Legend has it that the Ancestor of the Ghost Path could open the gates of the Netherworld, drawing ten thousand ghosts to pay homage. The ghost hole we were currently in was certainly not of such a scale; it was merely a small, anomalous space, perhaps just a bit denser in Yin energy... at least, that was how I comforted myself.
As soon as we landed, Wei Qingming placed a warding talisman on me to suppress the sinister chill. The prickling sensation on my skin and the bone-deep cold vanished, replaced instantly by a cozy warmth from head to toe. I offered a beaming thank you, still huddling close to her as we walked. Her presence was the warmest of all; no spell could compare.
Holding her blade in hand, she summoned a copper mirror to scout the path ahead. "Since you have a sect communication technique, why not try contacting Senior Sister Lu now?"
"It’s likely useless," I said, spreading my hands. "My Second Senior Sister has never been one for responding to people."
Despite saying so, I reached into my robes and pulled out a tiny golden ladybug, no larger than a fingernail. I infused it with a message via my divine sense, gave it a gentle puff of air, and let it fly. Wei Qingming offered a faint smile. "A Golden Stamen Flower Lady for a messenger. Quite ingenious and elegant."
"We usually use standard message talismans, but Second Senior Sister likes these. The chance of her replying... might be a tiny bit higher."
As it turned out, it wasn't even a tiny bit higher. It was still utterly useless. The little Flower Lady soon came wobbling back, having found nothing.
"No need to rush," Wei Qingming said. "Once we break this ghost domain, we will naturally find our way out."
Ah, her eternal air of having everything under control was truly captivating! However, I remained practical. "But we don't know where this space leads! It’s not impossible that it actually connects to the Underworld."
"Then I shall cleave the Underworld apart."
Seeing my eyes widen in disbelief, Wei Qingming finally laughed. "Actually, the copper mirror just reached the boundary. This isn't a ghost domain in the absolute sense; it's more like the internal space of a netherworld artifact."
"Heh, to be able to form its own pocket dimension, it must be a treasure at least eight hundred years old. Where did Xu Xingze get such a thing?" I wondered aloud.
We returned to the topic of the Seven Malice Array of the Resentful Heart. It turned out that the place Wei Qingming had rushed to after leaving the Liubo game was the Ministry of Justice’s prison. Word had come that Pan Yi had been struck by a sudden, terminal illness. Wei Qingming had already arranged for physicians to be on standby day and night, refusing to let him die. By the time she arrived, Pan Yi was delirious with pain, frantically seeking death. Wei Qingming had used a secret technique to lock his divine sense, turning him into little more than a stone statue. Unexpectedly, it seemed he had long ago offered his body to the Netherworld Witch; when the appointed time came, his breath ceased, and the Witch claimed his life as agreed.
However, Yingzhao Temple had come prepared. Wei Qingming had requested her seniors to add new orthodox seals to the Ziyun Tower. Although the Seven Malice Array had been activated, its power was greatly diminished. It was said it should have summoned a Star-Plucking Realm Ghost King, but instead, it only produced seven Ghost Generals barely at the Cloud-Feasting Realm. Furthermore, they were born with defects; their combat power was roughly at the late Cloud-Swallowing stage, and their intelligence was low. If it came to one-on-one duels, Wei Qingming could have taken down three by herself, and there were several other experts from Yingzhao Temple of similar strength who hadn't even moved yet.
As she spoke, Wei Qingming came to a halt. She withdrew the copper mirror and raised her arm, tracing a phantom line from left to right. Slowly, she summoned a sharp, pale blue light. After drawing it about three feet, she suddenly gripped the end. With a sharp *clang*, a bolt of sword-light shot forth. The brilliance, as radiant as a firework, tore through the darkness with terrifying momentum. Just as I was about to clap and praise her, she handed the slender sword, wrapped in pale blue spiritual light, to me.
"Take this."
I took the sword in surprise, examining and stroking it carefully. "The aura on this... it feels very similar to the small sword you used before."
