Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 83 - 81: Master Ge

Chapter 83: Chapter 81: Master Ge

Thump!

Even enshrouded in a straw raincoat, Wen Juncai, the "Shadowless Rat," tripped over a small stone and still fell face-first into foul mud.

Upon closer inspection.

This great thief was missing a left ear, his cheek carved with trails of blood, his right arm limp as if the bone had been shattered, with untold wounds hidden from sight.

After tumbling to the ground yet again for no apparent reason, he lay there, despondent, his eyes void of life, tears streaming down his face as he muttered to himself:

"Impossible, this can’t be happening! How could my treasure fail me?"

In just two short days, this newly-minted "Gambling Saint"—Wen Juncai—had experienced the most tumultuous period of his life to date.

No, it was more like a series of rises and falls and falls and falls...

Initially, at the Wanfu Gambling House, he had been on a winning spree, his gambling funds doubling and then doubling again, easily surpassing the three thousand silver taels bounty on his head from the wanted list.

Just one hour into the games, he skyrocketed to ten thousand silver taels!

No wonder they call it a "Deceitful Heart," if he had stopped while he was ahead and called it quits.

Perhaps he really could’ve walked away with this fortune unimaginable to the average person, teasing the banker’s limit.

But relying on the boost to his Qi Fortune from the "Rashamon Bone," he refused to follow convention.

He let loose, betting on and on!

This kind of behavior, akin to wrecking the gambling house, eventually drew the attention of the "Daoist Soldiers" from the Prince Mansion backing the gambling establishment, followed by... an unending pursuit.

If it weren’t for the fact that the pursuers became as unlucky as Wen Juncai himself, his "Invisibility Technique" alone would never have been enough to get him safely back to Beimang Mountain.

And why had he chosen to head for Beimang Mountain?

For one, the only person he knew near Luoyang City was Wang Yunhu from Daling Village; and secondly, it seemed as if a voice kept whispering in his ear:

"The chance for life lies in Beimang! The chance for life lies in Beimang!"

But even when he got to Beimang Mountain, he seemed to choke on even a sip of cold water.

Moreover, when passing through several tea shops, inns, and checkpoints operated by the Wang Family.

Somehow, without fail, as soon as he entered a building, it would suddenly collapse, killing and injuring several of the Wang clan members inside.

Another time, before he could even finish a bowl of hot wine, he was caught by Daoist Soldiers, and even their chickens, ducks, and dogs were slaughtered clean...

Wen Juncai was also covered in wounds.

At this time.

Before he had a chance to recover from his series of tragic encounters along the way, he suddenly felt a darkness above him.

"What is that...?"

Caw, caw, caw...

A large flock of crows, undeterred by the rain, circled incessantly above his head.

Crows, also known as the birds that herald death, love to follow those on the brink of death, hoping to feast upon their corpses afterward.

Seeing them, the already bad-luck-ridden Wen Juncai was instantly seething with rage.

"Get lost! All of you, get away from your grandpa rat!"

However.

The response to his cries was a sudden descent of beaks and talons from the skies.

This flock of birds, normally carrion-eaters, now had blood-red eyes like bloodthirsty, fierce birds, showing no regard for their own lives as they launched relentless attacks on him.

Even with Wen Juncai’s Flying Knives never missing their mark, he was inevitably overwhelmed by the horde of crows.

Strips of flesh were torn from him, one iota at a time.

The shrill screams of agony steadily grew more faint.

As death drew near, the three flames of fortune, prosperity, and longevity upon his person were horrifyingly sapped by the "Rashamon Bone" until none was left.

In the hazy veil of rain.

Wang Yuan, dressed in a green robe and holding an oil-paper umbrella, glided towards the scene, moving with deceptive swiftness.

Command, inspire, augment, gather... The "Divine Skills·Imperial Decree Tiger Talisman" to his flock of birds, beasts, and even ghosts was as if a general’s "Tiger Talisman" to his soldiers, commanding absolute obedience without question.

Pairing "Gathering Beasts Magic Skill" with "Imperial Decree Tiger Talisman," Wang Yuan finally achieved a grand entourage befitting Mountain Lord Wang’s excursions, accompanied by a multitude of birds, beasts, and a host of ghosts.

However, this time, the five little green ghosts weren’t at his side.

In their stead was...

"Xiao Yuan, I’ll take it."

A streak of black light shot out from above his head, transforming into a stunning young girl in a black dress, who gently floated down on a breeze of Yin energy.

Her flesh and bones were translucent and clear, her bare feet and black hair swaying elegantly.

Her light dress unfurled as she descended, the whole of her resembling a vigorously blooming ink-washed lotus flower.

Having not worn a new dress in fifteen years was sheer torture for a girl in the prime of youth.

The first thing Huang Wu did upon her release was to hug Wang Yuan and fiercely gorge herself on him.

The second was to order her maids to burn a massive pile of beautiful dresses of every variety so that she could wear a different one each day for half a year without repeating.

At this moment, standing together, they truly resembled a Golden Boy and Girl, with jade-like beauty and extraordinary poise.

Whoosh—!

