Whenever the World Falls into Chaos, Fiends Emerge

"Have you really seen ghosts?"

Lin Zheyu asked.

He had been in this world for so long, yet he had never encountered a ghost.

There had been no experiences of running into ghosts in the memories of his former self either, though folk tales of gods and ghosts were plentiful.

"Of course. When you go guard the mountains in the future, you might run into one yourself."

"Which mine hasn't had heaps of people die in it? When enough resentment gathers, some ghost souls will always be bred."

Jia Yanyong said indifferently, "They look rather terrifying—a wisp of a Netherworld Soul, impossible to hit or touch, yet capable of stealing a person's vital essence."

"But us martial artists have vigorous vital essence. We'll be fine for a few days."

"If you run into a Netherworld Soul, hurry toward a bonfire."

"These things fear fire and explosives. Take gunpowder to wherever the Netherworld Souls appear and bombard the place wildly. Blast it a few times, and there'll be nothing to worry about."

Lin Zheyu: "..."

Wu Yinghe: "..."

Lin Zheyu and Steward Wu exchanged a look, both at a loss for words.

How had these things become worthless trash in their mouths?

"But if you run into a Reanimated Corpse, run as far away as you can."

"A few years ago, when I was guarding the mountains with my previous boss, someone dug a coffin out of a mine. When they opened it, damn—it was a corpse whose flesh had not decayed."

"The instant the coffin was opened and it came into contact with living breath, the corpse abruptly sat up. It bit anyone it saw alive. Scared the hell out of us."

Still shaken by the memory, Jia Yanyong said, "Those things have Copper Skin Iron Bones. Gunpowder can't kill them. Only Qi and Blood Realm experts can deal with them. All we can do when we see one is run."

"Brother Yong, your knowledge is truly vast. Wu has had his eyes opened!"

Steward Wu said with a sigh, having been left stunned by the tale.

He had spent almost his entire life in the city and had rarely wandered beyond it. The things he knew were mostly rumors heard from others.

Lin Zheyu was equally astonished.

"There's plenty more you haven't seen."

"The outside world is a complete mess. Once the Rebel Army rises, the world falls into chaos. Before long, perhaps not even the city will be peaceful."

Xie Jiang curled his lip.

After thinking for a moment, Steward Wu said, "I've heard old folks say that whenever the world falls into chaos, fiends emerge. If things keep getting worse, demons, monsters, ghosts, and strange creatures will all come out."

"I heard my grandmother say that too. When I was little, she was always using demons, monsters, ghosts, and strange creatures to scare me." Xie Jiang laughed.

The group chatted idly, one topic after another.

Just then, a burly man ran in from outside. He swept his gaze around, then headed straight for Lin Zheyu and the others.

"Brother Yong, Brother Jiang, Brother Yu, something's wrong." The man panted heavily from exhaustion.

"What happened?"

Lin Zheyu handed him a cup of tea and let him catch his breath.

"The Unfixed Gang is causing trouble again. Xing Jinglong is leading them this time," the man said.

"That bastard Xing Jinglong is making trouble on Flying Rainbow Gang territory again!"

Jia Yanyong slapped the table and sprang to his feet, anger flashing across his face.

"Take us there."

Lin Zheyu stood and handed the manuscript to Steward Wu. "Steward Wu, find someone to take over the storytelling today. Here's the script."

"Alright. Be careful."

Steward Wu accepted the manuscript. This had been discussed between him and Lin Zheyu beforehand.

To prevent matters from needing his attention while he was telling stories, Lin Zheyu had already worked out a solution with Steward Wu.

"What's Xing Jinglong's strength like?"

On the way, Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

He had never been in a gang fight before, and found it all rather novel.

"He's a bit stronger than me. The last time I fought him one-on-one, I lost by a move." Xie Jiang's expression was grave.

Jia Yanyong curled his lip. "Quit gilding your own face. You lost by far more than one move."

Following the man who had brought the news, they made their way to the end of Hundred Tastes Street.

