Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 8 The Righteousness of a Scholar

Three days later.

Zhou Ning stood on the streets of Qingshan Town once again.

This time, he didn't alert anyone.

As night fell, he quietly slipped into the town with light luggage.

Master said that they would discuss this matter again after he broke through to the Qi Refining stage.

But he couldn't wait that long.

These past few days, every night he could vaguely hear that mournful weeping coming from down the mountain, as if it pierced through the mountains and went straight to his heart.

The pain and despair in that voice kept him tossing and turning all night.

He was not overestimating himself.

After several days of arduous cultivation, the "Innate Qi" within his body has made further progress, and he can now barely circulate it through a small cycle without feeling tired.

Although he's still not a master, he should be able to handle ordinary kids with some confidence.

More importantly, he "borrowed" something from his master.

A protective talisman.

That was drawn casually by Yan Chixia, containing a trace of pure yang sword energy, which can save one's life in a critical moment.

His master did not allow him to cause trouble, but if he encountered danger, this talisman would be his last resort.

As night deepened, Zhou Ning hid in an abandoned pavilion at the east end of the town, gazing down at the bluestone path through the dilapidated window.

The moonlight was dim and pale, casting a cold, white glow on the road.

The wind stopped.

The chirping of insects also disappeared.

The entire town of Qingshan seemed to be covered by an invisible giant hand, falling into a suffocating silence.

coming.

Zhou Ning held his breath, his gaze fixed on the end of the street.

A white figure, as if solidified from moonlight, slowly appeared at the street corner.

She was still dressed in white, her long hair flowing down, obscuring most of her face.

My bare feet trod on the cold stone slabs, silently.

It's Liu Niang.

She lowered her head and slowly walked towards the street.

With each step, his figure became more blurred, as if he might disappear into the moonlight at any moment.

Zhou Ning gripped the wooden sword tightly, his heart pounding like a drum.

But he didn't move.

Manager Zhao said that Lady Liu only appears at night to seduce lone men and take their hearts.

For her to harm someone, someone has to "take the bait".

Zhou Ning took a deep breath, slipped out of the attic, and landed on the street.

His appearance immediately caught Liu Niang's attention.

She stopped and slowly raised her head.

Under the moonlight, a delicate yet pale face was revealed.

Her features were exquisite, and one could still vaguely see her beauty in her eyes and brows.

But those eyes were empty and black, like two bottomless holes, devoid of any life.

"Young master..." she began, her voice soft, tinged with a hint of resentment.

"Why are you out alone so late?"

Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine.

This sound was completely different from the crying he had heard before.

She was gentle, graceful, and even showed a hint of concern, as if she were a respectable woman who had just met a stranger late at night.

If he hadn't known that the "woman" before him was already dead, he probably would have been fooled by the disguise.

"I missed my lodging while traveling and am currently looking for an inn to stay at," Zhou Ning replied, composing himself as he had prepared the explanation.

"Why are you out alone so late at night? It's not safe."

Liu Niang lowered her head, her voice even softer:

"I... am also waiting for someone."

"Waiting for someone?" Zhou Ning asked.

"Waiting for whom?"

"Wait for my husband." Liu Niang raised her head, tears welling in her eyes.

"He said he would come back, but I've waited for him for three years and he still hasn't returned... Young master, do you think he doesn't want me anymore?"

The sorrow and helplessness in that voice brought a pang of sadness to Zhou Ning's heart.

If he hadn't known her true identity, he would have almost believed she was just a pitiful woman waiting for her husband to return.

"Perhaps... he has his reasons," Zhou Ning said.

"Your predicament?" Liu Niang's voice suddenly turned sharp.

"What hardship could keep him away from home for three years? What hardship could keep him from even writing a letter? What hardship...?"

She suddenly raised her head, and her delicate face began to distort and deform under the moonlight.

The fair skin began to fester and peel off, revealing the hideous flesh and bare bones beneath.

Those once empty eyes were now burning with eerie green flames, staring intently at Zhou Ning.

"...Can you really let him abandon me?"

A piercing scream tore through the night sky.

Liu Niang's figure swelled up, transforming into a thick black mist, carrying a bone-chilling cold, and rushed towards Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning was prepared.

He suddenly took a step back, holding the wooden sword horizontally in front of him, and fully circulated the "Innate Qi" within his body.

A faint blue light shone from the sword.

Although dim, it carries a dignified and inviolable sense of grandeur.

"laugh!"

The black mist collided with the blue light, like boiling oil being poured onto snow, producing a piercing sound.

