Zhong Kui

Qinggu County government office.

Blood splattered the walls, and arrows rained down like grass.

A burly figure in a bright red official robe sat atop the County Magistrate's desk, head bowed and chest clasped, as if napping.

"Hoo!"

"Hoo!"

The thunderous snores, like those of a slumbering behemoth, actually caused the blood-stained plaque above to tremble and hum.

"Justice and Integrity," each character dripping with blood.

A thick, bloody aura filled the entire office, chilling the heart and scattering the soul.

Yet, the figure slept so peacefully, as if he had always loved this scent of blood.

Drip. Drip.

The blood from the plaque fell onto an unsheathed ancient sword beside him, like cinnabar, dyeing the obsidian hilt a crimson red.

Flies, drawn by the blood mist, stopped before the figure sleeping like a coiled dragon, daring not to approach further.

It was as if an invisible aura of malevolence was brewing, startling insects and suppressing all evil.

After an unknown amount of time, the scorching sun slowly drifted westward, and the yang fire that had been boiling between heaven and earth gradually weakened.

Suddenly, a howling yin wind swept through, like a gale, bending the large trees and startling the cicadas.

For a moment, it felt as if sand and stones were flying, and the sky and earth were darkening.

The Guardian Soldier had arrived!

In an instant, the already thick bloody aura within the office exploded like hot oil on a fire.

Bloody footprints appeared on the ground, heading straight for the slumbering figure.

Angry roars, like those of battlefield warriors, echoed around.

Clang!

The sound of a sword being drawn, like metal striking stone, echoed through the air. A terrifying killing intent, like a breached flood, surged forward. As the bloody footprints advanced, the surrounding tables, chairs, and vases were all cleanly sliced in half.

The cuts were as smooth as a mirror.

Even the sturdy beams and walls bore sharp sword marks, sending stone fragments flying.

Just then, the figure in the bright red official robe seemed to awaken, and the snores ceased.

But this terrifying sword strike was about to fall upon his head.

Among the soldiers of the Underworld, the Guardian Soldiers were the most ferocious and overbearing. Wherever they went, lone spirits and ghosts within a hundred-mile radius were forcefully slain, leaving no survivors!

The great figure from the Underworld had dispatched this Guardian Soldier to protect County Magistrate Zhu Zong, demonstrating his high regard for him.

It also showed his confidence in the Guardian Soldier's strength.

If this sword strike were to land, not only would his head be severed, but his soul would also be decapitated, leaving him a headless ghost in the netherworld.

Even if he were to reincarnate, his next life would be one of idiocy, unable to speak, see, hear, or smell.

At this critical juncture, the figure treated the sword hanging above him as if it were nothing, and with a wave of his hand, he slammed it down.

In his palm, he held a dark, heavy piece of ironwood, crisscrossed with cracks like lightning.

It was none other than the Startling Hall Wood used by Bao Longtu, the Prefect of Kaifeng, to judge cases and resolve grievances!

Bang!!!

As the wood was struck, the malevolent aura, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, suddenly jolted. It was torn apart like cloth, revealing gaping holes.

A righteous aura, as vast as that of ancient times, erupted like a volcanic eruption!

One strike of the Startling Hall Wood, a thousand echoes of thunder, repelling all evil and making all ghosts flee!

In a daze, the Qinggu County office seemed to transform into Kaifeng Prefecture. A figure with a resolute gaze and an unyielding spirit sat beneath the "Justice and Integrity" plaque, a crescent moon on his forehead illuminating all surrounding vengeful spirits.

Boom!!

In the air, an invisible figure seemed to be blasted away by the thunderous sound of the Startling Hall Wood, and a large amount of yin energy dissipated.

A figure slowly emerged.

It was a giant like an iron tower, with a broad back and a sturdy waist, clad in heavy armor. The armor was covered in cracks, rust, and indelible bloodstains.

Most terrifying were the Guardian Soldier's eyes, burning with green phosphorescent fire, as if they could see through one's soul and burn one's spirit.

However, at this moment, the fierce ghostly eyes flickered unstably, like a lamp flame swaying in the wind and rain.

Under Lord Bao's Startling Hall Wood, even the notorious Five Guardian Soldiers, their yin energy greatly dispersed, fell into a brief state of confusion.

