I Am Not a Master - Chapter 70

As soon as Hao-Ge saw how Old Master Yu was so frightened that he pretended to faint, he disinterestedly tossed the arm he had nibbled on to his subordinates. His brothers, even more unrestrained, tore at it and within minutes had completely devoured it, gulping it down greedily. This spectacle almost made Old Master Yu, who was pretending to be unconscious, actually faint. What kind of ghosts were these, chopping off his arm and eating it right in front of him? Was there no justice left in the world?

Old Master Yu wished he could turn back time, just wanting to come for a meal, and now he had invited this upon himself!

But now his arm had been chopped off and eaten, and if he were to invite them to a meal again, wouldn’t all his suffering be in vain? He might say it wasn’t as painful or bloody as he had imagined, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t painful. Thinking this, he felt even more aggrieved and couldn’t bring himself to speak the word “invite.”

All he hoped for now was that the young brothers would put in some effort and quickly bring Master Gu and young monk Jingxing to save him. He definitely did not want to die in vain and have his soul scattered.

Thinking about this, his small eyes moistened, seeping out a crimson blood.

Meanwhile, Hao-Ge was lounging grandly on a huge stone chair, his broad and muscular frame, fierce bushy eyebrows, and grey-white eyes staring menacingly at Old Master Yu.

After finishing the arm snack, his subordinates, lacking any semblance of dignity, floated mid-air. Of course, this little snack wasn’t nearly enough to fill them up, and they reminisced about the lavish feast at Old Yu’s place. They had seen the large table laden with food and had drooled over it, wishing they could dive in and eat their fill, certainly more satisfying than a mere arm.

“Hao-Ge, I think this old man won’t shed tears until he sees the coffin. Why don’t we chop off his hands and feet to make snacks and see if he dares to be so defiant?”

“Hmph, I’ve heard that Old Yu has three sons at home. I don’t believe he can ignore their well-being.”

“There’s more than just three sons in Old Yu’s family; he also has several grandchildren. Those kids are still young; the eldest is only in primary school, and the youngest just learned to walk. Kids are so fragile; any little sickness or accident could end their lives.”

“Yes, children have low Yang Fire, making them more susceptible to encountering ghosts on night walks…”

These sinister and malicious words unsettled Old Yu, who was pretending to faint. He started to worry and became furious. How could these little ghosts be so ruthless, not sparing even children? Weren’t they afraid of divine retribution?

Old Master Yu widened his small eyes and finally couldn’t hold back his anger: “Don’t go too far, ghosts do as they do but Heaven is watching. Be careful of divine punishment, you’ll fall into the eighteenth level of hell and be reborn as animals, only fit to be beasts.”

Hao-Ge sneered coldly: “Oh, I thought you could keep pretending. Go on, keep pretending.”

Little Brother No. 1 said: “It was you who didn’t respect our Hao-Ge and didn’t take him seriously. It’s an honor for Hao-Ge to visit your home. You should have just welcomed him properly, but instead, you dared to refuse. Who gave you the guts?”

Little Brother No. 2 chimed in: “Exactly, instead of thinking about how to entertain Hao-Ge, you create obstacles and say no. What do you mean by that?”

Little Brother No. 3 added: “So, really, it’s you who brought this upon your children and grandchildren. You can’t blame us!”

The accusations from the underlings made Old Master Yu even angrier. It was his funeral, and he should decide whom to invite. If he didn’t want to invite this Hao-Ge, he wouldn’t. Yet, they were forcing him to do so, and he was supposed to be grateful for it? What kind of logic was this?

Old Master Yu said, “It’s just that I don’t know you guys. I only died not long ago and am still coming to terms with the existence of ghosts. How could I have thought of all this? If you had talked to me nicely, wouldn’t I have invited you? We’re all ghosts here; being friends wouldn’t be so bad. Why resort to violence?”

Hao-Ge glanced at Old Yu with his gray eyes, “Ha, you were just so stubborn a moment ago, and now you’re changing your tune?”

