Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Chapter 194 Yin Medicine and Spiritual Materials Nourish the Soul; Ghost Dies to Become a Son and Kill His Father

The moment the underworld food and wine entered the mind's mouth, it instantly caused the soul to tremble with excitement, and an unbearable hunger to rise in its stomach, as if it had encountered a treasure that could nourish the soul.

Liu Qing's eyes lit up. He never expected that the food and wine from the underworld would have such effects, nourishing the spirit and accelerating its growth.

So Liu Qing ate even faster.

Yuan Datou watched as Liu Qing wielded his chopsticks with incredible speed, almost leaving afterimages. He no longer cared about how Liu Qing could eat the food and wine from the underworld, and began to eat and drink faster, competing with Liu Qing for the food.

The most striking advantage of the food at this tavern was its generous portions; even after Liu Qing and Yuan Datou, two burly men, ate and drank their fill, there were still leftovers.
Disregarding his pride, Liu Qing immediately called over the tavern waiter to pack the food up and take it away. He also bought several tables of food and wine to nourish himself while he was distracted.
I need to buy more of the best-quality Drunken Soul Spring, but unfortunately the tavern has a purchase limit, damn it!

If the food and wine of the underworld have such effects, then are the ingredients used to make them the same? Liu Qing asked the tavern waiter.

The ingredients for the dishes used in this restaurant every day are all bought from there; the waiter said they are bought from the vegetable market outside the city.

Liu Qing was overjoyed. After leaving the tavern, he took Yuan Datou and went to the outskirts of the city.

Asking along the way, Liu Qing quickly found the vegetable market mentioned by the tavern waiter. He hurried inside and saw that the market was very large, filled with ghosts living outside the city, displaying game they had hunted from the mountains and fish and shrimp they had caught from the water.
They also sell the grains and vegetables they grow on their own land, just like the rural markets Liu Qing had seen in his previous life.

With plenty of incense and silver in hand, how could Liu Qing possibly resist these underworld vegetables, fish, and meats that could nourish and accelerate the growth of his divided spirit?
He immediately transformed into a lavish spender, buying up all the vegetables, fish, and meat he saw. Since the market sold only raw, unprocessed food and drinks, the prices were quite reasonable.

Liu Qing emptied all the baskets of people selling ghosts, spending only ten or twenty thousand taels of silver as offerings.
Looking at the overflowing contents of his pouch, Liu Qing was overjoyed.

With these underworld fruits, trees, fish, and meats that can nourish the divided spirits, I think the thirty-six divided spirits in my body will soon grow to the limit of the Yang spirit.

I never expected that a casual trip to the City God Temple with Yuan Datou would yield such a rewarding experience.

Otherwise, if Liu Qing were to nurture these thirty-six divided spirits on his own, it would be impossible to know when they would all reach the limit of Yang God.

Liu Qing told the ghosts selling vegetables that she would come back to buy from them the next day. The ghosts were overjoyed and hurried off to the mountains, rivers, or their own vegetable gardens, carrying empty baskets or carrying baskets on their backs.

In the past, the taverns in the city would pick and choose their food, driving down the prices considerably. But today, they'd run into a fool who didn't pick and choose, didn't haggle, and just bought everything.
Go back and prepare quickly. Come first thing tomorrow morning and sell it to this idiot again.

Whether it's foolish or not depends on whether it's worth it. Liu Qing felt it was very worthwhile; he paid some incense money to buy rare underworld vegetables, fish, and meat.

If these were taken outside, none of them would be inferior to low-grade soul-cultivating spiritual medicines, and even a hundred times more incense money wouldn't buy so many.

Buy more; you can use them to nourish your spirit or to refine Soul Nourishing Pills.

From now on, there is no need to worry about the soul growing too slowly after splitting, falling behind the evolution speed of the divine office, or lacking materials for refining the Soul Nourishing Pill.

Liu Qing could hunt in the mountains or fish in the water, but one person's strength is ultimately limited. It's better to do it this way, where he only needs to pay some incense money to command countless ghosts to search for him.

These vegetables, fish, and meat from the underworld are only needed by himself; other gods from the outside world might buy some to enjoy as a treat.
They are not distracted, they don't know how to refine pills, and hoarding too many is useless.

The next morning, these ghostly villagers sold all the vegetables, fish, and meat they had prepared the day before to Liu Qing.
Within the City God's realm, day and night are not distinguished by the sun, but by the rising and setting of the blood moon in the sky; the moon rising is day, and the moon setting is night.
It is said that the Blood Moon within the City God's Realm is a Soul Dao Spiritual Treasure, whose power is no weaker than that of a Post-natal Spiritual Treasure of the same rank.

For the next few days, Liu Qing continued to hoard goods here, buying up vegetables, fish and meat from the underworld, until he had almost no incense money left before he stopped.

Anyway, with the income from salt sales and the various accomplices gathering incense offerings, Liu Qing was not short of money.

