At dinner, Bai Xianxian was already so worried she had no appetite at all.
Third Elder kept piling food onto her plate, saying as he did so, "Eat more! Eat your fill! The fuller you are, the braver you'll be!"
Bai Xianxian grew even more worried.
Her resolve was set, the inheritance was accepted, and she had memorized the scriptures and mantras, but she still couldn't overcome her fear of ghosts!
Could it be that this fear of ghosts was as innate as her talent?
Third Elder saw how spineless she was and got annoyed: "Nobody's asking you to open your Heavenly Eye and go fight them! What's so scary about just sleeping one night in the graveyard?"
Bai Xianxian: "…"
Listen to him—was that even human speech?
Second Elder comforted her gently, "Don't be afraid. Take the Six-Spirit Sword with you, and no evil will dare come near. You're just going to train your courage. Think of it as spending the night somewhere new—we'll come pick you up when you wake up."
Bai Xianxian couldn't help but recall the terrifying scenes from her childhood when the three old men had taken her to the graveyard.
It had nearly become the biggest shadow of her childhood.
The graveyard on the back mountain was where all the unclaimed souls were buried. She remembered that when she was little, a family at the foot of the mountain had a daughter born with only one hand, and they threw the baby straight into the graveyard.
By the time the three elders heard about it and rushed over, the baby was already dead.
Wrapped in nothing but a thin little blanket, she hadn't even had the chance to open her eyes and see the world.
The three elders sighed as they dug a grave for the baby on the back mountain and chanted scriptures to release her soul. Bai Xianxian had only been four or five then, carried over and set on a pile of straw nearby—it was the first time she'd had a terrifying understanding of the graveyard.
Third Elder patted the travel bag at his feet: "You young people all like camping, don't you? When I went to the county town to buy these today, I even ran into a group of young folks who said they were going camping on some mountain too. Learn from them!"
Bai Xianxian clutched her head in despair: "But they're not going to a graveyard! What normal young person goes camping in a graveyard?!"
Third Elder tapped her skull with his chopsticks: "You're going whether you like it or not! With a gut as small as a mouse's, you need more training! If it weren't for the fact that tomorrow is First Elder's seventh-day memorial and you need to come back to pay respects, I'd have you stay there—live there for half a month and see if you're still scared!"
Bai Xianxian: "…"
Wuwuwu, too tragic.
Xianxian was really too tragic.
After dinner, Third Elder urged her: "Get going now. Head out while it's still light so you can set up the tent when you get there. I put the instructions in your bag."
Bai Xianxian sniffled, and before leaving, she went to bow before the six ancestral masters' statues: "Masters, Xianxian has only just joined and is still a novice. Please keep an eye on me, and don't let those scary things get anywhere near me, wuwuwu—"
After offering three sticks of incense and clutching the Six-Spirit Sword, Bai Xianxian shouldered her travel bag and walked off, looking back every few steps under the watchful eyes of the two elders.
The sky wasn't dark yet, and the last rays of sunset dyed the layered forests in color.
If she weren't walking alone through the silent mountain woods, and if her destination weren't a graveyard, the scenery would have been worth appreciating.
There were no longer any households in the mountains, and the deeper Bai Xianxian went, the more afraid she became. She'd wanted to video call a friend to chat and distract herself, but when she took out her phone, she saw there wasn't a single bar of signal in the mountains.
The sun was slowly setting, and Bai Xianxian didn't want to learn how to pitch a tent in the dark at the graveyard, so she quickened her pace while whimpering.
Whether it was psychological or not, the closer she got to that desolate stretch of wilderness, the lower the temperature seemed to drop. Bai Xianxian's entire back was soaked with cold sweat. Clutching the Six-Spirit Sword tightly, she recited the Golden Light Divine Mantra under her breath as she stepped past the first grave mound.
She'd been here twice as a child, and though she'd cried her heart out both times, she still remembered the place. There was a small flat area ahead where the cypress trees grew thick and lush—just the right spot to set up camp.
Only a trace of twilight remained at the horizon, casting scattered light over the uneven grave mounds. Wild grass swayed in the evening breeze. Without opening her Heavenly Eye, she couldn't actually see anything—the place was just a bit desolate and bleak, carrying something of the mood from Su Shi's verse: "A lone grave a thousand miles away, nowhere to speak of one's desolation."
