The Truth

The sound of broken sobbing echoed through the small courtyard. As a cold wind swirled, fallen leaves were lifted into the air, only to settle once more.

Zhao the Second knelt beside the corpse of Old Lady Zhao, weeping uncontrollably as if to vent the pent-up resentment and terror in his heart. He rambled on, recounting the misfortunes that had befallen his family over this past period...

Zheng Que stood to the side, listening quietly.

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

But the Zhao family had only ever been ordinary folk. After the old man died, they lost their pillar of support. The widow and her son relied on each other, and their circumstances plummeted. Zhao the Second, having just come of age, was honest enough but lacked capability. How could he possibly find a suitable girl in such a short time?

Old Lady Zhao had entrusted many matchmakers with the task, but to no avail, leaving her burning with anxiety.

Finally, Old Lady Zhao managed to find a wife for her son: Sun Cui'er.

At first, Zhao the Second had been overjoyed. But on their wedding night, he had habitually placed his shoes one facing in and one facing out by the bedside. When Sun Cui'er, having finished washing up, entered the inner room, she had paced back and forth, completely unable to find the bed!

Zhao the Second had been so terrified he didn't sleep a wink that night. For several days after, he lived in a state of constant dread, afraid to close his eyes. He told Old Lady Zhao about the incident the very next morning, but to his surprise, she scolded him and urged him to get closer to Sun Cui'er instead.

Following that, Zhao the Second had sought him out...

There were likely other details in between, but by now, Zhao the Second's voice had become distorted from crying, making it difficult to hear clearly.

Watching the sky grow dark, Zheng Que hesitated no longer. He struck Zhao the Second with a palm, knocking him unconscious, and tossed him into the house.

A moment later, Zheng Que returned to his own dwelling. As he shut the door behind him, the sky outside had turned completely black, and the yin energy across the world surged.

He did not immediately begin his cultivation. Instead, he looked up at Qing Li, who was already swinging on the crossbeam like a swing: "Thanks for earlier."

Although Qing Li was his ghost servant, she had taken the initiative to go all out and help him during the battle without him needing to invoke the decree of the Ghost Controlling Technique. This had truly caught him off guard.

Of course, the biggest reason for this was likely that she had been intimidated by the orders he had given her in the Underworld...

Hearing this, Qing Li gave an arrogant smile. Having been noticed by the great figures in the Underworld and receiving such a grand fortune, she was no longer just an ordinary Female Hanging Ghost.

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

However, as the saying goes, when one ghost attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. It was the human brat's good fortune to be her chicken or dog!

It was a pity, though, that this human brat was so ignorant; he hadn't even thought to give her that Zhao the Second as a snack...

Thinking of this, Qing Li let out a cold snort and said nothing.

Seeing that Qing Li did not respond, Zheng Que continued to ask: "That trick you used to imitate Zhao the Second's voice—when did you master that?"

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

Once she had obtained that response, Qing Li, who had previously been at a disadvantage, had immediately suppressed Old Lady Zhao...

Zheng Que was no stranger to this kind of situation.

The method used by the Call-Sound Ghost required the opponent to respond before it could be activated, but Zheng Que was not yet entirely clear on the specific effects.

Hearing Zheng Que's question, Qing Li, who had been swaying about wantonly, suddenly put on an extremely arrogant expression and said smugly, "This lady has been there once..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she seemed to suddenly recall something and immediately changed her tune. "I don't know. This lady is a natural-born genius; I just suddenly knew how to do it!"

Watching Qing Li's reaction, Zheng Que's expression remained unchanged, but he understood immediately in his heart: the information Qing Li was deliberately hiding must be his Underworld!

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

And a day later, Qing Li's name was also recorded in the Life and Death Book, and he had even brought Qing Li into the Underworld...

The method Qing Li had just used must have come from the Call-Sound Ghost!

What was recorded in the Life and Death Book was likely not just names, but also the corresponding power of the targets!

Thinking of this, Zheng Que took a deep breath and asked, "Then what is the specific effect of that method you have now?"

Qing Li replied succinctly, "As long as the opponent responds to this lady, I can borrow their power, or some other things, from their voice."

"The more the opponent responds, the stronger the power this lady can borrow!"

Borrow the opponent's power?

Zheng Que quickly thought of the Call-Sound Ghost. At the time, he had responded to the Call-Sound Ghost once, and the Call-Sound Ghost had been able to barge directly into his home.

At that time, what the Call-Sound Ghost borrowed was likely not his power, but the status to enter the door...

If he had responded to the Call-Sound Ghost one more time back then, the other party might very well have directly borrowed his life!

After figuring out the reason, Zheng Que nodded slightly and said no more. He sat cross-legged on the bed and began his daily cultivation.

His mind sank into the void, intercepting strands of airflow, refining them into his body, and replenishing his consumed spiritual power... Zheng Que was already familiar with this process.

After cultivating for a while, he opened his eyes. Before him lay the dilapidated Wide Hall, and on the mottled long table, the Life and Death Book was spread open. He had entered this space once again.

Feeling his soul improve once more, Zheng Que discovered that a new name had appeared on the yellowed paper before him...

"...Zhao Qian Shi. Native place: Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty... Lifespan: 46 years, 8 months, and 2 days. Died suddenly at the hour of the snake."

Looking at the name of Old Lady Zhao, Zheng Que shook his head slightly. He did not know Old Lady Zhao's exact age, but judging by the time her lifespan ended and the manner of her death, he could deduce that the real Old Lady Zhao had actually been dead for some time...

However, she was a bit different from Qing Li and the Call-Sound Ghost.

Even though she had been dead for a long time, she still possessed the habits and thoughts she had while alive.

This was very strange!

Additionally, the name of Zhao the Second's wife, Sun Cui'er, had not been recorded in the Life and Death Book.

Unsurprisingly, this was likely because the corpse had been dead for too long, and its soul had long since dissipated...

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.

Zheng Que immediately tidied up, ate a couple of pieces of dry rations, and headed out, walking toward the dilapidated temple as per his usual routine.

Familiar with the path, he arrived outside the temple, habitually straightened his robe, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked in.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, their tips adorned with crystal-clear dewdrops. The branches of a dead, withered tree swayed in the wind, casting mottled shadows against the courtyard wall that tore into clawing, jagged silhouettes.

Zheng Que did not linger on the sight, walking straight into the dilapidated temple to bow to Daoist Qu, who sat upon a prayer mat. "Greetings, Master."

Daoist Qu opened his eyes, gave a slight nod, and looked at him calmly. "I have already taught you everything that can be learned at the first level of Qi Refining."

"Today, do you wish to learn techniques for the second level of Qi Refining and beyond? Or perhaps the ways of alchemy, talisman crafting, or artifact forging?"

Hearing this, Zheng Que was slightly taken aback and immediately asked, "Master, are you not going to check my Yin Gathering Technique and Spirit Eye Technique?"

Daoist Qu shook his head with a calm expression, replying briefly, "Everything that happens in this small town cannot escape my ears and eyes."

"Since you already used the Yin Gathering Technique and Spirit Eye Technique yesterday, there is no need for me to waste time checking them today."

Hearing this, Zheng Que realized instantly that his master already knew everything that had happened in the Zhao family courtyard yesterday...

Thinking of this, he immediately replied, "Reporting to Master, the disciple wishes to learn more about ghosts!"

Daoist Qu nodded calmly. "Very well!"