Spirit Reaper - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Dowry… If No One in the Village is Getting Married, Then the Dowry...

“Waaaaah—!” Wuyi’s sword pierced the Red Spirit’s chest. Golden light erupted, and a shrill, agonized shriek pierced Wuyi’s eardrums.

“Huff… that should finally settle things…” She sighed in relief, watching the red figure fall to the ground like a tattered ragdoll.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

A violent gale suddenly whipped up, and the alley filled with black mist. The Red Spirit flew into the air once more, shooting out red silks that wrapped around itself like a cocoon, fueled by the wind.

“You have a second phase too?!”

Looking at that red chrysalis, Wuyi had only one thought: Run! But just as she lifted her leg, a red silk lashed out and snared her ankle.

“Ow!” Tripping unexpectedly, she hit the ground hard. The silks quickly wound tightly around her legs, pinning her down.

“I underestimated you…”

The cocoon of red silk exploded. Shards fell everywhere as the Red Spirit’s form emerged from the mist. Wuyi was hung upside down in mid-air, her head swimming as blood rushed to it. The “reborn” Red Spirit split its mouth open, blood pouring out.

Splurt—

Before she knew it, the red silk had moved from her legs to her entire body. With a sudden, violent contraction, the pressure forced Wuyi to cough up a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Hehe, your blood is so sweet…”

The blood splattered across the Red Spirit’s face. Instead of being angry, she licked the blood from her lips with her tongue, a look of pure ecstasy on her face. “Now, let Big Sister have a real taste of you!”

The Red Spirit manipulated the silk to bring Wuyi to its mouth, preparing to bite down. Wuyi closed her eyes, her heart filled with nothing but raw indignation.

Just a second before she fell into the ghost’s maw, she felt the jade pendant on her chest grow scorching hot. A blinding red light shot from the jade, striking the Red Spirit directly.

“Ahhh—!” “The aura of a Great Red Spirit! No, it’s something even more dangerous…”

The Red Spirit was blasted back, its voice trembling. The red silks used as weapons shredded into tiny pieces, fluttering down from the air like falling leaves.

Clearly heavily wounded and unable to move, the ghost lay broken. Wuyi didn’t stop to think; she scrambled to her feet, snatched up her peach-wood sword, and lunged one last time.

“Aaaaaah—!” A mournful, wretched scream echoed through the deserted alley as the red figure turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished with the wind.

“It’s finally over…” Drenched in sweat, Wuyi leaned against the wall, trying to steady her breathing.

Recalling the eerie red light, she pulled out the jade pendant. She noticed that her blood had somehow stained the dragon carvings; now dried, it emanated a faint, unsettling sensation.

Did my blood wake this thing up? She marveled at its life-saving power. Then, she checked the time and realized it was only thirty minutes until 1:00 AM.

“Oh no! I’m going to get it!” Realizing time was up, she scrambled to gather her scattered gear and sprinted toward the temple at record speed.

…

Predictably, she didn’t make it back before the deadline. When she saw Ming Qingxuan leaning against the temple gate holding a heavy ruler, Wuyi’s heart finally “died.”

She thought it would just be some extra copying of scriptures, but somehow Ming Qingxuan found out about her battle with the Red Spirit. Now she was truly in for it.

WHACK— “Ngh—”

The sound of the ruler hitting flesh mixed with Wuyi’s muffled groans of pain.

“Yu Wuyi, you have no discipline! Is this how you keep your word?” Ming Qingxuan scolded. Wuyi, knowing she was in the wrong, knelt obediently to receive her punishment.

“Fine. From today until you receive your admission notice, you are not allowed to step a single foot off Xuanshan Mountain. Do you hear me!” “A Red Spirit this time, a Ghost King the next? You’ve got too much courage for your own good!” “Go back to your room and copy the Heart Sutra!” After fifty strikes, Ming Qingxuan tossed a bottle of medicinal ointment at her but didn’t stop lecturing.

Wuyi put on a “sycophantic” smile, basically saying “You’re right about everything, I won’t talk back.” It felt like Ming Qingxuan was punching cotton; finally, the older woman gave her a huffing kick and sent her off to write.

