Chapter 48: If the Ox Head Isn’t Here, Bring the Horse Face! (3)

Four ghostly minions trailed behind Liu Dashao like ferocious hounds, their feet barely touching the ground as they glided forward in a blur, quickly closing a distance of ten meters. Liu Dashao knew there was no way he could outrun them. As they drew closer, he thought to himself: whether he ran or not, he would still end up caught. So, he steeled himself and abruptly stopped. His sudden halt startled the four ghost minions, who couldn’t stop in time and rushed past him in a confused jumble. They quickly lined up to block his path. One of them, with a green face and fangs, roared at him, “Little ghost, come quietly with us or else…”

Before the ghost could finish, Liu Dashao grabbed the jade pendant around his neck and handed it to the ghost minion without hesitation.

“What? What is this?” The ghost, who had sprinted so quickly he could have won a gold medal in a marathon, seemed to have a less-than-sharp mind. He had been caught off guard by Liu Dashao’s sudden turn and was now even more confused by the unexpected gift. Alas, it seemed that spending too much time around the simple-minded Ox and Horse Guards had left him similarly addled.

“You’ll see,” Liu Dashao replied, forcing a smile while suppressing his rapidly beating heart.

“This kid is giving you a bribe!” One of the shorter minions, waving a chain in his hand, whispered to the green-faced ghost.

“A bribe?”

“Yeah, yeah. He must want you to let him go!” The small ghost nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice.

“Ha! He thinks he can escape after offending our Boss Ox? He should consider himself lucky if we don’t send him to the eighteenth level of hell to simmer in bone broth!” The green-faced ghost puffed out his chest proudly, but his sharp eyes glanced down at the object in his hand. “Damn it, kid, don’t you know how to bribe someone properly? If you had slipped it to me secretly, maybe I could have considered it. But now that Boss Ox is right here, how could I dare to accept it? And these little ghosts won’t let me get away with anything either!” Thinking this, he glanced around and sure enough, three pairs of greedy eyes were fixed on his hand, their pupils glowing green with desire.

The four ghostly minions following Liu Dashao were relentless in their pursuit, like rabid dogs, their feet barely touching the ground as they floated forward, covering a distance of over ten meters in a blink. Liu Dashao wondered how he could possibly outrun them. As they were about to catch up, he thought to himself: whether I run or not, they’re going to catch me anyway. So, he steeled his heart and abruptly stopped. His sudden halt caught the four ghostly minions off guard, causing them to overshoot and end up in front of him. They quickly surrounded him, and one of them, a green-faced, fanged creature, roared, “Little ghost, come back with us quietly, or else…”

Before the ghostly minion could finish his sentence, Liu Dashao reached for his neck, grabbed the jade pendant hanging on his chest, and without a word, shoved it into the minion’s hand.

“What? What is this?” The ghostly minion, who had been running as swiftly as a marathon champion, now seemed utterly confused. His mind, perhaps dulled from years of working alongside the stubborn Ox-Head and Horse-Face, struggled to comprehend the situation.

“Take a look and you’ll see,” Liu Dashao said with a forced smile, trying to calm his pounding heart.

“Big brother, this kid is giving you a gift!” whispered a smaller ghostly minion, who was fiddling with a chain in his hand.

“A gift?”

“Yes, yes, yes. He must be trying to get you to let him go!” The smaller minion nodded eagerly.

“Bah! After offending our Ox Boss, you think you can walk out alive? If we don’t beat you down to the eighteenth layer of hell to make bone soup, it’ll be thanks to your ancestors’ good deeds!” The green-faced minion puffed up with pride, his beady eyes glancing down at the object in his hand. Damn it, kid, don’t you know how to give a proper bribe? If you’d slipped it to me secretly, it might have worked. But now, with Ox Boss watching, how could I possibly accept it? And these other minions are no fools—they’re probably hoping to get a piece of the action too! The green-faced minion glanced around and, sure enough, three pairs of greedy eyes were fixed on his hand, their pupils glowing green with envy.

While they were busy scheming, Liu Dashao was sweating profusely. The jade pendant he had handed over was the same one that had saved him once before. Whether it would work this time, he had no idea, but having something to rely on was better than nothing. At this point, it was a desperate gamble. Oh, treasure, weren’t you so powerful the other night? You scared those ghosts away with just a flash of light. Please, show your might once more, won’t you? If you help me out, I’ll worship you like a god, offering you incense and the finest food every day. No, I’ll treat you better than my own father…

“What the hell is this?” The green-faced minion examined the object in his hand, his initial excitement turning to disappointment. He had expected a shiny gold ingot or at least a stack of underworld banknotes. Instead, he found an ugly, yellowish piece of stone with a hole and a red string. If not for the string, no one would have guessed it was a jade pendant. The other three minions also sighed in disappointment, their hopes of a windfall dashed.

