Chapter 97: The Authentic Art of the Strongman

“Ah, is this really jiaozi?”

Startled, Lady Xi stared in disbelief at the two silver notes in Shen Shi’s hand.

Everyone had heard tales of strange legends, but to actually see them—and to use silver notes no less—was truly astonishing.

“How… how could this be? Just now, I clearly saw two man-eating demons.”

Shen Shi said, “It was an illusion, a trick of magic; not real.”

“So there really is magic in the world.” Lady Xi patted Bear Da, still shaken but now with a hint of anger.

Some grow fearless after seeing ghosts repeatedly; others become even more afraid. Lady Xi was the latter. Having witnessed half-zombies and illusions of kisses, she had yet to fully let go of the fright. Now it seemed magic truly existed. She had almost been scared out of her wits.

Shen Shi said, “Of course magic exists in this world. I am also a cultivator. I know the art of paper figures. Watch.”

He took out a paper figure—truly made of white paper, cut and folded. With a touch of his hand, the paper figure came to life, tidying the desk and cleaning the room.

“Master, can it turn into a vengeful spirit too?” Seeing the paper figure move on its own, Lady Xi felt a familiar dread and clung tightly to Shen Shi.

“Don’t worry! It won’t. It only works in the form of a paper figure.”

Shen Shi was no mere mortal, nor some wandering swordsman’s disciple. He was a proper Daoist of the orthodox sect, skilled in the Yellow Turban strongman arts—no ghostly tricks or shady spirit manipulations. True strongman arts were open and righteous. A paper figure, when perfected, could become a wooden man, then a stone man, awakening intelligence, and finally a divine being.

What should have been divine had been twisted into ghostly forms; such a slight misstep changed everything completely.

“Who would want to scare us like this, Master?” Seeing Shen Shi’s paper figure, Lady Xi’s fear faded. It was fear born of helplessness, but with the man she followed clearly no ordinary person, what was there to fear? She felt no longer afraid, but rather joyous that Shen Shi had won her heart with his victory.

“Don’t worry. It’s late, so rest now. Tomorrow I will seek out the one who cast this spell and make them pay for the fright.”

Few could wield divine Dao like this—magic of the God of Wealth’s way. Once the trick was uncovered, finding the culprit was not difficult. If Lady Xi hadn’t just joined and was more accustomed, Shen Shi would have gone that very night.

“It’s too late tonight. Let’s sleep first. Tomorrow I’ll find where the spellcaster is and settle the score.” Shen Shi comforted Lady Xi once more.

“Mhm.”

Lady Xi responded, clutching Shen Shi tighter. There was no avoiding falling asleep in each other’s arms tonight.

Seeing Lady Xi and Shen Shi lying down together, Fourteen also joined in, nestling to his left and right, wrapped in his embrace.

This was quite normal. Without mentioning that Shen Shi was the young master they secretly admired, there was a profound sense of safety in his arms. Even without that, they would willingly lie close. Before Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism appeared, men and women kept some distance, but once they took a liking to each other, many things happened. The filth and chaos of the Han and Tang eras and the disorder of the Five Dynasties gave rise to many tales of men and women in Liaozhai. Unwed childbirth was not uncommon.

In this regard, it was much the same as modern times. Women might call it love or refuse, calling it harassment instead.

Yet at this moment, Shen Shi felt troubled. On one side was Fourteen, youthful and tender; on the other, Lady Xi with her mature, alluring figure. His heart stirred with emotion.

Today, for the first time, he experienced what it meant to be embraced on both sides—what it was like to live the life of a decadent landlord’s son.

After all, he was the son of a general, a spoiled scion. These two little lambs came to him willingly, to be toyed with as he pleased. It was far better to be a beast among beasts than to be less than one.

Strange thoughts surfaced in his mind.

Before he knew it, his hand wandered to Lady Xi’s body. Nearby, Fourteen lay like a delicate beauty, but for some reason, Shen Shi couldn’t help but think of the fox-like face of Eighth Lady.

“Ma-Master.”

Feeling his touch, Lady Xi whispered softly, lifting her head to reveal a pale, delicate face flushed with red. Her eyes darted nervously; she was clearly tense.

“Mhm.” Lady Xi made a faint sound and buried her head deeper into his chest, pressing closer.

She was still somewhat hopeful.

“Eighth Lady? What? Eighth Lady, how did you get up here?”

At that moment, Shen Shi felt a weight settle on him and saw Eighth Lady’s fox-like face appear.

“Hmph, hmph, what do you want?”

“Nothing. Just to sleep.”

Seeing a fox’s face, all his interest vanished. Cross-species love wasn’t something everyone could handle, especially with Eighth Lady’s fox face.

“Oh, I’ll sleep too.” Eighth Lady curled up and lay on Shen Shi as well, falling asleep.

Indeed, it was a “peaceful” night!

Meanwhile, as Shen Shi and company fell asleep, Wang Daoling’s eyes snapped open. Muttering to himself, “What is this? Why did my paper figure suddenly lose connection? Who—who broke my Dao magic? Could it be the city’s Chenghuang intervening? No, that’s impossible. I follow the orthodox Daoist path. No mere city god dares be so reckless.”

Wang Daoling was furious, but powerless. Though he fancied himself a scion of a prestigious sect, others did not grant him such respect. No matter how he tried to use that as an excuse.

“Hmph! You’re lucky this time! Tomorrow, after I visit the Chenghuang, I’ll deal with you properly.”

Suspecting the city god’s involvement, Wang Daoling resolved to establish relations with the Chenghuang before making his move.

Elsewhere, Zhao Zongyong’s riverboat sailed downstream, heading straight to Jinhua. Onboard were Zhao Zongyong’s party and Wang Daoling’s group.

As the boat docked, Wang Daoling entered the city to seek out the Chenghuang. He was quite skilled at kowtowing.

At the same time, Zhao Zongyong’s summons brought many people to immediately drop their work and board the boat.

Bao Zheng did not come; he was still busy with official duties, and the invitation had stated the meeting would be at night. The Ru’nan King’s faction valued reputation greatly and would never let someone neglect their duties to meet. Bao Zheng’s absence did not anger Zhao Zongyong—instead, he praised Bao’s loyalty to the state.

Shen Shi also did not attend, as Bao Zheng had sent someone early to fetch him.

“Shen Wenxue, you received the county prince’s invitation as well, right?” Bao Zheng held a copy of the same summons.

“Mm. The invitation says it’s for a friendly gathering to appreciate rare treasures.” Shen Shi had also received the notice. “I just don’t know what kind of marvelous treasures.”

He remained very interested in the treasures of the Liaozhai world. Compared to the flying swords of Yan Chixia, those were truly tempting artifacts.