Please support the translation by reading the translation and commenting on otakutl official site.
Thank you.
Everyone from Otaku Translation
Previous | TOC | Next |
Chapter 17: Disturbance in My Peaceful Life
"Ho ho..."
It sounded like someone was pulling a dilapidated bellows, or the heavy panting of a giant beast.
Following the sound, one could see a white shadow still floating in the courtyard. At this time, it was her active time. However, behind the white shadow, two huge figures could faintly be seen roughly climbing over the courtyard wall and entering the yard.
They were probably over ten feet tall, and although they moved silently, when they reached the brightest spot in the moonlight, their true appearance could be seen clearly—
Their faces were a dusky blue, with disheveled red hair, and their faces covered in red beards, with curly ends. Their mouths were large like bloody basins, with protruding fangs and jagged sharp teeth.
Their bodies were strong and muscular, with no smooth surface, but instead covered with lumps and bumps like tendons. Their hands were close to their knees, with each palm probably as large as a fan used by women to fan themselves at night, with nails curved and pointed like hooks, capable of skewering and lifting people with a single wave of their hand.
Even the white shadow in the courtyard paused for a moment upon their arrival.
These were definitely not humans, nor were they Yaoguai or ghosts, deities or immortals, but two man-eating yakshas!
"Monsters!" The calico cat's back had already arched up, her fur standing on end. She stared at the yakshas in the courtyard, then turned her head and whispered to Song You: "Let’s run away quickly."
"No need." Song You had already figured it out—
There was no eerie wind, no foul smell. Although the yakshas' movements were not clumsy or slow, they were not agile enough. They were not real yakshas.
This was a type of spell.
Upon closer inspection, although their appearance was ferocious and their bodies were strong, there was something off about them.
Either the drawings were poorly made, or the cutting was not right.
They were paper yakshas!
This was a spell passed down by the Buddhist temples. By drawing and cutting out paper yakshas, one could bring them to life and command them. Initially used to guard temples and altars, it later leaked out to eccentric individuals in the martial arts world and was often used for nefarious purposes.
Although they were paper yakshas, their ferocity was no less than that of real yakshas. If the caster had some proficiency in this art, they could even surpass the real ones—
Not only did they possess divine strength, but their bodies were as hard as rocks in some places and as tough as tree bark in others. They were fearless of death, and even though their intelligence was low, ordinary martial artists had to be cautious when encountering them.
But they had a fatal weakness.
Song You reached out and stroked the calico cat's back, from her back to the tip of her tail, quietly telling her not to panic, before turning around and pushing the door open.
Hearing the movement, the two yakshas immediately turned their heads, their eyes like copper bells, staring intently in his direction.
With a swish!
The two yakshas spread their arms wide, their huge bodies soaring over ten feet in the air, leaping half the yard towards him, both pouncing towards him.
"Fire."
As soon as the voice fell—
Suddenly!
A blazing fire erupted in the courtyard.
Although the yakshas were as large as bulls, under the fierce fire, they were instantly surrounded by flames like paper. Within a few moments, they were burnt to a crisp, leaving only a few pieces of yellow paper floating down with black ash.
After all, they were made of paper, and fire was their greatest fear.
If people didn't know this, they would need a team of soldiers to deal with them using swords and arrows. Even in the martial arts world, one would need some martial arts skills to deal with them. But if one realized that they were paper yakshas and knew that they were afraid of fire, even a weak exorcist could easily take them out.
All things generated and overcame each other; there was always a method of breaking the spell. The subtlety within this was ineffable.
In the blink of an eye, the fire was extinguished, and the night returned to its normal state, quiet and silent, with the clear moonlight illuminating the ground.
Song You raised his hand and spread it out.
The last piece of yellow paper with a corner still burning fell into his hand, and the spark went out along with it.
Song You put it away and turned around.
Lady Calico was sitting behind him, sitting upright, her tail wrapped around her small feet. Seeing him turn back to the room, she quickly got up and followed him.
"Swish."
The oil lamp lit up automatically, casting a dim light in the room.
Song You pulled out a chair and sat at the table.
Lady Calico jumped onto the table and stared at him intently. "You're strong."
"Thank you for your compliment, Lady Calico."
Song You looked at the paper closely under the oil lamp.
The yakshas were drawn and carved on large yellow hemp paper, which was also used for drawing talismans. In the moonlight, Song You could faintly see one eye of the yakshas on this piece of paper. Upon closer inspection, he could see the fine cinnabar patterns and bloody symbols on it.
This paper was indeed a rare good paper—
Thick, tough, with a slightly red hue.
"Are all Daoists so strong?"
"Not all."
"Then why are you so strong?"
"If I'm not strong, how can I protect Lady Calico?" Song You casually replied while pondering over the paper.
He had only recently arrived in the city of Yidu, spending his days either listening to stories outside or cooking and practicing at home. He hadn't had any conflicts with others. The only things he had done were to vanquish the Fog Fiend along the Golden Sun path and to aid Head Constable Luo in apprehending the thief skilled in the art for traversing underground.
It couldn't be that some eccentric person with peculiar habits had heard that there was a cultivator living here and deliberately came to visit in this manner, could it?