“Kid, you’re messing with me!” The green-faced minion, furious, hurled the pendant at Liu Dashao.

“Oh no, it’s not working!” Liu Dashao’s heart sank as he saw his last hope fail. He instinctively covered his head and prepared to run.

Just then, a pungent burning smell filled the air, like rice scorching in a pot. The green-faced minion’s fingers holding the pendant began to sizzle, smoke rising from between them. The minion screamed in terror and let go of the pendant. When he looked at his left hand, he nearly fainted—his entire palm had rotted away, leaving only a few exposed bones and a gaping hole in the center. The pendant, now coiled around his middle finger like a snake, swayed slightly. On its surface, a ferocious beast resembling a lion had appeared, surrounded by sparkling lights and a faintly visible Tai Chi pattern.

The other three minions, witnessing this, panicked. They clutched their chains, babbling incoherently, but none dared to step forward or help their comrade. After all, they had spent their lives in the underworld, bullying weak souls and developing an inflated sense of superiority. Now, faced with real danger and their companion’s gruesome fate, they had no courage to intervene.

“Roar————” The lifelike Pixiu twisted its neck and pulled its entire body out of the pendant. As it emerged, the pendant’s brilliance dimmed, and when it finally broke free, hovering in mid-air, the pendant returned to its dull, lifeless state. All the radiance now concentrated on the Pixiu’s scales. It raised its head and let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the heavens, as if declaring itself the supreme being in all existence.

The four minions were utterly stunned. The green-faced minion even forgot about his burning hand, which now smoked like a tractor’s exhaust. Liu Dashao, overwhelmed with shock, fell to the ground, speechless. If there was one word to describe the scene, it was “jaw-dropping.”

On the other side, Ox-Head, who had been stomping on Granny Fan’s foot, stopped abruptly. He swallowed hard, staring at the Pixiu, which was three times his size. With a clang, his steel trident fell to the ground, and his legs gave way as he knelt.

If you asked the green-faced minion when the worst moment of his life was, he would undoubtedly say: today! Despite his desperate attempts to extinguish the flames—fanning with his clothes, beating with his stick—the fire continued to spread from his palm to his shoulder, chest, and limbs. Minutes later, his cries ceased, and a pile of charred bones crumbled to the ground, swept away by the wind. The pendant, unscathed, flew back into Liu Dashao’s hand, as inconspicuous as ever. The Pixiu took a step back, growled at Ox-Head as if issuing a warning, then gradually faded into a brilliant white light and returned to the pendant.

“Boss… boss!” The remaining three minions scrambled to Ox-Head’s side, trembling so much they could barely speak.

“Damn it!” Ox-Head slapped his forehead, turned around, and fled.

“Boss, what about this kid?” one of the minions asked timidly.

“If you want to be obliterated, stay here alone!” Ox-Head roared as he turned his head.

“Boss!”

“What the hell is it now?”

“You forgot your trident…” the three minions said pitifully.

“Who cares about the trident when my life’s at stake…” With that, Ox-Head’s figure disappeared into the distance on the other side of the Naihe Bridge, leaving a trail of dust.

“You… just now…” Liu Dashao pointed at the green-faced minion’s remains, then at the three minions, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. He had hoped the pendant might buy him some time, but he never expected it to be so devastatingly effective. Is this still a jade pendant? It’s more powerful than a Japanese cannon! If the Eighth Route Army had one of these, they’d have liberated China years earlier!

“Don’t… don’t point at me, it’s not my fault!” The minions, thinking Liu Dashao was about to turn on them, waved their hands frantically. If they could, they’d have wet their pants.

“It was all that old ox, he’s the one who provoked you…”

“Run!” Moments later, the three underworld “civil servants” followed their boss’s lead, scattering in all directions, leaving only Liu Dashao and the half-beaten Granny Fan staring at each other in stunned silence.

“What kind of crap is this?” The ghost examined the object in his palm, his initial excitement fading. He had expected a shiny gold ingot or at least a bundle of hellish banknotes, but what he saw was an ugly, yellowish stone with a round hole and a red string—hardly recognizable as a jade pendant. The three other ghosts around him groaned in disappointment, their hopes of sudden wealth dashed into worthless debris.

