Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 438 Ghost City

Ghost City is situated on a plain. Due to the environment, there is not much vegetation, and the view is quite open.

Perhaps because it is near Ghost City, which is home to many powerful gods, demons, and ghosts, this area has few traces of wandering spirits.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan traveled leisurely along a main road towards Ghost State City.

There were still a few scattered vehicles and people on the road.

At this moment, Lu Zheng and Qing Wan had already changed their appearances and disguised themselves.

They even dressed in Taoist-style clothing.

When Yun Xiao recounted his travel experiences, he said that one's identity is determined by oneself when traveling, and it's always a good idea to prepare several sets of attire. He even gave Lu Zheng several sets of robes, which were understated yet sophisticated and maintained his status.

In fact, both Lu Zheng and Qing Wan had learned a lot of Taoist magic, so they could be considered half Taoists.

Lu Zheng never considered himself a pure Confucian scholar; he wanted to draw on the strengths of various schools of thought and cultivate his own path.

The sun sets in the west, and the setting sun is like blood.

Caravans sped along the road, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Hurry, hurry, faster! If we don't make it on time..."

A portly middle-aged man stood on a carriage, urging it on impatiently.

Someone in the caravan looked towards Ghost City and couldn't help but say, "Manager Zhang, it's still dozens of miles away from Ghost City. Even if the horses run their legs off, they won't get there!"

They say that looking at a mountain can make a horse run itself to death, and although Ghost City was right in front of them, it was still quite far away.

Manager Zhang looked at Ghost City, quickly made a decision in his mind, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "That's enough, everyone stop and rest! Let's get through tonight and enter the city tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, the rest of the caravan quickly slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road.

Seeing this, other pedestrians or demons either ran wildly towards Ghost City or gathered together.

Qingwan blinked, looking on curiously. She had heard Chi Mei mention some of the rules of Ghost City before.

Every night, Ghost City closes its gates, prohibiting outsiders from entering.

At that time, there will be laws and regulations in the city, but there will be no rules outside the city, and people can do whatever they want.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan walked briskly and unhurriedly towards Ghost City.

At their speed, getting there before the city gates close shouldn't be a problem.

When they passed by the caravan, Manager Zhang's eyes lit up when he saw Lu Zheng and his companion walking briskly.

Manager Zhang hurriedly said, "Please wait a moment, young Taoist priests!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng stamped his foot and turned to look at Steward Zhang.

Manager Zhang quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "My name is Zhang Ning, a manager of the Daxing Chamber of Commerce."

"The Great Merchant Guild?"

Lu Zheng felt that the name sounded familiar, and he seemed to have bought things in a shop like this before.

Manager Zhang said with a smile, "It's that large merchant guild that has business dealings in several countries..."

Lu Zheng suddenly remembered that there was indeed a chamber of commerce that did business with several major countries.

It is said that this chamber of commerce was originally founded by a spiritual force, which later grew and became a business.

The Dahang Chamber of Commerce has been developing for hundreds of years, with businesses covering all aspects and spanning many places.

To be able to do business in a godforsaken place like Guizhou, that takes some skill.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "I've heard about it."

Manager Zhang said, "I am in charge of the business in Ghost Prefecture. There was an accident on the way, and we miscalculated the time today. I'm afraid we won't be able to reach Ghost Prefecture City. You two Taoist priests are clearly highly skilled. Could you kindly lend us your help and keep watch for us tonight to prevent demons and ghosts from entering... Don't worry, you'll be well paid!"

As they spoke, Steward Zhang took out a handful of spirit stones and said, "We have also hired people in our caravan, but since we are near Ghost City, we cannot be careless. The two Taoist priests only need to keep an eye on things a little."

Manager Zhang believed he had an excellent eye for people. In the past, when he was a merchant in Ghost Prefecture, he would hire some demons and ghosts to help him.

Seeing that Lu Zheng and his companion had extraordinary bearing and seemed like highly accomplished individuals, they wanted to ask them to help protect the caravan.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "We can't be considered Taoists, we are practitioners. We can help you look after things."

"Alright, alright! Please, both of you!" Manager Zhang was delighted to hear this.

Without saying a word, he paid the money first.

He wasn't worried that the two would take the money and leave, since the cultivators who came here probably wouldn't be so shameless as to be greedy for a few spirit stones.

Moreover, their Daxing Chamber of Commerce is not an ordinary chamber of commerce.

Manager Zhang led Lu Zheng and his companion to the caravan, then looked around the area before hiring a demon and two ghosts.

The caravan formed a circle, with people inside busily preparing food and others guarding the four sides outside.

Among these guards were not only martial artists, but also cultivators and demons.

Lu Zheng even saw some evil cultivators, and he guessed that many of them were originally going to Ghost State City and were just making some extra money along the way.

Manager Zhang also instructed people to erect a large banner with the four characters "Dahang Chamber of Commerce" clearly written on it.

The entire flag exuded an aura of extraordinary power.

In Ghost City, one heavy gate after another slowly closed.

