The Truth

Cries of despair echoed through the small courtyard. As the sinister wind swirled, fallen leaves settled, then took flight again.

Zhao the Second knelt beside Old Lady Zhao's corpse, wailing without restraint. As if venting the resentment and fear pent up inside him, he muttered to himself about everything that had happened to his family lately...

Zheng Que stood to one side, listening quietly.

Ever since the old man of the Zhao family had died half a year ago, Old Lady Zhao had been desperate to find Zhao the Second a wife.

But the Zhao family had once been nothing more than an ordinary household. After the old man died, they had lost their pillar of support, leaving the widowed mother and her orphaned son to depend on each other. Their circumstances had taken a sharp turn for the worse. Zhao the Second had only just come of age; he was honest enough, but not capable enough. How could they find a suitable girl for him anytime soon?

Old Lady Zhao had asked many matchmakers, but none had succeeded. For a time, she was beside herself with worry.

At last, Old Lady Zhao had finally found her son a wife. Her name was Sun Cui'er.

At first, Zhao the Second had been delighted too. But on their wedding night, he habitually placed his shoes in opposite directions by the bed. When Sun Cui'er, freshly washed, entered the inner room, she wandered around in circles, yet couldn't find the bed!

Zhao the Second had been so frightened that he didn't sleep a wink that night. For several days afterward, he'd been so terrified he couldn't even close his eyes. Early the next morning, he told Old Lady Zhao what had happened, only to be scolded by her and urged to get closer to Sun Cui'er.

After that, Zhao the Second had gone to see him...

There might have been more details in between, but by now Zhao the Second's voice had grown so hoarse from crying that it was hard to make out what he was saying.

Watching the sky gradually darken, Zheng Que didn't hesitate any longer. He struck Zhao the Second unconscious with a single palm, then tossed him into the house.

A short while later, Zheng Que returned to his own place. By the time he closed the door behind him, it was completely dark outside, and the sinister energy between heaven and earth had surged.

He didn't begin cultivating right away. Instead, he looked up at Qing Li, who was already hanging from the crossbeam and swinging like she was on a swing. "Thanks for earlier."

Although Qing Li was his Ghost Servant, she hadn't needed him to issue a command through the Ghost Controlling Technique during that fight. From beginning to end, she had willingly gone all out to help him. That had genuinely caught him by surprise.

Of course, the main reason was probably that the order he'd given her in the Underworld had bluffed her into it...

At his words, Qing Li smiled proudly. The Lord in the Underworld had taken a liking to her, and she had gained a great boon. She was no longer an ordinary Female Hanging Ghost.

This mere Human Race brat was now fit only to lick her toes!

But as the saying went, when one ghost attained the Dao, even the chickens and dogs rose with it. As her chicken and dog, the Human Race brat was lucky to be in her service!

It was a pity that the brat had no sense. He hadn't even given her Zhao the Second as a little snack while he was at it...

At the thought, Qing Li gave a cold snort and said nothing.

Seeing that Qing Li didn't respond, Zheng Que went on to ask, "That trick you used just now to imitate Zhao the Second's voice—when did you learn it?"

During the fight with Old Lady Zhao, he'd seen it clearly. Qing Li had used Zhao the Second's voice to trick Old Lady Zhao into answering.

Once Old Lady Zhao had answered, Qing Li—who had been at a disadvantage—had instantly gained the upper hand...

Zheng Que wasn't unfamiliar with this kind of thing.

The Call-Sound Ghost's ability required its opponent to respond before it could be activated. But he still didn't know exactly what it did.

Hearing Zheng Que's question, Qing Li, who had been swinging carefree, immediately put on an extremely haughty expression and said smugly, "I went there once..."

She hadn't finished speaking when she seemed to suddenly realize something. She immediately changed her tune. "I don't know. I'm a born genius. I just suddenly figured it out!"