Having finally made the trip to the City God's Realm, I naturally want to gain a lot before returning. Otherwise, with the outside world in such chaos, who knows if it might affect the City God's Realm?

That day, Liu Qing had just bought the vegetables, fish, and meat from the underworld that the ghosts had brought him, and with little incense money left, he prepared to leave.

Then, they heard shouting and crying not far away. Looking in that direction, they saw a group of ghosts gathered, forming a circle to watch the spectacle.

People, whether alive or dead, can't shake their habit of watching the excitement, something Liu Qing has always disliked.

Liu Qing hurried over, pushing past the ghosts, and excitedly said, "Make way, make way, I want to see too—"

Yuan Datou curled his lip. Brother Liu Qing was also a hypocrite; he said he was reluctant to watch the excitement, but when it came to eating melons, he was more eager than a ghost.

A male ghost, around forty years old, tall and muscular, with his open shirt revealing thick chest hair, was pointing at two female ghosts opposite him and cursing them.

"Damn you! I raised you with all my might, and not only do you not appreciate it, you even took my life while I was drunk. Today I finally caught you, and I'll beat you to death, you little brat!"

The male ghost cursed as he punched and kicked the two female ghosts on the ground.

The two female ghosts on the ground, one of whom was around forty years old and quite beautiful, were only focused on weeping and making no attempt to explain herself. Facing the male ghost's punches and kicks, she simply clung tightly to the younger female ghost in her arms.

Liu Qing guessed that the two female ghosts might be a mother and daughter, and from the words of the male ghost, he knew...

The ghosts of the mother and daughter are his wife and child, but not his first wife, but his second wife and stepdaughter.

The ghosts watching also sensed something amiss. They looked at the mother and daughter ghosts and couldn't help but show their anger, condemning them one after another.

"Judging from the appearance of this male ghost, a butcher's knife was stuck in his chest hair, and he still smelled of alcohol after death. It seems that, just as he said, he was murdered while drunk."

"The mother and daughter ghosts didn't fight back when they were beaten, so it's likely that they were the ones who killed the male ghost."

"Oh, what a terrible thing! The male ghost worked hard to earn money to support you and your daughter, but you repaid kindness with enmity and killed him."

"That's right. Even though he's your stepfather, he raised you. Why don't you appreciate his kindness and instead try to kill him?"

"I told you long ago, you can't raise someone else's child properly. You ungrateful wretches! Luckily you're all dead too, this is retribution!"

Hearing the condemnations and discussions of the ghosts around him, Liu Qing frowned, unable to agree.

The mother and daughter ghosts were terrified of the male ghost and seemed numb to being beaten. Moreover, their faces were bluish-black, which did not seem like retribution, but rather that they had killed their stepfather and then died by drinking poison.

There must be something hidden here.

The male ghost continued to beat and curse: "You two sluts, you thought you could get away with killing me? Who knew that heaven would have eyes and let me find you here? You won't have a good life from now on!"

"I'll kick you to death, you bitch! I took you in out of pity and helped raise your daughter, and you're ungrateful! You even helped her stab me to death! I'll kick you to death!" "You're a heartless ingrate too! I've been so good to you!"

With a shout and a curse, he unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, leaving the mother and daughter ghosts on the ground screaming in agony as their souls dissipated and they faced imminent annihilation.

Perhaps driven to desperation by the beating, the young female ghost suddenly broke free from her mother's embrace, stood up, pointed at her male ghost stepfather, and retorted.
"You keep saying you raised me, and I'm grateful and want to repay you, but you can't even repay me in bed!"

"My dear girl, don't say it—"

The young female ghost looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, and was quite pretty. Ignoring her mother's objections, she gritted her teeth and bitterly accused her.
“Mother, I don’t want them to misunderstand me after I die and ruin my reputation. There’s nothing shameful about it. If I were to be ashamed, I would have already lost it all while I was alive.”

"You old beast! My mother and I only came to your butcher shop to beg for some scraps to fill our stomachs, and you took advantage of the situation to rape my mother."

"My mother is gentle and submissive, used to enduring whatever comes her way. I accept that you have ruined my innocence and am willing to live with you as your second wife."

"But what about you, you old beast? Taking my mother by force wasn't enough, you even tried to take my hand! I was only ten years old then! You old beast, boohoo!"

"I'm ungrateful? I'm an ingrate? I truly considered you my father, but what did you do? You called me your daughter, yet you committed heinous acts worse than animals."

"Yes, I killed you while you were drunk. I admit it, I only regret that I killed you too late!"

"I've already repaid you with my life for the kindness of raising me, you old beast!"

boom--

The little ghost's tearful accusations instantly ignited the crowd of onlookers.

They all stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were hearing: their stepfather had turned his cruel hand on his daughter?

This heinous act, which violates human ethics, has actually happened in the bright light of the world.
You're a beast worse than a pig or a dog! That's your daughter! Even though she's not your biological daughter, she still calls you father. How could you do that to her?
Bloody tears streamed from the corners of the little ghost's eyes, flowing down her bluish-purple face, which had turned purple from poisoning. Her mother also covered her face and sobbed in anguish.

