Chapter 157: Running into a Ghost for the First Time...

Xu Boqing nodded thoughtfully and said, "Indeed, we should be a bit more careful."

"Ah, why bring up those unpleasant things..."

Xu Da slapped his forehead as if suddenly remembering something. "It's rare for you to visit. Today, the two of us brothers must have a proper drink together."

With that, he got up and walked into the kitchen, returning with two plates of cold appetizers meant to accompany wine. He then brought out two jars of aged wine, broke the clay seals, and poured the liquor into separate bowls.

"Brother Qing, come, let's drink!"

Before the hot dishes were even served, he urged Xu Boqing over to the table and began drinking along with the cold plates...

The two of them chatted idly about household matters...

For some reason, Xu Da cast his gaze upon the black cat resting in his cousin's arms.

Noticing not only its glossy and smooth fur but also its pair of heterochromatic eyes, which looked quite eerie and enchanting, he smacked his lips after taking a sip of wine and exclaimed, "Brother Qing, the cat you're keeping is truly gorgeous..."

"It's alright, just alright."

Xu Boqing gently scratched the little cat under its chin...

Hearing someone praise her beauty, Miaojing immediately raised her head and let out a rather haughty "Meow~".

She thought to herself that as her master's cousin, he certainly had good taste!

"Oh, quite responsive to human nature..."

Seeing the black cat's arrogant posture, Xu Da clicked his tongue, looked at his cousin, and asked, "Brother Qing, is this cat a male or a female?"

"..."

Xu Boqing could feel the little cat's body stiffen in his arms. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. After a brief pause, he answered, "It's... female..."

"You scholars always talk in circles. A she-cat is a she-cat, why must you call it female..."

Miaojing: "..."

Xu Boqing: "..."

"Drink!"

Xu Da raised his bowl of wine and drank, then glanced at the somewhat irritated black cat, smacking his lips as he said, "Tsk tsk tsk, look at that, Brother Qing, your cat is even glaring at me..."

"..."

Xu Boqing placed the cat from his arms onto his lap and teased with a bantering tone, "My cat understands human speech. When you said it was female, it got upset."

"Hahaha~"

Xu Da let out a hearty chuckle and then smiled, "Not only is this cat pretty and smart, but when it has kittens in the future, Brother Qing, you simply must reserve one for me..."

"..."

Miaojing's feline face was filled with annoyance and embarrassment as she meowed continuously and tried to climb back onto the table...

However, the moment she poked her head up...

She was pressed back down by her master's large hand.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this..."

Xu Boqing laughed awkwardly, stroking the cat's head to comfort it, and then hurriedly raised his wine bowl. "It's rare to come share a meal and drinks, come on, let's drink, let's drink."

"Cheers!!"

Shortly after...

Aunt Li served hot dish after hot dish onto the table, and the younger sister-in-law joined them with her heavily pregnant belly. Together, they chatted about family matters and neighborhood gossip...

The sky quickly grew dim...

Since the original purpose was just to let Miaojing get familiar with the place and share a meal, once he was well-fed and warmed by wine, Xu Boqing excused himself on the grounds that he could not stay long outside the palace.

Xu Da and his family knew that their cousin had duties in the palace and could not remain away for long, so they did not press him to stay...

Noticing that the little cat in his arms was sullen and hardly spoke the entire way back, Xu Boqing realized that its psyche had suffered a "heavy blow" at the dinner table.

Therefore, he spent the entire walk back to the palace comforting it...

Meanwhile, Miaojing wore an aggrieved expression, muttering resentfully, "Master said this disciple is female, and even wants this disciple to give birth to kittens and give them away..."

"Pfft... hehehe..."

"Master, you're still laughing..."

"Don't be upset, don't be upset~"

Xu Boqing suppressed his smile and consoled her, "He didn't know you've attained sentience and thought you were just an ordinary little cat. When we get back, you must cultivate diligently. Once you take human form, there won't be any such misunderstandings."

"Hmph..."

Seeing the full amusement on her master's face, Miaojing turned her head away in a haughty manner...

The crying child gets the milk...

She wasn't genuinely angry; she merely wanted to use this opportunity to increase her standing in her master's heart, just in case that senior martial sister really showed up later, causing her to lose favor and no longer be valued by her master.

Her little scheme was clicking away...

In her heart, she was also secretly pleased...

Then, as if noticing something, her cat-like eyes shifted with a start of surprise, and she murmured softly, "Master, there is a little ghost over there..."

"Hm?"

Xu Boqing was similarly surprised upon hearing this. Maintaining his gaze straight ahead, he slowed his pace and secretly channeled his Heavenly Vision to glance in the direction Miaojing was looking...