Liu Niang let out a scream and staggered backward, her body reforming into human form, but her face was now completely distorted, filled with resentment and malice.

"You...you are a cultivator?" she said sharply.

Zhou Ning gripped the wooden sword tightly and said in a deep voice:

"Liu Niang, I know you have been wronged, but harming others is ultimately wrong. Let go of your obsession, let me perform a ritual for you, and send you into the cycle of reincarnation, okay?"

"Salvation? Reincarnation?" Liu Niang sneered.

"My husband won't come back, my life has been wasted, everything I've waited for is gone, and you're telling me about performing rituals to help him pass on?"

Her voice grew increasingly shrill, and her body swelled again, transforming into a gigantic ghostly figure that extended countless sharp claws to grab at Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning gritted his teeth and swung his sword to meet the attack.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The wooden sword clashed with the ghostly claw, producing a dull thud.

Zhou Ning managed to parry with the swordsmanship he had honed over several months, but Liu Niang's strength far exceeded his expectations. Each strike made his hands go numb, and he retreated step by step.

Even worse, the chilling aura permeating the black mist relentlessly eroded his body, causing his internal energy to stagnate more and more.

"No... we can't keep going like this."

Zhou Ning was secretly anxious, but he did not back down.

He knew that if he retreated, Liu Niang would continue to harm people.

The next victim could be Manager Zhao, Manager Wang, or any innocent person in the town.

"drink!"

He roared and poured all the remaining internal energy into the wooden sword, then thrust it forward with all his might.

A faint cyan sword light pierced through the air, heading straight for the core of the ghostly figure.

"what!"

Liu Niang let out a scream, and the ghostly figure trembled violently, clearly having suffered a severe injury.

But she was also completely enraged. The black mist suddenly contracted, transforming into a giant ghost claw that slammed down on Zhou Ning's crown.

This attack was unavoidable.

At the critical moment of life and death, Zhou Ning suddenly remembered the protective talisman given to him by his master.

Without thinking, he reached into his robes with his left hand, pulled out the talisman, and pushed it forward.

"boom!"

A dazzling golden sword light burst forth from the talisman.

The sword light was pure and vast, carrying an unparalleled aura of slaying demons and cleansing the universe, just like what Zhou Ning had seen when he first met Yan Chixia.

The ghostly claws melted instantly upon touching the sword light.

Liu Niang's screams echoed through the night sky as her figure twisted and disintegrated amidst the sword light, as if she were about to be completely annihilated at any moment.

"No...don't..."

At this critical moment, Zhou Ning gritted his teeth and pulled the talisman back from his hand.

The sword light dissipated.

Liu Niang's figure reformed, but it was much more ethereal, as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

She collapsed to the ground, her face filled with terror and confusion, staring blankly at Zhou Ning.

"Why...why didn't you kill me?"

Zhou Ning, panting heavily, looked at her and said in a deep voice:

"Because your injustice should not end in this way."

He sheathed his wooden sword and said slowly:

"Your husband may truly have his reasons. I will help you find him and let him tell you the truth himself. But until then, you must not harm anyone else."

Liu Niang stared blankly at him, the eerie green flames in her eyes gradually dimming.

She lowered her head and murmured:

"Will he... will he really come back?"

Zhou Ning did not answer.

He turned and walked out of town.

Behind her, Liu Niang's figure gradually disappeared into the moonlight, leaving only a faint sigh.

When we returned to Lanruo Temple, it was already dawn.

Yan Chixia stood at the entrance of the main hall, hands behind his back, looking at the disheveled Zhou Ning with an expressionless face.

"Did you go to Qingshan Town?"

Zhou Ning lowered his head:

"This disciple knows his mistake."

"Where did we go wrong?" Yan Chixia asked.

Zhou Ning was silent for a moment, then said:

"A disciple should not act on his own, lest he be like an egg striking a rock."

Yan Chixia snorted coldly:

"Good to know. If it weren't for the talisman I gave you, you wouldn't be back today."

Zhou Ning lowered his head and remained silent.

Yan Chixia looked at him, remained silent for a long time, and finally sighed:

"Never mind. Although you are reckless, your character is not bad."

He turned and walked toward the main hall:

"Go and rest. Tomorrow, I will teach you some practical talisman techniques. If you encounter something like this again, at least you'll be able to hold out a little longer."

Zhou Ning was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you, Master."

Yan Chixia waved his hand without turning his head.

As Zhou Ning gazed at his master's retreating figure, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He expected to be severely punished, but unexpectedly...

Master is actually a person who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside.