The sky was intoxicated, the earth shaken; all living things fell silent, listening intently.
Time lost all meaning in that moment. How long had passed? Perhaps thousands or even millions of years, or perhaps merely the blink of an eye. In any case, no one perceived anything except the song.
Suddenly, the radiant glow of Yenuo burst forth like fireworks. Pipay San (Bald Sam) screamed in pain and rolled onto the ground. Yenuo—the peerless ugly girl who had lost her radiance—plummeted suddenly from the tips of the grass, motionless and silent for a long time.
The Fox Queen, her daughter, and Nümei rushed anxiously toward the two fallen figures. The Ghost King, still entranced by the lingering melody, forgot to flee, instead gazing at Yenuo with a look of concern.
After a while, the last echoes finally faded. Dugu, startled, suddenly realized: if he didn’t escape now, when else would he have the chance?
“Ghost King, since you’ve come, why hurry to leave?”
Suddenly, a mass of ghostly mist blocked the Ghost King’s path. Within ten zhang, the mist condensed rapidly into a crooked, lopsided figure.
Slanted shoulders, loose hair tied with a cloth strip, eyes veiled in haze, lips curled in mischief—the audacious Pipaysan had returned after disappearing for a while!
The cunning Ghost King tried his old trick again, transforming instantly to escape.
The magical cloak blocked all traces, and Pipaysan could no longer sense his opponent’s presence. Yet he remained calm and leisurely, casually kicking off with one foot.
“Hey!” Thousands upon thousands of plants spread and grew wildly. Within moments, the entire space within a thousand zhang became a kingdom of roots and vines. After a series of dull thuds, a ghostly figure was finally “wrapped” into shape.
Before the prey could react, a bolt of lightning tore through the air. Qiao San’s thunder-charged hand had already tightly gripped the Ghost King’s throat.
Cornered animals always fight back instinctively. The horned Ghost King, his face twisted in desperation, lowered his head. The world-renowned horn on his head blazed with brilliant light, extending rapidly like a sharp sword, aiming directly at Pipaysan’s vital spot.
The Ghost King’s horn, famed across the three realms as indestructible, met Qiao San’s Tai Xu Xuan Huang Armor, said to be impervious to all. The inevitable clash between spear and shield had finally arrived, truth and falsehood destined to be revealed.
“Clang—”
The metallic clang pierced the heavens. The horn remained intact, the armor unbroken, yet the outcome had been decided.
Pipaysan had actually seized the Ghost King’s horn barehanded. With the Tai Xu Heaven-Sundering Sword raised high, he was about to bring it down upon the Ghost King’s neck.
“No! Merciful Lord, spare my life!” The glow of the divine sword caused the Ghost King’s shadow to shrink by a third. The clever old ghost foresaw his grim fate and, without hesitation, dropped to his knees, shamelessly kneeling at Qiao San’s feet.
“Master, he is the King of Ghosts. Killing him recklessly may cause chaos in the underworld. It really isn’t wise!” The Fox Queen, filled with joy inside and out, had long forgotten about the Ten Yin Demon Pearl.
“Right, right… the Fox Queen speaks wisely. Old ghost swears, from now on I shall never oppose the Holy Lord again! If I do, may I be struck by lightning and die a wretched death!”
The Fox Queen nestled close to Pipaysan, breathing in his familiar scent, and smiled seductively, a smile so cunning that the wicked ghost’s face stiffened instantly.
“Master, I have an even better idea. You already possess the Ghost Sutra, making you the King of Ghost Spirits. Why not acquire one more ghost servant? Hehe… I’ve heard that ghosts have a certain spell—once bound as a ghost servant, their life and death are completely under your control!”
“Mmm, sweetheart, brilliant idea!”
Pipaysan happily pinched the Fox Queen’s voluptuous body, then waved his hand and struck the wicked ghost’s head with a heavy palm. As the incantation rang out, a wisp of soul emerged from the Ghost King’s body, merging into Pipaysan’s palm.
After a while, the wicked ghost involuntarily dropped to his knees, kneeling down for real, and said, “Ghost servant greets Master. Please give your orders!”
“Hmph! Not bad!” Qiao San had the Ghost King slap himself several times before nodding in satisfaction. “Speak! Was there anyone directing today’s events?”
