Chapter 4

Before leaving, Xiang Feng cast a slightly apologetic glance at the sect leader. “I just killed 23 of your disciples. Trouble yourself to collect the bodies from the Sect Hall.”

The sect leader froze, his face stiffening. “I, Yu, hold the Ghost Sect in great esteem and have treated you as an honored guest. You killed 23 disciples of Mount Penglai. Surely you owe me an explanation, or how can I face the rest of my disciples?”

The Sect Hall housed the chief disciples of each generation. Naturally, the sect leader suspected Xiang Feng of reneging on his word and heading there to kill his eldest disciple.

His lips trembled. Mount Penglai was founded by three elders, all wood spiritual root cultivators. In the past, the sect predominantly recruited wood spiritual root practitioners. However, during the Ghost King’s dragon-slaying massacre, the bloodstorm drained the spiritual energy of all wood root cultivators in Mount Penglai. After the elders passed away, the sect fell into decline.

Only after recruiting a genius cultivator with four spiritual roots did the sect begin to recover its former glory.

Upon learning that his eldest disciple was being hunted by the Ghost Sect, the sect leader rushed to negotiate peace, sparing no effort. He assumed the Ghost Sect had made a mistake. Fortunately, their protector was reasonable. After reconfirming the matter, the protector apologized, admitting it was indeed a case of mistaken pursuit.

But now, just when he had let his guard down, why had the Ghost Sect’s protector gone to the Sect Hall to kill again?

Noticing the misunderstanding, Xiang Feng offered a casual explanation: “I intended to apologize to your chief disciple, but I encountered 23 outer disciples in the Sect Hall. They stabbed me, so I sent them to their deaths.”

His tone was indifferent, as if discussing what to have for dinner.

The sect leader sighed in relief upon hearing it was the outer disciples who had died. “So that’s how it is. I, Yu, failed to discipline them properly and caused harm to you. Please accept my apologies.”

Yu Zhengzheng, who had just emerged from her frustration over receiving an unexpected invitation, was stunned by their conversation.

Those outer disciples had clearly gone to capture her eldest senior brother to claim credit. How had they ended up dead at the hands of the Ghost Sect protector?

Could it be that before she entered her eldest senior brother’s quarters, the Ghost Sect protector had already been there? If so, she herself might have narrowly avoided death.

This revelation made her suspect a connection between her eldest senior brother and the Ghost Sect. Could he be a spy planted by them? And because she had just fallen out with him, she had suddenly received an invitation from the Ghost Sect.

The more Yu Zhengzheng thought about it, the more it seemed plausible. A weak and insignificant figure like her had no reason to be invited by the Ghost Sect. It was all too suspicious.

She glanced at Xiang Feng. His black robes were soaked with blood, and a hole was torn in his chest area. Though the bleeding had stopped, the wound still seemed severe. Outer disciples who hadn’t even reached the Qi Condensation stage—how could they have inflicted such injuries on the Ghost Sect protector?

As she pondered, Xiang Feng spoke. “Rest well tonight, young lady. Tomorrow, you’ll travel with me.”

Yu Zhengzheng’s face darkened. Originally, without the invitation, she could have gone to the Ghost Sect in Yu Jiangjiang’s place. She had planned to extort a fortune from her scumbag father, exchange spirit stones for mortal silver, and live comfortably in the mortal realm.  

But now, thanks to her meddlesome eldest senior brother, she and Yu Jiangjiang both had to go to the Ghost Sect, and her plan to get 100 premium-grade spirit stones had gone up in smoke.

For the first time, Yu Zhengzheng deeply resented her eldest senior brother. She was broke and had pinned all her hopes on this scheme to secure a better life. Why was making money so hard?

She glared at Xiang Feng with tear-filled eyes, gripping the acceptance letter in one hand as she stormed back to her room, suppressing her urge to kill.

Xiang Feng, baffled by her glare, thick-skinned took up residence in the side hall of the Zhanlu Palace with the help of his companion, Shanshui. He had to keep an eye on Yu Zhengzheng to ensure she didn’t escape; after all, she was personally chosen by the Ghost King.

