Chapter Fifty-Eight: Ghosts Roam at Midnight

Guarding the door, guarding the door at midnight.
I stood outside, yawning incessantly, while my master inside had already extinguished the lights and settled in for the night.
“Hey, hey, come here, hurry over.”
A languid male voice called from the darkness, as if summoning me. I reached out to rub my sleepy eyes, twisting my head to scan my surroundings. In the dimness, a shadow drifted lightly in the wind.
“Midnight hour, what evil spirit dares to wreak havoc among mortals? Show yourself at once, else beware—I, the grand master, will scatter your soul and obliterate your essence!” Though my words rang out fierce, my feet began to retreat almost involuntarily.
“Grand master? Ha ha ha ha…”
The ‘ghost’ seemed greatly amused by my bravado, and at this dead hour, he burst into laughter.
“You, you, you—wandering soul, why do you linger among the living at midnight instead of returning to the realm of spirits?”
I pointed toward the swirling shadow and said, “Do you know who resides here? He is the head of Lingyun Mountain, the celestial immortal Lord Violet Lotus.”
“Violet Lotus?”
The ghost murmured the name, then laughed again, his voice laced with disdain.
“You, you, you—are you not afraid of him?”
I continued to back away, step by step, until I reached the threshold. If this spirit turned out to be a vengeful ghost, I’d kick open the door and hide in Violet Lotus’s room without hesitation.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
The laughter of this ‘ghost’ struck me as oddly familiar.

“Miss Yuge.”
“What?”
I was startled—how did this ‘ghost’ know my name?
“So soon, you’ve already forgotten me?”
As he spoke, a figure drifted forward, blocking my path. Just as I was about to cry out, a warm, gentle hand covered my mouth, and a peculiar fragrance filled the air before me.
“Hush, don’t make a sound. Your master is still resting inside!”
Next, my waist tightened as he scooped me up, flying us out into the night.
Even so, I wasn’t afraid of him at all. We sat together upon the sturdy branch of a tall tree, gently swaying with the breeze.
“Wow, this is so much fun!” I cried out gleefully to him.
With a little force, the branch dipped beneath us, then rebounded, causing our bodies to sway—it was delightful.
“Has Miss Yuge’s master been injured?” Botai asked suddenly.
“No! He hasn’t been hurt,” I replied, shaking my head.
“Oh, is that so?”
He snorted, “If he’s not injured, then the purpose of his journey down the mountain must be to treat some old wound.”
“An old wound?”

I murmured softly.
Botai said, “I find it strange myself. That injury must have lingered for a long time, yet it remains unhealed. The great battle three thousand years ago must have been truly spectacular! Alas, I was but a mortal, and missed witnessing that grand clash between immortals and demons.”
“The immortal-demon war! Even you know about that?” I exclaimed in surprise.
He flicked open his fan with a self-admiring flourish.
I quickly interrupted, “The Sage of All Knowledge.” With a laugh, I winked at him.
“Indeed, indeed.”
He laughed, fanning himself at the side. Then he turned to ask, “Do you know why your master descended the mountain today?”
“I suppose it’s to find an old acquaintance to heal his wounds.”
“An old acquaintance? Which one?” Botai pressed further.
An old acquaintance?
I too wished to know whether the person Violet Lotus spoke of was a man or a woman. Yet Violet Lotus hadn’t told me!
“I don’t know.” Dejected, I shook my head, feeling a pang of annoyance as I said to him, “Did you bring me out here in the middle of the night just to pry information about my master from me?”