Old Master Yu thought that no matter what, he couldn’t let these ghosts target his family. In ancient times, people endured hardships for revenge; now, he had to endure humiliation to protect his family. He understood the principle of being adaptable.

“Hao-Ge, don’t misunderstand. We’re all ghosts here, and things can be discussed. Just say the word, and my door is always open for you.”

Hao-Ge let out a cold laugh, and the underlings numbered one through six laughed smugly as well, saying that if he had been like this earlier, he wouldn’t have had to suffer. They had wasted so much effort.

Old Master Yu smiled outwardly, but inwardly he scoffed, clenching his one remaining fist, waiting for his chance.

…

Old Master Yu finally complied. Hao-Ge instructed Old Yu to send a dream to his family, telling them to prepare a warm welcome with plenty of food and drink. They needed to prepare Ghost Money and burn extra clothes for them. They didn’t want to wear the same outfit until their souls dispersed. Although it wouldn’t get dirty, it would get tiresome seeing themselves in the same clothes every day.

Besides these, they also wanted a few cars, preferably with an eight-carriage sedan chair. Hao-Ge was a ghost of some standing, and his wife deserved some status, lest other ghosts laugh at them.

This whole ensemble was not to be skimped on.

Hearing this string of demands, Old Master Yu was dumbfounded. He could understand the need for Ghost Money, but what was the meaning of clothes, luxury cars, and a grand sedan chair? Even as ghosts, they hadn’t forgotten how to enjoy life, no wonder they liked robbing and forcing others.

Old Master Yu had never seen such shameless and presumptuous ghosts. He grumbled inwardly but naturally agreed, saying he had a few new outfits there, and if Hao-Ge didn’t mind, he could try them on first.

Hao-Ge was particularly disdainful, “I wouldn’t be caught dead in an old man’s clothes. Burn me a few suits and some casual sportswear.” The suits would be for negotiating with ghosts from other places, and the casual sportswear would be for going out to rob other ghosts, which seemed quite fitting.

Underlings two through five said, “Hao-Ge may be picky, but we’re not. Where are your clothes? Let us try them on!”

Old Master Yu chuckled, “At home, everything I have is still there. I haven’t been buried yet, and the Ghost House hasn’t been burned, so all my belongings are still at home.”

The Little Ghosts numbered two, three, four, five, and six looked at Hao-Ge, asking when they should head to Old Yu’s place now that everything was settled.

Hao-Ge replied, “You guys have such limited vision. Let Old Yu send a dream to his family, get everything we want prepared, and then we’ll have plenty of new clothes. If we go now, Old Yu’s sons will see the funeral hall overturned and definitely call that Monk Jingxing for help. We might run into them.”

That Monk Jingxing is different from other monks; he’s really powerful. I once saw him chant a Malevolent Ghost into a beam of white light with just a few words. And the prayer beads around his neck seem to contain boundless Buddhist power; a gentle wave can make your soul scatter!

Hao-Ge had tangled with that Malevolent Ghost several times, fought countless battles, and each time ended in mutual defeat with no gains. They were deadlocked on the mountain, but he never expected that the formidable Malevolent Ghost would be so easily vanquished by Jingxing, leaving him terrified. He never thought the Monk Jingxing would be so formidable; he hadn’t seen such a powerful monk before.

Since then, Hao-Ge avoided Baiyu Temple and instructed his Little Ghosts not to wander around its vicinity or provoke Jingxing, lest they find themselves scattered without knowing how.

Though no ghost dared to challenge him for the mountain after that, he became the undisputed King of the mountain, with no ghost daring to compete with him. He was smart, rarely wandering into town, and did his misdeeds discreetly, so he was living quite well.

The Little Ghosts thought it made sense to wait until nightfall, when everyone had left, to go. After all, dreams are best sent at night.

Old Master Yu naturally agreed, saying he’d follow their decisions, knowing any suggestions he made wouldn’t be taken seriously by the ghosts.

