The Town Mayor

Zheng Que did not wait long before the door suddenly opened. A slender, graceful figure wrapped in a gust of yin wind drifted into the room. Black hair, white clothes. It was Qing Li.

At this moment, Qing Li’s Yin Qi had thinned to the point of near invisibility. Her originally solid, lifelike form had grown transparent and ethereal, appearing pale and frail. The ferocity in her crimson eyes remained, yet it could not conceal her exhaustion.

Such significant depletion clearly indicated a fierce and intense battle the night before.

Zheng Que understood. After he had pressured this female ghost last night, the ghosts she had slain were likely no longer at the fourth layer of the 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】, but at the fifth, the same layer as her.

Otherwise, Qing Li’s Yin Qi would not have been depleted to this extent.

At this moment, Qing Li spoke directly to Zheng Que. “Guard this old mistress well!”

Then, without waiting for his reply, she immediately hung herself from the beam and began seizing the time to recover.

Zheng Que snapped back to reality and, without hesitation, went over to close the door.

Immediately after, he thought for a moment and performed a series of complex hand seals, casting the 【Yin Gathering Art】.

A yin cloud appeared on the ceiling, and more and more Yin Qi gathered, darkening the entire room as if night had suddenly fallen.

Sensing the increasingly dense Yin Qi around her, Qing Li’s body swayed slightly on the beam, and her recovery speed noticeably accelerated.

Time passed slowly. After about half an hour, aided by the 【Yin Gathering Art】, Qing Li had mostly recovered. She turned her head to look at Zheng Que and said with satisfaction, “Human brat, you were quite sensible today.”

Hearing this, Zheng Que shook his head slightly but had no time to argue with her. “Come with me to the town mayor’s house.”

After speaking, he stood up and went out the door.

Qing Li snorted coldly and quickly followed.

Outside, the sky was bright and clear, illuminating the empty streets and alleys. From behind the courtyard walls on either side, occasional sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard.

Zheng Que led Qing Li straight toward the town mayor’s house.

Tap, tap, tap…

Monotonous footsteps echoed in the alley. Not long after, Zheng Que saw a group of people emerge from a fork in the road ahead. Several adult townsfolk were holding or leading young children by the hand, cursing and grumbling. Soon they scattered in various directions, as if the children’s antics had soured the adults’ moods as well.

Zheng Que immediately frowned. This group consisted of both old and young, and none of them had shadows beneath their feet.

He quickly activated the 【Spirit Eye Technique】. In his vision, these people appeared completely normal in every way, except for the absence of shadows.

Zheng Que stood in a corner of the alley and waited until all of them had gone far away before continuing toward the town mayor’s house.

The town mayor lived on the main street, quite a distance from Zheng Que’s home.

Along the way, he encountered several more groups of townsfolk heading out to work. Many of them had no shadows, but even after repeatedly observing with the 【Spirit Eye Technique】, he could detect no issues.

A short while later, Zheng Que arrived at the entrance of the town mayor’s house.

The town mayor’s house was the finest in the entire Town of Lasting Fortune, yet it was still only a two-courtyard brick compound. Behind the slightly higher-than-average courtyard wall, the lush branches of a large willow tree peeked out. At this moment, the doors and windows were tightly shut, and the courtyard was silent.

Zheng Que stood at the door and knocked for a long while before footsteps finally approached from a distance. The person arrived behind the door but did not open it immediately, instead asking cautiously, “Who is it?”

Zheng Que promptly replied, “It’s Zheng Que. I have some business with the town mayor.”

Upon hearing Zheng Que’s name, the sound of a latch being drawn came from behind the door. Soon after, an opening the size of a large bowl appeared. The person behind it quickly glanced outside, confirmed it was indeed Zheng Que, then removed the bolt and opened the heavy main gate.

The one who opened the door was an elderly man in his fifties or sixties, with hair that had mostly turned white, a face full of wrinkles, and a long beard reaching his chest. His back was slightly hunched, and he wore a robe that was neither new nor old, its hem stained with grains and straw. This was Xu Houde, the town mayor of the Town of Lasting Fortune.

“Zheng Que, now that you’re a disciple of the immortal master, how many spells have you learned?” Xu Houde chuckled as he stroked his long beard. By now, most people in the town knew that Zheng Que had become the immortal master’s disciple. Even as the town mayor, he was deeply curious.

However, after just one sentence, Xu Houde noticed an unfamiliar slender figure following behind Zheng Que and immediately frowned. “Zheng Que, who is this?”

Zheng Que bowed to Xu Houde. “Town mayor, this is my ghost servant. Without my orders, it will not harm anyone.”

“This is a spell my master taught me.”

“I came today because there is something I would like to ask for your help with.”

Hearing this, Xu Houde finally relaxed. “Come in first.”

As he spoke, he turned and walked inside, gesturing for Zheng Que to follow.

The courtyard of the town mayor’s house had a bluestone-paved ground in the first section, where some grains were currently drying. In the corner, a large black dog was tied up. Facing them were three tile-roofed houses arranged in a row, with smaller side rooms on either side. Faint voices of women and children could be heard from inside, and as if sensing the arrival of an outsider, the whispers quickly faded away.

Xu Houde led Zheng Que into the side room on the left, furnished with a writing desk and bookshelves. A small study.

After the two were seated, Xu Houde immediately said, “Zheng Que, I heard you helped Old Zhao’s family catch a ghost, and you also resolved the strange incidents at the Cui family’s house these past few days.”

“Now, whatever trouble you’ve encountered, just tell me.”

“As long as the town can manage it, there won’t be any problem!”

Hearing Xu Houde’s assurance, Zheng Que nodded and, without further pleasantries, stated directly, “My master has already left the town. I would like to buy the small temple where he previously stayed.”

“Also, in the coming days, there may be some unusual activity around that small temple.”

“Aside from me, it would be best if no one else approaches.”

“I’d like to trouble you, town mayor, to inform everyone in the town to avoid any mishaps.”

Xu Houde smiled and replied without hesitation, “There’s no need to buy it. That small temple, along with the surrounding land, is my family’s property. It’s been abandoned for many years and is just sitting there unused. If you need it, I’ll fetch the land deed and property deed for you right away.”

“As for what you mentioned, I’ll arrange for someone to go door-to-door and inform everyone. It will be taken care of by the end of the day.”

Seeing how readily the town mayor agreed, Zheng Que immediately said, “Thank you very much, town mayor!”

Xu Houde smiled and shook his head, then opened the drawer beneath the desk and took out a letter sealed with wax. He said gently, “No need to thank me. I also have something here that I need to ask for your help with…”