Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 120 - 44: Ghost Descends the Mountain, No Taboos Whatsoever

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Linfeng Hall, study room.

A wisp of pale blue smoke slowly rose from a golden bronze incense burner, exuding the lingering scent of sandalwood.

Suddenly, the smoke was disturbed.

Shen Qing walked in from outside the main door: "Master, did you call for me?"

Li Linfeng turned from his desk, holding a neatly folded golden vest in front of Shen Qing.

"What is this?"

"A Golden Silkworm Armor, impervious to water and fire. Wear it for protection."

Shen Qing accepted the Golden Silkworm Armor, finding it thin as gauze and cool to the touch.

The golden threads woven together were extraordinarily fine, emitting a golden sheen, clearly not an ordinary item.

His uncle, the Hall Master, was unexpectedly generous in giving it to him, leaving Shen Qing somewhat surprised.

Shen Qing did not hesitate, accepted it gratefully, and said, "Thank you, Master."

Following this, Li Linfeng took out two porcelain bottles and handed them to Shen Qing: "This one contains Qi Blood Pills from the government office, which can strengthen Qi-Blood and enhance your cultivation. There are twenty pills in total, and I kept five for you; the other bottle is Heart Returning Pills, which can save your life in critical moments. Take them as well."

Shen Qing knew that Linfeng Hall was currently not well-off financially, so giving these items was quite difficult.

But one could never have too many good things.

Shen Qing accepted them one by one.

Li Linfeng, somewhat disinterested, said, "Things are complicated within the hall right now, and my energy is limited, so I can't help you much. Take care of yourself."

"I understand."

Li Linfeng waved his hand, showing signs of fatigue, and sat back down.

Shen Qing clasped his hands in respect and exited the study.

Linfeng Hall had gone through a lot recently, and everything was in disarray.

Shen Qing could not help much here, so he decided to return to his place and make some preparations for the mountain ascent in the morning.

As he walked into the inner courtyard, he happened to see Li Lingchan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

Dressed in warrior attire, she was busy alongside others, handling the aftermath for fellow disciples.

Li Lingchan seemed to sense something and glanced at Shen Qing.

But she quickly withdrew her gaze, as if afraid that looking too long might cause a misunderstanding.

Without any excess emotion, Li Lingchan buried her head back into her work.

Shen Qing smiled slightly, not minding at all.

As the sun gradually set, the clouds turned from golden to orange-red.

The night slowly descended, enveloping the world in darkness.

The day passed in the blink of an eye.

His elder sister, Shen Fang, knowing Shen Qing was going on a long journey for several days, prepared plenty of dry food and arranged a change of clothes, packing them into a bundle and placing it in Shen Qing's room, nagging about many things.

Shen Qing patiently agreed to everything without any irritation.

Taking the time, he went over the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill and Dragon Roar Armor several times, increasing his cultivation progress.

Until midnight, Shen Qing exhaled a deep breath and walked to the Eight Immortals Table in the living room.

On the table were fish, meat, lingzhi, ginseng, and even a treasure soup made from the Tiger King's Penis and Jade Deer Tendon.

Since Li Linfeng told him that Skin Forging Realm required eating to cultivate, Shen Qing had consumed all sorts of supplements without interruption.

He even added a nighttime snack.

As a result, his cultivation has visibly improved rapidly during this time.

"Lately, after each cultivation, I feel hungry, which means my strength is increasing faster than the essence I'm absorbing. The hungrier I am, the faster my strength grows."

"But I am spending money too quickly, spending nearly one hundred taels just on food. I must find ways to earn more money and gain more influence in the future."

Shen Qing picked up an unknown animal leg and gnawed at it fiercely.

Moments later, the entire table of food was finished.

Shen Qing felt as though he was soaked in hot springs, his whole body warm, with streams of essence permeating from the inside out, turning his skin red.

He quickly practiced his martial arts once more, appreciating the rapidly increasing value on the Water Ink Panel, and then rested contentedly.

...

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away on Shicheng Mountain.

In an unknown dense forest, shadows flickered with a blood-red glow.

Upon closer look, there were pairs of eyes drifting within the forest.

In the midst of these shadows lay a large, spotted tiger, exhaling heavily.

Its breathing was rhythmic: long, long, long, short, repeating cyclically, covered faintly by moonlight.

Unclear how much time passed, the large, spotted tiger opened its eyes and spoke like a human: "Devouring humans continuously, my cultivation seems to have improved quite a bit again. Truly, on the path of becoming a demon, eating humans is the best cultivation method."

With that, it tore a human arm from behind with its claw and tossed it into its mouth.

The crackling of bones and flesh resonated through the woods, sending a chill down one's spine.

Gurgle.

The large spotted tiger extended its neck to swallow, eyes glowing with eerie green light, exuding a satisfied, human-like expression, its fur reflecting a metallic sheen under the moonlight.

After a while, the tiger stood up, opened its bloody maw, and roared arrogantly, a sound like thunder, exploding in the night.

