Chapter 226: Ghosts
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
With the rituals completed, Ji Jing felt a sense of relief wash over her.
He Xin also relaxed and patted Xue Zhong’s shoulder. “It’s okay, letting it out helps. Now, this paper body belongs to you, and Wu Lin can’t take it away. He’s lost his most important bargaining chip.”
Fu Xian sighed. “Is it over?”
“We’re not done yet,” Jiang Tao approached with his arms loaded with snacks. “Those ghosts outside are still going crazy. It seems that Wu Lin has finally realized that his puppets are out of control.”
Having eaten a few of the malevolent spirits earlier, Little Gourmand was now feeling queasy.
“In his view, he probably always thought Xue Zhong had successfully killed Xue
Meng,” Jiang Tao continued, “when we attempted to summon the spirit, Xue Zhong should have awakened like an ordinary malevolent spirit, carrying his paper body to meet his master. However, what he wanted has all gone down the drain!”
At this, Jiang Tao tore open a bag of potato chips, and their mood lightened. However, as they spoke and laughed, Jiang Tao’s expression suddenly changed.
“What’s wrong?” Fu Xian asked with concern.
“Ugh, ugh!” Jiang Tao dry-heaved uncomfortably. “The malevolent spirits I ate earlier, it’s giving me indigestion!”
So, even the insatiable Gourmand, who could swallow anything without ever feeling full, could experience indigestion? Ji Jing watched with surprise as Jiang Tao dry-heaved, his face twisted in discomfort.
“These things can’t be digested,” Jiang Tao patted his chest, “I just temporarily took them into my stomach. I’ll deal with them later after we’ve dealt with the ones outside.”
“Boom!”
A sudden pounding sound from outside interrupted their thoughts. The ghosts surrounding the courtyard were still fervently attacking the protective array set up by Mingze.
“They’re still banging away? They seem tireless,” He Xin looked out the window, observing how the ghosts continued their relentless assault on the courtyard’s protective array.
Their persistence and coordinated effort in searching for a weak point in the array… Did that indicate that Wu Lin was still engaged in a standoff with Mingze and even had time to control these malevolent spirits? Ji Jing furrowed her brow.
“How’s Mingze doing?” Fu Xian had the same thought.
Ji Jing sent a message on her phone but received no response. She also attempted to trace Mingze’s location with a tracking charm but got no results.
Mingze’s lack of communication was a cause for concern. “He’s probably being held up by Wu Lin and can’t respond,” Ji Jing said.
“Don’t worry, a single Wu Lin shouldn’t have harmed him in the least. He might have entered some kind of array,” Jiang Tao, being a monster himself, was the calmest among them. While the others didn’t know how formidable Mingze was, he understood very well. In the chaotic times of the human realm, Mingze had always been unfazed, let alone by someone like Wu Lin.
“You’re right,” Ji Jing took a deep breath and looked outside. “Mingze is buying us time. We need to figure out how to deal with the ghosts outside.”
“First things first, I can’t eat anymore. Ugh!” Jiang Tao shook his head at the thought of the ghosts, still feeling nauseated.
“My paper effigy can take out a few, but it’s a drop in the ocean,” He Xin walked over to the window and became more serious.
While Mingze’s array was solid, continuous attacks from the malevolent spirits would eventually wear it down. They couldn’t afford to just wait for Mingze’s return without knowing his situation.
Xue Zhong’s gaze remained fixed on the ghosts outside. He couldn’t help but feel compassion for them. The malevolent spirits, who had been driven to attack, were also once regular souls just like him. Was it their fault that they were now being used by Wu Lin?
“I hope we can perform a death-anniversary ritual for them. They should have found a path to proper reincarnation instead of becoming others’ malevolent spirits after death,” Xue Zhong reflected.
“But we need a stable environment for such a ritual. Currently, we don’t have a suitable method to confine these malevolent spirits,” Ji Jing sighed. “Avenge the dead, pursue the debt.” Jiang Tao suddenly spoke up.. “Apart from Wu Lin, there should be another accomplice in this matter, right?”