Riding the Wind with the Sword

Chapter 5: Riding the Wind with a Sword

The scream carried far, but for Li Wei, who was mere inches away, the sound pierced his ears with agonizing intensity.

The heat of the charcoal was staggering. In just a few short seconds, large patches of severe burns had already covered Li Wei's body. He struggled to crawl out, gasping for air, his mouth and nose filled with a thick layer of wood ash.

His linen clothes had fused with his skin, and the burns looked gruesome, yet the spots where the Lantern Ghost had touched him remained unnaturally freezing.

Behind him, in the pile of burning charcoal, the ghost thrashed incessantly. Her shrieks seemed capable of piercing through his eardrums, and it was clear she had suffered significant damage. However, Li Wei knew that the flames were not fatal to her.

Because she, too, was crawling out of the fire.

At just one glance at the ghost's appearance, Li Wei couldn't help but shudder. Her once-full head of black hair had been burned away completely. Now, she looked utterly hideous, her limbs splayed on the ground like a gecko's as she raised her head to stare fixedly at Li Wei.

Even more terrifying was that her previously pale skin was now bulging with veins, taking on an eerie, blood-red hue. She was no longer the ethereal, wispy entity from before; she had become a solid, tangible being.

He hurriedly summoned the Yellow Paper, and the information upon it made Li Wei shiver.

Lantern Ghost (Mutated Tier 3), Rated C+. A physical entity formed by the release of resentment due to fire damage. While unable to use spirit-based attacks, its constitution and physical damage are doubled.

How does it always backfire!

Li Wei cursed his rotten luck. He was truly at the end of his rope now. The burns on his body made even moving his arms a luxury; the tearing, stinging pain was more than an ordinary person could endure.

The only thing to be thankful for was that the surrounding shadows had not closed in, though Li Wei knew full well they hadn't left.

It was like a lion hunting an antelope, with a pack of hounds waiting nearby to snatch a bite. The ghost was the lion, the dozen or so shadows were the hounds, and Li Wei was the unfortunate antelope.

The antelope was the weakling, destined to be torn to shreds by these predators, but Li Wei would not let that happen.

Driven to this point, Li Wei threw caution to the wind. Ignoring his burns and enduring the excruciating pain, he threw himself at the ghost with all his might, attempting to shove her back into the fire.

Perhaps it was the activation of his hidden potential, but Li Wei's impact was immense, and he actually succeeded in knocking the ghost back into the flames.

Yet, his own bones felt as if they had been rattled apart. The dizziness from the massive collision caused Li Wei to collapse to the ground with a thud. Glancing at the ghost, who was still shrieking within the fire, Li Wei let out a laugh.

That's that.

He had given his all, but what Li Wei couldn't fathom was how this mission could be completed in his current state. How could the Yellow Paper generate such a high-difficulty task?

Or was there a hidden secret to this mission?

Regardless, even if he hadn't been severely burned, it would have been impossible to complete this task under the current circumstances.

Better to abort the mission. No matter what, staying alive is what matters most!

Just as Li Wei was about to summon the Yellow Paper to abort, a scream interrupted his frantic thoughts. The cry was filled with terror—it was the Lantern Ghost, who had fallen back into the sea of fire.

At some point, a long sword had pierced her body, pinning her firmly into the inferno. No matter how the ghost struggled, she could not break free from the blade. Before long, the screaming stopped abruptly, replaced by a sudden silence, save for the crackling of the burning charcoal.

The ghost's body was gradually consumed by the flames, turning into stardust and ash. With her death, a lantern glowing with a cyan light fell into the burnt-out coals. It sat there like a block of ice; the surrounding flames could not cause it the slightest damage.

Seeing this lantern, Li Wei's eyes lit up.

The long sword that had slain the ghost now seemed to come alive. It flew up on its own, turning into a streak of light before landing on a patch of open ground a dozen meters away.

Then, a middle-aged Taoist wearing a cyan robe and sporting a thin goatee stepped slowly onto the hilt of the sword, as light as a falling leaf, with an indescribable air of detachment.

However, the Taoist's appearance was truly hard to compliment.

His facial bones were prominent, and he could by no means be called handsome. A large, red, bulbous nose completely ruined any sense of "Taoist grace." If not for the fact that he was currently floating in mid-air on a sword, no one would ever believe such a disheveled, sloppy Taoist possessed such divine powers.

Li Wei was stunned.

He looked first at the ruins of the burnt-out Mountain God Temple, then back at the cyan-robed Taoist. Who could have known that one moment he was in mortal danger, and the next, such a massive turn of events would occur?

In the wild, with the moon hanging over the treetops, owls hooted from time to time in the forest. On the mountain path, a cyan figure moved through the trees like a phantom.

Li Wei lay sprawled on the Taoist's back, grimacing in pain. Strangely enough, Li Wei weighed at least 70 kilograms, yet the Taoist carried him as if he were a mere leaf, moving through the wilderness without the slightest hindrance.

"Tell me, young man, what was that thing you struggled so hard to dig out of the fire? Mind letting me have a look?" The cyan-robed Taoist took a swig from his wine gourd and let out a hiccup, the scent of alcohol making Li Wei frown.

In Li Wei's arms was the 'Wraith Lantern,' the mission item he had retrieved after killing the ghost. To get this thing, Li Wei had covered his hands in blisters, but fortunately, his efforts hadn't been in vain.

Li Wei didn't offer much explanation regarding the Taoist's question. In truth, he hadn't expected to run into this lecherous-looking Taoist at all; it was completely outside his plans. But such an unexpected event might just be an opportunity.

"Many thanks for your help, Daoist. If I hadn't run into you, I fear I would have become a snack for those monsters!" Li Wei put on a weak act, looking as if he might kick the bucket at any moment.

Judging by his injuries, Li Wei's state was indeed miserable. Not only were his clothes tattered, but he had severe burns in several places. However, after the old Taoist had massaged his back with his palms, a tingling, cooling sensation had spread through his body, dulling the intense pain significantly.

Clearly, his life had been saved. Li Wei was a man who repaid kindness, and he had more or less guessed the old man's identity.

Especially after using the Yellow Paper to identify the Taoist, Li Wei was certain of his suspicion.

Hearing Li Wei's words, the old Taoist chuckled. "Wielding a sword to eliminate demons is my specialty. You're not bad yourself, kid—to have fought that ghost for so long with a mortal body. It's been a long time since I've seen a youngster with such grit!"

This old Taoist was undoubtedly the Wine Sword Immortal, the one who would teach Li Xiaoyao the Sword Control Technique. Meeting him was something Li Wei hadn't anticipated, but now, sitting on the back of this legendary figure, Li Wei's brain began to race.

The plan to burn down the Mountain God Temple had indeed worked, though the process had been perilous. Fortunately, he had encountered this ridiculously powerful game character.

Now that the mission to kill the ghost was half-finished, all that remained was to return to the village within the allotted time. With the Wine Sword Immortal's speed, it would be effortless.

What Li Wei didn't know was that his success in this mission was due to sheer, extreme luck.

If he had been caught by the ghost and the shadows before the Wine Sword Immortal arrived... if he hadn't risked injury to tackle the ghost into the fire, he likely would have died long before the Wine Sword Immortal appeared.

Speaking of this Wine Sword Immortal, the corners of Li Wei's mouth curled up involuntarily. With such a massive 'backer' by his side, if he didn't make good use of him, he wouldn't be Li Wei.