Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 439 The Passage of Ghost Soldiers
The man looked closely and realized that the person who came was a young man that Manager Zhang had just temporarily hired.

The other party held the ferocious ghost in their hand, suppressing it completely.

Lu Zheng looked at the man. He hadn't originally planned to make a move, but he found that the man seemed to have little experience and probably couldn't deal with such a fierce ghost, so he came over himself.

Lu Zheng asked, "You've never dealt with ghosts before?"

Upon hearing Lu Zheng's question, the man realized that the person who had just reminded him was also Lu Zheng.

The man wiped the cold sweat from his face, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said in a low voice, "I've never encountered anything this powerful before. I didn't expect my ancestral swordsmanship to be so useless against this damn thing."

The man had only recently joined the Great Merchant Guild and this was his first time traveling the Ghost State trade route. Along the way, he had killed some low-level ghosts.

But this was the first time he had encountered such a powerful ghost.

The man originally thought that since he was new to the Chamber of Commerce, he wanted to seize the opportunity to make a good impression, but he almost suffered a major setback.

Thinking of this, the man cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your help, Immortal Master!"

Although he was a martial artist and a cultivator, he was still far inferior to those cultivators with spiritual roots and magical abilities.

When encountering someone like Lu Zheng who could easily control ghosts, the man was quite polite.

Lu Zheng didn't care too much about how others addressed him.

He said, "Let's go back."

The man quickly followed Lu Zheng, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

He found that the surrounding cold winds had subsided, and the chilling winds from before were gone, which meant that the culprit had indeed been caught.

The man couldn't help but whisper, "This ghost is pretty powerful..."

“It’s a vengeful ghost from the third realm,” Lu Zheng said.

The man looked surprised upon hearing this. "So that's how it is... I was wondering why..."

He himself was still a bit short of reaching the third realm of martial arts, but he hadn't expected this ghost to be at the third realm. It was perfectly reasonable that he couldn't handle it.
Suddenly, he paused again. How strong must Lu Zheng be to have caught this ghost so easily?

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Although it is a third-realm ghost, it is not that powerful. Martial artists have abundant qi and blood, so even if their cultivation is a little lower, they may still have the power to fight it."

Lu Zheng discovered that the ghost he had caught had no intelligence and was unlike other normally growing demons. This ghost was probably a creature that had been modified by someone.

Upon hearing Lu Zheng's words, the man merely gave an awkward laugh to conceal his embarrassment.

Lu Zheng led the man back to the caravan's location, and also picked up the bag of spirit stones that Manager Zhang had dropped earlier.

When the caravan members saw the two return, especially when they saw Lu Zheng carrying a sinister-looking ghost in his hand, they were all quite surprised.

They hadn't even noticed when Lu Zheng had gone with the man to catch ghosts.

Lu Zheng looked at Manager Zhang and said leisurely, "Please take a look and see if you recognize this ghost?"

Lu Zheng placed a seal on the vengeful ghost and gave the ghost and the bag of spirit stones to the man.

The man quickly reached out and took it, then handed it to Manager Zhang for inspection, explaining the situation as well.

Manager Zhang was slightly startled when he heard that this was a third-realm ghost.

Even in Ghost City, the demons and ghosts of the Third Realm are considered quite powerful, and they are all well-known and have their own names.

Manager Zhang stared at the faceless ghost for a while, but he really couldn't recognize who it was.

They tried to ask something, but found that the ghost was completely unable to communicate normally.

Manager Zhang thought for a moment and then ordered his men to seal the ghost again and suppress it with an artifact.

Then, Steward Zhang took out a bag of spirit stones and personally presented it to Lu Zheng, saying, "Thank you for your timely help, Immortal Master. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

Manager Zhang was secretly glad that he had just temporarily recruited these two. They really came in handy when trouble came. Without Lu Zheng's help, it would have been quite troublesome for them to deal with such a third-realm ghost.

Lu Zhengjian accepted the spirit stones handed over by Steward Zhang without hesitation, not caring how much benefit it was.

After all, Manager Zhang had just said there would be a generous reward. If he didn't accept it, the other members of the caravan might not be as dedicated if they encountered similar situations in the future. He couldn't break the rules.

Seeing this, Manager Zhang felt reassured, knowing that he could get through the night peacefully.

However, he was still somewhat worried. How could their caravan have encountered ghosts from the Three Realms? He absolutely refused to believe that no one was behind it.

Manager Zhang then looked at the others and said some kind words, saying that as long as everyone got through the night safely, he would give them a red envelope.

Seeing Manager Zhang encouraging people, Lu Zheng thought to himself that although this manager didn't have much martial arts skill, he was able to do business in Ghost Prefecture, which showed that he was indeed a very capable businessman.

When the others heard what Manager Zhang said, and considering how easily Lu Zheng had just subdued a third-realm ghost, they weren't too worried and were happy to gain more benefits.

After saying this, Steward Zhang went back to the carriage in the center of the caravan to rest, but he didn't sleep. He couldn't sleep at all tonight.

