The situation was not much different from Liu Buli's guess. The flames burned for a short while before he sensed a familiar aura rapidly approaching.
There was no need for any explanation; after so many years together, he could tell who it was.
With that certainty, Liu Buli's demeanor relaxed considerably. He even calmly raised his hand, causing the surrounding flames to rage even more fiercely.
The surrounding ghost tribe members did not share his profound understanding. When they felt the surge of spiritual energy and intensifying flames, they all assumed Liu Buli had truly gone mad.
However, even if Liu Buli had gone mad, their tasks would not change.
This man had to be killed.
With their thoughts unified, they all acted with increasing effort. All the ghost tribe members launched their strongest attacks toward Liu Buli. Unfortunately, Liu Buli's strength was too formidable. Even with their combined efforts, they couldn't inflict much damage on him.
Furthermore, the intense light from the flames illuminated the surroundings, and the environmental changes were already making the ghost tribe members extremely uncomfortable. After a while, as the battle continued, they clearly felt a suppressive ghost qi appearing in the vicinity.
Before they could react, most of the ghost tribe members were torn apart by the sudden appearance of Lu Wuming. The remaining ones who tried to escape were trapped within the precarious building by walls of fire, with no possibility of escape.
If the situation before could be considered a stalemate, then after Lu Wuming joined the fray, the battle decisively turned into a one-sided affair. No matter how hard the ghost tribe members tried, let alone killing Liu Buli, even saving their own lives became an incredibly difficult task.
However, with Liu Buli's instruction, Lu Wuming ultimately spared the leader. As the small building was about to collapse, Liu Buli grabbed the man by his collar and, carrying him, leaped out of the window engulfed by flames. Lu Wuming followed closely. As they left the vicinity of the brothel, they heard a deafening roar from behind them.
Liu Buli glanced back.
As he had expected, the small building, unable to withstand the licking flames, had collapsed into a pile of scattered wooden debris.
However, the fire had not yet extinguished, and the debris continued to burn. Fortunately, the flames were under Liu Buli's control, so only this building was consumed, and the fire did not spread to the surroundings.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered. They had not participated in the battle, merely startled by the fire and drawn to the scene. Some considered putting out the fire but were stopped by others who had seen Liu Buli and his companions.
This city was, after all, the closest to the Ghost Gate.
Even if others did not have as deep a connection with the ghost tribe as that courtesan, they were still too close. They understood the existence of these ghosts.
And when ghosts killed, the best course of action was to stay far away. Everyone knew that for those monsters, humans were merely food. In that case, rushing forward would only be adding an extra dish for them. They all understood this clearly, so despite their curiosity, no one truly risked their lives.
Liu Buli glanced at the surrounding onlookers but paid them no mind. He shifted his gaze back to the ghost tribe member he held in his hand and smiled, asking, "I have something I need to discuss with you and that courtesan. You are in my hands now, and she vanished the moment we started fighting. But I'm sure you have a way to find her, don't I?"
The ghost tribe member was still in a daze. He clearly couldn't understand how so many of them, so well-prepared, could have lost to a single human.
However, Liu Buli didn't give him time to figure it out. He reached out and tapped his head, saying, "Hey, if you can't understand me, you can go down to join your companions. If you can understand, we can have a friendly chat. As for whether you live or die, I can consider that carefully before making a decision."
This was outright blackmail.
The ghost tribe member understood. After a moment of hesitation, he obediently replied to Liu Buli, "I do have a way to sense that woman's location. Just follow me."
Her cooperation pleased Liu Buli greatly. He nodded towards Lu Wuming, and after following the ghost tribe member for a short while, they found the woman they were looking for in a corner of a wall near the slum district of the city.
Completely unlike the stunning beauty they had first encountered, the woman was clearly terrified by the recent battle and the flames. It seemed she had fled in such haste that her clothes were disheveled, and her face was etched with undisguised terror.
She was curled up among the stones in a corner, as if that narrow space offered her a moment of peace. In that curled-up posture, she trembled uncontrollably, muttering something that no one could understand.
No explanation was needed; Liu Buli could see that the woman's spirit had been utterly broken.
Looking at the woman's current state, Liu Buli couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. Shaking his head, he walked up to her. He looked down at her, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke, "I don't quite understand you. If doing something bad scares you this much, why do you insist on doing it? It's clearly not suited for you."
The woman did not answer Liu Buli's question.
As if her brain had lost the ability to think, her reactions were a beat slower than normal. After a moment of silence, she suddenly seemed to realize who Liu Buli was. Her already trembling body shook even more violently, her lips quivered, and she stammered, "You... you're here to kill me, aren't you?"
"I could be here to kill you, or I could be here to give you a chance to live," Liu Buli replied with a smile. "Of course, whether I am the harbinger of death or a celestial being come to save you depends entirely on your performance. I hope you seize this opportunity and don't disappoint me further."
The woman blinked, then nodded her head rapidly.
Liu Buli looked into her eyes and asked word by word, "The ghost tribe member you contacted wasn't this one accompanying me, was he? It was someone of higher status, perhaps... a Ghost King, or a trusted confidant under the Ghost King. Am I right?"