“Splash

…”

He wrung out the cloth, and all the dirty water fell into the bucket. Song You continued to squat on the floor, wiping down the wooden planks on the second floor.

He found this moment quite profound

It seemed like this was always the case with chores—before starting, he felt a lot of internal resistance, but it didn’t feel that tiring once he got going. In fact, there was a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that made it hard to stop.

It wasn’t until he had cleaned all the wooden planks on the second floor and disposed of the dirty water that Song You went back upstairs.

The Daoist now sat on the window-side long couch, while Lady Calico lay on the rocking chair. They watched as the moisture gradually evaporated from the planks—the color shifting from dark to light, the planks turning from wet to dry.

“Let’s start.”

“Okay!”

“Thud

…”

A

bamao

ball, that was so dry that it became brittle, fell onto the floor. Immediately, a tri-colored shadow darted across like lightning, making a series of dull thuds on the wooden planks. Lady Calico caught the ball and brought it back to the Daoist, then turned and dashed back to the spot to get ready for the next throw, eyes focused intently.

The Daoist tossed the ball, and the cat jumped to catch it.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door downstairs…

“

Thud thud

…”

“

Swish

!”

Lady Calico almost flew into the air while clutching the ball with its front paws. After landing, it turned its head to look out the window.

“There’s someone knocking,” it said in a tone that was all business.

It then set down the ball, jumped onto the coffee table by the window, and leaned half of its body out to look down.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

At this time, a woman was looking up at her. Seeing this, Lady Calico retracted and looked at the Daoist. “It’s from next door.”

“Alright.” Song You then headed downstairs.

When Song You opened the door, it was indeed Heroine Wu.

She stepped back a few paces, tilting her head to carefully examine the three newly bought shop signs. She then looked down and asked, “What does it say? ‘Dao’? What’s this about “asorcism” and “wodent aksdermination”?”

“It’s exorcism and rodent extermination.”

“‘Rodent extermination’? Does that mean catching rats for people?”

“Lady Calico excels in that.”

“Interesting.”

Heroine Wu then held up a wrapped item in her hand, covered with oiled paper and tied with straw rope. “I was passing by on my way back and smelled this delicious roast chicken. So, I bought one. Let’s eat together. I’d like to introduce you to a business opportunity.”

“Come in, then we’ll talk.”

“Have you not cooked yet?”

“Not yet, I’ve been busy.”

Heroine Wu made herself comfortable and stepped inside without hesitation. She then placed the roast chicken on the table. The aroma was faintly perceptible.

A little less than half an hour later, Song You had fried the tofu blocks he bought in the afternoon until golden brown on both sides. He had also made a chicken egg and vegetable soup, added a small dish of pickles, and prepared two bowls of rice.

The small square table was quite tiny; it was just about right for one person, and it felt very cramped with two people.

The woman sat opposite him, tearing apart the chicken meat.

The roast chicken was perfectly browned on the outside and very tender on the inside. The meat came off easily with just a gentle pull, and some parts even separated from the bone effortlessly during the tearing process. The clearly visible strips of chicken looked even more appetizing than when they were cut in proper chunks, and they seem much more casual and effortless.

“I’m taking advantage of you,” he said.

“What taking advantage? We’re just sharing a meal!” The woman continued tearing the chicken without looking up. “I actually ran out of rice at home, but I felt too tired and lazy to buy more today, so I came over to borrow a bowl of rice. Besides, I have to thank you.”

“How so?”

“Hmm…” Heroine Wu thought for a moment and shook her head. “It’s hard to explain.”

Before this Daoist arrived, she had noticed the roast chicken being sold by the roadside. It smelled good, and she was craving it, but living alone made her hesitate. Though she was familiar with the man next door, who were old friends of her master and had been very kind to her, he was already quite elderly. The age difference made interactions less comfortable, so she often refrained from buying such things.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t finish it alone. It just wasn’t as appetizing to eat alone.

Now that there was someone to share the meal with, it was more pleasant. Although she didn’t consider them close friends, they got along well and could chat a bit during meals. So, without much thought, she paid for it. After buying it, she realized that spending money today felt much more refreshing than usual.

“Let’s eat!” Heroine Wu said, wiping her hands and picking up her chopsticks.

She took a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and tried it, then said to Song You, “Didn’t you say last night that you can exorcize demons and ward off evil? I heard today that a man in a household is possessed. He was fine when he came home last night, but this morning he started having a high fever and babbling nonsense. He was shaking and shouting 'don’t hurt me.'

“The roast chicken is really tasty and flavorful by the way. He’s still unconscious.”

Song You tried a piece of the chicken as well. It lacked the strong aroma of spices, but it was flavorful, with a salty taste throughout the chicken leg and breast. It was unlike the roast chicken he had in Xiangle County, which only had flavor on the outer layer.

“Thank you, Heroine Wu!”

“No need to thank me. Anyway, I’ve accepted the job for you. You’ll be fine, right? You managed to travel with a swallow from Anqing, after all.”

“I’ll check it out.”

“Expect them to come looking for you tomorrow morning. If they don’t, just forget I mentioned it.”

“Got it.”

Song You focused on his meal, while Heroine Wu clapped her hands and left quite casually after she was done eating. After she departed, Song You cleaned up the dishes and went to bed early for the night.

Early in the morning the next day, someone indeed came looking for help. It was a middle-aged woman.

People in this line of work faced predicaments similar to that of a country doctor, where younger people were often less trusted. The woman immediately asked Song You if his master was present. Since she had come all the way, Song You told her that he wouldn't charge her until the person was awake. Filled with hope, she took Song You to her home.

On the way out, they ran into Heroine Wu, who was buying rice. They exchanged greetings and went their separate ways.

