[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-invincible-female-ghost-is-a-bit-of-a-hopele":3,"chapter-the-invincible-female-ghost-is-a-bit-of-a-hopele-the-invincible-female-ghost-is-a-bit-of-a-hopele-chapter-177":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Invincible Female Ghost Is A Bit Of A Hopeless Romantic",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1706365,2180,"Chapter 177: The Old Man Doesn’t Have Much Time Left","the-invincible-female-ghost-is-a-bit-of-a-hopele-chapter-177",177,"\u003Cp>Lu Yuan’s voice was not loud, but each word sounded like a nail hammered into a skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at Hu Huxu, at that round face reddened by the stove’s flames, at those narrow, expressionless eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan was a little nervous now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hardly anyone knew that the old man had gone to pick a fight with the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for himself, Gu Qingwan, the Deity of Beauty, and outside of that, only Celestial Master He Xun knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who among those people would talk about it outside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolutely no one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even the people inside Zhenlong Temple knew about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outsiders didn’t know where the old man had gone or how long he would be gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would Hu Huxu assume that?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That left only one reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liu Family of Commanding Ghosts must know the old man was looking for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made sense—after all, the old man had killed that fake Tan Jiji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he had asked Tianlong Temple for help in finding the Liu Family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having Tianlong Temple helping would make a lot of noise, so of course the Liu Family would realize they were being watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liu Family of Commanding Ghosts had probably set a trap, waiting for the old man to come, to catch him like a turtle in a jar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp, one of the Ten Families beyond the Great Wall, should know some of the secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the two families had private ties or not, the Hu Family was close to the local “gods,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe those “gods” noticed something and told Hu Huxu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like what happened to Lu Yuan at Heishui Lingzi—when Lu Yuan first arrived and hadn’t said anything, Hu Huxu already knew everything!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Hu Huxu wasn’t looking at Lu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still sat on the edge of the kang, his neck hunched, staring into the stove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t add firewood, didn’t speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan looked at that hand—thick and short, knuckles prominent, black dirt packed in the nail grooves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owner of those hands had just said, what if your master doesn’t come back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said it without even lifting his eyelids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck your mother!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan kicked the small table in front of him over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brass lamp flew, hit the stove with a clank, the lamp shade broke, rolled twice across the floor, and stopped by the stove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bowl of water flew too, smashing against the wall, shattering, water splashing all over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hunched his neck, watching the flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind flickered the fire, it wavered and steadied again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speak!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan stepped to the kang and grabbed the collar of Hu Huxu’s padded jacket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gray cotton jacket had faded sleeves, an elbow patched with a scrap of blue cloth sewn crookedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He yanked him up from the kang. Hu Huxu lurched forward a little, then sat back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t struggle or dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just sat there, letting his collar be gripped, his neck hunched, looking at Lu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stove light shone on Lu Yuan’s face and on his reddened eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan’s hand was shaking; the hand holding the collar trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t fear, it was rage he could no longer contain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Hu Huxu had been dithering earlier, Lu Yuan could have tolerated it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was about Hu Tutu, Hu Huxu’s own daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if a man treated his own daughter that way, Lu Yuan—though anxious and angry—could have kept his temper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He absolutely could not!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the old man!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arguably, he was the closest person to Lu Yuan in this world!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Talk, damn you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened to my master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you know!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu still didn’t speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan gripped his collar, lifting half his body off the kang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gray jacket tightened, the collar pinched his neck, leaving a red mark on the hunched section of his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t struggle or dodge; his eyelids drooped as he looked at Lu Yuan’s hand, at the knuckles whitened by the squeeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire in the stove popped, a little ash burst out, fell on the stove edge and slowly dimmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you deaf?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan’s voice cracked through the low-ceilinged room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked you! What happened to my master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you know! You—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t pull away. He only lifted the sleepy eyelids and looked at Lu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The firelight reflected in his eyes, which were yellowish and cloudy, like lamps burned too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at Lu Yuan for a long moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, his neck taut against the collar, the motion laborious but clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was not loud; it sounded hollow, like something dredged up from the bottom of a jar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan ground his teeth so his jaw bulged. Not this again!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ten Families beyond the Wall,” Hu Huxu said, shifting his gaze back to the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They swore an oath.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan felt the hand on the collar sweating, the palm slick, the rough cotton pressing against his fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They will never betray one another.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Hu Huxu said those four words, his lips moved and his voice dropped, as if speaking to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No family among the Ten may speak of these matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they do...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched the fire; the flame lit and dimmed across his face, the folds on his round cheeks like cracked riverbeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They will die miserably.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally uttered those four words plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan’s hand froze on the collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu didn’t look at him or pull away; he simply sat there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His neck hunched, he curled on the kang like a stump set into the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised one rough short hand, dirt lodged in the nail grooves, and lightly patted the hand on top of Lu Yuan’s that held his collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I told you, what then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu didn’t look at him; his gaze returned to the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you knew, then what could you do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you storm the Liu Family and kill them all, or could you pull your master out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his eyelids to glance at Lu Yuan, then dropped them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And there’s not much time left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not much time left?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that, Lu Yuan stared at Hu Huxu in muddled disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that was true...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man was already in danger?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan asked, his throat hoarse, as if sandpaper had scraped it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean not much time left?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squatted by the stove, added a stick of wood, and watched the fire slowly swallow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched the flame crawl out from the wood’s bark, lick and bite, burning off the dampness into white smoke that drifted from the hearth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white smoke floated toward Lu Yuan and stung his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did your master tell you before he left?