Trouble Brewing

In the main hall, Old Zhao's corpse was still twitching faintly, as though it might prop itself up at any moment. It seemed the fierce ghost that had possessed him earlier still lingered inside.

Old Zhao had stayed out of the underworld for too long and had gradually become a fierce ghost himself. No one knew when it had begun, but he had been lingering beside his corpse, trying to force the fierce ghost inside his body out.

Seeing Old Zhao trying to reclaim his body, Elder Hai shook his head. He and Old Zhao had been old acquaintances too, and seeing his old friend unable to rest left him deeply saddened. "We were old friends. Seeing you like this hurts me terribly."

"Grandpa!" Zhao Qian performed a ritual and wiped her eyes with ox tears. She saw her grandfather floating there, and anyone could imagine the grief in her heart.

She had just tried to run over when I stopped her.

"Alas, Zhao Zhou, Zhao Zhou... Look at what you've done. Your father ended up like this. Do you really feel good about it?" Lin Feiyu sighed.

Zhao Zhou clenched his teeth and turned his head away. "At home, I was the one my father had the least faith in! I was scolded by him constantly from childhood. He wanted to leave everything to the eldest. I hated him!"

"But even a tiger won't eat its cubs. He never meant to harm you. What a grievous sin... and yet you made him unable to enter the underworld, turning him into a lonely wandering ghost?" Elder Hai said. He took out a paper effigy, muttered an incantation, wrote Old Zhao's name on it, and called, "Old brother, your body is here."

Old Zhao turned around and walked over dazedly. After looking at the paper effigy, he vanished before Elder Hai.

"Uncle, please consider the friendship you had with our father back then and help us." Zhao Xi and Zhao Yuan were both sobbing uncontrollably as they begged Elder Hai to help. They couldn't let their father be unable to enter the underworld.

Zhao Zhou chewed over Elder Hai's words in silence. Then, remembering the past, he wept bitterly.

"I know. Even if you didn't say it, wouldn't your uncle understand?" Elder Hai sighed. He glanced around and spotted the altar Zhao Qian had set up earlier.

"Little Lin, the one inside is yours now. Zhao Qian, I'll borrow your altar. Your uncle needs to summon a ghost messenger." After speaking to Lin Feiyu and Zhao Qian, Elder Hai placed the wildly trembling paper effigy before him, rearranged the altar, then burned incense, drew talismans, and muttered incantations.

Lin Feiyu nodded and headed toward the main hall. "Brother Hai, if you hadn't said so, I would have..."

Before he could take out his tools, Xijun pounced forward, swiftly ripping the fierce ghost from the corpse. She glanced at me, and once I nodded, she began devouring it without a trace of courtesy. To her, this was delicious food that could increase her energy. She would never let anyone else have it.

"Young Brother Xia, couldn't you let your Uncle Lin have a go first?" Lin Feiyu stared at me, wearing a helpless, bitter smile.

"Elder Lin, there's an even bigger opponent waiting for you to battle later. How could we let the main force take care of this little thing now?" I said with a smile.

"Mm, what you said makes sense, boy. You know your place!" Lin Feiyu nodded and laughed.

While we were joking around, Elder Hai clicked his tongue. His face turned deathly pale as he shook his head. "It won't do. I asked the underworld authorities and the local land spirit in charge here. The land spirit told me that the ghost messenger sent to escort Brother Zhao still hasn't returned to the underworld. The underworld authorities have blamed him for it, so he's in a difficult position and refuses to send another ghost messenger up here. They also intend to punish everyone involved according to the law."

The family members immediately wailed, and even Zhao Qian began shedding tears, crying on me until her face was covered in snot and tears.

Lin Feiyu wasn't good at communicating with the underworld like practitioners of the occult were, so he asked, "Brother Hai, you've seen the family. They're all like this, and the funeral is tomorrow. Tell us, what should we do? Everyone's waiting for you to take action."

"There's nothing we can do. Things are on fire down there right now. But the underworld says the ghost messenger should still be alive. Unless we can find him for them." Elder Hai shook his head and looked around, apparently searching for the ghost messenger.

Hearing that, I began searching too. One sweep of my gaze landed on Zhao Zhou. "Hey, Wu Zhenghua bound your father's soul. Wasn't there a ghost messenger beside him too?"

Zhao Zhou was crying. When he heard my question, he said, "We didn't dare touch the ghost messenger. We just let him wander around. Master Wu said the ghost messenger's yin energy was weak. He was hiding in the corner earlier."

As he spoke, he pointed toward a distant corner of the main hall.

When I looked over, Xijun was gnawing on something there. One glance was enough to leave me stunned, with every hair on my body standing on end.

Xijun had eaten the ghost messenger until only half a leg remained!

"Xijun! Are you trying to get me in trouble?" The veins on my forehead bulged as I glared at her.

Xijun looked at me innocently and tucked away the ghost messenger's half-leg. She had assumed that anything ghostly was edible and didn't care whether it was a wandering soul or a ghost messenger. The ghost messenger's yin energy had been cool and fragrant. It was delicious.

Elder Hai and Elder Lin could both see Xijun. They had witnessed the ghost messenger being eaten, and although its yin energy had been pitifully weak, people of their generation could still see the faintest traces. Cold sweat immediately dripped from their foreheads.

"This... this isn't good." Elder Hai looked at Xijun, then at me, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

Lin Feiyu even stamped his feet, not daring to say a word.

I glanced at the family members nearby and found them staring at me without knowing what had happened. My heart jolted. My little ghost had eaten the ghost messenger, so Old Zhao could no longer descend into the underworld. Wouldn't they blame me to death?