“Reporting to Master, your servant acted under the orders of the Grand Minister Gou Yuan. I was foolish for a moment, please forgive your servant.” With his life at stake, the horned Ghost King was more obedient than a house dog, more docile than a kitten.
“Gou Yuan?!” Qiao San recalled the ever-changing woman. Even now, he couldn’t remember her exact appearance, only that she was a shadow of exquisite beauty. Unconsciously, he asked doubtfully, “Gou Yuan? Why would she harm me?”
“Your servant dares not utter a single falsehood!” Once the horned villain began betraying, he did so completely and thoroughly, leaving Qiao San, his new master, no choice but to believe him. “Master, Gou Yuan had two motives: first, to seize the Ten Yang Pearl; second, to eliminate obstacles. Your servant suspects she may be plotting to seize the throne of the Ten Thousand Demons. Since you and Yushan have grown too close, she decided to eliminate you!”
A sense of loss stirred in Qiao San’s heart. Thinking of Gou Yuan’s duplicity, his chest twisted painfully with anguish. He waved his hand irritably, “Horned one, return to Gou Yuan’s side. Report to me immediately at the slightest disturbance, understand?”
The pitiful Ghost King respectfully bowed and departed. This trip had brought him no profit—instead, he had become Pipaysan’s slave. He had truly suffered a total loss.
As soon as the wicked ghost left, Qiao San’s expression changed. He rushed anxiously to the unconscious Yenuo, “Mistress Mei, has Yenuo woken up yet? Was she injured?”
The heavens were intoxicated, the earth was shaken, and all things listened in silence.
Time lost its meaning at this moment; it was impossible to tell how long had passed—perhaps millennia, or maybe just the blink of an eye. In any case, apart from the singing, everyone was completely devoid of any other sensation.
Suddenly, the radiance of the Night Maiden burst forth like fireworks. With a scream, the rogue San rolled on the ground, and the Night Maiden—now stripped of her brilliance and revealed as an extremely ugly woman—fell from the tip of the grass, lying motionless for a long time.
The Fox Queen and her daughter, along with the enchantress, rushed anxiously toward the two fallen figures. The Ghost King, still lingering in the echoes of the song, forgot to flee and instead cast a worried glance toward the Night Maiden.
After a moment, the echoes finally faded. The Unicorn, startled, suddenly realized that now was the time to escape.
“Ghost King, since you’ve come, why rush to leave?”
A ghostly cloud suddenly blocked the Ghost King’s path. The mist, which had spread over ten zhang, condensed in an instant into a crooked figure.
With a slanted shoulder and a toss of the head, a cloth band tied around his hair, eyes shrouded in mist, and a rogue’s grin on his lips—the bold rogue San, who had been missing for a while, had returned!
The cunning Ghost King resorted to his old trick, transforming and fleeing.
The miraculous cloak shielded all traces, and even the bold San couldn’t sense his opponent’s presence. But he wasn’t anxious at all; with a leisurely kick, he set off.
“Ne!” Thousands of plants and flowers grew wildly, and in an instant, the space within a thousand zhang was dominated by roots and vines. After a series of muffled sounds, a ghostly figure was finally “wrapped” into shape.
Before the prey could resist, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Qiao San’s hand, crackling with electricity, firmly grasped the Ghost King’s throat.
Cornered, all living beings instinctively fight back. The twisted face of the Unicorn Ghost King lowered, and his renowned horn, shining like a sword, rapidly extended, aiming straight for Qiao San’s vital spot.
The Ghost King’s horn was said to pierce anything, but Qiao San wore the Tai Xu Mystic Armor, said to be unbreakable. Spear and shield inevitably collided, and in that moment, truth and falsehood were clearly distinguished.
“Clang—”
The sound of metal clashing pierced the clouds and split the sky. The horn didn’t break, the armor didn’t crack, but the outcome was decided.
The rogue had actually caught the Ghost King’s horn with his bare hand. The Tai Xu Qiankun Sword was raised high, poised to strike down on the Ghost King’s neck.
“Don’t… Holy Lord, spare me!” The light of the Tai Xu Divine Sword caused the Ghost King’s shadow to shrink by a third. The clever old ghost foresaw his tragic end and, without hesitation, fell to his knees, shamelessly groveling at Qiao San’s feet.
