Xu Hexian chased after the ghost. From her petite, shorter frame he could tell she was female and though she had her back turned to him…
He shook his head. It was probably just his imagination going wild.
The ghost rounded the bend and he went after her, cursing beneath his breath. She was so fast for a small undead thing! But Xu Hexian was faster by the slightest and was slowly but surely gaining on her.
She made her way towards the canal and up the bridge. He was so close just an hand's length away! Xu Hexian reached out, his fingers just grazing the fabric on her shoulder. She flinched and growled, twisting away from his hold.
A decaying, ugly face growled at him but his attention was caught downwards! The ghost used her monstrous strength to push him away and then she hopped right over the railing and down into the canal. The ice shattered underneath her and the ghost disappeared into the water.
Xu Hexian fell on his ass. And he sat there on the ground dumbstruck.
Where those even real!? Those…jugs!
…
The Liu brothers had managed to find the young man's home. He was still living with his old mother, who raised him alone in a tiny home along the edge of the village. She eagerly invited them inside and offered them tea. Inside her home, the two Liu brothers gave the young ma, another once over to make sure nothing was wrong.
He had some bruising around his wrist and abdomen His energy was drained by the spirit but it was hardly life-threatening. Given some rest, he would be quick to make a recovery, Liu Suye explained to the old madam. The old madam scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. "Of course, this stupid boy gets himself into this situation. I told him to be careful but he thinks he's invincible! Who does he think he is? Some infallible Young Master? He's just a trash kid from the village who needs to pay attention to his surroundings!"
Liu Sumeng didn't particularly understand what the old woman was rambling about but he could tell that she wasn't extremely concerned. He had a feeling that the woman was familiar with the pattern so he couldn't help but ask, "Has this been happening in the village?"
The old madam grumbled and crossed her frail arms. She sat down with them in the cramped room, lit only by lantern light. "Yes. This stupid boy makes the fifth case!"
"Five? That's quite a lot." Liu Suye noted with furrowed brows, "Why haven't you notified the Heavenly Sword Sect about it?"
She shrugged, "Nothing serious has happened yet. I guess that's why folks haven't really bothered."
"Can you tell us more about it?" Liu Sumeng asked.
But his question was interrupted by rapping on the door. Xu Hexian's urgent voice could be heard from the other side, "I know you guys are in there! Let me in!"
The Liu brothers shared a look, at first alarmed. They quickly welcomed Xu Hexian inside. "What happened?" Liu Suye asked, taking in Xu Hexian's frantic appearance.
Xu Hexian stumbled inside and made wide hand gestures, "I let her get away…she jumped into the canal! But more importantly…!"
Liu Sumeng and Liu Suye listened.
"Her breasts! She had gigantic breasts!"
…
And thus, Xu Hexian recounted his encounter with the ghost with the giant breasts. "She had gigantic breasts!" Xu Hexian cried for the umpteenth time and Liu Sumeng was about the shove his boot into the boy's mouth. But he tried to focus more on the important details of Xu Hexian's story. Like how the ghost didn't seem particularly aggressive and was smart enough to leap into the canal to avoid danger.
"I know which slut you're talking about!" The old madam cut in after watching Xu Hexian make circular motions in front of his chest. "It's that bitch Qun Tao. Oh, I knew it was that bitch."
Liu Suye frowned but he urged her to continue, "Oh? Can you tell us a little about this Qun Tao? Did your son know her personally?"
The old woman shook her head, "No, my son isn't into dirty women like her. He only likes young pure things. I already have a good match for him. It pisses me off knowing that ugly, old whore put her dirty hands on him!
"You see, this Qun Tao bitch was a thief at a very young age. There was a kind Young Master that took fancy to her and guess what she did? She took advantage of his feelings to steal his money! After her bitch personality was exposed, no man wanted her. But she still stuck around to harass the men in the village. Does that bitch have no face? It seems that even after death she's still after what she can't have!"
Liu Sumeng frowned. He couldn't help but feel like there was something off about this story. So he asked, "How did she die?"
The old woman shook her head, "That swine saw a fitting end, she did. The last young man she was after, pitied her and tried to take her in when she was out on the streets. But a swine is a swine to the end and she couldn't understand gratefulness. And instead of thanking him, she tried to stab him in his sleep! In self-defense, he stabbed her back and ended up killing her. The poor man. He's a good man and felt very guilty afterward but who could blame him? It wasn't his fault!"
Feeling like they weren't going to get any more useful information from her, the three cultivators bid her farewell. The young man only needed rest to get better so they had no reason to overstay their welcome.
It was already well into the night so the three cultivators made their way back to the manor. It was close enough that it didn't warrant staying in the village overnight. They could simply return the next day and resume their investigation.
"What do you think about the old lady's story?" Xu Hexian kicked a pebble along the road as he walked.
Liu Sumeng ignored his childish actions and continued forward in brisk strides, "Odd."
