Baleful Qi

Chen Ying asked curiously, "Hot blood flows through a human heart. If it were replaced with a ghost's heart, what would flow through the body?"

"Does that matter? Back when I was still outside, there were already people deliberately turning themselves into these half-human, half-ghost things. Many went so far that they weren't even half-human, half-ghost anymore."

The Ghost Appraiser spoke flatly.

"In the end, you're following the same path by drawing baleful qi into your body. Besides, that man wasn't the first to come in with that compass, and he won't be the last."

I'm following the same path?

He felt the power within him, as though it were awakening. Ever since he entered the Ghost Market, icy discs had been slowly revolving between his brows, in his chest, and in his lower abdomen.

"I can try, but whether I'll succeed is still up in the air."

Chen Ying decided to agree for now.

"Good. I'll throw in something extra. If you bring me that compass, I can offer you a way."

"A way?"

"A method that will let you use the baleful qi inside you freely."

"But if I may ask, is it this pawnshop that wants the compass, or you?"

"Does that matter?"

The Ghost Appraiser gave a sinister smile.

"Do you think there's much difference between me and this pawnshop?"

Not much difference?

"One more word of advice. The Ghost Market has rules, so you'll have to find a way outside."

The Ghost Appraiser stood and gestured for him to leave.

"You'd better hurry. Those people won't stay here long. If the living remain here too long, they'll stay forever."

Chen Ying nodded.

"If I get that compass, how do I return here?"

"Ordinary people need a wrongfully dead ghost to guide them into the Ghost Market. As for getting here, once you have that compass, you'll naturally know the way in."

The Ghost Appraiser spread his hand, and the pawnshop's doors opened again.

"I'll await your good news here."

"I'll do my best."

Chen Ying left the pawnshop. Hua Shanrong had been standing in the mist so long that his feet had gone numb. Seeing Chen Ying emerge, he said anxiously,

"Brother Ying, several ghostly lords were circling around me just now, and... and I can't feel my feet..."

"You've just been standing too long."

Chen Ying reassured him, "That's perfectly normal."

"It really isn't normal. My feet feel cold and numb."

"Careful. Sha Wei's coming."

Chen Ying pulled Hua Shanrong aside to hide.

Mist filled the place, with ghostly silhouettes everywhere. Sha Wei still had a yellow talisman stuck to his forehead and did not notice Chen Ying off to the side at all.

His appearance had almost completely changed. His formerly black hair had turned white, his face looked somewhat haggard, and a considerable amount of vital essence had already been drained from his body.

Chen Ying could sense that a change had already taken place in Sha Wei.

"Using the Ghost Market's special mechanism to pawn his original heart, then replace it with other parts, turning himself into a half-human, half-ghost being in one go. Perhaps that was his real purpose in coming here."

"Even that fight to the death with Fat Bear was part of the setup. After all, the Ghost Market only opens when a wrongfully dead ghost appears. Using a human life as a blood sacrifice to open the gate-quite a thorough plan."

"It looks like the underground powers of Hong Kong-Kowloon City are done playing house. Su Xiong has no intention of playing along with them. He wants to build an elite force of half-human, half-ghost soldiers. Even the Hong Kong and Kowloon authorities probably won't be able to stand by and do nothing."

Sha Wei drew the compass from his sleeve. Its vermilion needle spun wildly before quickly fixing on a direction.

He set off into the depths of the mist.

Chen Ying immediately followed with Hua Shanrong. They stayed about twenty or thirty paces behind, but Sha Wei seemed not to have noticed Chen Ying at all.

As they went farther, the mist gradually cleared.

A long street, small stalls, a hubbub of voices, the bustle of everyday life.

Without realizing it, they had returned to the world of the living.

Sha Wei suddenly stopped. He peeled the yellow talisman off his forehead, gripped the saber hilt behind his back with one hand, and pivoted on both feet, turning straight around.

His long saber left its sheath. His whole body stirred up a whirlwind as a ribbon of saber light swept toward them.

"My friend, you've followed me all this way. Let's see what you can do."

The slash came fiercely, carrying an unyielding momentum. In an instant, Chen Ying felt murderous intent charging straight at him.

Rage.

The dormant power within him awakened at that moment, like a dozing tiger suddenly discovering a vicious dog barking wildly in its face. That chilling rage turned into an even more overwhelming killing intent.

What followed was almost instinctive. Chen Ying raised his right arm like a saber and blocked the strike in front of him.

Clang.

His arm collided with the long saber. Chen Ying felt the edge against his arm, but an even stronger power had enveloped it, striking straight back.

Shing.

The long saber swung crookedly aside, and Sha Wei staggered back several steps with it.

He steadied himself. His now yellowed eyes finally made out the face of the person behind him.

"You?"

It was actually him. Sha Wei could not help feeling some regret.

Back then, he had personally seen this man stop breathing. He had even helped carry the stretcher himself, taking the man back to the Little Building.

He still remembered the panic that had flashed across Lord Hung's face.

He had followed Lord Hung for nearly ten years and had never seen that expression on his boss's face-panic bordering on terror.

Now he could feel that terror too. After all, what stood before him was a real "ghost."

"You've seen me before?"

Chen Ying kept his arm raised, forcibly suppressing the rage in his heart.

"Young Master Ying, I work for Lord Hung. When you had your accident, I was the one who took you back."

"I see. Then I owe you my thanks, too."

Chen Ying lowered his arm. The saber had torn a slit in his sleeve, but it had left no wound on his body.

"Your family's teachings truly run deep, Young Master Ying. You casually blocked that full-strength slash of mine."

Sha Wei slowly rubbed the saber hilt with his palm.

He was unsure whether to attack the man before him.

These two had followed him all the way. Lord Hung had given orders: anyone who discovered his movements had to be killed to keep them quiet, no matter who they were.

Yet this man surnamed Chen was also someone Lord Hung treated with extreme caution.

He was truly caught in a dilemma now. Besides, he never held back when he attacked. That slash had carried all his strength, yet this privileged young heir had casually blocked it.

If I really fight him, can I actually silence him?

Sha Wei's eyes swept from side to side, and he asked in a low voice,

"Young Master Ying, that friend beside you looks rather familiar."

"Oh, he's Hua Shanrong from Wo On Sing, one of Fat Bear's men. He's also my friend. When your two sides were fighting just now, I happened to pass by and got caught up in it by accident."

Chen Ying concealed nothing, directly explaining everything he had seen and heard.

"Someone from Wo On Sing?"

Sha Wei narrowed his eyes. "Oh, my mistake. I didn't notice you there, Young Master Ying, and let Fire Dragon and the others offend you..."

"No harm done. You were the impressive one, Brother Sha Wei, commanding so calmly and attacking from both front and rear. Truly admirable."

Chen Ying stepped forward and asked,

"Brother Sha Wei, could you do me a small favor and leave this friend of mine alone for now?"