But being fierce soldiers of the Underworld, they quickly regained their senses after a moment of disorientation, and the phosphorescent fire in their eyes stabilized once more.

But in the next instant, the phosphorescent fire jumped violently, revealing a trace of ingrained... terror.

Because the person in the bright red official robe finally raised his face.

His forehead bore a heavenly fire pointing upwards, and his brows were a horizontal line like a butterfly's wings.

Iron-faced, bearded, with a loyal heart torn asunder, He slays ghosts and captures demons, hailed as a holy lord!

The holy lord who bestows blessings and guards homes, the Celestial Master Zhong Kui's face paint!

Legend has it that after Zhong Kui died, he was enfeoffed as the Great God of Exorcism. King Yama personally bestowed upon him the Ghost-Slaying Sword, ordering him to sweep away all ghosts in the human world and eliminate demons across the nine provinces.

When Emperor Ming of Tang dreamt of being pestered by minor ghosts, it was Zhong Kui who appeared and swallowed the specters whole, giving rise to the legend of Zhong Kui chewing on ghosts.

The common folk even call him the Celestial Master, specifically one who captures and slays ghosts!

If you were to ask which being ghosts fear the most, it wouldn't be the Judge or King Yama, but Zhong Kui, who most enjoys slaying and devouring them.

No matter if you're a ferocious ghost, a fierce ghost, a wicked ghost, a powerful ghost, or even a ghost king, to Zhong Kui, you're merely a delicious appetizer.

The fiercer you are, the more authentic the flavor!

Therefore, when the Guardian Soldier saw the Zhong Kui face paint drawn by Zhou Sheng, it couldn't help but tremble all over, instinctively revealing a look of terror.

However, a Guardian Soldier is still a Guardian Soldier. Its extremely fierce nature allowed it to quickly overcome its instinctive fear. Its phosphorescent flames flickered as it recognized that it was merely Zhong Kui from a play.

It let out a roar, its killing aura boiling, and once again charged forward with its sword.

But Zhou Sheng struck the startling hall wood again.

BOOM!!

The thunderous sound reverberated through the nine heavens, exploding in every corner.

Another crack appeared on the startling hall wood, but the Guardian Soldier's form instantly froze, as if struck by lightning, its yin energy dissipating in large amounts.

The next moment, a sword's cry echoed.

The clear sound of drawing a sword, like striking a jade chime, lingered long within the government office.

Zhong Kui had arrived!

"Yi--ya--!!"

As the operatic voice began, it was like a tiger's roar and a dragon's cry, shaking the surroundings. The bearded face, as stern as a halberd, had every strand standing on end, its eyes wide like copper bells.

A fierce and malevolent god, seemingly about to chew and devour ghosts!

CLANG!!

The ancient sword, engraved with the Supreme Ghost-Slaying Incantation, struck the Guardian Soldier's armor, splashing a searing spark and emitting a sizzling explosion.

Drops of blood, condensed from yin energy, splattered and then dissipated into black mist in the air.

This sword, named Ghost-Slaying, shared the same name as the divine sword in Zhong Kui's hand. It was the sword of a famous general from the previous dynasty, carried through dozens of campaigns, beheading countless foes, its killing aura immense.

Later, the ancient sword became malevolent. After being dug up by a tomb robber, it killed seventeen people in three days!

It was Master Yu Zhensheng who subdued this sword and invited Taoists from Longhu Mountain to engrave the Supreme Ghost-Slaying Incantation, thus turning it into a divine weapon specifically for countering ghosts.

According to folk legends, even a pig-slaughtering knife that has seen blood can ward off ghosts, let alone a fierce sword that has killed countless people and is engraved with the Supreme Ghost-Slaying Incantation?

With just one strike, the Guardian Soldier was sent flying back, crying out in pain.

ZZZING!!

The forty-nine-jin Ghost-Slaying Sword dragged across the ground, creating dazzling sparks and a ringing sound like clashing metal and horses.

Zhou Sheng followed his sword, not pausing for a moment, and fiercely attacked again. His eyes, like copper bells, were filled with killing intent and a sense of... hunger, like seeing prey.

As he brought his sword down, he laughed to the heavens.

"Good ghost! Good ghost!"

"My belly rumbles with hunger!"

Thanks to Guai Li Luan Miao for the 3,000 reward, sending kisses!