Besides, she had the Six-Spirit Sword for protection. Never mind her being scared—those wandering spirits would be even more afraid of her.
If they got struck by that sword, their souls would be obliterated! Stay far away from her, stay far away!
But understanding was one thing, and fear was another. Even knowing full well that ghosts couldn't hurt her, it didn't lessen her terror of them one bit.
Bai Xianxian didn't dare look around at all. She took out the gear Third Elder had prepared for her. At least she was a mechanical engineering student with strong hands-on skills—after a glance at the instructions, she knew how to pitch the tent.
But she didn't dare let the Six-Spirit Sword leave her side. After thinking it over, she tucked it handle-down into her waistband.
Then she set to work pitching the tent with grunts of effort.
Behind a distant haystack she couldn't see, two old men crouched furtively, poking their heads out from either side to watch.
Third Elder: "She… she actually dares to stick the Six-Spirit Sword on her butt!!"
Second Elder: "………… Forget it, let her be. After all, it's her magical artifact now."
The two elders watched for a long while, and only after seeing her smoothly set up the tent, crawl inside to lay out her sleeping bag, and light the camp lantern did they finally sit back down with peace of mind.
Third Elder leaned against the haystack, pulled out the water pipe that First Elder usually smoked, looked at it, and chuckled. "Looks like our little Xian'er has truly made up her mind this time. I thought she might run away halfway."
Second Elder also smiled with relief.
Third Elder grabbed two handfuls of dry straw from the haystack, padded them beneath himself, and lay back comfortably, hands behind his head with one leg crossed over the other. "Big Brother's still the sharpest—that move of retreating to advance was brilliantly played."
He glanced at the empty spot beside him and winked. "If you'd really said your dying wish was for her to take over the family legacy, little Xian'er would have agreed, sure, but she wouldn't have done it as willingly as she is now."
In the twilight dusk, a faint shadow slowly materialized into a translucent form.
First Elder huffed angrily. "What do you mean 'retreating to advance'?! That was my genuine wish for little Xian'er! I refuse to use death to coerce her into doing something she doesn't want to do!"
Third Elder clicked his tongue twice. "Then why did you hide when she opened her Heavenly Eye to look for you? Isn't it because you were afraid it would shake her resolve? Old ginger is still the spiciest!"
First Elder made a move to strike him, and though he knew full well he couldn't land the blow, Third Elder still hurriedly dodged aside.
Second Elder shook his head with a smile and sighed softly. "Big Brother, tomorrow is your seventh day. After tomorrow, you'll have to report to the Underworld. Before you go, you should at least see Xianxian one last time."
First Elder said impatiently, "She'll just cry when she sees me. Can't be bothered!"
Despite his words, his expression carried a hint of loneliness as he said quietly, "After I'm gone, the Bai family and Xianxian will be in your hands."
The two elders were visibly moved.
First Elder then broke into a smile. "Still, being able to watch Xianxian take over the Bai family legacy means I can face our ancestors in the Underworld with my head held high!"
Third Elder mused, "With Big Brother's merits in life, you should at least earn the rank of Earth Immortal in the Underworld, right? Maybe there's still a chance we'll meet again someday."
As the three were chatting, a scream suddenly erupted from Bai Xianxian's direction.
The three hurriedly looked over and saw that a wild rabbit had darted out from who-knows-where, scaring Bai Xianxian into jumping around in place, shrieking "Mama ya!"
First Elder felt like he was about to die of anger a second time. "With courage like that, how can I leave in peace! That Spirit Monster I chased away from the courtyard gate the other day was just a bit ugly and not yet fully cultivated—and it still made her cry!"
Third Elder rubbed his aching head. "What else can we do? She'll practice and train, and one day her courage will grow."
Bai Xianxian, who had been scared to tears by a wild rabbit, had no idea that the three elders were watching over her from afar.
Night had fully fallen. The clear light of the moon fell upon the lonely grave mound, and in the empty, silent mountain forest there was only the sound of wind. Any sudden noise from anywhere was enough to send cold sweat pouring down her back.
Bai Xianxian quickly tidied up the campsite, poured insect repellent in a circle around the perimeter, then swiftly crawled into the tent, zipped it shut, and wrapped herself in her sleeping bag, refusing to open her eyes.
