Li Guanqi had just uncovered a dark secret that most of the town deliberately avoided discussing.
As the sun gradually set, the golden glow of the sunset disappeared behind the mountains. The two women who had spoken to Li Guanqi hurried home.
“Li Lanhua, Zhang Cuifen. Child traffickers,” Li Guanqi murmured calmly, his face unreadable. The tangled mess in his mind had finally begun to unravel.
Now, all that remained was to wait for the vengeful ghost to appear and uncover the whole truth.
Night fell. The mayor had long since left his house, leaving Li Guanqi alone in the courtyard.
The brightly lit room was empty, save for a single oil lamp and a torn paper effigy positioned in front of the flame. The lamp cast a shadow of a person sitting upright on the window.
The moment the hour of the ox[1] arrived, the already silent Cloud Town grew even stiller. Not even the wild dogs made a sound, as if the town had been swallowed by death itself.
An unusually chilly wind swept fallen leaves along the ground.
Suddenly, a ghostly figure flickered into existence, appearing atop a tree branch at the village's entrance. The next instant, it shot toward a house on the town’s western side.
Inside the tightly shut house, a rugged-looking man lay snoring heavily on his bed.
The vengeful ghost materialized directly above his face, barely three inches away.
A crimson, elongated tongue slithered through the air—then plunged straight into the man’s forehead.
His snoring stopped instantly. His body stiffened, and his eyes snapped open, filled with horror.
Meanwhile, at the Daxia Sword Sect’s Heavenly Pillar Peak, a sect elder flew swiftly on his sword, rushing toward the Mission Pavilion. “Hurry! Raise the Cloud Town mission to the third tier immediately! No one below the Foundation Building realm is allowed to take it!”
The female disciple behind the counter quickly adjusted the mission’s difficulty. But as she did, she noticed a disciple had already accepted the mission two days ago. She immediately reported this matter to the steward.
The steward’s face darkened. “Who took it?!”
The disciple checked the records, and her face paled. “I.. found it..”
The steward scowled, growing impatient at her hesitation. “Speak! Who accepted the mission?!”
“Heavenly Lightning Peak disciple. Li Guanqi...”
At those words, the steward’s face turned ashen. The disciple who took the mission was none other than the newly accepted prodigy of the Daxia Sword Sect.
The thought of an enraged Li Nanting flashed through his mind. He grabbed his jade slip without hesitation and sent a frantic message to the Heavenly Lightning Peak.
An immense surge of energy erupted from the peak, shaking the entire sect.
A brilliant streak of light shot into the sky from the Heavenly Lightning Peak, tearing through the night as someone rode their sword at full speed toward Cloud Town.
The steward swallowed hard. He could only pray the young disciple was still alive. Otherwise, he’d face more than just losing his job—his punishment would be severe.
A strand of ethereal green silk extended from the burly man’s forehead, held between the ghost’s fingers like a puppet string. His lifeless eyes stared ahead as he walked to the kitchen.
He moved to the cutting board step by step. His left hand pressed down on the wood, and his right hand reached for a knife.
He was fully aware of what was happening, but his body was no longer in his control.
A chilling laugh echoed in his ears. “Hehehe... Are you scared?”
The eerie voice slithered through his mind like the whisper of the grim reaper, sending shivers down his spine.
His wide, terrified eyes gleamed like copper bells. His lips paled and cold sweat drenched his forehead. Yet, despite the terror consuming him, his body moved of its own accord.
The knife slowly rose into the air, preparing to fall.
Suddenly, a voice drifted out from the room’s shadows. “Should I call you Li Lanhua... or Zhang Cuifen?”
The ghost, enshrouded in black mist, whipped her head around to glare at the dark corner.
“I am not that whore Zhang Cuifen! Whore!”
The black mist surrounding her churned wildly, her emotions thrown into turmoil by that name.
Li Guanqi stepped forward from the darkness, peeling a Qi Restraining Talisman off his body.
The ghost froze the moment she saw him.
Simultaneously, Li Guanqi’s heart’s eye activated, allowing him to see her true appearance—the woman from the ruined temple he had encountered yesterday.
However, her aura now was completely different.
Her gaze turned icy cold. She swiped her hand and sent a black palm strike hurtling toward him.
Li Guanqi’s heart skipped a beat—he had barely dodged in time. The attack smashed into the wall, leaving a deep, scorched imprint that would have seriously injured him if it had landed.
His sword flashed from its sheath. He quickly channeled his vital qi, coating the blade in a thin layer of lightning-based vital qi. Tiny arcs of electricity crackled visibly along the edge.
Despite the intense pressure radiating from the ghost, Li Guanqi charged forward without hesitation. He raised his sword to use the Azure Lotus Sword Technique. It was only at the middle stage, but it was his strongest attack.
Three radiant green lotus sword waves bloomed in succession, slashing toward the ghost.
She ignored the sword waves completely, charging forward head-on.
After all, a ghost’s soul form made ordinary vital qi attacks completely harmless.
Li Guanqi had already cut off his retreat by slashing out the Azure Lotus technique. He could only infuse his vital qi ferociously into his sword.
Strange cracking sounds emanated from the fine sword in his hands, which instantly cracked all over.
The vengeful ghost lunged toward Li Guanqi. Her sharp claws nearly reached his eyes.
At the last moment, the three lotus sword waves struck.
The attack was so powerful that it shattered the wall behind them, sending the ghost flying backward a dozen zhang.
The silk thread connected to the man’s forehead snapped instantly.
Li Guanqi’s sword could not withstand the strain and broke apart, leaving only the hilt in his hand.
The burly man regained consciousness. And when he realized what had just happened, his face contorted in terror. “Li Lanhua?! But... you’re already dead! A g-ghost... is it my turn to die now? No, I don’t want to die!”
Panic overtook him. He bolted from the house, overwhelmed by fear.
Li Guanqi frowned. Without hesitation, he ignited a Soul-Binding Talisman. Golden chains shot out, restraining the ghost.
Then, he threw the broken sword hilt towards the man. It hit the man's head squarely.
Bound in golden chains, Li Lanhua slowly lifted her blood-red eyes and glared at him.
Her voice was cold. “Are you trying to protect him?”
1. The hour of the ox starts at 1:00 AM and ends at 3:00 AM. ☜