Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

This misjudgment was not noticed until Chu Xunfeng had circulated the Wind Sensing Technique for more than thirty cycles.

The young man suddenly opened his eyes. The spiritual energy that had surged into his spiritual root from the Baihui acupoint had not yet been fully digested. The moment Chu Xunfeng opened his eyes, a cyan spiritual light filled his black pupils, startling the human who had been waiting opposite Chu Xunfeng to wake up.

When Chu Xunfeng opened his eyes, he saw a ghost floating in front of him with half its neck severed and blood gushing out like a fountain. He was slightly startled and became alert.

"You..." Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes and spoke. A gentle breeze swirled around him. Although he was startled, he still remembered the rule Gui Jiu had told him. "You have a mind?"

"This... probably... is true." The man, dressed in simple clothes and with a broken neck, spoke haltingly.

"Probably?"

"I don't remember many things, but I roughly know that I am dead."

Chapter 1: Screening Mechanism

Careless.

Upon opening his eyes and realizing that a newly emerged ghost had approached him, and not even knowing how long the other party had been watching him, Chu Xunfeng became wary.

A thin layer of malevolent energy had already formed at the edge of the Ghost Forest, constantly stimulating his nerves. Chu Xunfeng had assumed that all ghosts were like courtesans, their bodies radiating malevolent energy with no way to conceal it, but...

The Yin energy emanating from this newly born ghost was even weaker than that of the surrounding environment.

He had become so oblivious to his surroundings that he didn't even notice when the demon, weaker than the surrounding environment, got close.

This also served as a reminder to Chu Xunfeng.

The wind-sensing technique isn't a panacea; at least, the movements of the demons don't create any breezes that allow them to sense the wind...

System, during my time in the Ghost Clan's territory, please keep watch over my surroundings.

[Understood. Does the user need to set a threshold for the level?]

Chu Xunfeng remained silent for a while, then sighed inwardly.

No need for that for now. You can just keep an archive record. You don't need to remind me all the time. Only remind me if there are any suspicious oni.

【clear. 】

Systems possess a certain degree of intelligence, and it's perfectly acceptable to entrust matters requiring subjective judgment to them.

After dealing with the extremely unfriendly environment of the Ghost Forest for cultivators, Chu Xunfeng turned his attention back to the newly born ghosts before him.

The brief exchange abruptly stopped, and the newborn ghost did not urge him, presumably because its intelligence was not yet fully developed.

"What do you want by approaching me?" Although Gui Jiu had already instructed that he should not attack the newborn ghosts, and Chu Xunfeng had not sensed any threat from the newborn ghosts, it was still necessary to remain vigilant.

"I...don't know." The newly born ghost, whose consciousness was still hazy, was also somewhat bewildered. Faced with Chu Xunfeng's question, he gave an extremely honest answer.

Although this answer greatly displeased Chu Xunfeng.

“There are two things that are attracting me: you, and over there…” The newly born ghost with half his neck broken pointed at Chu Xunfeng, then raised his hand and pointed into the depths of the Ghost Forest.

Chu Xunfeng frowned slightly. The direction the ghost clan pointed out was the same direction that Gui Jiu had shown him earlier, leading into the Black Forest after venturing deep into the Ghost Forest.

"Do you still remember your name?" Chu Xunfeng stood up, surging his wind spiritual power to sweep away all the grass clippings, dust, and other debris that clung to his clothes.

"Name, courtesy name?" The newly born ghost was bewildered for a moment. He lowered his head, his crooked gaze fixed on his translucent hands. "Name, courtesy name?"

Chu Xunfeng coldly stared at the newly born ghost clan before him, remaining silent.

The ghost clan member kept repeating the word "name" as if a broken record had stopped, as if some kind of internal logic was stuck. Even its form became ethereal, and it was about to disappear. Chu Xunfeng finally sighed.

"It's fine if you don't remember. Although I don't know what it is about me that attracts you, I can't give it to you. I need to go deep into the Ghost Forest and enter the Black Forest. As for you... would you like to come with me?"

