The meals of the wealthy were truly something else; even the food of immortals couldn’t be much better than this, right?

By the time they reached the Junzi Pavilion, where the young master of the Wang family resided, Ji Linxi had gathered just about everything he wanted to know.

“It was that wretched girl who didn’t know what was good for her. I wanted to treat her well, but she insulted me, cursed me, and even stabbed me with her hairpin! I… I was just a little rough with her in a fit of anger.”

Oh, so it seems his attempt at assault was met with resistance. Humiliated and enraged, he tried to force himself on her. In her furious struggle, the girl wounded him with a hairpin, and as a result, she was subjected to utterly inhumane treatment.

“I just accidentally pushed her. Who could have known she would hit her head on the table and die just like that?”

Hmm. So after violating her, his resentment wasn’t satisfied, so he grabbed the girl by the head and smashed it against the table until she died.

“I repented afterward! I burned plenty of joss paper for her and even hired people to perform rites to help her cross over, hoping she’d be reborn into a good family in her next life. Who would have thought she’d turn into a vengeful spirit and come after me? My sins don’t warrant this, Daoist!”

So, after killing her, he desecrated the corpse. Knowing his actions were monstrous, he hired someone to perform a ritual, aiming to scatter the girl’s soul and ensure she could never be reincarnated. But the ritual unexpectedly failed, and the “ghost” came knocking at his door anyway.

What “sins don’t warrant this”? If that girl had truly turned into a malicious spirit after her death, you wouldn’t be standing here alive right now. Your body, along with your parents’, would be scattered in pieces all across the estate.

Having deduced the entire truth of the matter, Ji Linxi said aloud, “If that is truly the case, her resentment is overwhelmingly deep. To prevent her from harming more people, she must be dealt with immediately.”

Master Wang, Madam Wang, and Young Master Wang were overjoyed. “Daoist Chu! Can you really get rid of her?!”

Ji Linxi shook his head. “It’s hard to say. I must investigate the area first. Master Wang, Madam Wang, Young Master Wang—the resentment here is incredibly thick. A mortal body staying here for even a short time will become entangled with it. At best, it will cause physical illness; at worst, a bloody disaster upon stepping outside. The three of you should keep your distance for the time being.”

The family hastily retreated outside the courtyard, leaving the servants behind with orders to assist Ji Linxi, this swindling, fake Daoist.

Ji Linxi glanced at the servants without a change in expression, leading them room by room to inspect the courtyard. In the bedroom, he appeared to be searching with deep concentration. In reality, he was using his peripheral vision to watch the servants’ expressions and movements through a bronze mirror.

All the servants were trembling, clearly terrified.

However, Ji Linxi had grown up fighting for survival in the streets and alleys; reading people and noticing subtle details were his greatest strengths. One of the servants seemed afraid but kept his head completely lowered. The others would at least sneak an occasional, curious peek at Ji Linxi, but this particular servant never glanced up once from beginning to end. He merely stood with his back hunched, yet even in that hunched posture, there was a subtle, distinctive vibe about him that set him apart from the rest.

He withdrew his gaze and put on a show of inspecting the area a bit more. After checking a few more side rooms, he adopted an expression of absolute confidence. “Alright, that’s enough.”

With that, he strode out of the room.

“Master Wang, Madam Wang, Young Master Wang.”

“How is it, Daoist Chu?” Madam Wang asked nervously, pressing close to her husband.

“This ghost is exceedingly fierce.” Ji Linxi now wanted far more than five hundred taels of silver—how could five hundred taels possibly satisfy a glutton like him? “I need to set up an array to weaken her resentment. This array is my sect’s exclusive secret technique, named ‘A Fleeting Dream of Mortal Life’. It requires two catties of glutinous rice, three bowls of chicken blood, six roasted chickens, and one roasted suckling pig. Bear in mind, the roasted chickens must be whole with their innards removed, and the suckling pig must be neatly sliced after roasting.”

“The glutinous rice and chicken blood, combined with my ultimate pure-yang blood, will trap the malicious spirit and prevent her from escaping. The roasted chickens and suckling pig are offerings. Once sprinkled with my talisman water, the spirit will be able to consume them. By eating your offerings and accepting your gifts, her resentment will subside somewhat.”

“These six roasted chickens and the suckling pig must be delivered to the core of the array every single day. By the night of the third day, provided there are no accidents, her resentment will be drastically weakened, and I will be able to step in and suppress her.”

“In addition, we will need Young Master Wang’s blood.”

“A deep blood feud has been forged between Young Master Wang and this girl. He must provide a bowl of fresh blood daily to be sent into the array alongside the offerings. The young master’s blood will help placate the vengeful spirit.”

