Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 225 [Painted Skin] (Third Update!)

Yaotai Mountain.

Along the mountain path lined with lush bamboo, a procession dressed in red and green played music, shattering the tranquility of the mountains.

"Waaaaah... Clang clang clang..."

Amidst somewhat semblance of joyful music, a sparse number of ghosts thronged around a palanquin as it moved forward.

The innkeeper's wife, carrying an abacus, followed the sedan chair with a blank expression. Behind the sedan chair, the ghostly creatures carried tables, stools, screens, and straw mats... Clearly, they had emptied the Forget-Worry Inn.

The sedan chair has also changed. The two gnarled tree trunks have been replaced with high-quality timber cut from the beams of the Forget-Worry Inn. In addition, a curtain has been made to give the sedan chair a roof, which can provide some shelter from the wind and rain.

However, the ghost bride on the palanquin exuded an aura of restlessness.

A few days ago, she emptied the Forget-Worry Inn to somewhat replenish her dressing case.

However, to her surprise, she has been searching for several days in Baozhen Valley of Yaotai Mountain, but still cannot find any trace of the human cultivator!

If that human cultivator dies, it's a small matter, but if that great man from the underworld comes down to hold me accountable, I'll be in trouble too!

More importantly, the ghost servants beside that human cultivator were all maids she had chosen as part of her dowry; she absolutely mustn't let them die with that human cultivator...

Just as she was thinking this, the ghost bride suddenly sensed something, sat up abruptly, raised her veiled head, and looked in one direction.

※※※

Baozhen Valley elegant gathering.

The sound of bamboo rustling like waves, the mountain breeze clear and pure.

"Suffer death!!!"

"You damned human!!"

The voice of the figure in the ivory-yellow dress, filled with raging anger, came from behind.

At this moment, Zheng Que had just stepped out of the gathering when he heard these words and was immediately stunned.

What? ?

Will I die if I step out the door with my left foot?
His expression changed drastically as he realized what was happening. Without a second thought, he quickly used the [Phantom Escape Technique] at top speed.

Whoosh!
Zheng Que vanished from the gathering in the blink of an eye, like a wisp of green smoke!

He only felt the wind whistling past his ears, and in the blink of an eye, the dazzling array of paintings had all vanished completely. Looking around, he saw only thousands of green bamboos, and not a single painting in sight.

Not far away stood a familiar-looking hillside. At the foot of the hillside, ancient trees reached for the sky, and five-colored miasma floated among them. Wild grass grew on the path, sometimes visible and sometimes hidden, winding into the depths of the dense forest. It was the same hillside where the figure in the yellow dress had taken him away from the gathering for a short time.

The moment Zheng Que left the gathering, the scroll in his hand immediately dissolved, as if it had lost its power to bind the ghosts.

The next moment, Qing Li, Ku Lan, Shu Yun Ying, and Linghu Yuniang appeared beside him.

At the same moment, four tall and heavy carriages landed on the open ground next to him.

Ping Pong Pong...

With a series of muffled thuds, the carriage slammed hard onto the muddy ground, sending up a cloud of flying sand and stones.

These vehicles, specially designed to transport taxes, were built to be extremely sturdy, with faint glowing reinforcing runes. Even though they were thrown from mid-air and trembled a few times after landing before settling down, they showed no signs of damage.

Zheng Que couldn't care less about such trivial matters at this moment. He quickly pressed his fingers to his brow, preparing to use the imperial edict.

In the blink of an eye, the figure in the ivory-yellow dress appeared in front of him and delivered a simple, unadorned punch that slammed into his nose!
Feeling the fierce wind rushing towards him, Zheng Que's pupils suddenly contracted. He wanted to defend himself, but his movements were extremely stiff, as if slowed down countless times, completely unable to keep up with his opponent's speed. However, just when he thought his chances of survival were slim...

boom! ! !
With a loud bang, Zheng Que saw a flash of blood before his eyes. A fair and delicate hand, at the last second, blocked his way and firmly grasped the fist of the figure in the yellow dress.

