73: Chapter 73 A Renowned Figure

The four ghosts huddled together, their teeth chattering and clicking.

"This King Xianlian is truly formidable!"

"His face is like a mask, thick as a city wall! Sword slashes and arrow shots leave him completely unscathed!"

Qiu Chuanxing pressed his hand on his sword hilt, his knuckles turning white: "How thick exactly?"

The Bowl-Playing Ghost rushed to speak: "Master Qiu, you don't know! This King Xianlian forged an iron face for himself! He wrapped it in three layers of coarse burlap, then painted it with forty-nine layers of lacquer! He let it bake in the sun for a full three months, and once it dried, it was as hard as refined steel!"

"That's not all!" the Shusha Ghost chimed in: "Underneath the iron face, he padded it with dozens of layers of birch bark! Ordinary swords and blades can't even leave a white mark on it!"

"Sword chops, axe cleaves, arrow shots—none of it works! Last time, four heroes joined forces to steal his double-edged blade, only to be cornered in his cave. He just stood there, letting them hit and curse him without even batting an eyelid!"

The Kouqia Ghost nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with terror: "Yes, yes! They hacked at him for a full hour! They even blunted three blades! He didn't have a single scratch on him! Finally, he got impatient and slapped them away, one by one. They flew off and slammed into the stone wall, their brains spilling out!"

"Where does he live?"

"Reporting to Master Wu!" The Kouqia Ghost knelt down quickly, his forehead pressed to the ground, his voice shaking uncontrollably, "He lives on Shameless Mountain, in Gualian Cave!"

"Shameless Mountain? Gualian Cave?" Ling Muxue laughed out loud.

"These names are truly a perfect match for him."

"It's not just the names!" the Bowl-Playing Ghost also knelt down, "This King Xianlian is not only thick-skinned, but his heart is even darker! He holds court on Shameless Mountain, blocking the road to rob and committing all sorts of evils! Any passing merchant he sets his eyes on won't leave alive unless they empty everything they have!"

"And he is the most shameless of all!" the Shusha Ghost gritted his teeth, "If he can't beat someone, he'll grab their leg and wail like a baby! He smears snot and tears all over them! Once they let their guard down, he suddenly strikes a dirty blow! How many heroes have fallen to this trick of his!"

"He doesn't get Life Qi no matter how much you curse, hit, or humiliate him." The Begging Ghost sighed, "His mindset is as steady as a rock. You could curse his ancestors for eighteen generations, and he'd still chat with you with a smile. The harder you hit him, the happier he is. Once you're tired and your hands are sore, that's when he makes his move."

"Is he very skilled in martial arts?" Qiu Chuanxing asked.

"High! Very high!" The Kouqia Ghost kowtowed forcefully, "He wields a double-edged blade with supernatural skill! The four of us combined can't last three moves against him! Plus, the leather armor he wears is impervious to swords and spears! Ordinary weapons can't even scratch him in the slightest!"

"He also wears a horned helmet." The Bowl-Playing Ghost added, "That helmet is also made of iron, inlaid with two real bull horns, polished to a shine. It looks terrifying!"

Jiang Yuehong had been hiding behind Jiang Jiye, clutching her sleeve tightly.

"Sword slashes and arrow shots... can they not hurt him at all?" she asked in a whisper, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"That's right, Miss Jiang!" the Kouqia Ghost said, "Forget sword slashes and arrow shots; even burning him with fire or drowning him with water is useless! His iron face is impervious to both water and fire!"

Ling Muxue clapped her hands: "Interesting. I have never seen such an interesting person. Let's go, we're going to Shameless Mountain to meet this King Xianlian."

"Miss Ling, please reconsider!" the Kouqia Ghost urged, "This King Xianlian is too formidable! If you go, you'll likely suffer!"

"Suffer?" Ling Muxue raised an eyebrow, "I've lived this long and I still don't know how to write the words 'suffer'."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'." Ling Muxue cut him off, "Lead the way."

The four ghosts looked at each other, their faces filled with despair. They dared not defy Ling Muxue's order, so they could only bite the bullet and agree: "Yes... yes."

Wu Xi looked up at the sky. The sun had already dipped to the west, and the horizon was tinged with an orange-red sunset, as red as blood.

"It's getting dark soon," he said, "How much further is Shameless Mountain from here?"

"Reporting to Master Wu, it's still over thirty li away," the Kouqia Ghost replied quickly, "The mountain road is difficult to travel. Even with fast horses, it will take two hours to arrive."

Wu Xi said, "Let's find a place to rest for the night and set off early tomorrow morning."

"There is an inn at the foot of Shameless Mountain," the Bowl-Playing Ghost said quickly, "It's called 'Forget-Worry Inn'. Passing merchants all stop there to rest."

"Then we'll go to the Forget-Worry Inn," Wu Xi said.

The group packed their things and followed the four ghosts towards Shameless Mountain.

After walking for about an hour, the sky gradually darkened. At the foot of the distant mountain, a faint light appeared, flickering in the darkness like a will-o'-the-wisp.

"Look! That's the Forget-Worry Inn!" the Kouqia Ghost pointed at the light and said excitedly, as if he had seen a savior.

The group quickened their pace and headed towards the light. The closer they got to the inn, the stronger the smell of blood became in the air.

Qiu Chuanxing's expression changed, and he suddenly drew the long blade from his waist.

"Careful!" he said in a low voice, crouching slightly and assuming an attacking stance.

