Chasing out the window, though the qi-tracking talisman faintly guided him, Lu Zheng looked to the rooftop and saw nothing.
“Hm?”
Lu Zheng paused, then channeled true qi to his eyes, feeling a clarity wash over them. He spotted the ghost child drifting lightly onto the roof, carried away by the night breeze.
“This ghost can cloak itself, invisible to ordinary eyes.”
Realization dawned on Lu Zheng, and he leapt onto the roof, following from a distance.
Yesterday and today, the ghost child appeared twice, each time revealing itself briefly before retreating. Strangely, the peace talisman on Lu Zheng didn’t react.
Was it truly harmless, or was its cultivation too high to detect?
Though the ghost child’s aura was clearly weaker than the green-robed ghost’s, it retreated prematurely both times Lu Zheng was prepared.
This sparked suspicion, was it really leaving, or had it sensed his intentions and withdrawn early?
If the latter, its strength couldn’t be judged by aura alone.
Despite his unease, Lu Zheng cast a spell, using the qi-tracking talisman to lock onto the ghost’s aura, following closely.
If a battle erupted in the city, a public location would avoid damaging his home and draw the City God Temple’s attention faster.
But…
This time, the ghost child didn’t head north, but turned south.
“Hm, changing direction, what’s going on?”
Moments later, Lu Zheng trailed the ghost child, keeping a careful distance, and it seemed unaware of him.
This didn’t feel like the behavior of a high-level cultivator.
The pursuit grew stranger. After weaving through several southern alleys, the man and ghost passed through South Street, then entered the west…
“West… no way?”
Lu Zheng’s face twitched as he saw the ghost child silently float into a third-floor window of a building by the street.
Approaching the building from across the road, Lu Zheng peered by lantern light and spotted a flagpole at the entrance.
Tonglai Inn!
“Bloody hell…”
Lu Zheng rolled his eyes, smacking his forehead.
Recalling the priest’s words, the timing of the ghost child’s appearances, and its aura.
“So I’m just a fool, then!”
“But if you’re heading to the west, why take a detour? Making me paranoid all day! Utterly shameless!”
Lu Zheng took a deep breath, then leapt across the street, landing lightly in front of Tonglai Inn.
Moving like a cat, he scaled the wall, reaching the window in question.
Sensing the aura-concealing talisman still had enough energy, Lu Zheng licked his finger, pressed it to the window’s lower-left corner, and silently opened a small hole.
The next moment, his qi-tracking talisman quivered, losing its connection to the ghost child’s aura.
Lu Zheng’s brow rose, peering inside.
In the room, a lone oil lamp sat on the table, its dim yellow light casting the old priest’s face in an even grimmer hue.
The priest was wiping a brass bell, and under Lu Zheng’s senses, the ghostly aura on the bell was rapidly fading, fully retracting after a few breaths, undetectable.
“A magical artifact?”
This priest had a ghost-taming artifact.
This suggested he might possess methods for crafting artifacts and controlling ghosts.
So…
Though he’d been played, the potential reward wasn’t bad.
Lu Zheng nodded, a smirk forming, “Reverend, I was wondering how to approach you, and you’ve made it quite tricky…”
With the priest’s intimidating appearance and aura dispelled, and only able to tame such a weak ghost while using it to scare Lu Zheng into seeking him out…
Even if he had some qi-refining skills, he likely wasn’t too powerful. Given his Taoist true qi cultivation, he probably couldn’t withstand Lu Zheng’s martial blood qi.
“Want me to come to you? Fine, I’ll come.”
…
Lu Zheng didn’t barge through the window.
Tonglai Inn was crowded, in a bustling part of the west city, one misstep could cause a scene, better to handle it at home.
For the sake of his prize, Lu Zheng didn’t want to make a fuss.
…
The next day, Lu Zheng told Liu Qingyan he had business and paused his studies, then headed straight to Tonglai Inn.
Upon entering, he saw the old priest sitting in the lobby, leisurely sipping porridge.
Swallowing hard, Lu Zheng feigned nervousness, waved off the waiter, and sat beside the priest, head lowered, whispering urgently, “Reverend, save me!”
Almost imperceptibly, the priest’s eyes flicked up, though his voice remained low, hoarse, and calm, “What, you saw it?”
“I saw it, I saw it! A pale-faced ghost child, eyes all white, mouth grinning to its ears, terrifying!” Lu Zheng said, trembling, “Why would such a ghost target me?”
“Who knows, maybe it brushed past you and took a liking,” the priest said coolly.
Tch, still holding a grudge.
“I was wrong, blind to your expertise, please save me, Reverend!”
Seeing the priest about to play hard-to-get, Lu Zheng’s eyes darted, continuing, “If you don’t act, that ghost might take my life tonight!
It’s so terrifying, I doubt even the Taoists at Baiyun Temple in the east could handle it. Please, save me!”
The priest’s chopsticks paused mid-air, then he calmly picked up some pickled vegetables, took a sip of porridge.
“Fine, since you admit your mistake and are so sincere, I’ll go with you to see if I can subdue this ghost.”
“Great, great! I have a spare room at home for you to stay in!”
…
Thus, the priest checked out, carrying a small bundle, and followed Lu Zheng to his home in Tongyi Lane.
Forewarned by Lu Zheng, Uncle Li and Aunt Liu didn’t let slip anything they shouldn’t, only hosting the priest warmly.
Lu Zheng respectfully led the priest to the backyard, asking eagerly, “How will you subdue the ghost, Reverend?”
The priest paced the yard, forming hand seals and muttering incantations.
A moment later.
“This ghost is formidable, but no match for me. When it comes tonight, I’ll deal with it.”
“You’re incredible, Reverend!”
“But there’s something to clarify first.”
“Please, speak!”
“This ghost is strong. To subdue it, I’ll need to use my purple-gold bell, expending its refined gold qi,” the priest said, staring at Lu Zheng, “You’ll need to compensate me for that qi.”
“No problem, how do I compensate?”
“Refined gold qi is extracted from gold. This strand requires three taels of gold.”
“Wait a moment, Reverend!”
Soon, Lu Zheng returned with thirty guan of banknotes, handing them personally to the priest.
The priest deftly pocketed the notes.
Their eyes met…
Lu Zheng wore a fawning, expectant look, while the priest stroked his beard calmly, exuding authority.