“Since it’s settled, let’s have some snacks.”

“Yeah, I’m a bit hungry. The New Year is almost over, and not many people come to the mountain to honor their ancestors. I haven’t had pig head meat in two days and I’m craving it.”

“Me too, I’ve been hungry these days, wanting some snacks.”

“So hungry…”

Old Master Yu, who had been somewhat reassured, watched as these evil ghosts stared at him with hungry eyes, especially as their gaze lingered on his old limbs. What did this mean? Was he their snack?

“Why are you looking at me like that? What’s so interesting?”

“We’re looking at you because you look tasty, haha. If we divide you up and eat you first before heading to your house for dinner, you wouldn’t mind, would you?”

“…What?!”

What kind of demons were these?! Not mind? Not mind your big-headed ghost! Old Master Yu’s stiff face grew even stiffer with anger. He turned to Hao-Ge and said, “Hao-Ge, aren’t we on the same side now? What do they mean by wanting to make me a snack?”

Hao-Ge glanced at him, “Who said you’re on our side? You’re just a tool we can use, don’t flatter yourself.”

Old Master Yu: “…………”

Old Master Yu watched in horror as several little ghosts with malevolent intentions approached him, their dark nails gesturing over his body as they spoke. One said he wanted to eat an arm, another desired a thigh, and another claimed he wasn’t picky and would take anything. The few who remained still were not uninterested; they were simply saving their appetites for a meal!

Old Master Yu’s eyes bulged with fury and despair, tears of blood nearly streaming down his face. Had all his self-sacrifice, endurance of humiliation, and compromise of his ghostly dignity been in vain?

Unable to bear it any longer, he began to scream at the top of his lungs, “Help, help, oh help me!!!”

Hao-Ge lazily lifted his eyelids and chin, a sly smile playing on his lips, radiating an air of unrivaled supremacy. At his command, a little ghost rushed forward to punch Old Master Yu in the mouth, aiming to distort it so he couldn’t make a sound.

Terrified, Old Master Yu’s face turned white as he realized the direness of his situation. Today, he thought, he might not leave this place intact.

However, just as he was engulfed in despair, a little ghost suddenly flew in from midair, screaming, “Hao-Ge, it’s bad! A Long-haired Woman has broken in!”

Hao-Ge sat up straight, arrogantly demanding, “What Long-haired Woman? What kind of place do you think this is, that someone dares to trespass so recklessly?”

The underling replied, “I don’t know her, but she’s a terrifying Long-haired Woman! She walks over Malevolent Ghosts, holds a skein of yarn, and snatches anyone she sees. Once caught, she opens her massive, bloodied mouth and viciously tears apart our brothers…” Recalling the brutal scene he had witnessed, he even shuddered, “It’s too horrifying, truly terrifying, many of our brothers have fallen to her!”

Hao-Ge was stunned for a long moment, “What did you say? Is that Long-haired Woman really that powerful?”

The underling nodded frantically, “Really, truly, it’s terrifying, Hao-Ge, we need to get out of here!”

While the others were busy dividing Old Master Yu’s flesh, they hadn’t seen any fearsome Long-haired Woman, and felt the story was exaggerated, “How many people came with her?”

“It seemed like just one…”

“Just one and you’re scared out of your wits? You’re too cowardly to be part of our gang!”

“That’s right, and besides, only ghosts can eat ghosts. Since when can humans eat ghosts? You must be seeing things.”

“Hao-Ge, let’s go out and see for ourselves. I don’t believe one person can defeat all of us ghosts!”

The reason Hao-Ge was the boss among these hundred or so little ghosts was precisely because of his relative prowess. If he weren’t formidable, the other ghosts wouldn’t follow him, and his commands would be meaningless. Although he harbored some doubts, he didn’t immediately suggest fleeing, especially since the intruder was a Long-haired Woman, not the feared Monk Jingxing.

