Minglong

Chapter 140 The Ghost's Punishment!
As dawn broke, the Imperial Pharmacy was established.

The Imperial Pharmacy was located outside the Imperial City and could be considered a government-run hospital. It was also responsible for managing medicine formulas, such as the 'Dragon Blood Pill'. The formula was in the hands of the imperial court. Anyone who wanted to refine it had to report it and pay taxes. Otherwise, it would be considered embezzlement of state property and they would be exiled to Lingnan!

The reason why the Gu Poison Sect is called a fake medicine dealer is because all the unlicensed pills circulating in the martial arts world are produced by them. They can sell them for half the price, but the quality is so bad that it's hard to say what they are.

After leaving his wife's house, Xie Jinhuan went to the Imperial Pharmacy, where he saw five clerks from Danzhou recuperating.

Detective Xiao Wang and his partner have woken up, their bodies covered in an unknown ointment. They are awake but unable to get up for the time being.

Liu Qingzhi and his partner, being elites of the Prince's Palace, were doing quite well.

Yang Dabiao, relying on his impressive physique from seven bowls of mutton soup at breakfast, was truly robust and sat at the table, stuffing himself with food while spouting nonsense to the old doctor:
"I've never seen a demonic cultivator like this before in my entire life. My men and I withstood over a hundred blows. Even the celestial officials of the Imperial Observatory might not have such a record..."

"Indeed, things are getting more and more unstable these days. Even in the capital prefecture, ghost cultivators are starting to emerge..."

……

Xie Jinhuan was relieved to find that his comrades were all alright. After greeting Yang Dabiao and the others, he turned and headed to the banks of the Fengyi River.

Thinking about what happened last night, Xie Jinhuan was both amused and a little apprehensive.

Walking along the riverbank, where autumn was in full bloom, and after confirming that no one was around, he placed his hand on Zheng Lun's sword:

"Night beauty?"

Zheng Lunjian didn't react at all.

it's over...

Yesterday, Xie Jinhuan was really provoked by that unhappy and disdainful look in her eyes. On a whim, she tried to see if the 'ghost-brand glasses girl' was realistic. As a result, it obviously didn't clip through the mold!
Upon realizing that his ghost wife was no longer responding, Xie Jinhuan grew tense and picked up his sword.
“Red Sorrow? I was wrong. I thought you really didn’t feel anything, so you only moved slightly…”

Before he finished speaking, the light in the sky dimmed a little.

Xie Jinhuan looked up and saw a magnificent carriage appear on the riverside street.

A towering figure, over five meters tall, draped in a blood-red long dress with a golden dragon embellishment at her waist, and holding a crimson umbrella that blotted out the sky, looked down at him with captivating eyes that seemed to regard him as an ant at his feet.

"Don't look at gods with the eyes of mortals. My sister didn't feel anything to begin with. That was Wanyi's reaction. She woke up with a start, and then I went out."

is it?

Xie Jinhuan didn't understand the principles of ghost possession, but it was too late to refute it at this moment, so he simply tilted his head back and said:

"That's good……"

"However, your reckless behavior has angered me. Send me back as soon as possible so we can part amicably. Don't dig me out again."

"?"

Xie Jinhuan's expression turned serious when he saw that his ghost wife wanted to break up. He tried to hold her hand but couldn't reach her, so he could only hug his knees.

"Why don't you hit me again? I'll take the punishment!"

Ye Hongshang didn't clip through the mold; she simply looked down and examined him.

Why should I reward you?

"Uh……"

Xie Jinhuan wondered if this really counted as a reward...

However, the ghost wife thought so, and he agreed. He immediately raised his head, but his clothes completely covered his face, so he could only lean back.
"Why don't you think of a way to reconcile? Anything is fine, I'll accept it without hesitation."

Ye Hongshang blinked, pondered for a moment, then closed her red umbrella. Her figure slowly shrank until she was shoulder to shoulder with Xie Jinhuan. She raised her hands, revealing two spheres, one red and one blue:
"You can choose one: a reward or a punishment. You'll watch for 15 minutes each time. If you watch for a total of 12 hours, I'll forgive you."

Xie Jinhuan, facing the red and blue balls, said, "Uh... it can't be that bad, can it?"

Ye Hongshang raised an eyebrow, his gaze leaving no room for doubt:

"Only when you are afraid will you learn a lesson. If you don't choose, you'll never have the chance."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan looked around and pointed to the blue sphere.

