Perils of Jianghu

This left him no chance to refuse at all!?

Mo Chuan sighed at the sight.

Having enjoyed the incense offerings of Fu Luan Temple, he naturally knew how pure Daoist incense was for nourishing the soul.

If these terms had been offered to an ordinary ghost, it would probably have agreed without a second thought.

But to Mo Chuan, they instead lost some of their allure.

What was more, the terms were too generous, stirring suspicion in his heart.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, how many years of cultivation does this Headless Ghost possess?" Mo Chuan asked cautiously.

"About half a Jiazi," Chong Shizi said.

Half a Jiazi?

Mo Chuan's thoughts began to race.

Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy had once asked the old Daoist of Fu Luan Temple how many years of cultivation an evil ghost could possess and still be subdued by a Ghost Subduing Talisman.

The old Daoist had answered: "Anything below a Jiazi can be subdued!"

In that case, a half-Jiazi ghost was worth a try, wasn't it?

"Do you have some method to subdue demons and suppress evil, fellow Daoist?" Mo Chuan asked again.

"Of course! Fellow Daoist, walls have ears. Please step aside so we may speak."

Chong Shizi pointed toward the depths of the alley, then took the lead.

Mo Chuan nodded. Relying on the Sacrificial Dao Furnace he carried, which allowed him to retreat to the real world at any time, he followed close behind. He wanted to see what medicine Chong Shizi was selling from his gourd.

One man and one ghost walked one before the other for roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, finally stopping in the courtyard of a private residence.

Once host and guest had taken their seats, Chong Shizi brought out two ritual implements:

A bell with a mountain-shaped handle;

A Dharma whip with a snake head.

"Dealing with that Headless Ghost will not be difficult. I have long since made my preparations!"

"This is the Three Pure Ones Bell. It can summon deities and banish demons! So long as the Headless Ghost is drawn inside, then suppressed beneath the threshold of a Daoist palace and trampled day and night, its spirit and soul will collapse and its obsessions shatter within a year or so."

"The only difficulty is that wielding the Three Pure Ones Bell takes time. Now that I have your help, fellow Daoist, this problem will be solved as easily as splitting bamboo!"

"You need only wield this Soul Binding Whip and entangle the Headless Ghost for two breaths. That will be enough time for this poor Daoist to activate the Three Pure Ones Bell and finish everything in a single stroke!"

"What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

Mo Chuan's gaze fell upon the snake-headed Dharma whip. After a brief ponder, he said:

"Subduing demons, banishing evil, aiding the world, and saving people are duties incumbent upon all Daoists! When does fellow Daoist intend to subdue the Headless Ghost?"

Chong Shizi was overjoyed. "The day after tomorrow, criminals will again be executed at the Qingshui County Execution Ground. Their filthy blood being poured out will only make the Headless Ghost beneath the platform stronger! I say, rather than pick a day, let the day pick us. How about tonight? If anything goes wrong, we will have another chance to remedy it tomorrow night."

"Excellent," Mo Chuan said.

Having reached an agreement, the man and ghost began preparing.

In truth, there was not much to prepare. Mo Chuan mainly needed to familiarize himself with the Soul Binding Whip's power beforehand.

For Mo Chuan, wielding the Dharma whip was not difficult.

As a Ghost Body, he naturally possessed Mana.

With Mana to control it, it moved as freely as his own arm, able to stretch and bend at will.

After only a little practice, Mo Chuan learned how to wield the Soul Binding Whip.

He did not dare claim mastery over it, but using it against a Headless Ghost that had lost all intelligence should pose no issue.

Most importantly, Mo Chuan could flee back to his physical body whenever he wished, so there was no need for him to act too cautiously.

Once they were ready, the two headed out.

Bang! Bang!

"Third watch at midnight! All is peaceful!"

The night watchman walked down the broad sunlit road. A few strikes of his clapper rippled through the moonlight, while the vast night spread out like a painting.

Mo Chuan followed behind Chong Shizi through narrow alleyways, silent all the while.

Before long, Chong Shizi stopped.

Mo Chuan stopped as well. Looking ahead, his expression tightened!

At the end of the alley, where it met the main road, a headless figure drenched in blood lingered by the roadside.

It hunched over, constantly searching for something along both sides of the road.

After a while, it straightened up, lifted a stone, and placed it upon the severed stump of its neck. It looked around in all directions, a sight both horrifying and absurd.

The next moment, it flew into a rage, tore the stone away, and smashed it viciously against the ground. After stomping on it in a fit of frustration, it bent down once again and resumed searching for its head.

Ordinary people naturally could not see this scene, but if they accidentally ran into it, even with their Yang energy protecting them, they would still suffer a serious illness.

