After making Shen Ying cry half the night, Lu Zheng dressed and left around the hour of Chou, planning to return to the city overnight.
Due to the old Taoist and Lin Wan’s birthday, he hadn’t studied medicine for days. He aimed to cram common herbs and medical techniques in the coming days, then boost them with fortune’s light.
Since he usually went to Benevolent Heart Hall with Liu Qingyan in the morning, he had to hurry back overnight.
Leaving Peach Blossom Villa, he wasn’t rushed, so he didn’t use a divine travel talisman, merely moving swiftly with the wind under his feet.
But…
As he distanced himself from Peach Blossom Villa, just two or three li from the county, a cold breeze swept over him.
Suddenly, Lu Zheng’s vision blurred.
When he opened his eyes, the road and surrounding woods looked the same, yet a faint, grey mist veiled his sight.
Something’s wrong!
Lu Zheng halted abruptly.
Sensing carefully, a faint yin qi lingered in the air.
A ghost!
“Jie jie, no wonder you’re a martial artist, so perceptive to notice,” a shrill voice echoed around, hollow and elusive, its source untraceable.
“Who are you? What ghost?” Lu Zheng asked sternly.
“Jie jie, didn’t your ghost lover tell you?”
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered.
“As expected, that peach ghost is only on par with General Yan. It’s because of you meddling that General Yan fell at Peach Blossom Villa!”
The ghost’s cold voice clearly observed Lu Zheng closely, noting the subtle shift in his expression.
“You’re one of Yan Jie’s subordinates?”
“I’m the commander of the Night Patrol Camp under King Yelan, directly serving His Majesty, not General Yan,” the ghost sneered shrilly, “That arrogant fool, what right does he have to command me?”
“Then why block my path?”
“Jie jie, since you’re about to become my blood meal, I’ll kindly enlighten you.”
Lu Zheng’s face remained blank, but he smirked inwardly. He sensed wisps of yin qi seeping into his body.
The ghost was clearly stalling, trying to weaken him.
Yet, as the yin qi entered, Lu Zheng circulated his true qi, grinding it to nothing and silently dispersing it into the earth, unaffected.
“Well, I’m grateful,” Lu Zheng said coolly.
“His Majesty recently held a drill and noticed General Yan’s absence. After investigating, he learned Yan hadn’t returned for days, so he sent me to check Peach Blossom Villa,” the ghost said, “Honestly, I drew the short straw, risking my neck. But catching you sneaking out at midnight, heh, now it’s your bad luck. Once I drain your yang qi, I’ll advance further.”
“Don’t ghosts from the Netherworld need permission to enter the mortal realm?”
“I have a treasure from His Majesty, no need for the yin-yang path. The Yin Division can barely guard that road. I can slip in and out within five li of it, and they’re none the wiser.”
Lu Zheng’s eyes gleamed, pressing further, “Now that Yan Jie’s dead, what’s King Yelan planning?”
“Pah! How would I know?”
The ghost sneered, “Enough, I’ve been kind, letting you die informed. Dawn’s nearing, time for your end. If you’ve got a grudge in the underworld, settle it with that peach ghost who dragged you into this.”
Suddenly, Lu Zheng felt a surge of yin qi flood into his body, aiming to snuff out his vitality.
“Open!”
Lu Zheng roared, his blood qi surging, expelling the yin qi.
“Jie jie, useless! Martial blood qi can’t counter ghost qi at night. No matter how strong your blood is, can it outmatch the yin qi I draw from my Phantom Ghost Path?”
“Give up, hand over your yang qi, and I’ll spare your soul from torment.”
“Really?”
Knowing he’d get no more from the ghost, Lu Zheng reached into his robe and pulled out a stack of exorcism talismans.
“What!” the ghost shrieked.
“By the Supreme’s decree, banish evil and demons, now!”
Several azure lights flashed, and the yin qi around Lu Zheng rapidly dissipated.
His vision cleared, the misty veil gone.
He immediately spotted the ghost standing nearby.
Clad in grey robes and black armour, with a pale face, slanted eyes, and a hooked nose, it was casting a spell.
But now, its face showed shock and utter disbelief.
Its spell broken, azure light pierced its body, making it tremble, its pallor worsening.
“You’re a Taoist!”
Exorcism talismans, activated by Lu Zheng’s true qi, were unmistakable.
“Lay practitioner of White Cloud Temple, please enlighten me!”
Lu Zheng nodded, smiling gently at the Night Patrol Camp commander, then lunged forward.
One hand clenched into a fist, like a mountain collapsing, blood qi surging.
The other held a talisman, true qi igniting it, azure light gleaming.
“You’re a Taoist, and you’re allied with that peach ghost!”
The ghost screamed, turning to flee.
Ghosts, light and able to float, were usually too fast for most Taoists to catch.
Unfortunately, Lu Zheng wasn’t just a Taoist.
He slapped a divine travel talisman on himself, blood qi surging in his legs.
Capable of moving with a mountain on his back, Lu Zheng’s speed was formidable. With the talisman’s boost, he caught the ghost in two strides.
“What!”
The ghost yelped as an exorcism talisman’s azure light shot into its body from below.
“Ah!”
Far weaker than Yan Jie, one talisman gravely wounded it.
Lu Zheng shook his head, unrelenting, firing two more talismans.
The ghost, panicked, pulled out a jade pendant to shield itself.
“Buzz!”
A dense nether qi erupted, blocking both azure lights.
Lu Zheng didn’t care, darting side to side, his speed matching the ghost’s.
While most Taoists struggled to hit ghosts with talismans, Lu Zheng’s aim was flawless, forcing the ghost to block.
“Buzz!”
Five talismans struck simultaneously.
The ghost blocked three, but two pierced its body.
“Ah! Ah! Ah!”
Screaming, its grip faltered, and the jade pendant fell.
Lu Zheng closed in, slapping another talisman onto its chest.
“Pfft!”
The ghost’s form exploded into black smoke, vanishing.
Far weaker than Yan Jie, who left a ghost pearl, this one dropped nothing.
Well, not nothing—a jade pendant brimming with nether qi, likely the treasure from King Yelan.
“Buzz!”
Six strands of fortune’s light gained.
Nice!
…
Lu Zheng stopped, picked up the jade pendant, and looked up to see another figure standing nearby.
“Hm?” Lu Zheng’s eyes narrowed, “Another one?”
