Young Master Liu paused, then burst out laughing: "You two are quite adept; it seems you've endured considerable hardship roaming around all these years! However, I have no experience with barbecuing, nor do I know how. For now, it all rests on you!"

Suona Wang waved his hand: "We don't need you for the actual grilling; your only job is to start the fire. Wait—the fire I mean isn't this current flame, but the kind you used three days ago. That one cooks things so quickly and evenly, even a pig's head roasts in no time. Don't worry about the heat; I've timed our roasting perfectly: one minute per chicken, three minutes per pig's head. You don't need to manage any of that; we'll handle the cooking. You just need to get the fire going, understand? Hurry up and prepare; we are almost ready!" As he spoke, the two had already seasoned three chickens and skewered them onto wooden rods, preparing to skewer the pig's head next.

Young Master Liu pulled out several talismans from his satchel, examining them closely. Luogu Chen asked, "Young Master, what are you looking at?"

Liu smiled wryly: "There's no cinnabar; how am I supposed to inscribe the spells?"

Luogu Chen scoffed: "Look at you, an intellectual! I watched that so-called Immortal Wang just spit saliva onto his brush to write. But since this is your first time, I think we should be more proper. Take these two bottles and fetch some water!"

Liu asked, "We won't need that much water, will we?"

Luogu Chen shot him a look: "Are you incapable of feeling thirsty? There’s a ditch by that field; there should be water. I noticed it when we walked over; the fields are wet."

Liu knew perfectly well they were just trying to get him to fetch water for them to drink, but seeing both men busy, he couldn't refuse easily. He obediently took the three bottles and headed off to find water. He reached the ditch, and indeed, water was flowing; he could just use the bottles to scoop it up. By this time, the sky was gradually darkening, and visibility was very low. Rural folk call this time Mazi Yan—'Pockmarked Eyes'—because everything looks riddled with specks, making it hard to see clearly. As Liu was filling the bottles, he suddenly felt an icy gust sweep past him. An ordinary person might just feel a cold wind, but Liu was no ordinary person; he could sense something approaching.

The three bottles were full, but whatever it was remained, utterly still, as if it were afraid of Liu. People fear ghosts, but ghosts fear people even more, especially those radiating strong yang energy. It’s like the saying: people fear ghosts by three parts, but ghosts fear people by seven. Liu sensed the ghost’s fear; it wasn't a malevolent specter bent on harm, nor was it one of those minor sprites wandering the mountains. So, he formed a mudra with his hand and swept it across his eyes. The Tiandi Er Hun—the Earth and Heaven Souls—of a vagrant appeared before him, looking very frail.

Liu looked at him and asked, "Uncle, are you traveling? Why aren't you moving on?"

The ghost, seeing someone who could perceive him, knew this was no ordinary person; he could feel the other's intense yang energy. He replied fearfully, "Little Brother is not ordinary, are you? Please don't make things difficult for me. I am a hungry ghost who died far from home. I was cold and starving on the streets, unable to beg for food for days. I starved to death in a street corner five nights ago, and no one cared. The day after I died, I was tossed into a mass grave; only these two souls remain, utterly drained of strength. It took me three days of walking just to get here. I must reach my home before the seventh day to find my family’s peach orchard. Since no one mourned me when I died, I snatched some money from where others were burning paper offerings. It’s all used up by the time I reached this place. My home is still dozens of miles away, and I can only travel at night in this condition. I don't know if I can make it in two days. Please show mercy and don't capture me!"

Liu understood that a ghost like him was called a Ye Gui (Wild Ghost) in the Underworld—dying away from home with no registered household. If caught by an Underworld official, it meant certain doom. So Liu said, "Uncle, don't be afraid. I won't trouble you. I’m not an Underworld official; I’m a Yin-Yang Master. Helping you is what I should do. Follow me; eat something before you set off." He gestured toward the cattle shed.

When they reached the shed, Suona Wang and Luogu Chen had finished their preparations, waiting only for his fire. Suona Wang asked, "Young Master, why did it take so long? We’ve been waiting ages!"

Liu smiled: "I ran into a friend while fetching water, chatted for a while, and brought him along for a bite."

Suona Wang blinked: "A friend? Where is he? I don't see anyone."

Liu said, "He's not human, so you naturally can't see him." Then he looked behind him: "Come, Uncle, have a seat."

The ghost floated gratefully to one side. The two men only felt a blast of cold air pass through them and instinctively sucked in a breath of chill.

