I have never seen such a disgusting old woman in my life. If she wants to keep decades-old phlegm to herself, fine—she could even sell it to merchants to make a bucket of “aged phlegm pickled cabbage noodles.” I’ve already thought of the ad: two rare handsome guys sitting on a bus, saying, “Why is yours so little?” “Yours is so much…”
When the wrinkled old hag spat, I dodged backward, narrowly avoiding the thick phlegm. That scared me to death. Getting hit by that thing wouldn’t necessarily kill me, but it would be humiliating beyond words.
The glob of phlegm landed on the ground, perfectly round like a coin, and embedded itself firmly into the floor without moving.
The wrinkled hag, realizing her first move had failed, immediately pulled out a small red snake from her black bag…
I reached out and caught the little red snake in my hand. It coiled and twisted obediently before I tossed it to the ground and shooed it away with my foot.
“You play with snakes too? What’s your relation to that Ruan Sanjia? Is he your son?” I asked curiously.
Could it be that their whole family enjoys playing with snakes?
The wrinkled hag cursed at the mention of Ruan Sanjia’s name, “Don’t bring up that little bastard. He’s the filthy spawn of that wretched woman…”
As she spoke,
Mo Bai took two light steps forward and suddenly lashed out, striking Deji with his palm.
“Do you know who I am?” Deji took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of white, pupil-less eyes.
“Sorry. I don’t know who you are.” Deji, helped up by Tsering, wiped the blood from his lips and signaled for the monks to stay calm, wanting to assess the situation first.
Mo Bai must have been disappointed—Deji didn’t remember him at all.
What a failure.
“Hey, Mo Bai, don’t steal my thunder. I haven’t killed this brat yet—what the hell are you doing?” The wrinkled hag was annoyed and spat another glob of phlegm at him.
Mo Bai turned his head, opened his mouth, and swallowed the phlegm in one gulp with a *glug*.
“You old turtle hag. Your two signature moves are useless. Step aside and let me handle this.” Mo Bai shot her a dismissive glance. Her venomous snake was already in my grasp, and her phlegm was no threat.
The wrinkled hag silently pulled her bag shut, planted her hands on her hips, and jabbed a finger at my nose. “Let’s put this on hold for now. Big Brother Mo, you go first.”
I was speechless. Their bond was deeper than a thousand feet of phlegm.
“You don’t even remember me? You crippled one of my legs back then—have you forgotten?” Mo Bai asked, barely keeping his temper in check.
The Jade Corpse walked up to me and gestured frantically, but I couldn’t understand a word.
Xie Lingyu muttered, “Your cousin says that Mo Bai tried to take advantage of her that night. They fought, but she had to rush after you, so she didn’t finish him off…”
I gritted my teeth. These two old fraudsters—one a hag, the other a scoundrel—had teamed up to swindle people. No wonder folks in Tiger Leaping Gorge Town were terrified when they heard the old hag was marrying off her grandson again.
Deji still shook his head. “This humble monk truly doesn’t recall harming your leg. I don’t even recognize your face.”
Mo Bai’s face darkened with rage, and he spat a mouthful of blood into the sky.
The sting of being ignored hit hard.
“Master, step back. This old scoundrel harassed my cousin—I’ll deal with him.” I stepped forward. “He’s a one-legged zombie, not human. But his aura is strange—I can’t quite place it yet.”
“Zombies can talk?” Tsering blurted out.
“Wait… yeah, if he’s a zombie, how is he speaking?” I hesitated. Even though Bai Jingren and Dai Zhong could talk, their speech was simple, their expressions limited. This guy was spitting blood dramatically, like a movie scene.
“Handsome Mo, kill this brat for me, and I’ll consider sleeping with you. I’ve got two cousins too—we’ll all keep you company.” The wrinkled hag had no shame, even in this sacred place.
“Shut up.” Mo Bai and I said in unison.
“Benefactor Xiao, he’s a zombie, but also a ghost—a ghost possessing a corpse. That’s why he speaks so fluently…” Deji saw through it and called it out.
I didn’t care what he was. Gripping my jade ruler, I channeled energy, and blue light surged from it.
“Big Brother Mo, be careful!” the wrinkled hag shouted again.
Mo Bai, irritated, lunged at me with a single-legged hop. I swung the jade ruler, sending out a Ghost-Catching Talisman and a Corpse-Suppressing Talisman. Both white charms slapped onto Mo Bai’s face.