"Mhm." Wei Qingming smiled, flipping her hand to summon that very blade. "This pair of swords was left behind by my mother."
The one in my hand was far more slender and elegant than a typical sword. At its widest, it was barely three fingers across, tapering to a point as fine as a needle. It felt as light as a willow branch in my hand and was transparent in texture; were it not for the blue light flowing over it, it would be almost invisible. Wei Qingming’s blade was snowy white like a silver ribbon, no longer than two feet, with short, hardy lines. One sword was soft and graceful, the other sharp and upright, yet the craftsmanship and the inscriptions on the hilts clearly came from the same master.
Wei Qingming familiarly rubbed the seal script name on her blade with her thumb. "This is a set of three swords: Hanguan, Chengying, and Xiaolian. Each is more delicate than the last, and all possess the effect of concealing themselves and killing without a trace. They are best suited for a woman’s self-defense. My mother only had the first two and gave them both to me."
Legend says that Kong Zhou of the State of Wei during the Spring and Autumn period possessed three swords. *Hanguan* is invisible to the eye; when it passes through an object, the object remains unaware. *Chengying* can only be seen at the dimness of dawn or dusk when facing north. *Xiaolian* is the most mysterious of all; the wounds it inflicts close as soon as the blade passes, truly a blade that draws no blood. I hurriedly tried to push Hanguan back to her. "This is an ancient treasure of renown, and it holds great meaning for you. I cannot accept it."
"What does it matter? It looks better in A-Zhi's hands than mine anyway." Wei Qingming smiled. "The weapons Perfected Man Huan gave you are likely suited for long-range attacks and lack close-quarters capability. It is inconvenient not to have a handy blade for protection." As she spoke, she opened her hand again. Resting in her palm was an object, faint and shimmering like a throwing knife. Wei Qingming activated it with spiritual power, and a transparent small sword, thin as a cicada's wing, manifested. She laughed. "I obtained this Xiaolian by a stroke of luck as well. I have little use for it; A-Zhi, take this one too."
I lowered my head, my eyes stinging with warmth. She spoke of it so lightly, but who knew how much effort she had spent specifically searching for it? Her martial arts style wasn't one that relied on assassination or trickery at all.
Wei Qingming considerately feigned ignorance of my reaction. She led me forward for a while longer before pointing ahead. "We are about to enter the inner domain. There are ghosts about; I will demonstrate the use of Xiaolian for you."
I gripped Hanguan tightly and pursed my lips. "Why give me such precious gifts? Clearly... you are the one who is always in danger."
"I would worry," she said. Before she had even finished, her silhouette had drifted thirty feet away. Facing a towering, malevolent ghost, she struck out with a light incantation.
The ghost was twice the height of a man, its skin covered in lumps like a toad's, yet it was as hard as pure black coral iron. Provoked by Wei Qingming, it immediately snapped out of its wandering state and lunged forward with a cackling, monstrous laugh. Wei Qingming took flight, merely brushing past its side. Her movements were so fast they were almost invisible; with a flick of her sleeve and a shift of her step, the ghost’s movements stopped abruptly, and it froze in place.
She drifted back, smiling at me. "Go on, give it a poke."
With her around, I was always brave. Without a second thought, I stepped forward, picked up a pebble formed from condensed nether energy, and tossed it lightly at the ghost. With a thunderous crash, the ghost instantly disintegrated into a dozen or so jagged stone fragments. It turned out she had merely made several thin cuts, completely dismantling the ghost's joints. Not even a wound was visible; such was the sharpness of Xiaolian.
"If you develop sword intent, you can also use it like this." As she spoke, she repeated the process. Holding Xiaolian between her fingers, she pressed down on the head of a rotting corpse covered in slime. Dozens of fine threads of sword intent instantly pierced the body, decomposing it into countless bits of flesh, which were then scorched into grey smoke by her Solar True Qi.
I took Xiaolian from her hand and solemnly tied it to my waist, making a secret vow: I would never slack off on my body tempering and cultivation once I returned to the mountain!