The sphere instantly turned transparent; Xie Jinhuan had struck the soul in one shot. Unsurprisingly, he looked at his ghost wife beside him:
"At least let's have a truly random one; it seems like it doesn't matter whether I choose it or not..."

Ye Hongshang narrowed his eyes slightly: "I gave you a chance, but you chose the wrong one. Do you think I'm cheating on purpose?"

if not?
Xie Jinhuan quickly waved his hands: "No, no..."

Ye Hongshang didn't bully anyone. The red sphere transformed into a crystal ball, inside which appeared a scene of him and Wanyi sleeping in each other's arms.

?

Xie Jinhuan was taken aback:
"You call this a reward?"

"Isn't this considered a reward?"

Xie Jinhuan thought it was true, and after observing it carefully, he even tried the touch control. He was amazed to find that he could rotate the view!
Ye Hongshang, holding the orb of light, accompanied them on their walk, humming softly:

"I'll reward you once: if you look away for more than a blink of an eye, we'll start over."

"How can I possibly look away from this..."

……

Not long after, Suyunzhai.

The two-story building overlooking the river remained tightly shut.

Xie Jinhuan sat on the steps by the door, trying hard to recall the stunning beauty of Wanyi while rubbing his eyes. Ye Hongshang leaned against the door with his arms crossed, his eyes regaining their usual teasing expression.

"Oh my~ Why aren't you smug anymore? Are you even capable?"

"Ugh……"

Xie Jinhuan had accidentally made the wrong choice earlier and was feeling a bit upset. He immediately cleared his mind of these distractions and straightened his robes.

"Do business first."

After saying that, he knocked on the door. Knock, knock, knock…
However, there has been no response from within the organization.

Ye Hongshang then took out the red and blue balls and held them in his palm:
"uh-huh?"

Xie Jinhuan was puzzled to find that the giant ice block was not there, but it was normal that borrowing such a precious treasure as the Jiazi Lotus would not be so quick. He thought he would come back in the afternoon, so he left with his ghost wife and continued to play the Wheel of Death along the way...
-
Danzhou, Zihui Mountain.

Around noon, at the main peak of Zihui Mountain, inside the Shujian Pavilion.

Thousands of magic swords were neatly arranged in the main hall, and in the center of the hall squatted seven statues of auspicious beasts that warded off evil, each holding a chain in its mouth connected to a hollow sphere.

The sphere was filled with intense white light, like a forbidden zone, where a ghostly figure could be seen with a grim face, but without making a sound.

Three hall masters from Zihui Mountain sat cross-legged beneath the sphere, using thunder magic to bombard it.

On the second-floor corridor, Nangong Ye, dressed in a black and white Taoist robe, searched among the books on the wall for ways to deal with the ghost cultivators. His expression was stern and his aura as the sect leader, which was as cold as ice, made the disciples of the Book and Sword Pavilion even breathe cautiously. However, the memory of what he had overheard at the base of the wall last night kept flashing through his mind.

He went into the bathroom blindfolded, and I thought he was a gentleman. But he ended up getting hurt, the girl got hurt too, and he even made her cry...

Mo Mo is as light as a willow, and innocent and kind. How could she possibly stand this kind of scoundrel who directs all his energy at his older sister...

I still...

Ugh……

The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt about my spiritual path.

Behind Nangong Ye, a little girl, carrying a pile of books, followed behind. She was barely shoulder-high and asked curiously:

"Does the sect leader mean that this ghost cultivator escaped by using another's body, only to be killed more than ten times by a little eagle?"

Nangong Ye flipped through the books, his expression serious and unsmiling:
"Eagles are the lions and tigers among birds. With their sharp beaks and claws, they can overcome any opponent with sheer force. If Master Lu were to become a sparrow or a rabbit, he would be pecked to death in two strokes. This person is probably just unlucky and hasn't found the bears and tigers of the forest."

"Oh." The little girl said thoughtfully, "A dignified demon cultivator couldn't even defeat a bird. Thousands of years ago, that would have been a 'disgrace to the demonic path,' something that should be recorded in the sect's history. But why didn't he let the black eagle possess him?"

"That eagle was jet black, with eyes like amber, and very intelligent. It was probably a spirit bird from the mountains and marshes. Black represents yin, and from black unicorns to black cats and dogs, they usually have the effect of warding off evil and can see evil and filth. It's normal that you won't be bewitched by evil. If you use thunder magic to fight thunder beasts or fire magic to fight fire phoenixes, you'll still be chased and bitten."

