IMMFBCG Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Hanged Ghost

The August sun blazed intensely, and Haicheng hadn’t seen rain for many days. The entire city felt unbearably stifling, like a steaming oven.

The Cultural Plaza was bustling with people, lively and crowded, but the further one ventured inside, the quieter it became. By the time you reached the end of the street, the sounds of the crowd had all but disappeared.

At the corner of the street, there was a secluded alley. At the far end of it stood a Taoist temple, its large doors tightly shut. Suddenly, when the doors finally creaked open, a figure shot out, followed by a flying slipper that hit the ground with a thud.

A young man, barefoot, dashed out of the temple, dodging a barrage of “weapons” being thrown from inside.

“You little brat! You can’t draw a proper talisman, and you’re scared half to death at the sight of a ghost! You can’t do anything right! Once I’m dead, this temple will close, and you’ll starve to death!” An elderly voice bellowed from inside. “Where do you think you’re going? If you don’t sweep that yard clean, you can forget about dinner!”

The young man, who was being cursed, stumbled as he picked up the slipper, hastily put it on, and resigned himself to grabbing the broom. While sweeping, he muttered under his breath, “Isn’t that why we have my senior brother? He’s your disciple, isn’t he? Besides…” His voice trailed off. “With the way the temple is now, it’s pretty much closed already…”

The place was so deserted, he couldn’t even spot a fly. Bai Liu grumbled inwardly.

——“Excuse me, is this Xuanzhen Temple?”

A clear, feminine voice interrupted his internal complaints.

Bai Liu, still simmering with frustration, reluctantly lifted his head. But when he saw the girl standing before him, he froze for a moment, and it took a while for him to regain his composure. “Ah, yes, this is the place. Is there something you need? The temple master isn’t seeing anyone today, but if you’re here to offer incense, you can go right in.”

The girl in front of him held a black umbrella, its wide canopy nearly covering her entire figure, making her look even more petite and delicate. Her fair fingers gripped the handle as she closed the umbrella, revealing a face of striking beauty. She wore a light blue dress, the hem embroidered with a few soaring cranes. Her demeanor was cool and distant, like a camellia blooming quietly in the mountains, exuding a serene, ethereal aura.

But when she smiled, her naturally smiling eyes softened that coldness. With sincerity, she said, “My name is Ye Xue, and I’ve come here to train. Before I arrived, my master should have mentioned this to your temple master.”

Bai Liu: ?

Train?

In his mind, the word conjured images of tediousness and boredom. He simply couldn’t reconcile it with the image of the beautiful girl standing before him.

His silence apparently led the girl to misunderstand. She thought for a moment, then pulled a letter out of her backpack. “I’m not a fraud. I don’t have my Heavenly Master certification yet, but look, this is my university admission letter.”

Bai Liu: ??

Why is she showing me her admission letter?

He didn’t actually take it from her, just glanced at it casually and saw that it was from a prestigious university in the city, one of the 211 schools, no less. But the major… definitely didn’t seem related to religion.

What exactly is this self-proclaimed Heavenly Master here for?

Bai Liu looked at her black umbrella, her backpack, and then… a snakeskin bag?

Huh? Wait a minute, a snakeskin bag?

Bai Liu stared at the large snakeskin bag beside her. It clashed completely with her elegant appearance, grounding her ethereal demeanor somewhat.

The bag was bulging, clearly stuffed with something heavy. He wondered how she had managed to carry such a weight all this way.

As he thought about it, Bai Liu recalled that his father had indeed mentioned something a few days ago—something about a fellow practitioner from the mountains coming to the temple to train. No one had expected it to be such a beautiful young woman.

She didn’t look like a Heavenly Master at all—more like a fairy.

Still bewildered, Bai Liu put down his broom and said to Ye Xue, “Follow me, I’ll take you to see our temple master.”

Ye Xue smiled, her eyes curving, “Wait a moment, I need to bring my luggage.”

Bai Liu couldn’t let a girl carry something heavy, so he offered, “Let me help.”