The woman’s home was also in Western District but quite far, requiring over half an hour to walk there.

As they walked, Song You asked the woman about her situation. He learned that her husband was a roaming gardener. In Changjing, some wealthy households did not hire their own full time gardeners. The usual servants had poor gardening skills, so they would specially hire people like him to manage the flowers and plants in their courtyards.

Although he had returned home a bit late that night, he had not broken curfew and had been fine upon returning. For some unknown reason, he could not get up the next morning.

Song You then followed her into a narrow alley, which was a slope.

An old woman was pouring out dirty water from above, which flowed down the slope. Song You, the woman, and the cat quickly moved aside.

A child was urinating against the wall, and the calico cat approached, tilting its head to look. It immediately showed a look of disgust and raised its paw, as if it wanted to slap the child.

An old, filthy dog lay sunning itself by the roadside, though only a small ray of sunlight reached the alley.

Just then, the woman stopped in front of a wooden door.

In Changjing, finding a decent place to live was challenging. This was just a small single-room house. It had to serve as a living space, a place to store tools, and a cooking area. There was only a corner toilet for them to relieve themselves, making the smell inside rather unpleasant.

This was typical of the impoverished families in Changjing.

Upon entering, the bed was to their immediate left. The cat, with its keen sense of smell, wrinkled its nose. But when it immediately followed Song You inside when it saw him walk in there.

Song You himself was not bothered by it and moved closer to inspect.

A thin middle-aged man lay on the bed. He was sweating profusely with his face pale and lips trembling, and he was occasionally twitching.

From a glance, Song You could tell it was a case of misplaced soul, usually caused by shock. It was similar to the child in Xuzhou, though an adult’s soul was more resilient and less likely to be lost due to fright.

If someone were skilled in this Dao, they might be able to determine whether the person was carrying any demonic, malevolent, or yin energy to pinpoint what had frightened them.

Such a tragic fate…

Song You sat down beside the bed and picked up a cloth, then he casually wiped the sweat from the man’s face while asking, “I heard he was speaking nonsensically?”

“He’s not shouting now, but he was yesterday.”

“What was he saying?”

“He was shouting for mercy, asking not to be eaten.” The woman, though anxious, answered truthfully.

She initially found the young Daoist to be somewhat unreliable, but for poor families like hers in Changjing, what other options were there? They couldn’t afford medication for many days, nor could they afford to hire a master from a temple. Otherwise, the woman could only watch the man die.

This gentleman had come empty-handed, without any artifacts or talismans. Once inside, he hadn’t prepared anything. Besides having a particularly spiritual cat, he didn’t seem like an expert in exorcism.

Just when she was feeling desperate, she saw the gentleman put down the cloth and lean over to blow a breath.

“

Huff…

”

He didn’t resemble a Daoist priest, a monk, or any folk expert with various strange methods from stories. He only blew a breath, and he was more like a demon or a divine immortal from a tale.

Strangely, after he blew out that breath, the room seemed to cool significantly. The person on the bed immediately stopped twitching, and his lips stopped trembling. He was calming down as if soothed.

“Sir…”

“He’s just been frightened. He’s fine now.”

“Fine?” The woman looked at the person on the bed in disbelief, though the coolness in the room made it hard to doubt.

“So… When will he wake up?”

“In a day.”

“A

“What is it?”

“Well…” The woman hesitated, unable to articulate her thoughts clearly.

Song You understood what she was implying. Sometimes, it was precisely the simple and effective methods that are harder to believe.

Song You had considered making things more complicated, which might have earned him more money. However, the idea of making more money didn’t motivate him. And to complicate matters just to gain someone's trust would either mean putting himself through unnecessary trouble or inconveniencing the poor family. He didn’t want to trouble himself or them.

“After he wakes up, make sure he eats something good to recover. That will be sufficient,” Song You said gently. “And bring the payment once he's awake. You know where to find me.”

“Is that… Is that alright?”

“It's perfectly fine.”

“How much will it be?” the woman asked cautiously, her heart anxious.

“Any amount is fine,” Song You replied with a smile, adding after a moment, “Since you're not wealthy, a meal’s worth will be enough. But let’s settle it after he wakes up.”

The woman hesitated, and as she was about to ask something else, she noticed that the man on the bed had already woken up.

“Ah!” The woman didn’t think twice. She quickly knelt before Song You with a thud, her excitement overriding everything else as she called out, “Divine immortal!”

Song You, of course, couldn’t accept such an excessive show of gratitude. But, he decided to stay a little longer.

After the woman had given the man on the bed some water and he had regained his composure, Song You asked, “Do you remember what happened before you fell unconscious?”

The man took a while to recall before he began to explain.

The Eastern District and Western District were quite far apart, and the affluent residents often lived in the Eastern District. Sometimes, he would be working in the afternoon and return very late.

In the past, there were no curfews, and the city was relatively peaceful. Although there were occasional fights, crimes or disturbances from the

jianghu

people or others, these did not usually trouble ordinary people. However, things had recently changed. Fierce demons and evil creatures could affect people just by making eye contact, so it was wise to be cautious of the time.

Two days ago, after finishing work, it was already getting dark when he returned and passed through an alley. The alley was lined with bamboo on both sides.

As he passed by, he heard a faint noise coming from the bamboo grove. He was a bit scared, but since the bamboo grew against the wall of a wealthy household and didn't form a forest or have space for monsters or people, he thought it was probably just a wild cat or dog. He didn't pay much attention and walked a little faster.

That night, when he got up to use the restroom, he heard some noise outside. Unable to resist his curiosity, he peeked through the gap in the door.

“What a huge demon! How terrifying! It was looking at me too!”

The man still felt a chill of fear when he recalled it. Seeing this, Song You had to calm him down and advised him not to be too agitated.