Chapter 34: There’s a Ghost

Suddenly, the middle-aged man with a square face darkened his expression, pointing behind the blond young man. “Who’s there? Come out, now!”

But his demand was answered only by a sinister, raspy laugh.

The square-faced man sprang up, launching himself toward the space behind the blond youth.

There, a figure clad in white abruptly emerged. His face was pale as death, his hair falling to his waist, feet floating above the ground, and most striking of all, a long blood-red tongue.

“Playing tricks, are you? Watch me cripple you!” The middle-aged man with triangular eyes had arrived as well, and struck out at the white-robed figure with a powerful palm.

The white-robed man was none other than Chu Tianfeng. He hadn’t intended to reveal himself so soon, but the square-faced man had seen through his hiding place, forcing him to step out from the thicket.

By now, Chu Tianfeng’s spiritual sense was formidable; he had already discerned the cultivation of all five men. The triangular-eyed man was at the early stage of Transforming Strength, the square-faced man at the middle stage, while the other three young men ranged from initial to late Concealed Strength.

Had this happened before, Chu Tianfeng would have fled at once. But now he was at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation; even if all five were at the middle stage of Transforming Strength, he wouldn’t be afraid—let alone when only one of them was.

As the triangular-eyed man’s right palm attacked, Chu Tianfeng’s figure flashed, darting to the man’s side, evading the blow while his fake tongue flicked out, striking toward the triangular eyes.

Both moved swiftly, exchanging blows in a blink.

The triangular-eyed man dodged the fake tongue with a tilt of his head. Chu Tianfeng let out a sinister laugh, his tongue twisting mid-air, curling from the side toward the man’s face.

The triangular-eyed man was terrified, quickly dodging aside.

Chu Tianfeng’s right hand shot out, striking for the man’s back, and the fake tongue, like a persistent parasite, flew rapidly toward his neck.

Chu Tianfeng’s speed far outmatched the triangular-eyed man’s. The latter barely managed to dodge the blow to his back, but Chu Tianfeng’s palm landed squarely on his right shoulder.

Bang!

The triangular-eyed man felt a sweet taste in his throat, and blood spurted from his mouth.

He staggered, about to fall, but just then Chu Tianfeng’s fake tongue whipped around his neck, flinging him high into the air.

The man drew an arc, crashing into the grass with a thump.

Chu Tianfeng gave another sinister laugh and turned to the remaining four. “Oh, how tragic my death was!”

The three young men were petrified, trembling uncontrollably.

“Hmph, don’t be afraid, he’s human!” The square-faced man pointed at Chu Tianfeng’s feet. “Look, he has a shadow—ghosts don’t have shadows!”

Chu Tianfeng rolled his eyes; who said ghosts don’t have shadows? If a ghost cultivates enough, it can form a body and cast a shadow under the moon just like anyone else.

But he said nothing, letting his actions speak.

He’d played dead hundreds of times, but this was his first time acting as a ghost.

He floated toward the square-faced man, his fake tongue flicking, sending a chilling wind straight at him.

The square-faced man felt a cold gust sweep his face. He had no idea what it was and hurriedly dodged aside.

Chu Tianfeng knew this man’s cultivation was higher; it wouldn’t be easy to subdue him quickly. Nor did he intend to harm them—tonight, he was here to frighten, not to kill.

So he bypassed the square-faced man and drifted toward the three young men.

Seeing Chu Tianfeng gliding over, the trio were scared out of their wits, screaming, “Ghost! A ghost!” Two of them bolted, while the thin youth collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

A hint of amusement flashed in Chu Tianfeng’s eyes as he left the square-faced man behind, bounding across the grass tips in pursuit of the blond youth and the young man with a small mustache.

Those two ran for their lives, shouting nonstop, “Ghost! There’s a ghost!”

Many martial artists in the woods had not yet retired for the night; hearing the commotion, they rushed over.

In an instant, the woods were filled with people, footsteps rustling everywhere.

Seeing the situation was no longer favorable, Chu Tianfeng had no choice but to turn away, disappearing into the thicket.

---

Before long, the blond youth and the mustached young man were surrounded by a crowd of martial artists. Both still wore expressions of terror, glancing fearfully around.

“Where’s the ghost?” an older martial artist demanded.

“Over there,” the blond youth pointed to the woods behind him.

Fear was etched across his face, his whole body shaking.

“Nonsense, there are no ghosts in this world,” another martial artist scoffed, shining his flashlight around.

“Really, we… we all saw it,” the mustached youth insisted, his condition even worse—his teeth chattered audibly.

“What did it look like?” someone asked.

“Like White Impermanence, dressed in a white robe, with a long tongue,” the blond youth replied.

“Come, show us,” the older martial artist said.

