Ghostly Doubts

A thunderous boom tore through the night sky and the heavy curtain of rain, illuminating the small courtyard in a flash of brilliance.

Old Wang, lying on the ground with half his head missing, was clearly reflected in the eyes of Gao Xian.

Gao Xian shuddered; Old Wang, missing his brain stem, was terrifying as hell!

His mind cleared instantly; he couldn't wait any longer, as disposing of the body would be difficult once dawn broke.

He consoled himself that since it had already happened, he had to accept it; since things had reached this point, he would just do his best to handle it properly and not let such matters affect him.

Gao Xian felt no guilt for killing Old Wang, as his primary concern was avoiding any implication in the matter.

On the contrary, he felt a sense of relief. Old Wang had not only intended to rob him but also to kill him; Old Wang deserved to die!

It was only the gruesome and frightening state of the corpse that caused him some psychological discomfort.

Having steeled himself, Gao Xian walked over, grabbed Old Wang's belt, and hoisted the body up.

Old Wang was already lean and gaunt, and having lost half his head and bled an unknown amount, he wasn't heavy to lift.

Gao Xian estimated Old Wang weighed about a hundred pounds; with his own physical fitness at the second level of Qi Refining, lifting two hundred pounds was no challenge.

After taking a few steps while carrying Old Wang, Gao Xian realized something was wrong—the old man was still dripping blood...

The rain was heavy, but it might not be enough to wash away the bloodstains completely.

Furthermore, the White Plum Needles had to be retrieved. These magical artifacts were quite expensive and shouldn't be wasted. The murder weapon had to be handled properly!

Suppressing his nausea, Gao Xian flipped the old man over and, relying on his sharp vision, managed to find the four White Plum Needles embedded in the old man's chest in the darkness.

When pulling the needles out, the resistance felt tight and gritty, which struck Gao Xian as odd.

He reached out and pressed lightly on the old man's chest; the texture was tough, hard, and slick—clearly not right.

After a moment of hesitation, Gao Xian pried open the old man's Daoist robe and saw layers of black, shimmering scales.

"It's an inner armor..."

Gao Xian suddenly realized; no wonder the old bastard could withstand the White Plum Needles—he had wronged Huang Ying.

Gao Xian fell silent. This inner armor of Old Wang's looked lightweight and form-fitting, and most importantly, it was truly effective.

Was it wrong to take things from Old Wang? But he had already killed the man, so there was no need to dwell on such details.

He stopped overthinking it; everything was for the sake of survival. While taking items from the dead wasn't honorable, his own life was what mattered most!

Gao Xian was adept at rationalizing; since he had already killed the man, why fret over these details? He skillfully began stripping Old Wang of his inner armor.

The night was dark and the rain heavy, but Gao Xian could still see the general outlines. His Lightning Dragon Hand was exceptionally nimble, and he found the clasps under the armpits with a quick touch.

Gao Xian soon stripped off the inner armor, and having taken that first step, he felt no pressure in rummaging through Old Wang's pockets.

Old Wang didn't have much on him: a dozen spirit stones, a few magical talismans, and several bottles of medicinal pills.

Gao Xian didn't inspect them closely, gathering everything together and putting it inside the house.

He also collected Old Wang's sword. It was a good blade, after all, and shouldn't be wasted.

Finally, Gao Xian considered an important issue: there might still be two White Plum Needles inside Old Wang's brain.

For this, he had to cast the Fire Control Art, condensing a large flame in his palm.

By the light of the fire, Gao Xian suppressed his discomfort and searched the old man's mangled head for a while.

To be certain, he even used his hand to feel the remnants of the old man's skull, but he didn't find any needle holes.

Gao Xian felt relieved; those two White Plum Needles must have been blown away by the Flame Bomb.

After checking everything, Gao Xian's hands were covered in blood, but he found himself adapting to it.

Aside from being a bit disgusting, it was no worse than working overtime!

Gao Xian then used the Ice Art, a branch of the Water Control Art, to freeze the old man's mangled head so that it would no longer drip blood.

Having processed the body, Gao Xian returned to his room to find a rain hat, then ran back a few steps to grab a piece of cloth to cover his face before heading out with the old man.

The rain had eased significantly, but the road was exceptionally muddy.

The upside was that no one would be out at this hour, and the tension in Gao Xian's heart slowly began to dissipate.

He walked for a long time, stumbling through the mud, until he reached a patch of woods outside Flying Horse Market.

Gao Xian had intended to find a hidden spot, but the deep, dark woods made him uneasy, as if something were lurking in the shadows, watching him.

Suddenly, a black shadow flickered at the corner of his eye, and the hair on Gao Xian's body stood on end.

He hurriedly turned his head to look, but saw nothing at all.

Gao Xian stared in that direction for a long time, but still discovered nothing; he figured he must have just seen things.

However, Gao Xian was still afraid. He tossed Old Wang into a random thicket and hurriedly turned to walk away quickly.