Hearing that he had to bleed himself—and a whole bowl every day at that—Young Master Wang immediately refused.

“Why should I?! You quack Daoist! How dare you tell me to bleed! Do you know how noble my status is?! You actually dare ask me to bleed for some filthy commoner!”

Master and Madam Wang also looked hesitant. Madam Wang, her eyes brimming with tears, pleaded, “Daoist Chu, my son is delicate. A bowl of blood every day for three days in a row… wouldn’t that take his life?”

Ji Linxi’s expression instantly turned cold. “Since he is so delicate and unwilling, then Master and Madam Wang can rely on the other Daoist priest. I will take my leave. It just so happens I have pressing matters to attend to anyway. I don’t need this sin-stained merit.”

“I only hope that Daoist truly has the skill to eradicate this malicious ghost for you. As time passes, her resentment will only grow stronger. When that time comes, I’m afraid the entire Wang family, along with every servant in the inner courtyard, won’t be able to escape. You’ll end up just like the Li family of Chicheng.”

Half a month ago, County Magistrate Li’s entire family in Chicheng had died violently overnight. Along with them, every servant in their inner courtyard had perished.

Rumor had it that the state of their corpses was too gruesome to bear, and word on the street was that a vengeful spirit had come to claim their lives.

After dropping that warning, he hoisted his bamboo basket and turned to leave without looking back, showing not the slightest hesitation. Young Master Wang was still shouting behind him, telling him to get lost before he had him beaten to death.

Just as Ji Linxi reached the corridor archway and was about to step through, Master Wang gritted his teeth and chased after him. “Daoist Chu, wait! As long as my son is safe in the end, if he must bleed, then he will bleed!”

“Father!! Don’t tell me you actually believe him?!” Young Master Wang stared at his father in disbelief. That was three bowls of blood! After draining all that, how was he supposed to have the energy to go to the Yihong Brothel and visit the girls?

“You unfilial son, shut your mouth!” Master Wang glared at him. But when he turned back to Ji Linxi, his face was piled high with an amiable smile. “Daoist Chu, you’ve been working hard for so long, you must be starving. Let us eat breakfast first before we handle the array.”

By the time they finished breakfast and set up the array, the other Daoist would have arrived. Right now, it was best to placate this one. If he actually had real skills and was allowed to leave, who would save his son? If he was a fraud, once the other priest arrived, a comparison between the two would easily expose any flaws.

Ji Linxi gave him a sideways glance, but he stopped walking.

The group returned to the front hall. Madam Wang ordered the food to be served, and a line of servants carrying platters filed in one after another.

One dish, two dishes, three dishes, four dishes, five dishes…

While no one was looking, Ji Linxi fiercely swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Damn these rich bastards! Eating eighteen dishes for a single meal! Yet they only wanted to spend five hundred taels to hire a Daoist priest. How incredibly stingy! So stingy!

He was so famished his stomach was rumbling. He wanted nothing more than to throw himself onto the table and use both hands to frantically shove food into his mouth. Yet, he forced himself to maintain a breezy, aloof facade, pretending to view these worldly delicacies as nothing more than passing clouds.

“Daoist Chu, please—”

A freshly scooped bowl of rice was placed in front of him.

Ji Linxi nodded, giving a calm hum of acknowledgment. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks but waited until Master Wang, Madam Wang, and several quiet concubines had begun to eat before taking his first bite.

Half an incense stick’s time later, he set down his bowl and chopsticks and politely said, “This humble Daoist is finished. Please, take your time.”

Young Master Wang stared at the table, where ninety percent of the food had been utterly decimated, and the corner of his eye twitched.

Take our time? Is there anything left to take?!

Has this stinking Daoist never seen a meal before? His chopsticks never stopped moving. In the time it took me to take one bite, this bastard had taken four!

“Father…” I told you he was just a swindling quack here for a free meal…

Master Wang silenced him with a sharp look. Turning back to Ji Linxi, he smiled and said, “If you aren’t full, Daoist, I can have the kitchen prepare a few more dishes.”

Ji Linxi shook his head slightly. “This is sufficient. Setting up the array and drawing upon pure-yang blood will consume a great deal of energy, so I needed to eat a bit more. This amount is just right.”

“I see.” Master Wang nodded. “Then… about the array…”

“We shall begin now.” Ji Linxi didn’t delay. Under the table, his hand discreetly rubbed his bulging stomach as he slowly stood up.

He had eaten way too much. His stomach actually hurt a little.

The meals of the wealthy were truly something else; even the food of immortals couldn’t be much better than this, right?