Chapter 805: Ghost

After a person dies, do they become a ghost?

Why would Sister Ye ask that?

Could it be…

Mo Hua's expression darkened; after a moment's thought, he spoke to Hua Qianqian: "Sister Qianqian, does Sister Ye Jin still have any belongings left?"

Hua Qianqian thought for a moment, then shook her head: "Hard to say—Jin'er sister died by self-immolation; the whole room burned to ashes, nothing remained. Even if anything had survived, the sect took it all and handed it over to the Ye family."

"Nothing left…?"

Mo Hua frowned, pondered a moment, then suddenly had an insight: "What about books? Or jade slips?"

"They were burned too…"

"No," Mo Hua said, "not her personal ones—books and jade slips she borrowed from the sect."

Hua Qianqian froze, then understood.

Mo Hua said: "Find a way to check the Scripture Pavilion's records—see what books or jade slips Sister Ye Jin borrowed before her death. Those might hold clues."

Hua Qianqian glanced at Mo Hua in surprise, inwardly praising him.

Brother Mo is truly brilliant.

Hua Qianqian said: "The Scripture Pavilion's records are confidential, but I have an aunt who's an elder there—I can ask her for a favor. By this time tomorrow, I'll bring you the books and jade slips. If I can't get them, I'll come tell you myself."

Mo Hua nodded: "Good."

The next day, after class, Mo Hua arrived early and waited at the foot of the mountain.

Soon after, Hua Qianqian arrived, dressed in brocade robes, her beauty striking.

The two sat side by side beneath a large tree.

Hua Qianqian handed Mo Hua a storage pouch embroidered with a hundred flowers, then sighed deeply:

"It was troublesome… No matter how I pleaded, my aunt refused. I wore her down for ages, even promised I'd get an 'A' in alchemy for this sect assessment—only then did she relent and check the records for me."

She pointed to the pouch: "All the cultivation texts Sister Jin'er borrowed from the Scripture Pavilion in the past month—I've retrieved them and placed them in this pouch."

Then she added: "These originals aren't allowed to be shown to outsiders, Brother Mo—you mustn't lose them, or I won't be able to explain to my aunt…"

"Yes, yes, Sister, don't worry!" Mo Hua assured her.

Hua Qianqian relaxed, yet still felt puzzled: "But… could there really be clues in here?"

"I hope so…"

Mo Hua's eyes glinted faintly.

…

Within Grand Void Gate.

Back in the disciples' quarters, Mo Hua opened the storage pouch Hua Qianqian had given him.

It was a storage pouch from Hundred Flowers Valley.

The pouch was embroidered with vivid, multicolored flowers.

Inside were four cultivation texts and one jade slip.

Mo Hua opened each one in turn.

The jade slip contained a method for cultivating flowers, detailing how to grow various rare varieties of magnolia.

Hundred Flowers Valley was named for flowers, and flower cultivation was one of its cultivation disciplines; its female disciples all had some skill in floral arts.

Mo Hua remembered Hua Qianqian saying that Sister Ye Jin had loved magnolias in life, and thus focused her floral arts on "magnolia."

But he himself knew nothing about flower cultivation.

He rarely liked growing anything that couldn't be eaten.

Mo Hua flipped through the jade slip, found nothing of note, and set it aside.

Next came the cultivation texts.

One on alchemy, one on cultivation, one on how women applied makeup and rouge—but the last one was strange.

Its title: *One Hundred Prohibitions of Cultivation*.

It was a cultivation text listing nearly a hundred forbidden acts to avoid, meant to prevent disciples from straying into error and falling into heresy.

Mo Hua flipped through the book, then his gaze suddenly halted on one page.

The page bore a faint crease.

There was a water stain—looked like tear marks.

Near the tear marks, a line of text read:

"…If a person dies violently, carrying a heavy burden of resentment, they may transform into a dread ghost…"

Violent death, heavy resentment, transformed into a ghost…

Mo Hua's heart slowly sank.

He pondered a moment, then packed the pouch, took out the Bone Sword, and unsealed a small portion of its binding.

"Bonehead, I have a question for you."

"Master," Bonehead began, then immediately realized Mo Hua disliked that term and corrected himself: "Young Master, ask."

"How did you become a 'dread entity'?" Mo Hua asked.

"This…" Bonehead chuckled awkwardly, "You already know—I was killed by you, my flesh and blood gone, my soul bound to the broken sword, becoming a Sword Demon…"

Mo Hua frowned: "Is your case… unusually special?"

Bonehead trembled inwardly, feeling guilty: "Young Master, you mean…"

Mo Hua said: "I've killed others, seen many die—but very few become dread entities after death."

Among all the people Mo Hua had seen, besides Bonehead, the only one who became a dread entity after death was Zhang Quan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who colluded with Lu Chengyun and practiced corpse cultivation among the Corpse Mountain of Nan Yue City.

But Zhang Quan's case was unusual.

His entire family were "Corpse Ghosts."

He also possessed an ancestral "Zombie Map," and after death, his whole clan would neatly enter the map together.

There must be some kind of lineage here.