The blond youth glanced at the mustached companion, wanting to refuse, but seeing so many martial artists around, his courage rose a little. After a moment's thought, he nodded. “Alright, but everyone must be careful—the ghost is formidable.”

“Hurry up, stop blabbering!” the older martial artist barked.

With that, the group marched to the spot where the five had gathered earlier.

Yet after searching all around, they found only the unconscious triangular-eyed man and the thin youth. The latter’s mouth was frothing, as if he'd swallowed poison.

They quickly revived the two.

“Don’t grab me, don’t—” the thin youth screamed as soon as he came to.

“Could there really be a ghost?” a martial artist asked, face pale.

“Impossible! There can’t be ghosts,” another immediately argued.

A noisy debate broke out, everyone discussing the existence of ghosts.

All were martial artists, most well-educated, so the majority didn’t believe in ghosts.

Still, quite a few swore they or their relatives had seen one.

“All right, it’s late. I suggest everyone rest—other matters can wait until morning,” the older martial artist called out.

“Yes, sleep is most important. If Chu Tianfeng appears again tomorrow, and we're not rested, we won’t be able to catch him even if we see him.”

Everyone agreed.

They had come from far and wide for Chu Tianfeng and the treasure—not for some phantom ghost.

So the martial artists responded one after another.

“Let’s sleep!”

“Come on, I’m dead tired.”

...

Afterward, people left in small groups, each melting into the woods.

But just as everyone lay down, another scream rang out: “Ghost! There’s a ghost!”

Startled, the crowd rushed over.

This time, several lay on the ground foaming at the mouth—both young and middle-aged.

They managed to revive them, but as soon as they opened their eyes, they began shouting, “Ghost! Ghost!”

“Damn it, look carefully, I’m human!” someone cursed loudly.

“What kind of ghost was it?” another asked.

---

“White-faced Impermanence, definitely White-faced Impermanence—it floats, and it’s incredibly fast,” someone cried in panic.

Everyone shivered.

“Could it be Chu Tianfeng’s doing? This place was fine before, but ever since he showed up, it’s haunted,” a martial artist wondered aloud.

“Yes, that’s very likely,” someone agreed.

“No way, I heard Chu Tianfeng is only at late Concealed Strength, while Li Debiao from Huai'an is early Transforming Strength. Ten Chu Tianfengs couldn’t beat one Li Debiao,” another objected.

“I’ve heard Chu Tianfeng is at early Transforming Strength,” someone else added.

“So what? Even if both are early Transforming Strength, Chu Tianfeng crippled Li Debiao in two moves—who would believe that?” the skeptic insisted.

The group stared at one another, voices overlapping, unable to reach a consensus.

Chu Tianfeng paid no mind to their debate; he had already returned to the film crew, changing out of his disguise.

The next night, he once again slipped quietly to the lakeside.

This time, he wore a suit of black, his face masked with a black cloth, blending into the darkness from head to toe.

Just as he had the night before, he carefully wove through the martial artists, seeking his first targets.

Half an hour later, he came upon a group of four.

The leader was a thin middle-aged man; the others were young men.

He’d chosen them because he could tell they belonged to the Salt Society—the leader was likely a boss, as the others called him Brother Chen.

Moreover, their cultivation wasn’t high: Brother Chen was at early Transforming Strength, two of the others at early Concealed Strength, and one at late Concealed Strength.

Chu Tianfeng drifted silently behind them, flicking his wrist—suddenly, a handful of ice needles shot out, striking the four Salt Society members.

The three young men had no chance to react and collapsed instantly.

Brother Chen fared little better; two ice needles pierced his back, blood streaming. He heard the whistling wind just in time to avoid his vital points.

He rolled on the ground, trying to stand, but then another faint whistling filled the air.

He had to roll aside again, hoping to evade the incoming attack.

Chu Tianfeng excelled at ambushes; once he struck, his attacks came in relentless waves, giving his opponent no chance to breathe.

This time, Brother Chen wasn’t so lucky—the sheer number of ice needles meant he dodged only a few, and most embedded themselves in his body.

Chu Tianfeng leapt forward, quickly sealing several major acupoints, immobilizing him.

“Who are you?” the man demanded.

Chu Tianfeng smiled lightly. “Fool, should be me asking you.”

“Hmph!” The middle-aged man seemed unimpressed.

Chu Tianfeng pinched his mouth shut. At the same time, his spiritual sense moved, and all the ice needles lodged in the man’s body melted into water, writhing inside him.

The man felt as if ants were biting him all over, the itch unbearable, and at the same time, the pain pierced to his bones.

He broke out in a cold sweat, unable to scream as Chu Tianfeng held his mouth shut.

Only muffled groans escaped, his eyes pleading.

“Ready to talk now?” Chu Tianfeng asked coldly.

The man nodded frantically, groaning, blinking rapidly lest Chu Tianfeng misunderstand.