Running into Ghosts

At the words "Are you human or ghost?", faint frost mist condensed in Lin Jiugong's exhalation.

The needle on the compass in his hand had already spun into chaos.

Moonlight flowed like water; the grass was lush enough to drip green.

The temperature in the air had not changed much, and the vegetation was luxuriant, yet not a single insect could be heard.

Su Che instinctively held the peachwood sword across his chest. The sword intent within his brow resonated as his eyes locked onto the One-Browed Daoist.

"North and south are muddled, life and death reversed. Brother Buqun, yin energy has gathered here and formed a corpse-nurturing yin den." The One-Browed Daoist's expression was grave. "You and I look more like ghosts than men here."

Su Che let out a breath. Everything about this One-Browed Daoist was good, except that he really knew how to leave people hanging.

That earlier "Are you human or ghost?" had nearly made him suspect that the man had unknowingly fallen prey to this place. He had almost greeted him with a sword strike.

"How did this place become like this?"

Su Che had visited Withered Forest Chan Temple before. Though the temple had been rich with wood energy then, and the One-Eye Wood Wraith had caused trouble there, it had absolutely not looked like this.

"Take refuge in the Buddha, and do not fall into hell. Take refuge in the Dharma, and do not fall among hungry ghosts. Take refuge in the Sangha, and do not fall among beasts."

"Take refuge..."

"Take refuge..."

"Take refuge..."

The chants rang out one after another from the thick fog ahead, as though Withered Forest Chan Temple had returned to its former days of prosperity.

"What dense yin energy. A hundred ghosts walking at night—how are the vicious ghosts of Withered Forest Chan Temple even fiercer than those of Lanruo Temple?"

Daoist Lin could not help retreating several steps. At some unknown moment, dark clouds had drifted across the sky, hiding the full moon behind them.

"I once read in a book: when a hundred ghosts walk at night, yin energy blankets the sky. I never imagined I would witness it today within this ancient temple."

Su Che could not help feeling astonished as he watched the scene before him.

"Today is the eighth day of the eighth month. There is nothing unusual about it, so why has the yin energy here suddenly become so dense?" The One-Browed Daoist looked at the sky in surprise.

Lin Jiugong had inherited Maoshan Daoist arts, and his cultivation had already reached the eighth rank of the Daoist School, the "Mystic Mirror" realm. Upon reaching this realm, one fulfilled the teaching from the Daoist scriptures: "Cleanse the mystic mirror—can it be free of blemish?"

At this realm, Daoist School cultivators could observe the rise and fall, birth and death, and changes of yin and yang in heaven and earth externally, while inwardly they could inspect the dust and grime upon their souls and the corpse worms within themselves.

Qi Consumption was the foundation of cultivation; the Mystic Mirror was the root of attaining the Dao.

Distinguishing the timing of heaven and the advantages of terrain was precisely the One-Browed Daoist's proper trade.

A faint thought rose in Su Che's heart. Perhaps the mysterious Zhongyuan from the Zhongshan Society had another purpose in sending him to Withered Forest Chan Temple.

That was right. How could an expert of that level possibly send someone to the wrong place?

"Brother Yue, by rights, now that matters have reached this point, we should not investigate any further. But Lin has been unyielding all his life. Since I have encountered this today, I must go in and take a look no matter what. Brother Daoist, your accompanying Lin this far is already a kindness I shall remember deeply. Should fate allow it someday, Brother Yue and I can drink and make merry together."

Su Che frowned. "Daoist Lin, ghostly shadows fill the way ahead. With yin energy so thick, it will surely stir their craving for flesh and blood. Once the ghosts' ferocity erupts, even if you enter, two fists will be no match for four hands."

"Brother Yue need not worry for me. I have a secret method that can keep those ghosts from seeing through me for half a shichen," Daoist Lin said.

Su Che smiled at that.

"Brother Lin, I also have a secret technique. I just do not know whether it can fool those ghosts. I ask that you inspect it for me, Brother Daoist."

If Zhongyuan truly had some deeper intention, then he ought to go and see for himself.

Besides, one of the great features of the Mirage Shadow Origin Sword Zhongyuan had passed on to him was concealing one's form through shadows. Su Che silently activated his sword intent, and a point of coolness at his brow wound around his body.

In an instant, the shadow behind him dissolved into nothingness, and his entire body became transparent as well.