Ye Xue shook her head slightly and smiled, “It’s pretty heavy. You might not be able to lift it.”

Bai Liu waved off her concern, full of confidence, “No problem, I can handle it.”

With that, he grabbed the bag and tried to lift it in one go.

He couldn’t.

Bai Liu froze, bewildered. The bag that seemed so light in the girl’s hands now felt like a mountain in his.

Determined not to give up, he summoned all his strength and managed to barely hoist the bag.

Ye Xue, noticing his sudden silence, feigned ignorance, “Are you alright?”

Bai Liu, gritting his teeth, replied, “Don’t worry, I’m fine! Just follow me, I’ll carry the bag!”

Ye Xue raised her eyebrows slightly at being called “junior sister,” but didn’t bother to correct him just yet. “Could you move your foot? You’re standing on my umbrella.”

“…Oh, right!” Bai Liu casually shifted his foot, acting as though everything was perfectly normal as he led the way with the heavy luggage.

But before they could even step inside the temple, another slipper came flying towards them. Unable to dodge it while carrying the bag, Bai Liu took the hit square on his face, leaving a shoe imprint behind.

“Dad, stop yelling! We have a guest!” Bai Liu, worried that his father would do something else to embarrass him in front of his “fairy-like” junior sister, called out hastily.

“You brat, how dare you come back—wait, who’s this?” The temple master, lying on a grand chair with a towel on his forehead, clearly still furious, paused when he saw Ye Xue. Frowning, he asked, “Didn’t I say I wasn’t seeing anyone today?”

Ye Xue was about to introduce herself when Bai Liu cut in, “Junior sister, this is my dad, the master of Xuanzhen Temple.”

He then turned to his father and said, “Dad, this is Ye Xue, the junior sister you mentioned who’s here for training.”

Bai Liu glanced at Ye Xue, signaling her not to be nervous.

But the look she gave him was one of pity.

Bai Liu was left utterly confused, still processing Ye Xue’s sympathetic gaze when the temple master, his father, suddenly jumped down and smacked him on the head. As he hit him, the master scolded, “Calling her ‘junior sister’? Is that something you can just say? She’s my junior sister!”

Ye Xue’s master, Ye Yangyun, and Bai’s father were from the same Taoist sect, both disciples of the Zhengyi lineage. While Bai Liu’s family temple, Xuan Zhen Temple, worshipped the Three Pure Ones, Ye Yangyun came from the line of Zhang Daoling, the Celestial Master. Ye Yangyun, being exceptionally gifted, was taken in as a personal disciple by the elder of the sect, while Bai’s father was merely a lowly disciple in the temple at that time. Moreover, since Ye Xue’s master held a higher rank within the sect, Ye Yangyun, though younger, became Bai Liu’s father’s senior brother.

Bai Liu was dumbfounded, clutching his head, now questioning everything about life. His worldview seemed to be reshaped entirely. How could this ethereal junior sister, who looked younger than him, be his father’s junior? Though the Taoist sects didn’t care about age, only rank, it was still hard to digest—these two standing together could easily be mistaken for father and daughter.

Bai Liu stood there in a daze, still trying to figure out how a Taoist junior sister could also be a Celestial Master. Seeing his father about to hit him again, Bai quickly blurted out, “Dad, be careful of your health! Didn’t you say you were still sick?”

The temple master paused mid-swing, then nonchalantly lowered his hand and rubbed his forehead, “Ah, my head, my head, the pain is acting up again.” He dramatically collapsed back into his chair, looking weak as he turned to Ye Xue with a smile. “Ye Xue, my dear junior sister, your master has already informed me about your arrival. Treat this place as your home. No need to feel like a guest.”

At that moment, footsteps approached from outside the temple. Bai Liu, seeing it as a lifeline, called out, “Senior brother, you’re back!”

Ye Xue followed Bai Liu’s gaze and saw a young Taoist in a light blue robe walking in, holding a few talismans, his right hand slightly stained with cinnabar. The young Taoist had delicate features, and as he walked in, he noticed Bai Liu’s eager gaze and paused for a second. He then smiled warmly, turning to Ye Xue, “And who might this be?”