Still, Hao-Ge had his reputation to consider. If they fled without even fighting, he could forget about holding any respect in the Ghost realm.

Old Master Yu was quite delighted, his small eyes darting around. Who else could this Long-haired Woman be? It had to be Master Gu! Although Master Gu had the ability to scare ghosts out of their wits, she was formidable. At this moment, Old Master Yu found her particularly amiable and approachable.

Hao-Ge commanded, “Go, gather everyone and come with me to check it out.”

After taking a few steps, he instructed his underlings to bring Old Master Yu along, just in case he tried to slip away. If the intruder was indeed here for Old Master Yu, he could be used as a hostage to threaten them, which could be quite advantageous.

Old Master Yu was dragged out by the neck, gritting his teeth and cursing Hao-Ge several times over.

Hao-Ge had a considerable number of ghosts under his command, with about twenty or thirty following him. Seeing this formidable lineup, Old Master Yu felt a bit uneasy. Master Gu was formidable, but could she handle so many ghosts on her own?

As he worried, they floated for a few minutes before he looked up and saw Master Gu leisurely gliding on a ghost flying carpet. Not only was Master Gu there, but she was also surrounded by a bunch of little ghosts-he roughly counted four or fifty of them!

Seeing Master Gu surrounded by these little ghosts, Old Master Yu wondered if she had been captured just like him.

Hao-Ge had the same thought. After all, the ghosts surrounding the Long-haired Woman were his. Her vacant eyes scanned left and right with an expressionless, grim demeanor, looking very much like a heavily monitored prisoner.

Hao-Ge chuckled sinisterly, “Is this the formidable Long-haired Woman you mentioned? She doesn’t seem that impressive.”

“Exactly, she looks like nothing special, just another defeated foe of ours.”

“Turns out it was just a false alarm. I knew no woman would dare to intrude into our tomb. She must have a death wish.”

“…”

Hao-Ge was basking in his smugness when he suddenly saw the Long-haired Woman extend her neck to look at him. She floated over with an eerie grace, holding a severed arm of unknown origin, and curled her lips into a bizarre smile. A sense of foreboding crept over Hao-Ge, as the Long-haired Woman’s appearance bore a resemblance to the legendary Ghost Trader with Long Black Straight Hair…

Sure enough, the Long-haired Woman sniffed the air, her sinister face showing a hint of pleasure and longing, as if she had caught the scent of a delicious gourmet meal, her expression full of desire.

The underlings shouted, “Who are you? Are you tired of living, daring to intrude into our tomb! Beg for mercy now, or you’ll regret it.”

“Entering our tomb, thinking of leaving? You better ask if we allow it.” The Long-haired Woman grinned, her smile eerie, her dark eyes even more terrifying. “Are you ‘Hao-Ge’s’ people? Who is Hao-Ge?”

“This is Hao-Ge,” I was telling you, our Hao-Ge is pretty formidable. Anyone sensible would hurry up and beg for mercy, or else they’re in for a rough time!”

“Exactly, you think you, a blind man, can challenge Hao-Ge? Look at you now, still captured by our people, right? You’ll see what’s coming to you soon!”

At this moment, Hao-Ge also felt relieved. He had heard of the fearsomeness of someone with Long Black Straight Hair, but he hadn’t heard that she was nearly blind; this one clearly wasn’t her, so what was there to fear?

The Long-haired Woman shook her head, her sinister face looking very serious: “I won’t beg for mercy. I came here for you.”

Hao-Ge let out a cold laugh: “You came looking for us, but let’s see if you have the fate to find us!” He then ordered the ghosts surrounding the Long-haired Woman-these ghosts were his underlings, and he recognized them-to quickly lock her in a dark cell and starve her for ten days to half a month to see if she would still talk tough.

“I do.” The Long-haired Woman lifted her broken arm, her face grim and fierce: “None of you will escape.”

