The Reason

"Brother Su, we're late!"

Upon meeting, Meng Dongge sighed and pointed to the numerous dead insects scattered around. "I sensed something was wrong when I heard the commotion and rushed over to help, but it seems we were still a step behind the Strange Ghost. I couldn't save Chen Yun's husband and brother... it's all my fault."

"We were the ones who discovered it too late. After all, we were closer to Chen Yun and the others."

While speaking, Su Jie carefully observed his surroundings, remaining secretly on guard.

It wasn't certain that Chen Yun and the others were attacked by a Strange Ghost. It was possible the attacker was Meng Dongge himself.

"This... no one wants something like this to happen. If it truly was a Strange Ghost, then we can only blame bad luck."

Gu Weinan surveyed the scene and quickly pieced together a general idea.

Most likely, Chen Yun and the others encountered a Strange Ghost attack at night and were overwhelmed, leading to the deaths of Chen Koudang and Xu Chaoxian.

For Meng Dongge and his group to arrive so quickly to support them was a sign of great loyalty among the Ghost Ridge Palace disciples.

It was worth noting that even Gu Weinan, who belonged to the same lineage as Chen Yun under Old Daoist Qiu, was hesitant about whether to come to their aid. This was especially true for disciples from other branches like Meng Dongge.

"This is too tragic."

Sun Zhihai's scalp tingled. It wasn't that he hadn't seen dead people before, but Chen Yun and the others had come with him to patrol the mountain and protect the Dao.

To suffer such a fate on the very first day made him empathize deeply.

"Chen Yun is still breathing."

Su Jie checked on Chen Yun's condition and then turned to Meng Dongge. "Fellow Daoist Meng, why are you alone? Where are the other five members of your team?"

"They went to pursue that beast. We can't let the culprit escape. I stayed behind to protect Chen Yun."

Meng Dongge explained through gritted teeth, looking furious.

As they were talking, intense shouts could be heard.

"Quick, stop it!"

"Use the Nine Bends Net to block its escape route!"

"Let's go! We're about to get it!"

Amidst the shouts, a creature about three meters tall darted past Su Jie and the others.

Its skin was pale, and it moved on all fours with its body hunched over. Its claws were like steel blades, instilling fear.

"Strange Ghost!"

Gu Weinan cried out in terror.

The surroundings were already eerie, and any slight disturbance made them feel like they were facing a formidable enemy. The sudden appearance of the Strange Ghost nearly scared him to death.

Could I have been mistaken?

Su Jie mused. It really was a Strange Ghost. Had he wrongly suspected Meng Dongge?

"Run! We can't fight a Strange Ghost!"

Sun Zhihai's voice trembled. His only remaining arm continuously patted his chest, where a vibrant green lizard poked its head out – even his natal Gu worm had been summoned.

"Look closely, this Strange Ghost is already finished."

Su Jie raised his hand to stop the two. They focused their gaze and noticed that the Strange Ghost was covered in wounds. It had numerous corrosive and penetrating injuries, with large patches of torn muscle tissue exposed to the air. Its internal organs were even spilling out. Its movements were sluggish, and even without intervention, it wouldn't have survived.

After darting forward no more than a few dozen meters, the Strange Ghost finally succumbed to its severe injuries, its blood almost completely drained. It collapsed to the ground.

Buzz buzz!

Immediately after, a swarm of Gu worms descended.

Hundreds of locusts, venomous snakes, scorpions, killer bees, deadly spiders, and other Gu worms engulfed the Strange Ghost.

A large amount of lethal venom was injected, pushing the already heavily wounded Strange Ghost to its final end. It ceased to move or struggle.

Five Ghost Ridge Palace disciples emerged from the woods where the Strange Ghost had run, carrying fine nets, ropes, and other items. They were Meng Dongge's other five teammates.

They quickly surrounded the Strange Ghost's corpse, their gazes warily fixed on Su Jie and the other two.

They were concerned that Su Jie and the others might have designs on the corpse out of greed, as Strange Ghost corpses had recently become very valuable.

"What are you all doing? The three Fellow Daoists are not the kind of people to act recklessly. There's no need to be on guard. What will people think?"

Meng Dongge reprimanded them, launching into a furious scolding of his other five companions.

This, in turn, made Sun Zhihai and Gu Weinan feel rather embarrassed.

Gu Weinan coughed dryly. "Fellow Daoist Meng, since you hunted this Strange Ghost, it can be considered avenging Chen Yun. We have no ulterior motives."