The temple master introduced her, “I mentioned before that a fellow disciple would be joining us to train. This is Ye Xue, my…”

Before he could finish, the young Taoist, Xu Zhou, nodded in understanding and smiled, “Ah, Junior Sister Ye Xue. I’m Xu Zhou, you can call me Senior Brother.”

Just as Xu Zhou spoke, both Bai Liu and Ye Xue turned to him with the same sympathetic look in their eyes. Bai Liu even had a hint of schadenfreude in his expression, as if he were waiting for some spectacle to unfold.

Xu Zhou: “?” What happened while I was away?

In the next second, the temple master, who had been pretending to be weak moments ago, suddenly sprang up and grabbed Xu Zhou, delivering a flurry of smacks. “Calling her ‘junior sister’? Are you trying to take advantage of me? She’s my junior sister—your senior aunt! Now, call her ‘Aunt Ye Xue’!”

Ye Xue couldn’t hold back her laughter.

Under the stern gaze of the temple master, both Xu Zhou and Bai Liu reluctantly called out in unison, “Aunt Ye Xue…”

Bai Liu sidled up to Xu Zhou, whispering with a tone of experience, “That’s how I got hit earlier.”

Xu Zhou responded quietly, “Then why didn’t you warn me?”

Bai Liu cleared his throat, feeling a bit guilty, and looked everywhere except at Xu Zhou.

Xu Zhou: …

I see.

The temple master, noticing their little exchange, glared at them both as a warning. The two immediately straightened up, too afraid of getting smacked again, and didn’t dare speak out of turn anymore.

Ye Xue broke the tension, smiling, “It’s not entirely their fault. Whenever I’m out with my master, people often mistake him for my grandfather.”

Bai Liu quickly chimed in, “Exactly! Aunt Ye Xue looks younger than me, around sixteen or seventeen—still a minor.”

Ye Xue’s smile froze for a moment, then she calmly corrected, word by word, “I’m eighteen. An adult.”

In the past, when Ye Xue worked to support herself, people often doubted her capabilities because she looked too young. Some were even afraid to hire her, fearing accusations of child labor.

Bai Liu, puzzled, asked, “Wait, you’re an adult? I thought you were sixteen.”

Ye Xue took a deep breath, giving up on explaining any further. Instead, she turned to the temple master and said, “Senior Brother, maybe you should just hit him again.”

Bai Liu: “…”

The temple master couldn’t help but chuckle but, seeing that it was getting late, he decided to interrupt, “Alright, Bai Liu, Xu Zhou, take Ye Xue to drop off her luggage.”

“Sure,” Bai Liu replied. He went to pick up the snakeskin bag, but Xu Zhou stepped in, “Junior brother, I’ll handle it.”

Bai Liu, as if reliving his earlier struggle, gave a heartfelt warning, “It’s really heavy, Senior Brother. Be careful.”

Xu Zhou was about to dismiss the concern, but as soon as he took hold of the bag, he nearly stumbled under its weight. He steadied himself and, with a deep breath, admitted, “It’s… quite heavy indeed.”

Bai Liu carried Ye Xue’s backpack, while she held only her black umbrella. Xu Zhou followed behind, and they headed toward the guest rooms.

Xuan Zhen Temple, though large, had somewhat old and faded decor. The roof tiles looked worn, and the deity statues inside the hall were quite weathered. However, the fresh fruit offered before the statues showed that the worshippers still treated the place with care.

In the main hall, they worshipped the Three Pure Ones: Yuan Shi Tian Zun, Ling Bao Tian Zun, and Dao De Tian Zun.

Ye Xue put away her umbrella and entered the hall. She lit three incense sticks, respectfully bowing before the statues. Afterward, she stepped out and opened her umbrella again.

Seeing her open the umbrella, Bai Liu looked at the sky, confused. “Aunt Ye Xue… um, there’s no sun right now. Why are you still holding the umbrella?”

