Chapter 1229

He Lingchuan stood up and said to Boss Situ: "I need to discuss a few things with Master Fu. General Situ, just go about your business—we'll catch up later?" Boss Situ had no objections, instructed the attendants to treat him well, and left with his son midway.

Having such a great help is Situ's blessing.

Afterward, He Lingchuan asked Fu Liushan for advice on subduing ghosts and demons.

Fu Liushan looked at him, eyes full of suspicion: "Asking so many details—do you want to go alone to meet the Xuanlu Ghost King?"

"How could I?" He Lingchuan smiled. "Going into the forest is just suicide—I wouldn't do something that stupid."

Fu Liushan could only chuckle helplessly.

When this kid wore the Luosheng Jia, he didn't even mobilize a large army; rescuing Situ He from Ju City was even more a solo effort.

Could it be reasonably suspected that He Lingchuan is again scheming against Xuanlu? "Almost believed it. I suddenly realized—others might not manage it, but you can lure the snake out of its hole."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan's smile didn't change. "How so?"

"Luosheng Jia." Fu Liushan dismissed the nearby attendants and lowered his voice: "Xuanlu hates Luosheng Jia, hates anyone wearing it. Since it recognized you, it won't let you go. Hehe, aren't you thinking the same?"

He Lingchuan smiled without speaking—Fu Liushan had hit the mark this time.

He had just slain one of Xuanlu Ghost King's avatars yesterday. Counting it up, Xuanlu Ghost King has suffered three setbacks because of Luosheng Jia.

Given its nature, not seeking revenge on He Lingchuan, not venting its spite—how could that be? As long as He Lingchuan wears Luosheng Jia and personally patrols the outskirts of the Howling Forest, the Xuanlu evil spirits will likely catch his scent and rush out—no other bait needed. "I really don't get it—if others lost three times in a row, they'd probably realize Luosheng Jia is their bane and avoid it forever." Dong Rui scratched his head. "Why does this Xuanlu Ghost King keep thinking about revenge all day?"

"It's just their nature." Some know when to retreat; others have ghosts that cling and strike wildly.

Fu Liushan also said: "When a person becomes a ghost, they usually become even more obstinate—after all, people turn into ghosts only because their obsessions haven't faded."

This is called negative reinforcement.

He Lingchuan stroked his chin: "Xuanlu Ghost King seems to like allying with powerful armies. Other demons, even when causing chaos in the human world, rarely have this preference."

Over 160 years ago, the White Bear King, and not long ago, the Three-Tailed Great Demon—both sparked serious conflicts with human territories. They also lived in deep mountains and old forests, but had almost no contact with humans themselves.

Xuanlu is different from them.

"Otherwise, how could it be called a scourge, causing far greater harm than other demons?" Fu Liushan shook his head. "The Lu Xuan Ghost King early on mastered the art of dealing with riffraff—it provides avatars and evil spirits as lackeys to these armies; the other side wants to boost its strength, must not only agree to its terms but also feed it with blood offerings."

Dong Rui, however, said: "This is a very clever method—otherwise, relying solely on Xuanlu itself, how could it gather many living souls?"

"This is 'helping the tiger eat its prey.'" Fu Liushan said. "It truly, by its own power, adds much turmoil and hatred to the surrounding areas."

He Lingchuan nodded repeatedly: "Exactly, this hits the nail on the head!"

He had been wondering why Lingshan sent him to exterminate the Xuanlu Ghost King.

Putting it bluntly, Xuanlu does evil ten thousand li away—what does it have to do with Lingshan? Why bother managing it so broadly? Fu Liushan's remark might have unintentionally approached the truth. Lingshan of course knows: the more chaotic the Jinjin Plains become, the more nightmare qi sent to Tianluo Star. The Xuanlu Ghost King is also one of the culprits causing turmoil and hatred—Lingshan may not be able to defeat Yaoguo, but taking down a ghost king might be within its power.

And He Lingchuan, upon arriving here, discovered that the surrounding forces were about to unite to attack Chixia—so Lingshan taking down the ghost king amounts to weakening Chixia, weakening Yaoguo's lackeys.

Since Fang Chanran caused the disturbance in Lingxu City, Lingshan has officially stood against the Tiangong, willing to do anything unfavorable to the heavenly gods or to Bekka, especially in secret.

The struggle between these two forces is all-encompassing, multi-dimensional. So in this matter, He Lingchuan is quite willing to get involved.

Suddenly, a white-cheeked forest oriole flew in from midair, flapped its wings, and landed on the branch by the window.

He Lingchuan immediately clapped his hands, calling it to fly inside.

This is a minor avian demon hired by the Yangshan Merchant Guild around Gunshi Valley to serve as a short-distance messenger. It flies very fast, suitable for urgent communication.

When the white-cheeked forest oriole opened its beak, its voice was clear and sharp:

"Jiang Lishui's verbal message: someone in the village is still secretly worshipping the ghost king, and this person has been constantly observing the garrison and patrols!"

The three exchanged glances, and Dong Rui hehe-laughed: "Did the ghost king send spies to scout the situation?"

Boss Situ had equipped Gunshi Valley with a new garrison, not far from the village entrance.

If the ghost king has any ideas about Gunshi Valley and He Lingchuan, this garrison would be impossible to bypass.

He Lingchuan asked a few more questions, gave the forest oriole half a spirit pill as payment for the message, and then said: "Go tell Jiang Lishui—watch people but don't seize them, let him observe freely."

The bird responded, flapped its wings, and flew away.

"Retaliation came fast." Dong Rui laughed. "You guess how long until the ghost king strikes you?"

"Not just him." Fu Liushan shook his head. "Shishitou Village, the Yangshan Merchant Guild, and including you two—anyone connected to this He surname, the Xuanlu Ghost King won't let go. It's just its nature."

Exactly—those ghost kings are just that petty.

He Lingchuan instead smiled: "Then it's easy to handle."

The more obvious the enemy's temperament, the easier it is to calculate against them.

This guy can still laugh out loud—he's got guts. Fu Liushan humbly asked for advice: "Oh, how so?"

"It wants to wipe out so many targets in one sweep—that's not small-scale skirmishing; it can't do it alone. Don't forget there's already a Situ garrison at the village mouth." He Lingchuan continued: "So it will have to seek help from the Chixia people."

And the Chixia people just suffered a defeat—even if they want to retaliate, they won't choose to attack Gunshi Valley, which has no strategic value.

It seems the connection between Xuanlu and Chixia is tighter than he originally imagined, and the ghost king's revenge urge exceeds his estimate.

No wonder Lingshan wants to exterminate the Xuanlu Ghost King—this scoundrel, even dead, could still stir up unrest around.

Since the Xuanlu Ghost King might seek help from the Chixia people, He Lingchuan naturally also needs to seek Boss Situ's support.

Boss Situ is also a straightforward man—upon hearing that the Chixia people might attack again, he immediately slammed the table: "Good, good—seeking defeat twice in one day, I'll make sure to satisfy them!"

When enemies rush into one's own territory seeking death, where else could he normally find such a good opportunity? Moreover, He Lingchuan has done him favors—repaying kindness in kind in this lifetime is the best possible outcome.

"We need to plan this properly." Boss Situ pulled out the sand table of Gunshi Valley's vicinity and said casually: "Don't know when the ghost king plans to attack—otherwise, this battle would be much easier to fight."

He Lingchuan pointed his finger on the sand table: "When it attacks—best if we decide that ourselves."

Second update, currently being manually revised.

Will be released shortly—please wait a moment~ Happy Dragon Year!

Wishing all readers family happiness and health!

(End of chapter)