Chapter 63: Wu Erqing Awakens

Most of what the Ghost Who Would Not Die had said before was speculation, but one thing was certain: wine and Wu the Elder had an unusual effect on Wu the Second.

The wine was the finest liquor the Ghost Who Would Not Die could obtain, and he had bought an entire jar of it.

When he hurled it, it struck the shadow of the Infantry Commander’s fist head-on. With a thunderous boom, the wine jar exploded on the spot, and under the influence of the force and blood qi in that punch, a great deal of the liquor evaporated into alcohol fumes.

The Infantry Commander, charging into the cloud of fumes, seemed to catch the scent of wine. His movements faltered for a moment, but then he threw another punch at the Ghost Who Would Not Die.

After throwing the wine, the Ghost Who Would Not Die released that fragment of Wu the Elder’s lingering obsession.

After being tempered by Ximen Qing’s death, the fragment had grown considerably more substantial. Though it could no longer become a true ghost, it could still manifest a figure and deliver a message.

The Ghost Who Would Not Die’s original plan had been to use the wine to lure Wu the Second out, then release Wu the Elder so that he could pass on a few words.

That way, he could use certain means to reach an agreement with Wu the Second. Once the demon tiger had been killed, he would be able to take Wu the Second as a ghost-servant guardian under his command.

But he had never imagined that he would encounter the Infantry Commander under such circumstances.

After the wine was thrown, the Infantry Commander not only failed to halt his attack, but was driven into a frenzy by the stimulation of the alcohol fumes.

The Infantry Commander’s innate talent, Liquor Reaching the Heavens, was one that increased his combat power the more he drank.

The alcohol fumes happened to raise the Infantry Commander’s strength. Ignoring Wu the Elder, who had just been released, he punched the Ghost Who Would Not Die squarely in the face.

The Ghost Who Would Not Die had not expected such a turn of events. He did not even have time to block the Infantry Commander’s strike.

Carrying the blood qi contained in the commander’s fist, the blow scattered the Ghost Who Would Not Die’s body in an instant.

The Ghost Who Would Not Die was startled and was just about to reconstitute himself when the Infantry Commander struck again.

This punch carried even greater force. The Ghost Who Would Not Die felt as though he had been thrown into the sun, and his body dissolved on the spot.

The Infantry Commander did not stop there. He struck the Ghost Who Would Not Die six times in succession, only lowering his hand when not the slightest trace of dark energy remained before him.

Whether it was because of the punches or because he had absorbed the alcohol fumes, the Infantry Commander’s face had taken on a faint flush. Yet his steps were remarkably steady, nothing like those of an ordinary tiger’s lackey ghost.

Having beaten the Ghost Who Would Not Die to death, the Infantry Commander did not pursue Wang Liang. Instead, he turned his puzzled gaze toward Wu the Elder’s lingering obsession.

For a while, he hesitated and did not approach. Instead, the fragment of Wu the Elder spoke first.

“Commander, why do you not look upon me?”

The Infantry Commander’s footsteps halted. Trembling, he said, “Brother…”

But Wu the Elder’s soul had already entered the underworld. This fragment had been painstakingly gathered by the Ghost Who Would Not Die and drawn out through Ximen Qing’s blood. At most, it could exist for less than fifteen minutes.

The fragment itself possessed no consciousness. Once the awareness of Wu the Second had been awakened within the Infantry Commander, it merely followed the Ghost Who Would Not Die’s prior instructions.

“Second Brother, I have missed you. All these years…”

Wu the Elder’s fragment began to recount what had happened over the years. Naturally, he also spoke of Ximen Qing and of how the Ghost Who Would Not Die had helped him avenge his death.

At last, the fragment said, “I have no other requests. My benefactor is a good man. You may follow him…”

Before he could finish, the Infantry Commander interrupted him.

“No. He is not worthy.”

At that moment, had Wang Liang and the others been watching, they would have noticed the change in the Infantry Commander’s aura. Earlier, though his presence as a tiger’s lackey ghost had been fierce and heroic, it had still carried a trace of ghostly energy.

Now it was different. He stood straight, sweeping away the gloomy, sinister air of a lackey ghost. His body, once half-transparent, became solid.

“But Brother is right. A debt of gratitude cannot go unpaid, and neither can a blood feud. He must have come here to destroy the tiger demon. I shall bring back the demon tiger’s head and offer it to him.”

Hearing this, Wu the Elder’s lingering obsession said nothing more.

This was only natural. The Ghost Who Would Not Die did not possess the ability to drag a ghost back from the underworld. All he could find was a fragment of an obsession, and all he could do was have that fragment deliver a message.

Had he remained alive, he might have been able to unlock Wu the Second’s reputation and build a relationship with him, perhaps even fight alongside him and eventually attain a respectable standing.

But the Infantry Commander had beaten him to death. With that, everything had vanished. Now that the commander had regained Wu the Second’s consciousness and heard what had happened to his elder brother, he would certainly not choose to serve a dead ghost cultivator.

There was only one thing left for him to do: find the demon tiger and take revenge, then repay his debt of gratitude with the tiger’s head.

After receiving Wu the Second’s reply, Wu the Elder’s fragment fell silent. He widened his eyes and studied Wu the Second from head to toe. After a moment, a trace of satisfaction appeared in his gaze, and he finally spoke a single sentence.

“You came back. That is enough.”

“Mm.”

Wu the Second said no more. He raised a hand.

“Wine?”

The shattered wine jar flew into his hand. There seemed to be only a little liquor left inside.

He smashed the fragments of the jar onto the ground.

“Even drinking wine is no fun anymore.”

Wu the Second then turned his head toward the battlefield.

The battlefield was in complete chaos. Under the command of General Hua and General Yu, the garrison troops and the yin soldiers were fighting the lesser demons that had burst out of the pass, along with the tiger’s lackey ghosts—many of whom had been drawn away by Wang Liang.

When Wu the Second turned his head toward them, everyone felt a chill run through their bodies.

They all felt as though Wu the Second had fixed his gaze upon them.

The City God, Lu, even brought out his City God Seal, preparing to strike Wu the Second before he could make a move.

Just then, Wang Liang came charging back with the lackey ghosts behind him.

He had already seen the Ghost Who Would Not Die die at the hands of the Infantry Commander. Although he did not understand what had happened, he knew that he had to lure the Infantry Commander away.

Otherwise, if the Infantry Commander joined forces with Black Bear Lao Hei, there would be no way to fight this battle.

Seeing Wang Liang ride his bronze warhorse toward him, Wu the Second’s eyes reddened. He threw a punch toward the direction from which Wang Liang was charging.

The punch carried a phantom fist and flew toward Wang Liang.

But the phantom fist never struck him. A massive figure burst from the magic formation and slammed directly into Wu the Second.

It was Little Gray, the Violent Tyrannosaurus under Wang Liang’s command.

At the same time, the magic formation trembled faintly, and Black Bear Lao Hei’s furious roar came from within.

It was clear that Black Bear Lao Hei had nearly been beaten to death. The various forces were beginning to shift their focus away from the magic formation and toward the Infantry Commander, who had leaped out ahead of them.