Chapter 29: The Three Ghost Cultivators

Listening to Ghost Without Fear’s explanation, Wang Liang finally understood the events surrounding Demon Ridge, but what did any of this have to do with Ximen Qing?

Perhaps sensing Wang Liang’s doubt, or maybe because he hadn’t had anyone to boast to in a long time, or simply because his plan was nearing completion, Ghost Without Fear began to speak of his own scheme.

“You must have heard of the three great legions and the Four Heavenly Kings beside the Demon Tiger. That’s right, the leader of the Ghost Legion among the three, who is also the Infantry Commander within the Four Heavenly Kings, is Wu Er.

He died at the hands of the Demon Tiger and became its ghost minion. Now, except for the Demon Tiger’s commands, he listens to no one.

But I managed to sneak into Demon Ridge and met the Infantry Commander once. I realized he still retains a shred of intelligence.

This remnant is tied to his obsession and instincts. If it’s instinct, it can be triggered with wine. If it’s obsession, it’s his longing for his brother.”

Here, Ghost Without Fear’s tone changed. “The trouble is, I discovered all this a step too late. When I went looking for Wu Da, I found he was already dead—killed by Ximen Qing.

Even if I could recover a fragment of that obsession, it would only be a drive for revenge, impossible to use for anything else.

In the end, I consulted some elders among the ghost cultivators. They said only by sacrificing Ximen Qing’s heart and liver in a ritual could that obsession be cleansed.

But then another problem arises. To kill Ximen Qing, two conditions must be met. First, there must be a legitimate reason to act. After all, Ximen Qing isn’t just some wild monster—he’s an NPC. I can’t simply kill him because I want to; if I do, I’ll be rejected by the world itself.

At worst, I might succeed in killing him, only to be cast out myself. That would be a huge loss.

The second condition is that Ximen Qing must be killed in the Lion Pavilion. That’s his fate, his karmic tie to the place, and there’s no changing it.

Because of this, I specifically investigated the Lion Pavilion and uncovered its story.

Never would I have guessed that beneath the pavilion lay a fiery haunted realm, and most importantly, that Lady Xiu is a rare quality vengeful ghost. Her fire attribute and medicinal aroma make her the perfect candidate for an alchemist.”

Seeing Ghost Without Fear’s proud expression, Wang Liang understood that his gains this time must have been substantial.

At the same time, he realized Ghost Without Fear made it all sound simple, but the time required to accomplish these tasks could be measured in years.

After Ghost Without Fear finished all he was willing to say, Wang Liang suddenly remarked, “Did you know? They’re preparing to attack Demon Ridge.”

Ghost Without Fear was stunned for a moment, then replied indifferently, “That’s nothing new. They say that every day, but when have they ever actually made a move?”

“This time might be real—even Lord Lu, the City God, is interested.”

That made Ghost Without Fear genuinely consider it. He asked for more details.

When he heard about the Blood Oath Pact, he finally admitted, “If the Blood Oath is involved, then there’s an eighty percent chance it’s true.”

“You know them?”

“We all operate in the same city—how could I not? Not to mention, he’s always competing with the City God’s side for contracts. He’s been here for years, all for the Demon Ridge quests. Multi-Talented, would you mind if I called a few more people to discuss this?”

Wang Liang was somewhat displeased at Ghost Without Fear wanting to call in more people. Once was enough; what was the point of gathering even more?

Seeing Wang Liang’s expression, Ghost Without Fear explained, “Just two, really. There are only three ghost cultivators in Yanggu County. With something this big, I can’t just not tell them.”

Wang Liang waved his hand, “As you wish.”

Ghost Without Fear gave him an apologetic smile and began summoning his contacts.

He must have had private channels with the other two; unlike before, he didn’t use anything like gold leaf to write a message, but simply spoke a few words into the air.

Watching Ghost Without Fear, Wang Liang couldn’t help but smile. He realized he must have looked the same when privately messaging Zhao Gongming earlier—like a fool, to any onlooker.

The two ghost cultivators arrived quickly. Within minutes, muddy water surged up from beneath the alley, and a female ghost in drenched white robes rose from it, her hair and body festooned with water weeds and her hands marked with corpse spots.

Wang Liang had to admit, he was impressed by the ghost cultivators’ appearances. He really couldn’t understand how those players endured looking like something not quite human, not quite ghost.

The next arrival was even stranger—a coffin flew out from the shadows and landed on the ground. Its occupant didn’t emerge, but simply cracked open the lid and peered out with a pair of eyes.

Once they had arrived, Ghost Without Fear quickly made introductions. “Multi-Talented, these are my good friends, the only other ghost cultivators in Yanggu County. The water ghost is Penny Pincher—she usually haunts the silt zones of the Yellow River. The coffin is Full Longevity—he spends his time at the mass grave outside town.

This is Multi-Talented Wang Jilong, a friend I met just today.”

Upon hearing this, the female ghost Penny Pincher gave Wang Liang a courteous bow. “Hello,” she said politely.

Then Full Longevity spoke, his voice strange and hollow. “Hello.”

Since they were being so polite, Wang Liang nodded in return. “Hello to you both.”

Ghost Without Fear immediately began discussing the impending assault on Demon Ridge and Jingyang Hill.

When the water ghost heard that the Dragon King Temple’s water troops would be involved, she exclaimed, “Now that you mention it, that really might be happening. I’ve seen Reckless Charger doing quests for the Dragon King Temple—a few times, he’s come all the way to the silt zone.”

Wang Liang suspected this Reckless Charger was the very friend mentioned by the Blood Oath.

Then Full Longevity chimed in, listing several recent anomalies. The more they talked, the more they believed the attack on Demon Ridge and Jingyang Hill would happen within days.

“There’s not much time left. We need to pick up the pace. I’m heading to find Ximen Qing today—will you all help me out?”

“Fine, but after we deal with Ximen Qing, you’ll help me find the General’s Seal in the mass grave,” Full Longevity demanded.

Penny Pincher didn’t ask for anything, but everyone knew what she was after.

At that point, Ghost Without Fear explained what he could to Wang Liang.

“In truth, all three of us have small goals in Jingyang Hill. I want to rescue Wu Er, Full Longevity wants the lost Mountain God title, and Penny Pincher is after the Mountain Whale’s inner core. If you hadn’t told us about this, the army would have marched before we even knew. By then, we’d have no chance to get in on the action. Brother, we really owe you this time.”