Two equally powerful and chilling energies collided, and countless leaves fell from the bamboo forest in an instant, their verdant leaves weaving together like a sudden downpour.

Before Zheng Que could react to what was happening, he was sent flying backward by the sudden shockwave of Yin energy.

Bang!
He fell heavily to the ground, his mouth full of mud and bamboo leaves. He spat out the debris with a "pui pui pui" sound, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as you’re not dead!

In a flash, Zheng Que looked up and saw a graceful figure in a phoenix coronet and wedding robes, with a large red veil adorned with mandarin ducks playing in the water and golden tassels covering her head, blocking the view of the figure in the ivory-yellow dress.

She's a ghost bride!

The ghost bride has finally arrived!
Zheng Que's face lit up with joy. He didn't even bother to get up and hurriedly asked, "Luo Fuyu, this ghost is very powerful. Can you handle it?"

Upon hearing this, the ghost bride completely ignored Zheng Que's meaning. Her gaze, hidden beneath her veil, swept over the yellowish-white figures before her, and she soon laughed eerily: "No underworld job, a wild [Painted Skin]."

"You are a beautiful woman, yet you are left to wander in the wilderness. Isn't that a pity?"

"Meeting me today is a stroke of good fortune for you."

"From now on, you will follow me as a maidservant, which will be a respectable position and will not be a waste of your exquisitely crafted appearance!"

Before she could finish speaking, the ghost bride immediately made her move, her pale white hand reaching straight for the "painted skin".

Whoosh!
[Painted Skin] instantly retreated, creating distance between himself and the ghost bride. At the same time, he replied in an icy voice, "Stop talking nonsense!"

"Since you, the ghost bride, are also the ghost servant of that human cultivator, then you shall also accept the great opportunity bestowed upon you by this immortal!"

"Don't worry! I will definitely polish it for you!"

As she spoke, [Painted Skin] waved her long sleeve, and a swarm of black insects flew out from it. These insects resembled mosquitoes and flies, and as they flew, they emitted a loud buzzing sound. There were so many of them that they seemed to cover the sky and the earth, like the Milky Way turning upside down, and they rushed towards the ghost bride in a mighty wave.

Upon closer inspection, the so-called black insects were actually tiny ink dots!
Seeing this menacing scene, the Ghost Bride neither dodged nor yielded, and continued to push forward with one palm. In an instant, a huge blood-red palm print appeared in the void a foot in front of her palm, like a wide shield, and slammed towards [Painted Skin].

boom! ! !
The powerful yin energies collided solidly once again.

The two exchanged only one move, and the aftershocks of the battle cleared a desolate clearing in the dense bamboo forest, sweeping away four tax-carrying vehicles, Zheng Que, and the four ghost servants.

Zheng Que fell again, completely disoriented. Before he could get up, eight ghosts from the [Scissors Prison] instantly appeared on the battlefield.

These eight ghosts were all dressed in red, with silk flowers pinned to their temples, dressed as sedan chair bearers for a wedding.

Zheng Li immediately recognized them as the ghost sedan chair bearers who carried the ghost bride!

The next moment, the ghost bride's voice came: "Take the things away quickly, and make sure there is no damage!"

Upon hearing this, the eight sedan chair bearers did not hesitate at all. They quickly came to the four carriages, two ghosts per carriage, and pulled on the carriage shafts, running away into the distance.

Seeing this scene, Zheng Que was slightly taken aback, then nodded in satisfaction. The ghost bride not only saved his life this time, but also thoughtfully sent a ghost to help him escort the taxes!
It seems that although this ghost bride is cold and aloof, she is actually quite kind to me...

In a flash, he opened the Soul Nourishing Bag and put Qingli, Kulan, and Shuyunying inside. At the same time, he called to Linghu Yuniang, "Niannu, let's go!"

As he spoke, he immediately caught up with the ghostly sedan chair bearers and quickly retreated into the distance.

(End of this chapter)