A burning sensation.
Mo Bai tore the talismans off and exhaled a thick, putrid breath of corpse energy.
This kind of zombie-ghost hybrid operates on two different systems. Zombies rely on corpse energy, while ghosts thrive on yin energy. For a ghost to control a zombie’s body, it must be far more powerful than the corpse itself.
Mo Bai fit this pattern—his body was weak, but the ghost’s willpower was formidable. A vicious male ghost, a true evil spirit.
The zombie charged. I rolled aside, landing near the shrine.
The Jade Corpse moved to help, but Xie Lingyu held her back. *You can’t always be the one to step in.*
As I rolled, the shrine’s light illuminated Mo Bai, forcing him back. He howled, spewing thick corpse gas that dimmed the radiance.
Deji urged everyone to hold their breath.
The Xu family huddled in a corner, oblivious to the corpse energy. They only saw two men rolling around, muttering nonsense. Were they performing a magic trick?
Tsering rushed over and told them to stop breathing.
“Let me taste your blood.” Mo Bai, having dimmed the shrine’s light, advanced again. The talismans were useless, but my month-long study of *The Compendium* had taught me not to rely solely on charms. My bond with the jade ruler grew stronger—its glow intensified in my grip.
I formed a mudra and met Mo Bai head-on. The light dispersed much of the corpse energy in the hall.
“Not bad, kid.” Mo Bai smirked.
I rolled again, this time faster, scattering white salt I’d brought for emergencies.
Mo Bai blocked, thinking it was some high-level reagent, but a few grains got into his eyes. Tiny, but irritating.
“Child’s play.” Mo Bai sneered. I repeated the move, spinning swiftly behind him—
—and drove the jade ruler straight into his anus.
Liu Yunxin covered Xu Xiaokang’s eyes. “Kids shouldn’t see this.” This kind of chaotic, genius-level move could only have been conceived by the legendary founder, Dong Lingzi.
“Impressive, but a bit…” Deji chuckled awkwardly.
“Ahhh—!” Mo Bai screamed.
A pitch-black ghost, a swirling mass of dark mist, burst out of Mo Bai’s body.
“So it’s *you*.” Deji finally understood. “You haunting ghost—still alive!”
The ghost landed, cackling in an incomprehensible tongue.
“Grab him!” I shouted to the Jade Corpse, yanking the jade ruler free and eyeing the ghost warily.
*The Compendium* mentioned that haunting ghosts were condensed resentment—unable to speak unless possessing a body to fulfill unfinished desires.
But a ghost possessing a zombie? Unheard of. No wonder the one-legged zombie could drive—it had an invisible leg.
“I thought you were a lecherous ghost refusing to die. Turns out you’re a haunting ghost.” The wrinkled hag pulled her grandson behind her, ready to spit if the ghost got close.
Deji spun his prayer wheel. “After all these years, you still seek vengeance? Surrender now, beg the Buddha’s mercy, and listen to sutras for salvation…” His chanting weakened from Mo Bai’s earlier attack.
Cornered by my jade ruler and Deji’s relentless chanting, the ghost writhed.
The fool stepped forward, plugging the Jade Corpse’s ears with his fingers. Sensing no malice, she didn’t push him away.
“Enough, brother.” I inched closer to the dark mass.
Tsering brought a bamboo tube marked with a swastika. Glancing around, I noticed walls lined with similar tubes—each likely containing a ghost.
“Come inside.” Tsering patiently uncorked the tube, guiding the ghost like a driving instructor directing a student to park.
The ghost seemed to understand, its formless head tilting toward the opening.
“Left… right… left… right…” Tsering motioned.
*Literally parallel parking a ghost.*
Just as we thought the ghost would comply, it suddenly stretched toward the Xu family.
“Wretched fiend—!” Deji’s prayer beads struck, dispersing half its form—but the rest possessed the starving ghost-afflicted Xu Xiaokang.
The parents shuddered, sensing a chill. By the time they reacted, it was too late.
“Come closer, and I’ll kill the kid.” Xu Xiaokang’s voice was now the ghost’s.
Deji stopped chanting—exorcising the ghost now would kill the child too.
I lowered my jade ruler.
Xu Xiaokang laughed.
“You’re not ready to face me yet…”
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