Walking along the mountain road, you soon see a column of smoke rising straight into the blue sky.
The swirling smoke mingled with the clouds and mist above.
"It's just ahead."
Lu Bai pulled on the reins.
That must have been a village ruin.
In the Southern Dynasty Dynasties, a village was called a "xu" (墟). It looked like there were about a few dozen households living here, and from a distance, you could see white circles painted on the walls to protect against wolves.
The fireworks rose from very deep inside.
"It tastes weird."
Martial arts practitioners have keen senses, and Lu Bai sniffed the air.
"The energy is dense and subtle," Su Che sensed, "It doesn't seem like a ghost."
Lu Bai looked at Su Che beside him.
"Again..."
The two had eliminated quite a few ghosts along the way, but the truly troublesome ones were not the evil spirits that had escaped from the Yin-Yang Realm.
Even with Situ Tu in charge of the Yin-Yang Realm that day, Su Che didn't take these evil spirits seriously.
The real trouble is with something else.
Those hungry Hungry Ghost who escaped because the realm of Hungry Ghost Path is connected to the Yin-Yang Realm.
"These must be them."
Su Che flicked the reins and rode his horse slowly into the village.
The thatched eaves were low, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.
Something really did happen.
Su Che dismounted, and Lu Bai followed closely behind.
The reason these creatures who emerged from the Hungry Ghost Path are so repulsive is because they don't even bother with the most basic disguise.
"It's late at night, I wonder what brings the guests here."
Su Che turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came. An old man was not tall and his figure was slightly hunched. He was wearing a linen coat that farmers in Ci Prefecture wore, with a headscarf wrapped around his head and a cane in his hand.
Behind him stood two rather agile men.
"Are you cooking?"
Su Che lifted his leg and walked inside.
"We're hungry from our journey, let's have something hot to eat."
"Guest."
The old man stopped in front of Su Che.
"It's late, and there's not much food left. Please..."
"Get away from here."
Lu Bai snorted from behind, a deep and powerful sound, like the roar of a tiger or leopard.
The old man, upon hearing this, seemed to have his spine ripped out; he shuddered and quickly took a few steps back.
"Guest, it's hard to persuade you with kind words..."
"Since he's already dead, don't worry about other people's business."
Su Che glanced at him, then led his horse further inside.
Corners of walls, eaves, well openings, treetops.
In an inconspicuous corner, pairs of eyes watched the two with expressions ranging from resentment and malice to pity and indifference.
This must be the village's ancestral hall, with white walls and black tiles, and the plaque above the entrance bearing the four large characters "Accumulate Good Deeds and Bless Abundant Fortune".
The local customs in Ci Prefecture emphasize living in clans, with a village basically consisting of one Lineage. Therefore, ancestral halls are usually the most elaborate buildings constructed in the village.
Flames were rising from inside, and thick smoke was rising from there.
A group of men and women were kneeling on the ground. On the plaque at the entrance sat a small, jet-black demon with skin like black iron, covered in blue runes, and a single horn on its head. It was laughing and joking.
"If you want to eat it, just order it. Whoever imitates it the best gets to eat it."
For even a single drop, they would not hesitate to shift blame and tear each other apart.
"Scream! Scream properly!"
Woof, woof, woof... A series of barks came from the group of people.
"What a good dog, such a fine tailless dog."
It laughed.
His dark pupils caught sight of Su Che and Lu Bai in the distance.
It's somewhat confusing.
"Hey, why aren't you guys yelling?"
Su Che ignored it and strode inside.
A large cauldron sits in the courtyard of the ancestral hall. Flames surge beneath the cauldron, and black smoke billows from all sides, rising straight into the sky.
A one-horned Hungry Ghost skin like black iron was tearing apart the furniture. He turned to look at Su Che and, with a slight exertion of force, broke the wooden table into several pieces.
"A cultivator?"
He grinned, licking his lips with his bright red tongue.
"It's late at night, why are you still wandering around? Are you trying to exorcise demons and uphold justice?"
"I'm hungry, I want something hot to eat."
Su Che looked up and gazed behind the large ghost.
"You have a lot of courage, but not enough intelligence. I'll pick out a good liver for you to heat up and make up for it."
The large Ghost General threw the chopped firewood behind him, stood up, and clapped his hands.
It loosens its shoulders and neck.
"No wonder everyone says the Central Land are so good; you don't even have to look for food, it just comes to you on its own."
Lu Bai gave a cold laugh and slowly drew the long sword from his waist, placing it in Su Che's hand.
"Young Master."
Su Che held the sword horizontally, gazing at the precious weapon in his hand by the bright moonlight.
"Pity."
"Um?"
The big ghost looked at Su Che.
"What a pity that such a fine sword cannot witness the heroes of this world, but is instead used to slay such filth."
"Die!"
Su Che made a move, his Sword Qi soaring out, accompanied by the sound of sword cries, like the Ghost Cry in Yin Mountain.
Only then did the giant ghost realize the danger of the sword strike. Even though he tried his best to reach out his hands to catch the sword, the Sword Qi was too fast. Before he could even reach out, it had already circled his body.
Su Che flicked the blade of the longsword lightly with his left middle finger, closed his eyes, and listened to the sword's hum for a moment.
He then slipped the sword back into its scabbard at Lu Bai's waist.
Su Che took out a small silk handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his hands.
"Snort."
The great demon gave a disdainful smile.
"What a filial child, running over to scratch Grandpa's itch! Remember, Grandpa is Nado of the Vajra Yaksha Order, indestructible and surpassing everything in the world..."
Su Che stared at the giant ghost.
"Left ear."
"Um."
A sound like a bowstring snapping rang out, and the great demon reached out to touch it, only to find his left ear suddenly falling off and crashing to the ground.
"Right eye."
A scarlet eyeball rolled out of its eye socket.
"Right arm, 54."
The demon discovered that the various parts of his body seemed to no longer obey his commands, and he could not move an inch.
His right arm slammed into the ground and smashed into a bloody mess.
Su Che stared at his right hand, carefully counting on his fingers.
"Fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five."
He shook his head; this Tai Hell Avici Sword was indeed not so easy to obtain.
Legs, chest, shoulders.
Every time Su Che recited a part of the body, a section of the giant demon would detach itself and break into pieces of flesh.
In the end, only the head of the giant demon remained, but its facial features had been completely shaved off.
"To truly master the Tai Hell Avici Sword, one must wield Sword Qi to a level of subtlety and refinement, ensuring that a single strike can slice this great demon into exactly 3,600 pieces. Currently, only 3,700 have been sliced; there's still a gap to be filled."
Su Che sighed; he still needed to keep trying.
" The Vajra Yaksha is a so-called protector in the Hungry Ghost Path. They are born with Divine Ability, and there is Myriad-Medicine Sarira in their skull, which can bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones."
Third Young Master Su stared at the severed head.
"Do you want it to heal on its own, or should I do it for you a few more times?"