That night, intermittent sobbing echoed through Zhanlu Palace. It was Yu Jiangjiang wailing like a ghost. Her crying continued past midnight, irritating Yu Zhengzheng to the point that she almost went to hack her apart.

The next morning, Yu Jiangjiang, her eyes swollen like walnuts, set off with Yu Zhengzheng on their journey.

Yu Zhengzheng hadn’t slept well either, tossing and turning in frustration over her failed plans.  

Aside from the two of them, Mount Penglai sent three female disciples and two male disciples, making a lively group that boarded a small white boat to leave the sect.

The Ghost Sect was situated on Mount Guixu. Even flying on swords, the journey from Mount Penglai would take over an hour. Given their limited endurance, they had to travel by boat.

Their oarsman was an old man from the Ghost Sect who rowed slowly and lazily. A journey that should’ve taken an hour dragged on for three, and by the time they reached Mount Guixu, night was falling.

Yu Jiangjiang, dehydrated from crying all night, had drunk plenty of tea in the morning. Now desperate, she flushed red and shouted, “Can’t you row faster?”

The old man waved her off, pulling out a carved wooden board and tapping it. “What do you know? I’m avoiding rush hour. My ‘chicken-GPS’ says there’s a boat jam ahead. Even if we get there early, we won’t be able to pass.”

Curious, Yu Zhengzheng glanced at the red lines on the board. “Are there that many people going to the Ghost Sect?”

The old man snorted. “Of course. Who wouldn’t want to serve as the Ghost King’s furnace? If I weren’t so old, I’d give it a try myself.”

Yu Zhengzheng: “…”

Was this old man angling for a cross-generational romance with the Ghost King?

In the lore, the Ghost King was the last deity in the world, of indeterminate age but rumored to have lived tens of thousands of years. After slaughtering the dragon clan of the Eastern Emperor, he angered the heavens and was stripped of his godhood.

Following the massacre, the Ghost King vanished, but the Ghost Sect claimed he was merely in seclusion. For over a thousand years, no one dared test the truth. Presumably, the Ghost King had returned.

Her scumbag father, over a thousand years old, was already a greasy middle-aged man. By that logic, a being like the Ghost King, alive for tens of thousands of years, couldn’t possibly look young.

It was unlikely that many people came to the Ghost Sect voluntarily, especially the men among them, who trembled with fear, worried about losing their dignity.

As they approached the boundary of Mount Guixu, black clouds loomed overhead, forming a sinister sea of shadows. The once-clear blue waters began to ooze a green, viscous liquid, and low, raspy chants echoed faintly.

The old man hastily set down his oars and retrieved pots of green spiritual plants from his storage bag, distributing them to everyone.

“Hold on to these. Once we enter the Dead Sea, no matter who asks for your plant, don’t give it away!”

Yu Zhengzheng looked down at the plant in her hands, only to hear Yu Jiangjiang exclaim, “Is this a sensitive plant?”

“I’ve seen this in Father’s study. This plant folds its leaves when touched, hence the name sensitive plant.”

The female disciples began fawning over Yu Jiangjiang. “You’re so knowledgeable, senior sister. Truly worthy of being the sect leader’s daughter.”

Deliberately or not, they emphasized “daughter,” as if mocking Yu Zhengzheng. This was their usual bullying tactic—exalting one while belittling another. Everyone knew Yu Zhengzheng was the true daughter of the sect leader, but a fallen phoenix was worse than a chicken, and they needed to ensure she understood her place.

Yu Jiangjiang, basking in their praise, even forgot her urge to relieve herself. “You flatter me, junior sisters. I’ve just read a few more books.”

This subtle acknowledgment confirmed her status as the sect leader’s daughter.

Yu Zhengzheng ignored them, pondering the old man’s warning and the eerie singing in the Dead Sea.

One disciple, taking Yu Jiangjiang’s words at face value, poked the sensitive plant to see if its leaves would fold. But the plant remained motionless.

Yu Jiangjiang was taken aback and tried poking hers as well, only to find the same result. To ease her embarrassment, the flattering disciple encouraged everyone to touch their plants, hoping to shift the blame to the plants.