Roasting meat with talismanic fire was indeed convenient and fast. It was done in just a few minutes. Liu couldn't help but marvel: "I never realized learning spells had benefits like this. This is the first time I’ve truly felt the utility of magic!" As he spoke, he split a chicken in half in his hands, placing one half before the pig’s head already roasted, and offered it to the ghost, saying, "Here, Uncle, you eat!"

Liu finally witnessed how a hungry ghost ate: half a chicken went straight into the mouth, followed by the bones being expelled. The pig's head was finished in just a few bites. Liu watched, utterly dumbfounded. Though ghosts don't consume physical matter, the way they 'ate' was identical to eating solid food.

Seeing him finish, Liu asked, "Uncle, how was it? Are you full? Perhaps you want this other half of mine too?"

The ghost was overwhelmed with gratitude: "Thank you, little brother. This is the first full meal I've had in a year. I can’t eat anymore, but a bit of wine would be wonderful."

Liu took the bottle of wine from in front of Luogu Chen and presented it to him. The ghost drank half in one continuous gulp. To the onlookers, the wine level hadn't moved at all; only Liu could see him drinking. After he finished, Liu returned the bottle to Luogu Chen and said to the ghost, "Uncle, are you in a hurry to travel? If so, you should leave first. Unlike you, the three of us must rest here for the night. I’ll burn some paper money for you shortly; going back as you are might cause trouble at the peach orchard. This money can serve as a toll." Saying this, while eating, he pulled a stack of spirit money and a stick of incense from his pocket and began burning them beside the fire pit.

Liu ate while watching the ghost beside him, who was carefully sorting the paper bills, tears streaming down his face as he did so. Liu finished his half-chicken just as the ghost finished organizing the spirit money. To humans, this money was useless scrap paper, but to ghosts, it was currency. After securing the money, the ghost tearfully said to Liu, "Little brother, I have never been this wealthy in my entire life. I spent half my life begging, surviving on alms. I never imagined that even after death, I would rely on your charity for a full meal and money for the road. I can only repay your kindness in my next life!"

Liu smiled: "Uncle, don't speak like that. For people in our line of work, doing this is our responsibility. You should set off soon and reach the peach orchard quickly. This is all I can do. Travel well."

The ghost departed. Now that he was full, climbing mountains and crossing ridges would not be difficult; he would surely reach home soon. But Liu and his two companions still had to spend a night in this wind-battered cattle shed.

After the ghost left, Suona Wang asked, "Xiao Feng, what kind of ghost was that just now?"

Liu replied, "A hungry ghost, starved to death in the city, now heading home to find his peach orchard. He flew off after eating a full meal."

Suona Wang shook his head: "Out here in the wilderness, you shouldn't provoke these things. Let’s eat and sleep; don't get involved in too many affairs! Otherwise, you'll attract unnecessary trouble."

Liu sighed: "But I couldn't just watch him die! He looked like he couldn't move an inch. If I hadn't helped, he might have missed the seventh day."

"Just let this one go, then remember next time!" Suona Wang cautioned.

Liu remembered the books given to him by Zhang Enpu perfectly well; he was very clear on some of the things recorded within. So, he said nothing, leaned against the fire pit, and fell asleep.

The next morning, the sun rose, making the snowy ground even brighter. On the shining snow, a set of three parallel footprints led away from the cattle shed and covered several li before the three travelers stopped. Liu grumbled irritably, "Why are we rushing so early? Wouldn't it be better to rest longer?"

Luogu Chen retorted, "What do you know? If people found out we stayed in that cattle shed, the villagers here would chase us down and curse us!"

"Huh? Why?"

Luogu Chen explained, "Why? I don't know the specifics either, but a few years ago, we slept in a cattle shed on a mountain—it was spring, the weather was lovely—and we slept in a bit late. Someone discovered us, and a whole village claimed we were there to sabotage their geomancy! They chased us for miles!"

Liu laughed: "Didn't you explain yourselves? Haha."

Suona Wang exclaimed, "Explaining is useless! Old Chen here is fast; if I couldn't outrun him, I had to stop and explain. Do you know the result? They cursed me until the heavens wept!"

The image of a crowd viciously berating one person flashed through Liu's mind, and he conceded, "Then let's hurry up and go!"

After several hours of hard trekking, the three finally arrived at Xiushui Village. The warmth of home manifested itself at this moment.