Just as Wei Qingming had said, this area was now the core of the ghost domain. The previous path had been relatively clean, but from here on, everything beneath our feet was a slurry of dried flesh and blood, sticky and foul. From all directions came the screeching laughter of ghosts. Wei Qingming led the way, often intentionally leaving one or two small ghosts for me to practice on. I slapped my cheeks, telling myself I couldn't be a coward. Bracing my spirits, I also cut down quite a few with decisive strikes. It was just that these ghosts were far too ugly; once I got out, I would have to ask Eldest Senior Brother to help me beautify these memories...
Clearing the way like this, I felt I had made considerable progress. I even developed a bit of unspoken coordination with the god of slaughter in front of me. Together, we could easily resolve three or four late Cloud-Swallowing stage ghosts attacking simultaneously within ten moves. We reached an open area where the field of vision was clean, devoid of any filth to offend the eyes. My internal True Qi was nearly exhausted, so Wei Qingming summoned her flying carriage. We both hopped on to rest for a while and drink some tea.
I had never felt tea taste so good. I downed a whole pot like an ox. I also blamed the exquisite utensils of these nobles; there were really only a few sips in each...
There was only Yin energy in the ghost domain, no spiritual energy, so one couldn't recover physical strength through meditation. I swallowed a handful of medicinal pills and held a spirit crystal in my hand. Seeing Wei Qingming finish her tea and toy with the small cup in her hand, still unhurried, I looked at her in surprise, signaling for her to replenish her True Essence.
She said, "There is no need for now. Yin energy is connected to the essence of the moon; it can be harvested for my own use."
Just what kind of divine art was she practicing? It was enough to make one green with envy!
Seeing my complex expression, Wei Qingming explained, "The *Taiyi Divine Spirit Manual* I practice is actually divided into two parts. The upper part, the Sun Spirit Manual, is for men, while the lower part, the Moon Spirit Manual, is naturally for women. However, since moonlight originates from the sun, it is inherently considered a tier lower. For the past few generations, those suited for this technique were all heaven-sent female geniuses who disdained learning it, so it was set aside until now. I was the only one who refused to believe in such superstitions. I practiced the Sun Spirit Manual first, and there were no issues at all. Perhaps the predecessors were all mistaken, or perhaps those male ancestors simply wanted to suppress women and thus forbade them from practicing the more powerful heart manuals."
I smiled. "Does the ancestor who taught you this technique know your true identity?"
"He knows," she replied. "But he never stopped me. He said the world has always belonged to the capable. Being able to combine the upper and lower manuals is considered my own skill. If anything goes wrong, I shall simply bear the consequences myself."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Should I call this ancestor carefree and generous, or irresponsible and negligent? A heart manual is a matter of life and death; a momentary slip means the end of one's path and life. How could one simply "bear the consequences"?
"Because I am, after all, a person of the Temple, he has never called me his disciple, yet he has passed down his entire legacy to me," Wei Qingming said. "He does not treat me as a follower, but I cannot fail to regard him with the respect due to a master."
I nodded in understanding. Currently, there was an unwritten consensus in the cultivation world: cultivators of the Star, Moon, and Sun realms must live in seclusion and not directly interfere in worldly affairs. If a Star-Plucking Realm ancestor directly raised a secret agent to enter the imperial court and stir up trouble, that would be a disaster! Of course, generally, those who reached the Star-Plucking Realm were quite old with not much longevity left; they were all focused on advancing to the Sun and Moon realms. Who would have the time to care about the messy affairs of the mortal world?
Once we were rested, since there was nothing ahead, we simply sat on the flying carriage and drifted forward slowly. I curled up by Wei Qingming’s legs, staring blankly at the swaying incense sachets on the four corners of the carriage in comfort. Suddenly, a thought struck me. I jumped up and shouted, "Only when a Beast King appears do the other beasts flee! We are clearly getting closer to the center, yet there isn't a single small ghost... that means there's a Great Ghost!"
Wei Qingming had, of course, realized this long ago. Without a ripple of emotion, she raised her hand and pointed loosely ahead. "There. The Great Ghost is here."