Under the cover of yin energy, he did look somewhat ghostly.

At profound mastery, the Mirage Shadow Origin Sword could turn one's entire body illusory, leaving only an image without substance. My sword cultivation is not sufficient, but it is more than enough to barely pass as a ghost.

If one were to divide sword arts into such categories as the sword of heaven and earth, the sword of creation, the sword of benevolence and righteousness, the sword of dominance, and countless other names—

Then the Mirage Shadow Origin Sword undoubtedly belonged to the ghostly sword of assassins.

Su Che's understanding of the Mirage Shadow Origin Sword deepened further.

"Brother Yue's Sword Qi truly is extraordinary. To think it possesses such marvels."

Lin Jiugong had originally not thought much of the sword art Yue Buqun described as "emphasizing Sword Qi." He had thought the other man might simply have spent too long wandering the martial world and picked up the habit of speaking in evasive half-truths.

Now, it seemed this Mister Yue's Sword Qi truly held unique mysteries.

It was not as though Lin Jiugong had never met so-called sword immortals, but most of them favored a hard and fierce approach: "No matter how many transformations or spells you possess, I will cut them all with one sword."

Sword techniques such as this, which concealed one's form and transformed one into a ghost, were indeed rarely seen in the Central Plains.

"Then I shall make a fool of myself as well."

Lin Jiugong silently activated the Maoshan turtle-breathing method, holding his breath. He then removed his outer Daoist robe and put it back on inside out, took a yellow talisman from his bag, folded it into a triangle, and pressed it against his fontanel.

Finally, he pulled out half a burned incense stick from his pocket, scraped off a tiny grain from it, and tucked it beneath his tongue.

"Yellow talisman, suppress the soul; nether incense, connect to the hidden realm. Divine soldiers and earthly fire, swift as the command!"

A streak of fire flashed, and the yellow talisman atop his head turned to ash. The One-Browed Daoist's face became iron-blue, yin energy shrouded his body, and he looked thirty percent unlike a living man and seventy percent like a vicious ghost.

"An excellent technique, Brother Daoist."

Su Che praised him sincerely. As a fellow player of the prop-based school, Lin Jiugong had truly taken it to dazzling heights.

"After you, Brother Yue."

The two entered the yin fog one after the other.

Within the yin fog, ghostly shadows flickered everywhere.

Thump, thump.

A huge black jar bounced through the mist and came up beside Su Che.

"You two look unfamiliar."

A head poked out from the jar. Half its face had turned into a skull, exposing gleaming white bone, while the other half was covered in slick, bulging eyeballs.

"Qu Tan, today is the eighth of the eighth month, when offerings are made to the Ghost Buddha. They may have come from a neighboring county after hearing of it. It is only natural that you do not know them."

A delicate female ghost emerged from the thick fog. She wore white gauze, her dark hair gathered into a bun. Her skin was as smooth as congealed cream, her eyes held a peculiar allure, her flowerlike lips were pale violet, and her pair of snow-white feet stepped upon the ground.

"You are kindhearted, aren't you?"

The jar ghost named Qu Tan muttered, then bounced away.

"Do not mind him. Qu Tan likes to eat people, not ghosts."

The delicate female ghost looked curiously at Su Che's face and asked,

"What is your name? I feel as though I have seen you somewhere before."

"We serve under the Yin-Yang Dharma King of Guobei County. We rarely go out, but today is our day off, so we came together to watch the excitement."

The One-Browed Daoist was clearly accustomed to speaking ghost talk, and he answered offhandedly.

The delicate female ghost nodded.

"My name is Xue Fu. You should have names under the Dharma King as well, right?"

"Ice flesh and jade bones, hibiscus beneath the snow." Su Che took over. "Miss, that is truly a fine name."

The female ghost froze, as though she had not heard words like that in a very long time.

"Is this name good?"

"It is very good. Names are not all alike. When ordinary people choose a name, it represents a beautiful wish. Someone named Ruhuā merely hopes to be like a flower, but your name is simply a description."

"You are very interesting." Xue Fu looked at Su Che. "The last scholar who spoke to me like this passed his first death anniversary a few days ago. Later, I will pay respects to the Dharma King and ask him to give you to me as an attendant. What do you think?"

"That would be his good fortune, would it not?"

Daoist Lin lightly patted Su Che's shoulder. "With Madam Xue before us, you and I cannot show off our clever tricks."

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