Yellow Springs Inn (Zhang Xiao Qi) Chapter 4

T/N: Regarding the laughing, the word xiao (笑) can have multiple meanings: one is smile (verb or noun), one is laugh (verb or noun). I will put whichever word down as I see fit, but if there is a part where you think they should be smiling and not laughing or vice versa, please tell me.

Also, a quick note about exclamation marks in dialogue throughout the story: they aren't really showing that they are excited or angry or saying it with any emotion at all; what the exclamation marks are really trying to get across is that the person is saying it with authority or confidence or just loudly (they don't have to be shouting or anything). It's a little more obvious in Chinese than in English, so it can be confusing if you are just reading from an English standpoint.

Luo Cheng Guang, Li s.h.i.+, and Luo Qian Qi talked for a while before leaving.

After Luo Cheng Guang and Li s.h.i.+ left, I asked Luo Qian Qi, "Luo Qian Qi, who were you presenting offerings to in ancestral hall?"

Luo Qian Qi raised his head to look at me, "The G.o.dly a.s.sa.s.sin1 Bai Qi!"

"What, Bai Qi?" Hearing Luo Qian Qi’s words, with a quiver I jumped up from the bed.

Luo Qian Qi looked at me apprehensively, "What is it?"

I regained my composure. "Nothing!"  Finis.h.i.+ng my brief statement, I laid back down on the bed.

G.o.dly a.s.sa.s.sin Bai Qi. I was just thinking that the stone statue looked a little familiar, so it was actually Bai Qi.

I remember when I died Bai Qi was only nine years old; however, while at that time Bai Qi was only nine years old, he had already read up on the art of war until he was completely familiar with it, and his martial arts was also not something that his martial brothers could be on par with.

I looked at Luo Qian Qi and said, "Luo Qian Qi, yesterday you didn't sleep for the entire night, aren't you sleepy?"

Luo Qian Qi looked at me indifferently, "You are sleeping on my bed, what can I do?"

"He he!" I gave a small laugh of embarra.s.sment, then climbed off the bed, "Sorry for the inconvenience!"

I walked up to Luo Qian Qi, smiling, "Luo Qian Qi, bring me out to play, ok?"

Luo Qian Qi raised his head, "Not going!"

I pouted and pulled on Luo Qian Qi whining like a spoiled child, "Luo Qian Qi, you have the heart to let me, a ghost, wander around the human world aimlessly, what if I get lost?

Luo Qian Qi looked at me without agreeing or disagreeing.

When I saw there was hope, I told Luo Qian Qi, smiling, "Luo Qian Qi, besides, outside the sun is so big, whenever I go outside my soul will scatter in pieces, you just need to walk around, just come with me!"

Luo Qian Qi looked at me with a face of indifference, and again his line of sight returned to the book in his hand, proceeding to refuse me without the slightest bit of hesitation, "Not going, if you want to go, go by yourself!"

Finis.h.i.+ng his refusal, he didn't pay me any further attention.

"Hmph!" I shook off Luo Qian Qi's hand, then walked out of the room with long strides.

Luo Qian Qi looked at my leaving figure, then continued to read.

Leaving Luo Qian Qi's courtyard, I felt extremely bored, so I randomly wandered around Thousand Jade Hall.

When I walked to the side of a room, the room's conversation piqued my interest.

I directly phased through the room's door into the room, then sat on a roof beam to listen to the conversation.

Inside the room were two people, one of which I had already met, Luo Qian Qi's second uncle Luo Cheng Guang.

There was also a young man in his twenties, but I felt like the aura around him seemed a little familiar, definitely something I encountered recently, but I couldn't think of it at the moment.

Luo Cheng Guang said to the young man, "Yang Sheng, you mean to say that yesterday there was someone in Luo Qian Qi's room!"

I looked at that young man. So his name was Yang Sheng, yesterday evening there was someone in Luo Qian Qi's room, isn't that someone me?

Wait, how does this Yang Sheng know that yesterday there was someone in Luo Qian Qi's room? Could it be that he was the person yesterday trying to kill Luo Qian Qi?

Yang Sheng looked at Luo Cheng Guang, nodding, "Right, if there was no one stopping me yesterday, Luo Qian Qi would already have become a ghost at my knife!"

