Chapter 131: Chapter 130: Bringing Yunyang to Slay Ghosts

After the argument, things went back to normal.

The elderly are just like children, after all.

After teaching them the Golden Light Divine Curse, Taoist Ming Yu went ahead and taught them the other seven Divine Curses as well.

The other Divine Curses were all quite powerful. As for the Incense Blessing Divine Curse...

In the future, they could give it a try now and then. If they managed to make contact, they’d be completely free of future worries.

Having discovered the great utility of the Power of Incense and Candlelight, Daluo Palace adjusted its strategy. In addition to the Spirit Official Hall, the Four Imperial Lords Hall, God of Wealth Hall, and Wenchang Hall were opened one after another, allowing people to offer incense and worship the deities.

At the same time, Zhuo Qingyan and Taoist Ming Yu began to use the power of the incense. The former used it to solidify her Divine Soul, condense her Ghost Body, and increase her Divinity, while the latter used it to refine Celestial Warriors.

Furthermore, Taoist Ming Yu made the Zhengyi Daoist Canon he had brought with him publicly available. In addition to the Celestial Master’s Mansion’s own techniques for summoning gods and commanding generals, it also included Thunder Skill Books absorbed from the Shenxiao Sect.

"Because I needed to draw the Five Thunders Talisman, I once found some time to study the Shenxiao Taiji Thunder Concealment Book. It also contains a Five Thunders Technique. You should take a look when you have a moment, so we can compare notes. If there’s anything you don’t understand, come and ask me. We can go over it together."

Taoist Ming Yu said to Gu Zhao, "With the empowerment of the Five Thunders Order, any Thunder Technique you cast is inherently more powerful than ours. You’re perfectly suited for cultivating all kinds of Thunder Techniques. Feel free to read any of the scriptures from the Celestial Master’s Mansion."

Gu Zhao naturally agreed, planning to go take a look and see if he could enhance the power of his own Thunder Techniques.

...

「A few days later」

A horse-drawn carriage appeared on the main road to Xiuyue County.

After a few autumn showers, the rammed-earth road had become pitted and uneven. But a careful observer would have noticed that while the carriage wheels jolted up and down, the carriage body itself remained remarkably stable, vibrating very little.

"Sir, Shuangfeng Mountain in the western suburbs of the county is just ahead."

Li Erping, the driver, said, looking back over his shoulder.

The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing the four people inside.

Gu Zhao, Zhuo Qingyan, the Silk Embroideress, and a slightly uncomfortable-looking Yunyang.

"Is that where the Ghost House is?" Yunyang asked.

Gu Zhao nodded. "Back then, one of Qingyan’s neighbors mentioned this Ghost House. Later, when Martial Uncle Yan Song came to Xiuyue County to eradicate evil, he also came to Shuangfeng Mountain to look for it, but he couldn’t find it. We’re here to try our luck."

The group had spent a few days in Cultivation at Daluo Palace, and now it was time to get down to business.

Previously, Gu Zhao had brought Taoist Yan Song and the Silk Embroideress to Xiuyue County for the purpose of Eradicating Evil and Accumulating Merit. They had unexpectedly encountered Zhuo Qingyan and heard from her elderly neighbor about a Ghost House in the county’s Western Suburbs that was claiming lives.

However, because they had accidentally killed Consort Yu of the Golden Wind Sect, they hadn’t dared to linger in Xiuyue County and had left quickly.

Later, as their Cultivation levels increased, Taoist Yan Song returned and finished off the Mouse Demon that had been plaguing the county. He had intended to destroy the Ghost House while he was at it, but he couldn’t find it despite searching the Western Suburbs for half the day.

However, he did glean more information from travelers on the road.

"They say a wealthy gentleman was traveling with his entourage, and there was a Mage among them," the Silk Embroideress recounted. "As they were nearing Xiuyue County, the sky suddenly grew dark, obscuring the road. Then, by the roadside, they saw a manor with lanterns hanging at its gate."

"The gentleman wanted to ask for a place to stay the night, but the Mage in his party could tell the manor was haunted. He cast a spell to disperse the Yin Qi and led the group to Xiuyue County by traveling through the night. But this is also how the news got out that the Ghost House was located at the foot of Shuangfeng Mountain in the Western Suburbs."

Gu Zhao, sipping his tea inside the carriage while gently fanning himself with a folding fan, said casually, "This Ghost House is your training ground. Be careful not to screw it up."

Yunyang gently caressed the longsword in his hand. Inside, he was a bundle of nerves and excitement, but his face remained placid. "After I destroy this Ghost House, I’ll head north to Chongguang County."

