Way of the Chained Ghost (Constable)

Yang He's scalp prickled. What kind of ghost was inside the Yamen?

If not for the Pupil Ghost's resistance, even his memories would have been affected. This was no weak ghost; not even an ordinary Evil Ghost could achieve such a thing.

Old Man Yang had merely entered and left the Yamen a few times, yet he had become a constable without any warning.

"I shouldn't have told the old man about the Yamen back then. Maybe..."

Wait.

It was probably not just Old Man Yang!!

Yang He looked around and noticed that some of the peddlers at the stalls seemed unfamiliar.

He hurriedly asked the woman, "Ma'am, do you know Song Lao Er?"

"Constable Song? I saw him not long ago. He patrols the western part of the city."

Yang He's scalp went numb. Song Lao Er had originally been a fish seller at the market, yet he had also become a constable. It was clear that the Yamen was quietly recruiting a large number of people.

"A He!"

When Zhang Huayue saw Yang He, he turned sideways and whispered something to Old Man Yang.

The two hurried over.

The Pupil Ghost within Yang He stirred uneasily again, and the black cat burrowed into his sleeve, refusing to show itself.

Through Spiritual Vision, he discovered that it was not only Zhang Huayue. Yin energy also spilled from Old Man Yang's body, and a ghost had somehow appeared within him as well.

It too resembled a long white-boned snake, coiled around Old Man Yang's spine.

After two days apart, Old Man Yang seemed to have been nourished by the yin energy. His vitality had improved, and strands of black had even returned to his head of white hair.

Yang He's pupils contracted as the image before his Spiritual Vision changed dramatically.

Their constable uniforms were tainted with yin energy, becoming mottled and stained.

The white-boned snake revealed its true form. It had nothing to do with snakes at all; it was a long, narrow tiger's tail.

The two wore tiger pelts, like tiger demons that had gained sentience.

"Could it be... serving as a tiger's ghost?"

According to legend, people bitten to death by tigers became chained ghosts. Not only did chained ghosts not hate the tigers, they specifically lured people over to be eaten by them.

As soon as the thought arose, a little information surfaced through Spiritual Vision.

Way of the Chained Ghost (Constable)

Once mastered, the chained ghost transforms into tiger bones that coil around the spine, allowing one to wield the Tiger Ghost's power. However, one must not leave the tiger's den, or the tiger bones will gradually devour one's spine.

"So it really is serving as a tiger's ghost! The Main World's methods of spreading cultivation arts are truly bizarre!"

Yang He could not help staring toward the Yamen. He felt gusts of yin wind, as though a gigantic tiger lay crouched within the Yamen, roaring.

"The Great Si Dynasty Court is anything but simple. It uses the Tiger Ghost to let constables control chained ghosts."

Yang He suspected that anyone entering or leaving the Yamen would draw the Tiger Ghost's attention. Once their constitution was compatible, they would have to become constables possessed by chained ghosts.

"The so-called tiger's den..."

"Isn't it the entirety of Peibai City? Hundreds of chained ghosts patrol its roads."

If the constables left Peibai City, the chained ghosts in their bodies would likely awaken.

For the Great Si Dynasty Court to have existed for over two thousand years, it had undoubtedly established a complete system. As expected, the Way of the Chained Ghost was one part of it.

The advantage of the Way of the Chained Ghost was that constables might never realize they carried ghosts within them until the day they died.

"Could the Yamen have other Daoist lineage inheritances besides the Way of the Chained Ghost?"

"And who exactly is the Tiger Ghost?"

Yang He's thoughts churned. He could only be glad that the Way of the Chained Ghost belonged to the Great Si Dynasty Court. At least for now, Peibai City was not necessarily in danger.

There should be ways to remove ghosts in the Lore World. He would need to make long-term plans.

Only when Zhang Huayue and Old Man Yang reached him did Yang He force down his distracting thoughts and walk over.

"Dad, Uncle Zhang."

"A He, why did you think to come to the market so early?"

Yang He raised the rooster. "You've been so busy lately, Dad. I wanted to give you something nourishing."

"You're thoughtful, A He, but unfortunately I have no luck with such food. You may not know this, but constables need martial training to strengthen their spirits, so meat and fish are forbidden."

