Humans and Ghosts Coexist

"A ghost?!"

Li Hai exclaimed in surprise, "The ghost didn't harm you, but instead claimed to be your relative?"

"Uh..." Zheng Dashan nodded, "That is the case."

"Good grief." Li Hai shook his head in wonder, "This is truly... rare in this world."

He then asked, "Then where is this brother-in-law of yours? Is he in this cave?"

As he spoke, Li Hai raised his eyes to scan his surroundings.

Although this deep mountain cavern was vast, complex, and dimly lit, it remained perfectly clear under his razor-sharp perception.

Yet, after scanning left and right, he failed to capture even a trace of a pure ghostly aura.

In this cavern, only the murky, ghost-folk aura of Zheng Dashan's family drifted about.

"Interesting."

Li Hai muttered to himself, "To be able to evade my perception... this ghost is no ordinary entity."

To be able to leave no trace under the investigation of three arts—Ghost Seeking, Qi Observation, and Yin-Yang Eyes—this ghost must possess some formidable ability for concealment.

Indeed, this trip was worth it.

"My brother-in-law doesn't come out during the day."

Zheng Dashan answered honestly, "Only after the sun sets does he emerge from who knows where."

"I see." Li Hai said, "Then I shall wait until nightfall."

Since arriving in this world, he hadn't had a proper rest; he could use this time to catch a nap.

"Take this money."

Li Hai pulled ten silver dollars from his pocket and handed them to Zheng Dashan, "When you have time, go down the mountain to buy some cooked food and new clothes to improve life for your wife and children."

Zheng Dashan took the money and bowed repeatedly, "Thank you, Master, thank you, Master. Uh... new clothes might not be necessary."

He hesitated, "My brother-in-law... he cannot stand people dressed in fine clothes; he will fly into a rage."

"?"

Li Hai chuckled, "Your brother-in-law has such a taboo? Heh, he is a fascinating person... no, a fascinating ghost."

"Master, your..."

Zheng Dashan looked at Li Hai's clothes, "Your clothes might trigger my brother-in-law's taboo."

"It matters not." Li Hai said dismissively, "That is his taboo, not mine."

"But..."

Zheng Dashan wanted to say more, but seeing that Li Hai had already closed his eyes and laid down, it was clear he didn't want to hear it.

Thus, Zheng Dashan swallowed his words and walked silently back to his family.

Li Hai, enjoying the peace and quiet, began to sleep soundly.

As a Steel-Grade Martial Artist, insomnia was non-existent.

Whenever Li Hai wanted to sleep, he could drift off at any moment.

However, that did not mean outsiders could take the opportunity to ambush him; that would be courting death.

Time flowed slowly as Li Hai slept.

During this period, even in his deep slumber, Li Hai could clearly sense three small figures sneaking over to peek at him.

These must have been Zheng Dashan's three children; they were quite bold.

Yet, Li Hai did not wake up to startle them, letting them watch as they pleased.

Just like that, six hours passed quickly.

The daylight filtering through the gap in the cavern ceiling slowly faded, and Zheng Dashan's family lit oil lamps within the cave.

It was at this moment that a faint, sinister ghostly aura suddenly emerged from the deep pool.

Simultaneously, a dripping, eerie figure stepped out from the water, head hanging low.

"Finally, the brother-in-law of Zheng Dashan."

Li Hai's eyes snapped open as he rose, turning his head to gaze at the blood-stained, sinister figure standing by the pool.

Name: Unknown
Rank: Ghost Path → Dead Soul, Bloodline Divine Ability → Low Grade
Skills: Ghost Body Soul Remains, Golden Ridge Yin Gathering
Traits: [Ghost Body Level 1], [Ghostly Image Level 1], [Yin Absorption Level 1], [Breath Concealment Level 1]
Stronger Fragment: None

"Bloodline Divine Ability?"

Li Hai exclaimed in astonishment, "To think it still possesses supernatural abilities even after becoming a corpse!"

Just as he was surprised, the ghost by the pool suddenly dropped to all fours and began crawling toward him rapidly, leaving a bloody print with every step.

An ordinary person would have been scared out of their wits and lost control of their bowels at such a terrifying sight, but Li Hai was no ordinary person—in fact, he wasn't human at all.

In a split second, Li Hai switched himself into his ghost form.

Hum~

Instantly, an aura of extreme malice and ferocity, centered on him, swept across the surrounding dozens of yards.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Some weeds and tree roots withered and died immediately. Zheng Dashan and his family, not far away, were also trembling in fear, while the ghost by the pool stopped its frantic crawling and froze completely in place.

The path of ghosts has always been strictly hierarchical with clear distinctions; a higher-level ghost can even command lower-level ghosts to serve as beasts of burden. Therefore, once Li Hai revealed his fierce aura as a Fierce Soul-level ghost, Zheng Dashan's brother-in-law was naturally suppressed on the spot, unable to move.

However, after suppressing the ghost, Li Hai did not immediately move to destroy it.

Because not all ghosts must be destroyed; on the contrary, many humans are far more detestable than ghosts, and it is they who need to be wiped out completely.

Since Zheng Dashan's family were poor victims of persecution, could this ghostly brother-in-law, who lived among them, also be a pitiable soul?

Extremely curious about this, Li Hai beckoned to the ghostly brother-in-law: "Come, come up here, let's have a chat."

The ghostly aura that had shrouded the area vanished in an instant. The terrified Zheng Dashan and his family relaxed, and the ghostly brother-in-law was released from his "confinement," slowly rising from the ground.

This time, he did not dare to walk in that terrifying manner on all fours, but instead walked up the rocky slope step by step, looking like a human.

"Come," Li Hai pointed in front of him, "sit here."

Following the instruction, the ghostly brother-in-law sat cross-legged in front of him in silence.

Li Hai didn't waste any time and asked directly:

"What is your name?"

The ghostly brother-in-law slowly raised his head, revealing a skull face devoid of any flesh, his completely rotted jawbone opening and closing as he said eerily:

"My Lord, my name is Qiu Fangzheng."

Zheng Dashan and his family, not far away, were so shocked their jaws nearly hit the ground.

"Uncle is so well-behaved today," Zheng Dashan's child said innocently, "He doesn't even look like Uncle anymore."

Upon hearing this, his mother quickly covered his mouth and whispered, "Don't talk too much, just stay put."

After the instruction, the woman and her husband looked toward Li Hai from afar with eyes full of awe, marveling in their hearts:

"This master is truly incredible; he subdued Big Brother without doing a thing, and Big Brother answers whatever he asks, so obediently."

As they marveled, the conversation between Li Hai and the ghostly brother-in-law continued.

"You say you also come from Ox-Horn Town?"

Li Hai asked in surprise, "Then why didn't you recognize Zheng Dashan's family earlier?"

"Ox-Horn Town... is very big," Qiu Fangzheng said with great effort, "The largest... within a two-hundred-mile radius."

"Let's not talk about that," Li Hai said straightforwardly, "Tell me how you became a ghost. Why did you die an unnatural death in the deep mountains and forests?"

"My death..." Qiu Fangzheng said in a hollow voice, "is related to the Zhou Family."