“Young Master Lu!”
Du Huanzhen called out in delighted surprise, and then saw Lu Zheng and Shen Ying reveal their figures, standing in one corner of the mountain god temple.
The female ghost also spotted the pair appearing. Her pupils contracted sharply, and in the next instant her form wrapped itself in black smoke as she fled straight toward the rear of the temple.
But the moment she turned, she saw wisps of pink mist drifting in the corridor that led backward. Though it looked harmless to humans and livestock, she could sense the razor-sharp killing intent hidden within.
Something far beyond anything she could withstand.
An expert.
A true master.
No escape.
At this realisation, the female ghost’s face turned deathly pale. In her heart she cursed her colleagues a thousand times over, yet she could only turn back and surrender.
“My lords, please hear my plea. This humble woman was merely a wandering ghost in the Netherworld Realm, forcibly abducted by the Holy Infant Gre… by that ghost-headed infant to serve him. He placed a curse imprint upon me. I acted only under compulsion. I beg my lords to spare my life!”
You Che remained coldly silent. Lu Zheng and Shen Ying merely smiled without speaking. Only Du Huanzhen matched her performance. “Rest easy. Come with us back to the Zhen Yi Si. If you help us slay that ghost-headed infant, a mere curse imprint is nothing that could trouble us.”
Lu Zheng and Shen Ying exchanged a smile.
Whether the female ghost spoke truth or lies, her earlier utter disregard for those children’s lives showed clearly that she scorned the lives of yang-world beings.
The female ghost surrendered. You Che sealed her mana.
Only then did Lu Zheng speak to Du Huanzhen. “The Zhen Yi Si has discovered these child abductions? When my senior brother passed through Yuhe County yesterday, the county yamen there had not yet realised ghostly creatures were involved and had not reported it.”
Du Huanzhen replied, “It was not reported by Yuhe County, but by Pingtan County.”
“Pingtan County? Master Guangyue?”
Du Huanzhen shook her head, then nodded.
“It was Duan Changzai. We do not sit idle in Yizhou Prefecture all day. He happened to be patrolling Pingtan County and encountered an old ghost. With Master Guangyue’s help, he captured it and learned of the matter.”
“I see.” Lu Zheng understood.
Judging from this female ghost and the one in Yuhe County, their cultivation was far from weak. Guangyue alone might not have been able to subdue them.
Of course, this “far from weak” was only relative to ordinary heterodox practitioners.
“By the way, what exactly is the background of this ghost-headed infant, to act so brazenly?” Lu Zheng asked.
“The ghost-headed infant is an old ghost from the Netherworld Realm, self-styled as the Myriad Transformations Holy Infant,” Du Huanzhen said.
“A hundred years ago he ravaged the yang world, intending to slaughter myriad infants and cultivate some Myriad Infant Holy Realm. He was gravely wounded and fled back to the Netherworld. Who would have thought that after only a century he would re-emerge, plotting some Thousand Children Grand Banquet!”
Lu Zheng drew a sharp breath. “So brazen, and yet he did not die?”
Could he be a top-tier powerhouse?
Du Huanzhen shook her head. “Details are unclear. He was only gravely wounded. We assumed other ghost kings would finish him off, yet he vanished for a century and now returns.”
Lu Zheng nodded. Setting other matters aside, techniques like soul division meant that as long as those ancient Netherworld ghosts truly wished to hide, ordinary pursuers, unless top experts, could do little against them.
Overhearing the conversation, Lady Lian, desperate to save her own life, hurriedly interjected. “That ghost-headed infant belongs to the Xuanyin Mountain lineage. Once I saw the Holy Inf… no, that ghost-headed infant speaking with a white-clothed female ghost and mentioning the matter.”
“Xuanyin Mountain!”
Lu Zheng and Shen Ying exchanged a glance. Unexpectedly, another ghost linked to Xuanyin Mountain had appeared.
“Xuanyin Mountain?”
Du Huanzhen and You Che exchanged looks, clearly unfamiliar with the name.
After all, Lord Xuanyin had dwelt long in the Netherworld, and it was from ages past. Ordinary yang-world heterodox practitioners had naturally never heard of him.
“Young Master Lu knows of Xuanyin Mountain?” Du Huanzhen could not help asking.
Lu Zheng nodded. “Long ago in the Netherworld Realm there was Lord Xuanyin, immensely powerful. Later he ascended to the upper realms. Those servants and maids who learned a move or two from him claimed discipleship and formed the Xuanyin Mountain lineage.”
Du Huanzhen and You Che’s pupils contracted sharply.
They ignored everything else, hearing only “ascended to the upper realms” and grasping Lord Xuanyin’s might.
“Disciples of Lord Xuanyin?”
“Not true disciples,” Lu Zheng said. “It is said Lord Xuanyin never took disciples in his lifetime. Those serving on Xuanyin Mountain were merely ghost servants and attendants, the final batch before his ascension, who received some of his techniques.”
You Che and Du Huanzhen relaxed. “Good that there is no true transmission.”
One could imagine how troublesome a genuine disciple of such a pinnacle figure would be.
Yet reflecting that a century ago a mere ghost servant of Lord Xuanyin dared proclaim himself Myriad Transformations Holy Infant, dared ravage the yang world, and survived… Even ordinary inheritance from Lord Xuanyin was clearly formidable.
“So he belongs to the Xuanyin Mountain lineage, with other ghost servants aiding one another, allowing him to endure the century despite grave wounds?” Du Huanzhen murmured.
“Possibly,” Lu Zheng nodded.
“Luckily Young Master Lu assisted. Otherwise, even if we captured her, those six children’s lives might not have been preserved,” Du Huanzhen said.
“No need for thanks,” Lu Zheng smiled. “I only took notice after my senior brother and I encountered the Yuhe County affair and came here. I did not expect organised crime.”
Shen Ying asked, “The ghost-headed infant dispatched ten subordinates. How many have been captured?”
“Including Yuhe County, only these three in Yizhou Prefecture,” Du Huanzhen said. “But Lord Chu has already reported to the Lingbei Dao Zhen Yi Si. They are searching everywhere. Those ghosts cannot hide for long.”
“Why three in Yizhou Prefecture alone?” Shen Ying frowned. “Is the ghost-headed infant’s territory in the Netherworld close to Yizhou?”
You Che nodded. “When the ghost-headed infant last appeared, it was in Lingbei Dao.”
“Fair enough.” Lu Zheng nodded. Presumably the exit nearest the ghost-headed infant’s Netherworld domain lay closest to a yin-yang path near Lingbei Dao.
“If you need assistance, come find me,” Lu Zheng said.
“Good!” Du Huanzhen nodded with a smile. “Though in this century the ghost-headed infant has raised no truly powerful subordinates. We should manage.”
The four chatted briefly. You Che casually slew the two lesser ghosts, then he and Du Huanzhen took the female ghost and the eight children away.
Shen Ying looked at Lu Zheng. “Do we have anything to do?”
She knew the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror was in truth the Xuanyin Divine Mirror. If the ghost-headed infant learned of it, he would surely come calling.
“Nothing,” Lu Zheng shook his head with a smile. “Since he has drawn the Zhen Yi Si’s attention, it is no longer our affair.”
Shen Ying raised an eyebrow, only to hear Lu Zheng continue. “But we can keep watch. If this ghost-headed infant dares enter the yang world again, we must ensure he cannot retreat to the Netherworld and survive another century.”
Shen Ying smiled lightly and nodded. This was the real Lu Zheng.
