48: Section 48

“You recited the words of the sages, holding the transfer order, and knocked on the inn’s main gate.”

“The Inn Keeper quickly came out. He was very surprised by your arrival, as the imperial court hadn't sent anyone here for two years since the previous County Magistrate went mad.”

“After taking the transfer order and examining it, the Inn Keeper realized that you were actually the Third Prince of the former dynasty, and now you had surprisingly given up the position of King Qi to come to this Gulan County to be a small County Magistrate. He had to admit, it was quite perplexing.”

“But since you arrived alone, the Inn Keeper couldn't refuse to host you. So, he led you into the inn. Upon entering, an even fouler stench than outside assailed you.”

“Although it was high noon during the day, there were no open windows in the inn, making the space dim. The only light source was an ancient oil lamp, its glow barely covering a small area around it.”

“You instinctively felt uncomfortable, as if you had walked into a massive graveyard.”

“Recalling the previous ghost sightings and Demon rumors, a chill ran down your spine.”

“It's broad daylight, why are there no windows open here?”

“Instead, you're wasting lamp oil to light an oil lamp.”

“Upon hearing your words, the Inn Keeper opened his toothless mouth and looked at you.”

“Sir, you may not know, but this inn has never had windows since it was built. There is only light seeping through some cracks in the walls.”

“That's why it's so dim even during the day.”

“And this oil lamp, I only lit it because I saw you, Sir. I don't waste it at other times.”

“After all, this inn hasn't received any funds for who knows how long.”

“You looked at the strange Inn Keeper before you, feeling that something was amiss.”

“However, according to the map, Gulan County was still over thirty li away, so you decided to stay here for the night and depart early tomorrow morning, aiming to reach Gulan County before dark.”

“After eating some food prepared by the Inn Keeper, you continued reading under the oil lamp until dark.”

“The meal consisted of only two hard, but filling, vegetable buns.”

“You read until dark without feeling hungry.”

“The inn was built in the wilderness. Not long after you fell asleep, you were awakened by the sound of the wind.”

“The wind was strong, making the entire inn shake. In all the days you had traveled here, you had never encountered such a strange strong wind.”

“You put on your clothes and left the room.”

“In the room, you saw that the Inn Keeper was not asleep. Instead, he was holding an oil lamp and walking around the inn's main hall, sprinkling yellow paper money from his satchel in certain spots, as if there were ghosts or gods in the house that he needed to worship.”

“Seeing you suddenly come out, the Inn Keeper raised the oil lamp high, the furrows on his face casting deep shadows.”

“Sir, it's dark, and the wind outside is strong. It's better not to go out.”

“You looked at the Inn Keeper's strange behavior, feeling puzzled, and sensed that this place was peculiar in every way.”

“You returned to your room, having already decided that the first thing you would do after becoming County Magistrate was to order the demolition of this inn and rebuild a spacious and bright one.”

“No matter how strange it was, once demolished, there would be nothing more to say.”

“Just as you were about to go back to sleep, a knock came from the door.”

“Puzzled, you went forward and opened your door. As soon as you opened it, you saw a woman in a white dress, barefoot, standing outside your door.”

“The woman was beautiful, with a slender waist and straight legs, yet you felt no attraction.”

...

Seeing the woman suddenly appear in the image, Su Mo immediately leaned in closer.

This woman's black hair covered her forehead, revealing only a small part of her paper-white face.

Su Mo suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

Holy cow.

He'd run into a ghost!

He just wondered what the female ghost's full face looked like. If she was beautiful, he wouldn't mind trying...

...

“Young Master, I'm lost. May I come into your room to shelter from the wind?”

“The female ghost's voice came from far to near, like a nightingale's melodious song.”

“What do you choose now?”

“Option 1: Refuse the woman's request, close the door, and sleep until dawn.”

“Option 2: Forcefully carry the woman into the room and satisfy your desires with her.”

“Option 3: Agree to the woman's request, invite her into the room, and then go out to find the Inn Keeper and ask him to change your room.”

...

Seeing the three options suddenly appear, Su Mo immediately became serious.

Ever since he knew that a bad choice could lead to death, Su Mo, who didn't want to waste this simulated identity, carefully considered every choice.

He really didn't want to simulate other lives.

He vaguely remembered that time when he was a pimp, the romantic interest was the madam of that brothel, and the choices that appeared were things like which girl to carry to which old master's house today, or whether to wash the underwear and bellybands of those prostitutes.

Plus, his talent was the white 'Physically Strong', with no Heaven-Defying possibilities at all.

It was basically like playing 'Pimp Simulator', which was torture for him.

Having finally randomly gotten a Prince identity, he wouldn't waste the opportunity again.

As for the three options before him.

Option two was definitely not to be chosen. He still needed to cultivate Haoran Righteousness. The moment he chose option two, the Haoran Righteousness would probably extinguish.

Option one wouldn't work either.