The girl curled her little finger, and a gust of yin wind swept past, plucking the Rashamon Bone from Wen Juncai’s corpse into her delicate palm.

Having stepped onto the Ghost Path for just a single night, this little ghost girl had already managed to control objects with the yin wind, almost as if she had mastered the Summoning and Chasing Technique.

It was truly a frightful tale to tell.

After all, in this world, the highest attainable fruit of cultivation was nothing but the Corpse Dissection Immortal, who had shed its mortal shell. There was no such thing as attaining saintliness through the flesh.

Apart from certain specific Daoist Skills, many did not pay much attention to the body, focusing only on the cultivation of the soul.

Therefore, ghosts, having lost their physical bodies, did not differ much in the path of cultivation from orthodox magicians, except in title.

Foundation Establishment, Red Seal Mage, Yellow Seal Mage, Green Seal Sage, Corpse Dissection Immortal.

Wandering Soul, Yin Soldiers, Yin Envoy, Ghost King (Ghost Uncle), Ghost Immortal.

It’s just that before cultivating their Dao Foundation, ghosts needed to add an extra step—"Refining Form".

Using part of a corpse or some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures as a vessel, they absorbed Human Qi and Yang Energy to regrow a false set of muscles, bones, internal organs, and meridians...

The Weird things Wang Yuan had once slain were mostly Yin Objects.

In essence, the so-called Deceit Skin, Deceit Bone, and Deceit Heart were all mutated kinds of vessels for the Ghost Path.

The same principle applied to the cultivation of demons, which constantly absorbed Human Qi to transform their beastly bodies into human ones.

The orthodox way without future troubles involved learning to read and write, to be educated, to understand human speech and reason, which would naturally lead to Spirit Communication Transformation.

The more peaceful ones seduced and mingled, covertly stealing human essence and Yang Energy to gradually change themselves.

Most demons and ghosts, however, chose to directly consume humans, gouging out hearts, scooping out brains, eating flesh and marrow to obtain Human Qi.

But Huang Wu didn’t need to use her own corpse as a vessel; the Green Phoenix Treasure Pearl she mentioned, which had been by her side for fifteen years, was the top-grade Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure.

Intended for the resurrection of that Concubine, it had been nourished in this "Ghost Breeding Bureau" for hundreds of years and had already laid the most solid foundation.

It was indeed a treasure of enlightenment for ghostly beings.

It allowed Huang Wu to nearly complete her "Refining Form" from the start, feeling real to the touch, just like a living person.

Wang Yuan, taking the offered Rashamon Bone from the girl like accepting a treasure, nodded in satisfaction:

"Another hooked fish has returned.

Once this is refined into a powerful Mixed Element Thunderbolt, it can be given to ’Lady Peach Fairy’ as a ’dowry’.

Old Taoist Ge will surely be very surprised at that time."

...

At the slope in the north of the mountain range, at the angled wind mouth.

Two screams tore through the curtain of rain, then abruptly ceased.

The sound of hooves gradually approached.

A Daoist, with his face obscured by a wide-brimmed hat and a straw raincoat, rode atop a gray donkey, coming to a stop in front of the two bodies.

Beneath the corpses that looked to be a father and son from the mountains, fresh red blood trickled slowly, forming a tiny stream mixed with the rainwater.

However, the Daoist was only staring intently at the compass in his hands, pondering the towering and eerie mountain terrain before him, treating the two human lives as if they were mere dust, not even deigning to spare them a glance.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, he asked casually:

"Tian Qi, what do you think Lady Immortal feels right now, willing or unwilling?"

Although there was clearly no second living person in the woods, a respectful voice responded:

"Master, rest assured, Miss Peach Fairy must be overjoyed to become your wife.

This humble one congratulates you, felicitates you, Master and disciple joined in happy matrimony, even in Green Forest it’s a rare and wonderful tale."

On closer look, only the donkey’s mouth was moving, chattering away—the one speaking was actually the donkey under the Daoist.

The Daoist, overjoyed at the reply, laughed heartily:

"Ha ha ha, well said indeed.

Tian Qi, you talk much more as a donkey than you did as a human; keep it up.

There’s an old saying that when one attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven; your benefits will surely not be lacking in the future."

Tian Qi: ...

Although he wasn’t sure if this "ascending to heaven" was dignified or not, he dared not say, he dared not ask, and could only continue to smile sheepishly.

The Daoist put away the compass and caressed an old-fashioned, White Jade Scroll in his sleeve, engraved with the image of Taoyuan.

Raising his eyes to the distant mountains, a glimmer of eagerness sparkled in his gaze. He drove the donkey down the mountain road, which led to Daling Village not far from the road’s end.

Jingle jingle jingle...

A copper bell on the donkey’s neck jingled crisply.

Behind them, the two mountain folk corpses, which had already fallen silent, suddenly began to move their ears; their eyes opened to reveal unfocused pupils. Their bodies twitched as they rose from the ground.

Purple mushrooms had sprouted from the back of their heads.

They had turned into undead in the blink of an eye!

And then, stepping on the muddy waters, they stumbled after the Daoist, like two loyal dogs.

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