“Released” from her punishment, Wuyi limped to her room, one hand on the ointment and the other on her stinging lower back, looking quite pathetic.

“Waaaaah, a hundred copies of the Heart Sutra…” Her cry split the night sky.

…

After that incident, she turned over a new leaf. She stayed in the temple, being perfectly obedient. She knew that without that jade, she wouldn’t have made it back. Basic training was clearly essential.

One day, while Wuyi was practicing her forms in the courtyard, her phone rang.

“Hello?” A man’s voice came through. She thought it was a telemarketer, but when she heard it was about her university admission, she jumped for joy and bolted down the mountain.

“Haha, L University, here I come!” Wuyi clutched the admission notice to her chest as she strolled back up the mountain. She had been accepted into the Daoist Studies program at the best university in Lincheng City. She was finally leaving the deep mountains for higher education.

Even if the major was her “old family trade,” she couldn’t hide her excitement as she called her grandmother.

“Grandma! I got into L University! Studying Daoism!” “Wuyi, that’s wonderful! Our Wuyi is the best!” “Why don’t you come back for a visit? I haven’t seen you in so long, Grandma misses you.”

Hearing her grandmother’s gentle voice, Wuyi’s nose crinkled as she fought back tears. “I was planning to! But I have to ask Auntie Ming about the timing…”

Mentioning Ming Qingxuan made Wuyi nervous. Given her recent “trouble,” she wasn’t sure if she’d be allowed to go alone.

“Hmph, I’ll talk to your Auntie Ming. You just focus on coming home.”

With Grandma’s word, even Ming Qingxuan had to yield. At first, Ming Qingxuan was dead set against it, but after a call with Yu Song, her attitude did a 180-degree turn. She even helped Wuyi pack.

Before she left, Ming Qingxuan handed her a mysterious, heavy bundle. “Keep this safe. Your grandmother asked for it.”

Wuyi nodded and stuffed it into her suitcase.

“Remember: once you’re back, never go out at night. Even with your grandmother there, don’t get careless. The mountains are different from the city; there are no limits on spirits and ghosts. With your special constitution, you must be careful.” Ming Qingxuan’s expression was grave.

“Got it! Don’t worry, Auntie Ming!” Wuyi patted her chest confidently.

“That little brat… I hope you’re still that confident when you get back…” Ming Qingxuan sighed as she watched Wuyi walk away.

…

“Grandma!”

Wuyi saw Yu Song waiting at the village entrance from hundreds of meters away. she sprinted into her grandmother’s arms.

“Good child, let’s go home. I’ve made a whole table of food for you!” Yu Song smiled, the wrinkles on her face deepening.

While walking, Wuyi remembered the bundle. “Grandma, Auntie Ming gave me a big bag of things for you. What is it?”

Wuyi was busy looking at the road and didn’t notice the way Yu Song’s expression momentarily stiffened. “Just some things for rituals. You’ll find out later.”

“Oh… okay…”

Soon they reached the house. As Wuyi stepped into the courtyard, she froze. The yard was filled with large items covered in red cloth. They looked exactly like a traditional dowry set used in ancient weddings.

“Grandma… this is…”

Yu Song remained calm, patting Wuyi’s hand. “We’re holding a ceremony for someone in a few days. You’ll need to be there, Wuyi.”

“Oh? Me? Okay…” Wuyi felt a bit uneasy, but knowing her grandmother’s profession, she pushed the worry down.

“Wuyi!” A cheerful female voice called out from the yard after dinner.

“A-Chun!” Wuyi saw a girl who looked 90% like the little girl with pigtails from her memory. The two childhood friends reunited, teasing each other about how much they had grown and changed.

They went to their favorite old locust tree to reminisce.

“Wuyi, what made you come back?” “I got into L University! And I missed you guys.” “By the way, is there a wedding in the village recently?” Wuyi asked, taking the chance to dig for info.

A-Chun frowned, counting on her fingers. “A wedding? No, not at all…” “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, just curious…” Wuyi played it off, but her heart sank.

If no one in the village is getting married, then that massive dowry… who is it for?