The sky was already dusk...

Under the enhancement of his Heavenly Vision, he noticed something unusual near the entrance of a tea house in the distance. Within the shadows, a semi-transparent phantom seemed to be hugging the wall and shuffling along...

That phantom was clutching a money pouch, moving cautiously along the wall toward a nearby alleyway as if afraid of being discovered...

Because it was late and the little ghost was hugging the wall, ordinary people would find it extremely difficult to spot such an anomaly.

"Tsk tsk, so this is a ghost?"

Xu Boqing clicked his tongue playfully. Having seen plenty of demons and monsters, this was truly his first time seeing a netherworld spirit...

Moreover, judging by the money pouch clutched in its hand and the cautious posture born of fear of being discovered, it didn't look like a typical ghost...

It looked more like... a thief!

"This little ghost possesses no cultivation..."

Miaojing said softly, "This disciple has heard that there are some Daoist practitioners in the mortal world skilled in raising nether spirits to transport wealth, living lives of leisure without ever worrying about food and clothing..."

"The Five Ghosts Wealth-Transporting Technique?"

Xu Boqing was slightly stunned, instantly associating it with the common spells found in the dramas and vernacular tales of his previous life. Then, as if recalling something, he shook his head.

"No..."

"Ah?"

Miaojing was left completely baffled, looking up at her master with a blank expression as she asked, "Master, what is the Five Ghosts Wealth-Transporting Technique?"

"A minor magic art..."

Xu Boqing shook his head, explaining, "The Five Ghosts Wealth-Transporting Technique can summon five nether generals, or rather, five little ghosts, who can bypass doors and locks, unseal chests and boxes, and take other people's wealth without a sound. Just as you mentioned earlier, those who know this art can achieve sudden immense wealth without doing any honest labor..."

"Ah, this..."

Miaojing was clearly hearing of such magic for the first time. She blinked and asked, "Does Master mean someone is secretly using this technique?"

"It looks like it, but probably not..."

Xu Boqing shook his head, saying, "This little ghost is clutching a small money pouch; even if it were entirely filled with gold, it would amount to at most a dozen taels... Furthermore, this spirit is hugging the wall and shuffling along like a common thief terrified of being exposed. How could it compare to the nether generals summoned by the true Five Ghosts Wealth-Transporting Technique?"

"How wondrous and varied the techniques of this world are~"

Miaojing nodded in sudden enlightenment. Seeing that the little ghost had already slipped into the alley, she asked, "Master, should we follow and take a look?"

"Wealth-transporting by a ghost is never the right path. Since we've seen it, we cannot simply ignore it."

Xu Boqing nodded slightly. Watching the little ghost slip into the alley, he followed silently behind...

As soon as he stepped into the narrow alley, he saw a youth rummaging through the money pouch, while the little thief ghost stood right beside him...

He knew that the ghost couldn't possibly steal money for no reason; someone must be orchestrating it from behind the scenes.

What he hadn't expected, however, was that the mastermind manipulating the ghost would turn out to be a mere youth, and even more surprisingly, it was someone he had actually met before!

Back when he encountered the Duan brothers on the street, he had been momentarily lost in thought, and upon snapping back to reality, he discovered his own money pouch was gone. Later, upon his reminder, the thief had been caught by Duan Yuanze and subsequently handed over to the Inspection Bureau to be locked away in the dungeon.

And this young man orchestrating the ghost to transport wealth happened to be none other than the arrogant little thief who had stolen his money that day!

The young thief clearly hadn't expected anyone to enter this alley. Eye to eye, he stared in shock at Xu Boqing. After a brief moment of stupefaction, he seemed to snap back to senses...

Clutching the money pouch, he turned tail and ran for his life!!

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a fateful encounter..."

Watching his flustered fleeing figure, Xu Boqing gave a casual wave of his hand. Instantly, both the young thief and the little ghost beside him froze in place, letting out gasps of alarm as they flew backward through the air.

With a flick of his finger at the youth's body, he sealed his meridians, then turned his gaze toward the nether spirit...

Seeing the little ghost still struggling, as if attempting some dark trick, he channeled his internal energy and sternly reprimanded, "Move again and I will scatter your soul!"

"..."

The ghost's body stiffened at the shout, nearly failing to maintain its spectral form, its face filled with terror...

Meanwhile, the paralyzed young thief wore an expression of utter shock, stammering, "You... you can see him?"

"If you can see him, why can't I?"

Xu Boqing turned the young thief's head toward him, wearing a playful expression as he said, "Little fellow, what you did goes far beyond mere 'practice makes perfect'."

"..."

