Cultivation Basics

Next, Zheng Que listened attentively to the lecture.

According to Daoist Qu’s explanation, when a living person dies, if their resentment is too strong, there is a high probability in the current world that they will degenerate into a Vengeful Spirit amidst the Yin Qi.

His current ghost servant, Qing Li, belongs to the category of Vengeful Spirit.

If a person committed too many evil deeds and accumulated immense sin during their lifetime, they would degenerate into a Malignant Spirit after death.

Both Vengeful Spirits and Malignant Spirits are formed from the resentment or sins of a single individual, so they can be controlled using the 【Ghost Taming Art】.

However, if it is an Abomination, which harbors the resentment of anywhere from dozens to countless people, the Divine Soul of an ordinary cultivator cannot suppress such immense resentment. Forcing the use of the 【Ghost Taming Art】 to control one would inevitably lead to backlash.

There are also Evil Spirits, Vicious Sins, Anomalies. These require powerful cultivation and a strong Divine Soul to even dare approach.

Based on his master’s description, the Old Madam Zhao he had encountered yesterday, or more precisely, the entire Old Zhao family, was an Anomaly that had not yet fully formed.

Furthermore, whether Vengeful Spirits, Malignant Spirits, or other ghostly entities, they all have Realm divisions, just like cultivators.

The Realms of ghostly entities, from low to high, are: 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】, 【Scissors Hell】, 【Iron Tree Hell】, 【Sin Mirror Hell】, 【Steaming Basket Hell】…

Each major Realm is further divided into the first to ninth layers.

It is said that the Realm divisions of ghostly entities correspond to the layers of hell before the Celestial Change, making them even more ancient than the current cultivator Realm system.

This small town was a place where mortals resided, so the ghostly entities here did not exceed the first hell, 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】.

According to his master’s explanation, the Calling Ghost Zheng Que had encountered at the time was at the second layer of 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】.

Every attack from that Calling Ghost had been capable of threatening his life.

But precisely because of this, he had been able to rely on his exceptionally sharp intuition for danger to evade its attacks each time.

As for Qing Li, her initial Realm was the first layer of 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】. However, after she obtained an opportunity from the Underworld, her Realm rose to the third layer of 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】, equivalent to a cultivator at the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

Theoretically, with such a cultivation gap, if his Divine Soul strength were insufficient, Qing Li would already have the potential to break free from his control.

As for Old Madam Zhao the previous night, her initial Realm was likely also the third layer of 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】. However, after reclaiming the Yin Qi from Sun Cui’er, she likely reached the fourth layer of 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】.

However, as an Anomaly that had not yet fully formed, she had obvious weaknesses. After falling for Qing Li’s trick, she was ultimately defeated by the two of them.

Daoist Qu explained everything in great detail, going on to discuss the many characteristics of Vengeful Spirits, Malignant Spirits, and Abominations, as well as methods to distinguish them based on Yin Qi intensity and precautions to take when encountering them head-on with no means of escape.

Outside the temple, the shadows gradually lengthened as time passed unnoticed. Before long it was already afternoon, and Daoist Qu finally concluded the day’s lesson.

“These are the common types of ghostly entities in 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】.”

“That’s all for today.”

With that Daoist Qu closed his eyes slightly and fell silent.

Zheng Que immediately stood up, bowed respectfully and said, “Yes, Master.”

He walked out of the dilapidated temple. The setting sun dyed the courtyard a soft gold, blades of grass shimmering in apricot-colored light.

Out of habit he glanced at Qing Li hanging in the tree’s shadow, then began making his way back to his residence. As he walked, gazing at the increasingly desolate and decaying Town of Lasting Fortune, he couldn’t help but shake his head slightly.

This town, where ghostly creatures grew ever more rampant and numerous, was actually one of the more livable places in the vicinity.

Beneath the Town of Lasting Fortune lay many villages, large and small, where ghostly creatures were even more numerous and terrifying.

Lost in thought, Zheng Que happened to pass by Zhao Lao’er’s house. He looked at the courtyard gate: the faded, tattered spring couplets remained as before, the gate stood wide open, and the courtyard was quiet and still.

After a moment’s consideration, Zheng Que stepped inside.

His master had just explained to him how Anomalies formed. If Zhao Lao’er hadn’t discovered something amiss with Sun Cui’er and they had consummated their marriage, Zhao Lao’er would have gradually become like Old Madam Zhao and Sun Cui’er without even realizing it.

Over time, the entire Zhao family would have transformed into an Anomaly.

Yet to outsiders, the Zhao family would have appeared just as before: a seemingly perfectly normal household.

Similarly, when Sun Cui’er came to him for help yesterday, if he had truly assisted her with her request, he too would have become part of this Anomaly.

Anomalies spread in various ways to their surroundings. If not detected and stopped in time, eventually the entire town would become part of the Anomaly.

Therefore, even though the source of this Anomaly had been resolved, he still needed to check on Zhao Lao’er’s household to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

Upon entering the courtyard, Zheng Que saw signs of tidying up, but some traces from the previous day’s battle remained: deep pits from the fighting had not yet been filled in.

Old Madam Zhao’s corpse and Sun Cui’er’s rotting body were no longer in the courtyard, likely buried somewhere by Zhao Lao’er.

At that moment, perhaps hearing the sound of someone entering, the door to the main room opened and Zhao Lao’er emerged, now dressed in coarse mourning clothes.

He looked haggard, his steps slightly unsteady, but his eyes were much calmer. Seeing Zheng Que, he immediately nodded and spoke weakly. “Zheng Que, thank you for yesterday.”

“There are still some eggs at home. Would you like to stay for a meal?”

Zheng Que shook his head. “No, I just came to see how you’re doing.”

“How are you holding up?”

Zhao Lao’er gave a bitter smile. “What else can I do? These days, it’s just living one day at a time. Half a year ago, when my father passed, we could still set up a table and invite relatives to see him off.”

“Now my mother is gone, and she left under such circumstances. I didn’t even dare call my uncles, afraid they’d insist on cremating her, not leaving her whole. In the end, it’s all my fault: I couldn’t find a wife myself and ended up dragging my mother into this.”

“Never mind, let’s not talk about that. Zheng Que, you’re following an immortal master now, you have skills. If the master plans to leave, you should go with him. Our town… it’s done for.”

Zheng Que listened patiently, offering a few casual responses. After chatting for a while and asking several questions, he concluded that aside from being severely shaken and currently disheartened, Zhao Lao’er was normal in every other respect. He then found an excuse to take his leave and returned home.