However, none of their sensitive plants reacted, except for Yu Zhengzheng’s. One of the female disciples, annoyed by Yu Zhengzheng’s noncompliance, grabbed her hand and forced her to touch the plant.

The moment her hand brushed its leaves, the plant’s foliage slowly folded up, as though shyly retreating.

Caught off guard, Yu Jiangjiang’s face turned red. “How could this happen? Why won’t my plant move?”

Yu Zhengzheng: “Maybe your pot is just a little shameless?”

Perhaps feeling she’d neglected the others, she thoughtfully added, “You all are shameless too.”

The old man burst into hearty laughter. “That’s right, you young ones are indeed shameless.”

The crowd: “…”

A female disciple was about to lose her temper when a melodic and enchanting song grew clearer. Before her eyes, the pitch-black sea of clouds began to blur, revealing a handsome man standing on the ghastly green sea.

She stared at him in a daze. It was her junior apprentice-brother, whom she had secretly loved for two years.

When he first entered the inner sect, the sect leader had assigned him to her care. The junior brother was charming, always smiling, sweet-talking, and had quickly become a favorite among the female disciples.

From the moment she first saw him, she was deeply attracted. Yet, he only saw her as a senior sister, so she buried her feelings deep in her heart.

The junior brother smiled shyly and extended a jade pendant to her. “Senior Sister, I like you. Could you give me that pot of spiritual grass? I want to use it as a token of love.”

The female disciple nodded as if bewitched. “Yes, yes! Senior Sister will give it to you!”

As she raised her hand to hand over the sensitive plant to the junior brother on the Dead Sea, the moment the pot left her grasp, a pale hand shot out from the sea. With lightning speed, it clutched her neck and dragged her into the Dead Sea.

Xiang Feng and Shan Shui had long been accustomed to this. That was the nature of the Dead Sea. The spiritual grass was a protective talisman, and the sea below was the burial ground of countless corpses. They would manifest as the person dearest to one’s heart.

If one’s resolve faltered and they handed over the grass, losing the talisman led to such an end.

Shan Shui looked at Yu Zhengzheng with some worry. She genuinely liked her and hoped that Yu Zhengzheng wouldn’t give up the grass.

As the eerie singing continued, Yu Zhengzheng saw her eldest senior brother, dressed in white, leaning languidly against the side of the boat.

He gazed at her with a tender smile, his eyes full of affection. “Zhengzheng, I was wrong all these years. Will you forgive me?”

Seeing her silence, he patiently continued, “I want to marry you with a grand ceremony—eight sedan chairs and a ten-mile bridal procession. I want you to be the most beautiful and happiest bride of Penglai Mountain.”

“If you forgive me, give me that pot of spiritual grass, and I’ll immediately ask the master for the betrothal gift…”

Yu Zhengzheng smiled faintly. “Call me ‘Daddy,’ and I’ll forgive you.”

Without hesitation, the senior brother called out, “Daddy, can you forgive me now?”

Yu Zhengzheng’s smile twisted into something ferocious as she clutched the grass and swung it at his face. “Forgive you? My foot! You fed my cooking to the dogs, turned my laundry into dog beds, and lost my 100 pieces of premium spirit stones! Scumbag, go to hell!”

As the spiritual grass touched his face, his head ignited, burning like paper until it disintegrated into ash and fell into the Dead Sea.

Shan Shui, witnessing everything: “…” Had she worried about the wrong person?

The illusion dissipated, but Yu Zhengzheng still felt unsatisfied. He could’ve held on a bit longer so she could hit him a few more times!

She glanced at Yu Jiangjiang, who seemed entranced, extending her hand as if to offer the grass. She kept murmuring, “Senior Brother…”

Yu Zhengzheng frowned and slapped her across the face, snapping her out of it. Dazed, Yu Jiangjiang turned to look at her.

Impatient, Yu Zhengzheng scolded, “Got feathers in your ears? Didn’t you hear you can’t hand over the grass? If you want to die, go ahead and give it!”

Yu Jiangjiang finally came to her senses. Clutching her swollen cheek, she nearly fought back. “Why did you hit me?!”

