This Lowly Ghost Is Innocent

Upon entering his home, Zheng Que latched the door behind him and went straight into the inner room, sitting down by the bed. He ran quickly through the knowledge his master had explained that morning, then looked up at Qing Li, who was already hanging from the beam.

The next moment, he cast the 【Ghost Taming Art】, drawing Qing Li into his palm.

The simple room held only his solitary figure.

Without further delay, Zheng Que began his cultivation.

As the cultivation method circulated, threads of cold energy seeped into his body. His complexion gradually paled, while the spiritual power in his Qi Sea steadily increased.

After a long while, Zheng Que opened his eyes to find himself in a dilapidated, vast hall.

The Book of Life and Death lay open on the mottled long table before him, continuously absorbing the streams of black energy emerging from between his brows.

Seeing that he had arrived in the Underworld, Zheng Que immediately focused his gaze on the Book of Life and Death.

…Zheng Que. Native of: Town of Lasting Fortune, Great Peace County, Marsh Province, Great Li Dynasty. Lifespan: Sixteen years, seven months, and ten days, died at the hour of Hai.

The record remained unchanged. He still had four days of lifespan left.

Time was too tight; he had to grow stronger, and fast.

With his mind set, Zheng Que immediately spread his fingers and used the 【Ghost Taming Art】…

Whoosh!

A streak of blood-red light shot out from his palm, but midway across the hall it seemed to lose all power at once and dropped straight to the ground.

The blood-red light transformed into a white-clad, black-haired female ghost. Qing Li.

At this moment, just like the first time she entered this place, she slightly lowered her head, long hair cascading over her cheeks. Through the gaps in her hair, her expression was blank and her eyes empty. She stood dazedly in place, as though all awareness had left her.

Only after a good while did Qing Li seem to come back to herself. Realizing she had inexplicably arrived in the Underworld, she dropped to her knees, abandoning all the arrogance she had shown before Zheng Que. Trembling, she cried out, “I… this humble woman is wronged!”

“This humble woman never demanded that cultivator of the human race prepare a hundred living people to soothe this humble woman’s throat!”

“This humble woman has always been devoted to goodness, abstaining from meat for years, and never eats people!”

“This humble woman is a good ghost, dedicated to doing good deeds…”

Listening to Qing Li’s transparently false excuses, Zheng Que remained silent, carefully observing her.

In the empty, vast hall, the sound of kowtows echoed continuously. Qing Li lay prostrate on the ground, trembling with fear while still chattering away with her eyes wide open, shifting all blame onto the Human Race cultivator and portraying herself as a pure-hearted, virtuous, cautious, and flawless good ghost.

Zheng Que pondered silently. This female ghost had regained her wits, but upon entering the Underworld she would still lose consciousness for a time, just as she had last time.

He didn’t know the reason for this, but it actually worked in his favor: she noticed nothing unusual, which made concealing his identity all the easier.

Moreover, he had already activated the 【Spirit Eye Technique】, constantly monitoring the Yin Qi around Qing Li.

According to his master’s explanation that morning, Qing Li’s initial cultivation level had been at the first layer of the 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】. After absorbing the Yin Qi of the Calling Ghost, she had reached the third layer.

This time, he and Qing Li had jointly slain Old Madam Zhao, who was at the fourth layer of the 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】. It was the perfect opportunity to test whether Qing Li could absorb Old Madam Zhao’s Yin Qi.

This time was different from the Calling Ghost incident. The one who ultimately killed Old Madam Zhao wasn’t me. It was Qing Li.

If Qing Li can absorb Old Madam Zhao’s Yin Qi, it means that as long as a name is recorded in the Book of Life and Death, the ghost’s Yin Qi will also be devoured by the Underworld.

If Qing Li shows no change at all, then in the future I might have to personally kill every ghost myself…

On that thought, Zheng Que noticed something: from the moment Qing Li had appeared in the hall, the Yin Qi around her had remained completely stable. No sign of increase whatsoever.

He immediately furrowed his brows. After a moment’s thought, it clicked: something was missing from the sequence.

So, taking advantage of Qing Li trembling on her knees with her head bowed, Zheng Que immediately reached out, the “令” character on his palm aimed directly at her.

Indeed!

In the next moment, the Yin Qi around Qing Li began surging rapidly. The already dim hall stirred with a silent, rushing wind. Yin Qi swarmed in from nowhere, filling the space and forming a lake of black mist that hung in the air before rapidly pouring into Qing Li’s body.

The female ghost, already shrouded in Yin Qi, suddenly had her long hair whipping wildly, her skirt billowing as her aura erupted in a violent swell!

Qing Li had clearly sensed the anomaly, but since the one seated above had not spoken, she dared not move. She did not even dare steal a glance at his expression. She could only maintain her submissive posture, motionless.

“Th-thank you, my lord!”

“My lord is discerning, noble and upright, fair and just, incorruptible, impartial, and righteous…”

Qing Li poured out a torrent of flattery. The Yin Qi around her grew increasingly dense, gradually climbing toward the fourth layer of the 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】.

Watching this, Zheng Que felt reassured. Last time, after Qing Li entered the Underworld, he had used the 【Ghost Taming Art】 to issue an attack command, which had jolted her wits awake.

Now it seemed that merely bringing Qing Li into the Underworld would not grant her any power.

For her to inherit the power here, the key was not issuing a command exactly, but displaying the “令” character on his palm.

Having roughly understood the situation, Zheng Que nodded slightly. To maintain his dignity in the Underworld, he said nothing, waiting until the Yin Qi around Qing Li stopped increasing before once again using the 【Ghost Taming Art】 to draw her back into his palm.

As the black energy between his brows grew thinner and eventually dissipated completely, the surroundings began to ripple like a disturbed reflection. In the blink of an eye, Zheng Que had returned to his humble dwelling.

Outside the window, the sky had darkened, sparse stars casting a layer of pale light, faintly outlining the contours of the town.

When he had first begun cultivating, it was still afternoon. Now it was already night.

Zheng Que withdrew his gaze from the window and opened his hand. A flash of crimson light shot out from his palm, transforming into the white-clad, black-haired female ghost.

Qing Li was brimming with Yin Qi, her aura dense and overwhelming. She had clearly reached the fourth layer of the 【Tongue-Tearing Hell】. Her presence sent the temperature in the room plummeting, as though the air itself had dropped into an ice cellar. Her momentum was even greater than Old Madam Zhao’s had been.

Seeing this, Zheng Que understood: Qing Li had absorbed all of Old Madam Zhao’s Yin Qi.

If nothing unexpected happens, he can continue using this method to slay ghosts, making Qing Li stronger and stronger!

What will the calamity four days from now be?

Before that, the stronger Qing Li’s power, the better!