Sun Zhihai echoed with an awkward laugh, "Yes, Fellow Daoist Meng, you're overthinking it. We know our limits."

Although they were extremely tempted by the Strange Ghost's corpse – selling it on the Black Market would fetch at least several hundred Blood Marrow Crystals – they knew that from both a moral and strength perspective, especially the latter, outright theft was out of the question. It would be suicidal.

Su Jie's eyes narrowed. This tactic of feigning weakness to gain an advantage was quite clever!

Looking at Gu Weinan and Sun Zhihai's reactions, they had clearly fallen for it.

Su Jie didn't immediately expose the ploy. Instead, he appeared even more righteous than Sun Zhihai and Gu Weinan. "Brother Meng, it's only natural for them to think that way. After all, our Devilish Cultivator lineage has a poor reputation. But rest assured, I, Su Jie, have always acted with integrity and abhor evil. I will never take what is not mine."

Gu Weinan looked at him speechlessly. He's saying that? Is he really a Devilish Cultivator?

Meng Dongge chuckled again and said loudly, "Please don't be offended, Fellow Daoists. It's just that we spent a lot of effort to successfully hunt this Strange Ghost. We used up many talismans and poisonous insects, so we have to sell it to recoup our losses. Otherwise, we would have definitely shared some with you. Alas, I feel very apologetic. How about this, for this battlefield, you can handle the dead Gu worms. After all, they are all from Elder Qiu's lineage."

"Thank you, thank you."

Gu Weinan and Sun Zhihai clasped their hands together.

There were many dead Gu worms in this area. Having them to feed their natal Gu worms would be very beneficial, especially for the natal Gu worms belonging to Chen Koudang and Xu Chaoxian.

"Brother Meng is too kind."

Su Jie's hands moved so fast that Gu Weinan and Sun Zhihai couldn't even see his movements. The highest-value ant queen corpse on the ground was snatched up by Su Jie.

This move completely baffled Meng Dongge. He looked at Su Jie with a strange expression: "Is this what you meant by not taking it? So you only want the big ones, right?"

"Since that's the case, we won't stay here any longer. Fellow Daoist Chen is seriously injured now. Why don't you leave her to us? I can try to heal her."

His gaze fell on Chen Yun as Meng Dongge kindly made the offer.

Sun Zhihai and Gu Weinan were about to agree. Chen Yun, who might not even survive now, was just a burden. It was perfect to hand her over to someone else.

Just then, Su Jie suddenly spoke, "There's no need to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Meng. Chen Yun is from our branch. We have a responsibility to take care of her in her current condition."

"We still have some medicinal herbs that can be used and are very helpful for treating injuries."

Meng Dongge was taken aback, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"We really don't need it."

Su Jie shook his head and refused. Even Sun Zhihai and Gu Weinan were extremely puzzled. Could it be that, as he claimed, this guy was a person of integrity?

"Alright then, I won't force you. I hope Fellow Daoist Chen Yun can recover soon."

Meng Dongge didn't insist further. He smiled and proposed to take his leave.

"We need to deal with the Strange Ghost's corpse as soon as possible, so we won't be staying here much longer. Three Fellow Daoists, be careful in everything you do. If you encounter a Strange Ghost, be sure to ask us for help immediately. I don't want to see what happened to Fellow Daoist Chen Yun happen to you."

"Take care."

"Take care."

The two groups clasped their hands in farewell, and Meng Dongge and his group carried the Strange Ghost's corpse away from the battlefield.

Sun Zhihai and Gu Weinan, however, couldn't wait to start collecting the various dead Gu worm corpses on the ground.

The freshly deceased Gu worms were perfect for their natal Gu worms to consume.

Su Jie's gaze followed Meng Dongge and his group as they disappeared into the forest. His fingers twitched slightly.

A moth, taking advantage of the night's cover, flapped its wings and silently followed them.

It was difficult to detect this kind of insect control technique used by inner disciples without specific precautions.

"Brother Su, we've hit the jackpot today!"

After a headcount, Gu Weinan was quite excited.

The poisonous insect corpses they had collected from the battlefield filled a basket. It was quite a bountiful haul.

"Tonight's harvest is good."

Su Jie glanced at it, but compared to the Strange Ghost corpse they had obtained, these insect corpses weren't much.

"However. Do they really think they can get away with it?"

Licking his lips, Su Jie glanced at Chen Yun on the ground, then at Meng Dongge and his group who had disappeared from view. A cold smile curved his lips.