At this moment, Lady Calico's soft voice came again: "Where did those monsters come from?"
Song You, not feeling annoyed at all, patiently replied: "I don't know yet."
"Why did they come to attack us?"
"I don't know yet."
"Don't know yet..." Lady Calico stared at him intently, repeating his words.
"In any case..." Courtesy demands reciprocity.
Song You put away the piece of paper.
Since someone had come to visit, it was only proper for him to pay a visit in return.
...
Early the next morning.
Song You seemed to have forgotten about the event of the previous night. He calmly sliced some pickled vegetables and cooked himself a bowl of pickled vegetable noodles for breakfast.
This was considered a luxurious breakfast in this era, thanks to the twenty taels of silver ingots he received a few days ago.
Lady Calico on the other hand ate the mouse she caught.
After preparing the meal and setting it aside, Song You found a broom and swept away the paper dust left over from the night before.
At this moment, he felt a bit regretful. Lady Calico had gained sentience, but her level of cultivation attainment was not sufficient to enable her transformation. If she had transformed, even if she were just a child, he could have coaxed her into doing some chores like sweeping and lighting fires, giving himself some leisure time.
After cleaning up, he finally had his meal.
The pickled vegetable noodles were made using the recipe from his hometown in his previous life, with a bit of starch added to thicken the soup. As a result, all the flavors were in the soup, and with the thick soup clinging to the noodles, it was incredibly delicious.
Sour and spicy, appetizing and warming, with a single bite in the morning, it was comforting from the throat to the bottom of the heart.
After he finished his meal, he left the dishes unwashed and retreated to the courtyard. As the city stirred to life around him, he found peace in the playful antics of Lady Calico as she chased fallen leaves. Plum leaves fluttered around him, and he basked in the comforting embrace of the morning sun filtering through the branches, warming his body.
He peeled one orange, eating a fruit after the meal.
In this moment's tide, emotions softly sway,
A tranquil realm where carefree spirits play.
It was just that Lady Calico didn't like the taste of oranges and was most afraid of the juices splashing when peeling them. She had been spinning around his feet, but at this moment, she retreated, staring at him with a perplexed and puzzled expression from afar.
Ignoring Lady Calico’s gaze, Song You continued to pop the orange segments into his mouth, one by one.
Sour and sweet, with plenty of juice.
It even made him squint his eyes.
It wasn't until he finished eating the oranges that he remembered what happened last night. He had no choice but to take out the corner of paper and scrutinize it under the daylight. Then, he sighed deeply.
"Please watch the house, Lady Calico."
Upon hearing this, Lady Calico's eyes shrank: "Where are you going?"
"To find someone."
"Who are you looking for?"
"The person who attacked us last night."
"Lady Calico will go with you."
"Alright."
"You should wash your hands first."
"Alright."
The two of them left together.
After investigating outside the house and seeing that the place where the two yakshas had climbed over the wall was in a mess, Song You felt a bit troubled. According to the contract, he should compensate the landlord for the damage or repair it before moving out.
After searching for a while, he finally found a red pen mark on the outer wall of the eastern courtyard, near the bottom and close to the ground. The spell was still active.
The Yaksha's intelligence wasn't high; when it was close, it was still manageable, but when it was far, they wouldn't be able to find their way. So if they were used to harm people, marking must be done beforehand.
The other party must have visited yesterday or the day before.
Song You looked at it and then turned around and left.
He needed to go to the paper shop first.
Song You had a feeling—
He would soon find the answers he sought.
...
At the same time, Head Constable Luo had just left for work.
Walking along the alley for just a few steps, he passed by the small courtyard where Song You lived. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look back.
He saw several vertical claw marks on the wall above, about three fingers wide and one to two feet long, as if a wild beast had ravaged it, but they were all concentrated at the top of the wall. And there were many missing tiles from the roof's eaves, leaving a gap, with most of the tiles on the ground shattered.
"This..." Head Constable Luo couldn't help but bend down to pick up a piece of tile and examine it closely.
The tiles were already shattered, only about the size of a fingernail, and most of the tiles on the ground were like this, as if they had been crushed by something.
Had something climbed over the wall from here?
And it was not a skillful entry.
Head Constable Luo thought so at once.
But if it were indeed the case, then the intruder was definitely not human. Not only was it not human, but it was also probably a fairly large creature with claws like blades.
Head Constable Luo frowned, feeling shocked.
With such a monster climbing over the wall, was the Young Master alright?
He hurriedly ran to the door of the courtyard and began knocking on the door, calling out the young Master’s name, but there was no response.
He wanted to break open the door, but he didn't dare. He felt that he should, but he also felt that he shouldn't. For a moment, even he, a decisive man, couldn't make up his mind.
Only after hearing from a passerby that the young Daoist Master had left some time ago, likely to buy food, did Head Constable Luo finally breathe a sigh of relief. He lingered at the door for a while longer, but realizing he was about to be late for work, he eventually departed.
Please vote for this novel at
If you would like to support this translation, you may choose any one of the options below.
How to find a list of chapters
Please find the chapter label next to your favorite translator's name, and click the label.
No comments:
Post a Comment