Chapter 28: Who Goes There
The Golden Ghost King quickly filled the storage pouch with red earth.
Qu Yiqiu took the pouch, glanced at it, and hung it back at her waist.
“So you’re all here!” Yao Zhimei, her robes fluttering, landed nimbly on the small hillside.
She looked at the Golden Ghost King. “Hey, Golden Ghost King, I’ve officially taken over the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground. From now on, you can serve in front of the king with peace of mind!”
The Golden Ghost King’s face darkened, but he swiftly put on a fawning smile. “Of course, the future of the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground will depend on you and the master to develop!”
Yao Zhimei laughed heartily. “Golden Ghost King, your Wang Er brought a male cultivator from the Profound Intent Sect to the secret chamber above. Was that your doing?”
“Which male cultivator from the Profound Intent Sect came?” Qu Yiqiu’s expression shifted as she asked first.
The Golden Ghost King looked utterly confused. “Yeah, which male cultivator? I—this king—never arranged anything like that!”
Yao Zhimei looked enlightened. “It seems your Wang Er was caught and forced to bring him here.”
She winked at Qu Yiqiu. “Come with me and you’ll see who it is!”
Seeing her mysterious manner, an image of a man suddenly surfaced in Qu Yiqiu’s mind.
“Who is it? Master, let’s hurry over and see!” The Golden Ghost King was anxious; he had established the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground with great effort and could not allow a Profound Intent Sect disciple to infiltrate!
Yao Zhimei smiled, flicked her sleeve, and a wave of gray mist enveloped the three of them, transforming into a ray of light that sped away.
In the Golden Ghost King’s central hall, a crystal stood abruptly at the very center. The crystal was clear, and from time to time, human figures flickered across its surface.
Qu Yiqiu approached to look at the figures on the crystal. In a dimly lit corner, a male cultivator stood tall.
The Golden Ghost King anxiously magnified that view, and the male cultivator’s exquisitely handsome face appeared distinctly on the crystal.
“Huo Tangsheng!” the Golden Ghost King and Qu Yiqiu exclaimed at once.
“How is Wang Er in his hands?” The Golden Ghost King was shocked to see a ball of black mist in the man’s grip.
The black mist struggled desperately, and a man’s face could be faintly discerned within it.
“This youngster is interesting—he actually managed to find this place. No wonder the Profound Intent Sect has poured such effort into grooming him as a prodigy!” Yao Zhimei watched Huo Tangsheng on the crystal with great interest.
Qu Yiqiu frowned slightly. “He mustn’t come in, or my identity will be exposed.”
“Master is right—he can’t be allowed in! With so many wandering ghosts in the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground, he won’t let us off!” The Golden Ghost King hurried to agree, worried Qu Yiqiu might side with Huo Tangsheng.
Yao Zhimei arched an eyebrow and laughed. “He can’t get in anyway. Only you can open the passage to the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground from the outside, right?”
Qu Yiqiu looked at the Golden Ghost King with a scrutinizing gaze.
“What exactly is going on with the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground? Can’t your Wang Er open the passage from outside?”
The Golden Ghost King’s face fell. “The peculiarities of the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground—I still haven’t figured them out. All I know is that I came in by chance, ate some herb here, and gained the ability to open the passage.”
“None of the ghost cultivators who came in after me have this ability. They can only use the crystals I created to open the passage from inside.”
Qu Yiqiu did not miss the fleeting uncertainty in his eyes.
“So, you were the first to enter the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground?”
The Golden Ghost King nodded. “Yes. Back then, I stumbled in, swallowed the spirit herb, and it was as if the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground had chosen me. My subordinates all said it invited me here to awaken it!”
At the mention of his former glory, the Golden Ghost King’s face filled with pride.
Yao Zhimei curled her lip in disdain. “Maybe it just picked you to do the work and then had us take over. Don’t get too full of yourself!”
The Golden Ghost King glared but dared not retort.
Qu Yiqiu ignored their bickering, her gaze thoughtful as she looked at Huo Tangsheng in the crystal.
“Can you let us hear their voices? He seems to be talking.”
The Golden Ghost King turned and sent a stream of gray mist into the crystal, his tone grave. “What’s he saying?”
Why did it have to be Huo Tangsheng, that harbinger of misfortune!
If it had been any other disciple of the Profound Intent Sect, he could simply have killed them. But Huo Tangsheng was the disciple of the sect’s Grand Elder. If he so much as touched him, the Grand Elder would immediately wipe out his Ghost Cultivators’ Playground!
The Golden Ghost King listened intently, wary.
Qu Yiqiu remained silent, while Yao Zhimei smiled, arms folded across her chest.
For a moment, the central hall fell so quiet a pin could be heard dropping.
“Why is there no movement at all? Are you sure this is the entrance to the Ghost Cultivators’ Playground?” Huo Tangsheng lifted his hand, his face cold.
A ball of black mist flickered uncertainly in his pale, slender palm.
“I’m sure this is the place. Maybe my brothers haven’t received my signal yet. Just wait a bit longer—they’ll definitely come to let us in!” the black mist hastily explained, quickly coalescing into a human face.
“My brothers are all a bit slow in the head. It’s normal they haven’t noticed I’m outside right away!”
Huo Tangsheng’s frosty gaze swept the surroundings.
“I’ll give you a little more time. If we’re still here after a while, you know what will happen.”
The black mist’s light flickered, its form wavering on the verge of dispersing.
“They’ll definitely let me in! As soon as they’re done playing, they’ll see my signal!”
“Idiot! How dare you bring the enemy here? Die!” the Golden Ghost King cursed angrily, suddenly summoning a soul lamp with a wave of his hand.
“What are you doing?” Qu Yiqiu reached out to stop him.
The Golden Ghost King’s hand seals were interrupted.
“Master, I want to use the Soul Enticement Technique to kill him, or he’ll reveal our location!”
Qu Yiqiu waved her hand. “It’s already exposed. Killing him now will only confirm to Huo Tangsheng that we’re hiding inside—he’ll be even less likely to give up.”
“Then what should we do?” Surely they couldn’t just do nothing?
The Golden Ghost King pondered in frustration.
Qu Yiqiu said calmly, “Didn’t Huo Tangsheng say? If we don’t open the door after a while, he’ll kill Wang Er. Once Wang Er is dead, he’ll have no way of opening the passage.”
“But… what about Huo Tangsheng? Won’t he tell the elders of the sect about this place?” The Golden Ghost King was restless with worry.
Yao Zhimei propped her chin in her hand and smiled. “I think he’s more of a loner. As the chosen prodigy of the Profound Intent Sect, he probably has the pride and aloofness of a so-called righteous cultivator and won’t easily turn to the sect for help. Let’s just relax and have some fun!”
Qu Yiqiu recalled that night in Tianchen Town, when Huo Tangsheng had shown murderous intent toward her all alone, and felt that Yao Zhimei’s analysis made sense.
He had come alone this time as well.
Such a genius would never run to the elders for help at every turn!
Once he left, she would simply take the Golden Ghost King and depart.