Luo Cheng Guang angrily slapped the table, "You really deserve to die, originally we planned to have you go kill Luo Qian Qi, then have Luo Qian Ping find him, conveniently putting the name of Luo Qian Qi's murderer on Luo Qian Ping, now it all ended up in failure!"

Yang Sheng watched Luo Cheng Guang and said tentatively, "How about…I go try again tonight?"

Luo Cheng Guang waved Yang Sheng off, "It won't work, since yesterday there was someone to rescue Luo Qian Qi, then he definitely told Luo Qian Qi already, right now Luo Qian Qi must have put up some kind of protection!"

Hearing Luo Cheng Guang’s words, I frustratedly patted the back of my head, thinking: If Luo Cheng Guang hadn't said anything I really would have forgotten this matter!

Yang Sheng said, "Then what do we do now, if Luo Qian Qi achieves immortality one day, the position of Thousand Jade Hall's Hall Master would be hard to get!"

Luo Cheng Guang waved Yang Sheng off again, "You first leave, let me think about it!"

Yang Sheng nodded his head, then left Luo Cheng Guang's room.

I watched Luo Cheng Guang and Yang Sheng as I scoffed, I really disdain them from the bottom of my heart. For just a position of Hall Master, Luo Cheng Guang would actually be so lowly as to kill his own flesh-and-blood nephew.

I lept off the roof beam and walked towards Luo Cheng Guang.

I used my right hand to cover Luo Cheng Guang's eyes, then used a little incense ash to cover them. This incense ash is what I picked up when I pa.s.sed by the ancestral hall.

I used the incense ash to cover up the curse I left on Luo Cheng Guang's eyes, making it so that n.o.body could see it, and Luo Cheng Guang would also not feel unusual.

When I finished I patted my hands, and after scoffing at Luo Cheng Guang, I swiftly turned and left Luo Cheng Guang's room.

I wasted a lot of time at Luo Cheng Guang's place, and by the time I came out the sun already set.

I returned to Luo Qian Qi's courtyard. When I opened the door I found that Luo Qian Qi was laying on the bed sleeping.

I quietly closed the door, trying not to wake him up.

Following this I saw Luo Qian Qi's phone was on the desk. I saw that Luo Qian Qi still had not woken up, so I ran over to the desk, picking up the phone to continue playing Anipop.

Just yesterday night, I already reached level 150, and for getting to this level I secretly loved myself.

"Beep beep beep!" I hadn't played for very long before I received a phone notification saying that the battery was too low.

I threw the phone onto the desk, then put my feet on the desk, at the same time picking up the book Luo Qian Qi was reading and looked it over.

"Heaven and Earth Eighteen Methods2," I read, "Why do I feel like this name sounds very familiar, like I heard it somewhere before!"

I opened the book and looked it over a bit, then felt someone was staring at me.

I raised my head and saw that at some point Luo Qian Qi had already came over to the desk's side.

I stood up from the chair, looking at Luo Qian Qi as I laughed unconvincingly, "When did you come over here!"

Luo Qian Qi did not reply, instead taking the book in my hands as he sat on the chair and looked it over.

Luo Qian Qi looked at me, "You said that you've heard the name of this book before, where did you hear it?"

I sat on the desk and played with my hair, "I forgot, but I am positive I've heard it before, it should be from when I was living!"

Luo Qian Qi looked at me and didn't say anything.

Suddenly I had a lightbulb moment. I said happily, "I remember now, it's Bai Qi, this book is written by Bai Qi!"

Luo Qian Qi looked at the book in his hand, then looked at me, "Correct, this book really is Bai Qi's!"

Immediately after he looked at me in doubt, "How do you know? Listening to your tone of voice you seem to be very familiar with Bai Qi!"

I sighed, "I remember when I died, Bai Qi was only nine years old!"

Luo Qian Qi glanced at me, "Then what age were you when you died!"

I thought for a moment, then replied, "Nineteen!"

Luo Qian Qi put down the book, asking me, "How did you die?"

I was about to respond, but then I stared at Luo Qian Qi for a few seconds, "Are you doing a residency check?"

Luo Qian Qi coughed a little, then picked up the book on the desk again.

