Chapter 29

Early signs of a shared understanding.

Bai She's calm words eased Shimei's tension. She had never been particularly afraid of death, perhaps due to her previous near-death experience or simply because she had never feared ghosts since childhood.

As a child living alone, Shimei remembered being scared by servants' tales of ghosts preying on motherless children. One night, unable to sleep, she sat crying at her door until an old maid passed by and comforted her.

Shimei remembered the old maid's words, "Silly girl, ghosts are just transformed people. If one bullies you, you can become a ghost after death and bully it back!"

This advice became Shimei's mantra. Whenever bullied, she would retaliate in kind, slowly earning a better life and becoming more cheerful within the household.

Bai She glanced at Shimei beside him, noting her nervousness as she curiously peered out the window with wide eyes. He was inwardly surprised by her courage, given her lack of martial arts skills.

Just then, a chilling, cackling laugh echoed from outside, sounding particularly eerie in the dead of night.

Inside the temple, the bonfire flickered with an unusual greenish glow.

Shimei stared at the fire, puzzled. Why was the flame green? She sniffed, detecting a faint but distinct smell in the post-rain night air.

Recently, Stone Meimei had been training her nose to identify scents according to Chen Shimei's notes, making her sense of smell particularly acute. She distinctly recognized that the peculiar aroma seemed to emanate from the campfire...

On closer inspection, she noticed a brass-like color at the edge of the glowing embers.

Suddenly, Stone Meimei exclaimed and pointed, but before she could articulate her discovery, Bai She quickly covered her mouth.

Her eyes widened in shock, and Bai She gestured for her to remain silent with a slight curve of his mouth.

Stone Meimei quickly realized Bai She had known all along. She glanced sideways at Bai She, admiring his handsome profile and unconsciously touched her own nose.

Their commotion naturally drew the attention of others present.

Everyone looked towards the fire, soon noticing the anomaly — the firewood was coated with copper powder, turning the flames green as it burned.

Realizing the setup, they understood Bai She's earlier comment about deception.

As the laughter outside ceased, Stone Meimei quietly asked Bai She, "Where are they?"

Bai She motioned upwards with his eyes.

Slowly lifting her gaze, Stone Meimei saw a mass of disheveled hair dangling from the broken rooftop, followed by a ghostly pale face...

Although she knew it wasn't a real ghost, Stone Meimei couldn't help but scream in fright.

Her shout startled everyone. Looking up, they saw a ghostly figure in white, screeching and lunging down with bared teeth and clawing hands.

As the figure landed and turned, her face was ghastly pale, with blood at the corners of her mouth and dark circles under her eyes.

It was hard to determine whether the figure was male or female, but her thin and peculiar build was unnerving.

"What in the world is that?!" bellowed one of the burly men, drawing his large ringed knife and pointing at the figure. However, the figure just grinned wickedly, blood on her teeth adding to the horror, leaving Luan Jingyi breathless and trembling with fear.

Qin Xianglian's two bodyguards had already drawn their swords to attack the woman, but she suddenly leaped up, sticking to the ceiling upside down. Her bulging eyes seemed almost about to fall out, making her look unmistakably like a ghost.

Shimei looked up at the ghostly figure and asked Bai She, "Is that a martial arts technique?"

Bai She raised an eyebrow and replied, "That's the Gecko Skill."

As he spoke, the ghostly woman glanced at them, her gaze settling on Shimei with a puzzled look.

Shimei, feeling the ghost's gaze, hid behind Bai She's arm, curiously observing the ghost. Upon closer inspection, she noted the ghost's young appearance, pale face, and bloody mouth, with otherwise pretty features.

"Who's playing tricks here?!" one of Qin Xianglian's bodyguards shouted, brandishing his sword. "Come down from there!"

The ghostly figure sat perched on the beam for a moment before pulling out a small bell from her waist and gently shaking it, producing a lingering, distant-sounding chime.

Although the bell's sound was soft, it seemed to carry far.

"Soul-Piercing Bell," Bai She commented nonchalantly. "She's summoning her companions."

As soon as he finished speaking, eerie laughter echoed around the dilapidated temple, with more people seemingly approaching.

Everyone looked around. Shimei asked Bai She, "Sounds like there are quite a few of them."

"Not many," Bai She responded, "just four."

As he spoke, four similarly dressed figures in white swiftly entered through the door and windows, lunging towards the group with outstretched claws.

The two bodyguards moved to protect Qin Xianglian and Luan Jing'er, placing themselves between the intruders and their charges, while the three grave robbers found themselves in a scuffle.

Two of the assailants in white charged directly at Bai She.

Bai She shielded Stone Meimei behind him, parrying the claw strikes from the two assailants with his sword, producing a sharp clanging sound.

Stone Meimei noticed several nail-like claws falling to the ground and exclaimed, "Oh! The nails are fake!"

Bai She glanced at Stone Meimei and then at the attackers, taking a step forward to engage the two in white in combat.

Stone Meimei watched from the sidelines, unconcerned about being alone. She was impressed by Bai She's ability to overpower the attackers without even unsheathing his sword.

Suddenly, she felt a rush of air behind her. Before she could react, she was tightly gripped around the waist and lifted upward...

"Ah!" Stone Meimei realized she was being whisked away, trying to pry off the hand while turning around, only to see the ghostly woman's face up close, her heart leaping to her throat. The ghost's hand was surprisingly warm.

Upon this realization, Stone Meimei's fear diminished. She observed the ghost more closely, noting her youthful and pretty features without any wrinkles.

Shimei followed the ghostly woman to the roof. Looking down, she saw Bai She glance at her and subtly raise an eyebrow.