Outside the city gates, ghostly figures appeared, each exuding a sinister aura and a chilling presence, clearly not ordinary ghosts.

These ghosts scattered in all directions, and they became active after nightfall.

A tall, ghostly figure approached the caravan, but upon seeing the group of people and the fluttering flags, it simply left.

Some of the powerful ghosts swaggered over and demanded bribes from Steward Zhang. As the saying goes, it's better to lose money than to suffer a disaster. Steward Zhang had been to Ghost City many times and knew that some of these beings were not to be trifled with, so he obediently offered them his bribes and even chatted with them to build a good relationship.

He's quite adept at speaking human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts.

Soon, it got dark.

A thin mist rises from the plain; it is mist formed by yin energy.

The sky was dark, with no stars or moon in sight, and faint sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling could be heard all around.

It was unclear whether the sound was coming from demons or ghosts, or from the sound of a cold wind.

Even the local demons who help guard the Chamber of Commerce have become wary.

Despite its proximity to Ghost City, this place is actually more dangerous.

In the desolate wilderness, unprotected by the law, even ghosts worry that an even more powerful being might emerge and devour them.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan stood quietly, observing the surrounding movements.

Lu Zheng stood there calmly, but in reality, he was constantly operating his small world to eliminate the residual aura of the Moon Goddess's clone.

He discovered that by using the small world to absorb the yin energy here, which was also of the yin attribute, it was easier to quickly conceal and eliminate the moon goddess's aura.

Suddenly, the surrounding mist shifted, and ghostly faces appeared before everyone.

The ghost faces were varied and terrifying, spewing out eerie winds and evil energy at the crowd.

The caravan's banners suddenly burst into light, emitting wisps of energy that bombarded the ghostly faces.

This large banner actually contains a kind of formation; it will activate protection and counterattack whenever anyone attacks the caravan.

The demons and monsters guarding the outside also sprang into action, each employing their own methods to avoid being harmed by these ghostly faces.

With a few wavings of her small hand, Qingwan dispersed the dozens of misty ghost faces around her.

After these ghostly faces disappeared, they instead coalesced into even larger ghostly faces.

A series of eerie faces roamed around the caravan, occasionally attacking it.

Manager Zhang, who was in the caravan, had a change of expression upon seeing this. He wasn't stupid; he could clearly see that a powerful ghost had made a move.

He took a deep breath and said loudly, "We are from the Great Merchant Guild. This business is related to the priests of Ghost City. We would be grateful if you would show leniency..."

As he spoke, Manager Zhang took out a bag and forcefully threw it into the mist.

Soon, the sound of the bag hitting the ground could be heard.

But the ghostly faces from all directions did not stop, and continued to attack the caravan.

Lu Zheng glanced to the side and vaguely saw a hazy figure standing there, seemingly with its back to the caravan.

Suddenly, a cold wind howled around them, even a fierce gale, making them feel a deep, bone-chilling cold.

Manager Zhang was alarmed; this was clearly a trap. He wondered who was behind it all.

Manager Zhang considered many possibilities, the most likely being their chamber of commerce's competitors.

Seeing that the surrounding wind was getting colder and colder, the guards outside might be able to hold out, but the night was still long, and who knew what might happen next.

He couldn't help but whisper, "Whoever gets rid of the evil spirit will be richly rewarded."

The hired demons and monsters remained silent, even the bodyguards belonging to the Chamber of Commerce fell silent.

"I'll go!"

A burly man said in a loud voice.

The man wielded a blood-red broadsword, his aura thick with vitality; he was a martial artist belonging to the merchant guild.

The man strode into the fierce wind, his body surrounded by a blood-red aura, risking danger to find the vengeful spirit.

However, tonight the moon is dark and the wind is strong, making it difficult to discern directions.

The man walked through the hazy mist, and even with his eyes wide open and shining, he couldn't see very far.

"Go left, thirty feet away, the ghost is there..."

A voice reached the man's ears.

The man was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but then became wary and boldly headed in the direction the voice indicated.

Before he even reached the spot, he saw a blurry figure drifting towards him.

It was a white, ghostly figure as tall as an adult, facing him directly, yet it had no facial features.

Soon, a gash appeared on the faceless demon's face, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth that lunged at the man, as if determined to devour his face.

The man was shocked to see this and slashed with his blood-red broadsword, unleashing a blood-red blade of energy.

The faceless demon neither dodged nor avoided the blow, and took the knife head-on.

The crimson sword energy was swallowed up by the ghostly figure, without any reaction whatsoever.

The faceless demon's speed did not decrease, and in the blink of an eye, it was in front of the man.

A chilling aura enveloped the man, rendering him almost unable to move.

However, the mouthful of sharp teeth stopped less than a finger's width away from the man.

The man was horrified when he saw the terrifying ghost face so close to him. He regained his senses and staggered back, almost falling to the ground.

At this moment, the man realized that the ghost hadn't stopped on its own, but that someone had captured the faceless ghost.

(End of this chapter)