Watching Qing Li's reaction, Zheng Que kept his expression unchanged, but immediately understood in his heart: the information Qing Li was deliberately hiding had to do with the Underworld he'd taken her to.

After he had killed the Call-Sound Ghost, its name had been recorded in the Life and Death Book.

Then, a day later, Qing Li's name had also been recorded in the Life and Death Book. He had even taken Qing Li into the Underworld...

The ability she'd just used must have come from the Call-Sound Ghost!

The Life and Death Book must have recorded more than just names. It must have recorded the corresponding targets' powers as well!

At the thought, Zheng Que took a deep breath and asked, "So what exactly does that ability of yours do?"

Qing Li replied briefly, "As long as my opponent answers me, I can borrow their power—or other things—from their voice."

"The more times my opponent responds, the stronger the power I can borrow!"

Borrow someone else's power?

Zheng Que quickly thought of the Call-Sound Ghost. Back then, he'd answered it once, and it had been able to walk right into his home.

What it had borrowed then probably wasn't his power, but the right to enter...

If he'd answered the Call-Sound Ghost one more time, it might have borrowed his life outright!

Having understood the reason, Zheng Que gave a slight nod and said no more. He sat cross-legged on the bed and began his cultivation for the day.

He sank his mind into the void, drew in streams of energy, refined them into his body, and replenished his depleted Spirit Power... Zheng Que had long since grown familiar with this routine.

After cultivating for a while, he opened his eyes. The dilapidated Wide Hall met his gaze, and the Life and Death Book lay open on the mottled long table. He had entered that space again.

Feeling that his soul had grown stronger once more, Zheng Que noticed a new name had appeared on the yellowed page before him...

"...Zhao Qian Shi. Native place: Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty... Lifespan: forty-six years, eight months, and two days. Died suddenly at the hour of the Snake, during the second quarter."

Looking at Old Lady Zhao's name, Zheng Que shook his head slightly. He didn't know Old Lady Zhao's exact age, but judging by the time her lifespan had run out and the way she had died, he could infer that the real Old Lady Zhao had actually been dead for some time...

Still, she was somewhat different from Qing Li and the Call-Sound Ghost.

Though she had died long ago, she still had the habits and thoughts she'd had in life.

That was strange!

Also, the name of Zhao the Second's wife, Sun Cui'er, hadn't been recorded in the Life and Death Book.

If nothing unexpected had happened, that was probably because the corpse had been dead for too long and its soul had dissipated long ago...

Time passed slowly, and before long, dawn broke the next day.

Zheng Que quickly got ready, ate a couple of pieces of dry rations, then left and headed for the ruined temple as usual.

He arrived outside the temple with practiced ease. As was his habit, he straightened his robe before pushing open the courtyard gate and walking inside.

Weeds sprawled across the courtyard, their tips dotted with crystalline dew. The dead old tree swayed its branches in the wind, its mottled shadow falling over the courtyard wall and stretching into a jagged, clawing silhouette.

Zheng Que didn't look around. He went straight into the ruined temple and saluted Daoist Qu, who sat on the cushion. "Greetings, Master."

Daoist Qu opened his eyes and gave a slight nod. Looking at him, he said calmly, "I've already taught you everything you can learn at the First Layer of Qi Refining."

"Today, would you like to learn the arts available after the Second Layer of Qi Refining, or alchemy, talisman drawing, or the art of forging?"

At that, Zheng Que was slightly taken aback. He immediately asked, "Master, aren't you going to check my Yin Gathering Technique and Spirit Eye Technique?"

Daoist Qu shook his head calmly and replied briefly, "Nothing that happens in this town escapes my notice."

"You used the Yin Gathering Technique and Spirit Eye Technique yesterday, so there's no need for me to waste time checking them today."

Hearing this, Zheng Que immediately understood that his master already knew what had happened in the Zhao family's courtyard yesterday...

At the thought, he promptly replied, "Master, this disciple wants to learn more about ghosts!"

Daoist Qu nodded calmly. "Good!"