At the foot of a mountain between Dingxian and Tonglin Counties, more than ten miles from the official road, stood an overgrown, long-abandoned estate. When Lu Zheng arrived with the two ghosts, he noticed a faint yin energy lingering in the air.
In the estate, three ghostly shadows hovered in mid-air.
“More ghosts?” Lu Zheng asked.
“No, there shouldn’t be. The Black Wheel King only brought us two trusted subordinates from the Netherworld!” Zhan Yue said, bewildered.
Duan Jiang’s expression shifted. “I sensed this yin energy from a hundred miles away. It seems to attract ghosts. Perhaps that’s why these three are here?”
The next moment, perhaps disturbed by the trio’s arrival, the three ghosts moved, swiftly fleeing in the opposite direction. Lu Zheng frowned but didn’t pursue.
“Does this yin energy not usually attract ghosts?” he asked.
“No! Normally, it’s not noticeable. I don’t know why it’s revealed today. Could it be that the Black Wheel King’s death broke the seal on this yin energy?” Duan Jiang sounded puzzled.
As subordinates, they weren’t privy to the Black Wheel King’s arrangements.
“Let’s go check it out,” Lu Zheng said, leading the two ghosts into the estate.
The moment they entered, Duan Jiang and Zhan Yue’s expressions changed.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Zheng asked.
Exchanging a glance, Duan Jiang said with difficulty, “This yin energy carries a mental curse seal with fragments of the Yang-Refining Yin-Returning technique.”
“What?” Lu Zheng was startled, having sensed nothing.
“Master, you’re not a ghost and don’t absorb yin energy, so you can’t sense it. But ghosts can,” Zhan Yue explained.
Lu Zheng: “…”
So, this was what the Black Wheel King meant by turning Yizhou Prefecture upside down?
At that moment, two more ghostly shadows rushed in from different directions. Lu Zheng’s brows furrowed. “How do we erase this mental curse seal?”
Duan Jiang immediately replied, “Just dissipate all this yin energy.”
Lu Zheng nodded, forming a hand seal. “By the Supreme Command, Gather Qi and Summon Clouds, Now!”
Instantly, boundless white clouds materialized, converging on the abandoned estate, threading through every corner, grinding away the yin energy.
“Squeak!” A ghost that had just entered the yin energy’s range let out a shriek, transforming into a soft white silk ribbon, wrapping toward Lu Zheng.
“I hadn’t decided whether to deal with you, and you come for me first?” Lu Zheng blinked, then grinned. “Who gave you the nerve?”
“By the Supreme Command, Expel Evil, Now!”
“Squeak!” The ghost shifted, becoming a pitiful young woman in a sheer white gauze dress, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, eyes soft as water, lips parting slightly.
“Why so hasty, my lord? Let me comprehend the technique in this yin energy first, alright? Then I’ll serve you well, ensuring you feel like you’re in paradise.”
This female ghost’s cultivation was not weak, on par with Duan Jiang and Zhan Yue, no wonder she dared to attack Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng chuckled, then turned to the other ghost, a child-like figure barely three feet tall, wearing a red bellyband, a single braid pointing skyward. But this ghost child’s eyes bled, and his face and body were cracked, like a porcelain doll about to shatter.
“Don’t look at me! You’re too strong, uncle. I don’t dare fight you. I’m leaving!” the ghost child said.
Lu Zheng’s gaze hardened, watching the ghost child eagerly absorb the yin energy, memorizing the Yang-Refining Yin-Returning technique. Coldly, he said, “Since you want to learn this technique, you think you can leave?”
Ghosts didn’t always need human yang energy for cultivation. To them, it was like a snack, providing comfort and slightly aiding yin energy refinement, but it couldn’t cause a qualitative leap. Their true power came from yin, ghost, or nether energy. If yang energy were truly potent, ancient ghosts would have long rushed out from the Netherworld’s depths.
This Yang-Refining Yin-Returning technique, however, could genuinely boost a ghost’s cultivation with yang energy. For Netherworld ghosts, it might be a minor gain, but for ghosts in the mortal realm, it was priceless. Even fragmented, it was enough to tempt them to attack humans.
What a vicious scheme by the Black Wheel King!
These two ghosts had just arrived, and who knew how many had come before?
Lu Zheng shook his head. The Yizhou Anomaly Suppression Bureau would have its hands full.
“You two, take down that child. This female ghost is mine!”
Duan Jiang and Zhan Yue exchanged a glance, winked in sync, and charged at the ghost child.
Lu Zheng smirked, facing the female ghost.
“My lord, you wouldn’t really harm me, would you?” The female ghost’s voice was frail, raising her sleeve to partially cover her face. “I’m just a poor, lonely spirit, soon to dissipate. I’ve finally found a chance to advance. Can you bear to watch me die so helplessly?”
“But you’re already dead,” Lu Zheng shrugged, forming a hand seal.
“By the Supreme Command, Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking, Now!”
The female ghost’s form wavered, her flowing sleeves sweeping through the air, invisible ghost energy surging, easily dispelling Lu Zheng’s curse.
The next moment, she floated mid-air, barefoot, sleeves dancing, her body twirling seductively. Illusions flashed before Lu Zheng’s eyes, and visibly, his movements slowed, the seal in his hand faltering, even dissipating.
A mocking smile crossed the female ghost’s lips. Ignoring the three ghosts fighting nearby, she danced, enchanting Lu Zheng while absorbing the surrounding yin energy.
But after three breaths, she saw Lu Zheng, eyes glazed, grinning foolishly, slowly approaching.
Such a weak mind—truly a pampered nobleman.
“Why so eager, my lord? Wait a moment, and I’ll satisfy you,” the female ghost cooed, her voice soft and seductive. “Then, you’ll be the first to offer your yang energy for my cultivation. I’ll ensure you die painlessly, hehe!”
“Hey! Hurry up and deal with that guy to help me, or I’m leaving!” the ghost child shouted, struggling against Duan Jiang and Zhan Yue’s combined assault.
“Little brat, what’s the rush? Once I take this lustful…” the female ghost began.
“By the Supreme Primordial, Three Pure Ones’ Command, Bind!”
“Ah!?”
The female ghost froze, her ghostly body suddenly uncontrollable, plummeting from mid-air.
“By the Supreme Command, True Cloud Demon-Slaying, Break!”
“Ah!!!”
