen someone who knew such "evil arts" as lightness skills. Luckily, it was his friend.

A short while later, Zhou Fengchen returned, shook his head, and said, "That woman really is a wicked creature! Although I'm confident I can handle her, this is a difficult matter. The father and son don't know the truth, and they're incredibly close as a family. If we rashly try to arrest her, I'm afraid it will cause trouble. If the father and son shout, the whole village will come at us, and we'll be in big trouble."

Monk Yuanzhi asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Zhou Fengchen thought for a moment, "If we can find a way to lure that old man or his son out and bring things to light, things will be much easier."

Monk Yuanzhi thought it made a lot of sense, nodded, and was about to speak when he looked up, lowered his voice, and said, "What a coincidence! That young man came out on his own."

Zhou Fengchen looked and, sure enough, the young man who had found a wife was carrying two buckets and swaying as he walked towards the back of the village.

The two exchanged a glance, changed into Taoist robes and kasayas on the spot, and ran through the bushes to intercept the young man.

The young man hummed a tune as he leisurely climbed up the path, as if he were going to fetch water somewhere.

Zhou Fengchen and his companion hid in the bushes in front of him. As he passed by, Monk Yuanzhi chanted a Buddhist prayer, "Amitabha!" and walked away.

The young man was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Oh! Master, you didn't leave? And why are you wearing such nice clothes?"

Monk Yuanzhi's expression was grave. "Young man, what is your name and what are you going to do?"

The young man blinked and answered honestly, "My name is Xu Ke. I fetch water from the old well under the old osmanthus tree on the mountain to cook, and I also make osmanthus cakes. What's wrong?"

Monk Yuanzhi roared, "Tsui Hark! Do you know you're in deep trouble?!"

Monk Yuanzhi was tall and imposing. When he got angry, his glare made him look like a fierce Vajra, instantly stunning Tsui Hark. After a long while, Tsui Hark stammered, "W-what, is disaster looming?"

The monk Yuanzhi said, "Let me ask you! What is the woman's name and surname, and where does she live?"

Tsui Hark shook his head blankly. "I don't know. I rescued her by the river. She said she had nowhere to go, so she came to my house. We're getting married soon!"

"Foolish!" Monk Yuanzhi deliberately exaggerated, "That woman is a thousand-year-old vengeful ghost. She came to your village this time, ostensibly to be your wife, but actually to devour your entire village."

Tsui Hark was startled, quickly shook his head, and turned to leave. "Master, don't lie to me! I don't believe it! Xiao Hong is so wonderful!"

Monk Yuanzhi was stunned for a moment, then chased after him. "How could you be so foolish? Don't you think about how beautiful she is? Why did she take a liking to you? Just because you saved her?"

This really hit Tsui Hark's sore spot. Xiao Hong was indeed too beautiful. The villagers all said he was a toad trying to eat swan meat, but he still shook his head and didn't say anything.

Monk Yuanzhi then asked, "Let me ask you this: would she dare to go out in broad daylight when the sun is shining?"

Tsui Hark remained silent. Just then, a large osmanthus tree appeared in front of him, with an old well under it. He drew two buckets of water and turned to go down the mountain.

"So be it! So be it!" Monk Yuanzhi stamped his foot and pulled him back. "This matter has nothing to do with me, but I am compassionate and cannot bear to see you suffer. Here is a talisman. Go home and burn it secretly, mix it with water and drink it. Then find an excuse to go out. At 11 p.m., go back secretly and secretly look at that woman. Then you will understand everything."

Tsui Hark paused for a moment, then grabbed the talisman and stuffed it into his pocket.

Monk Yuanzhi's face lit up with joy, and he solemnly added, "This humble monk will wait for you by this old well. If you want to live, bring your father and run up here!"

Tsui Hark muttered something and hurriedly went down the mountain.

At this moment, Zhou Fengchen came out from the side, looked at Xu Ke's back, and asked, "Will he listen to us?"

Monk Yuanzhi chuckled: "Definitely! Human hearts are complex. His curiosity has been piqued. Even if the woman is just an ordinary old woman, let alone a ghost, he'll still give it a try. The key is that your talisman doesn't malfunction!"

Zhou Fengchen smiled proudly: "Don't worry! The Clarity Spirit Talisman will open your Heavenly Eye in a short time, without any chance of failure!"