I watched Luo Qian Qi and laughed a little, then again thought about what I had heard in Luo Cheng Guang's room.

I said to Luo Qian Qi, "Luo Qian Qi, there are people trying to kill you, you know?"

Luo Qian Qi raised his head and looked at me, his gaze complicated.

He watched me, asking, "How do you know?"

I laughed, "Yesterday when I came to Thousand Jade Hall I saw there was a suspicious figure, and out of curiosity I followed this shadowy figure, then arrived at your room. That person was about to kill you with his dagger, and then he was stopped by me, then ran away, leaving that dagger!"

Luo Qian Qi looked at me, his tone the same as before, "That dagger is Luo Qian Ping's!"

I looked at Luo Qian Qi, then told him everything that I had heard in Luo Cheng Guang's room.

Originally I thought Luo Qian Qi would be shocked, but who knew that he would have no reaction whatsoever, like this matter had nothing to do with him.

I looked at him in doubt, "Luo Qian Qi, after hearing about this matter how can you have no expression whatsoever?"

Luo Qian Qi smiled arrogantly, "This is all within my plans!"

"Pfft," I laughed at Luo Qian Qi.

Luo Qian Qi watched me, puzzled, "What are you laughing at?"

I looked at Luo Qian Qi, laughing, "Your smile isn't bad, you really do not have to go around all day with such a wooden face!"

Hearing my words Luo Qian Qi's face grew cold again, "It's a habit!"

I nodded my head, "Then what do you plan on doing now? I think that they wouldn't leave you off lightly!"

Luo Qian Qi did not reply to my question, instead gazing at me, "When do you plan on returning to the nether world?"

I thought for a moment, "I don't know, but in any case I'm not in a hurry to go back!"

Luo Qian Qi put down the book in his hand, smiling as he asked me, "Then can you do me a favor?"

I laughed mischievously, "Say it and I'll consider it!"

Luo Qian Qi said, "They can't see you, so could you help me keep a close eye on second uncle and his movements?"

I mulled it over for a while, then laughed, "It's not like I can't do it, but you have to agree to one condition!"

Luo Qian Qi watched me in suspicion, "What kind of condition!"

I looked at Luo Qian Qi and laughed mischievously, "Can you smile a little from now on, to carry around such a wooden face all day, just looking at it makes me feel uncomfortable!"

Luo Qian Qi thought it over, before he turned to me, smiling, "I will only smile for you!"

I looked at Luo Qian Qi and "tch"-ed disdainfully, "Luo Qian Qi, can you not be so disgusting?"

Luo Qian looked at me and laughed, before his attention once again returned to his book.

I "tch"-ed, then returned to the netherworld.

Watching someone closely took a lot of energy. How could I, one person, be able to handle such a thing, I would have to go find some a.s.sisting soldiers!

I had only just stepped into Yellow Springs Inn when Hong Yan excitedly came over.

Hong Yan pulled on my hand, laughing, "How was it, Shopkeeper, was the outside world fun?"

I looked at Hong Yan and laughed, saying, "These few days I have stayed at Thousand Jade Hall the entire time, I didn't have time to go out!"

Hong Yan said worriedly, "Shopkeeper, did you wrong someone from Thousand Jade Hall?"

Saying this, she even pulled my hand and looked me over carefully.

I laughed at Hong Yan's antics, "Don't worry, I'm fine!"

Suddenly I remembered, the purpose of my visit was to do business.

I told Hong Yan, "Oh right, I came here to find someone to take care of some business, help me find some skilled ghosts!"

Hong Yan did not ask too many questions, agreeing promptly before leaving.

1. G.o.dly a.s.sa.s.sin (杀神): the direct translation of shen (神) is a G.o.d/deity or something that is mysterious or out of this world (of course, there are other meanings as well), but if someone is a shen (神), they are amazing at something. Here, it's to be amazing at killing, so sha shen (杀神) really deity-like a.s.sa.s.sin, but that would have sounded uncool (saying sha shen Bai Qi sounds so much cooler, right?) so I changed it to G.o.dly a.s.sa.s.sin. ↩
2. Heaven and Earth Eighteen Methods (乾坤十八术): qian kun (乾坤) means heaven and earth, yin and yang, or the universe, while shu (术) means method or technique. ↩