It was said that the surrounding mountains and forests were full of wild beasts and various demonic beasts. Old Wang's corpse should be eaten soon...

Emerging from the deep woods, Gao Xian didn't encounter any trouble, and the anxiety in his heart eased quite a bit.

On the way back, however, Gao Xian kept feeling as if something was following him.

He turned to look several times, but could see nothing.

Back home, Gao Xian shut the door. He peered through the gap in the window for a long while, and seeing no movement, finally let out a breath of relief.

Having trekked back and forth through the night rain, Gao Xian was soaked to the bone.

Once he calmed down, he felt thoroughly uncomfortable.

A simple Cleansing Art wouldn't be enough to fix this state.

Gao Xian boiled a pot of hot water. Lacking a bathtub, he had to make do with a wooden basin to scoop the water out.

He found a strip of cloth and scrubbed it clean, then used it to wipe his body with the hot water.

Gao Xian fussed for over an hour before he finally got himself clean, then cast the Cleansing Art twice more to ensure not a single trace of blood or the scent of gore remained.

Finally, he changed into fresh undergarments, socks, a clean Daoist robe, and his Ten Directions Shoes, then wound his long hair back into a Daoist bun.

Feeling fresh and clean from head to toe, Gao Xian finally relaxed.

The battle just now, the death of Old Wang, and the shadow that had flickered past—all of it suddenly felt less important.

Gao Xian wanted nothing more than a good night's sleep, but he couldn't yet; there was still some cleanup work to be done.

While straightening his robe, he found several fragments of a Golden Body Talisman in the sleeve.

Once a talisman is triggered and mana flows through it, most of it turns to ash, leaving only these thumbnail-sized shards.

He emptied everything from his robe, then used hot water to wash the clothes he had changed out of, including the Black Scale Inner Armor he had stripped from Old Wang, scrubbing them all clean.

Gao Xian had intended to wash his shoes too, but the cloth shoes had been ruined by the water and were falling apart, so he tossed them into the courtyard to deal with come daybreak.

With that done, Gao Xian took the Black Scale Inner Armor, the longsword, and his other odds and ends back into the bedroom.

The oil lamp cast a dim light, emitting a faint, fishy odor.

Gao Xian didn't know what kind of oil it contained, though he suspected it was the fat of some demonic beast.

He rarely used the lamp; for one, his eyesight was sharp enough to make out most things in the room, and for another, he spent his nights either cultivating or sleeping, so there was no need for light.

Tonight was different; he needed to take a proper inventory of his spoils.

The most important item was naturally the Black Scale Inner Armor. It resembled a thick leather vest, weighing about two pounds, with fine scales on the exterior and tough, supple leather on the inside.

The armor featured four eyelets under the armpits, using polished black scales as buttons—a very ingenious design.

Gao Xian couldn't resist trying it on. He was much taller than Old Wang, but the armor was highly elastic; it fit him like a compression shirt, providing a snug, secure feel without hindering his movement.

To his surprise, the thick-looking armor was remarkably breathable, leaving him feeling no sense of stuffiness.

He took it off and tried stabbing it with his sword, using seventy or eighty percent of his strength, yet the armor remained completely undamaged.

Gao Xian was very satisfied with the Black Scale Inner Armor; wearing it was like having a bulletproof vest!

Logically, one shouldn't wear stolen goods for fear of being discovered.

But it would be a waste to leave such a fine piece of armor sitting idle.

Old Wang's sudden attempt to rob him had made Gao Xian realize just how dangerous Flying Horse Market was, and he felt no sense of security at all.

After much deliberation, Gao Xian decided to wear the Black Scale Inner Armor against his skin. After all, his own life was what mattered most; everything else was secondary.

The sword Old Wang left behind was of excellent quality—thinner than his own and weighing a full ten pounds. Though the blade had many tiny nicks, it remained incredibly sharp.

It was a good sword, but it didn't suit his style, and carrying it openly would be far too conspicuous.

Gao Xian decided to find a safe place to hide it—the latrine seemed like a suitable spot.

He had only fourteen spirit stones left. For a cultivator of Old Wang's level, having so few was truly pathetic.

There were a few talismans: one Golden Body Talisman, one Ice Arrow Talisman, and two *Flying Feather Talisman*s.

Gao Xian guessed the old man had been too stingy to use them. He didn't stand on ceremony and tucked the talismans into his sleeve pocket. The pocket on this robe was simple, though, and with everything jumbled together, it wasn't very convenient to retrieve them.

Having handled all this, Gao Xian let out a long yawn. He had been busy all night, exhausting a great deal of energy and stamina, and he was truly sleepy.

He swallowed a Foundation Strengthening Pill and forced himself to meditate, circulating the Five Elements Technique for thirty-six cycles before finally closing his eyes to go join Sister Lan in practicing the Great Idol Spirit Method...