Chapter 61: An Eerie Visit in the Dead of Night

Madam Third truly indulged Shang Lu. Hearing his words, she actually leaned close to the table, bent down, and sniffed the dish he had brought back. Shang Lu opened his eyes wide, unwilling to miss a single moment.

He had packed dishes for Madam Third not only to share delicious food with her, but also out of a selfish wish—to catch a glimpse of her appearance. In his mind, when Madam Third ate, surely she would lift her veil just a little? Even if he couldn’t see her whole face, a glimpse of her delicate lips would be enough.

Given how good she was to him, Shang Lu wouldn’t mind whatever she looked like. He was simply curious—what kind of face lay hidden beneath that red veil?

Of course, when Shang Mingqiu and Wu Guizhi had chosen Madam Third for Shang Lu, besides matching the birth and death charts, they had also asked around and learned that Madam Third’s appearance and temperament in life were quite good, which is why they sought the priest’s help to arrange the marriage.

Yet, at this moment, things unfolded completely contrary to Shang Lu’s expectations. Madam Third did not lift her veil. She merely sniffed the dish and straightened up again.

“It smells wonderful,” Madam Third said, turning to Shang Lu, her voice as gentle as ever, but now with an added touch of joy.

“But you didn’t eat it, you only sniffed it,” Shang Lu said.

“I did eat it. All I need is a sniff to taste its flavor. If you don’t believe me, try this dish yourself and see if it still tastes as it used to.”

“Alright.” Shang Lu picked up the chopsticks from the food box and reached for the dish.

It was then that he suddenly realized something: Madam Third’s words just now were not the usual brief phrases, but a whole passage.

Why was that? Had Madam Third grown more accustomed to the mortal realm? Or had his own cultivation, after unlocking several meridians and advancing to the Minor Channeling stage, enabled him to hear more of her speech?

Shang Lu thought both possibilities were likely, which made him happy. Madam Third was growing; he was growing. One day, he would be able to unveil her veil.

With a face full of delight, Shang Lu picked up a bite of the dish and brought it to his mouth. But after chewing once, the joy on his face twisted into agony, and he hurriedly spat the food out.

“Why is this so awful?”

The texture and taste of this dish were nothing like what he’d eaten at the restaurant. The texture was indescribable—something like paper, or perhaps candle wax, hard to swallow. The taste was a mix of muddy, rotten flavors, utterly repulsive.

Shang Lu’s first reaction was that the restaurant chef hadn’t taken care in preparing the food.

But thinking further, that couldn’t be right. No matter how careless, they wouldn’t make a dish taste like wax or mud. To manage such a feat would be a talent of its own!

Then Shang Lu recalled Madam Third’s actions and words, and suddenly realized. He hurriedly asked, “Is this taste and texture the result of your eating it?”

“Yes,” Madam Third nodded, the silver hairpin atop her head swaying gently, lively and beautiful.

“I absorbed the essence of the dish and thus tasted its flavor. Now it’s nothing but a hollow form, stripped of its vitality.”

She paused and added, “So I really did taste it—I wasn’t lying.”

From her words, Shang Lu sensed her sincerity and a touch of annoyance. Though he couldn’t see her face, he imagined Madam Third puffing her cheeks, indignant—a rather adorable image.

He couldn’t help but think: perhaps teasing Madam Third more often wouldn’t be so bad?

But he dismissed the thought. Madam Third’s strength far surpassed his own; if he truly provoked her, he’d be the one to suffer.

His plan to sneak a look at her face had failed, which left Shang Lu somewhat disappointed. Yet seeing Madam Third enjoy the food he’d shared with her made him happy again. He set down his chopsticks and eagerly asked,

“Madam Third, what do you like to eat? What flavors do you prefer? From now on, every day after work, I’ll bring you something delicious.”

Madam Third was easily pleased. With just those words, her annoyance vanished, and she cheerfully replied, “As long as you bring it, I’ll like it.”

Oh, how those words made Shang Lu’s heart sweeter than honey. He grinned foolishly and opened his arms, making a request:

“To celebrate my promotion, and to celebrate that you’ll have good food every day from now on, how about a hug?”

Madam Third actually opened her arms and slipped into Shang Lu’s embrace.

He had hugged her before, but this time felt different—more real. The sensation under his hands was soft and tender, as if he were holding a living person.

At the same time, a subtle fragrance wafted into his nose, faint like the incense burned in temples, calming and pleasant, soothing his heart.

Indeed, not only her words but her body had become more real.

A sudden impulse struck Shang Lu. While Madam Third was distracted, he quickly lowered his head and kissed her veil.

“Madam Third, mission accomplished—a kiss!”

Even if it was through the veil, it was still a kiss.

Unfortunately, this wish was not granted either. His lips passed straight through Madam Third’s veil—and her head.

She sensed his sneak attack and, just as he was about to kiss her, transformed back into her spiritual form.

“Oh, what a pity, I was so close,” Shang Lu said in frustration.

Madam Third raised her hand and gently tapped his head, as if helpless in the face of his childish behavior, giving Shang Lu the feeling of a mischievous child being chastised by his mother.

The sensation made Shang Lu both amused and exasperated.

Was Madam Third really teaching her child?

This couple—one living, one ghost—joked and bantered in the main hall for a while. Shang Lu closed up the food box, ready to return it to the restaurant tomorrow.

Madam Third produced a fresh bowl of bloodied meat paste. After eating, Shang Lu practiced the Five Beast Health Technique several times in the courtyard, then returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and activated the Internal Sutra Diagram to refine his heart, consolidating his heart meridian.

Soon, midnight arrived.

While meditating cross-legged on the bed, Shang Lu suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.

His intuition told him an uninvited guest had entered his courtyard.

He snapped his eyes open, grabbed the ox-tail saber at his bedside, and burst out of the house with the Tiger Step technique, charging forth like a wild tiger.

There he saw a pale, eerie figure suspended in midair.

No, not quite.

Shang Lu quickly realized it wasn’t a person, but a paper effigy with deathly pale skin and two odd red blots painted on its face.

It wasn’t floating, but was entwined and bound by vines and branches stretching from the trees, holding it aloft.

Stranger still, the paper effigy was moving.

It struggled frantically, trying to break free of the vines and branches.

Was this thing alive?!