Making eye contact with Bai She, Stone Meimei understood his plan – he had deliberately allowed her to be taken.

The ghost seemed fixated on her initially, perhaps recognizing her as Chen Shimei. Stone Meimei guessed the ghost knew Chen Shimei and was not an enemy.

Standing firmly on the roof, Stone Meimei confronted the ghost, "Is it you?!"

Surprised, the ghost responded with a frown, "Really, it's you?!"

Seeing no malice in the ghost's expression, Stone Meimei confirmed her suspicion and asked, "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story," replied the ghost. "I thought you were dead."

Stone Meimei shook her head, about to inquire further, but noticed the situation below had resolved.

The four white-clad ghosts, seemingly only a diversion, retreated as soon as Stone Meimei was captured, not engaging further in the fight.

Stone Meimei heard the ghostly woman beside her say, "We'll talk later!" as she prepared to take her away.

Meanwhile, Qin Xianglian pushed Luan Jingyi to a guard and leapt onto the roof, chasing after them even faster than Bai She.

Bai She, calm and collected, flicked his wrist, sending two small stones flying. One lightly struck the ghost's wrist, and the other hit a broken tile right beneath Stone Meimei's feet.

With a crash...

The tile under Stone Meimei's feet gave way, causing her to fall, and the ghost's grip on her wrist loosened instantly.

"Ah!"

Stone Meimei fell from the roof. The ghost frowned but, catching Bai She's glance, quickly turned and disappeared into the dark forest with a few leaps.

Qin Xianglian reached the roof only to find his effort in vain. The ghost escaped, and Stone Meimei had already fallen. He instinctively reached out to catch her, but Stone Meimei withdrew her hand, not wanting his help, trusting that Bai She would catch her below.

Indeed, Bai She stepped forward to stand beneath her, ready to catch her with both hands.

Worried she might be too heavy for Bai She, Stone Meimei tried to wrap her arms around his neck. Just as she was about to do so, Bai She leaned back slightly, falling backward, allowing her to land fully on him.

When Stone Meimei realized what happened, she found herself lying on top of Bai She, who was sprawled on the ground.

Stone Meimei blinked in surprise.

Bai She let out a soft sigh, looking up at her with a smile, and whispered two words – "Paperweight."

Stone Meimei's face flushed red, embarrassed by Bai She's teasing about her weight.

Seeing Stone Meimei sitting dazedly on him, her face red, Bai She softly warned, "Don't do this with any other man."

Stone Meimei, startled and blushing to the roots of her neck, quickly scrambled up from her position.

Bai She stood up, while Qin Xianglian, looking defeated, landed on the ground, watching him coldly.

The burly monk, impressed that Bai She stood without bending his knees, admired his skill and asked, “Sir, are you by chance surnamed Bai?”

Bai She bowed slightly, “Bai She.”

“Oh…” The three gravediggers exchanged a knowing look, sticking out their tongues in realization. So, it was him – the legendary strikingly handsome Bai She. Rumors had painted him as a reincarnated Rakshasa or an Asura, but he seemed quite amiable, even playful with his lover.

Stone Meimei, her face still flushed, moved to dust off Bai She's back. But upon reaching behind him, she found his back impeccably clean, save for some dust on the heels of his boots.

Puzzled, she wondered whether his back hadn’t touched the ground or if his clothing was impervious to dust.

Contemplating, she reached out to touch the fabric of his garment. Bai She leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, “Shall we head back now, or continue our search?”

Still a bit shaken, Stone Meimei quietly suggested, “How about we come back early tomorrow? We can hunt for game in the morning. It’s quite frightening at night.”

Bai She nodded, not uttering another word. He led his horse over, helped Stone Meimei onto it, and after bidding the gravediggers a future meeting, they departed.

The gravediggers marveled in amazement – such was the famed Ghost Blade Bai She!

Qin Xianglian stood silently, his expression dark as deep waters.

Meanwhile, Luan Jingyi felt a chill in her heart. She was terrified just now and expected Bai She to rescue Stone Meimei. Yet Qin Xianglian had pushed her into another man’s arms, solely to save Stone Meimei. How could she not harbor resentment!

……

Bai She and Stone Meimei rode swiftly back to the city, making serious progress on their journey and soon arrived at the Perfume Residence.

The gatekeeper, who had been waiting, quickly went inside to call Xiang Yi.

Bai She moved to help Shimei dismount, leaning forward. Shimei turned to say goodbye to Bai She and turned back.

Both moved simultaneously, just brushing past each other... Shimei felt something warm and soft graze her lips... a fleeting, distinctive sensation.

When she realized what had happened, Bai She was looking at her with an indescribable expression, smiling.

Shimei immediately covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Knowing her discomfort, Bai She smoothly helped her off the horse without a word, said goodbye, and promised to pick her up in the morning. Shimei, wide-eyed and hand over mouth, nodded and hurried inside, still moving awkwardly.

Bai She watched her for a long while before turning to return to his residence, leaving behind only a remark, "Truly interesting."

Back at her estate, Shimei was in a flurry. She ran into the courtyard, brushing past Xiang'er, who tried to greet her. She didn't hear Xiang'er and bumped into Zanyue and Hongye inside.

"Meizi, what's wrong?" Zanyue noticed Shimei's flushed face and touched her cheek, "Oh dear, you're so hot. Do you have a fever?"

Shimei shook her head at her.

Hongye squinted her eyes, "Did you get kissed?"

"No!" Shimei shook her head vehemently.

Hongye and Zanyue exchanged a glance, watching as Shimei awkwardly ran into the house, followed closely by Xiaofu.

The three left in the courtyard looked at each other, puzzled — what just happened?