Chu Xunfeng could guess that the Yin Sha Pearl given to him by the foreigner must have attracted this newborn ghost, but he naturally wouldn't reveal this to the ghost whose identity was unknown in front of him.

"Travel together?" The ghost clan member was stunned for a few seconds before nodding. "Travel together, sure."

"Then let's go." Chu Xunfeng didn't say much, turned around and stepped into the Ghost Forest.

The ghost stood there stunned for a while. After Chu Xunfeng walked a distance away, he saw that the ghost did not follow. He paused and looked back. He saw that the eyes of the newly born ghost, who had just looked dazed, were gradually turning scarlet, and his body was filled with yin energy, like boiling water about to boil.

The ghost suddenly raised its head, its scarlet eyes snapping to Chu Xunfeng. With a mournful roar, the ghost tilted its head and charged at Chu Xunfeng.

They looked menacing, but in reality... this newly born ghost clan member was only at the first realm level. They charged forward with bared teeth and claws, but without any strategy or method.

Chu Xunfeng kept in mind Gui Jiu's teachings. Seeing the ghost clan member go mad, he frowned and decided to leave. He knew very little about the ghost clan member, only some hearsay and a few words of advice from Gui Jiu.

But rules are rules, and he didn't want to cause himself trouble.

Chu Xunfeng, who intended to avoid it, discovered a strange situation: the newly born ghost suddenly rushed to within ten feet of him, then became eerily quiet, and the scarlet in its eyes gradually faded.

"Let's go... travel together." The ghost floated in mid-air, staring blankly at Chu Xunfeng, his empty eyes reflecting the thoughtful young man.

The fact that this newly born ghost clan member was inexplicably changing his attitude and flipping through books was probably due to the effect of the Yin Sha Pearl that the ghost had given him.

This time, Chu Xunfeng was more cautious. After walking a distance, he waited for a while and only continued forward after seeing the ghost clan catch up.

The two maintained a certain distance and gradually ventured deeper into the Ghost Forest.

Chu Xunfeng originally intended to bring along this free guide, but unexpectedly, he ended up becoming someone else's guide instead. He didn't know if the newborn ghost's mental state was due to the ghost race itself or the Yin Sha Pearl he was holding. Its reaction time was as long as two or three seconds before it could respond, making communication extremely difficult, and its cognition was also incomplete.

But the foreigner had his reasons for asking Gui Jiu to take him to the edge of the Ghost Forest. After all, seven miles was only a matter of an extra incense stick or two for Gui Jiu. It would take more than three days to travel from Lan Cang City to the Ghost Forest. Saving a little bit of time was meaningless to both the foreigner and Gui Jiu. So the only explanation is that the foreigner was trying to convey some message to him in this way.

Chu Xunfeng could only think of it this way. It could be a casual instruction, but Chu Xunfeng felt that it was not the result of a casual action.

After all, the Yin Sha Pearl in his hand had already shown some effects.

As Chu Xunfeng, accompanied by the ghosts behind him, slowly ventured deeper into the Ghost Forest, more and more figures gradually approached him.

Some approached in a daze, like sleepwalkers, unable to keep up with Chu Xunfeng's pace, wandering and disappearing into the darkness; others, like the ghost clan that had followed behind him earlier, rushed to his side with bared teeth and claws, then suddenly stopped, becoming dazed, before turning and leaving.

Only the demon with the broken neck followed obediently behind him, and whenever he turned around, the demon seemed to be there.

As the Yin energy surrounding him gradually intensified, Chu Xunfeng looked down at the Yin energy bead in his hand.

Does this Yin Sha Pearl seem to be operating some kind of filtering mechanism?

The foreigners must have done it on purpose, but I don't know what exactly this Yin Sha Pearl is screening.

Chapter Two: The Spirits of the Demon Clan

With the hazy, newly born ghost clan behind him, Chu Xunfeng strolled through the ghost forest.

He was observing and thinking.