Hearing this, the young thief was momentarily stunned. Looking at the person who had captured him, he seemed to recall something, widened his eyes, and cried out, "It's you?"

"Remembered?"

Xu Boqing nodded slightly, smacking his lips. "That sentence of yours—'practice makes perfect', and 'none of your damned business'—left quite a deep impression on me."

"..."

Realizing that his whole body was paralyzed, with only his eyes and mouth able to move, and seeing the little ghost scared nearly to the point of soul-dissolution, the young thief understood that he had run into a true master of the arcane.

Knowing he was outmatched and having no intention of playing the tough guy, he immediately pleaded for mercy: "Senior, I was blind and unwittingly offended you. Please be magnanimous, treat me like a passing fart, and let me go..."

At the end, he added with a crying tone, "I swear, I will never dare do it again..."

"Never dare do it again?"

Xu Boqing snorted coldly. "If I recall correctly, you should be eating prison food in the dungeon right now. How did you get out!?"

The young thief replied stutteringly, "I... I bought my way out with money."

"You were locked in the dungeon, and yet you still had money to redeem yourself?"

"I stole it..."

"Dishonest!"

Seeing that the young thief refused to tell the truth, Xu Boqing snorted coldly and reached out, making a grabbing motion in the empty air toward the little ghost beside him.

The ghost let out a piercing shriek as its spectral form was kneaded into a ball like a piece of dough. Furthermore, that "dough ball" was squeezed tighter and tighter until it was compressed into a black sphere no larger than a lychee fruit.

"..."

Seeing his partner turned into a little black ball being toyed with in someone else's hand, the young thief froze in place, utterly dumbfounded and unable to utter a single word...

"Since the dungeon couldn't keep you, I'd like to see if the Heavenly Prison can!"

Xu Boqing put Miaojing down from his arms, gave her a look that meant "you go on ahead first," and then dragged the young thief toward the Heavenly Prison...

Realizing her master knew the thief, and since it was already dark, Miaojing didn't say much more. She simply trotted back to King Jing's residence on feline paws...

The Heavenly Prison remained just as it always had...

Hearing that the long-absent Grand Supervisor Xu had arrived, Warden Hu hurriedly rushed out to welcome him with his trusted subordinates.

Cupping his fists from afar, he saluted and said, "This humble subordinate did not know Supervisor Xu was gracing us with his presence, failing to welcome you properly. Please punish me, Supervisor."

Seeing that Warden Hu's cautious demeanor had never changed, Xu Boqing smiled and said, "It has been many days, Warden Hu. Trust you have been well?"

"Eating and sleeping well, thank you for your concern, Supervisor."

Warden Hu, wise and aged in the ways of officialdom, noticed the vacant-looking young man the supervisor was dragging and his eyes shifted inquisitively. "Supervisor, has this young fellow broken the law?"

"A stubborn little thief."

Xu Boqing shot him a meaningful look, then tapped the young thief's body a few times more before handing him over to the nearby prison guards.

"This little thief is rather peculiar and might understand some Daoist arts. You needn't worry, though; I've already sealed his meridians, so he shouldn't be able to move for a few days."

"Then what are the Supervisor's instructions?"

"Interrogate him thoroughly. This fellow has a stiff tongue, just make sure you don't beat him to death..."

"Supervisor, rest assured..."

Having caught that look, Warden Hu immediately understood and replied, "This humble subordinate is in this exact line of work. To say the least, I have hundreds of ways to make someone wish they were dead. Things like driving bamboo skewers under fingernails, carving wounds to feed blood leeches, or peeling back the scalp to pour in liquid mercury—those are tasks I am far too familiar with... The only one with a bit of difficulty is the thousand-cuts execution, which requires slicing off over three thousand pieces of flesh without letting the bones show any meat, all while keeping the person alive. While I cannot guarantee perfection with over three thousand cuts, two thousand or so should pose no problem..."

"Mhm..."

Xu Boqing nodded slightly, glanced at the young thief, and said, "Then I'll leave this little thief in your hands. I'll come back in a few days."

"You may rest completely assured, Supervisor..."

Warden Hu patted his chest in guarantee. "I stake my position as warden on this: even if he has an iron-forged tongue, once he takes a turn through my Heavenly Prison, he will spill everything."

"Good..."

The young thief was not old, and hearing Warden Hu's words, his mind inevitably conjured up all sorts of horrific tortures being inflicted upon his body...

He was so terrified that his face turned as pale as gold and his lips lost all color.

Seeing the man who had dragged him here turn to leave, he hesitated no longer and hurriedly shouted, "Don't leave, I'll talk!! I'll talk!! Don't leave, please!"

"..."