“Hey! Look over here! Quick!” Lin Bin called out, pointing toward the chicken coop.

  Several rat carcasses lay beneath the fence, pierced through with a thin branch, as if by a sword. It seemed that, in gratitude for the offerings, the spirit had protected the coop from pests. This benevolent gesture finally put the peasants at ease. They stopped fearing the ghost, though they still did not know whether it was an unrestful spirit, a mountain god, or a spirit beast. They continued to feed it and gradually grew accustomed to their unusual neighbor.

  Meanwhile, in the shelter beneath the old shed, an oppressive atmosphere reigned. Sitting on the floor before the furious Hai Lin was Xiao Mei, wearing a guilty expression, she had been caught going outside again. No matter how much she was warned or scolded, after a couple of days the girl would forget everything and set off in search of adventure once more.

  “How many times do I have to tell you?” Hai Lin scolded her, wagging a finger. “Do you want us all to die? There are bad people out there!”

  “Mmm,” Xiao Mei sniffled.

  They had caught her for the first time at dawn, when she returned with hot steamed buns and, beaming broadly, shared them with her companions. Overcome with horror, Hai Lin and Cao Siwen had nearly fainted, but after calming down, they still ate the fragrant gift. The older girls had wanted to tie Xiao Mei up, but she had a hysterical breakdown triggered by bad memories, forcing them to untie her and then spend half the night calming her down.

  “Tell me, Hai Lin, will she ever come to her senses?” Cao Siwen asked quietly. “Or will she stay like this forever?”

  “I don’t know,” Hai Lin sighed, stroking the girl’s head.

  After their youngest companion’s stunt, the constant fear of being discovered nearly deprived the older captives of proper sleep. They took turns standing watch to keep Xiao Mei from going outside, but out of habitlessness they often fell asleep, which the restless girl immediately took advantage of. After a stern reprimand, she would behave obediently for a day or two, then sneak out again.

  “They robbed me, little thieves, little thieves! You’re bad!” Xiao Mei scolded angrily after finding a rat near the offerings.

  Filled with righteous fury, she armed herself with a sturdy branch and launched a punitive campaign against the malicious food thieves. By sound alone, Xiao Mei could locate rats or mice, discern their running silhouettes in the dark, and pierce them without fail. Thanks to her speed and coordination, far superior to that of an ordinary person, the hunt came easily to her. Before, she would not have been able to run even a hundred meters without tripping. Now, the girl raced across the livestock yard, leaping over obstacles like a nimble gazelle.

  It was the second week since Zhang Ming had left the fort. The girls diligently practiced their techniques, yet none of them noticed when they broke through to the Body Tempering Realm, using their newfound strength as if it were entirely natural. Not only had their bodies grown stronger, their spirit and will had transformed as well. Panic vanished completely, and fear turned into keen vigilance.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  After venturing out of the shelter on their own once, even the level-headed Hai Lin and Cao Siwen could no longer sit still. Each night, the captives carefully slipped out for a short while, dancing together in the field, then simply sitting quietly amid the tall grass, savoring their freedom. Gazing at the star-filled sky, the drifting clouds above, and feeling the cool breeze on their skin, they had no desire to return underground. One warm night, forgetting the danger entirely, they wandered until dawn.

  Meanwhile, the four peasants gathered in their house for an urgent council, gloomier than storm clouds. Early morning sunlight streamed brightly through the window, birds sang joyfully in celebration of the fine weather, yet the men sat with grim expressions, as if tomorrow would never come. Each of them sighed heavily and took a sip of wine obtained in exchange for a basket of eggs.

  “There are more ghosts now,” Lin Bo finally said.

  “Mm,” the others nodded in resignation.

  “We did something wrong. Where did the other two come from?”

  “I miss Zhang Ming,” Xiao Bai suddenly complained. “He would’ve known what to do.”

  “We should go to that old man who draws talismans and ask him to exorcise the ghosts,” Lu Han suggested. “I can endure one spirit, but three…”

  “We’ll go right away. If he can’t help himself, at least he’ll give advice. We’ll have a day to prepare.”

  “Mm.”

  Filling a basket with fresh chicken eggs, they set off to seek help from the mysterious old man. He greeted them with a toothless smile and invited them to sit, never taking his eyes off his future reward. Not long ago, business had been poor, few bandits needed talismans, but after the visit from the four peasants, everything changed. Rumors of ghosts had brought him several new clients.

  “So, has your ghost problem been resolved? No longer bothering you?” he asked.

  “Ahem. Not exactly… the thing is… well… there are more of them now,” Lin Bo admitted.

  “What did you do?” the old man squinted, knitting his brows. “Speak!”

  “We built a shrine and gave it offerings every day,” Xiao Bai confessed.

  “Fools!” the old man cursed. “Serves you right! Why would you feed a ghost?”

  “We’re at fault!” the peasants repented. “But what should we do now?”

  “You’ve really made a mess of things.”

  “We won’t forget your kindness, sir,” all four bowed deeply. “Just help us!”

  “Fine, I’ll lend a hand,” the old man said, glancing at the basket of eggs. “I’ll come after sunset. Let’s take a look at your ghost.”

  That same evening, the five men lay in ambush in a ravine near the pig pens, watching the field intently. Amid the tall grass stood the roof of a tiny shrine with an altar, upon which lay fresh rice cakes and boiled eggs. The air smelled of manure and faintly of leaves. An owl hooted in the distance, a night bird fluttered noisily from a branch, sensing people nearby, and pigs occasionally grunted. The autumn evening was warm.

  With full wineskins in hand, the five men watched the shrine with rapt attention, failing to notice the small ghost behind them, stepping soundlessly through the grass on bare feet. Her clothes hung almost to the ground, one arm completely hidden by a sleeve, the other rolled up to the elbow, revealing snow-white skin. Crumbs of boiled egg clung to the ghost’s face, and her slender fingers held a still-warm rice cake.

  Out of curiosity, she squatted down behind the five men and stared for a long time in the same direction as they did, but saw nothing interesting. Shrugging, Xiao Mei went off to play with the chicks, only to be grabbed from behind by two arms, her mouth covered, and dragged away.