Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds-Chapter 63: Kicked Out

Deducing a conclusion from the evidence might be inaccurate, but working backward from a conclusion to find the cause? You can make up anything you want.

’Even if the reasoning is a little thin,’ he thought, ’it just proves my character is upright.’

Gu Zhao gave himself a mental pat on the back.

The woman’s expression did soften slightly, but she still didn’t look pleased. "Wreak havoc... Demons and Ghosts... Are Demons and Ghosts the only ones who wreak havoc?"

Before Gu Zhao could reply, the woman waved a sleeve dismissively. "If you wish to pursue Righteousness and Heroism, go do it on your own. Don’t bother me. I know nothing."

The Silk Embroideress couldn’t help but ask, "Can you really bear to watch ordinary people be harmed by Demon Fiends?"

The woman glanced at the Silk Embroideress and said flatly, "The world is a cruel place, and people are no longer what they once were. Are Demon Fiends the only ones who can harm ordinary people?"

"Huh?" The Silk Embroideress was confused.

"Life is full of endless suffering. There are many things even the Court won’t handle, so why should I meddle in pointless affairs?" The woman waved her sleeve again and turned to leave. "Please, see yourselves out. My home is not equipped to entertain guests. If you insist on staying, don’t blame me for showing you the door." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

As she spoke, she turned into the back hall and vanished.

The moment the woman disappeared, the Yin Qi throughout the entire residence grew thicker. Clearly, she wasn’t joking; they were truly unwelcome.

"Young Master?" the Silk Embroideress asked, looking at Gu Zhao.

"Let’s leave for now." Gu Zhao nodded.

Since the woman’s Divine Soul was pure, they couldn’t act against her. So they filed out of the main hall and quickly departed the residence.

Just as they stepped out of the large house, SLAM! The two massive doors immediately swung shut on their own. A soft click followed from behind them—even the bolt had slid into place automatically.

Standing before the gates of the great house, the Silk Embroideress was thoroughly confused. "If this Female Ghost isn’t a bad person, why won’t she tell us anything?"

Gu Zhao and Taoist Yan Song exchanged a glance. Taoist Yan Song stroked his beard and said, "It seems this Female Ghost has quite a story."

"What kind of story?" the Silk Embroideress asked curiously.

Gu Zhao shrugged. "She made it pretty clear just now. She was likely wronged and died unjustly, which is why she doesn’t want to get involved in other people’s problems."

Bai Ke wagged its tail, just as curious. ’I really want to know her story!’

Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps behind them. The group turned to see an old woman peeking out from the gate of a courtyard a couple of houses down on the opposite side of the street. When she saw them standing in front of the Ghost House, she jumped in surprise.

"You can’t go in that house!" The old woman waved at them frantically. She scurried a short distance toward them before stopping again, looking as if she wanted to get closer but didn’t dare.

"Oh?" A glint appeared in Taoist Yan Song’s eyes. "Excuse me, ma’am, but why can’t we go into this house?"

Seeing them turn to ask, the old woman breathed a sigh of relief. She looked the group up and down. "Who are you people?"

Taoist Yan Song smoothly replied, "We’re from out of town. We were robbed on the road and lost all our money. With no funds for an inn, we saw this abandoned house and thought we might stay the night."

"If you have nowhere else to go, you can make do for the night at my place. If you don’t mind, I have some leftovers. But you absolutely cannot go into that house. Inside... inside... it’s haunted!" As she said the last word, she couldn’t help but back away a few more steps.

Gu Zhao glanced back at the sprawling mansion, which was still emanating waves of cold air, then at the courtyard the old woman had come from. He took a step forward and said with a smile, "If it’s haunted, aren’t you brave to live so close?"

With Gu Zhao having broken the ice, Taoist Yan Song followed up, "Is there a story behind all this?"

The old woman’s expression changed. She didn’t answer, but simply sighed and turned to walk back the way she came.

But as she walked, she called back to them, "If you have nowhere to go, you can come to my place to get by for the night. But you must not go into that house under any circumstances. If you get a fright in the night, don’t blame an old woman for not warning you."

As they watched the old woman leave, Bai Ke said with great interest, "It looks like she knows the story behind the Female Ghost in that house."

The Silk Embroideress looked both hopeful and troubled. "But the old woman doesn’t seem to want to talk about it."

"Hmm..." The group exchanged a knowing smile.

Although the old woman was clearly reluctant to speak, getting information out of a woman in her sixties or seventies was hardly a difficult task.

So the three of them walked into the small courtyard where the old woman lived.

The courtyard was a decent size, but they were the only family living there. By now, the old woman’s son and daughter-in-law had returned from work and were starting a fire to cook dinner.

"You’re here!" Seeing Gu Zhao and his two companions enter, the old woman called to her son to bring out a few more flatbreads. "It’s never easy being on the road. The food is simple, but I hope you don’t mind."

"Thank you, ma’am!" The Silk Embroideress stepped forward to accept the flatbreads, offering a sweet word of thanks before turning to share them with Gu Zhao and Taoist Yan Song.

After noticing some children’s toys around the yard, and seeing no signs of grief on the faces of the old woman or her family, Taoist Yan Song casually asked about her grandchildren. He learned they were apprenticing at a restaurant in the county town and were highly regarded.

They chatted about the children, which led to talk of the restaurant. The restaurant led to its patrons, the patrons to the local area, and finally, the area to their living situation, which brought the conversation back to the sprawling mansion across the street.

"Since everyone knows the house across the street is haunted, why hasn’t anyone reported it to the Government Office?" the Silk Embroideress asked.

"The Government Office couldn’t care less about that," the old woman’s son complained. "Forget a Ghost that hasn’t even hurt anyone. They didn’t even do anything when Mo Family Town, right outside the county, was raided by bandits!"

The old woman’s daughter-in-law shook her head. "We’re lucky here. I heard there’s a deserted house in the Western Suburbs where lights and music can be seen and heard every night. Lost travelers often wander in by mistake, and by the next morning, all that’s left is a pile of bones."

Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Taoist Yan Song. ’Another grinding spot,’ he thought.

"That’s terrifying!" the Silk Embroideress said, feigning fear. Then she asked the old woman, "If that’s the case, how can you bear to live here?"

"If not here, then where?" the daughter-in-law said, eating her flatbread. "Because that house nearby is haunted, all the surrounding homes are empty. That’s the only reason we can afford to live here."

The son added, "My mother knows that Female Ghost. She doesn’t harm us."

The Silk Embroideress’s eyes lit up. She asked the old woman, "Ma’am, could you tell us the story of that Female Ghost?"

The daughter-in-law, finding the Silk Embroideress charming, asked with a smile, "Why does a young lady like you enjoy hearing ghost stories?"

The Silk Embroideress smiled. "I usually accompany my Young Master to teahouses to listen to the storytellers, so I’ve slowly grown to love stories."

The daughter-in-law shook her head. "The stories in the teahouses are meant to be entertaining. This one is not."

"Why?" the Silk Embroideress asked.

The son chimed in, "Because in this story, no good deed goes unpunished."

The old woman’s son and daughter-in-law already knew the story. Gu Zhao asked, "Are you talking about the Female Ghost in the house across the street?"

"That’s her," the daughter-in-law said. "If you want to hear it, I’ll tell you the story."

Upon hearing this, the old woman opened her mouth as if to speak, but then stopped. She let out a sigh and didn’t try to prevent her.