The Third Neighbor

"Ah! There are ghosts!"

A scream shattered the night's silence.

It also startled Li Xiuchang, who was in the middle of his cultivation.

Immediately after, more screams rang out, and the outside became chaotic.

He quickly ended his cultivation, pushed open the door to his practice room, and stepped out.

The sounds were coming from the courtyard. He didn't rush into the courtyard, prioritizing his own safety in case of danger.

Li Xiuchang tiptoed to the window and quietly peeked outside.

He saw women with disheveled hair, covered in blood, their bodies appearing and disappearing, chasing several Outer Sect disciples.

They really were ghosts... Li Xiuchang tensed up.

How could ghosts and malevolent spirits run rampant in Immortal Dust Sect, this sacred land of cultivation?

The Outer Sect disciples cried out in alarm, occasionally turning back to throw talismans at the female ghosts behind them, but they were almost all dodged by the ghosts.

When a talisman did hit, the effect was minimal.

Outer Sect disciples primarily focused their efforts on practicing their skills, while also needing to cultivate. They lacked combat experience and were indeed not skilled in duels.

Moreover, those female ghosts were clearly not weak.

However, only a few Outer Sect disciples who had regained their senses were being chased by the female ghosts; most were still trapped in an illusion.

For example, Wang Long, at this moment, had a look of terror on his face, seemingly quite frightened, but his eyes were unfocused, clearly not having broken free from the illusion.

Li Xiuchang anxiously glanced into the distance: "Why hasn't the Law Enforcement Hall sent anyone yet?"

He regretted it. He shouldn't have placed the smoked meat production line right outside his door. If he hadn't opened the Courtyard Protection Array, the malevolent spirits wouldn't have gotten in.

Just then, two figures suddenly entered his line of sight.

Li Xiuchang's heart immediately relaxed, and he felt completely at ease.

One was an unbelievably handsome man in white, and the other was a burly man with a face full of scars.

Li Xiuchang didn't recognize the burly man, but seeing the reliable Senior Brother Zhang Wanzhi, he felt a sense of security.

The disciples being chased by the female ghosts also saw Senior Brother Zhang as a savior and quickly ran towards him.

Senior Brother Zhang stood still. Instead, the burly man took out a bell and shook it a few times.

With the tinkling sound, the female ghosts seemed to turn to stone, all frozen in place.

The burly man shook the bell a few more times, and all the female ghosts turned into wisps of green smoke and floated into the bell.

It was only then that the disciples trapped in the illusion gradually woke up.

Li Xiuchang, confirming that the danger had passed, pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang, thank you..." Li Xiuchang looked at the burly man.

"Mo Tu," the burly man replied curtly.

"Thank you for your help, Senior Brother Mo." Li Xiuchang immediately understood the burly man's identity; he was another neighbor.

Having been admitted for a month, Li Xiuchang had already asked Wang Long about his other neighbors.

In the Eastern Geng District, besides Zhang Wanzhi, the other three senior brothers were "Life-Burning Diviner" Gui Wuyan, Mo Tu, and Chen Changsheng.

Wang Long didn't know much about Mo Tu, only that he was a Soul Master.

As for Chen Changsheng, he had even less presence. When Li Xiuchang first asked, Wang Long couldn't even recall his name and only found it after checking the records at the Reception Area.

At this moment, other disciples from the surroundings also gathered, still shaken, and they all thanked Senior Brother Zhang and Mo Tu.

They also began discussing the origin of the female ghosts.

"How could so many malevolent spirits appear within the sect?"

"We should report this to the Law Enforcement Hall immediately and ask them to investigate the source of these malevolent spirits."

"Exactly, so that more malevolent spirits don't appear and harm other fellow disciples."

At this point, Senior Brother Zhang coughed and said apologetically, "This incident started because of me. I went to visit Junior Brother Mo's residence and accidentally let loose the malevolent spirits he was controlling, disturbing all of you. I am truly sorry."