Who knows what else might happen tonight?

The area around the caravan was quiet, but everyone was on high alert, wary of their surroundings.

Occasionally, ghostly figures could be vaguely seen passing by, but they did not collide with the caravan.

Dozens of miles away, wisps of blood-red malevolent energy emanated from the flat ground.

These malevolent energies quickly spread, pushing away the surrounding gray, yin energy.

Amidst the crimson aura, figures emerged. They were soldiers clad in armor, each radiating a fierce and imposing presence.

These soldiers, clad in armor and wielding weapons, looked imposing and stood in formation, drilling their drills and emitting chilling shouts.

Hmm? Lu Zheng, who was in the distance, seemed to sense something. He looked up slightly and found that there was a place where blood was shooting into the sky, which looked extremely abnormal.

The condensed blood energy was still slowly moving.

In the dim light, Lu Zheng heard an unusual sound, as if it were the roar of thousands of people.

Gradually, the sound grew louder and louder.

Everyone else in the caravan heard the noise clearly.

Upon hearing this voice, the local demons and ghosts' expressions changed.

A ghost's eyes gleamed with an eerie light as it looked toward the location of the blood-red light.

The blood energy in that area is so thick that it can't be concealed by the surrounding yin energy.

"The ghost soldiers, the ghost soldiers are coming..."

The ghost looked terrified, as if it had witnessed something horrifying.

Upon hearing this, the other demons and monsters all turned to look, and they too noticed the changes in the distance.

Upon seeing this, everyone's expression changed drastically, and fear gripped their hearts.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan seemed quite indifferent upon hearing this, but rather a little curious.

They had previously heard rumors of ghostly soldiers outside Ghost State City.

It is said that hundreds of thousands of powerful armored soldiers who guarded Guizhou in the previous dynasty died in battle outside Guizhou City. After their deaths, their obsessions did not dissipate, forming a special force in Guizhou City.

This force occasionally emerges, recreating the scene of those armored soldiers in their lifetime.

These scenes are not just simple occurrences, but real-world phenomena that can influence reality.

The ghostly soldiers that appear have no thoughts, but they gather outside the city to train and patrol, and even fight against any demons or ghosts they encounter.

These ghostly soldiers exist because of their powerful aura, and given the special nature of this place, they can be said to be immortal and indestructible. Even those powerful cultivators with profound cultivation would avoid them and not provoke them.

Whenever the ghost soldiers appear, the surrounding area outside Ghost City is basically traversed by them.

Since the day when the ghost soldiers appear is uncertain, whoever encounters it can only consider themselves unlucky.

This phenomenon has existed for hundreds of years, and local people call it the passage of ghost soldiers.

As for why the officials of Ghost City didn't care, firstly, it was a very troublesome matter to eliminate these ghost soldiers, and the local officials didn't have the ability to do so. The powerful gods above naturally wouldn't care about such a thing and wouldn't waste their divine power because of it.

Since the effects of the ghost soldiers wouldn't reach Ghost City, the officials and deities of Ghost City didn't pay much attention to it.

Hearing the commotion outside, Steward Zhang, who was sitting in the carriage, couldn't help but crawl out of the carriage and look in the direction where everyone was looking.

His face immediately turned ugly, and he swallowed hard.

He had seen the ghostly army pass through twice before when he came to Ghost City. At that time, he was in the city and saw the scene of thousands of ghostly soldiers, which he thought was spectacular.

So tonight, he's going to have to face it himself?
This is a life-threatening situation, and he doesn't want to go through it at all.

"Manager, what should we do?"

Some of the caravan members were already panicked, as they had all witnessed the ghostly army passing through their territory.

Now that they are outside the city, won't they be trampled into dust by those ghostly soldiers?
Manager Zhang's mind raced, and he quickly ordered, "Prepare the horses. If all else fails, we'll have to abandon these goods..."

If the ghostly soldiers patrol soon, forget about the goods; even saving your own life will be a problem.

Manager Zhang couldn't help but touch his chest; the most valuable goods were still stored on him in a storage bag.

As long as others can live, it doesn't matter if this business trip results in a small loss.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately sprang into action, each one tense and anxious.

Upon seeing this, several temporarily hired cultivators and demons took their leave and made their escape.

Whether they can evade the ghostly soldiers is still unknown, but running away first is better than staying put.

Manager Zhang did not stop the employees from leaving.

Faced with this situation, even the priests in the city had to avoid his sharp edge.

It's only natural for these people to choose to protect themselves.

"It looks like they're coming this way..."

Qingwan stared at the blood-red torrent in the distance. Because of the distance and the fact that it was nighttime and there was a pervasive yin energy, she couldn't see it very clearly and couldn't make out the ghost soldiers for a moment.

Upon hearing this, the others quickened their pace, swiftly preparing their horses and ready to flee at any moment.

Manager Zhang hurriedly organized his men. In this harsh environment, even if they wanted to escape the ghost soldiers, they had to make a plan, otherwise it would be difficult to survive the night.

(End of this chapter)