Liu Suye followed his younger brother's lead and nodded in agreement, "There were some things that didn't make sense. Though I don't think the old woman was trying to omit anything on purpose. I think she believed every word she said to us."
Xu Hexian hummed. The gates slowly crept up from below the horizon with two lanterns placed at either side welcomed the three friends back home. "Yeah. If that guy really killed her like that…don't you think she'd try to get revenge?"
It was indeed odd. If the story had been one of nothing but truths then the ghost of Qun Tao should be extremely resentment, filled with angst and the desire to enact revenge.
But five attacks and not a single fatality did not fit the narrative well. Not to mention she wasn't every aggressive while being chased off by Xu Hexian. There was obviously something missing in the story.
"I guess we'll have to find out tomorrow," Liu Suye yawned. They said their goodbyes and retired to their respective rooms.
The following day, the three friends met up again and this time headed down to the village early in the morning, when the air had yet to fully thaw and the warmth from the sun was weak.
In the morning, the village was just waking up. While in summer months, it would already be lively at this hour, with the chill of winter the streets were quieter and shopkeepers opened their doors much later. The three friends stood at a crossroad and deliberated their plans.
"Shall we split?" Liu Suye put his hand on his hips and glanced at his companions. "A-Cai best go see if you can find trails of her from last night. A-Chao and I will ask around the village for more information about Qun Tao from when she was alive."
"Huh!?" Xu Hexian whined in protest. "How come I have to do the dirty work? Plus, I'm good at talking to others! Why should you take Meng-xiong with you! That's not fair."
Liu Sumeng glared. Xu Hexian might have had a point but it didn't mean he had to be so blunt about it. Liu Sumeng had been trying his best at talking to others and improving his communication skills.
Liu Suye just shrugged, uncaring about the other two's personal grievances. He explained his idea with calm logic, "You're the one that ran after her last night, so you have the best idea about where she could have gone. You also have a better idea of what she looks like."
"I mean! She just looks like a corpse. With giant boobs! It's not hard to miss! So why does it have to be me?"
Liu Suye slapped a hand on Xu Hexian's shoulder. "Listen, A-Cai! You're good at talking and I'm good at talking. And A-Chao is good at looking scary. Do you see what I'm getting at?"
An icy glare shot Liu Suye's way. "What?"
The other two stared at the younger Liu. Suye shrugged, "See what I mean?"
Shoulders sagged, Xu Hexian could do nothing but admit defeat. "You're right. Dammit. I guess I'll go look for that big titty ghost!" He rolled up his sleeve as a show of enthusiasm before stomping off.
Liu Sumeng wondered if he was going to be okay.
As if reading his thoughts, Liu Suye mused, "That ghost isn't too dangerous so nothing too bad should happen to our little A-Cai." He emphasized the 'too' a little bit strong for Liu Sumeng's liking but Liu Sumeng supposed his older brother had a point.
Shrugging off the thought, they embarked on their investigation of this Qun Tao character. The first stop was the man that was said to be her killer. Ghosts weren't always very good at recognizing people, but if he still lived in the same place as he did before then he should have been her first target. Should have been.
The two brothers were pointed to a quaint house, a shoemaker's house they were told. He was a widowed man in years past his prime and not what Liu Sumeng was expecting to meet. The man was reluctant to allow the cultivators indoors and met them at the entrance of his home. His back was hunched and his expression molded into one of permanent sadness.
He sighed, deep and exasperated, "Qun Tao? Ah…Qun Tao. A pitiful girl. She was so pitiful. I can't stop feeling sorry for her. It really wasn't my fault you know? It wasn't my fault… I didn't do anything wrong…" But the way his voice was faltered and how he refused to meet any of their eyes made Liu Sumeng believe otherwise.
He crossed his arms and allowed his brother, the one with gentler words, to do the talking. "Have you heard about the recent attacks on the young men in the village?"
The shoemaker's lidded eyes went momentarily wide, "The attacks? Was that Qun Tao…? Oh…I see…how pitiful. It really wasn't my fault though. I did what I had to do so…"
Liu Sumeng's lips were pulled down in the slightest of scowls, "Has Qun Tao appeared here?"
The man shook his head like a wet dog, "No…no. Qun Tao hasn't come. She hasn't come at all... That must mean she's forgiven me right…?"
The Liu brothers both frowned and shared a look before moving on.
"What do you think?" Liu Suye stroked his chin in thought.
"He's hiding something."
"I think so too. The question is now what…"
It was definitely weird. Under all accounts, the shoemaker was definitely the one that ended Qun Tao's life. But that would mean he should have been her first and only target for revenge! And if it wasn't revenge that she was after then what could it be?
The next people they went to interrogate were the victims attacked by Qun Tao. They weren't difficult to find, the inhabitants in the village were familiar with the Heavenly Sword Sect Young Masters and readily pointed them in the right direction.
After the third victim had been questioned, a very clear pattern was beginning to emerge in regards to her targets!
They were all relatively attractive young men. Single and unattached as well…
Virginal!