Everyone was stunned, not expecting this to be the reason. They all turned their gazes towards Mo Tu.

Mo Tu nodded slightly: "I am a Soul Master. These malevolent spirits are wild ghosts I captured."

Upon hearing the words "Soul Master," some of the more timid disciples took a step back. The path of soul manipulation was one of the Hundred Cultivation Arts, but it was extremely niche.

A Soul Master, as the name suggests, controls ghosts. Practitioners of this art are skilled in capturing, controlling, and raising ghosts.

People who cultivate this path are even rarer than those who choose the path of a Spirit Chef, like Li Xiuchang. It's not that Soul Masters aren't powerful, but dealing with malevolent spirits and ghosts is very dangerous, causing most people to shy away.

Senior Brother Zhang sighed and took out a pile of Spirit Stones.

"What happened today is my fault. These Spirit Stones are a token of my apology, not enough to make up for even a fraction of my guilt."

With that, he tossed the Spirit Stones in his hand. The stones divided evenly into dozens of portions, floating to each person in front of them, one portion for each.

Li Xiuchang also received a portion. He glanced at it; it was exactly ten low-grade Spirit Stones.

"It's just a small misunderstanding. Senior Brother Zhang has explained, so there's no need for such politeness." The Tier 1 Talisman Masters outwardly declined, but their actions spoke louder as they accepted the Spirit Stones.

Li Xiuchang also pocketed the Spirit Stones, as did Wang Long.

With over a dozen people taking the lead, others soon followed suit and accepted the Spirit Stones.

By taking these Spirit Stones, they were accepting Zhang Wanzhi's apology, and the matter of today would be considered closed.

Zhang Wanzhi had a good reputation at the Outer Sect, and these disciples already held him in high regard. Now, with the added compensation of Spirit Stones, any lingering resentment completely vanished.

After all, these disciples were merely Tier 1 craftsmen and Qi Condensation Cultivators. Ten Spirit Stones were not a small sum to them.

Take the ten fire tenders, for example. They only earned one Spirit Stone for a day's work. Now, after being scared, they received ten Spirit Stones. They secretly rejoiced, even thinking: "If there's another opportunity like this, count me in!"

The matter was thus settled. However, Li Xiuchang glanced at the mess inside and outside the courtyard, as well as the shaken expressions on everyone's faces, and proactively spoke up:

"Let's call it a day. Everyone should go back and rest early, and we'll resume work tomorrow."

The fire tenders and those collecting smoke felt the same way and promptly took their leave.

In the blink of an eye, only Li Xiuchang, Wang Long, Zhang Wanzhi, and Mo Tu remained in the courtyard.

Li Xiuchang and Wang Long began cleaning up the courtyard, both inside and out. Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu joined in to help, and soon the courtyard was restored to its original state. They cleared away the collapsed furnace artifacts and smoked Spirit Meat.

In hindsight, Li Xiuchang hadn't suffered any significant losses.

However, the events of today had taught Li Xiuchang a lesson. While placing the Spirit Meat production line right outside his door was convenient, it also presented hidden dangers.

If there hadn't been so many people outside his door, it wouldn't have attracted the malevolent spirits to attack. Moreover, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have kept the Courtyard Protection Array fully active, and those malevolent spirits wouldn't have been able to enter his courtyard.

Although today was an accident, who could guarantee that there wouldn't be other accidents in the future?

Learning from experience, Li Xiuchang asked Wang Long, "Senior Brother, could you keep an eye out for any other suitable locations for us to smoke meat?"

"Sure, I'll ask around when I get back," Wang Long agreed and also took his leave.

Zhang Wanzhi seemed quite remorseful about the night's events and said with a face full of apology:

"Junior Brother, if you plan to move your workshop elsewhere, I can help provide a location. Also, using this courtyard solely for smoking Spirit Meat is quite a waste. It would be better to utilize it for other purposes, which could also earn you some Spirit Stones."