Chapter 10

Zhang Wenfeng activated his martial arts and lightness skills, which were more agile and convenient than usual, moving like a wisp of smoke, leaving almost no footprints on the muddy ground. With the two spots of cinnabar ink on the ghost, he was not worried about losing the trail from a distance.

Chasing through the low hills and onto the main road, he pursued all the way to the small town of He Xi, about five miles away.

Suddenly, the black mist in the air accelerated, pouncing on a figure staggering down a field path.

"Ah..."

The person, whose spell had failed and suffered a backlash, was bleeding from the nose and mouth, already weakened and slow to react. Holding a yellow paper talisman in his hand, he had no time to chant the spell to activate it, unable to endure the pain of the ghost tearing at his soul, he cried out intermittently:

"...Brother Wenfeng, spare... spare my life..."

He didn't know where he had gone wrong, causing the ghost to turn on him, making the situation uncontrollable.

Relying on himself was out of the question; the pain was so intense that he couldn't even complete the incantation.

He could only seek help from the approaching shadow, guessing who was chasing him. It was like grabbing a straw after falling into the water; only the person approaching could save him.

Zhang Wenfeng stepped forward from the darkness, a cold smile on his lips as he recognized the true face of the culprit.

He thought it was someone else causing trouble, but it turned out to be his fifth senior brother, Lu Jinzhong, who had been dismissed by their master half a year before his passing.

Looking down at the pitiful figure rolling in the field, Zhang Wenfeng asked coldly, "Who is behind this? Tell me, and I will save your life."

For him, saving the person was easy; he had several methods to exorcise the ghost.

Of course, he was just bluffing to get the truth out of the other party.

He wanted to know why Lu Jinzhong used such evil and dark magic to harm him. The Daoist techniques taught at the Immortal Spirit Temple did not include such harmful spells. Was it to seize the position of the temple's abbot?

Or was he acting on someone else's orders? Or was there another reason?

He was methodical in his actions, wanting to understand the full story before making any decisions or taking precautions.

He was determined to see the culprit who caused his master's death with his own eyes.

The figure, contorted in pain, screamed, "No one... it was me... I was possessed by evil thoughts."

Zhang Wenfeng's face was expressionless, his eyes cold, "Time is running out. You can choose not to tell the truth; I don't care. The taste of a ghost devouring your soul, you can savor it slowly."

The man had scratched his face and neck until they were bloody and raw, some places exposing bone. Unable to expel the ghost, he panicked when he saw his usually gentle and easy-going junior brother showing such cold-heartedness, truly intending to let him die.

If he didn't speak, he would die immediately. He couldn't last much longer, so he shouted:

"It was Shengzi... ah... ah..."

Even if he spoke, he might still die, but at least there was a slim chance of survival. He had to stay alive and find a way to escape.

Before he could finish, a black mist suddenly emerged from Lu Jinzhong's night robe pocket, transforming into a ghost that pounced on him, tearing at his neck to prevent him from continuing. The ghost's bite caused Lu Jinzhong to scream in a distorted voice.

Zhang Wenfeng was surprised and retreated several feet, having successfully bluffed out some unexpected information.

This treacherous villain had colluded with outsiders, daring to plot against him and the Immortal Spirit Temple. Among the four senior brothers and sisters who had been dismissed by their master earlier, none were surnamed Sheng, so they were basically cleared of direct suspicion.

He raised his bronze octagonal mirror, quickly chanting an incantation, and shouted, "Go!"

The mirror, freshly painted with cinnabar ink, emitted a faint red light, shining on the fierce ghost.

"Poof," the vicious ghost emitted a foul-smelling mist, losing half of its cold energy to the spell cast by the bronze octagonal mirror. Enraged, the ghost abandoned the nearly dead Lu Jinzhong and lunged at Zhang Wenfeng, who was retreating, the cold air piercing.

Suddenly, the direction of He Xi town was filled with the barking of dogs.

The dogs in the town joined in, breaking the peaceful night.

Zhang Wenfeng took quick, agile steps, not moving in a straight line, swiftly dodging left and right, leading the ghost in a curved path.

Even with his Qi Transformation realm cultivation, having entered the ranks of cultivators, he remained cautious and did not dare to let the ghost get close.

He quickly finished the incantation and used the bronze mirror again, this time using a bit more primordial qi.

His magical power was limited, so he had to use it sparingly.

He needed to reserve some power to guard against any hidden accomplices of Lu Jinzhong.

The red light from the mirror formed a thin, unintelligent human-like shadow, which the ghost, with its sharp teeth and claws, could not avoid. It let out a faint wail and dissipated into the night sky, the bone-chilling cold quickly dispersing.

Zhang Wenfeng rushed to the rolling Lu Jinzhong, but it was too late. He saw Lu Jinzhong using his hands to strangle his own neck, his pupils dilated, his face turning blue and purple as he took his last breath. The ghost that had backfired on him had perished with him.

He shook his head slightly, self-inflicted suffering cannot be avoided.

He regretted not being able to extract all the information about the hidden villain.

Picking up the unactivated yellow paper talisman from the mud, he examined it. It was a ghost-exorcising talisman drawn by the Immortal Spirit Temple.

This guy was clearly prepared, guarding against the possibility of a spell failure and a ghost backlash, but he didn't have time to use it.

Putting the yellow paper talisman in his sleeve, Zhang Wenfeng heard the dogs in the town still barking. The awakened townspeople were scolding the dogs, so he pinched his throat and used his voice to scream, "Murder! Help!"

He was worried that after he left, the hidden villain would take the body and destroy the evidence.

He couldn't stay there, nor did he want to take the body to the temple, fearing that the hidden villain would create a misunderstanding, causing unnecessary trouble. So he decided to make a bigger scene.

He alarmed the town's security officer, the Youxi, to take the body and report the murder to the city.

The dogs in the town, hearing the provocative scream from the field, barked fiercely again.

After a while, people holding torches finally came searching in the dark field, leading a hunting dog. Zhang Wenfeng carefully observed that the five people were armed, their weapons gleaming in the torchlight, wearing the uniform of the Youxi, muttering to themselves to boost their courage.

A few awakened loafers and ruffians were also there, holding short sticks to join in the commotion.

When those people got closer, Zhang Wenfeng deliberately made some noise, causing the hunting dog to bark fiercely, pulling on its leash.

He drifted away to the south, ignoring the shouts of the Youxi. The dark night without a moon made the Youxi hesitant to chase, and they couldn't catch up anyway.

For now, he let the Youxi guard the body to prevent it from falling into the hands of the villain. It was almost the fifth watch, and dawn was not far off.

After arranging for someone to guard the temple in the morning, he needed to go to the city.

This matter would not end here. Whether it was him or the hidden villain, they had already become mortal enemies. He might as well take the initiative to find the person named "Shengzi."

He needed to use external forces to catch the villain.

...