The female ghost led Li Guanqi beneath a large tree with an unusually thick trunk, then pointed at its roots. He dug where she indicated and was immediately hit by a pungent stench.
His expression remained neutral, though his brow furrowed slightly as he gazed at the corpse buried beneath the earth.
It was the body of a young woman in her twenties, and she looked almost identical to the ghost before him.
Li Guanqi carefully buried the corpse once more. He had confirmed that the ghost was telling the truth. Then, he said gently, “In that case... do you wish to return to the underworld and enter the cycle of reincarnation? I can help you transcend to the next realm.”
Li Nanting had taught him the Transcending Spell. It was a basic spell, something anyone capable of harnessing and controlling the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth could perform. It was not particularly impressive.
The girl looked hesitant. In a low voice, she asked, “Esteemed Cultivator... could I reincarnate two days after today?”
He shrugged. Since she did not explain, he assumed she simply wished to linger in the human realm a little longer and didn’t press the matter.
He got up and returned to the temple ruins. The ghost was still shaken and did not dare approach the temple at all.
On the second morning, Li Guanqi hurried down the mountain with dark circles under his eyes.
As he descended, Sword Spirit suddenly appeared on the mountainside. She took a long, wistful look at the ghost, her eyes filled with arrogance and disdain.
Then, her voice rang in Li Guanqi’s mind. There’s... something off about her.
He shrugged, his expression unreadable.
Sword Spirit took a long look at him, frowning. She hadn’t expected there to come a day when she could no longer discern his thoughts, and he showed no intention of explaining himself.
With a cold huff, she returned to the sword coffin.
Li Guanqi gave a small smile. Sword Spirit has a big ego...
When Li Guanqi finally arrived in Cloud Town, the first thing he saw was a noisy crowd pushing and shoving each other near the town entrance. He leaped up a tree branch and sat there to observe.
Many townsfolk wore brightly colored clothing, likely dyed with various pigments.
At the center of the commotion stood an old man with white eyebrows in Daoist robes, clutching a peach wood sword. He looked terrified, desperately trying to escape the furious mob.
“You said you were a Daoist Priest?! You’re just a swindler here to scam us out of our money!”
“That’s right! We’ve been feeding you good food and drink, and you haven’t done a damn thing!”
“Hmmph! I think he’s a fraud. Let’s just wait for the Esteemed Cultivator from the Daxia Sword Sect.”
The old man clutched his head and lamented, “I’ve been casting spells for three days! The vengeful ghost should have appeared last night. How was I to know she wouldn’t show up?! Wait, don’t hit my face!”
Li Guanqi was still perched on the tree when someone suddenly pointed at him.
“Hey! Whose kid is that?! Get down from there! That’s our town’s divine tree! How’d you get up there?”
Li Guanqi froze, then noticed the red ropes hanging from the branches, with wooden tokens dangling at their ends.
Li Guanqi leaped off the branch and landed on the ground.
The noisy crowd quietened. All eyes fell onto the teenager with pure white eyes.
The people slowly parted, and a white-haired man stepped forward. He scrutinized Li Guanqi before cautiously asking, “Are you the Esteemed Cultivator from the Daxia Sword Sect?”
Li Guanqi took out his identity jade slip, which confirmed his status.
All the townsfolk bowed deeply, and the elderly leader announced, “I am Gu Yihong. On behalf of the people of Cloud Town, we welcome the Daxia Sword Sect’s Esteemed Cultivator to our town!”
Everyone bowed with sincere expressions.
Li Guanqi was shocked. What kind of sect commands so much respect that even a regular disciple is treated with such reverence?
This was the first time he felt proud to be a disciple of the Daxia Sword Sect.
Straightening his robes, Li Guanqi returned the bow and said, “I am Li Guanqi, disciple of the Daxia Sword Sect’s Heavenly Lightning Peak. I have been assigned to assist Cloud Town.”
Gu Yihong was already in his eighties, but his white hair and weary expression made him look even older. Hurriedly, he approached Li Guanqi and pleaded, “Esteemed Cultivator, you must save Cloud Town! Four people have died in just the past few days! The whole town is panicking, and many claim to have seen the ghost with their own eyes.”
Li Guanqi gave a slight nod. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of men tossing the yellow-robed Daoist priest out of town.
At first, the old priest seemed ready to curse at them. But when he caught sight of Li Guanqi’s eerie white eyes, he swallowed his words, gathered his belongings, and fled.
Seeing Li Guanqi’s expression, Gu Yihong explained awkwardly, “News of our troubles have spread to nearby villages. It’s attracted all sorts of conmen trying to take advantage of us. Esteemed Cultivator, please come with me to my home. I’ll explain everything in detail.”
Li Guanqi nodded and followed the mayor to his home, with the crowd trailing behind.
The mayor was wealthy. His family’s courtyard spanned a hundred zhang in radius.
By now, word had spread throughout town that a Daxia Sword Sect disciple had arrived. Even those who usually kept to themselves had gathered at the mayor’s residence.
Three highly respected elders were already seated in the main hall. After a brief greeting, Li Guanqi began the discussion.
“Elder Gu, before I came down the mountain, I was informed of three deaths. Has the number now reached four?”
Gu Yihong remained silent for a moment before answering grimly, “That’s correct. Wang Ergou, a resident of this town, died the night before last! And it was a tragic death!”
Seeing how pale the mayor had turned, Li Guanqi furrowed his brow and asked softly, “How tragic?”
The mayor exchanged glances with the other elders and fearfully said, “Perhaps... it’s best if you see for yourself.”
Li Guanqi rose slowly. “That would be ideal. It’ll help me understand the situation.”
With that, the crowd followed them to a back alley.
Along the way, Li Guanqi observed the townsfolk—men and women, old and young.
Dyehouses were everywhere, one every ten steps. However, the town was much quieter than normal—traveling merchants had stopped visiting after hearing about the hauntings.
Soon, the mayor led Li Guanqi into a small courtyard in a secluded part of town.
Li Guanqi’s expression remained unreadable throughout the journey, carefully observing the faces of those around him.