Not only did the underlings, numbered one through five, feel puzzled and almost laughed, but Hao-Ge also thought the Long-haired Woman was bluffing. There were plenty of ghosts around; what could a blind person do?

However, as soon as the Long-haired Woman spoke, the little ghosts surrounding her moved in unison, rushing towards Hao-Ge one after another!

What the hell? Is this an internal fight?!

Hao-Ge was shocked: “What are you doing?”

“We’re on the same side, look carefully at what you are doing!”

“Damn it, these little ghosts have been turned against us!”

…

That’s truly unfortunate, brother.

There was nothing they could do; they really were out of options because the Long-haired Woman had said if they didn’t want to be eaten themselves, they would have to find other ghosts to take their place. After all, they were caught by the Long-haired Woman and trapped on a thread. To survive, what choice did they have? After all, none of us are good ghosts, and infighting is just part of our routine! Now, who cares about loyalty and brotherhood!

“Damn, you guys are too much, why don’t we just work together and capture the Long-haired Woman?”

“You capture her, you go and capture her. If you do, I’ll follow you and even acknowledge you as the leader!”

“…I mean, let’s do it together!”

“Together? Didn’t you see what happened to those who resisted the Long-haired Woman? They were torn to shreds!”

Indeed, they were utterly destroyed, missing arms and legs, not looking like ghosts at all.

This Long-haired Woman really is cunning, both intimidating and persuasive!

Actually, Gu Feiyin could capture ghosts on her own, but there were so many ghosts here, she feared that if she was too fierce, after capturing one or two, the others would be scared off. If they ran away, she couldn’t catch up, and then how would she make money? So, she came up with a good strategy, letting ghosts catch other ghosts, using one ghost to counter another, as more ghosts meant more power.

Besides, ever since entering this tomb, she felt a familiarity with this place, as if she had been here before, though she couldn’t see it and didn’t know what the tomb actually looked like. But the deeper she went, the stronger this familiar feeling became.

Now, what was initially a mobbing of one turned into a brawl between dozens of ghosts against dozens, a chaotic fight of back and forth. Gu Feiyin joined the fray too, capturing whoever she could-after all, they were all money.

The battle was almost completely in favor of the Long-haired Woman; after all, she alone was worth dozens more, swinging her broken arm around and knocking out several little ghosts with each hit.

Old Master Yu was dumbfounded, and the next moment, he swung his only arm and charged into the fray!

Revenge, he wanted revenge, to beat these disrespectful scoundrels!

Hao-Ge never expected things to turn out this way, nor did he anticipate his underlings would betray him so easily, without even a hint of inner struggle. It infuriated him to the point where Resentment Energy was practically steaming off him. Seeing his own ghosts being captured one by one made his heart race with fury. He turned to flee, only to find the Long-haired Woman gliding towards him. Only then did he notice she was stepping on a ghost without arms or legs, which looked extremely excited, eyes glowing red, blood tears streaming down its face, and letting out shrill cries!

Whoa, this Long-haired Woman actually raises ghosts?!

In the blink of an eye, she was in front of him, grinning widely, making him mistakenly think he was some kind of priceless treasure.

“Heh heh.”

“……”

……

Hao-Ge ended up having a final showdown with the Long-haired Woman, and under the eager anticipation of the ghosts, he was defeated. He was pinned under her foot, even losing a leg, feeling so ashamed he wished he could bury his face in the ground. How could this Long-haired Woman be so ruthless?!

“I ask you, when did you come to this tomb? Who lived here before you?”

“Just… over ten years ago, I stumbled upon this place by accident. When I arrived, it was empty, nothing at all.”

“Nothing?”

How could that be?

Gu Feiyin was extremely puzzled. She plopped down on a stone chair big enough for three people, patting the stone, unable to fathom why the beautiful ghost who loved to blink on this chair was gone. Could she have been eaten by some powerful little ghost?