But Mo Hua, after all, was not of the Corpse Dao, so he could not tell what evil Dao technique Zhang Quan's clan had inherited.

But apart from Zhang Quan, other cultivators, once dead, were truly dead.

They rarely became malevolent spirits or ghosts.

The Sword Bone was another peculiar case.

It seemed to have long prepared for this—either refining itself into a Life-Bound Treasure to achieve a Jin Dan demonic cultivator, or, upon death, leaving no flesh or blood behind, transforming into a Sword Demon.

At the time, in the Ten Thousand Demons Valley, the situation was urgent, and Mo Hua had no chance to think deeply.

Now, after careful reflection, he sensed something deeply wrong here.

A "Sword Demon," even if in his eyes it was a mere ant, something he could crush at will, was, in a certain sense, a being that had shifted from the Human Dao to the "Ghostly" Dao, avoiding true bodily annihilation and Dao extinction.

If such a choice existed, countless cultivators would willingly become "Sword Demons" after death.

But clearly, such a good thing did not exist.

Most cultivators, once dead, were finished forever.

This Sword Bone… has problems…

Within the white bone broken sword, the Sword Bone's bones trembled slightly.

Serving a lord is like serving a tiger.

Especially when this tiger is not only powerful and vicious, but also possesses a mind bordering on demonic.

The Sword Bone's voice was hoarse, yet it tried to remain calm:

"In reply to Young Master, within the Ten Thousand Demons Valley, there was no sky or sun, and I merely clung to a desperate hope in my final despair, thinking that if there was even a sliver of chance, I might transform into a Sword Demon—it would be a path to survival."

"In the end, by some twist of fate, you killed me, and my soul entered this white bone broken sword, successfully becoming a Sword Demon—I suppose I still benefited from your Young Master's fortune."

"Without you, Young Master, I would never have walked this path; perhaps I would have been reduced to ashes during my attempt to break through to Jin Dan, leaving no corpse behind…"

The Sword Bone flattered Mo Hua without showing any expression.

Mo Hua's gaze was enigmatic, yet he asked no further questions, instead saying:

"Do you know… how a person becomes a 'ghost'?"

The Sword Bone did not wish to answer.

It did not know how much Mo Hua understood about ghostly arts, and feared that if it slipped up, Mo Hua might detect something.

But it clearly could not say nothing at all.

The Sword Bone paused slightly, then spoke slowly:

"When a cultivator loses their physical body under special circumstances but retains residual spiritual awareness, over time, they become a ghostly entity."

"Ghostly entities crave human bodies, especially those of close kin."

"If they have no close kin, then teachers, fellow sect members, companions—anyone connected to them and holding their memories—become their prey."

"They will parasitize these individuals, devouring their spiritual awareness; after consuming one, they seek the next host and continue feeding."

"And those parasitized by ghosts will undergo drastic personality changes, their minds descending into madness; once the ghost consumes their spiritual awareness entirely, the host will die as well…"

…

The Sword Bone finished speaking, uneasy.

Mo Hua nodded slightly.

The Sword Bone's words matched closely with what Huang Shanjun had said.

"Are there special circumstances?" Mo Hua asked again.

"Special circumstances?"

"For example…" Mo Hua recalled a line from the "One Hundred Taboos of Cultivation": "If a person dies a horrific death, carrying a deep, heavy resentment, they may transform into an extremely vicious ghost…"

A horrific death…

The Sword Bone's expression hardened, and it nodded: "Yes."

It thought for a moment, then spoke honestly: "Everything has exceptions—even ghostly arts. Some cultivate the Ghost Dao willingly, choosing to become ghost cultivators; some lose their bodies and become ghosts out of necessity; some suffer bad luck and are parasitized by malevolent entities, becoming ghosts…"

"But these are all ordinary cases."

"The extreme case is 'horrific death'—a cultivator endures immense torment and suffering in life, harboring profound hatred and resentment; upon such a death, they transform into an evil ghost, a ferocious ghost, a monstrous ghost, a vengeful ghost—extremely vicious specters."

"These vengeful ghosts are far stronger than ordinary malevolent spirits, their resentment far deeper, and their killings far more terrifying."

Mo Hua frowned.

Huang Shanjun had never mentioned these things.

He turned his head and silently glanced at the white bone broken sword in his hand.

This Sword Bone seemed to know quite a lot…

"Enough. You're dismissed."

Mo Hua said, then reactivated the Complete Spirit Lock Array, sealing the Sword Bone once more.

Inside the white bone sword, the Sword Bone let out a long sigh of relief.

But on Mo Hua's brow, a layer of worry settled.

"This is bad…"

If this were true, Sister Ye Jin must have intended to die a horrific death, carrying deep resentment to become a ghost—that's why she set fire to herself and burned alive.

She endured such agony solely to transform into a vengeful ghost.

But becoming a ghost is not so simple.

If she did not become a vengeful ghost, it might be better; but if she truly became one, she would likely begin to "consume" people.

But she did not die in the Ye family—she died in the Hundred Flowers Valley.

Inside the Hundred Flowers Valley were all her fellow disciples, sisters bound to her.

