Chapter 22: The Human Heart is Like a Ghost

The eerie wind roared, echoing through the palace chamber.

The King of Han and all the guards stood not far away, feeling the wind hit their faces, and couldn't help but feel a trace of regret in their hearts.

Since that day he summoned the wind and rain, he had been eager to see the expert Su Xuan display his supernatural powers again.

Therefore, upon learning that Su Xuan was preparing to perform the Art of Communicating with the Nether to summon ghosts, even knowing that such things were terrifying, he chose to stay.

He never expected that before the ghosts even appeared, an eerie wind would start blowing.

Was it too late for him to leave now?

"Woooo..." The eerie wind continued to blow, sounding like weeping and complaining. Even knowing it was just the sound of wind, hearing it made one subconsciously feel fear.

Su Xuan pinched ancient hand seals, his whole person becoming ethereal. Faint mist swirled around him, and his face and figure gradually became blurred.

Just then, the King of Han suddenly heard Su Xuan speak: "Why did you hijack the military pay?"

"Who is Mr. Su talking to?" ===== CHAPTER 36 =====

The King of Han looked around, his face full of confusion.

The guards standing by his side also shook their heads. "No... no one is there!"

"Could it be... that the ghosts have appeared?" one guard speculated.

He couldn't help but widen his eyes, continuing to look in front of Su Xuan, but he saw no ghosts.

The pile of soil, however, had been scattered quite a bit by the eerie wind.

The word "ghosts" reached the ears of the King of Han.

His body trembled.

Had the ghosts appeared?

He felt some fear in his heart, but perhaps it was the courage Su Xuan gave him; he persisted in looking toward Su Xuan, but he saw nothing.

Su Xuan ignored the curiosity of the King of Han and the guards.

In front of him, it was as if someone had appeared.

He continued to converse with the figure invisible to others.

He asked the other party about the military pay.

"I see. I understand. You may withdraw now!"

After finishing the conversation, Su Xuan said one more thing, formed a sword finger, and pointed forward. Instantly, the pile of soil scattered across the floor.

The eerie wind that had been lingering in the chamber stopped abruptly, and the mist around Su Xuan dissipated along with it.

"Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my duty!"

Su Xuan turned his head, looking at the terrified King of Han, and spoke calmly.

The King of Han shook himself, regained his composure, and asked Su Xuan, "Mr. Su, have you found the whereabouts of the missing military pay?"

Su Xuan frowned, his voice deep. "Although it is hard to believe, I used the Art of Communicating with the Nether to summon the ghosts lurking in Soul-Severing Valley, and learned from them that the military pay was not hijacked by them!"

"How can that be?"

The King of Han was shocked. One hundred thousand taels of gold had vanished in broad daylight, and ghosts had appeared. If it wasn't the ghost soldiers, then who did it?

"That is why I said it is hard to believe," Su Xuan said calmly. "According to the ghosts, they only appeared because they saw the Zhao Guo army and wanted to scare them. To the living, that military pay is of great value, but to wandering souls lurking in the wilderness, it has no meaning."

"According to them, the military pay vanished on its own after encountering rainwater."

"Gold vanished after encountering water?" The King of Han looked disbelieving. "How could such a thing happen?"

"No, it is possible!" Su Xuan said.

Facing the King of Han's confused expression, he continued, "The premise is that the gold was not real gold!"

Su Xuan said, "I am proficient in alchemy and medicine. In alchemy, besides medicinal herbs, I occasionally use rare minerals. As far as I know, there is a mineral in this world that looks very similar to gold. It dissolves in water and burns in water. Therefore, it has another name: 'Water-Dissolving Gold'!"

"'Water-Dissolving Gold'?" The King of Han realized. "Sir, are you saying that my military pay was not actually gold, but Water-Dissolving Gold?"

"I do have this suspicion!" Su Xuan did not hide it.

"Impossible!" The King of Han was certain. He was sure his military pay was real gold, not some mineral that looked like it.

"Perhaps the military pay you initially sent out was real gold, but there is a possibility that it was swapped during transport!"

"Who? Who is so bold? Daring to touch military pay?!" The King of Han was suddenly furious.

"In this world, there are always people whose boldness exceeds imagination. Not only do they dare to touch military pay, but to hide the truth, they even dare to attack the chief investigators."

"Originally, I only suspected the deaths of the investigators were man-made, but after summoning the ghosts and learning what happened that day at Soul-Severing Valley, I am now certain!"

"The ghost soldiers exacting their debt is man-made!"

Just as the King of Han was certain his gold was real, Su Xuan was now exceptionally certain, firmly believing the information he obtained through his art was true.

If it were the King of Han of the past, even if he suspected the disappearance was man-made, he would still have doubts.

What if it really was the work of ghosts?

But perhaps because of the various mysterious methods Su Xuan had shown him, he believed Su Xuan's words without question.

"Could it be that my military pay can never be recovered?" The King of Han was somewhat dejected.

Although he knew the disappearance was man-made.

Judging by the behavior of the people in the shadows who didn't hesitate to kill the investigators, they were determined to have the pay.

If it were the work of ghosts, he could use Mr. Su's supreme supernatural powers to take it back.

If it were man-made, how could he find the lost pay?

"That is not necessarily true!"

Su Xuan gave his opinion, but he did not continue on how to find the lost pay. ===== CHAPTER 37 =====