When she first entered, she felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, and after thinking for a long time, she finally realized this pit belonged to the beautiful ghost. Back then, she hid in the beautiful ghost’s pit to escape the Handsome Monk for quite a while, becoming intimately familiar with the place, except for the room where the beautiful ghost hid her treasures; the rest was as familiar as her own home.

The pit was still there, so why wasn’t the beautiful ghost?

Could she have reincarnated? Or did she, like Gu Feiyin, do too many bad deeds and got struck by lightning?

Of course, this didn’t affect her inheriting the treasures. Since the beautiful ghost was no longer around, it was all hers now. Who would’ve thought that while she couldn’t touch the treasures as a ghost, she could as a human?

“M-Master, look, I caught a ghost. Can I use him to trade for my freedom?”

“No.”

“???”

“Everything I said before was a lie, heh heh.”

“!!!”

Damn, this Long-haired Woman was indeed cunning, a sinister villain, ruthless and vicious. Even tearing her to pieces wouldn’t be enough to quell their hatred!

……

Jingxing, Zhen Du, and Jingkong were led by the ghost up the mountain for about half a day, and seeing they hadn’t arrived yet, they began to grow anxious. Jingkong said, “How much longer do we have to walk?”

The little ghost ahead said, “If I were floating, I’d be there by now, but you young monks are human, and the mountain path is rugged, making it slow to walk. At this pace, it’ll take another half hour.” Especially with a cripple tagging along, it would only slow them down further.

Jingkong couldn’t hear anything, so he looked at Brother Jingxing in confusion. Jingxing said, “Half an hour left.”

Zhen Du reassured them, “Don’t worry. Since those ghosts captured Old Master Yu without destroying his soul, it means he’s safe for now. We have time.”

Jingkong nodded, scratching his round head. “But if those ghosts find Shizhu Gu outside, won’t she be in danger? I’m worried something might happen to her. We should have waited for her.”

Zhen Du, with a smile despite the swelling on his forehead, replied, “Junior Brother, Shizhu Gu is much stronger than you. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

The group of three monks and one ghost continued on their way. But soon, they heard a commotion ahead, filled with shouting and insults.

“You traitor, selling out for glory! Haha, now look at you, betraying your teammates. You won’t get away with it!”

“So what? If I’m going down, I’m taking someone with me. Misery loves company.”

“You scoundrel!”

“Haha, come at me if you can. We’re all in the same boat now, so don’t point fingers!”

The noise was like a bustling market, leaving Jingxing and Zhen Du exchanging puzzled glances. The little ghost leading them couldn’t wait to fly ahead and check it out. What he saw left him stunned.

There was the Long-haired Woman, riding a ghost flying carpet at the front. Next to her floated Old Master Yu and a few others. Despite missing an arm, Old Master Yu looked spirited, chest puffed out, nose in the air, like a victorious warrior. The Long-haired Woman held a string of little ghosts on a yarn, resembling a giant skewer. It was quite the spectacle.

Just then, Jingxing, Zhen Du, and Jingkong pushed through the bushes. They immediately spotted the impressive Long-haired Woman and her string of captives.

Jingxing: “…”

Zhen Du: “…”

Were they late, or were they never needed at all?

Jingkong’s eyes sparkled. Wow, Shizhu Gu is flying! How amazing!

Gu Feiyin was happily calculating her earnings. This long string of ghosts would fetch a good price. Hearing that the monks had arrived, she quickly declared, “These little ghosts are mine.”

Jingxing said, “Amitabha, Shizhu, what do you plan to do with these captured ghosts?”

Gu Feiyin replied matter-of-factly, “Sell them for money, of course.”

Jingxing: “…?”

Zhen Du: “…?”

Jingkong: “…?”

Gu Feiyin counted on her fingers, “Each goes for twenty or thirty yuan. I can make two or three thousand, which is about a month’s salary!”

Jingxing was still confused. Sell them?

Zhen Du was surprised, “They can be sold for that much?”

“Of course! The most expensive one I sold went for a hundred yuan. These little ghosts are mine, and if you want them, you’ll have to pay.”