Though the temple was large, apart from the overhang of the eaves and the shade from some bamboo trees, there was nothing else to block the sun. But at the moment, the sun was nowhere to be seen.

Holding the umbrella firmly, Ye Xue calmly replied, “It’s going to rain soon.”

Bai Liu laughed, “Oh, you don’t know! It hasn’t rained here in Hai City for days, that’s why it’s been so hot—”

Before he could finish his sentence, dark clouds quickly gathered overhead. The sky turned black, thunder rumbled, and suddenly, it started pouring rain.

Ye Xue was completely dry thanks to her umbrella, while Xu Zhou, noticing the dark clouds, quickly pulled the snakeskin bag and stood under Ye Xue’s large black umbrella.

As for Bai Liu, he was soaked through like a drowned rat.

“Wow! Master Aunt Ye Xue, can you predict the future?” Bai Liu was stunned for a moment before looking at Ye Xue with a sudden change in attitude. His eyes were filled with admiration as he squeezed under the umbrella, staring at her like she was a celestial being. “Can you tell me when I’ll get rich? Will I ever find love in this life?”

Ye Xue looked at him, puzzled. “Don’t you check the weather forecast before going out?”

Bai Liu was taken aback, “Huh?”

Ye Xue pulled out her phone, showing him the weather app, which clearly stated: Sunny turning to heavy rain, expected rainfall at 2 PM.

Bai Liu met her gaze, which seemed to ask, “How can someone be this clueless?” Feeling foolish, he thought to himself that Ye Xue didn’t even have her Heavenly Master certificate yet, so there was no way she could tell fortunes. Still, it wasn’t his fault; the weather forecast was rarely accurate, so he didn’t expect it to be spot on this time.

His mood soured even further.

Why am I always the one getting the short end of the stick?

Seeing him so downcast, Ye Xue couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic. She glanced at his face carefully.

Although she hadn’t fully mastered the art of reading faces, Bai Liu’s bad luck was too obvious to ignore. She said, “Your forehead is dark—looks like you might have a misfortune today.”

Even though the Taoist temple had the protection of the Three Pure Ones, Bai Liu’s unlucky aura was so strong that she worried even the temple’s guardians might not be able to shield him once he stepped outside.

Bai Liu laughed it off. “Isn’t that true every day? My dad’s always beating me up—so, yeah, that counts as misfortune.”

Ye Xue: “… Just be careful.”

As she put her phone away, Bai Liu finally noticed what kind of phone Ye Xue was using—a very old Nokia, from years ago.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Master Aunt, why are you still using such an old phone?” He thought to himself, Is her master really so stingy that he won’t even buy her a new phone?

Although Bai Liu’s question was innocent, it touched on a sore subject for Ye Xue. She sighed, “The mountain roads are tough to fix.”

Most of the money she earned went into maintaining the village roads, so she had to make do with her old phone. But now…

She glanced around at the place she would be staying and thought, Not only do I need to fix the roads back home, but I’ll also need to save up to repair this temple.

It seemed like her goal of making money was a long-term mission.

Bai Liu looked at her with deep sympathy. Where on earth did she live? It sounded even more remote than the mountains. Did she really have to earn money to fix roads herself?

Xu Zhou, carrying their belongings, hadn’t said much along the way but finally spoke up as they arrived. “We’re here.”

The guest room had been prepared in advance. When the temple master received a call from Ye Xue’s master, he immediately ordered the rooms to be cleaned and ready.

After escorting Ye Xue inside, neither Bai Liu nor Xu Zhou lingered.

“Master Aunt Ye Xue, if you need anything, feel free to call us,” Xu Zhou said politely.

Unlike Bai Liu, who was a bit awkward about calling her “Master Aunt,” Xu Zhou had no problem with it.

After settling Ye Xue, Bai Liu remembered he still hadn’t finished sweeping the grounds.

He was responsible for cleaning the outside of the temple, and if it wasn’t spotless, his dad would definitely beat him.

