No Sign of Movement

"Had she been frightened out of her wits?" Puzzled, Shen Luo hurried to her side.

He gently laid a hand on the little girl's head, sending a warm current into her to soothe her shaken soul. Only after a long while did she burst into tears again with a loud wail.

"Don't be afraid, little one. It's all right now. Try not to cry. Your family has fallen unconscious, so I'll take you inside. Look after them, and don't leave the house before dawn, all right?" Shen Luo comforted her softly.

The little girl nodded, seeming to understand only half of what he said, but she could not stop sniffling.

Shen Luo had no time to do more. He carried the two survivors and the little girl back inside, settled them there, and placed a Ghost-Subduing Talisman on the door. Then he leaped onto the roof and sped away.

After leaving the courtyard, Shen Luo raced onward and soon found that ghosts were growing more numerous all around him.

He flipped through the air and landed in a street, where a Blue-Faced Ghost and a Long-Tongued Ghost charged straight at him.

With a turn of his wrist, Shen Luo drew the Mother-and-Child Swords and swung. A flash of sword light shot out, and with two soft whooshes, the ghosts were slain.

He strode forward and tapped his Cosmic Bag, drawing in every last wisp of Yin Baleful Qi.

Just then, cries for help rose from the street corner ahead.

Shen Luo rushed over. As he rounded the corner, he saw dozens of Chang'an residents fleeing down the street in panic, with more than ten ghosts in pursuit.

Some stood several dozen feet tall, their forms hazy and insubstantial. Others crawled along the ground, wrapped in iron chains that clanged as