Chapter 144: Like a Bad Penny

Driving Cao Xuan's Land Rover, the few of us headed straight to Long Yu's home.

People in the Yin-Yang underworld are mostly solitary. Long Yu possessed a magnificent and imposing aura, unlike the slovenly Wei Qi. Yet, much like Wei Qi, he lived entirely alone, guarding a modest house. While not crude, it was certainly not wealthy. Aside from various Yin-Yang ritual tools, there wasn't even a decent set of furniture to be seen. I saw no one keeping him company, and I had no idea if he had a wife or a girlfriend.

After a few brief courtesies and without even sitting down at his place, we got back into the cars and drove directly to Ye Zi's home, located in Ye Family Village, Tianbao Town. It was about an hour's journey.

Cao Xuan drove with intense concentration, a flush of red continually washing over her face. Who knows what she was thinking? An hour later, we arrived at Ye Family Village. Standing at the village entrance, a strong intuition told me that Duan Sandao would definitely come looking for Ye Zi tonight. After all, right on the other side of Ye Family Village lay the Qingfeng Ridge Reservoir, and the source of the Shu River was none other than Qingfeng Ridge. Based on that hunch, Duan Sandao was very likely to target Ye Zi.

Ye Zi was quite surprised by our arrival. I hurriedly took out the sketch Duan Sandao had drawn of the little figures. After examining it together, we concluded that Duan Sandao might indeed show up tonight. We huddled to devise a countermeasure, and the final plan was to capture the old woman and force Duan Sandao's soul out.

Aside from strategizing, everyone was just as baffled as I was as to why such a death list existed and who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. After pondering over it for most of the day, we still couldn't make head or tail of it.

Time ticked away second by second, and night fell in the blink of an eye. After all, Ye Zi was a soul-walker who had long since prepared various spiritual talismans for immediate use. The rest of us also clutched our respective ritual tools and took up positions in the shadows.

The season was already mid-Autumn, and the air had grown somewhat chilly. Chubby and I laid in ambush on the flat roof of Ye Zi's single-story house; if anything stirred, the two of us could simply leap down from above. After waiting for the better part of the night with no sign of movement, I checked the time—it had already passed midnight. A wave of frustration washed over me. At this hour, he probably wasn't coming. It seemed my prediction had missed the mark.

Just at that moment, the main gate creaked open. With the sound of the door opening, everyone instantly snapped into a state of high tension. However, the person walking in was not Cao Xuan's grandmother, but rather Cao Xuan's father, Mayor Cao.

What on earth was he doing here in the dead of night? Cao Xuan, hiding in the shadows, spotted her old man and hurriedly ran out. "Dad, why are you here?"

I was equally baffled. Why would Mayor Cao arrive silently in the middle of the night? Looking closer, I noticed he seemed to walk as if he were floating on air. My heart skipped a beat, and I hastily stopped Cao Xuan. "Don't go near him!" But before my warning could finish, Cao Xuan had already reached her father's side.

A trace of fierce malice flashed across Mayor Cao's eyes. He reached out and grabbed Cao Xuan by the neck, completely disregarding her safety, and hoisted her straight up into the air with a single motion. Poor Cao Xuan was suspended by her throat, unable to breathe, her legs kicking frantically back and forth. It was painfully obvious that her father had been possessed and controlled by someone else.

With a swift whoosh, I leaped down from the flat roof, pointing the Fengchi Sword straight at Mayor Cao. "Who the hell are you? Duan Sandao?"

"Hehe! Wang Dacuan, I bet you didn't expect to run into me here again." Hearing that voice made me want to die. Damn it, this lingering ghost just wouldn't quit! It was actually Zhao Laosao—at least, it was his voice.

What kind of absurd situation was this? Zhao Laosao had clearly been hacked to death by me on Mount Fulai, yet here he was again? Initially, he served Xingyun, but now that Xingyun was dead, he had somehow returned. This world was entirely too terrifying. "Zhao Laosao, aren't you already dead?"

"Wang Dacuan, I did die. But the Ghost King didn't want me to die, so I came back. Surprised to see me?" Possessing Mayor Cao's body, Zhao Laosao appeared utterly arrogant.

Another mention of the Ghost King. Who exactly was the Ghost King? Could he be the mastermind behind the scenes?

"If you're a real man, don't hide inside someone else's body. Step out and face me," I taunted.

"In your dreams. You've got all those magical tools, I'm not going to fight you head-on. Wang Dacuan, how about we make a trade?" Mayor Cao, possessed by Zhao Laosao, squeezed Cao Xuan's neck harder, eliciting a violent fit of coughing from the poor girl.