In truth, Yunyang was under a great deal of pressure. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Taoist Yan Song, Taoist Yi Hong, and Taoist Ming Yu were all veteran Daoists with many years of Cultivation. They arrived with profound Dao Practice and Magical Power, possessed steady minds and a wealth of experience. Each of them could stand on his own.

’But me? I’m only here because I met Gu Zhao early on and later introduced him to Taoist Ming Yu. I just got lucky enough to be brought along. To put it bluntly, I’m just the guy who got in on connections.’

But of course, Yunyang had no desire to be the token "connections guy"!

He was a disciple of the West Capital Eight Immortals Palace, a Quanzhen Dragon Gate Ten Directions Forest. He had developed his Inner Breath True Qi before the age of thirty. In ancient times, he would have been considered a genius of the Taoist Sect. He thought of figures like Li Chunfeng, Sun Simiao, and Wang Chongyang, and the more he dwelled on them, the brighter his eyes shone.

Just then, Li Erping, the driver, suddenly called out, "Sir, a fog is rolling in."

The Silk Embroideress lifted the carriage curtain. "It’s autumn, but it shouldn’t be getting dark this early. Besides, it only rained this morning; the weather was fine just a little while ago this afternoon."

Zhuo Qingyan added faintly, "There’s Yin Qi."

Bai Ke leaped onto the Silk Embroideress’s shoulder and pointed ahead with a paw. "There’s a light in the fog. That Ghost has targeted us."

Gu Zhao sat up straight, a smile spreading across his face. "Well, aren’t we honored."

The group held their breath and concealed their auras, remaining inside the carriage as it pressed on. With a veteran local hunter as their driver, they looked for all the world like an ordinary carriage rushing to Xiuyue County to find a place to stay for the night.

Just as they’d anticipated, a fog began to rise around them, and a Ghost House suddenly materialized in the woods.

They could all see it clearly: the Ghost House was just off the main road. If they took the side path, they could reach the estate in just a hundred or two hundred meters.

"Let’s go have a look," Gu Zhao instructed.

Showing no fear, Li Erping turned the carriage, cracked his whip, and guided the horse onto the side path. They soon arrived at the entrance of the Ghost House.

The Ghost House was quite large, with black-tiled roofs and white walls. Two red lanterns hung by the gate, the faint sounds of music drifted from inside, and smoke curled up from the backyard. It looked surprisingly warm and lived-in.

"Well now. If I didn’t know for a fact there was no estate here, I might have actually been convinced." Gu Zhao looked at Bai Ke. "This opponent is the one who’s actually skilled in Illusion Techniques."

Bai Ke scurried into the cloth bag on the Silk Embroideress’s back. "You all be careful. Don’t eat anything the master of this house gives you."

"We’re not idiots," Gu Zhao said, stepping out of the carriage. The Silk Embroideress then walked quickly to the estate’s gate and called out, "Is anyone home?"

"Coming!"

A sweet, alluring voice called back. The estate’s main gate swung open to reveal a bewitching woman in a narcissus-patterned dress of Purple Gauze, holding a round fan. She feigned a slight shock upon seeing them and asked in surprise, "And who might you be? What brings you here?"

Gu Zhao stepped forward, offered a cupped-fist salute, and smiled. "My surname is Gu. I am traveling to Yongzhou with my family. We were passing by when the sky suddenly darkened, and we didn’t dare travel further. Seeing your estate nearby, we decided to impose. Please forgive our intrusion, Miss."

"We’re decent folk; you have no need to worry," Gu Zhao added.

The bewitching woman raised her fan to gently cover her cherry-red lips and smiled leisurely. "Thank you, Sir. I am not worried. The next town is still a long way off, and the roads are treacherous at night. Please, hurry inside."

The woman stepped aside, ushering them in.

Gu Zhao and his companions strolled inside. Li Erping, having just tied the horse to the hitching post by the gate, took a few quick steps to catch up, drawing a deep breath to calm his pounding heart as he hurried after them.

As he entered the courtyard, Gu Zhao looked around. "What a large estate you have, Miss. How is it I see no servants? Did you really have to answer the door yourself?"

The woman walked beside Gu Zhao, glancing at the cold, expressionless Zhuo Qingyan on his other side. Her voice became even more sultry and drawn out. "We don’t have many servants here, and they’ve all gone to prepare dinner. I just happened to be in the front courtyard, so I came to open the door for you."

When they reached the main hall, they saw two more women, one seated to the left and one to the right. One was dressed in red, the other in green. Both were just as charming and seductive as the first, and their gazes toward Gu Zhao and Yunyang were filled with ardor.

And the looks Gu Zhao and Yunyang gave them in return were just as ardent.