A ghostly spirit capable of trading blows with Yuan Jing to mutual injury was naturally no match for Lu Zheng. The poor thing had heard Yuan Jing call Lu Zheng “junior brother” and assumed he was an easy target to bully.
“Ah!!!”
A wretched scream rang out. The ghostly spirit was struck by the Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Curse, gravely wounded and on the verge of death.
“Senior Brother, anything you want to ask?” Lu Zheng turned and asked Yuan Jing.
“Of course!” Yuan Jing nodded repeatedly. “It has been committing crimes one after another in the area under Yuhe County’s jurisdiction, abducting more than a dozen boys. The authorities thought it was human traffickers, never realising it was a ghostly spirit at work. I was injured and could not locate the children, so I planned to return and seek Master’s help.”
Lu Zheng turned back. A surge of scalding innate cloud qi poured into the ghost’s body, burning it until it screamed in agony.
“Where are the children?”
“In my ghost manor!” the ghost answered at once, unable to endure the pain.
“Where is the ghost manor?”
“Fifty li east of Yuhe County, in the mass grave mound. True One, spare my life. I am willing to serve under you!” the ghost pleaded desperately.
Both Buddhist and Daoist traditions had methods to convert or subjugate demons and ghosts. The better ones became incense guardians. The worst were refined directly into spells.
In any case, the demon or ghost would at least avoid immediate death.
The spirit before them was clearly not one of strong character or firm conviction.
Lu Zheng gave a contemptuous laugh, patted his gourd, and took out a jade tablet. He first sealed the ghost inside it, then grasped Yuan Jing’s hand and sent a stream of true qi to ease his injuries. “Shall we go together?”
Yuan Jing shook his head. “Now that we know the location, I will not go. You can simply hand the children over to the Yuhe County yamen.”
Lu Zheng nodded. “Very well. I will settle this first, then return to find you and Master.”
After seeing Yuan Jing off, Lu Zheng rose on a cloud and flew straight to Yuhe County. He soon reached the mass grave fifty li east of the county.
Circulating true qi through his eyes, he spotted a lavish ghost manor deep in the shaded woods to the southwest of the grave mound. Within the manor, there were indeed dozens of living human auras.
Concealing himself, Lu Zheng descended. He discovered that in four or five side rooms at the rear courtyard lay more than thirty young boys, aged between three and six. All had been bewitched and lay in a stupor.
Two minor imps attended them, feeding the hungriest ones a thin gruel made from rotten vegetables and spoiled rice, just enough to keep them alive.
Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes. With a thought, a Golden Palace Heart Sword flashed. The ghost sealed in the jade tablet was instantly scattered, soul and spirit both destroyed. He waved a hand, sending several Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Curses that slew the five or six minor imps in the manor.
Wrapping the children in cloud qi and infusing each with a strand of innate cloud qi to restore their vitality, Lu Zheng delivered them all to the Yuhe County yamen.
“Many thanks, Immortal Elder! Many thanks!” The Yuhe County magistrate bowed repeatedly. “Who would have thought the master of White Cloud Temple was so young? No wonder he could produce a figure like Daoist Yuan Jing!”
Lu Zheng, “…”
…
Returning to Shaotong Mountain, he found Yuan Jing in Mingzhang Daoist’s rear courtyard, sipping the Red Centipede Three Essences wine Lu Zheng had brought, his face full of enjoyment.
Mingzhang Daoist spotted Lu Zheng and beckoned. “Matter settled?”
Lu Zheng descended and revealed himself. “Done. More than thirty children, all delivered to the Yuhe County yamen.”
Mingzhang Daoist nodded. “Good.”
Lu Zheng frowned. “How can ghostly spirits be so brazen in Yuhe County? We cover Tonglin County. Neighbouring Dingshan County has Mysterious Crane Temple and Lanshan Monastery. I remember the Dongshan Sect in Yuhe County is not weak either.”
The Dongshan Sect had been founded three hundred years ago by a martial arts master. It did not rely on incense offerings, instead running several inns, escort agencies, and carriage services in Yuhe County. It had capable experts and counted as a local protective force.
Yuan Jing said, “When I went, they were investigating too, but their methods were limited. They never found traces of the ghost and assumed it was a highly skilled human trafficker.”
Lu Zheng understood. The ghost had hidden well. Without evidence of supernatural activity, Yuhe County could hardly report to the Anomaly Suppression Department.
Still frowning, Lu Zheng asked, “The ghost was not weak. Had it never been noticed before?”
Mingzhang Daoist turned to them. “Did you not ask?”
He continued, “Did you not ask whether it had only recently settled there? If so, where had it come from? If not, had it never committed such acts before, or simply never been discovered? And this time, abducting so many boys yet keeping them alive, what exactly was it planning?”
The string of questions left Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing staring at each other in silence.
Mingzhang Daoist narrowed his eyes, tone mild. “You asked nothing?”
He looked at Yuan Jing. Yuan Jing shrank back and said weakly, “I asked where the children were…”
Mingzhang Daoist turned to Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng blinked. “I thought Senior Brother knew.”
Yuan Jing, “…”
That deflection was far too obvious!
Mingzhang Daoist immediately glared at Yuan Jing. “And you call yourself a senior brother!”
Yuan Jing: ???
“Still, since the ghost is dead, there is no point discussing it now. The children have been rescued.” Mingzhang Daoist said. “Whatever its purpose, it no longer matters.”
Yuan Jing nodded vigorously. “Exactly.”
…
After sitting a while on Shaotong Mountain, Lu Zheng took his leave and descended to Taohua Ping.
Tu Yuya loved lively company and was playing with the Eighteen Peach Blossom Heavenly Maidens. Shen Ying was keeping her company. Seeing Lu Zheng, she hurried to greet him.
“Why has Langjun come from the east?”
“Just down from Shaotong Mountain.” Lu Zheng replied, then briefly recounted the earlier events.
“Eh?”
Xiao Cui was listening nearby and suddenly gave a soft exclamation. “I just came from the Peach Blossom Shrine and heard a couple say a child from the neighbouring house had gone missing. They had already reported it to the county authorities.”
Lu Zheng asked, “Where?”
“Shanyang Town.” Xiao Cui answered.
There were countless Shanyang Towns in Dajing, where the south of mountains and north of rivers were considered yang. Xiao Cui naturally meant the one in Tonglin County.
Shen Ying looked at Lu Zheng. He nodded. “Since we have come across it, I will go and see.”
Shen Ying said, “I will go with Langjun.”
“Good!”
It was only a minor case of a missing child. The ghost involved had barely two centuries of cultivation. Tu Yuya had no interest, so Lu Zheng and Shen Ying went alone. They rose on clouds and flew straight to Shanyang Town.
Shanyang Town lay between Tonglin and Dingshan Counties. From the sky, their gaze swept once and located the family of the missing child.
“There is yin qi indeed!” Lu Zheng frowned.
Shen Ying glanced around. “Only one household?”
“Let us go down and see.”
The pair descended, not disturbing the family. They casually took a child’s toy and cast the Qi-Viewing Technique.
“It is in the direction of Dingshan County.”
