Chapter 32: The Day of Exterminating Bandits and Banishing Demons

As the words fell, everyone was startled.

The commoners surrounding the stall stood frozen, their faces etched with shock and confusion. The Taoist priest was the first to react, his face darkening as he retorted, "Fellow Taoist, I see you are also a practitioner of the Way; how can you spit such venomous accusations?"

Yin Weiying sneered. Without a word, she formed a mudra with one hand and began to pace the "Gang" steps—the three steps and nine traces—said to have been handed down by the Great Yu, the God of Mountains and Rivers. It was a foundational technique for walking the path of the stars.

She chanted under her breath, her body moving in harmony with her sword. The peach-wood blade in her hand seemed to possess a life of its own, darting like a serpent directly at the priest. Chen Yi caught faint, flickering glimmers of light, though he could not see them clearly.

Upon seeing this authentic footwork, the priest’s expression changed drastically. He scrambled backward in a panic, but the peach-wood sword shadowed Yin Weiying’s movements, relentlessly pursuing him.

The moment the blade touched the priest, he shrieked as if branded by molten copper. His coarse burlap robe tore instantly, and the skin beneath turned a searing, inflamed red before darkening to a deathly grey, sloughing off in chunks.

Yin Weiying stepped back, sheathed her sword, and turned to leave.

The priest writhed in agony as if consumed by wild fire, his skin peeling away rapidly. His face contorted into a hideous grimace, and he let out a guttural roar, yet he was paralyzed by pain. Finally, his soul dissipated into nothingness. The surrounding commoners were struck with horror, and then, a thick, putrid stench filled the air.

They lowered their heads one by one to look at the source of the odor. The talismans they had treasured in their hands were melting, turning into viscous piles of horse manure. Chaos erupted instantly; who could have imagined that the supposedly potent charms were nothing more than filth?

Chen Yi, who had kept his distance from the start, watched the scene with a hint of shock.

Yin Weiying explained lightly, "A Dung-Selling Ghost, number one thousand two hundred and twenty-six in the Records of a Thousand Ghosts and Demons. They are formed from those who died while carrying night soil. They disguise themselves as Taoists, mages, or scholars, using honeyed words to peddle talismans, beads, and books to swindle money from people."

Min Ning frowned, a look of pure disgust crossing her face at the mention of such a creature. Yin Weiying, however, showed no clear preference or aversion; she was merely stating the facts.

"Let’s go. I will escort the lady back to her residence," Chen Yi said, lifting his lantern.

The premature arrival of the Day of Demon Extermination was entirely unexpected. Chen Yi just wanted to drop Yin Weiying off and get home as quickly as possible. He wasn't particularly worried about Yin Tingxue's safety, as their door was adorned with the protective images of the door gods Yu Lei and Shen Tu, a threshold meant to ward off zombies, and auspicious couplets to ensure peace. He simply didn't want to linger on the streets; after all, who could say what ghosts one might encounter?

Darkness draped over the capital like a grim, spectral realm. As they walked and were about to turn a corner, they suddenly heard a voice.

"You dead soul, don't you want to frolic with the Water Goddess?!"

"Come, look at me! I am the Water Goddess now."

Chen Yi looked back. From the canal came faint, scolding, and abusive cries. Beneath the water, the shadows of the drowned seemed to beckon, drawing people to step closer.

Some men who had just stepped out of a brothel seemed to hear the same voice. Their faces turned deathly pale in an instant, and as if under a curse, they walked slowly toward the canal and peered inside.

Suddenly, water splashed. Pairs of pale hands burst from the surface, dragging the drunken men into the depths. The men thrashed and cried for help, but more and more hands emerged, pinning them beneath the water. Slowly, the bubbles stopped rising. They had all drowned.

"A Jealous Wife Water Spirit!" Yin Weiying gasped. "Run! We cannot defeat this one!"

Having played the game, Chen Yi knew of this monster. The Jealous Wife Water Spirit originated from a woman named Madam Duan who drowned herself. Because her husband, Liu Boyu of the Jin Dynasty, had fantasized in poetry about being with the Water Goddess, she had thrown herself into the water in a fit of rage, becoming a vengeful ghost who would mock her husband from the depths, claiming she was the Water Goddess now and asking why he wouldn't join her for a tryst. Modern variants were mostly formed from jealous women who had committed suicide by drowning.

