Grief Ghost

Before the temple had known peace for long, Lin Chan noticed Little White's legs trembling nonstop, as if some great terror lurked outside.

Even when facing the Tortoiseshell Cat ghost before, Lin Chan had never seen Little White so afraid.

This fear seemed to come from the depths of its heart, from the suppression of its bloodline, even three parts stronger than Lin Chan's [Intimidation] talent.

Lin Chan switched into Little White's body, wanting to see exactly what Little White feared.

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

Just then, a tiger over five meters long walked through the temple gate, each step seeming to make the ground tremble.

The moment the tiger entered, Little White's body completely gave out, its four limbs going limp beyond its control.

Lin Chan could only return to his own body and confront the tiger before him without showing the slightest fear.

The tiger had normal orange fur streaked with black stripes.

Most strikingly, there were two unique markings above its eyes, like two extra eyes that had grown there—terrifying and chilling.

Lin Chan swept it with his [Karma Eye]. To his surprise, although the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger was also filled mostly with black Bad Karma, there were streaks of red Good Karma mixed within it.

"You are merely an ordinary mortal. At most, you have trained your body a little. How could you see through my Grief Ghosts? Or are you a natural-born killing star!"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger spoke first.

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

Lin Chan did not answer the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger's question.

At this moment, he was extremely relaxed. He had already realized that the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger would not eat him immediately.

Otherwise, it would not have gone through so many twists and turns.

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

Though he was an innate expert, he knew he could at most kill ordinary tigers.

If it were just a normal tiger, Lin Chan could play the part of a tiger-slaying hero.

But the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger before him could speak human language. At a glance, it was clear that its cultivation was far from shallow.

Whether it followed the righteous path or the evil path, Lin Chan was currently unable to deal with it.

For now, he could only rely on his own secrets to stay alive a little longer and think of a way to break the deadlock.

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

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

Only, the Red-Clad Woman was no longer young and beautiful. Instead, she had an ugly face with mismatched eyes.

The Head-Wrapped Old Woman no longer looked kindly either. Her face was filled with venomous resentment.

The Brocade-Robed Magnate looked as weak as though his body had been hollowed out.

The Daoist Robe Youth had also lost his immortal bearing and sage-like bones. Sores covered his face, oozing poison and pus.

"Great King! Eat him quickly! He does not even spare women. He is a natural-born killing star, a thoroughgoing villain!"

The Red-Clad Woman said viciously.

"Yes, Great King! He does not even spare the elderly."

The Head-Wrapped Old Woman shrieked in agreement.

"I did not even have time to say anything."

The Brocade-Robed Magnate was much calmer.

"This boy must be hiding a secret! Great King, swallow him quickly and search his soul."

The Daoist Robe Youth saw through the heart of the matter, and his hatred for Lin Chan was equally deep.

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger did not respond to the four Grief Ghosts. It merely looked at Lin Chan and said,

"Boy, I only eat evil people. Do you think you are an evil person? Should I eat you?"

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

Lin Chan's laughter echoed throughout the Broken Temple, lingering for a long time without fading.

Only after quite a while did he finally catch his breath.

"You little bastard! Death is at your doorstep, and you are still laughing! Do you think you can keep any secrets before the Great King? The Great King need only eat and refine you, and everything hidden on you will have nowhere to hide!"

The Daoist Robe Youth with pus flowing from his face said viciously.

"Yes! Great King, eat him quickly!"

The Red-Clad Woman joined in as well.

"Silence!"

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

"Shut your mouths!"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger swept its gaze over the four Grief Ghosts, then turned back to Lin Chan and said,

"What were you laughing at just now?"

The rule the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger had set for itself was to eat only evil people.

It could not determine whether Lin Chan before it was evil, so it had not attacked at once.

The four people from before had all been sent by the fierce tiger to test Lin Chan.

The Red-Clad Woman had tested whether Lin Chan was lustful. If he was, death would have been unavoidable.

The Head-Wrapped Old Woman had come to see whether Lin Chan craved the pleasures of the mouth.

The magnate had tested whether Lin Chan was greedy for wealth.

The Daoist Robe Youth had tested whether Lin Chan harbored delusions of immortality.

Yet Lin Chan had seen through the disguises of all four Grief Ghosts from the very beginning, so these tests naturally yielded no result.

"I was laughing at the Grief Ghosts' venomous resentment and the Tiger King's hypocrisy. You put on the dignified air of one who eats only evil people, but who is evil is not still decided by the Tiger King? If the Tiger King wants to eat someone, he simply calls him evil. In this world, who is not evil? If the Tiger King's appetite has been stirred, then simply swallow me whole. Why waste so many words with me?"

After saying that, Lin Chan burst into laughter again.

He had not seen such a hypocritical fellow in a long time.

Its fishing had failed, yet it still pretended to be righteous and awe-inspiring.

Lin Chan had only seen people like this in his previous life.

No, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger was a demon. No wonder they were not easy to come across.

Hearing Lin Chan mock it again, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger could no longer hold back. It bared its fangs and roared furiously.

The Daoist Robe Youth wanted to add fuel to the fire, but could not utter a word. Clearly, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger had used some spell just now.

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

It had upheld its principles for decades and could not easily break its discipline.

"Even if you mock me, it is not false that every person I have eaten was evil."

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger said calmly.

"This Red-Clad Woman's real name is Pan Chunping. She conspired with her lover to murder her husband. Is that evil or not?"

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

"That old woman, I only know her surname is Liu. After her son died, she sold her daughter-in-law to an old widower in the mountains. Is that evil or not?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger looked again at the Head-Wrapped Old Woman. Though she felt she had done nothing wrong, under the tiger's tyrannical might, she lowered her head as well.

"That Steward Wang's real name is Wang Yunji. He mixed sand and gravel into the life-saving grain meant for disaster relief. Is that evil or not?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger turned toward the Brocade-Robed Magnate. Wang Yunji remained very calm.

To the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger, Wang Yunji's behavior meant he refused to mend his ways even in death and was still provoking it.

Thus, with a movement of the tiger's claw, Wang Yunji felt the pain of his soul being torn apart and hurriedly admitted his fault again and again.

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the final Daoist Robe Youth and said,

"This boy's real name is Zu Moyan. I saw with my own eyes how he killed his companion and took the Talisman Coins from his body. Is that evil or not!?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger's voice was thunderous, carrying through the mountain forest.

It was doing its utmost to prove its innocence, telling Lin Chan that it was not hypocritical but truly practiced its principle of eating evil people.

When the Daoist Robe Youth, Zu Moyan, was stared at like this by the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger, he nearly lost his soul. He immediately half-knelt in midair and continuously kowtowed in apology.

"Those things are certainly evil!"

Lin Chan did not stubbornly quibble and gave an affirmative answer.

Hearing Lin Chan's words, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger smiled as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

It had successfully proven itself. It was a good demon, a benevolent demon.

Who would have thought that Lin Chan's tone abruptly changed as he said,

"But that is all merely the Tiger King's one-sided account. You only speak of their evil—how could they not be evil? Yet you do not know of their goodness, nor do you speak of their goodness. People are complex; they cannot be judged by good and evil alone."