Chapter Twenty-Seven: An Unexpected Delight
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“Why do these wandering ghosts seem so muddle-headed?” Qu Yiqiu noticed at a glance that their eyes were clouded and dim.
Yao Zhimei gasped in surprise. “How could you tell? Back then, I had no idea these ghosts were a bit slow!”
Qu Yiqiu looked at her wordlessly.
The Golden Ghost King was standing right behind them, and these little ghosts didn’t even recognize him—weren’t they fools!
“You idiots, don’t you know who I am? Get over here, now!” the Golden Ghost King dropped down from the stone wall, his voice sharp and scolding.
“Who is he?”
“No idea. Who are you?”
“Who are you talking about?”
“……”
“No wonder I managed to escape last time—anyone could have!” Yao Zhimei curled her lip in disdain, surprised at how stupid the gatekeepers were.
The Golden Ghost King’s face flushed at her words; his aura surged out in a wave of black mist, clearly enraged. “All of you, get over here! Do you know who I am now?”
“……”
“Who is he? His presence feels somewhat familiar.”
“No idea. Who is he? There’s something vaguely familiar about him.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“…Enough! I can’t listen to this!” Yao Zhimei’s figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye she appeared before the wandering ghosts.
Qu Yiqiu watched as her fists rained down like a storm, beating the little ghosts until they wailed and howled.
“Now do you know who I am?” Yao Zhimei’s dress fluttered as she hovered in mid-air, raising her fist.
“Y-yes, Grand Aunt!”
“Grand Aunt, spare us, we greet Grand Aunt!”
“What Grand Aunt?”
Yao Zhimei’s expression didn’t change as her fist crashed down again.
“She really is Grand Aunt! Sansha greets Grand Aunt!”
Indeed, only brute force could solve everything.
Qu Yiqiu glanced calmly at the Golden Ghost King.
His face flushed and pale in turns, his whole body shrouded in surging black mist; he was clearly furious.
Useless, spineless wretches!
As he cursed the little ghosts, the Golden Ghost King instinctively overlooked his own humiliating predicament of submitting to another’s will.
“Sansha? That’s a good name! Dash, Ersha, Sansha—listen to your Grand Aunt’s command. Go and call everyone else here to greet Aunt Yao!” Yao Zhimei laughed arrogantly, as if she were already the mistress of this domain.
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“Yes, Da(E’r, San)sha obeys!” The wandering ghosts eyed her nervously.
As she waved her hand, they scattered like startled birds.
“Don’t forget your Grand Aunt’s orders!” Yao Zhimei’s sinister voice drifted through the air.
The wandering ghosts attracted by the commotion froze at her actions, not daring to move, trembling under her intimidating gaze.
To be fair—
Yao Zhimei’s violent methods were quite effective!
Qu Yiqiu opened her spiritual senses and strolled around the area.
The Golden Ghost King followed, his expression shifting, and after some hesitation, he said, “Master, it’s not that I can’t summon them, but since my cultivation has greatly diminished, and they’ve lived here so long, their minds have become muddled—that’s why they don’t recognize me.”
Qu Yiqiu halted her steps.
“So they’ve turned foolish just from being here too long?”
“That’s right. This place is cut off from the outside world. Without ever leaving, they eventually end up like this!” The Golden Ghost King hurried to explain.
He couldn’t let his master think he was useless.
Qu Yiqiu saw through his thoughts, and smiled faintly.
She wondered if the Soul-Suppressing Banner was affecting his mindset—he already had the awareness of a subordinate.
“I understand. There must be some ghosts here whose minds are still intact, or how else would you lure unwitting ghost cultivators in?”
The Golden Ghost King instinctively glanced at Yao Zhimei, cursing his bad luck.
“There aren’t many with clear minds—just a few, and they’re still outside… on a mission.”
That “mission” was to lure ignorant ghost cultivators back for his cultivation.
Qu Yiqiu wasn’t surprised. She asked blandly, “What’s the highest cultivation among them?”
“The strongest, Wang Er, is only at the early Foundation Building stage equivalent, by human standards,” the Golden Ghost King replied honestly.
Qu Yiqiu nodded, casting a curious glance at the throng of ghostly underlings drifting over. “Why do you keep so many muddle-minded ghosts here?”
In Tianchen Town, Lü Ning would never do this—ghost cultivators advanced quickest by devouring their own kind.
The Golden Ghost King knew he couldn’t hide it, so he said directly, “The Yin-congealing Grass can only grow with them around, exhaling enough dense yin energy for us to cultivate.”
“There’s Yin-congealing Grass here?” Qu Yiqiu’s gaze swept around in surprise.
There certainly was no shortage of yin energy.
“A large patch of Yin-congealing Grass is planted in my palace’s rear garden,” the Golden Ghost King replied, his heart aching at the thought. Cultivating that grass had cost him much time.
But before he could use it, he was trapped by this woman.
Qu Yiqiu’s interest was piqued. “Where’s the palace? Take me there.”
The Golden Ghost King, full of reluctance, led her southwest.
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Yao Zhimei glanced at their departure, her expression unchanged.
A short while later.
Qu Yiqiu and the Golden Ghost King arrived at his palace. It couldn’t compare to the splendor of a mortal emperor’s palace, but in the gray-white mists of the underworld, it was impressive enough.
“Go through the pavilion and you’ll reach my rear garden,” the Golden Ghost King said, pointing the way, suppressing his distress.
Qu Yiqiu followed him through winding corridors and white-walled, black-tiled paths, arriving at the so-called rear garden.
There were no flowers in the garden—only Yin-congealing Grass, its white leaves as tender as frost, with crystal-clear dewdrops gleaming playfully on the tips.
Qu Yiqiu’s eyes lit up.
The Golden Ghost King watched in deep reluctance, his gaze lingering.
Qu Yiqiu promptly crouched down and grabbed a handful of red earth. “Was this red earth always here?”
The Golden Ghost King was startled. “I had my subordinates move this red earth from a distant hill.”
“Does that hill still have this kind of soil?” Qu Yiqiu’s eyes shone with excitement.
The Golden Ghost King was dumbfounded under her fervent gaze, and blurted, “Yes, the whole hill is made of that soil.”
“Good, take me there at once!” Qu Yiqiu said enthusiastically.
The Golden Ghost King, bewildered, led her to the small hill.
“So much red earth!” Qu Yiqiu felt as if a pile of spirit stones was raining down on her.
The Golden Ghost King couldn’t understand why she was so excited about this red earth; to him, the Yin-congealing Grass was the true treasure.
Qu Yiqiu immediately took out a storage pouch, intending to fill it with the red earth, but after a moment’s hesitation she said, “Fill this pouch with red earth for me.”
The Golden Ghost King took the storage pouch, baffled.
“Just this red mud? You really don’t want my precious Yin-congealing Grass?”
He was anxious and uncertain.
Qu Yiqiu saw through his thoughts and smiled lightly. “I won’t touch the Yin-congealing Grass for now. Just fill the pouch with the red earth.”
“As you command!” As long as his Yin-congealing Grass was safe, anything was negotiable.
The Golden Ghost King promptly took a deep breath and swept the red earth from the hill into the pouch.
Maybe, if he performed well enough, this woman might even reward him with the Yin-congealing Grass!
Qu Yiqiu raised her brows slightly and stepped aside.