Chapter 27: The Ghosts Who Defy Death

Early the next morning, Wang Liang excused himself to go out and sample some local breakfast specialties, slipping out of the Lion Pavilion.

He wandered into a nearby alley and chose a noodle shop at random, ordering a large bowl of plain noodles. While waiting for his meal, he deliberately placed three extra copper coins on the table, tapping lightly on their spots with his fingers.

The noodles were brought by the shopkeeper’s son, who immediately understood Wang Liang’s intention upon seeing his gesture. Without a word, he pocketed the three extra coins and gave Wang Liang a conspiratorial wink, as if waiting for further instruction.

Wang Liang took a hearty mouthful of noodles, finding them satisfyingly springy and full-bodied; each bite brought forth a rich aroma of fermented bean paste. Though the dish contained no meat, it was more than enough to sate him.

After two mouthfuls, Wang Liang finally looked up at the shop boy. “I heard the original site of the Lion Pavilion used to be a pharmacy?”

The boy lowered his voice. “You’re asking because of what happened last night, right? You may not know, but the Lion Pavilion really was once a Chinese medicine shop. The owner was Zhao Runchun, who had no sons—only a daughter named Xiugu. The two of them ran the pharmacy together and managed to live fairly well.

You can see, the location is excellent—it was the foremost pharmacy in Yanggu County at the time. Later, for reasons unknown, Master Zhao passed away, and on the day of his burial, Xiugu was married.

Isn’t that strange? Even stranger things followed: on her wedding day, Xiugu set fire to the pharmacy and the residence behind it, burning it all down. Among the guests at the wedding feast, over thirty people perished in the flames.

It was a huge scandal back then. Later, a feng shui master claimed that Xiugu had died in the fire, full of resentment, binding her spirit to the ruins and turning the site into a place of eerie disturbance. To suppress it, a feng shui tower had to be built. The groom, left with no choice, constructed the Lion Pavilion here. But after its completion, he quickly sold it off, and aside from coming here occasionally to drink, he never set foot near the place again.”

Hearing this tale, Wang Liang was taken aback. It was apparent that the female ghost carried off by the male ghost last night must be Xiugu from the story.

Yet something felt amiss. Ordinarily, no one would marry on the day of their father’s burial, let alone set fire to the wedding guests. Moreover, Wang Liang recalled the feng shui layout of the Lion Pavilion—it was designed to suppress the supernatural by drawing upon the groom’s fortune and life, which was certainly problematic.

Upon learning that the groom still lived, Wang Liang pressed further.

“Who was the groom?” he asked.

The shop boy hesitated. Telling ghost stories about the Lion Pavilion was one thing—everyone knew about it, and if he didn’t tell it, someone else would. But revealing the groom’s identity was another matter; the man was still alive and thriving in Yanggu County. If word got out that the tale originated with him, he’d be beaten for sure.

Pretending not to hear, the boy gathered the coins and hurried away.

Wang Liang was about to ask again when a voice sounded behind him.

“That groom was Ximen Qing. He’s destined to die in the Lion Pavilion.”

The chilling voice made Wang Liang turn around. At a nearby table sat a man whose attire was unremarkable, yet Wang Liang noticed his eyes rolled upward involuntarily, his movements stiff, and his heels never touched the ground.

When Wang Liang looked his way, the man’s frozen face twisted into a strange smile.

“The sunlight here bothers me. Shall we find a better place to talk?”

Wang Liang hesitated, then rose. “Alright.”

The man said nothing further, leading the way ahead. Wang Liang followed, noting the unnatural coordination in his movements—his arms and legs sometimes moved in unison, and his head occasionally lolled to one side. Wang Liang doubted whether the man could even make it out of the alley.

Despite his odd gait, the man seemed intimately familiar with the surroundings. Under his guidance, they quickly reached the rear of the alley, an especially dim spot where, despite the sun being high in the sky, not a single ray touched the ground.

At the corner, the man leaned against the wall, and suddenly, a green-haired male ghost drifted out from within him.

Wang Liang recognized him instantly—the same male ghost player who had taunted him near the Lion Pavilion the previous night.

His gaze sharpened; the Blade of Severed Life appeared in his hand.

The ghost player hurriedly protested, “Don’t attack! I mean no harm—I just wanted to thank you for not intervening last night.”

Wang Liang eyed him but kept the blade at the ready.

Seeing Wang Liang’s wariness, the ghost player sighed. Such was the lot of ghost cultivators—always viewed with suspicion.

“I truly mean no harm. I’m a player, cultivating in the ghost way. My name is ‘Fearless,’ or ‘Ghost Fearless’ if you prefer. Level 23, Ghost General.”

Seeing Ghost Fearless so tense, Wang Liang finally stowed the Blade of Severed Life.

Ghost Fearless breathed a sigh of relief, and Wang Liang asked curiously, “Why did you lead me here?”

“You don’t know?” Ghost Fearless looked at Wang Liang’s puzzled expression and asked, “You’re unaware of the matter at Demon Ridge, Jingyang Hill?”

“I just arrived yesterday,” Wang Liang replied.

“That explains it. The story spread like wildfire three years ago. Many came, found nothing, and left disheartened. Only people like us persist.”

As he spoke, Ghost Fearless produced a cup, poured tea, and handed it to Wang Liang.

“By the way, what should I call you?”

“Master Wang of Many Talents.” Wang Liang accepted the cup, noticing it was made of jade.

He wondered at Ghost Fearless’s generosity—not worried someone might steal it—until he sensed a trace of yin energy within the jade. Prolonged contact would bring no benefit, perhaps even hamper one’s cultivation.

Without delay, Wang Liang drank the tea, and his eyes widened. He felt his magical power and inner strength double instantly.

[Jade Spring Yin Tea (After drinking, for 48 hours, all magical power, inner strength, and true energy are doubled.)]