I hurriedly pulled Elder Hai aside and said awkwardly, "Elder Hai, if the ghost messenger died, what would happen?"

"The underworld authorities will definitely come for your life. It's over, it's over! What are we going to do?" Elder Hai's face was pale, and he was thoroughly frightened.

"It's already been eaten. Is there really no way to save the situation?" I asked again.

Elder Hai racked his brains. At last, he said, "Alas, this can't all be counted as your fault. Before that happens, I'll communicate with them more on your behalf. But the one you keep... how did she cause such trouble? The underworld will send someone to seize you within three days at the latest. From what I can see, this ghost messenger seems to have a very delicate relationship with the underworld. Just apologize profusely, agree to whatever conditions they demand, and absolutely do not antagonize them. Remember that."

"Thank you in advance, Elder Hai. Then I can only await the underworld's grand arrival." I thanked Elder Hai and ordered Xijun to return.

Xijun actually ate the half-leg she had hidden before reluctantly coming back. She entered the Soul Urn, but I discovered that the Soul Urn was already on the verge of shattering. Perhaps that had caused Xijun to do something excessive. I could only blame my own poor estimation.

"Things have come to this. We should go to the back mountain and see what that old bastard Wu Zhenghua is up to." Lin Feiyu suggested it.

"Mm, that's all we can do. I'll secure Brother Zhao's soul first and dispel its resentment. Once we've communicated with the underworld, perhaps we can send him down. I'll be staying at the estate these next few days." After speaking, Elder Hai took a black box from his hiking pack, put the paper effigy bearing Old Zhao's attached soul inside, and sealed it with a talisman.

Elder Hai's relationship with the Zhao Family ran deep, and all the relatives trusted him greatly. Since he had said so, this was all we could do.

"Then be careful, Uncle. Wu Zhenghua is extremely sinister, and his skills are very high," Zhao Xi said from the side.

"It's fine. Your uncle fought him back then, and he couldn't do anything to me. Your Uncle Lin is here now too, so there's even less to worry about. Even if the two of us fail, don't we still have Young Brother Xia?" As Elder Hai spoke, he handed the box to Zhao Xi. "You're the eldest son. Your father's soul is inside. I'm entrusting it to you. Burn incense and make offerings properly, then place your father in the coffin. The funeral procession will leave at nine tomorrow morning."

"All right, Uncle." Zhao Xi trembled as he held his father's soul. His face was somewhat pale. To be honest, he was extremely afraid now that his father had become a fierce ghost. What if he accidentally removed the sealing talisman?

The various relatives' faces had all turned green with fear. They wanted to stay farther away from Zhao Xi, but felt too embarrassed to do so.

"If we're going to the back mountain, Qian can lead the way."

Zhao Qian suggested it, though in truth she also wanted revenge for her grandfather. I knew it perfectly well. However, it was nighttime, we weren't familiar with the terrain, and I didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone, so I said, "Elder Hai, Elder Lin, let Zhao Qian and Zhao Yi lead the way. Han Shanshan can stay here and wait for reinforcements. Captain Huo should be arriving soon too."

"That's fine, but be careful. One paper ward against ghosts for each person." As Elder Hai spoke, he took out the ghost-repelling paper effigies from the time at Little Righteous Village and distributed one to each of us.

After we waited a while, the sound of police cars came from outside the estate. Huo Dadong had brought several people with him. It was pitch-dark, and he had probably only just woken up.

After handing things over, the five of us headed toward the back mountain.

Wu Zhenghua had certainly set up a stage in the back mountain and was waiting for us to make our grand entrance. But there was no way I could let that old bastard off, so although I knew the place ahead was dangerous, I had no time to worry about it. Besides, there were three of us.

"That old thing probably still thinks his Confucian Sect magic is the perfect counter to Young Brother Xia. He may not have expected us to come. Heh."

On the way, Lin Feiyu didn't seem to find Wu Zhenghua particularly troublesome.

"Our numbers are our advantage, but we should still be careful. Don't forget—others may not know this, but we do. This fellow once studied under Mount Mao. He only learned the basics, but his methods are truly formidable. In a one-on-one fight, I might have to flee." Elder Hai frowned as he gave Lin Feiyu an indirect warning, afraid he would underestimate the enemy.

Elder Hai's skills were superior to Lin Feiyu's; I could tell that much. After all, Elder Hai had emerged safely from Yinfeng Town, and even the people sent from the city had needed to bring him along before they dared investigate Little Righteous Village. His abilities were plain to see.

The misty rain continued falling without end. After we had gone roughly one or two kilometers from the estate, the trees gradually grew denser. Once the yin energy in the forest rose, Zhao Qian began shivering from the cold, so I took off my coat and draped it over her.

Zhao Qian looked at me with flushed cheeks and was about to say something thankful when Elder Hai spoke first, warning us, "We're entering the mountains. Everyone, be careful. Whatever happens later, don't panic."

"How does the Arcane Sect usually deal with people like this?" I asked curiously. To be honest, I had experience fighting ghosts, but absolutely none fighting practitioners.

So there had to be some purpose behind a group of people heading up like this, right? We couldn't simply bring knives, spears, clubs, and the like and hack away at him. Killing someone was against the law! Lin Feiyu was still a police officer, after all!

Lin Feiyu thought for a moment, then said, "Usually, everyone uses their own methods..."

I was stunned. What did he mean, everyone used their own methods?

Elder Hai chuckled. Seeing that I didn't understand, he said, "Little Lin's explanation wasn't clear? Then just wait and watch. You don't need to act. Matters belonging to our generation should be resolved by our generation. You young people only need to watch."