Chapter Thirty-Two: The Mysterious Town of Three Rivers

Jiang Pingchuan stood beside Zhou Fu and cleared his throat twice. Zhou Fu slapped his own forehead, let out an awkward "oh dear," and laughed dryly.

"I've been rambling on and left young brother Pingchuan out in the cold. My apologies, my apologies. Young brother Pingchuan is our honored guest—let us invite him to say a few words."

Clapping his hands, Zhou Fu once more drew the attention of all the diners to Jiang Pingchuan, and a round of applause followed from below.

Yet some people remained silent, as if they did not see Jiang Pingchuan as some master with supernatural abilities. Jiang Pingchuan noticed that among them was a burly man dressed in coarse homespun, who seemed particularly unimpressed.

"Master Zhou is too kind. Since childhood, I have cultivated the Way, not believing in ghosts or gods, but I cannot deny their existence either. Yet to ward off evil spirits, one cannot rely solely on ancestral blessings. It is the possession of vital energy—those with righteous vigor can naturally repel evil things. It is only those with crooked hearts or frail bodies who attract such misfortune."

Leaving his place, Jiang Pingchuan walked among the diners. Some looked up at him, hesitating to speak, while others paid him no heed at all. Even Zhou Fu's expression changed a bit when he heard Jiang Pingchuan claim not to believe in ghosts and gods. Still, considering Jiang Pingchuan's remarkable abilities, he held his tongue—after all, compared to himself, Jiang Pingchuan was the true expert here.

"I am new to this place and do not understand the customs of Sanjiang County. Should I say anything amiss, I beg your pardon. Perhaps some of you suspect me to be nothing more than a charlatan. But as the saying goes, pure gold does not fear the test of fire. Should any of you wish to test my abilities, feel free to voice your doubts."

Jiang Pingchuan could sense a cold undercurrent among the crowd—whether they opposed him for being an outsider or for being a cultivator, he could not tell.

What he did understand was what his elder brother Jiang Yulong had once told him: as long as he kept true intentions in his heart and possessed real skill, the opinions of others were of no consequence.

"Young brother Pingchuan, is it? I heard you cured Master Zhou's daughter. Though this may be true, one cannot help but suspect it was but a coincidence. I myself have never seen any ghosts or spirits since childhood. Since you claim to command such arts, surely summoning or banishing spirits must be second nature to you. Might you demonstrate your abilities for us here?"

A fair, scholarly young man with thick brows and bright eyes, brimming with bookish air, sat in his chair and looked at Jiang Pingchuan with great interest. Jiang Pingchuan glanced at this young man, who had introduced himself as Yu Shu, and smiled, shaking his head.

"My friend, it is not that you have never seen a spirit, but that you have mistaken such a being for a beautiful lady. If I am not mistaken, each night at midnight you see, by the lamplight, a lovely woman passing your window with a fan in hand, filling you with a spring-like joy and serenity."

Jiang Pingchuan approached Yu Shu, who was now looking unsettled, and spoke with a playful smile.

"Y-you... how do you know that...? No, that can't be..."

Yu Shu stammered nervously, his eyes unsettled. The surrounding diners, witnessing his reaction, were visibly shocked.

Clearly, whether Jiang Pingchuan's guess was accurate or not, Yu Shu's response alone made it almost certain there was truth behind it.

"Heh, no need to be nervous, my friend. It was merely a guess. Whether such a woman exists, only you and Heaven know. Still, let me offer you a word of warning—be cautious."

Jiang Pingchuan took Yu Shu's chopsticks and rapped them gently on Yu Shu's bowl. The clear, ringing sound seemed to snap Yu Shu from his daze, as clarity returned to his eyes.

Seeing that Jiang Pingchuan had moved away, Yu Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at him with lingering fear.

Jiang Pingchuan merely smiled. Exorcising evil spirits was the duty of a Maoshan cultivator, but he had no intention of meddling in Yu Shu's affairs. After all, he could tell that the woman meant Yu Shu no harm. As long as Yu Shu harbored no improper thoughts and did not couple with her, he would not suffer any harm.

Jiang Pingchuan moved on toward the burly man sitting in the corner. This man, though powerfully built, was strikingly ugly, with thick lips and flared nostrils, narrow, sinister eyes, and heavy brows that inspired a certain aversion in others. Yet that was not what had drawn Jiang Pingchuan's attention.

It was that, when Jiang Pingchuan mentioned Yu Shu seeing a beautiful woman each night, this man had visibly shuddered.

When Jiang Pingchuan looked over, he noticed a darkness between the man's brows, a lifeless gaze, and a sallow, pallid cast to his dusky face—he seemed completely drained of vitality. Seeing Jiang Pingchuan approach, the man quickly bowed his head, avoiding his gaze.

"Hey, young brother Pingchuan, young brother Pingchuan! My name is Wang Daniu. Lately my wife has been acting strange and refuses to go outside. Whenever she sees sunlight, she starts shrieking like she's possessed. Do you have any idea what might be causing this?"

Just as Jiang Pingchuan was about to approach the burly man in the corner, someone called out to him from behind. Turning, he saw it was the same honest-faced, swarthy man in coarse clothing who had earlier seemed indifferent to him.

"If you trust me, I am willing to come to your house and see for myself," Jiang Pingchuan replied to Wang Daniu with a smile, feeling it was necessary to prove his abilities to these people and show that he was no charlatan.

At the same time, he wanted to warn the villagers not to become entangled with spirits for too long, lest disaster befall them.

"No need for formality, brother Pingchuan. Just call me Daniu. Come, let's go now and take a look at my wife," Wang Daniu said happily, clearly relieved that Jiang Pingchuan had agreed to visit his home. The other diners, hearing this, grew interested as well.

Jiang Pingchuan surveyed the faces in the noodle shop and could guess what was on their minds, which was exactly what he wanted. He needed these people to recognize him. Only by gaining their trust could he learn more about the secrets of this unfamiliar town.

He knew that Zhou Ning'er was not in immediate danger, but the true culprit had not yet been found. As long as that person remained at large, Zhou Ning'er would surely be targeted again.

"If any of you are interested, you are welcome to come with me to Daniu's home and see for yourselves. It may put your doubts to rest," Jiang Pingchuan said, clasping his fists and smiling at the crowd.

At his words, many diners rose, eager to follow him to Wang Daniu's house and witness the situation with his supposedly mad wife. Jiang Pingchuan noticed that only Yu Shu and the burly man in the corner kept their heads down, eating their noodles, ignoring the invitation.

He understood that both of them had matters of their own, but he was in no hurry. In time, when they realized the error of their ways, they would come to seek him out.

Seeing Jiang Pingchuan invite the diners to his home, Wang Daniu, who had been nervous, felt his worries ease considerably. He had only asked Jiang Pingchuan to come and look at his wife on a whim, not knowing what had truly afflicted her.

Now that Jiang Pingchuan publicly invited everyone to witness, Wang Daniu felt sure that he must be confident in finding the cause of his wife's illness—otherwise, who would bring such a crowd to watch him make a fool of himself?