Her stepfather, however, continued to shamelessly rant: "Even so, what does it matter? I'm the one who raised you. If it weren't for me, you would have starved to death long ago. Shouldn't you repay me?"

These words were utterly shameless and shocking. The little ghost girl's already purplish-blue face turned even more purple with rage upon hearing this. She lunged forward in a hoarse voice, shouting, "I'll kill you, you shameless old beast!"

"Hmph, disobeying your father, you deserve to die!—"

Just as the male ghost was about to retaliate, Liu Qing narrowed her eyes, a murderous glint flashing across her face, and kicked the male ghost to the ground.

The ghosts who had been watching were naturally furious, as they were already ashamed of their initial misunderstanding of the little ghost girl.
Now that they had a chance for revenge, how could they let it go? They surrounded the male ghost, shouting and cursing, and punched and kicked him until he covered his head and howled in pain.

Liu Qing spat out a low-grade magic weapon and threw it to the little female ghost: "Do you have the guts to kill him again?"

Yuan Datou hurriedly stopped him: "Brother, you mustn't! This male ghost should be killed, but he is now under the jurisdiction of the City God. If you help the little female ghost and the underworld officials find out later, you'll be in trouble."

"What's there to be afraid of!"

"I'll ask you one more time: do you dare kill him again?"

The little ghost wiped away the blood and tears from her face: "Since you're not afraid of being implicated, why shouldn't I dare to kill this old beast again!"

The little ghost girl suddenly picked up the low-grade magic weapon knife from the ground: "Uncles, aunts, and uncles, please make way! This old beast is dead but still won't stop. I should kill him again!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd of ghosts quickly parted to make way, shouting for the male ghost to be killed. The male ghost, already covered in wounds from the earlier beating, was powerless to resist.
Seeing the little female ghost approaching with a knife, he couldn't help but feel terrified: "You can't kill me, I'm your father!"

"If you kill me, aren't you afraid the underworld officials here will boil you in oil?"

"I'd be willing to be boiled in oil if I could just kill you again!"

With a thud, the little female ghost viciously plunged the magic knife into the male ghost's abdomen. The male ghost's eyes widened suddenly, and he let out a shrill scream.

The little ghost girl, seeing that she hadn't killed the male ghost with her first stab, pulled out the knife to stab him again, but before she could react, her mother rushed out from the side.

She snatched the knife from her hand and, with a swift motion, plunged it into the male ghost's vital spot, aiming it at his heart.

The male ghost's screams immediately stopped, his eyes glazed over, and his soul quickly turned to ashes and dissipated in the wind.

"My dear child, it's because I've been weak that you were harmed by this beast. I'm so sorry. This time, I'll make you take the place of the oil fryer."

At this moment, the commotion was finally discovered by the patrolling underworld officials nearby. Just like the officials in Liu Qing's previous life, they always arrived late after someone had died.

"What's going on? What's going on? Get out of the way!—"

The knife Liu Qing handed over was a demonic weapon capable of slaying souls. Although the male ghost was now dead, some ghostly energy still lingered on the demonic blade.
The underworld officials, having seen many such cases, understood that a ghost had been killed here. They then reached out and summoned a faint, ethereal figure from the nearby eerie winds and mists.
Liu Qing frowned immediately. This faint, almost transparent phantom looked exactly like the male ghost that had just died.
Yuan Datou leaned closer and whispered, "After this ghost dies, it turns into a '覱' (a type of ghost). This '覱' is the male ghost. Brother, let's run before we're discovered!"

Liu Qing shook his head.

The underworld official picked up a lump of black mud from the ground, stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it, then chirped. The male ghost also made a faint chirping sound.

The underworld officials frowned, looking at the male ghost with disgust. They felt he deserved to die again, but the laws of the underworld prevented them from showing favoritism. They glanced at the female ghost and her daughter, as well as Liu Qing.
"Gentlemen, although this fellow deserves to be killed and tortured, there are laws of the underworld, so it is not your place to kill or torture him. Come with us to the City God's office."

It was relatively mild; they didn't use chains to bind the mother and daughter ghosts and Liu Qing.

At this moment, the little ghost's mother rushed forward, knelt at the feet of the underworld officials, and cried out, "It was I who killed it! I killed this beast! I'll go with you! I'll go to the oil cauldron!"

Among the onlookers, several elderly ghosts, who looked very old and had difficulty walking, squeezed in.

"Cough cough, young underworld official, it was us who killed this beast. Arrest us, we'll throw us into the oil cauldron."

Ghosts also grow old, and when their lifespan in the underworld is about to end, they become old and frail, just like humans.

The underworld officials could only smile wryly. They had already asked the questions in ghost language, couldn't they see that a few old bones wanted to die in someone else's place? They couldn't even fool them, let alone the judge above.

(End of this chapter)