Strange Tales of the Ghosts

Li Bandian hadn't heard anything about the other corpse, so he started considering what he should be doing. It was just like what Su Qing'e said; he impulsively agreed to the competition but was no longer young. Thirty years have passed, how is Junior Lv'er feeling right now? Li Bandian pondered for the whole night and finally made up his mind. He asked Su Qing'e to pack up early in the morning, and then they departed from home. The trees were green, the water was clear, the sun was bright too, and Su Qing'e was skipping happily. However, it wasn't easy to get to Green Willow Manor. It was a long way from home, and finding food on the road alone was difficult enough for Li Bandian; plus, he had to push down his desire for alcohol too.

"Ah, I'm tired. Let's sit down and rest for a while." After walking for half a day, Li Bandian sat down drowsily and looked at the skipping Su Qing'e.

Su Qing'e looked energetic and shook her head, "Father, I'm not tired. How about you take a break here, and I'll go find us some food?"

"Alright, come back soon." Li Bandian unplugged his gourd bottle and drank a mouthful. He wasn't worried about Su Qing'e's energy since she wasn't human; it wouldn't be a problem for her to run miles away. Su Qing'e ran away happily after he agreed, and she was so fast that ordinary people wouldn't be able to take notice of her. This was a female body's advantage; they were known to be light and fast, whereas male bodies were more powerful. Villagers would be scared of Su Qing'e if they saw the way she ran, but she intentionally slowed down to match Li Bandian's pace. Li Bandian was resting assured as Su Qing'e was obedient, she wouldn't take a step outside the temple even when he often went down the mountain, and that was why no one discovered her over the last three years.

One mouthful drink after another, Li Bandian couldn't control his alcohol addiction. He drank too much and felt sleepy; he laid his head on his backpack and fell asleep on the ground. When he woke up, he saw Su Qing'e squatting next to him and looking at him with blood stains next to her mouth.

"Tell me! What did you do!" Li Bandian shot up from the ground and looked at her sharply.

Su Qing'e was horrified at the knife on her neck and sobbed as she replied, "Father, I had food." Then she lifted up the wild chicken in her hands.

Li Bandian looked at it; and the chicken was always dead, and its blood was all sucked out. Over the last three years, Li Bandian always let Su Qing'e drink the blood first and then eat the meat himself for convenience. It was different this time; it was her first time catching a chicken herself. Li Bandian didn't think that Su Qing'e would be so smart that she remembered what chickens looked like after she had only seen them once before. She even brought back the meat for him. Li Bandian took back his knife and recalled his shameful actions, "Qing'e, I'm sorry that I blamed you."

"It's fine, Father." Su Qing'e wiped the tears off her face with her sleeves and swayed the chicken in her hands, "Do you want to boil the chicken or roast it?"

"Silly, we don't have a pot here. Of course, we'll have to roast it." Li Bandian laughed at himself for being so cautious. He saw blood on Su Qing'e's mouth and thought she sucked human blood, but his worries were unnecessary.