Niu Fei's muscles also tightened, like a beast ready to pounce.

Ling Muxue stopped and wrinkled her nose: "The smell of blood. And it's still fresh."

Jiang Jiye immediately shielded Jiang Yuehong behind her, gathering a ball of soft white light in her hand. The white light swirled in her palm, emitting a warm aura.

The four ghosts were trembling in fear, screaming as they hid behind the others, not even daring to show their heads.

Wu Xi took a step forward, his gaze fixed on the inn ahead.

The door of the inn was ajar, and there was no sound from inside. A dim yellow light seeped through the gap in the door, casting a long, twisted shadow on the ground.

"I'll go check it out," Qiu Chuanxing said.

He gripped his long blade tightly, held his breath, and walked cautiously towards the inn. His footsteps were very light, making almost no sound.

Reaching the entrance, he took a deep breath and kicked the door open with a sudden force.

"Bang!"

The door was kicked open, and a thick, pungent smell of blood rushed towards them, choking them and making it hard to breathe.

The inn was in a state of chaos.

Tables and chairs were smashed to pieces, with wood shavings scattered everywhere. The floor was covered in blood and bits of flesh, sticky and squelchy, making a creaking sound when stepped upon.

The walls were splattered with dark red blood, and half an intestine hung from the ceiling, swaying gently in the breeze.

A dozen corpses lay scattered on the floor, their deaths gruesome. Some had their heads chopped off, the heads rolling to one side with eyes still wide open; some had been gutted, their internal organs spilling all over; others had been ripped in half, their white bone shards exposed.

Qiu Chuanxing's expression became very grim. He gripped his long blade and walked into the inn, step by step, carefully checking every corner.

"There is no one here," he said, "The murderer has already left."

The group walked into the inn and looked at the carnage before them, all falling silent.

Jiang Yuehong's body began to tremble violently. She looked at the blood on the floor, and that trace of crazy crimson flashed in her eyes once more. Her breathing became increasingly rapid, her chest heaving violently as if it were about to burst.

"Yuehong, don't look," Jiang Jiye quickly covered her eyes, "Don't be afraid, it's alright."

"Blood... so much blood..." Jiang Yuehong murmured, her voice hoarse and carrying a strange sense of excitement.

"Yuehong!" Jiang Jiye shouted, shaking her shoulders hard.

Jiang Yuehong snapped back to reality, the madness in her eyes disappearing once again. She looked at the corpses on the floor, let out a "waa" cry in terror, and threw herself into Jiang Jiye's arms, her whole body shivering like a sieve.

Jiang Jiye patted her back gently and comforted her in a soft voice: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Ling Muxue crouched down, dipped her finger in the blood on the floor, and brought it to her nose to sniff.

"Dead for less than half an hour," she said, "The wounds are very clean; they were cut by a Sharp Weapon."

"Look at this wound," Qiu Chuanxing pointed to the neck of a corpse, "One strike to kill, clean and efficient. The murderer's blade technique is very sophisticated, and they possess great strength; they cut the neck in a single blow."

"Could it be King Xianlian who did this?" Niu Fei asked in a muffled voice.

"Unlikely," Ling Muxue shook her head, "King Xianlian uses a double-edged blade, so the wounds should have edges on both sides. These wounds were all made by a single-edged blade."

"Then who could it be?" Qiu Chuanxing frowned.

Wu Xi walked behind the counter and flipped through the ledger. The ledger was covered in blood, and the handwriting was already blurred and illegible.

"Whoever did this, it has nothing to do with us," Wu Xi said, "Find two clean rooms and rest for the night. We'll continue our journey early tomorrow morning."

The group nodded.

The inn had two floors. There were five guest rooms upstairs, all of which were relatively clean and had not been contaminated by blood.

Wu Xi and Niu Fei stayed in one room, Qiu Chuanxing stayed in one by himself, Ling Muxue stayed in one by herself, and Jiang Jiye and Jiang Yuehong stayed in one.

The four ghosts didn't dare to stay alone, so they huddled in the firewood room downstairs, shivering.

The night deepened.

The inn was quiet, with only the howling of the wind through the windows and Niu Fei's thunderous snoring.

Wu Xi sat on the edge of the bed, closing his eyes to rest. Niu Fei was already asleep, his snoring causing the window paper to tremble slightly.

Suddenly, Wu Xi opened his eyes.

"Wu Xi." Tentacle Lady's voice echoed in his mind, sounding very weak and carrying a hint of pain, as if she had been seriously injured.

"What's wrong with you?" Wu Xi asked in his heart, his brows furrowing tightly.

Tentacle Lady's voice was intermittent, "Just now... absorbed... too much Yin Qi... cannot digest... very unstable."

Wu Xi's heart sank suddenly.

"Is it serious?"

Tentacle Lady said, "If it continues... might... fall into a deep sleep... once in a deep sleep... don't know when... will wake up."

"Is there any way to solve this?" There was a trace of anxiety in Wu Xi's voice for the first time.

"Yes," Tentacle Lady said, "Last time... Dreamlands... water region... sensed... body."

"You need me to go and retrieve it?"

"Yes..." Tentacle Lady said, "The sooner... the better."

Wu Xi stood up and looked at the sleeping Niu Fei. Niu Fei was sleeping soundly, with drool running down the corner of his mouth.

Then, he leaped out of the window. His figure flashed and disappeared into the boundless darkness.