Camping, schmamping! Sleep, just sleep! When I wake up, I'm going down the mountain!
But anyone with half a brain could tell she wouldn't be able to sleep.
Not only could she not sleep, her hearing and sense of touch had become sharper than usual—as if she could even tell which direction the wind was blowing.
Somewhere among the grave mounds, the chirping of a cricket rose up, then faded into the rustling of wind through wild grass.
Bai Xianxian was drenched in sweat, and combined with her mind automatically conjuring eerie scenes, she felt like she was about to explode.
After half an hour of smothering herself in the sleeping bag, she finally couldn't take it anymore. Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, she sat up and simply began meditating with her eyes closed. The scriptures and incantations she'd read these past days swam through her mind like little tadpoles.
Bai Xianxian began reciting scriptures.
After finishing the Tao Te Ching, she moved on to the Nanhua Jing. After the Eight Great Divine Incantations, she recited the Celestial Master Divine Incantation. Whatever morning or evening prayers she knew—at this moment, any scripture that could keep her from being afraid was a good scripture!
But all around her, invisible to her eyes, several drifting, translucent lonely ghosts were nearly scared out of their wits.
Save us!
This person was already terrifying enough carrying a spirit-repelling sword that could blind them with a single glance—and now she'd started chanting scriptures! She was even reciting the Demon-Slaying and Ghost-Subduing Incantation!
She wasn't leaving them any way to survive!
Run, run! This place is no longer safe!
After a gust of eerie wind passed, the surroundings grew even more unnervingly quiet.
Bai Xianxian finished reciting every scripture she'd read over the past few days, and the nerves that had been taut all night finally relaxed somewhat. After the release of extreme tension, drowsiness immediately swept over her.
She yawned, hugged the Six-Spirit Sword, and burrowed into her sleeping bag.
Dark clouds covered the moonlight, then were blown away by the night wind.
No one knew how much time had passed, but in her sleep, Bai Xianxian suddenly heard screams and weeping drifting through the wind.
In the deep, dark night, it sounded like wailing ghosts and howling wolves—utterly terrifying.
Bai Xianxian bolted upright in one motion, her eyes wide as brass bells in the darkness, both hands gripping the hilt of the Six-Spirit Sword, ready to strike toward the tent flap at any moment.
The sound came in fits and starts, now present, now absent, as if drifting from an extremely distant place, impossible to pinpoint.
Even the three elders behind the haystack heard it.
Second Elder listened carefully for a moment. "Sounds like someone calling out. There are outsiders on this mountain?"
Third Elder hissed. "That shouldn't be possible?" He made as if to get up. "Let's go take a look."
First Elder, floating in the air beside them, reached out to stop him, jutting his chin forward. "No need. Little Xian'er is up."
The two looked ahead.
Sure enough, under the clear, quiet moonlight, Bai Xianxian shuffled out of the tent one hesitant step at a time, both hands gripping the Six-Spirit Sword in front of her, swallowing nervously.
She too could tell this sound wasn't a ghost's wail—it was the scream of a person in extreme terror.
Cough, well, she was fairly familiar with that kind of scream anyway…
Although she was scared, since she'd heard it, she naturally couldn't just stand by and do nothing. She did have the Six-Spirit Sword after all. If there were other people on this mountain, they might be in danger.
Bai Xianxian listened for a moment, pinpointed the direction of the sound, and holding the Six-Spirit Sword in one hand while pulling out the evil-warding talisman Second Elder had secretly slipped her before entering the mountain with the other, she hurried over.
After walking about ten-plus minutes across the potholed mountain terrain, the cries finally became clear.
Bai Xianxian stood on the hillside and looked down. Below was a hollow where several tents lay scattered at odd angles. The campfire that had been lit in the middle had already gone out. Seven or eight people were huddled together, trembling and clinging to one another beside the fire, and the screams were coming from them.
The voices that had drifted to Bai Xianxian's ears on the mountain wind had already gone hoarse from shouting, leaving only terrified sobs carrying over in broken bursts.
Bai Xianxian suddenly remembered Third Elder saying he'd run into a group of young people buying tents for camping in the county town today.
What had she said then?
Normal young people wouldn't camp on a mass grave!
Bai Xianxian looked at the grave mounds of all sizes rising around the hollow and thought that maybe young people these days really weren't quite normal.