“Kid, you dare to trick me!” The green-faced ghost, furious, hurled the jade pendant at Liu Dashao.

“Oh no, it’s not working! Not working at all!” Liu Dashao felt his last hope slipping away, his heart sinking into despair. As the ghost flung the pendant toward his head, he instinctively covered his head and prepared to run again.

Just then, a sharp, acrid smell filled the air, like rice burning to a crisp in a pot. The green-faced ghost’s fingers, which had held the pendant, began to sizzle and smoke. With a shriek, he released his grip, and when he saw his left hand, his eyes rolled back in horror. His entire palm had rotted away, leaving only a few bones and five remaining fingers, with a gaping hole in the center of his palm. The jade pendant, still attached to its red string, coiled like a snake around his middle finger, swaying gently. On its surface, a ferocious beast resembling a lion appeared, glowing with dazzling light and a faintly rotating Tai Chi pattern behind it, barely visible but undeniably present.

The other three ghosts erupted into chaos, clutching their chains and spinning in panic. None dared to step forward to help their comrade. After all, they had spent years in the underworld, arresting weak souls and bullying the helpless, developing an arrogance that made them believe they were invincible. But now, seeing their companion’s gruesome fate, none had the courage to get involved.

“Roarrrrrrr!” The Pi Xiu, now fully emerged from the jade pendant, twisted its neck and pulled its entire body out. With each inch it extended, the jade’s glow dimmed, until finally, when it hovered freely in the air, the pendant returned to its lifeless state. All the brilliance that had once shone from the jade now radiated from the Pi Xiu’s scaly armor. It raised its head and let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the heavens, as if declaring itself the only true presence in this world!

The four ghosts stood frozen in shock. The green-faced ghost even forgot about his burning hand, which continued to emit smoke like a small tractor’s exhaust pipe. Liu Dashao, mouth agape in astonishment, sat heavily on the ground, unable to utter a word. The word that best described their expressions was: awe-struck.

Meanwhile, Ox Head, who had been stomping on Old Woman Fan’s foot, also froze in place. He swallowed hard, then swallowed again when he saw the Pi Xiu, which was three times his size. With a clang, his steel fork dropped to the ground, and his legs buckled as he fell to his knees.

If someone asked the green-faced ghost what was the worst moment of his life, he would surely answer: today! Despite his frantic attempts to fan out the flames with his clothes and strike them with his club, the fire continued to spread from his palm, consuming his shoulder, chest, and limbs. Helplessly, he jumped around as the fire engulfed him. Minutes later, the noise ceased, and a pile of charred bones crumbled to the ground, swept away by a gust of cold wind. The jade pendant, unscathed, flew back into Liu Dashao’s hand, as unremarkable as ever. The Pi Xiu took a few steps back, growled warningly at Ox Head, then slowly faded into a brilliant beam of light and vanished into the jade.

“L-L-Lord!” The remaining three ghosts scrambled to Ox Head’s side, trembling and barely able to speak.

“Damn it!” Ox Head slapped his forehead, turned around, and fled.

“Boss, what about this kid?” One of the minions timidly asked.

“If you want to be destroyed, stay here alone!” Ox Head shouted without turning back.

“Boss!”

“Are you done yet? What now?”

“You forgot your steel fork…” The three ghosts whined.

“With our lives gone, who cares about a damn steel fork!” And with that, Ox Head vanished far beyond the Naihe Bridge, leaving a trail of dust behind.

“You… just now…” Liu Dashao pointed at the only remaining trace of the green-faced ghost—the jade pendant—then at the three minions, rubbing his eyes repeatedly, unable to believe what had just happened. He had hoped the pendant might offer some resistance, but it had completely annihilated the ghost! Was this still a jade pendant? It was more effective than a Japanese machine gun! If the Eighth Route Army had one of these per soldier, they might have won the war years earlier!

“D-Don’t point at me! It’s not my fault!” The ghosts, thinking Liu Dashao might retaliate, waved their hands frantically. If they could have wet their pants, they surely would have.

“It was all that old ox’s idea! He was the one who provoked you!”

“Run!” In an instant, the three underworld “civil servants” followed their leader’s example and scattered like a flock of frightened birds, leaving only Liu Dashao and the half-dead Old Woman Fan staring at each other in stunned silence.