"Completely jet black..."

The little girl thought about it carefully, and then a brilliant idea struck her:
"Hmm... According to the 'Northern Regions Classic,' in the extremely yin land of the Northern Darkness, there is a bird called the 'Black-Winged Roc,' which resembles an owl with black wings and golden eyes. It is said to be malevolent and filthy, and takes three thousand years to grow. When it reaches adulthood, its wingspan is a thousand feet, and it feeds on dragons..."

Nangong Ye shook his head: "The Domain Classic is a legend. It also says that south of Huaijiang, there is a sleeping Qilin from the Central Plains, guarding against the world-destroying demon god to prevent the collapse of the heavens and the earth. Successive dynasties have established their capitals there, hoping to gain peace in the region. However, demons and monsters have wreaked havoc on the world, and the Qilin has never appeared to suppress the demons."

"That's probably because the demons aren't big enough."

"The Corpse Ancestor isn't big enough? What would be bigger...?"

……

As the two chatted casually, Nangong Ye remembered the matter of Jiazi Lotus.

She had agreed to give the Jiazi Lotus to Xie Jinhuan today, and even though Xie Jinhuan had treated her inappropriately, she couldn't break her promise.

However, the remnants of the Underworld Cult have already gone to the alternative location and will definitely make their move in the next two days. Now that we have captured the leader, we must use severe torture to extract information today in order to prevent any potential trouble.

If it passes before midnight, it won't be considered a missed appointment, so we need to speed things up.

With this in mind, Nangong Ye put aside his distracting thoughts, took the book to the main hall, and continued interrogating the captured ghost cultivator...
-
On the other side, Li Mansion.

The long street was bustling with traffic, and County Magistrate Fiji, dressed in plain clothes, sat in a small tavern with a livid face!

Across the table, Yang Dabiao, his arms bandaged, sat imposingly in a hospital gown, clicking his tongue as he spoke:

"Do you know how strong that old ghost is? He's on par with Lord Tie Fengzhang. I could just go up there and chop his head off with one stroke. Old Fei, I'm not bragging, you can't even imagine what that feels like..."

Fiji picked up the wine jug, found it was empty, and put it down again.
"You dragged your injured body all the way from the Imperial Physicians' Office just to say this?"

"if not?"

Yang Dabiao pointed out the window:

"Go outside and count how many people in the capital have my record. You used to call me a little brat, and I didn't say anything, but if you call me that again... never mind, this is such a joyous occasion, we have to drink until we drop. Shopkeeper, another pot..."

Choking——

The official's sword was drawn three inches from its sheath, startling the shopkeeper who had just opened his mouth, causing him to shrink back in fear.

Yang Dabiao also calmed down a bit, spreading his hands and saying:
"Old Fei, this is so unfair. I treated you like my old boss, and after watching you keep an eye on the Thief Saint for two days without making any progress, I dragged my injured body over to visit you. You won't let me drink, fine, but you won't even order a single dish... Hey?"

As they were talking, Yang Dabiao's eyes flickered, and he looked outside:

"Are these three the same ones who went out yesterday morning?"

Fiji turned around and, sure enough, saw three horses galloping from the street. He immediately suppressed his anger and carefully examined them:
The three men were all travel-worn, their belts and arm guards still fastened as they had the previous morning, indicating they hadn't taken off their clothes to go to bed...

The leader, Du Mushan, carried a black cloth covering an object that, judging from its outline, appeared to be a birdcage; a food bag hung from his waist, embroidered with yin-yang symbols...

He changed his riding gear to a green horse, aged six to eight, a newly purchased horse commonly found in the Dengzhou horse market, and the saddle was also from Dengzhou...

It wore out three horses, and while running, it kept glancing at the birdcage every three steps to prevent it from being jostled; it was extremely valuable...

The mythical bird obtained by the Taoist sect in Dengzhou...

Fiji felt this intelligence was quite important. After watching the three speed into the side alley of the Li residence, he turned around:
"Go and inform Jin Huan... Hiss—?!"

Four plates of cold dishes were laid out on the table. Yang Dabiao, holding a freshly opened bottle of wine, refilled Fiji's bowl, smiling obsequiously as he said:
"What do you want me to tell Jin Huan? I'm coming right away!"

"I glance out the window and you bring out four dishes?"

"I didn't want to have a proper chat with you, last night was really dangerous..."

"roll!"

……

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(End of this chapter)