The Ghost Eater

Late at night.

"Shut your doors and windows! Beware of thieves and burglars!"

The Night Watchman struck his gong as he walked through the dimly lit streets and alleys.

Jialiang Water Town was exceptionally damp, resulting in stark temperature differences between day and night. Coupled with the drizzly early spring weather, the streets had long since become deserted.

When the living retreated, it was naturally the time for a hundred ghosts to roam the night.

Of course, with that layer of Window Paper in place, humans and ghosts did not interfere with one another.

Meow~~

A stray cat licked its tongue over its fur. Seemingly catching the fishy stench of fresh blood, it followed the wall to the Yang family's earthen house and leaped into the courtyard.

The cat shook its head and keenly discovered that the smell was coming from the well.

It approached the well and carefully sniffed for the source of the stench, wholly unaware that, from an invisible angle, an arm was reaching out from the mouth of the well.

Meow!!

The cat's fur stood on end as it let out a piercing screech, its glossy coat gradually turning dry and withered.

It nimbly climbed the wall and vanished into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

"Hungry... so hungry..."

The Hungry Ghost poked out its head. Its twisted neck scraped against the edge of the well, its eyes filled with greed as it exhaled ghostly yin energy like mist from its mouth.

Its old wounds had yet to heal, and it seemed to have suffered new ones as well.

Its entire right leg had rotted away, revealing exaggerated bite marks that had nearly severed the bone.

The mule appeared uneasy, continuously stamping the ground with its hooves.

Yin energy enveloped the courtyard, causing the humidity in the air to plummet. Still, it only left the mule a little parched.

The Hungry Ghost was incredibly weak, making its hunger all the more unbearable as it greedily stared at the side room.

Yang He lay there with his eyes shut, snoring loudly.

The Hungry Ghost did not immediately enter the room, merely spewing out thick yin energy.

"Hungry... so hungry..."

Hearing the Hungry Ghost's muttering, Yang He could not help cursing under his breath. Blood was already seeping from his cracked lips, while his skin had become dry and shriveled.

As his moisture drained away, his yang energy was also being absorbed by the Hungry Ghost.

The Hungry Ghost's ability to consume moisture out of thin air was likewise affected by the Window Paper. Only Yang He was truly facing this ghost's terror head-on.

Old Man Yang had never seen the Hungry Ghost and had not pierced the Window Paper. Even inside the earthen house, his moisture was draining away very slowly.

Just like the stray cat that had wandered into the courtyard, he would at most feel slightly unwell.

Without the protection of the Window Paper, Yang He would be drained into a desiccated corpse by the Hungry Ghost before dawn.

"If I keep waiting like this, I'm afraid I'll soon lack the strength to resist."

"Fortunately, it's only a weak ghost. There's still a chance."

Yang He had originally intended to play things by ear. If the Hungry Ghost rushed in, he would find a way to kill it with the Copper-Coin Sword. If he truly could not defeat it, he would use one of his chances to enter the Lore World.

Unexpectedly, the Hungry Ghost was cunning and did not reveal a single opening.

"If I let the Hungry Ghost take the initiative, I'll die."

After considering it in secret, a vicious thought rose in Yang He's heart. He also understood that if he did not kill the Hungry Ghost while it was weak, there would be endless trouble later.

"Ha~~"

He yawned and opened his eyes, rising with a sleepy expression. Staggering over, he picked up the teapot and gulped down several mouthfuls of cold boiled water.

"What ghostly weather. So dry it's making me uncomfortable."

Yang He draped on his coat and slowed his steps as he left the side room.

As he walked, he loosened his belt and went to the corner of the wall to relieve himself.

The Hungry Ghost crouched atop the courtyard wall. In its ghostly eyes, yang energy rose from Yang He's entire body, and the scent he gave off was incomparably delicious.

As long as... it could eat him, more than half its injuries would heal.

Yang He turned around, placing his back directly toward the Hungry Ghost.

A gust of yin wind blew past, making his coat crackle.

Crack, crack, crack.

The Hungry Ghost could no longer restrain its appetite and opened its mouth from above.

Yang He nearly retched. Foul, sticky saliva dripped onto his head. Though it quickly evaporated, the stench lingered.

"Hungry... so hungry..."

The Evil Ghost's Upper and Lower Jaw stretched to half a meter wide, its mouth filled with sharp teeth. Its oral cavity seemed connected to a bottomless abyss, while half its tongue licked across its lips.

