Chapter 120: Chapter 44: The Ghost Descends the Mountain, No Taboos Whatsoever

Linfeng Hall, the study.

Wisps of faint green smoke slowly rose from a golden bronze incense burner, dispersing the lingering scent of sandalwood.

Suddenly, the green smoke swirled.

Shen Qing entered from the main door, "Master, did you call for me?"

Li Linfeng turned around from his desk, presenting a neatly folded golden vest to Shen Qing.

"This is?"

"A Golden Silkworm Armor. It won't soak in water or burn in fire. Take it and wear it to protect yourself."

Shen Qing received the Golden Silkworm Armor. The garment was light and thin like gauze and cool to the touch.

Intertwined golden threads were extremely delicate, emitting a golden luster, clearly indicating it was no ordinary item.

The fact that his Hall Master uncle was willing to give him such a generous gift took him by surprise.

Shen Qing did not show embarrassment but gratefully accepted, saying, "Thank you, Master."

Then, Li Linfeng handed over two porcelain bottles to Shen Qing, "One contains Qi Blood Pills from the government office that can solidify Qi-Blood and increase cultivation, which is beneficial for your Skin Forging. There are twenty in total; I've saved five for you. The other bottle contains Heart Returning Pills, which can save your life in critical moments. Take them both."

Shen Qing knew that Linfeng Hall wasn't in a financially comfortable position, so these gifts were not easy to come by.

But good things are never too many.

Shen Qing also accepted everything one by one.

Li Linfeng spoke, somewhat dispirited, "The hall is currently in turmoil, and my energy is limited. I can't do much to assist you, so be mindful on your own."

"I understand."

Li Linfeng waved his hand, showing signs of fatigue, and sat back down.

Shen Qing gave a fist and palm salute and left the study.

Many things had happened in Linfeng Hall lately, resulting in chaos from top to bottom.

Unable to help here, Shen Qing decided to return to his dwelling to prepare for climbing the mountain early the next morning.

As he walked to the inner courtyard, he happened to see Li Lingchan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

She was dressed in a martial outfit, busying herself with others, dealing with the aftermath for their fellow sect members.

Li Lingchan seemed to notice something and glanced at Shen Qing.

But soon, she averted her eyes as if worried that looking any longer would give him the wrong idea.

With no expression to spare, Li Lingchan buried herself in her work again.

Shen Qing smiled wryly, not the least bit concerned.

As the sun set gradually, the clouds shifted from golden to orange-red.

Nightfall crept in quietly, enveloping the world in darkness.

The day passed in the blink of an eye.

His elder sister, Shen Fang, knowing that Shen Qing was heading out for a few days, prepared a lot of dried food. She even packed a bundle with clothes for changing and repeatedly went over many details.

Shen Qing showed no impatience and agreed to everything.

Before going to bed, he practiced the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill and the Dragon Roar Iron Cloth Shirt, among other Cultivation Techniques, to improve his progress.

Late into the night, Shen Qing slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and then went to the living room's Eight Immortals table.

On it were laid fish, Lingzhi mushrooms, ginseng, and even a precious soup made from Tiger King's Penis and Jade Deer Tendon.

Ever since Li Linfeng told him that the Skin Forging Realm required "eating" for cultivation, Shen Qing constantly thought of ways to consume various strengthening substances uninterruptedly.

He even had an extra supper.

Because of this, his cultivation had been increasing at a visible rate.

"Every time I finish my cultivation practices, I feel hungry; this indicates that my body's strength grows faster than the speed at which I intake essence. The hungrier I am, the faster my strength increases."

"But the money runs out so quickly, I've nearly spent a hundred taels just on food. In the future, I need to find ways to make more money, gain more power."

Shen Qing grabbed an unknown beast leg and ferociously gnawed at it.

A moment later, he finished everything on the table.

Shen Qing felt his whole body as if immersed in a hot spring, warm and cozy, as essence seeped from inside out, causing his skin to flush red.

He quickly practiced his Martial Arts again and, watching the increasing numbers on the Water Ink Panel, rested contentedly.

...

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away in Shicheng Mountain.

In an unknown dense forest, shadowy figures emitted blood-red glows.

If one looked closely, those were pairs of eyes drifting through the woods.

Among the shadows, a tiger with a striking pattern lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

Its breathing was rhythmic, three long breaths followed by a short one, in a continuous cycle, and it was covered in a faint glow of moonlight.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the tiger opened its eyes and spoke in human tongue, "After eating so many humans in succession, my cultivation seems to have improved significantly. For a demon's path, consuming humans truly is the essential method for cultivation."

As it spoke, it tore a human arm from behind and threw it into its mouth.

The sound of bone crushing and flesh tearing rang out continuously in the forest, causing an eerie shudder.

Gulp.

The mottled tiger swallowed once, green light flickering in its eyes; a human-like satisfaction appeared on its face, and its fur gleamed metallically under the moonlight.

After a while, the tiger stood up, opened its bloody maw, and roared arrogantly. The roar exploded like thunder.

An invisible wave of force emanated from it, rippling outward like water ripples.

Wherever the shockwave passed, leaves rustled noisily and branches swayed violently as if hit by a sudden storm.

In the forest, over a hundred ghosts covered their ears from the roar, their faces contorted in pain.

