[Bold, free-spirited, and assertive heroine × stern, old-fashioned, and defensive hero]
Eerie happenings plagued the banks of Baishi Shoal. Cattle and sheep were attacked, children went missing, and young adults fell ill. Since the start of winter, Baishi Village had lost all its former peace.
As the villagers prepared to brave the cold and move away with their families, a passing Daoist priest claimed to have inherited the art of ghost-hunting from a master and offered to help.
After he entered the village and performed his rites, the strange incidents abruptly stopped. The dark clouds parted beneath the sunlight, and the villagers were so grateful that they held a banquet with dishes contributed by every household to persuade him to stay.
Unable to refuse their hospitality, Lin Shechuan had no choice but to take his seat.
During the banquet, a gaze wrapped around him like a spider's thread and pulled him into its web. When he looked up, he saw a pale, haggard young woman.
"Her husband was killed by a ghost, and she's not quite right in the head herself," a tipsy villager whispered nearby.
After the banquet, that night, Lin Shechuan used the long journey ahead as an excuse to say goodbye to Baishi Village. The young widow followed him all the way to a dense forest in the mountains.
"Daoist Lin, please save me! That village is going to eat people! I'll fetch water and wash your clothes, anything you want!"
Daoist Lin was not one to smile, but he couldn't bring himself to intimidate someone so vulnerable. As he sighed, a sudden downpour began, and the widow followed him into a ruined temple to take shelter.
An unknown deity was enshrined in the temple. The widow leaned toward him and chuckled. "Daoist Lin, do you believe in gods?"
Before Lin Shechuan could answer, a peachwood sword suddenly pierced his chest!
"You have such refined features, yet you're so shameless!" The widow peeled off her disguise, revealing a lively, radiant face.
"You said you were a disciple of the Daoist Master Fuyin? I don't remember ever taking on such a fine disciple!"
The female ghost traveling with Zhuo Zhongqing could no longer hold back. She pointed at the uniquely shaped jade pendant hanging beside his sword tassel. "What's that?"
Zhuo Zhongqing smiled. "A cute little thing."
The pendant tugged at the sword, which suddenly shuddered.
Reading Guide:
1. Female top, male bottom. Both leads have typical male and female anatomy; no role reversal.
2. Contains mildly frightening elements.
3. This story is entirely fictional. The heroine is a Daoist priest, and the hero is an evil ghost. Anything involving ghost hunting or Daoism is made up by the author, so please don't take it seriously.
Theme: Caring for the world
