Chapter 43: At This Moment, I Wish I Couldn't See

Chen Quan reached into his pocket; there happened to be a bottle of ox tears inside. This was actually standard equipment for them. After all, they often dealt with matters involving Daoist priests, so it was normal to know a few small tricks, which was why they were equipped with ox tears and a ghost-repelling talisman.

He secretly flipped open the cap, squeezed it, and feeling his palm get wet, he made a fist and pulled his hand from his pocket, taking the opportunity to smear it over his eyes.

When he opened his eyes to look again, where was there any manor here? It was clearly a desolate mountain wilderness, with white bones scattered everywhere.

As for the woman accompanying Liu He, she was even more terrifying; her face was covered in dried blood, and maggots were crawling in and out of her mouth and eyes. Liu He was currently caressing her, and the sight made Chen Quan's scalp tingle. He truly wished he could not see this scene.

He hurriedly tugged on Liu He's sleeve, and only then did Liu He reluctantly turn his head and say, "What is it?"

Chen Quan leaned in and whispered, "We still have a mission, let's not dawdle here."

Liu He glanced around, saw no problem, and said boorishly, "What mission? Don't bother me; go play on your own."

The woman to the side smiled and said, "Oh my, young master, it is this slave who has neglected you. This slave will call someone to keep you company right now."

Another woman with a slender figure and a pretty face immediately stood up, twisting her willow-thin waist as she walked to Chen Quan's side. She seemed as fragile as a willow branch, and with one slip, she fell into Chen Quan's arms.

She said coquettishly, "Ah... guest, did I hurt you? It is all this slave's fault. Why don't you punish this slave?"

As she spoke, she lifted her delicate little face and thrust her body forward. Chen Quan swallowed his saliva involuntarily, thinking to himself: Damn it, old lady, put your eyeballs back in first! And those maggots, centipedes, and such... Damn it, someone save me!

Chen Quan desperately wanted to refuse, but fearing he would anger these ghosts, he could only say tactfully, "We have discipline; I cannot commit a mistake!"

This was the only excuse he could think of, and at this moment, he felt that observing discipline was truly a great thing!

Even though Liu He mocked him, Chen Quan stuck firmly to the discipline issue and pushed the gorgeous woman away. Even when the woman offered wine and delicacies, he didn't even glance at them.

But the woman became somewhat angry, staring straight at Chen Quan. Chen Quan swallowed his saliva; his body couldn't stop trembling, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

The woman's voice was somewhat cold and ethereal as she asked, "Guest, are you both hot and cold? Why are you sweating and trembling?"

Chen Quan was so nervous he didn't know what to say. He braced himself and said, "No... no, I am just... just..."

"Just what?" the woman pressed.

The woman accompanying Liu He suddenly stood up and said, "The Hour of the Rat has arrived; the Master has returned."

Liu He hurriedly sat up straight, while Chen Quan breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them looked back to see the manor gates wide open, with four people outside carrying a sedan chair, which stopped at the entrance.

Although the expressions of the sedan bearers were smiling, they were extremely stiff, and their eyes seemed lifeless. Their faces were mostly pale, with only their cheeks painted with red rouge and their lips smeared with lipstick.

Chen Quan's face turned pale; he thought to himself, "This is bad, this is a paper-effigy-carried sedan! It's all over; I'm dead for sure today!"

At this moment, the two women stepped forward to lift the sedan curtain. A man wearing theatrical makeup and costume, with a greasy face and a stiff expression, stepped out. He looked at Chen Quan and Liu He, flicked his sleeves, and struck a pose from a play.

Chen Quan blinked, and the man in the theatrical costume had moved a step closer, his pose also changed. This greatly horrified Chen Quan; he hurriedly rubbed his eyes and looked again. The man in the theatrical costume had moved another step closer, and his pose had changed again.

He dared not close his eyes again. He saw the man in the theatrical costume vanish into thin air and, in an instant, move a step closer. Every step he took, he changed his pose. Over a distance of several dozen meters, the man in the theatrical costume reached Chen Quan in just a few seconds.

When he got close, Chen Quan could barely keep his composure. This man must have been shot in the back of the head; his face was completely smashed!

This made Chen Quan break out in a cold sweat, while Liu He remained unaware. Instead, he greeted him warmly, "Hello, hello, we are from the government. We are passing through here tonight and would like to stay for the night. Many thanks, many thanks."

Chen Quan's eyes widened, and sweat began to pour down his forehead. You want to stay the night in a place like this? I just want to leave!

He hurriedly said, "No, no, we are leaving immediately."

The man, however, spoke in a theatrical tone, "That is not the way to treat guests. Jin Lian, Qiao Yun, you two entertain our two guests for me first."

Chen Quan was terrified. He could no longer hold it together; he stood up directly, pulled out a ghost-repelling talisman, and slapped it onto the man. The man let out a sharp, miserable shriek, and Chen Quan immediately turned and ran.

Liu He was startled; he seemed to suddenly wake up as well, pulling out a ghost-repelling talisman and slapping it onto Jin Lian, who had just been fawning over him.

"Ah, you heartless man!"

A gust of wild wind swept in, and the manor that had been so bustling just a moment ago vanished, leaving only a pile of white bone remains.

Chen Quan and Liu He ran for their lives, only to find they had returned to the same spot, with ghosts gathering all around them.

Chen Quan shouted in terror, "Help! Help!"

The leading evil ghost sneered, "Hehehe, no one will hear you even if you scream your throat out. Just obediently accept your death!"

"Hey, hey, hey, everyone, you must not commit any more mistakes!" Zhang Cheng came sprinting from afar, shouting loudly.

When he arrived, the male evil ghost raged, "Little Daoist, get lost, or I'll eat you too!"

Zhang Cheng advised, "Whatever grievances you have, you can tell me; I can help you."

The male evil ghost shouted fiercely, "Why should we listen to you!"

Zhang Cheng frowned slightly and said, "I've spoken nicely, if you don't listen, does that mean you want a beating?"

As he spoke, he took out a Soul-Capturing Banner and swept it; dozens of lonely ghosts and wild spirits were sucked into the banner. The evil ghost was shocked and wanted to flee, but just as he turned, he was sucked into the banner as well.

Chen Quan and Liu He were already crying from fear. Seeing Zhang Cheng collect the group of ghosts, they scrambled over to Zhang Cheng's side and said, "Daoist, woooo... you must exterminate this group of evil ghosts!"

The evil ghost inside the banner hurriedly shouted, "Daoist, I know I was wrong; you must seek justice for us."

Zhang Cheng shouted loudly, "All of you, be quiet!"

At this, both sides went silent. Zhang Cheng looked at the two men and said, "The sins they have committed will be settled by the Yin officials once they reach the Underworld. Now, tell me about the grievances you ghosts have in the world of the living."

Only then did the evil ghost begin to recount their encounter. It turned out that the evil ghost had been a wealthy merchant in his lifetime. A corrupt official had set his sights on the family's property, and just as a rebellion broke out, their whole family was framed as traitors. The entire family, along with their servants, were all executed by firing squad. Their bodies were thrown into the wilderness and eaten by wild dogs, wolves, and other animals, and their remains gathered here.

In short, the whole family died miserably and all became vengeful ghosts, with the merchant having the most resentment, thus becoming an evil ghost.

Zhang Cheng looked at Liu He and Chen Quan and said, "Report their matter; that official must be dealt with. Don't make things difficult for me."

Chen Quan nodded hurriedly, "Rest assured, Daoist, we will definitely handle this matter well."

Zhang Cheng nodded, "Also, the two of you, stop following me."

"Yes, yes." The two nodded repeatedly. After this incident, even if they were beaten to death, they wouldn't dare follow him again; this was even more terrifying than dying on the battlefield.

Dealing with this matter delayed Zhang Cheng for three days, but fortunately, the matter was resolved. In these things, the only thing Zhang Cheng could do was to seek justice.

Asking for tips and follow-up reads for the new book! I won't write the body's four-dimensional data; I'm worried the data will collapse, so I'll only write about cultivation techniques and magical treasures.

Also, I won't write a female lead; a loner like me can't write romance. I've already asked the editor, so I won't write about the detailed history of the era; I'll mainly write about the protagonist's battles with Onmyoji and the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect.

(End of this chapter)