Zhen Du hesitated. He had no money, not even enough for a single ghost. He shook his head; buying them was out of the question. He had never had more than two hundred yuan on him, let alone two thousand to buy ghosts.

Jingxing was silent too. As a monk, he owned nothing and had no money to spare.

Jingkong was bewildered. What were they talking about?

The little ghosts behind them were in an uproar. So this Long-haired Woman was the infamous Ghost Trader with Long Black Straight Hair! If they had known, they would never have provoked her. But it was too late for regrets. Once captured by her, their fate was sealed-either to be eaten or sold.

Hao-Ge, now devoid of any bravado, hung his head in despair, tears of blood streaming down his face.

The two groups finally met, and Old Master Yu was rescued. It was time to descend the mountain. Gu Feiyin considered that the monks were too slow, so she thought of having Hao-Ge carry them down. Jingxing, with his principles, refused, and although Jingkong was curious and tempted to try, he also declined. But Zhen Du, with his injured leg and swollen forehead, accepted without hesitation, climbing onto Hao-Ge’s back. After floating a few steps, he nodded in satisfaction; not having to walk meant he didn’t have to worry about falling. Not bad, not bad.

However, they hadn’t gone far when Jingkong suddenly shouted. Looking down, they saw the entire mountain shaking, rocks tumbling, and trees swaying. Caught off guard, Jingkong fell and slid several meters downhill, only stopping when he grabbed onto a branch. Jingxing also grabbed a nearby branch to steady himself, avoiding Jingkong’s predicament.

Gu Feiyin couldn’t see what was happening but sensed something was amiss from the sounds.

The little ghosts strung on the yarn were equally surprised. “Is the Mountain Deity angry?”

“Has the Mountain Deity emerged?”

“Is the Mountain Deity displeased with Long Black Straight Hair’s actions and coming to save us?”

“Wow, the Mountain Deity is here to rescue us! Mountain Deity, Mountain Deity, quickly capture Long Black Straight Hair and scatter her soul!”

The little ghosts were ecstatic, but Zhen Du’s expression changed. “No, it’s an earthquake!”

Old Master Yu’s face also turned pale. “Oh no, it’s an earthquake!”

Even Jingxing and Jingkong looked serious. Such a sudden and severe earthquake, without any warning, meant the people at the foot of the mountain were likely in dire straits, with potentially heavy casualties.

Gu Feiyin was familiar with earthquakes. Even as a ghost, she experienced them frequently, each time shaking the mountain from side to side, causing rocks to bury her pit. After each quake, she spent considerable time clearing away the stones, much to her annoyance.

It’s not just ghosts who are bothered; humans are too. Ghosts, lacking physical form, aren’t harmed, but humans are vulnerable. Severe earthquakes can cause buildings to collapse, injuring, bleeding, or even killing people. It’s not something that can be resolved by simply picking up stones.

Old Master Yu was on the verge of tears. “Master Gu, we must hurry back. My son and granddaughter are still down the mountain. I hope nothing happens to them!”

Gu Feiyin instructed the little ghosts to carry Jingxing and Jingkong, and they hurried down the mountain.

Meanwhile, the town below was in chaos. The mountain was shaking violently, and the situation was even worse at the foot. People couldn’t stand steadily; buildings collapsed, and the ground cracked open. Those unfortunate enough to be on the fissures fell in an instant. Within seconds, the once bustling town was in ruins.

Old Master Yu’s two-story house had collapsed, and seeing blood seeping from the ground, he was frantic, praying that his son and granddaughter were unharmed.

What else could they do but lift the rubble and save people?

Fortunately, there were hundreds of ghosts around, which could be useful. So, the little ghosts, strung together, faced not only the terrifying prospect of being eaten or sold but now had to labor in moving stones. They had to stretch their necks to peer into the collapsed rubble to check if anyone was buried inside, ensuring they weren’t working in vain.

The little ghosts: …………