The Good Ghost

After entering the house, Zheng Que slid the door bolt into place behind him and went straight into the inner room. He sat down beside the bed, quickly reviewing in his mind the knowledge his master had explained that morning. Then he looked up at Qing Li, who was already hanging from the crossbeam.

The next moment, he performed [Ghost Controlling Technique] and drew Qing Li into his palm.

The humble room was left with only his figure in it.

Zheng Que wasted no time and immediately began to cultivate.

As the technique circulated, wisps of cold seeped into his body. His face gradually paled, while the Spirit Power in his Qi Sea steadily grew.

After a long while, Zheng Que opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the dilapidated Wide Hall.

The [Life and Death Book] lay open on the mottled long table before him, constantly absorbing the streams of black mist bubbling out from between his brows.

Seeing that he had arrived in the Underworld, Zheng Que immediately focused his gaze on the [Life and Death Book].

"...Zheng Que. Native of Changfu Town, Taiping County, Tu Prefecture, Great Li Dynasty. Lifespan: sixteen years, seven months, and ten days. Died during the hour of the Pig."

The record hadn't changed at all. He had four days of life left.

Time was too tight. He had to become stronger faster...

Once he'd made up his mind, Zheng Que spread his fingers and used [Ghost Controlling Technique]...

Whoosh!

A streak of blood-red light darted out. When it reached the hall below, it seemed to lose all its strength and fell straight to the ground.

The blood-red light became a Female Hanging Ghost in white, with black hair. It was Qing Li.

Just as when she had first entered this place, she stood rooted to the spot, her head slightly bowed, long hair veiling her face. Through the gaps between the strands, her expression appeared wooden and her eyes blank, as if she had no mind at all.

It took quite a while for Qing Li to seem to regain consciousness, little by little. When she realized she had inexplicably arrived in the Underworld, she hurriedly dropped to her knees with a thump. Gone was the swagger she'd shown in front of Zheng Que. Her voice trembling, she cried, "Y-Your servant is innocent!"

"Your servant never asked that Human Race cultivator to prepare a hundred living people to soothe her throat!"

"Your servant has always been kind, and has been a vegetarian for years. She has never eaten anyone!"

"Your servant is a good ghost. She only ever does good deeds..."

Listening to Qing Li's protestations that only made her guilt more obvious, Zheng Que said nothing. He simply watched her carefully.

The sound of heads knocking against the floor echoed through the empty Wide Hall. Qing Li lay prostrate, trembling with fear as she continued to spout blatant lies, shifting all the blame onto the Human Race cultivator and painting herself as a pure-hearted, selfless, virtuous, prudent, and spotless good ghost...

Zheng Que pondered silently. This Female Hanging Ghost had already gained intelligence, but when she entered the Underworld, she still lost her senses for a while, just as she had last time.

He didn't know why, but this made it even easier for him to keep his identity hidden and prevent her from noticing anything strange.

Besides that, he had already activated [Spirit Eye Technique], keeping a close watch on the yin energy around Qing Li.

According to his master's explanation that day, Qing Li's cultivation had initially been at the first level of [Tongue-Pulling Hell]. After absorbing the yin energy of the "Call-Sound Ghost," she had reached the third level of [Tongue-Pulling Hell].

And this time, he and Qing Li had joined forces to slay Old Lady Zhao, who was at the fourth level of [Tongue-Pulling Hell]. It was the perfect chance to see whether Qing Li could absorb Old Lady Zhao's yin energy.

"This time was different from when we dealt with the 'Call-Sound Ghost.' I wasn't the one who struck the final blow against Old Lady Zhao. Qing Li was."

"If Qing Li can absorb Old Lady Zhao's yin energy, that means whenever a name is recorded in the [Life and Death Book], the yin energy of the ghost is also swallowed by the Underworld."

"If nothing changes for Qing Li, then I may have to personally strike the killing blow whenever I slay ghosts from now on..."

As he thought this, Zheng Que noticed that ever since Qing Li had appeared in the hall below, the yin energy around her had remained completely steady. It showed no sign of increasing.

His brows immediately knitted together. He thought it over carefully and realized that it seemed one step had been missing this time...

So, while Qing Li was trembling on the ground, too afraid to look up, Zheng Que reached out again. The palm bearing the "Command Character" instantly faced her.

Just as he'd thought!

The next moment, in Zheng Que's vision, the yin energy around Qing Li began to surge rapidly. In the already dim hall below, it was as though an invisible storm had arisen. Yin energy rushed in from who knew where, filling the entire hall and forming a lake of black mist suspended in midair. It poured rapidly into Qing Li's body.

Yin energy already coiled around the Female Hanging Ghost. In an instant, her long hair whipped wildly and her skirt fluttered as her aura surged!

Qing Li had clearly noticed something was wrong, but the person above hadn't spoken. She didn't dare move a muscle, nor even raise her head to sneak a peek at his expression. She could only maintain her deferential posture, perfectly still.

"Th-thank you, my lord!"

"My lord is clear-sighted and discerning, noble and upright, impartial and just, steadfast in righteousness, with a heart as clear as a polished stone..."

Qing Li immediately poured out a flood of flattery, speaking without pause. The yin energy around her grew heavier and heavier, gradually climbing toward the fourth level of [Tongue-Pulling Hell].

Watching this, Zheng Que felt reassured. The last time Qing Li had entered the Underworld, he had used [Ghost Controlling Technique] to give her an attack order, and only then had she suddenly gained intelligence.

It seemed that simply bringing Qing Li into the Underworld wasn't enough to grant her any power.

If he wanted her to inherit the power here, he had to give her an order first... More precisely, it wasn't an order. He had to show her the "Command Character" on his palm.

After roughly figuring out what was going on, Zheng Que gave a small nod. To maintain his imposing presence in the Underworld, he said nothing, waiting until the yin energy around Qing Li stopped growing before once again using [Ghost Controlling Technique] to draw her into his palm.

As the black mist between his brows grew thinner and thinner before finally vanishing, the surrounding scene wavered like a reflection. In the blink of an eye, Zheng Que had returned to his humble room.

Outside the window, the sky had darkened. Sparse stars scattered a pale glow across the night, faintly outlining the town.

He had only just begun cultivating in the afternoon, but now it was already night.

Zheng Que drew his gaze back from the window and opened his hand. A streak of blood-red light immediately darted from his palm, turning into the Female Hanging Ghost in white, with black hair.

Yin energy surged around Qing Li, and her aura was powerful. She had unmistakably reached the fourth level of [Tongue-Pulling Hell]. Her appearance had sent the temperature in the entire room plunging, as if they'd fallen into an ice cellar. Her presence was even stronger than Old Lady Zhao's had been.

Looking at this, Zheng Que understood that Qing Li had absorbed all of Old Lady Zhao's yin energy.

If nothing unexpected happened, he could keep using this method to slay ghosts and make Qing Li stronger and stronger!

What would the calamity in four days be?

Until then, the stronger Qing Li became, the better!

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