An invisible shockwave centered around it spread like ripples.

As the shockwave passed, leaves rustled, and branches shook violently as if enduring a fierce storm.

Hundreds of Ghosts in the forest covered their ears, showing looks of pain.

Their faces were filled with fear, eyes flashing with terror.

Under the shockwave, their bodies wavered, as if they might scatter any moment.

After a while, the tiger satisfactorily ceased its roar and headed down the mountain.

"Things are getting lively at the foot of the mountain lately, time for a little feast. Hopefully, I'll find a woman with high cultivation, their meat is tender and firm, quite delicious."

The calf-sized spotted tiger scanned the multitude of Ghosts, growling deeply and authoritatively: "From today onwards, I want more food, more, more! This mountain lord now lifts your restrictions, bring me people, anyone who shows up empty-handed will feed my stomach."

Its gaze swept over the Ghosts, and every Ghost touched by its gaze felt a chill rise from their hearts.

"Yes, mountain lord!"

All the drifting Ghosts in the forest lowered their heads before the spotted tiger in fear and agreement.

"Ghosts descending the mountain, with no taboos!"

The spotted tiger let out a low growl, and the red light in the eyes of hundreds of Ghosts dimmed somewhat.

With the whistling wind, the Ghosts surged mightily down the mountain like a flood, disappearing into the night.

At the foot of the mountain, in a village already destroyed by the tiger demon.

Amidst the ruins, numerous martial masters sent to exterminate the tiger lit bonfires and gathered in a circle.

The night wind howled, making the flames flicker unstably, shadows dancing constantly across their faces.

Martial Master Bao Renliang poked the bonfire with a stick, making the tightly packed flames burn brighter.

The others sat nearby, chatting idly.

While they chatted idly, most of their conversations were complaints.

"This village used to have probably thirty or forty tiger families; now, not a single person is left, all eaten by the tiger demon. I really don't understand what the County Magistrate is thinking, why haven't they taken action?"

Martial Master Bao Renliang threw a half-dry, damp piece of wood into the bonfire, mumbling under his breath.

Another martial master with a bushy beard placed his index finger on his lips for silence, gesturing inside with his chin, indicating: "Someone from the Guardian Martial Department is inside, keep it down."

"I don't fear him damn it."

The bushy-bearded martial master lowered his voice: "I heard that the County Magistrate had some issues with his cultivation recently and wants to use this as an excuse to reduce the power of local gangs and Martial Arts Halls, to prevent any disturbances."

Martial Master Bao Renliang showed a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Is that really so?"

The bushy-bearded martial master continued: "I also heard this; I am not sure if it's true, just take it as a rumor. I also heard the County Magistrate spent a lot to ensure no mishaps during this term, almost guaranteeing a transfer to a more prosperous place."

"Damn corrupt official."

The bushy-bearded martial master was about to say more when a few white shadows flickered from a distance, a cold wind whistled through, and he shivered involuntarily.

He looked back, suddenly feeling a chill on his nose.

A pale and twisted human face stared at him, close enough to touch.

His heart seemed to be gripped by a hand, while his feet felt nailed in place, unable to move.

The bushy-bearded martial master flailed his hands wildly behind him but to no avail, as he was quickly dragged into the darkness, screaming.

Only a piercing echo was left, reverberating over the silent village.

And then, silence resumed.

The rest of the martial masters were left dumbstruck by this sudden turn of events, drawing their weapons and vigilantly watching their surroundings.

But apart from the howling night wind and swaying firelight, there were no other unusual signs.

Where the bushy-bearded master vanished, only drag marks remained.

"What was that?"

"Old Wang's cultivation is one of the best among us, how did he vanish in the blink of an eye?"

Bao Renliang maintained his composure, walking to the drag marks.

Under the watchful eyes of others, he squatted down, staring intently into the pitch-black distance.

Just as he concentrated, a bloody and mutilated pale face suddenly lunged out.

"It's a Ghost… It's the tiger demon's Ghost coming!" Bao Renliang fell on his rear in shock, his face changed dramatically: "Get inside quickly!"

He had not finished speaking.

A scream echoed from behind.

Another martial master was grabbed by a Ghost, being dragged into the darkness, disappearing in an instant.

"Die!"

A martial master rushed forward, punching at the shadow.

But the shadow seemed non-existent, passing through him.

In his moment of astonishment, the Ghost floated behind him, pulling out his heart with a hand.

The martial master's body was like paper, with a fresh heart extracted by the Ghost.

"Get inside, only Qi can harm these Ghosts, have the government officers handle it."

The rest grabbed torches and filed into the house.

The last person hardened his heart and tossed the torch far away.

The light dispelled the darkness.

In a fleeting glance, they saw, the two martial masters dragged away had their insides pulled out, blood everywhere.

There were no fewer than ten white shadows around, eyes glowing with bloody light, staring intently at them, sending a chill up their spines.

"Ah!"

All the Ghosts pounced.

Moments later, the mountain village returned to stillness.

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