The Town Mayor

Zheng Que did not wait long before the door suddenly opened. A slender, graceful figure drifted into the room, wrapped in a gust of cold Yin Energy. With her black hair and white clothes, it was Qing Li.

At this moment, the Yin Energy surrounding Qing Li was so thin it was almost invisible. Her body, which had previously been as solid as a living person's, had become transparent and ethereal. She looked pale and frail, and while the ferocity in her crimson eyes remained, it could not hide her exhaustion.

Such a massive expenditure clearly indicated that she had been involved in a very fierce battle last night.

Zheng Que understood immediately. After he had pressured this Female Hanging Ghost last night, the ghosts she had slaughtered were likely no longer at the fourth level of Tongue-Pulling Hell, but the fifth—the same level as her!

Otherwise, Qing Li's Yin Energy would not have been depleted to this extent.

At this moment, Qing Li spoke directly to Zheng Que: "Guard me!"

Without waiting for Zheng Que's reply, she hung herself from the crossbeam and began to seize the time to recover.

Zheng Que snapped back to his senses. Without hesitation, he walked over and closed the door.

Then, after a moment's thought, he suddenly performed a series of complex hand seals, casting Yin Gathering Technique.

A dark cloud appeared on the ceiling, and more and more Yin Energy gathered. The entire room dimmed, as if it had suddenly turned into night.

Feeling the Yin Energy around her grow dense, Qing Li's body, hanging from the crossbeam, swayed slightly. Her recovery speed clearly accelerated.

Time passed slowly. Half an hour later, with the aid of Yin Gathering Technique, Qing Li had basically recovered. She turned her head to look at Zheng Que and said with satisfaction, "Human brat, you were quite sensible today."

Hearing this, Zheng Que shook his head slightly, but he had no time to bicker with Qing Li. He immediately said, "Come with me to the town mayor's house."

After saying this, he stood up and walked out the door.

Qing Li let out a cold snort and quickly followed.

Outside, the daylight was bright, illuminating the empty streets and alleys. Behind the walls on both sides, the occasional sound of chickens and dogs could be heard.

Zheng Que led Qing Li directly toward the town mayor's house.

Tap, tap, tap...

The monotonous sound of footsteps echoed through the alley. Not long after they started walking, Zheng Que saw a group of people turn out from a fork in the road ahead. They were several adult townspeople, clutching and leading some young children. They were cursing and swearing, and soon scattered in different directions; it seemed the children had caused trouble while playing, leading to an unhappy parting for the adults as well.

Zheng Que's brow furrowed immediately. This group, old and young alike, had no shadows at their feet!

He quickly activated Spirit Eye Technique. In the vision of Spirit Eye Technique, these people were just like Cui Ni'er—aside from the lack of shadows, everything about them was perfectly normal.

Zheng Que frowned and stood in the corner of the alley, waiting for these people to walk far away before continuing toward the town mayor's house.

The town mayor lived on the main street, a considerable distance from Zheng Que's room.

Along the way, he encountered several more groups of townspeople heading out to work. He discovered that many of them lacked shadows, but no matter how many times he observed them with Spirit Eye Technique, he could never find anything wrong.

A short while later, Zheng Que finally arrived at the entrance of the town mayor's house.

The house where the town mayor lived was the finest in all of Changfu Town, yet it was merely a two-courtyard brick compound. Behind walls slightly taller than those of ordinary homes, the branches of a lush, leafy willow tree peeked out. At this moment, the doors and windows were tightly shut, and the courtyard was silent.

Zheng Que stood at the entrance, knocking for quite a while before he heard footsteps approaching from within. The person on the other side reached the door but did not open it immediately, instead asking cautiously, "Who is it?"

Zheng Que replied at once, "It is I, Zheng Que. I have business with the town mayor."

Upon hearing that it was Zheng Que, the sound of a latch being pulled back echoed from the door. Immediately after, a hole the size of a large bowl appeared in the wood. The person behind the door took a quick glance outside, and upon confirming it was indeed Zheng Que, they removed the bolt and opened the heavy main door.

The person who opened the door was an old man of fifty or sixty. His hair was mostly white, his face was lined with wrinkles, and he wore a long beard that reached his chest. His back was slightly hunched, and he wore a robe that was neither new nor old, with bits of grain and straw clinging to the hem. This was Xu Houde, the mayor of Changfu Town.

"Zheng Que, you are now a disciple of the Immortal Master. How many spells have you learned?" Xu Houde stroked his long beard with a chuckle. By now, most people in the small town knew that Zheng Que had become a disciple of the Immortal Master. Even as the mayor, he was very curious about the Immortal Master's disciple.

However, no sooner had he spoken than he saw a strange, slender figure following behind Zheng Que. Xu Houde immediately frowned and asked, "Zheng Que, who is this?"

Zheng Que bowed to Xu Houde and said, "Town Mayor, this is my Ghost Servant. She will not harm anyone without my command."

"This is a technique taught to me by my Master."

"I have come today because there is a matter I would like to ask for your help with."

Hearing this, Xu Houde breathed a sigh of relief and replied immediately, "Come inside and speak."

As he spoke, he turned and walked inward, signaling for Zheng Que to follow.

In the mayor's courtyard, the ground of the first section was paved with bluestone and was currently being used to dry some grain. A large black dog was tethered in the corner. Three tiled rooms were lined up in the front, with smaller side rooms on either side. The faint sound of women and children talking could be heard from within; sensing that an outsider had arrived, the whispering quickly died away.

Xu Houde led Zheng Que into the side room on the left. It was a small study equipped with a desk and bookshelves.

After the two were seated, Xu Houde spoke up immediately, "Zheng Que, I heard that you helped Zhao the Second's family catch a ghost, and that you also resolved the strange occurrences at the Cui family's home these past two days."

"Now, whatever matter you have encountered, feel free to speak."

"As long as it is within the town's power to do, it is no problem at all!"

Hearing Xu Houde's guarantee, Zheng Que nodded. Without standing on ceremony, he went straight to the point: "My Master has already left the small town. I would like to purchase the small temple where my Master was staying."

"Furthermore, there may be some unusual activity around that small temple over the next few days."

"Except for myself, it is best that no one else approaches it."

"I must trouble the town mayor to inform the people in town so that no mishaps occur."

Xu Houde smiled and replied without the slightest hesitation, "There is no need to buy it. That small temple, along with the land it sits on, is my family's property. It has been abandoned for many years anyway, so it is just sitting there. Since you have a need for it, I will fetch the land deed and house deed for you in a moment."

"As for the matter you mentioned, I will arrange for people to go door-to-door to inform everyone immediately. It will be taken care of within the day."

Seeing the town mayor agree so readily, Zheng Que said at once, "Then I thank you, Town Mayor!"

Xu Houde shook his head with a smile. He then opened a drawer under his desk, took out a letter sealed with wax, and said gently, "No need to thank me. I, too, have a matter here that I must ask for your help with..."