Even if she did not wish it, driven by the ghost's instinct, she would begin possessing bodies, seeking out consciousnesses to devour.

It was even likely that she was already in the process of "possessing a body"…

Mo Hua looked solemn.

……

The next day was the ten-day rest.

Mo Hua met Hua Qianqian and gave her a general account of the matter.

He did not mention the ghostly affair, only said:

"Sister Ye Jin's manner of death is suspicious; the lingering resentment is extremely deep—it may give rise to evil thoughts. Something terrible might happen in the Hundred Flowers Valley…"

Originally, Mo Hua thought he would have to explain at length.

But Hua Qianqian, upon hearing this, immediately turned pale and trembled as she said:

"Yes, younger brother, you're right!"

Mo Hua's heart sank.

Hua Qianqian added: "In recent days, the sisters who were close to Sister Jin'er have all felt uneasy, and sometimes at night they have nightmares—dreaming of Ye Jin's face, deathly pale, bloodless, eyes hollow, silently staring at them, whispering things like 'so dirty,' 'can't go on living.'"

"Then, after a moment, flames of karmic fire erupt."

"Sister Jin'er stands in the sea of fire, her face burned beyond recognition, like a monster…"

Hua Qianqian's expression held both fear and sorrow.

Mo Hua's heart grew heavy—he had suspected as much; the situation was already somewhat serious.

These signs might already be precursors to becoming a vengeful ghost.

Hua Qianqian glanced at Mo Hua and couldn't help asking:

"Younger Brother Mo, has something happened to Sister Jin'er?"

"It's hard to say yet…"

Mo Hua sighed.

The clues were still few; he could only speculate.

The truth, whatever it might be, he could not yet determine without seeing it with his own eyes.

After long hesitation, Mo Hua finally spoke: "Qianqian sister, could you… take me into the Hundred Flowers Valley to take a look?"

Hua Qianqian blinked in surprise and shook her head, sighing:

"The rules of the Hundred Flowers Valley are strict—no male cultivators are permitted to enter."

"Is there truly no exception?"

"None…" Hua Qianqian said.

"Alright."

Mo Hua felt disappointed.

Then he would have to find another way.

For example, summon all the Hundred Flowers Valley disciples who knew Ye Jin?

Especially those who had dreamed of her…

As Mo Hua was lost in thought, Hua Qianqian secretly studied him, her gaze flickering, her heart pounding wildly.

"Actually… there might be a way…"

Hua Qianqian whispered.

"What?" Mo Hua was startled.

Hua Qianqian's shimmering eyes swept over Mo Hua's face, and unable to suppress her inner longing, she whispered:

"Younger brother… wear a Hundred Flowers Valley robe, and I'll take you in."

Mo Hua froze, his expression shocked, and immediately refused:

"No way!"

Absolutely not!

He was a man, a junior elder of the Grand Void Gate—how could he wear a Hundred Flowers Valley robe?

Hua Qianqian herself was startled by what she had said.

Instantly, she realized this might be her only chance in life—a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

If she missed this, she would never again fulfill her wish.

"Just wear it for a moment, just slip into the valley," Hua Qianqian said.

At least let her see what Mo Hua looked like in a Hundred Flowers Valley robe.

Mo Hua refused outright, his tone stern:

"No means no."

"Alright…"

Seeing Mo Hua's firm stance, Hua Qianqian felt regret but had no choice but to give up. "Then how do we investigate Sister Jin'er's case?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and said: "Can you summon the sisters who had the nightmares, so I can meet them?"

Hua Qianqian looked troubled but replied: "I'll try, but time is tight—the sisters are all busy; we may not be able to gather them all during this ten-day rest."

"Alright," Mo Hua nodded. "Thank you, sister."

After that, Hua Qianqian returned to the Hundred Flowers Valley.

Mo Hua continued pondering Ye Jin's case, but as he thought, he suddenly realized a problem:

Calling out these senior sisters seems useless.

A person's spiritual awareness is sealed within the Sea of Consciousness.

The ghostly intrusion targets the Sea of Consciousness itself.

Since I cannot perform Primordial Spirit Out-of-Body Travel, and my spiritual awareness cannot leave my body, unless the ghost pulls me in, I can only watch helplessly with no way to act.

As for the Sword Bone…

Under these circumstances, the Sword Bone is of no use.

Moreover, it is the Sword Demon—it's best not to show itself before others.

The more troubling point is that Sister Ye Jin died in the Hundred Flowers Valley; the place of her death is where the grievous qi is strongest, the very ground that transforms the dead into ghosts.

Unless we resolve the "source," even if we rid a few senior sisters of their ghostly dreams, it's only treating symptoms, not the root cause, and the problem remains unsolved.

Mo Hua's head ached.

During his day off, he pondered for a full day but found no solution.

As evening approached, Mo Hua wrestled with his thoughts for a long while, then finally sighed deeply and, as if resigned, sent a message to Hua Qianqian:

"Senior Sister, if I wear the Dao robe of the Hundred Flowers Valley, can I really slip inside…?"

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