Chapter 136: Reward for Reporting! Zhang Fan

Late night, barren mountains.

The moon looked indifferently at the human world like a fox's eye.

"Little friend, why are you wandering around Mount Beimang alone in the middle of the night?"

Under the bright moonlight, amidst the dancing tree shadows, a six or seven-year-old boy, holding a small tiger backpack, sat on a tree stump. Standing in front of him was a beautiful big sister.

"I'm lost."

The little boy hugged his backpack, mumbling, his face full of unhappiness.

"Where are your parents? What is your name?"

"They don't care about me anymore."

The little boy's mumbling mouth pouted even higher, the dissatisfaction on his face almost overflowing. After a slight pause, he looked up at the beautiful big sister.

"Sister, my name is Zhang Fan."

"Come, sister will take you down the mountain. It's dark, and there will be unclean things in the mountains."

As she spoke, the beautiful sister held Zhang Fan's little hand.

"Unclean things? Ghosts?" Little Zhang Fan looked up at the beautiful sister and asked.

"The little thing even knows about ghosts." The beautiful sister revealed a sweet smile, patted little Zhang Fan's head, and lowered her voice.

"There are many ghosts in these mountains, especially the hanging ghosts. Their tongues stick out, so long."

As she spoke, the beautiful sister's bright eyes stared unblinkingly at little Zhang Fan, expecting the little guy to show fear.

"Sister, have you seen a hanging ghost?"

Little Zhang Fan's chubby face did not show any terror; instead, it revealed a trace of curiosity.

"I have... it's very scary." The beautiful sister lowered her voice.

"What does a hanging ghost look like?" Little Zhang Fan swallowed his saliva, his eyes full of thirst for knowledge.

"People often hang themselves in the mountains, so hanging ghosts all have a red ribbon tied around their necks..." The beautiful sister said lightly.

"Just like the one tied around your neck, sister?"

Just at this moment, little Zhang Fan raised his tender little hand and pointed at the beautiful sister's slender neck. A thin, long red ribbon, like a bloodstain, swayed in the night wind in front of her chest.

"That's right, little thing..."

The beautiful sister lowered her head, her long tongue hanging in front of her. Her originally pretty face became purple and blue, her eyes filled with blood color, and the hand holding little Zhang Fan became incomparably cold and slippery.

"Hehe, didn't the adults at home tell you that if you walk on night roads too much, you will always meet ghosts?"

The beautiful sister's long tongue swayed gently, and her gaze toward little Zhang Fan revealed incomparable greed. Such fresh offerings were not common in the mountains.

"Be good, let sister..."

Whoosh...

Before the words were finished, a bloody light shot into the sky, turning into gray smoke the moment it touched the air. The arm holding little Zhang Fan flew high into the air, having left its owner at some unknown time.

"Sister, didn't the adults at home tell you that if you walk on night roads too much, you will always meet Daoist priests?"

In the desolate deep mountains, little Zhang Fan pinched a sword gesture, a wisp of True Yang jumping like firelight, reflecting on the beautiful sister's trembling face.

"Daoist priest? You... you are a Daoist priest!?"

The hanging ghost stared fixedly at little Zhang Fan, looking at the red flame jumping on his fingertips, her scarlet eyes filled with disbelief.

How old is this little brat? Only six or seven years old? How could he be a Daoist priest? And looking at it, he had already awakened his Nascent Soul, refined True Yang, and his spellcraft was profound, possessing the ability to suppress evil and kill ghosts.

"Sister, I'm sorry, my mom said I have to kill one ghost every day, otherwise I won't get a big meat bun."

Little Zhang Fan looked aggrieved. As he spoke, he took a small wooden sword out of his backpack, looking like a toy.

Whoosh...

A night wind blew, and the hanging ghost seemed to melt into the wind, instantly floating seven or eight meters backward, pulling away from little Zhang Fan.

"Little brat, this is Mount Beimang, you..."

The hanging ghost covered her broken arm, a chilling killing intent surging on her purple and blue face.

Hum...

Before she finished speaking, little Zhang Fan disappeared from her sight, but the toy wooden sword was already pressed three feet from her throat.

"This... impossible..."

The hanging ghost's eyes widened, looking at the ancient wooden sword, her purple and blue face covered in shock.

"Sister, save your last words for next time; my mom wants me to go back early for dinner."

Little Zhang Fan was as well-behaved as a model student. True Yang jumped and poured into the sword body. The ancient wooden sword emitted a scorching sword light, and with a light stab, it pierced through the hanging ghost's head.

"Ah ah ah..."

Immediately, the hanging ghost's figure burned violently, wisps of blue smoke rose, and in the blink of an eye, she was destroyed in body and soul, turning into flying ash and scattering.

Little Zhang Fan slowly withdrew his gaze, stuffed the toy wooden sword back into his backpack, walked to the big tree, hugged his knees, and sat down. A "gurgling" sound came from his stomach.

"So mean, still not coming to pick me up."

Little Zhang Fan covered his stomach, looking aggrieved.

"The tombs of predecessors urge the ghosts, under Mount Beimang, the barren mounds accumulate..."

Just at this moment, a light sound echoed, like a murmur in a dream, and like the sobbing of the night wind.

Little Zhang Fan was like a frightened little beast, immediately alert.

Clang... clang... clang...

At the same time, a crisp bell sound echoed. Little Zhang Fan hugged his backpack and looked up, seeing on the gloomy mountain road, amidst the dense barren forest, a white banner fluttering in the wind, and blue firelight jumping in the night.

Figures seemed to appear out of thin air, following that white banner.

These figures, men and women, old and young, some even wearing Daoist robes, were gloomy and eerie, strange to the extreme...

"Hundred Ghosts Night Walk!?" Little Zhang Fan's eyes widened, and his neck subconsciously shrank.

He had once heard his mom mention such a scene.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, the wind in the mountains became stronger, and sand and dust filled the air.

Little Zhang Fan couldn't help rubbing his eyes, but when he stared again, the white banner had changed direction, and those figures had turned around one after another, looking at him gloomily.

"Run."

Little Zhang Fan's heart tightened, and he instinctively turned around, wanting to escape.

Jingle bell... jingle bell...

Just at this moment, the crisp bell sound rang again. Little Zhang Fan only felt his body go soft, his steps staggered, and he fell to the ground.

When he looked up again, that white banner was already standing horizontally in front of him. On the white banner surface were strange talismans, like dragons and tigers entwined, a great funeral turning into ferocity.

Boom—

At the same time, those strange figures rushed toward him like ferocious ghosts out of a cage.

At this moment, little Zhang Fan felt like he was drowning, his whole body weak, feeling an unprecedented coldness.

"It's over."

Little Zhang Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood his own situation.

The white banner shook, the strange bell sound echoed, the hundred ghosts wandered at night, opening a grand feast, enjoying the only offering in the deep mountains and barren forests.

"Ghosts are Nascent Souls that have left the body, pure Yin without Yang... a rare big meal."

Just at this moment, a mysterious voice rose in little Zhang Fan's heart, like a murmur from a dream.

"Now, you can use the method I taught you."

The gloomy words had just fallen when suddenly, a scorching white light shot into the sky from little Zhang Fan's young body, like a bright lamp, illuminating this cold night.

In an instant, the sound of ghosts crying and wailing echoed across the sky. The hundred ghosts were terrified, as if encountering something terrifying, and suddenly became chaotic. Boom—

Just at this moment, within the scorching white light shooting into the sky, a weak Nascent Soul emerged, like the center of a vortex, producing an irresistible suction. Under this power, the ghost shadows could not escape at all and were devoured and absorbed one after another.

"Ah ah ah..."

A series of terrifying roars and wails echoed through the barren mountains, as if from purgatory, but they could not stop the weak Nascent Soul from refining...

Within the scorching white light, the weak Nascent Soul gradually underwent changes...

With every breath, He became different from before.

"If it is you, you will definitely be able to master this art..."

The mysterious voice sounded again in little Zhang Fan's heart.

"He is the art that your father least wanted to teach you..."

"God-Demon Sacred Embryo!!!"

As the hundred ghosts were wiped out, the mysterious voice slowly fell in little Zhang Fan's heart, accompanied by the sound of chains clashing, like a nightmare that could never be shaken off, lingering for a long time.

"Dad's dad is a monster, Dad's mom is a monster, Mom's dad..."

Just at this moment, a pleasant and melodious mobile phone ringtone sounded, pulling Zhang Fan back from his sleep.

Whoosh...

Zhang Fan sat up abruptly, looking at the familiar environment in the room, seeing that he was in his own home, and slowly let out a breath.

The morning sun shone through the window, appearing a bit dazzling.

Last night, after he was carried back by Liu Liu Fusheng, his consciousness had already become blurred. He had dealt with it casually and then fell asleep.

Since Zhang Lingzong left, he hadn't slept so soundly for a long time.

"Dad's dad is a monster, Dad's mom is a monster, Mom's..."

The phone ringtone was still ringing. Zhang Fan rubbed his eyes, finally pulling himself out of the trance, picked up the phone to look, and the caller ID was Bai Buran.

"Boss..."

"Come to the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance, now."

Bai Buran's voice came from the other end of the phone, and he hung up after a simple instruction.

Zhang Fan knew it must be about the Thirteen Zodiacs.

Last night, in his urgency, he had mass-sent the news that the Dog, Han Han Diyan, had appeared.

Zhang Fan rubbed his temples, looking at the many missed calls and text messages on his phone, including those from Wen He, Jiang Hu, Sui Brother Chunsheng, and Jiang Lai...

Because of a business trip, Jiang Lai was not in Bai Yujing City, and she had called him seventeen times in one night.

Zhang Fan hurriedly called back, but it was a busy signal.

"Safe and sound, don't worry."

Zhang Fan opened Chao Xin and sent a message to Jiang Lai.

"Don't run around, wait for me to come back."

Soon, Jiang Lai replied with a message, also attaching a warning emoji.

"Okay." Zhang Fan smiled knowingly and replied.

As he spoke, Zhang Fan jumped up and got out of bed to wash up.

"Damn Thirteen Zodiacs, they are all trouble."

Since he came down from Mount Zhenwu and gradually came into contact with the Wu Wei Sect and the Thirteen Zodiacs, he had met five of them, and almost every time it was constant trouble, a narrow escape from death.

Among them, only the time with the Snake, Bai Bai Yujing, was a false alarm.

Now it seems that the Thirteen Zodiacs are not monolithic either. At least the Snake seems to lean toward Zhang Fan and even left the two demons, Shi Shi Shougong and Su Su Shiyu, to him.

After leaving Hongfu Hongfu Huayuan, Zhang Fan called a car and arrived at the Jiangnan Province Dao Alliance at more than ten o'clock in the morning.

In the office, besides Bai Buran, Sui Brother Chunsheng and Zhan Xinyue were also there. They had also received the news last night.

Besides them, there was also a woman, a woman with a gorgeous appearance and a hot figure.

"This is Zhang Fan." Bai Buran introduced.

"She is Zhuang Zhuang Xiaomeng, from the Bai He Temple." Bai Buran pointed to the hot woman.

"Bai He Temple!?" Zhang Fan's heart skipped a beat.

Experts from the Bai He Temple had actually come to Bai Yujing City.

"Zhang Fan, right? Sit down, let's talk about last night." Zhuang Zhuang Xiaomeng revealed a kind smile and raised her hand to signal.

"Last night... it was like this..."

Zhang Fan casually made things up. For him, this was a chance encounter, accidentally meeting the Dog among the Thirteen Zodiacs fighting with a mysterious expert.

He was just a passerby; the level was too high, he could only watch from afar, and in the end, he was injured by the aftermath and passed out. When he woke up, there was no one on the street, and he could only go home alone.

"What is the background of that mysterious expert? Did you see it?" Zhuang Zhuang Xiaomeng pondered slightly and asked.

"Didn't see it, seems to be a talisman expert, maybe a senior from Maoshan..." Zhang Fan was ambiguous, mixing truth and falsehood, three lies mixed with one truth.

"Maoshan..." Zhuang Zhuang Xiaomeng was thoughtful.

Maoshan is one of the three major talisman sects and also one of the ten famous mountains of the Daoist world. It happens to be located in Jiangnan Province, near Bai Yujing City. With that talisman expert's cultivation, if he were said to be a Maoshan disciple, it is really possible.

"I'll call Maoshan later to ask." Zhuang Zhuang Xiaomeng thought to herself.

Next, she asked several questions in a row. Zhang Fan's answers were either "I don't know" or "I don't remember," looking like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness and found it difficult to recall.

"Alright, I know everything. If there are other questions, I might look for you again." Zhuang Zhuang Xiaomeng looked at Zhang Fan deeply and then said.

"During this time, it's best not to leave Bai Yujing City."

"I understand."

As she spoke, Zhuang Zhuang Xiaomeng stood up and walked out of the office.

"Wait for me."

Bai Buran stood up, gave an instruction, and followed her out of the office.

"You are really lucky to be able to retreat unscathed after meeting the Thirteen Zodiacs."

At this time, there was no one else in the office. Sui Brother Chunsheng finally relaxed, patted Zhang Fan on the shoulder, and said.

"Experts from the Bai He Temple have all come. Are they here to arrest the demons of the Wu Wei Sect?" Zhang Fan asked casually.

"That's not it... this is a coincidence." Zhan Xinyue shook her head.

"I heard that this Sister Zhuang has a very high status in the Bai He Temple. She reached the 【High Merit】 rank before the age of thirty. This time, she came to Bai Yujing City to investigate an old case."

"What old case?" Zhang Fan asked.

"This..." Zhan Xinyue wanted to say something but stopped, unable to help looking at Sui Brother Chunsheng.

"Zhang Fan is not an outsider; it's fine to tell him." Sui Brother Chunsheng said directly.

During the trip to Gusu, he had witnessed Zhang Fan's methods, and they could be considered to have formed a friendship.

"Actually, it's not a secret, just a demon from more than twenty years ago who was suspected to have appeared in Bai Yujing City..." Zhan Xinyue said.

"If you have clues, there is a heavy reward for reporting."

"Heavy reward?" Zhang Fan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help asking: "What demon?"

"The relevant information is a mystery, only knowing he has a title, called..."

"Great Lingzong Wang!!!"

"Ah!?" Zhang Fan was stunned.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 137 =====