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu finally spoke, his voice jarred and dry as if the stove’s heat had baked it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the back of Hu Huxu’s head, the hunched neck, the crease at the collar of the gray jacket made by Lu Yuan’s own grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m asking: is my master still alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two words came quickly, sliding out with no stumble or hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan’s chest heaved sharply, like a drowning man suddenly pulled free of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lungful of air slammed in, making his Adam’s apple bob twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lips moved as if to speak, but Hu Huxu kept talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s still alive now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan picked out the word “still” like a needle, stabbing into the half-relief in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But there isn’t much time left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu said it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squatted facing the stove, his gray jacket wrinkled at the shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head to look at Lu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your master walked into a path the Liu Family had already laid out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From the moment your master killed that fake Tan Jiji, the Liu Family began to prepare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tianlong Temple helping to search stirred up a lot of noise; the Liu Family saw everything clearly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re not in a hurry. They’re waiting for your master to come to them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room quieted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stove crackled as the wood burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the kang, Hu Tutu’s breathing was shallow and steady, like wind passing over paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know now,” Hu Huxu said without turning his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knowing doesn’t help you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having squatted so long his knees had stiffened, he swayed when he rose and steadied himself by gripping the stove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand came away dusty with ash, which he didn’t wipe off; he simply turned to face Lu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was squat and thick-set, wrapped in the wrinkled gray jacket with frayed cuffs and crooked patched elbows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to tilt his head up to look at Lu Yuan; Lu Yuan was nearly a head taller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yellow-cloudy eyes met Lu Yuan’s, expressionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want to go to the Liu Family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want to rescue your master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With what right?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head slowly; the folds on his round face trembled like cracked riverbed in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Listen to me, Daoist Lu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice changed suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No longer that jarred sound, but lowered and heavy, like a log sinking to the bottom of a pool and hitting mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of man is your master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know better than anyone. A man that formidable, if he’s caught, what use would you be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What makes you think that if you go, you can do better than him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you more powerful than your master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know more than he does?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or do you carry something I don’t know that will let you overturn the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family alone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu stood directly in front of Lu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was short and stocky, looking up at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stove light cast his shadow across Lu Yuan’s chest, a dark blot spreading over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop this nonsense. Stay and eat, rest, then go back to Zhenlong Temple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a pity, Li Xiuye waited his whole life for the Celestial Master robe and died without wearing it...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu finished and shook his head, turning away with his hands behind his back toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed about to call Hu Yangyang in for dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment he turned, Lu Yuan seized his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t talk nonsense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me, where is my master now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan’s grip hurt. Pain flickered across Hu Huxu’s usually blank face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Hu Huxu blinked and looked back, he saw Lu Yuan’s expressionless face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the hand gripping his shoulder, the orthodox Daoist thunder technique’s lightning glimmered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A two-star Celestial Master?!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a two-star Celestial Master could draw out thunder of this caliber!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was even a hint of golden light inside the lightning—this was definitely the ability of a two-star Celestial Master!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Hu Huxu’s mind short-circuited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu knew Lu Yuan’s situation better than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the borderlands knew Lu Yuan—the youngest Celestial Master in the region!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With one-star Celestial Master strength, he had nearly driven the Grand Celestial Master Shen Jizhou to the brink!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone also knew what Lu Yuan had done to Shen Jizhou at the Celestial Master Grand Ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was irrelevant now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Important thing was...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan was a one-star Celestial Master, no doubt about it!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This??\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a few days ago!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did Lu Yuan... become...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A two-star Celestial Master??!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What on earth did this kid do, what did he eat?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did he become a two-star Celestial Master?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu looked at Lu Yuan utterly bewildered, unable to grasp why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Lu Yuan, now wrapped in the orthodox thunder technique’s power, had no time to waste with Hu Huxu’s dithering. He said directly, head held high:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No more bullshit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me right now, where is my master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan stared at Hu Huxu expressionlessly and added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You personally take me there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must know the tricks on the way, tell them to me while we travel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu almost laughed at Lu Yuan in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hadn’t he just spent all that time telling Lu Yuan everything, and this kid hadn’t heard a word?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting aside whether Lu Yuan’s two-star strength could even help,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu had already made it plain:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ten Families never betray one another, or they will meet a miserable end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would never personally take Lu Yuan, and he certainly would not explain the secret methods en route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu wouldn’t even tell someone the location of the Liu Family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now this kid expected him to lead him there?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he insane?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Lu Yuan’s posture, Hu Huxu’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A two-star Celestial Master was formidable—especially one as young as Lu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But thinking that a two-star Celestial Master could browbeat the head of the Hu Family of Continuing the Lamp into submission was a ridiculous joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu was in a hurry too; tonight he had to take Hu Tutu away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he had no intention of lingering with Lu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Hu Huxu began to cultivate his inner zhenran,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yuan, expressionless, looked at him and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you help me with this,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can bring your wife’s soul back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right now I can bring your wife’s soul back!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Huxu: “??????”\u003C\u002Fp>",2279,"2026-06-06T14:45:54.833Z",1,"novelbin.me","b08c748421938c77b55295422ee68518817b20f6024663e044bf2c5db1967a47","the-invincible-female-ghost-is-a-bit-of-a-hopele-chapter-178","the-invincible-female-ghost-is-a-bit-of-a-hopele-chapter-176",241,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-invincible-female-ghost-is-a-bit-of-a-hopele-cover.jpg"]