Yu Zhengzheng rolled her eyes and ignored her.

It wasn’t out of kindness that she’d saved her. She had just remembered that Yu Jiangjiang was the heroine of this story. If she died, who would endure the torment with that scumbag senior brother?

As for the slap, it was purely because Yu Zhengzheng hadn’t hit the senior brother enough and needed to vent.

Yu Jiangjiang wanted to argue, but her gaze inadvertently fell on the white bones and half-sunken skulls floating on the sea. Nausea welled up, and she nearly vomited.

The old man, surprisingly efficient, paddled the boat with the speed of an electric motor. Only two female disciples died before they safely reached the borders of Guixu Mountain.

Clearly satisfied with his performance, the old man cheerfully waved them off. “Thanks for riding! Remember to leave a good review!”

As they disembarked, they saw others who had arrived earlier. Their faces were pale, and many were bent over, vomiting violently as if trying to expel their guts.

Yu Jiangjiang immediately joined the vomiting crowd. The sound of retching spread, triggering a chain reaction of nausea.

Yu Zhengzheng remained indifferent. This was nothing. A few floating bones and corpse fragments were far less disgusting than cleaning up zombie remains.

Xiang Feng glanced at her unflinching demeanor, raising an eyebrow. Many crossed the Dead Sea unscathed, but being this calm upon landing? She was the first.

He began to understand why the Ghost King had spared her life.

Once everyone finished vomiting, Xiang Feng led them onward.

Guixu Mountain was vast, its terrain riddled with array barriers. They had no choice but to proceed on foot.

After an indeterminate time, they arrived before a resplendent building.

Yu Zhengzheng looked up, scrutinizing the structure, which resembled a European-style castle. Its gleaming golden exterior suggested it was crafted entirely of gold.

She’d known the Ghost Sect was wealthy but hadn’t expected this level of extravagance. Upon entering, she truly grasped what it meant to have eccentric tastes as a rich person.

The golden walls were inlaid with countless premium spirit stones. The ceiling exuded an almost tangible scent of money. A quick glance estimated millions of spirit stones embedded there.

Yu Zhengzheng’s eyes sparkled. She liked it here. If she came daily to pry off three spirit stones, she could collect 90 in a month!

Because Yu Zhengzheng was the woman favored by the Ghost King, Xiang Feng specifically led the Penglai Mountain group to the front, increasing their chances of passing through first.

But as they approached, Xiang Feng spotted the Asura King and abruptly changed his mind.

The Asura King was a notorious lecher who wouldn’t let a beautiful woman escape his clutches. Yu Zhengzheng, with her looks, would undoubtedly catch his attention and be in danger.

Unfortunately, Xiang Feng was one step too late. The Asura King had already noticed him and the two sisters behind him.

The Asura King’s greasy, flesh-laden face split into a lecherous grin. “So, Protector Xiang has been delayed because you’ve brought beauties for me?”

Xiang Feng bowed slightly. “You must be joking—this is for His Majesty.”  

The Shura King’s smile froze. Supporting his waist and patting his prominent beer belly, he turned his greasy gaze to appraise Yu Zhengzheng and Yu Jiangjiang.  

“There are plenty of people willing to be the furnace for His Majesty, but this king has lived 130,000 years and still has no heir.”  

As he spoke, he sauntered toward the sisters, his lips curling into a suggestive smile. “If one of you can grant this king the joy of fatherhood, I’ll reward you with 100,000 top-grade spiritual stones… Hmm, you’re sisters, aren’t you? Would you like to fulfill this king’s wish?”  

Xiang Feng felt speechless. The Shura King had been using this same spiel for years whenever he spotted a beautiful woman. If persuasion failed, he’d resort to force. Nothing had changed.  

Shanshui instinctively stepped in front of Yu Zhengzheng, shielding her from the lecherous man, fearing he might act on his impulses.  

She was about to comfort Yu Zhengzheng when, unexpectedly, Yu Zhengzheng dropped to her knees with a loud *thud* and gazed up at the Shura King, her eyes sparkling. “Father! 100,000 stones is far too much—your daughter only needs 10,000!”