However, as he observed many people along the way, Li Guanqi's brows furrowed.
Suddenly, the Old Man's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Immortal Master, this is where Wang Ergou lived."
"He was the one who died the day before yesterday, and we haven't had the chance to tidy up yet."
Li Guanqi nodded slightly.
He then walked straight to the door and slowly pushed it open.
Creak!
The already dilapidated wooden door let out a creak.
The sound made one's hair stand on end, and the scene inside made even Li Guanqi inhale sharply.
The stench of blood hit him in the face, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop significantly.
The sight before him caused goosebumps to rise on Li Guanqi's arms.
A muscular man was hanging upside down from the ceiling beam with a hemp rope.
A pair of scissors was attached to his wrist, with a lump of flesh tied to it.
Upon closer inspection, the man's eyes were nothing but two bloody holes.
His toes had all been snipped off!
The fatal wound was a long gash on his neck.
However, there were also many scratches around the wound.
It seemed as if the dull scissors had repeatedly cut into the flesh.
Blood covered the entire floor, now thick and congealed.
Even Li Guanqi had never seen such a scene before; he had thought his mission was simply to capture the malevolent ghost.
But now, it seemed things were not as simple as he had imagined.
Standing up and looking around, he noticed that the man's home was in disarray, but that was all.
Li Guanqi then took out a Purifying Talisman, and as primordial energy surged, the Spirit Talisman instantly ignited.
The moment the talisman touched the blood on the ground, it burst into flames!
With the burning flames, plumes of black smoke rose from the blood.
After a short while, the black smoke dissipated, and the cold aura in the room gradually vanished.
Seeing this, everyone nodded slightly.
They had thought the Great Xia Sword Sect had sent a greenhorn to deal with the matter perfunctorily.
The previous few had also just looked around and had not discerned anything significant.
Li Guanqi, standing in place, frowned upon seeing the density of the black smoke and murmured softly, "Seems like we're dealing with a formidable one."
He then spoke softly, "Now we can have someone clean up the body and bury it as soon as possible."
"The weather is hot; if we wait any longer, the body will start to stink."
The Old Man hurriedly called for help to clean up.
Then he quickly approached the young man, asking anxiously in a low voice, "Immortal Master, are you confident in dealing with this evil ghost?"
Li Guanqi smiled faintly and replied softly, "Whether I'm confident or not, I'll only know after I try."
"I should be staying here for a few days. During the day, the yang energy is too strong, and the ghost won't come out to cause harm."
"I'll test it tonight!"
Li Guanqi said this to reassure the villagers of Xingyun Town a bit.
However, he wasn't really sure himself and turned to the Sword box to ask, "Sword Spirit, do you have any good ideas?"
After a while, the Sword Spirit's voice echoed in Li Guanqi's mind.
"Tch, I thought you were capable of something great, but it turns out you're just bluffing here."
"It's simple."
"At the second watch of the 'Chou' hour, just sit in the south by the window and cultivate, and she will naturally be lured out."
Li Guanqi, puzzled, asked, "Why during the 'Chou' hour?"
The Sword Spirit's voice sounded very impatient as if explaining something obvious.
"The 'Chou' hour is when the yin energy is at its peak in the twenty four hours of the day."
"Sitting by the window is, of course, to make it convenient for her to strike, and as for cultivating…"
"Your virgin body is like a lantern in the night; cultivating is just like adding a few more candles."
After finishing, the Sword Spirit suddenly reminded, "But don't worry, I can take action this time!"
Li Guanqi was slightly startled; he hadn't expected the Sword Spirit to intervene.
Hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh, "What? Worried about me that you need to take action yourself?"
Silence.
After a long pause, the Sword Spirit spoke with seven parts disdain and three parts arrogance.
"It seems you're truly blind, not even knowing your own strength."
"Worried about you? I'm concerned that I won't have a source of Primordial Energy to absorb later."
"I can also absorb some of the malevolent energy from the ghost. Before you reach Foundation Establishment, I still need to devour some power from other sources."
Then the Sword Spirit's voice gradually faded away.
Li Guanqi, however, smiled and murmured softly, "Steady."
But there was still a long time before nightfall, so Li Guanqi joined the townspeople for a meal of local cuisine.
The spicy flavor opened up his appetite.
Xingyun Town, surrounded by mountains and situated on the plains, was often shrouded in a thin mist, making the air very humid.
Spicy food could induce sweating and dispel the cold from the body.
In the afternoon, Li Guanqi casually strolled around the town.
Due to his arrival, the villagers who had been staying indoors dared to venture out for a walk before dark.
During this afternoon, he also learned some additional news from the conversations of others.
Squatting by the roadside, Li Guanqi suddenly felt as if the situation was as tangled as a ball of yarn before his eyes.
The first to die was a man named Zhang Daniu, who once had a mute wife who disappeared years ago.
Later, Zhang Daniu took up with a widow from the town, and they lived together.
After Zhang Daniu's death, the widow vanished as well.
Those who died afterward were all men from the village, some bachelors, others with families.
"Ah… What is the connection between these people?"
Just as Li Guanqi was pondering, his ears twitched.
Not far down the road, two middle-aged women were holding sunflower seeds, their eyes darting around.
They whispered to each other with exaggerated expressions.
Even from a distance, Li Guanqi could tell they were discussing something significant.
Taking some pastries from his Storage Bag, Li Guanqi approached them naturally.
"Ladies, what are you discussing? I have some pastries from the mountain here; I can't finish them all, so why don't you try some?"
The plump middle-aged woman's eyes lit up, and she eagerly took the pastries, saying with a smile, "Oh, young Immortal Master, you're too polite."
Li Guanqi smiled and took the opportunity to ask, "I saw you two chatting so animatedly; could you share with me what it's about?"
The slender woman glanced around, leaned in close to Li Guanqi, and whispered, "What else but about those who died?"
Li Guanqi's eyebrows rose, and his voice lowered significantly as he asked, "Do you know some other inside information?"
At the mention of inside information, the plump woman looked around like a thief before whispering two words to Li Guanqi.
"Retribution!"
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas