The next morning, the innkeeper brought water up. Mu Qian Tan finished washing up and went downstairs to eat. The shop was cold and quiet, with the door half-open and thin morning light outside.
Some people were already sitting on the first floor, huffing and puffing as they ate, talking in low voices: “Did you get any news last night?”
“None at all. I poked through the haystacks, and there wasn’t even a hair!”
“Then why couldn’t we draw out that ghost?”
“Maybe someone else lured it away. What else could it be.”
The conversation was fragmented. Mu Qian Tan found a table in the corner and had just sat down when those two came downstairs side by side. Shang Shan seemed to catch a scent. She clung to the railing and poked her head down: “Master.”
Mu Qian Tan ignored her and drank her tea on her own. Shang Shan left Jiang Yuanqi’s side and thumped quickly down the stairs. She dragged a long bench to sit across the table: “Master, I’m so hungry.”
The shopkeeper didn’t ask much and directly brought over several steamers of buns. It was a special time; the menu had been cut by more than half, with only buns and plain porridge available in the morning. The three of them sat around the table and ate in silence.
Shang Shan was so hungry she was dazed. After wolfing down a bunch, she vaguely remembered whether the Old Granny had eaten and called the boss over again: “Pack another one to go!”
Mu Qian Tan lifted her gaze: “Do you have money?”
Shang Shan snapped out of her drowsiness and shrank back: “No.”
Mu Qian Tan said: “Don’t order so righteously if it’s not your own money.”
“No problem, I have…” Jiang Yuanqi had just reached into his robes when a sharp glare flew his way: “Don’t say a word.”
“…” He withdrew the hand he had slipped into his robes, lowered his head, and drank his porridge without a word.
New Year’s Money had jumped onto the table but was driven off by a burst of cold air. It shook its head, bumped Jiang Yuanqi’s calf with the edge of its bamboo hat, then flicked its tail and leaped onto Shang Shan’s lap, curling up into a ball to sleep.
The boss had already been called over. Mu Qian Tan said to him: “Pack five portions.”
The boss agreed and went off to get busy. Shang Shan immediately straightened her back and raised her hand: “Master, you’re still the thoughtful one! I forgot, the Old Granny is at the coffin shop, not home! One steamer definitely wouldn’t be enough!”
Mu Qian Tan swallowed the bun in her mouth and lowered her gaze: “Eat.”
After breakfast, people gradually left the shop one after another, but there still weren’t many. The entire town was slowly waking in silence. The three arrived at the coffin shop and knocked at the door for a long time before a young man, draped in an outer robe and rubbing his eyes, came to open it: “Who is it.”
When he saw who it was, his face instantly flushed red. He yanked the door wide open: “You guys are back again?”
Shang Shan handed him the food box: “My master bought this for you. Eat up.”
The young man took the food box and bowed repeatedly: “Thank you, thank you. Do you want to come in and sit?”
Jiang Yuanqi said: “No need. Has that grandfather woken up yet?”
“He’s awake, he’s awake. I’ll go call him.”
The old man came out puffing on his pipe, his hair sticking out in all directions. He tugged at his shoulder robes. He knocked the pipe on the heads of the two youths squatting on the ground and munching buns: “All you know how to do is open your mouths and eat. No work. Take it inside for that granny.”
The steamer basket on the ground was opened, revealing plump, round buns steaming with heat. One youth clutched his head and carried the steamer inside. The old man shuffled to the doorway: “Thanks for the buns, immortals. Coming so early, you must have something to ask.”
Jiang Yuanqi got straight to the point: “Yes, no beating around the bush. Boss, do you know what play that glamour corpse was singing?”
They had seen the glamour corpse with their own eyes last night, so those rumors must all be true. The singing could be investigated. Because fierce corpses retained some habits from when they were alive as mortals, often those accumulated from years of repetition.
This glamour corpse sang opera, which meant she might have sung often in life. With such beauty and luxurious clothes, she could have been an actress. Every place had local operas and skilled performers. If they knew what she sang, they might deduce her identity and background.
The old man said: “What tune it was, I really don’t know.”
Shang Shan said: “Then, where did you hear about that glamour corpse?”
If the rumors were true, to observe those details, one had to confront it head-on to draw conclusions. He was just a mortal; he couldn’t have clashed with that woman who was nearly impervious to blades and spears. So he must have heard it.
The old man said: “Go west down Pinecone Alley. There’s a Gao Family household. The man there is Gao Yuan. He encountered the glamour corpse. At first he could still talk, but later he slowly went mad. That’s what his wife Lü Jing said before.”
After asking for the exact address, the three bid him farewell and headed west. They found Pinecone Alley and counted to the door of that house.
The house had several lanterns lit, not extinguished even in daylight. The storefront was small, plastered densely with talismans, the papers almost without gaps. Only when the wind blew could one glimpse the dark door lacquer beneath.
Shang Shan stood at the door and knocked a few times, her palm slapping against the layers of talismans with a muffled thud: “Is anyone home?”
There was no sound from inside the door. She knocked a few more times and called out: “Excuse me, anyone there? We’re immortals here to exorcise ghosts. We have some questions for you.”
No one answered from the house. Jiang Yuanqi stepped forward, peeled off a few talismans to inspect, and shook his head: “These talismans are all fakes, just red ink on yellow paper. They must have been scammed.”
Hearing this, Shang Shan called out louder: “You’ve been scammed! These talismans are useless and can’t stop a fierce corpse. We have an expert talisman writer here. She says so.”
There was the sound of a lock turning from behind the door. Then, the door slowly creaked open. First, the tip of a gleaming kitchen knife appeared, followed by a sharp female voice from the crack: “Which immortals are you? State your names!”
This should be Lü Jing.
Shang Shan said: “There are three of us. Two from Tianyu Sect, and one loose cultivator. We’re all here to catch the fierce corpse.”
Her speech was clear and fluent, her voice light yet steady and strong. She couldn’t possibly be some monster. The kitchen knife didn’t withdraw. A woman with a round face and slightly fierce features peered out from behind the door and asked: “If you’re catching the fierce corpse, go catch it. What are you doing at my house?”
Jiang Yuanqi stepped forward: “That fierce corpse doesn’t appear in daylight and vanishes mysteriously at night. It’s hard to find. We want to ask about the glamour corpse, try to figure out who she really is and where she hides during the day. That way, we can catch her faster and prevent her from harming more ordinary folk.”
These words stirred Lü Jing slightly. She fell silent. Jiang Yuanqi continued: “I heard from the coffin shop boss that your husband escaped from the glamour corpse but went mad not long after, probably his soul scared out. This one is Wen Jingfeng. I don’t have the skills of the two immortals beside me, but I know some soul-summoning and madness-curing techniques. Need me to take a look?”
At these words, the fierceness on Lü Jing’s face softened a bit, hope shining in her eyes. Her husband had been mad for months, no doubt weighing on her heavily. Hearing the coffin shop boss mentioned, she knew where they’d gotten the info, so her heart eased. She pulled open the door: “Please come in and see, immortal. The reward is negotiable.”
Jiang Yuanqi said: “No need. We just want to ask your husband one thing.”
Lü Jing set down the kitchen knife, rubbed her brow, and sighed: “My husband is like this now… Not sure if he can even answer you.”
Jiang Yuanqi said: “Even just to catch the fierce corpse, I’ll do my best to save your husband. Rest assured.”
Lü Jing said: “I’ll take you to him now.”
They all entered the house together. Talismans covered even the hallway pillars densely. In the hall, brooms, iron shovels, and pitchforks were all laid out—clearly fearing the fierce corpse would strike again. Even the fire tongs were out for defense, making it hard to step around.
“If not like this, my husband can’t settle down. Don’t mind, immortals.” Lü Jing placed the kitchen knife on the table and lifted the curtain to look inside: “That’s my Gao Lang.”
It was still hot weather, but a brazier burned in the room. On the bed, a bun-shaped lump wrapped in quilts trembled nonstop, occasionally emitting short cries, as if scared silly.
Jiang Yuanqi went in first and tried to pull off the quilt, immediately provoking a shriek from the man: “Get out! Get out!”
Jiang Yuanqi’s hand didn’t move. Seeing he couldn’t be pushed away, the man yelled and rolled off the bed. The quilt scattered. He jumped up from the floor, hair disheveled, face pale as a hungry ghost, and tried to shrink into the corner to flee.
At that moment, Jiang Yuanqi was quick-eyed and handy. He pulled out a talisman and accurately struck the man’s back. He stiffened and fell down.
They dragged the man back onto the bed and propped him straight up. Only then did Jiang Yuanqi say: “You can come in now.”
The others entered past the curtain. Lü Jing still wore a face full of worry.
The man on the bed stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, his breathing abnormally faint. Jiang Yuanqi massaged his chest to circulate blood and asked: “Tell us how you encountered that glamour ghost.”
Lü Jing sat at the bedside and began to recount. That night, a strong wind rose. Soon, raindrops pattered down, drumming loudly on the eaves. Even voices inside the house were hard to hear clearly. The two hadn’t slept late into the night.
Lately, with ghosts haunting the city, everyone was on edge. They didn’t dare go out much even in daylight, so no need to rise early for work. Unable to sleep, they got up to play cards—for money, no less—laughing and making merry.
Suddenly, a gust blew open the window, banging against the wall. Rain drifted in, scattering many cards.
Lü Jing had been about to win a round. Now scattered, she was annoyed. She tossed her cards and went to close the window. With her back turned, Gao Yuan chuckled slyly, stole his wife’s money to his side, reshuffled, and hummed a little tune.
Over there, Lü Jing laugh-scolded as she pushed the window too hard and failed to latch it, leaving a gap three fingers wide. She was about to fetch the wooden lock when a trembling “hey” came from behind, as if the voice was being squeezed.
She turned to look. Gao Yuan sat on the bed, cards slipping from his hand. He pointed this way, his face drastically changed, terror-stricken.
Sporadic rain hit Lü Jing’s nape, chilling her to the core. Goosebumps rose on her arms. She slowly turned back.
In that three-finger gap, a pair of blood-red, blood-red eyes.
Staring right at her.
She was so scared she blanked out, mind empty, and fell to the floor. Gao Yuan also shrieked in terror, but the thing outside the window tried to crawl in!
Seeing his wife too scared to move, he wailed, grabbed a stool by the bed, rushed out the door, and smashed at the woman in splendid robes by the window. Then he bolted outside without regard for his life.
When a living person moved, they gave off more aura. The glamour corpse was drawn, sparing the people inside, and slowly shifted her body to chase outside.
Lü Jing sat on the ground for a good while before recovering. She was always bolder than her husband. Only facing it head-on had blanked her mind. Now turning to see the room empty and bed vacant, her heart panicked. She rushed into the rainy night.
The rain stung her face. Only the sound of pouring rain in her ears. She shouted on the empty long street, soaked through, shivering cold, throat hoarse. Finally, she found her husband in an alley, huddled against the wall, trembling and nearly unconscious.
After hearing this, Jiang Yuanqi nodded and asked: “Did your husband tell you about the glamour corpse singing opera?”
Lü Jing said: “Yes, right after I found him, he was still somewhat lucid. Now he can’t.”
Jiang Yuanqi said: “Do you know what tune it was?”
Lü Jing said: “I listen to opera often, but my husband doesn’t. He didn’t know the tune and didn’t say.”
Jiang Yuanqi probed the pulse and temperature at the fingertips, flipped open the eyes to check, pondered for a moment, then pulled a water-red veil from his robes: “Do you recognize this veil?”
Mu Qian Tan thought to herself: This kid’s here, quite calculating. Seeing the man scared like this, even summoning his soul back might not normalize him. Better test other possibilities first. If they asked what play it was now, he’d say soul-summoning wouldn’t work.
Lü Jing examined the veil carefully: “Many plays use this kind of veil nowadays. Can’t be sure.”
As she said this, her words flickered slightly, unclear if true or false.
![Why You Get to Be the Protagonist? [Transmigration]](https://i3.wp.com/dobytranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/masterr.png?resize=151,215 "Why You Get to Be the Protagonist? [Transmigration]")
