My tone was ice-cold, laced with murderous intent.
The burly ghost was petrified, trembling all over.
His eyes, filled with fear and panic, met mine:
"D-D-Daoist Master, spare me. The proprietor, wasn't the proprietor killed by you?"
Hearing the male ghost's answer, I didn't ask another word.
Gripping the hilt of my sword, I raised it for a strike, ready to cleave the ghost in two.
Useless specters like him, living another second, were a waste of the world's vital energy.
Seeing my ruthlessness, the male ghost frantically waved his hands:
"Daoist Master, wait, wait! I know, I know a secret about the proprietor!"
"Speak!"
I pointed my peach wood sword at his neck.
The male ghost was terrified, his tension palpable.
He made the motion of swallowing, just like a living person.
Then, he spoke:
"The proprietor has a secret on the third floor.
He, he brings the life essence, collected daily from the living, to the third floor.
He says, with enough time, he'll have flesh and blood.
He told us to follow him faithfully, and we'd be able to go out in the daytime..."
"What's on the third floor?"
Old Mo, standing nearby, stepped forward and pressed for details.
The male ghost was flustered:
"That, that I don't really know.
But, but it seems, it seems to be the proprietor's physical body..."
At the burly ghost's words, both Old Mo and I were perplexed.
What use was a physical body to a ghost?
Old Mo and I exchanged a glance, sensing something strange.
But to understand this, we had to go to the third floor.
"Do you know anything else?"
I continued to question.
The male ghost shook his head repeatedly:
"I, I don't know anymore, I don't know anymore!"
Seeing that the male ghost had nothing more to offer, he had no reason to continue existing.
With a downward thrust, my peach wood sword pierced his throat.
The male ghost shuddered, looking at me in horror.
But in less than a second, his body exploded with a "bang," turning into a shimmer of light and smoke, his soul scattered.
A wisp of white aura, ghost essence, flowed into my purple bone vine bracelet.
Even though he was destined to die, at least he had revealed something useful, earning him a few extra seconds of life...
Meanwhile, Old Mo, holding the Yin Sha Compass in one hand,
also spoke:
"Lao Qin, look at this!"
As he spoke, he handed the compass to me.
I glanced at it; the needle was swinging back and forth.
This indicated the source was right here.
Otherwise, the three needles inside would have stopped, pointing immovably in the Qian, Kun, and Li directions.
Coupled with the fact that this nether building still resembled a mahjong parlor,
it further confirmed that the Qing Dynasty male ghost was still within this nether building.
"It seems that old ghost is still here.
Let's go, let's check the third floor!"
I declared.
Old Mo nodded:
"Alright!"
With that, the two of us prepared to head to the third floor.
Wu Jing, seeing us about to leave, held up a bag of ghosts from his Qian Kun bag:
"Two, two, two, Daoist Masters, wh-what about me?"
Old Mo and I glanced at him.
Then Old Mo said:
"It's up to you. Just keep an eye on this bag of ghosts."
Wu Jing's heart had been in his throat; he only felt a modicum of safety when he was near us.
Now, panicked, he dared not be alone here:
"Then, I'll go with you. Alone, alone, I'm scared..."
Old Mo and I didn't refuse.
After all, this Qing Dynasty old ghost wasn't particularly powerful; he had merely used some special method to evade our sight.
Having Wu Jing follow wouldn't pose much of a problem.
Thus, with Old Mo and me leading the way and Wu Jing trailing behind, we began our ascent to the third floor.
However, as we reached the second floor, a gust of chilling wind suddenly swept through the corridor.
"Whoosh!" The yin wind was bone-chilling. Wherever it passed,
the exquisite decor on either side of the hallway slowly reverted to its original state.
Dilapidated, rotten, and covered in mold...
Like a tide, it surged towards us.
Visually, the details on the other side of the corridor were obscured.
All we could see was a transition from light to darkness.
It was like a black tide spreading towards us, as if intending to swallow us...
Old Mo and I took a mere glance and understood what was happening.
This was the ghost's illusion fading, revealing the building's true, dilapidated form.
But now, it appeared as if darkness was consuming the entire corridor, the entire building.
It was terrifying and a little frightening to behold.
In reality, there was no danger at all.
Seeing this, Wu Jing became incredibly nervous:
"D-D-Daoist Master, what's happening..."
"Don't be nervous. This is just the ghost's illusion disappearing.
It's revealing the nether building's true appearance.
We haven't opened our nether sight yet, so it's too dark over there, naturally making it unclear.
It won't harm either of us."
I said calmly.
As I spoke, I drew out an Eye-Opening Talisman.
"Your yang energy is weak, so I won't open your celestial eye. Use your phone's flashlight to see the way."
After speaking, I held the talisman between my left index and middle fingers.
I chanted softly:
"Hurry, as per the decree, open!"
The talisman instantly ignited, turning to ash.
Accompanying a chill in my eyes, the nether path was opened, and my celestial eye activated.
Looking at the corridor engulfed by darkness, it instantly became clear.
It was just a dilapidated, dirty, mold-covered building, riddled with cobwebs.
After Old Mo and I opened our eyes, we proceeded forward.
Passing by the adjacent rooms, we could see various individuals slumped in disarray within them.
These were all gamblers lured here to gamble with their lifespans.
They were now unconscious, unaware of their predicament...