If they were frail and weak, they might even die on the spot!

"Fellow Daoist, there is something I do not understand. By rights, criminals are beheaded at noon, when Yang energy is at its peak. No matter how strong their obsession, it should be difficult for them to become ghosts. Even if they did, the Yang energy of the vendors and passersby at the execution ground should scatter their form and soul. How did this Qian San become a Headless Ghost?"

Watching the terrifying scene, Mo Chuan asked softly.

"I investigated the matter. They say that when Qian San was beheaded, a torrential rain fell from the heavens and blocked the Yang energy. Combined with his own extraordinary nature, that allowed him to luckily achieve Liberation by Violence and become a vicious ghost. Over these past ten years, it has hidden at the entrance to the execution ground, feeding year after year on the foul blood and vital essence of condemned criminals. Only then did it grow into a great menace and cultivate for half a Jiazi."

"So that was it!"

Mo Chuan nodded, flicked the Soul Binding Whip in his hand, stepped past Chong Shizi, and walked toward the Headless Ghost.

Chong Shizi halted in place, gripping the Three Pure Ones Bell in his right hand while secretly forming a Dharma Seal with his left. The moment Mo Chuan bound the Headless Ghost, he would immediately subdue the demon and banish the evil.

At that moment, the Headless Ghost searching for its head suddenly froze, slowly straightened, and turned to face Mo Chuan.

Steam-like blood energy gurgled from the cleanly severed cross-section of its neck, making for a truly terrifying sight.

Roar—

Catching the scent of a ghost, it immediately became restless. A shrill roar burst from its abdomen, and it charged over.

Mo Chuan did not dare underestimate it. He raised his sleeve and fired talismans!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless Ghost Subduing Talismans shot from his sleeve like beads in a curtain of rain, streaking toward the Headless Ghost!

Ghost Subduing Talismans?

Chong Shizi, who had been focusing his spirit and holding his breath, intending to strike with his will, gaped in disbelief.

He had entered the world to save people for who knew how many years and met countless fellow cultivators, yet he had never seen a ghost immortal Daoist so extravagantly wasteful!

These were Ghost Subduing Talismans!

—Ghost Subduing Talismans inscribed by borrowing the power of a Jie Immortal!

As the saying went, evil ghosts were easy to find, but Jie Immortals were hard to come by.

Did he not know that every single one of these talismans represented the inherited foundation of an entire Daoist temple?

And besides, was this how Ghost Subduing Talismans were supposed to be used?

Were they not meant to be affixed to one's body to intimidate evil ghosts?

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Before Chong Shizi's stunned gaze, the Ghost Subduing Talismans had already struck the Headless Ghost.

Like ice thrown into a boiling wok of oil, they crackled and exploded, making the Headless Ghost scream again and again as it nearly lost its form.

It was fortunate that this Headless Ghost was exceptionally fierce.

Had it been an ordinary evil ghost, even if it did not die, it would have been stripped of a layer of skin.

Even so, the Headless Ghost was instinctively terrified and turned to burrow back into the earth of the execution ground.

"Trying to run?"

The sight sent Mo Chuan's spirits soaring.

With a crack of his whip, the Soul Binding Whip shot forth like a dragon leaping from the sea, driving straight ahead and wrapping around the Headless Ghost.

Like a giant python coiling around its prey, it constricted with deadly force!

Now!

Chong Shizi's eyes lit up. He shook the bell while rapidly chanting:

"Jade chimes resound, the ten directions are purged; rivers and seas fall silent, mountains swallow smoke; the flowing bell charges through eight directions, all spirits are suppressed!"

"Go!"

As his voice fell, Chong Shizi hurled out the Three Pure Ones Bell.

The Three Pure Ones Bell flew into the air. The golden light around it abruptly faded, transforming it into an inverted bone bowl that covered both the Headless Ghost and Mo Chuan beneath it.

"What are you doing?"

Mo Chuan's furious shout came from within the bone bowl.

"Shameless evil ghost, and you dare impersonate a ghost immortal! Today, I shall use your Blood Sacrifice to nourish Kuai Kuang, feed ghosts like raising venomous insects, and replenish its cultivation."

Chong Shizi snorted coldly and raised a hand. The Three Pure Ones Bell spun back into his palm.

"Ten years to sharpen a sword—today, I have finally forged this supreme ritual implement!"

Staring at the Three Pure Ones Bell trembling ceaselessly in his hand, Chong Shizi's brows and eyes quivered with excitement. He treasured it dearly as he tucked it into his robes, then turned and fled into the deep alley, vanishing without a trace.