"It's in there."

The man pointed at the Wine House ahead. A crowd of curious onlookers had gathered outside it.

"Make way, make way."

The group pushed through the crowd and entered the Wine House.

"Young Master Xing, you're certainly putting on quite the display. You've come to throw your weight around on Flying Rainbow Gang territory?"

Before Jia Yanyong arrived, his voice did.

Hearing him, Xing Jinglong turned to look at Lin Zheyu and the others, a cold laugh appearing on his face.

"What, people aren't allowed to come here and eat?"

"The food at this Wine House tastes awful. Aren't people even allowed to say so?"

Xing Jinglong said with a cold laugh.

He was a powerfully built man over six feet tall and likely more than three hundred pounds. The moment he stood, he gave off an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Xing Jinglong wore brocade robes and looked even younger than Lin Zheyu, seemingly the young master of some aristocratic family.

"If it tastes bad, is there any need to smash the place?"

"And every time you come here, you say it tastes bad, yet you keep coming back the next time. That makes no sense, does it?"

Jia Yanyong's expression darkened as he and several brothers surrounded the other side.

"Relying on your numbers?"

"I merely wanted to see whether they'd improved their food today. Who would've thought it would be just as awful as ever?"

"Food this disgusting wouldn't even be eaten by dogs, yet you dare open a Wine House?"

"This Wine House ought to be smashed."

Xing Jinglong picked up a plate that had held food and smashed it onto the floor. His expression was indifferent as he swept his gaze over Lin Zheyu and the others.

"This guy isn't from some aristocratic family, is he?" Lin Zheyu asked quietly.

"Yeah, a young master from a collateral branch of the Xing Family. It's not a big problem."

Xie Jiang said.

They had dealt with Xing Jinglong several times. Whenever this fellow suffered grievances elsewhere or got upset, he would find somewhere to make trouble.

"I reckon he got angered by some young master from the Xu Family, Chen Family, or Ren Family, then came to Flying Rainbow Gang territory to pick a fight and vented his anger on us."

Xie Jiang lowered his voice.

The Xu Family, Chen Family, and Ren Family were the three aristocratic families backing the Flying Rainbow Gang.

There were all sorts of messy affairs among the young masters of those families. Every so often, they would encounter someone coming to pick a fight over such matters.

If the other party had a powerful background and was a direct-line young master of a family, they could not afford to provoke him and could only report it.

But collateral-branch young masters like Xing Jinglong were nothing much. They could handle them directly.

"Don't we need to tell Lord Qiu?"

Lin Zheyu asked.

Lord Qiu, whose full name was Qiu Gaoxuan, was their direct superior. His strength had reached the peak of the Viscera Refining Realm.

"No need. A fight to vent our anger will settle it."

"These young masters care enormously about their pride. If they come here to run wild, lose the fight, and keep clinging to the matter, they'll be mocked."

"We've dealt with Fatty Xing several times before, but we've lost more often than we've won."

"You don't need to fight later. Let Jia Yanyong do it. That guy's thick-skinned and tough-fleshed—he can take a beating."

"We just need to hold off the others and keep them from launching a sneak attack."

Xie Jiang said, signaling Lin Zheyu to keep an eye on the people Xing Jinglong had brought.

"Mm."

Lin Zheyu nodded. If he did not have to fight, he did not want to.

Very soon, Xing Jinglong and Jia Yanyong began fighting.

Though Xing Jinglong looked young, his strength was formidable. He had also reached the Bone Forging Realm.

He grabbed a stool and smashed it straight down at Jia Yanyong's head.

Jia Yanyong did not flinch. He was already a reckless brute by nature. Ignoring the stool crashing toward him entirely, he charged forward like a fierce bandit, savage beyond measure.

He swung his right fist, unleashing the Black Fiend Fist. He took the stool head-on and shattered it with a single punch.

"This guy really fights viciously."

Watching Jia Yanyong fight with utter fearlessness and ferocious bravery, Lin Zheyu was somewhat speechless.