He wasn't thinking about the deal with the foreigners, nor was he thinking about the matters that the Dark Star Pavilion had passed on to him regarding his 'biological father' and the Prince Zou of Xu Kingdom.

Instead, they were observing, summarizing, and generalizing about the existence of the demon race.

The foreigner must have given him the Yin Sha Pearl for a reason; it couldn't possibly be just a simple token of his identity. Especially when he sensed that the Yin Sha Pearl was playing some kind of role he wasn't quite sure about in the Ghost Forest, this feeling became even stronger, almost transcending mere sensation and turning into some kind of premonition in his mind.

Ghost Forest truly lived up to its name. During the short seven-mile journey, Chu Xunfeng walked very slowly, as if he were taking a stroll like an ordinary person. This deliberate stretching of time allowed Chu Xunfeng to observe some phenomena within Ghost Forest, particularly those concerning the newborn ghosts.

Some of the newly born demons were so ignorant that they had no sense of reason, like machines with only simple internal logic.

Some newly born ghosts wandered through the Ghost Forest with intense emotions.

The deranged and crazed ghosts will not only attack themselves who wield the Yin Sha Pearl, but will also devour other mindless members of their kind in the Ghost Forest.

Some of the newly born demons wandered around, weeping all the way, their mournful cries echoing throughout the forest, completely oblivious to their own existence.

Observing and summarizing along the way in the Ghost Forest, Chu Xunfeng discovered that the ghosts who displayed strong emotions all seemed to retain a certain degree of consciousness, with obvious differences between more and less, but they were clearly distinguished from those wandering souls who had no consciousness.

In addition to observing the phenomenon of ghosts killing and devouring each other, Chu Xunfeng gradually understood what the Ghost Forest was all about.

This place is like a breeding farm, operating under a mechanism akin to raising poisonous insects.

Recalling the words of the ghost clan member behind him with a broken neck, who said that something deep within the Ghost Forest was attracting him, Chu Xunfeng boldly speculated that the reason he was not allowed to touch the ghost clan members in the Ghost Forest was because he was afraid that he would interfere with this operating mechanism.

Emotions can affect the mind of demons...

No, it should be "meaning." The more emotions remain, the deeper the meaning of a certain thought becomes. The ghosts wield Yin Sha, which is entirely negative energy for the living, but is precious nourishment for the ghosts who retain bad emotions.

The more lingering emotions one retains, the easier it is to absorb negative energy.

The newly born ghosts in the Ghost Forest, this Gu field, are probably not even true ghosts yet; they are still in the process of transformation.

This process was rather brutal.

Chu Xunfeng was very confident in the conclusion he had drawn, but the ghost clan behind him... probably wouldn't be able to give him a satisfactory result.

Chu Xunfeng turned around and glanced at the ghost clan member whose neck had an open wound. It was just a subconscious glance, but unexpectedly, the ghost clan member behind him did not hesitate for long before raising his head and meeting his eyes. "What's wrong?"

His speech was no longer intermittent, though there was still a slight stuttering or stammering, but the sluggishness in responding to external stimuli had faded considerably.

It's as if years of dementia have suddenly improved significantly.

"You're clear-headed now?" Chu Xunfeng was somewhat surprised and raised an eyebrow.

"Probably, yes," the newly born demon stammered. "His head is indeed, somewhat, working better."

“Indeed, at least asking you a question won’t leave me waiting for three or five seconds, and you won’t forget to keep following me while you’re talking.” Chu Xunfeng had been observing the rather special ghost behind him, and by comparing the two, he naturally came to a useful conclusion.

Similar to the revival of living beings' instincts, if the source of the influence is not himself, a living person, then it can only be the power of the Yin Sha Pearl that the foreigner gave him.

Previously, this guy was a one-dimensional thinker. When asked a question, he would stop moving to think or delay. In any case, after a short pause, he would start to reply intermittently.

If you're going to follow yourself, then you can only follow yourself.

Now, as I talk and walk, my sluggishness has diminished considerably.

"Do you remember anything about your life before you died? What was your name?" Chu Xunfeng asked another question he had asked before.