This was clearly a female ghost; refusing her would only make her cling. He could only actively seek a solution.

Currently.

Only option three could be chosen.

Then, Su Mo chose option three.

...

“You chose option three.”

“You agreed to the woman's request and invited her into the room.”

“After she entered the room, you immediately closed the door, went out, and looked for the Inn Keeper, asking him to change your room.”

“However, upon hearing your story, the Inn Keeper seemed to be possessed, and he hunched over, falling to the ground.”

“You went up to check and found that the Inn Keeper had long since died, and his body was light and not like a human's.”

“Attempting to pick him up, you only picked up a paper skeleton, with some sticky rice paste used for paper crafting still adhering to it.”

“The Inn Keeper who chatted with you during the day was actually just a paper figure!”

Chapter 57: Haoran Righteousness, Dispelling All Evil

When he saw that the Inn Keeper was a paper figure, Su Mo immediately recalled the paper crafting Spell he learned from Xiao Qing in the White Snake Legend simulation instance, which was a side Dao.

He wondered if this was the same Spell.

He vaguely remembered that this paper crafting Spell consumed a huge amount of spiritual power. Even Xiao Qing couldn't use it many times at once and had to wait for her spiritual power to recover before continuing to use it.

However, the benefit was that the life created by paper crafting could last for decades.

Now that such a thing appeared in Gulan County, it seemed this Demon was not simple.

He wondered if his current Haoran Righteousness could withstand it.

Don't let himself die again.

Wouldn't that be the end of it?

...

“When you saw that the Inn Keeper was actually a paper figure, you suddenly felt a little flustered. This was the first time you had seen such an extraordinary Spell, which was only recorded in books of strange tales.”

“Just as you were about to leave, the woman had appeared behind you at some point, and her icy cold fingertips reached out from behind to gently caress your cheek.”

“I've been waiting for you for a long time...”

“The woman's voice was desolate and mournful, as if at this moment you were a prodigal son who had abandoned his wife and children and then returned.”

“And she was the wife who had waited bitterly for your return.”

“Stay with me, it's too lonely here...”

“You were captivated by this voice and involuntarily followed the woman to your original room.”

In the image, the female ghost's skirt slipped off, and she moved with light steps, pushing Su Mo down...

Outside the image, Su Mo watched the battle with a furrowed brow, afraid of missing any detail.

He had to admit.

The pale, flawless skin had a unique charm.

...

“You felt your vital essence being continuously absorbed and drained by a cold and soft force. When it reached a critical point, a powerful light suddenly erupted from your body.”

“This light was magnificent, vast, and unshakeable.”

“The woman sprawled before you suddenly straightened her legs, and under the illumination of the light, she vanished into thin air, leaving only a trace of cold, soft sensation.”

Seeing the sudden burst of white light in the image, Su Mo's eyes were momentarily dazzled.

When the white light receded, there was no trace of the female ghost.

Is this Haoran Righteousness?

It directly killed the female ghost.

Amazing, truly amazing!

Su Mo felt a bit envious and greedy. If he had such Haoran Righteousness, why would he need to fear the Demons on Black Wind Mountain?

What a pity.

With his personality, Haoran Righteousness couldn't be cultivated.

It would extinguish even if it entered his body...

...

“You didn't know what had happened. In a trance, you felt as if you had a beautiful dream.”

“When you woke up, you found that the place you were sleeping was no longer the inn, but a desolate wilderness full of scattered graves, and your sleeping place was a broken tombstone.”

“You immediately realized that you had encountered the 'ghost wall' described in supernatural tales, and had been led here by an unknown force.”

“At this time, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and the strong wind from before was gone.”

“You dared not linger here. Following the map, you rushed towards Gulan County overnight.”

“You walked and vomited along the way, and finally discovered that what you vomited was all yellow liquid formed by Guanyin clay mixed with stomach acid.”

“It was then that you realized that the two vegetable buns were actually just two lumps of dirt.”

“As you approached Gulan County, you breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, you found that the inn was not far from the outskirts of Gulan County.”

“It was now broad daylight, and you had no desire to go to the inn again, so you directly entered the city.”

“However, after entering Gulan County, you discovered that its prosperity was no less than any county town you had seen, even comparable to a prefecture.”

“There was an endless stream of pedestrians, and even many items rarely seen in Kyoto were being sold at stalls and shops.”

“But when you were in Kyoto, you had always heard that the local customs here were fierce, and you felt that these might all be superficial appearances.”

“So you dared not linger and quickly went to the County Government. Only after your identity was confirmed would you truly be considered the County Magistrate of Gulan County.”

“When you arrived at the County Government, you found that the main gate was tightly shut and nobody was inside. It wasn't until noon that an old clerk, reeking of alcohol, staggered to the County Government.”

“Seeing this, you stepped forward to inquire.”

“Brother, it's broad daylight, why isn't the County Government open? What should the common people do if they have something to report?”