Grief Ghost

In the temple, Lin Chan had no peace for long before he noticed Little White's legs trembling uncontrollably, as if some great terror lurked outside.

Even when facing the Tortoiseshell Cat Ghost earlier, Lin Chan had never seen Little White this afraid.

This fear seemed to stem from deep within it, a suppression from the bloodline, even stronger than Lin Chan's [Deterrence] talent by a notch.

Lin Chan switched into Little White's body, wanting to see what exactly it was so terrified of.

Then, through Little White's body, he smelled the danger in the air.

Just then, a tiger over five meters long stepped into the temple door, each footfall seeming to carry a tremor.

The tiger entered, and Little White's body completely collapsed, its limbs going limp beyond control.

Lin Chan could only return to his own body, facing off against the tiger before him without a hint of fear.

The tiger had normal orange fur with black stripes running through it.

Most notably, it had two unique markings above its eyes, like extra eyes, eerie and chilling.

Lin Chan swept his [Karma Eye] over it; unexpectedly, while this Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger was also mostly black Bad Karma, it was mixed with some red Good Karma, like stripes.

"You're just an ordinary mortal, at most some body training—how can you see through my Grief Ghosts? Or are you just a born killer?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger spoke first.

"Those were your Grief Ghosts earlier, weren't they?"

Lin Chan didn't answer the tiger's question.

He was actually quite relaxed now, realizing the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger wouldn't eat him immediately.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many twists and turns.

Of course, Lin Chan also knew he was no match for the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger before him.

He was a martial master, but he knew he could at most kill some ordinary tigers.

If it were just a regular tiger, Lin Chan could play the hero who slays it.

But this Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger spoke human words, clearly with no small cultivation.

Whether righteous or wicked, Lin Chan couldn't handle it now.

For the moment, Lin Chan relied on his own secrets to buy some time, thinking of a way to break the situation.

Hearing Lin Chan's words, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger took a long breath, then exhaled, and four figures appeared one after another.

The Red-Clad Woman, the Head-Wrapped Old Woman, the Brocade-Robed Magnate, the Daoist Robe Youth.

Only, the Red-Clad Woman was no longer young and beautiful, but instead had an ugly look with mismatched eyes.

The Head-Wrapped Old Woman wasn't kind-faced either, her face full of venom.

The Brocade-Robed Magnate was weak, as if hollowed out.

The Daoist Robe Youth had lost his immortal air, his face covered in sores oozing pus.

"Great King! Eat him quickly! He doesn't even spare women—he's a born killer, a thorough villain!"

The Red-Clad Woman said viciously.

"Yes! Great King! He doesn't even spare the elderly."

The Head-Wrapped Old Woman chimed in sharply.

"I didn't even get a word in."

The Brocade-Robed Magnate was much calmer.

"This kid must have secrets on him! Great King, swallow him quickly, search his soul."

The Daoist Robe Youth saw the essence, also full of resentment toward Lin Chan.

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger didn't respond to the four Grief Ghosts, just looked at Lin Chan and said:

"Kid, I only eat evil people. Do you think you're evil? Should I eat you or not?"

Lin Chan stared into the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger's big eyes, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

The whole broken temple echoed with Lin Chan's laughter, lingering long without fading.

After a long time, he caught his breath.

"Brat! Laughing when death is at hand! Do you think you can keep secrets before the Great King? The Great King only needs to eat you, refine you, and everything hidden on you will be laid bare!"

The pus-faced Daoist Robe Youth said viciously.

"Yes! Great King, eat him quickly!"

The Red-Clad Woman joined in.

"Quiet!"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger let out a long roar.

"All of you, shut up!"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger swept a glance at the four Grief Ghosts, then turned back to Lin Chan and said:

"What were you laughing at just now?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger had set itself a rule: it only ate the wicked.

The Lin Chan before it—it couldn't determine if he was wicked, so it hadn't struck yet.

The previous four had all been sent by the Fierce Tiger to test Lin Chan.

The Red-Clad Woman went to test if Lin Chan was a lecher; if so, death was inevitable.

The Head-Wrapped Old Woman came to see if Lin Chan was greedy for food and drink.

The Brocade-Robed Magnate tested whether Lin Chan coveted wealth.

The Daoist Robe Youth probed if Lin Chan craved immortality.

Yet Lin Chan had seen through the disguises of all four Grief Ghosts from the start, so these tests naturally yielded nothing.

"I'm laughing at the Grief Ghosts' venom and the Tiger King's hypocrisy—putting on a righteous front, claiming to eat only the wicked. But who is wicked? Isn't that decided by the Tiger King? So if the Tiger King wants to eat someone, he just calls them wicked? In this world, who isn't wicked? If the Tiger King's appetite stirs, just swallow me whole—why waste words with me?"

With that, Lin Chan burst into laughter again.

He hadn't seen such a hypocrite in a long time.

The fishing had failed, yet it still put on a lofty, righteous air.

People like this, Lin Chan had only encountered in his past life.

No, wait—the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger was a demon, so it was no wonder he rarely met such types.

Hearing Lin Chan mock him again, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger couldn't hold back this time, baring its fangs and roaring.

The Daoist Robe Youth wanted to add fuel to the fire but found himself unable to speak—clearly, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger had cast a spell on him.

After venting its roar, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger calmed down.

It had adhered to its principles for decades now; it couldn't break its resolve so easily.

"Even if you mock me, it's no lie that the people I've eaten were all wicked," the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger said calmly.

"This Red-Clad Woman, originally named Pan Chunping, conspired with her lover to murder her husband—is that not wicked?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger looked at the Red-Clad Woman, who lowered her head in shame.

"That old woman—I only know her surname is Liu. But after her son died, she sold her daughter-in-law to an old widower in the mountains—is that not wicked?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger turned to the Head-Wrapped Old Woman, who, though she felt she'd done nothing wrong, bowed her head under the Fierce Tiger's tyranny.

"That Steward Wang, originally named Wang Yunji, mixed gravel into the life-saving relief grain during a famine—is that not wicked?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger shifted its gaze to the Brocade-Robed Magnate, Wang Yunji, who remained perfectly composed.

To the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger, Wang Yunji's demeanor was a sign of incorrigibility and defiance.

So, with a flick of its tiger claw, Wang Yunji felt the agony of his soul being torn and quickly admitted his faults.

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger nodded in satisfaction and turned to the last one, the Daoist Robe Youth, saying:

"This brat, originally named Zu Moyan, I saw with my own eyes kill his companion and swipe talisman coins from the corpse—is that not wicked!?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger's voice boomed through the forest.

It was desperately proving its innocence, telling Lin Chan that it wasn't hypocritical but truly adhered to the principle of eating only the wicked.

The Daoist Robe Youth, Zu Moyan, nearly had his soul scatter under the Fierce Tiger's glare, immediately kneeling midair and kowtowing repeatedly in apology.

"These are certainly wicked!"

Lin Chan didn't quibble and gave his affirmation.

Hearing Lin Chan's words, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger let out a relieved laugh.

It had successfully proven itself—it was a good demon, a virtuous one.

But then, Lin Chan shifted his tone and said:

"Yet these are all just the Tiger King's one-sided claims. You only speak of their wickedness—how are they not wicked? But you don't know their goodness, nor do you mention it. People are complex; they can't be judged solely by good or evil."