With that in mind, he quickly said goodbye to Xu Zhou and rushed off to sweep the grounds.

Xu Zhou, on the other hand, returned to the temple master’s room.

The temple master, now with a towel draped over his forehead, asked tiredly, “Did you help your Master Aunt settle in?”

Xu Zhou nodded.

The temple master then asked, “How did things go today?”

Various Taoist temples occasionally organized events, and sometimes shared news. Since the Xuanzhen Temple wasn’t very well-known, they rarely received invitations, but today was an exception. The temple master hadn’t attended, sending Xu Zhou in his place.

Xu Zhou’s expression grew serious as he replied, “Master, Mr. Yu’s situation doesn’t look good.”

Meanwhile, Bai Liu, broom in hand, was cleaning halfheartedly.

For some reason, the temple felt unusually quiet today. Normally, at least one or two believers would show up to offer incense.

“Huh?” Bai Liu accidentally stepped on something and looked down, discovering it was an offering. He had no idea who had placed it there.

He picked it up and returned it to its place, feeling a little puzzled. Who would be burning offerings outside the temple?

Just as Bai Liu was feeling confused, there was a sudden bang. Looking up, he saw a large rock falling from the roof, heading straight for him.

“Crap!” Bai Liu cursed as he dodged just in time. However, in avoiding the rock, he stepped on some pebbles and fell flat on his face.

As he got up, he felt a warm sensation on his nose and wiped it—his hand was covered in blood.

He remembered Ye Xue’s earlier words.

Bloodshed… well, that’s bloodshed alright!

It really came true!

When Ye Xue came outside, the sun had already set. She walked under a large tree outside the temple and took out her phone to call her master, reporting her safe arrival.

Although the temple was in a remote area, its feng shui was excellent—well-ventilated, and the sun’s rays hit the temple the most, making it a place filled with strong yang energy.

On the other end of the phone, the elder’s cheerful voice soon came through, but before Ye Xue could say much, a few drops of water fell on her face, as if it were starting to rain.

Ye Xue looked up, confused. The weather forecast said the rain had already stopped. Why is it raining again?

Raising her head, she saw a hanged ghost suspended from the tree above her. It looked like a child of six or seven, with a long tongue hanging out, laughing at her while holding a large rock. Drool was dripping onto her face.

“What the—?” Ye Xue was startled, and the ghost grinned even more maliciously, preparing to scare her further.

Her master, hearing her shock, asked, “What’s wrong, A-Xue?”

“Nothing. Just a little ghost,” Ye Xue replied, her fists clenching as she smiled coldly. “Master, I’ll call you back later. I need to beat it to a pulp.”

The little ghost seemed unfazed by their conversation and stuck its tongue out even farther, trying to grab something.

But it missed.

Ye Xue grabbed its tongue and tied it into a tight knot.

The ghost looked at its knotted tongue, instinctively wanting to cry, but couldn’t. It could only whimper pitifully.

Ye Xue tied both the ghost and its tongue into a knot and stuffed it into a bottle.

Why are there ghosts even in the temple?

She thought coldly to herself. Nearly scared me to death.

When Bai Liu came to call Ye Xue for dinner, she was still fiddling with the bottle. The hanged ghost tried desperately to escape but was shoved back inside every time it tried. It whimpered in frustration, but no one could hear it except Ye Xue.

Hearing the knock, Ye Xue opened the door, hiding the bottle behind her.

Bai Liu, looking at her like she was a revered deity, spoke with newfound sincerity. “Master Aunt, dinner is ready.”

Ye Xue nodded. “Alright, I’ll be there.”

After notifying her, Bai Liu started to leave but suddenly turned back, asking eagerly, “Master Aunt, is everything to your liking? Anything that needs improvement?”

Ye Xue shoved the ghost back into the bottle again, using its own tongue to seal the lid, and sighed. “There are too many ghosts.”

Bai Liu was dumbfounded. “Huh???”

If there are ghosts in the temple, just imagine how many there are outside!

Ye Xue sighed again.

Too many ghosts.

She was really scared of ghosts.