“Master, he is the king of the ghost tribe. Killing him rashly would cause chaos in the underworld. It’s truly unwise!” The Fox Queen, filled with joy from head to toe, had long since forgotten about the Ten Yin Demon Pearl.
“Yes, yes… the Fox Queen is right. This old ghost swears to never oppose the Holy Lord again, or may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!”
The Fox Queen nestled in Qiao San’s arms, taking a deep breath of his familiar scent, then smiled with a thousand charms, causing the treacherous ghost’s face to stiffen on the spot.
“Master, I have a better idea. You possess the Ghost Scripture and are already the king of the spirits. Why not take on another ghost slave? Hehe… I’ve heard that the ghost tribe has a spell—once someone becomes a ghost slave, their life and death are entirely in the master’s control!”
“Hmm, my dear, what a great idea!”
Qiao San chuckled, giving the Fox Queen’s voluptuous body a playful squeeze, then waved his hand and delivered a heavy slap to the treacherous ghost’s head. With a single incantation, a wisp of soul emerged from the Ghost King’s body and merged into Qiao San’s palm.
Moments later, the treacherous ghost involuntarily fell to his knees, truly kneeling this time. “Ghost slave greets the master. Please give your orders!”
“Hmm! Not bad!” Qiao San made the Ghost King slap himself a few times before nodding in satisfaction. “Speak. Was today’s event orchestrated by someone?”
“Reporting to the master, this ghost slave was ordered by the State Preceptor Gou Yuan to harm you. This ghost slave was foolish and begs for the master’s forgiveness.” With his life in the balance, the Unicorn Ghost King was more obedient than a watchdog, more docile than a kitten.
“Gou Yuan?!” Qiao San recalled that ever-changing woman. Even now, he couldn’t remember her true appearance, only that she was a shadow of pure beauty. He couldn’t help but question further, “Gou Yuan? Why does she want to harm me?”
“This ghost slave dares not lie!” Once the Unicorn Ghost King betrayed, he did so thoroughly, leaving no room for Qiao San, his new master, to doubt him. “Master, Gou Yuan has two goals: first, to seize the Ten Yang Pearl; second, to eliminate obstacles. This ghost slave suspects she wants to seize the throne of the Demon King. You’ve been too close to the Jade Fan, so she wants to remove you!”
A sense of loss rose in Qiao San’s heart. The thought that Gou Yuan was not what she seemed twisted his chest into knots. With a frustrated wave of his hand, he said, “Unicorn, return to Gou Yuan’s side. Report to me immediately if there’s any movement. Understand?”
The pitiful Ghost King kowtowed respectfully and left. This trip had not only failed to gain any advantage but had also turned him into the rogue’s slave. He had truly lost everything.
Once the treacherous ghost was gone, Qiao San’s expression changed immediately. He rushed anxiously to the unconscious Night Maiden. “Sister Mei, has the Night Maiden woken up? Is she injured?”
The enchantress was currently holding the Night Maiden. As the man rushed over, the peony spirit’s face turned slightly red. She instinctively trembled, conjuring a dress to cover her blossoming body, then forced herself to remain calm. “I don’t know, but the Night Maiden isn’t injured. It’s possible she overexerted herself. She’ll wake up after enough rest! Sigh… I didn’t know she possessed such divine powers!”
Qiao San checked the Night Maiden’s pulse and felt relieved. With his worries gone, his thoughts finally turned in another direction. His eyes changed, filled with both apology and a hidden fervor as they enveloped the enchantress’s graceful figure.
“Sister Mei, earlier I… I…”
“There’s no need to say anything. You just had a nightmare!”
The radiant flower spirit cut off Qiao San’s stammering explanation, then walked away without looking back. “Brother Qiao, let’s forget what should be forgotten. Let’s go back to how we were before, okay?”
Qiao San checked Yenuo’s pulse and felt relieved. Once his worry eased, his thoughts drifted elsewhere. His eyes changed, filled with both apology and smoldering passion as he gazed at Nümei’s graceful figure.
“Mistress Mei, earlier I… I…”
“Don’t say anything. It was just a nightmare.”
The radiant flower spirit interrupted Qiao San’s stuttering explanation preemptively. Then, walking away without turning back, she said softly, “Brother Qiao, let’s forget what happened. Let’s go back to how things were before, okay?”
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