Yang He nodded. Meat and fish were probably prohibited because they could stimulate the chained ghosts within their bodies.

Old Man Yang added, "A He, there are occasional vacancies at the Yamen. Rest for a while, and I'll find a position for you."

"..."

Yang He currently had no great desire for it. The Way of the Chained Ghost had far too many restrictions.

Zhang Huayue lowered his voice. "A He, remember Song Zhi, whom I mentioned to you? A corpse was just discovered not long ago..."

Yang He stiffened, and Zhang Huayue continued, "A He, stay away from Jianghu figures. Song Zhi's corpse had its organs hollowed out. Even the bones were not spared."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Old Man Yang shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Enough of that. We still have streets to patrol, so we'll be going."

Zhang Huayue patted Yang He on the shoulder, and the two disappeared into the market along the street.

Yang He watched them leave. He silently carried all his things back to the mud house, faintly feeling that Song Zhi had most likely become a ghost.

A hollowed-out corpse looked more like something had crawled out of it from within.

Song Zhi had probably undergone a second revival.

As soon as Yang He returned home, he fenced in the rooster, casually threw the earthen jar containing venomous insects into a corner, and let the black cat roam freely in the side room.

Once he finished, he began processing the bundles of herbs.

Yang He did not need to master alchemy, because his standards were not high. He only needed Shi Lijia that boosted yang energy. Even if it was highly poisonous, it would do as long as it did not kill him immediately.

He could not even be bothered to wash the herbs. He simply spread them out in the courtyard to dry.

After they had dried, he tossed the herbs into a pot in batches and boiled them. Once the water had nearly boiled away, he added flour and peanuts, stirring continuously.

Finally, he rolled the mixture into pill-shaped balls.

Great Replenishing Pill

After consumption, it causes excessive Yang Fire and increases the heart's beating frequency. Long-term use can easily cause illnesses of the internal organs.

"Not bad, not bad. It will be enough to save my life at a critical moment."

There were more than three hundred Great Replenishing Pills in total. Yang He took out forty and placed them in a wooden box to carry on his person.

He summoned the panel. At this moment, the number of uses for Ghost Lotus had recovered.

Ghost Lotus: 2/3 (8%)

During the seven days he spent refining pills, Peibai City remained peaceful.

Old Man Yang occasionally returned home, but he spent most of his time inspecting the various districts. He did not pay much attention to Yang He tinkering around in the courtyard.

"Everything is ready. It's about time to head to the Lore World."

Yang He brought over the earthen jar, held the rooster in his right arm, and gripped the black cat by the scruff with his left hand.

Mundane Object: Lotus Born Lotus

Associated Lore: "Ghost Lotus." Consume 1 point of Spiritual Vision to enter the Lore World?

Consume 0.1 points of Spiritual Vision to bring the earthen jar containing venomous insects into the Lore World?

"Confirm."

The earthen jar beside Yang He vanished.

Consume 0.4 points of Spiritual Vision to bring the tabby cat into the Lore World?

Consume 0.2 points of Spiritual Vision to bring the rooster into the Lore World?

Consume 0.3 points of Spiritual Vision to bring forty Great Replenishing Pills?

"I want to see whether living creatures can affect the characters."

After Yang He confirmed them one by one, three faces slowly appeared before his eyes.

Identities "wandering Daoist" and "carpenter" are dead and cannot be selected for portrayal.

wandering Daoist: As the only Daoist in Cailian Town, you heard that the Yamen was haunted and decided to volunteer. In the end, you died while carrying a coffin.

carpenter: You were invited by the Yamen to repair a coffin lid. While preparing the materials, you were unexpectedly found hanged inside the house.

The two faces scattered into ashes, and it seemed as if their unwilling howls before death could be heard.

Please select an identity to portray in the Lore.

constable (White): As a constable of Cailian Town, you discovered that since the General's Mansion's coffin arrived, dozens of people in town have died one after another. Would you be next?

soldier (White): The Third Young Master of the General's Mansion died young. You are part of the funeral procession, and after arriving in Cailian Town, you have gone three days and three nights without sleep.

courier (White): You are a courier responsible for delivering letters. Passing through Cailian Town, you discover an extra family letter from Chentang Pass inside the package.