Their faces were etched with fear, and their eyes flickered with terror.

Under the impact of the air wave, their bodies swayed, ready to be dispersed at any moment.

After a long while, the giant tiger finally satiated its roaring and headed down the mountain.

"The foot of the mountain has been rather lively lately, good for a little feast. It would be best to encounter a woman with higher cultivation, for their flesh is tender and firm, delicious indeed."

The tiger, mottled like a calf, surveyed the numerous ghosts and commanded in a deep and authoritative voice, "From today on, I want more rations, more, more! I now lift your restrictions, bring me humans, and anyone who comes back empty-handed will be used to fill my stomach."

Its gaze swept over the ghosts, each one feeling a chill rise from the bottom of their hearts as its gaze touched them. Discover new content at m vl-em,py-r

"Yes, Mountain Lord!"

All the ghosts drifting through the forest bowed to the mottled tiger, responding in terror.

"Ghosts descending the mountain, without any taboo!"

With a low growl from the mottled tiger, the red light in the eyes of the ghosts diminished a bit.

In the wailing winds, the ghosts departed in vast numbers, like a torrent rushing down the mountain, disappearing into the night.

At the foot of the mountain, a village that had been destroyed by the tiger demon.

Among the ruined walls, many martial masters tasked with hunting the tiger lit bonfires, forming a circle.

The night wind howled, shaking the bonfires, casting flickering shadows on everyone's faces.

Martial master Bao Renliang poked at the bonfire with a stick, urging the flames to burn brighter.

The others sat together, chatting casually.

Though they called it small talk, in reality, it was mostly complaints.

"This village must have had thirty or forty tiger families before, but now not a single one is left—it has been thoroughly devoured by the tiger demon. I honestly don't know what the County Magistrate is thinking; why haven't they taken action yet?"

Martial master Bao Renliang threw a half-damp log into the fire, muttering to himself.

Another martial master with a mutton-chop beard gestured for silence with his finger to his lips, then tilted his chin towards the inside of the house signalling, "The officers from the Guardian Martial Department are inside, keep it down."

"Afraid of them my ass."

The martial master with the mutton-chop beard spoke in a hushed tone, "I heard that the Lord County Magistrate has encountered some trouble with his cultivation lately and wants to use this incident to diminish the strength of the various gangs and Martial Arts Halls among the people to prevent disturbances."

A look of surprise flashed in Bao Renliang's eyes, "Really? Such a thing is happening?"

The martial master with the mutton-chop beard continued, "It's just something I heard, can't be certain if it's true or not. Just listen and let it be. I also heard that the County Magistrate spent a hefty price maneuvering, and as long as no issues arise in his two-year tenure, it's almost a done deal that he'll be transferred to a richer post."

"Damn that cur."

Just as the martial master with the mutton-chop beard was about to say more, several white shadows flashed nearby, accompanied by a howling cold wind, making him shiver.

Turning his head, he suddenly felt the chill at the tip of his nose.

A pale, twisted face was staring intently at him, almost within reach.

His heart felt like it was being squeezed, and his feet were as if nailed to the ground, immobile.

The martial master with the mutton-chop beard swung his hands wildly behind him, but it was to no avail, as he was quickly dragged into the darkness, screaming in agony.

Only a chilling echo lingered, reverberating through the silent village.

Then, the noise abruptly ceased.

The village returned to its former tranquility. S~eaʀᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The rest of the martial masters, stunned by this sudden turn of events, drew their weapons, gingerly looking around.

Yet apart from the howling night wind and flickering firelight, there was no other sign of disturbance.

The place where the martial master with the mutton-chop beard had vanished only bore the traces of where he had been dragged away.

"What was that?"

"Old Wang was among the best of us in terms of cultivation, how could he disappear in the blink of an eye?"

Bao Renliang, among them, kept calm and walked to where the traces were.

Crouching down, his expression was somber as he followed the marks on the ground toward the deep darkness.

As he focused intently, a pale, bloodied face suddenly surged forth.

"It's a ghost... it's one of the tiger demon's ghosts!" Bao Renliang, terrified, plopped down on the ground exclaiming, "Quick, into the house!"

He had not finished speaking.

Another scream rang out from behind him.

Another martial master was seized by the feet by a ghost and dragged into the darkness, vanishing in an instant.

"Die for me!"

A martial master stepped forward, flinging a punch at the dark figure.

But the shadowy apparition passed through him as if it did not exist.

And in his moment of distraction, a ghost floated behind him and reached into his chest.

The martial master's body seemed to be made of paper as a bright red heart was ripped out by the ghost.

"Into the house, these ghosts can only be hurt by Qi. Let the government officers from the Guardian Martial Department deal with them," said one as the rest brandished their torches and filed towards the door.

The last one in line, with grim resolve, threw his torch far away.

The light drove off the darkness.

In a fleeting glimpse, the people clearly saw the two martial masters who had been dragged off—now with their organs ripped out, spilled across the ground.

Surrounding them were no fewer than ten white figures, their eyes glowing with a bloody light, uniformly advancing towards them, causing their scalps to tingle with fear.

"Ahh!"

All the ghosts surged forward en masse.

In the night, the village quickly returned to silence.