It bent down toward Yang He, about to swallow its prey whole.

At this moment.

A Ghost Eye opened on Yang He's forehead, while his right hand gripped the Copper-Coin Sword.

The Hungry Ghost showed not the slightest reaction, as though it had not noticed Yang He's threat at all.

Not until Yang He's coat fell away.

Yang He's exposed right arm was strangely bluish-purple. Three loops of red string were tightly wrapped around the end of his arm, cutting off its yang energy and draining it of blood.

He had gambled correctly!

The Hungry Ghost could distinguish the strength of yang energy. Yang He chose to seal off the yang energy in his right arm, using the Copper-Coin Sword's chill to evade its sight.

The Ghost Eye locked onto the Hungry Ghost, and the Copper-Coin Sword thrust hard from a tricky angle.

Sizzle~~

Yang He's movements lacked all finesse. Rather than aiming for the Hungry Ghost's neck, he targeted its left leg.

With Spiritual Vision and the Ghost Eye combined, his perception far surpassed that of ordinary people. The Hungry Ghost's left leg was severed at the root, ghost blood gushing out and turning into overflowing yin energy.

"Ahhh!!!"

The Hungry Ghost bared its teeth in agony. Its right leg could not support its body, and it fell to the ground.

Yang He remained on guard, quickly pulling off the red string and switching the Copper-Coin Sword to his left hand. Warm blood began flowing through his right arm again.

The color barely returned to his right arm, but he could no longer exert any strength with it for the time being.

Fortunately, the Ghost Eye had suppressed the Copper-Coin Sword's chill. Otherwise, Yang He would not have dared take such a risk. One small mistake could easily have crippled his arm.

"Roar!"

The Hungry Ghost scrambled toward the wall and stared venomously at Yang He.

Yang He breathed heavily. After only a few breaths of gathering strength, he charged again. This time, the Copper-Coin Sword pointed straight at the Hungry Ghost's neck.

The Hungry Ghost opened its mouth and lunged.

Yang He avoided its edge in a miserable dodge, while guarding the position of the well.

The Hungry Ghost panted unwillingly, then climbed out of the courtyard without hesitation and fled through the alleys.

Yang He stiffened. He had not expected the Hungry Ghost to restrain its appetite. Usually, the more seriously injured a beast was, the fiercer it became.

"I absolutely can't let the Hungry Ghost enter the well. The underground waterways lead everywhere..."

Both were weak ghosts. The Ghost Eye could not exert its full power, and with Yang He restraining it, its effect was no better than the Copper-Coin Sword.

Yang He gritted his teeth and followed close behind. Then he saw an indescribably bizarre scene.

Peibai City had been completely occupied by demons and ghosts.

Ghostly figures were everywhere, their forms grotesquely varied. It was simply a feast from Hell.

Yang He shut his eyes. Murmurs echoed beside his ears, so he simply tracked the residual yin energy of the Hungry Ghost through the Ghost Eye and avoided looking directly at any ghostly figures.

What puzzled him was that the Hungry Ghost had not chosen to hide in a well.

It seemed to be wary of something.

His Spiritual Vision gradually diminished. Yang He pursued the Hungry Ghost into increasingly remote alleys. The Hungry Ghost was already at the end of its rope, its movements growing weaker and weaker.

Before long, the Hungry Ghost was forced into a dead end and began struggling helplessly.

Yang He ignored everything else and swung the Copper-Coin Sword. The Hungry Ghost's neck snapped in response.

He heaved a sigh of relief and was just about to withdraw the Ghost Eye.

Tap. Tap.

Scattered footsteps sounded.

"Who's there?"

Yang He retreated out of the alley, realizing that the culprit who had severely wounded the Hungry Ghost earlier had appeared. Fortunately, he had not looked directly at it...

Chewing sounds came from within.

"Hehehe, are you afraid to open your eyes because you're scared of seeing ghosts?"

Yang He's scalp prickled. The hoarse voice echoed through the alley, and through his ghostly vision, he saw a deformed man feasting beside the corpse.

"Want a taste? Fresh ghost meat is very chewy!!"

Yang He remained silent.

The man continued, "Look at this hellish sight of a hundred ghosts roaming the night. Don't be shy. Before long, we'll be one of them too."