The three of them hurried away from the water's edge. Min Ning’s face was pale. It wasn't her first time experiencing the Day of Demon Extermination, but usually, she would hide safely in her house, where no monster could breach the protection of the peach-wood talismans.

As they crossed the street, distant cries could be heard throughout the capital. The sudden arrival of the Day of Demon Extermination had shattered order, and chaos had descended in its wake.

Turning a corner, the three of them stopped dead in their tracks. A scholar stood abruptly in the middle of the street. It was silent all around—not just devoid of people, but of any ghosts as well.

The silence was eerily profound.

The scholar turned his gaze toward them, bowed, and asked, "Do you believe there are ghosts in this world?"

As the words fell, a chilling wind howled—a fierce, relentless gale.

Yin Weiying could not discern the scholar's origin and hesitated to act, frowning as she tried to think. Before she could identify him, Chen Yi spoke up directly:

"You are the ghost!"

The scholar’s face turned grey-white, his eyes filled with shock. Then, the light in his eyes faded, and his body, along with his clothes, began to melt away, turning into foul-smelling black water that seeped into the street and vanished into nothingness.

Yin Weiying watched this, stunned for a moment, before looking at Chen Yi with a gaze of admiration.

"You realized his nature instantly, knowing he was the ghost that frightened Ruan Zhan of the Jin Dynasty to death. But you haven't cultivated the Way—could it be that you possess the Heavenly Eye?" Yin Weiying asked with a smile. "If you had the Heavenly Eye, you would be either an immortal or a Buddha."

Chen Yi shook his head. "I just happened to remember. I’ve read history books and know that Ruan Zhan, who didn't believe in ghosts, debated a guest. When the guest couldn't win the argument, he revealed his true form as a ghost and scared Ruan Zhan to death."

Yin Weiying praised, "Yuechi has a fine memory. You should come to Mount Taihua to cultivate the Way."

Min Ning listened to their conversation with a bewildered expression. Though literate, she was no scholar; she had read few books, let alone history or the classics. To avoid awkwardness, she simply nodded along.

As soon as the scholar ghost vanished, a rhythmic thumping echoed through the street. In the distance, shadows loomed. Chen Yi looked up and saw a horde of zombies hopping in formation, their arms outstretched. A chilling, malevolent wind swept through, and in their midst stood a figure clad in armor, wielding a great blade—a Ghost General!

"This is no place to stay!" Yin Weiying urged, turning sharply into a small alley.

Chen Yi followed with his lantern, and Min Ning trailed closely behind.

The alley twisted and turned, its walls covered in moss. They walked for the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, yet they still hadn't emerged. More and more chilling winds rose, making one's heart race with panic.

Yin Weiying, leading the way, grew alert. She held her peach-wood sword in one hand and formed the Golden Light Protection Mudra with the other. Darkness swirled around them like fog, and the flame in Chen Yi’s lantern flickered violently.

Chen Yi kept close to Yin Weiying. When he inadvertently glanced further down the alley, his gaze stalled, and his limbs went rigid.

A deep blue face appeared, stiff and unmoving. Three heads sprouted from its shoulders, and its silk robes were caked in filth. A wave of sickening, corpse-like stench spread out, and its dead eyes held not a glimmer of life.

An Asura—three-eyed, perhaps three-headed and six-armed. And this Asura was near death, displaying the Five Decays of Heaven and Man!

Yin Weiying’s breath hitched, and she stood frozen in place. An Asura is neither god nor demon; at its peak, it resembles a deity, but in its decline, it is indistinguishable from a demon. After death, they often lose their virtue, falling entirely into the path of ghosts!

And an Asura that has fallen into the path of ghosts… becomes a regional Ghost King! Facing a Ghost King, even Mount Taihua would need to summon a True Master to stand a chance.

Cold sweat broke out on the white-robed Taoist priestess. She was gripped by an unprecedented terror and dared not move, let alone raise her sword or perform the footwork. Behind Chen Yi, Min Ning rested her hand on the hilt of her blade, her palm slick with sweat.

The moss on the walls around the Asura withered away, and the space behind it was as dark as ink, devoid of life. It stood perfectly still, the putrid, gloomy scent intensifying with every second.

Compared to the two terrified women…

A smile appeared on Chen Yi’s face.

He couldn't help it… he had read the walkthrough.