"Bullying a woman is no proof of skill. Say what you want," I retorted, eager to see what kind of deal this beast was trying to strike.

"Hand me your Fengchi Sword, and I'll let this girl go." As Zhao Laosao spoke, he tightened his grip around Cao Xuan's neck once more. Cao Xuan's face turned beet red, and her legs kicked wildly in desperation.

This was a vicious tactic, aimed straight at my divine Fengchi weapon! Naturally, I wasn't about to hand it over; I was currently counting on it to make a name for myself in the world! "Zhao Laosao, keep dreaming! There's no way I'm giving you the Fengchi Sword!"

Zhao Laosao let out another chilling, sinister laugh. "Fine! If you won't give it, then you won't. Looks like today is this girl's doomsday!" With a vicious twist of his hand, Zhao Laosao flung Cao Xuan toward the side wall. I lunged forward and managed to catch her by the ankles just in time.

"Wang Dacuan, you really want her to die, huh? Fine, I'll grant your wish." Saying this, Zhao Laosao brought his other hand down in a lethal palm strike aimed straight at the crown of Cao Xuan's head.

Rage surged through me. I desperately wanted to slap this dog of a Zhao Laosao to death, but I couldn't afford to strike him recklessly. Since he was possessing Mayor Cao's body, killing him would mean killing Mayor Cao as well.

"Stop!" I shouted urgently.

Zhao Laosao instantly froze his motion. "Wang Dacuan, have you changed your mind?"

To be honest, I hadn't truly changed my mind; I was extremely reluctant to hand the Fengchi Sword over to this beast. But if I didn't, Cao Xuan's life would be in mortal peril. Regardless of whether she resembled Ziyu or not, she was an innocent girl, and under no circumstances could I allow her to become a sacrifice. Even if I handed the divine Fengchi weapon over now, I still possessed the Soul-Sinking Art. Without the Luoshui Ring to complement it, he probably wouldn't be able to achieve much power anyway.

"Zhao Laosao, let go of Cao Xuan first." I took a step back and released Cao Xuan's ankles. Come what may, I couldn't let her get hurt.

"Give me the sword." Zhao Laosao sneered, extending a hand. I wished I could slice those claws right off with a single blade strike. But I couldn't do that; these weren't Zhao Laosao's hands, they belonged to Mayor Cao.

"Zhao Laosao, do you keep your word?" I sheathed the sword, glaring at him fixedly.

"Guaranteed to keep it. You hand over the person, I hand over the sword." Zhao Laosao wore a grim, sinister smile. I had no idea if his word was worth anything, but I had no choice left. I had no option but to hand the sword over.

Zhao Laosao let out a loud laugh and actually pushed Cao Xuan toward me. Pushing past the brink of collapse, Cao Xuan stumbled into my arms and went completely limp, collapsing softly. I hurriedly passed her over to Chubby and turned back to face Zhao Laosao.

"Wang Dacuan, what are you trying to do?" Zhao Laosao stepped back, a flicker of apprehension crossing his face.

"What do I look like I'm doing? I'm taking my sword back! You can't even use this weapon." I sneered, taking another step forward.

"Wang Dacuan, let's make another deal!" Although apprehension lingered in Zhao Laosao's eyes, he didn't seem overly panicked.

"No deals. I just want my sword back." In my heart, I knew I could not afford to lose this sword under any circumstances. Losing it meant failing everyone who depended on me.

"Don't you want to find Wang Ying? Don't you want to find Wei Qi?" A crafty smile crept onto the corners of Zhao Laosao's mouth.

My entire body shuddered. Of course I wanted to find Wang Ying, and of course I wanted to find Wei Qi. If forced to choose between Wang Ying and the divine Fengchi weapon, I would choose Wang Ying without a moment's hesitation.

"You know where Wang Ying is?"

"Of course I do. Who do you think I am? Zhao Wuji of the Yin-Yang Eyes, there is nothing I cannot reach. Give me the Luoshui Ring on your finger, and I'll tell you the whereabouts of both Wang Ying and Wei Qi." Zhao Laosao laid out his conditions.

Damn it, he had come completely prepared! He even knew I had the Luoshui Ring? If I didn't sacrifice something tonight, I probably wouldn't be able to walk out of here alive. For the sake of Wang Ying and Wei Qi, I ultimately decided to hand over the Luoshui Ring. Since he didn't know I had mastered the Soul-Sinking Art, I figured I would still be able to reclaim both my Fengchi divine sword and the Luoshui Ring later.

"Fine, take it. I hope you keep your word." I slipped the Luoshui Ring off my finger and tossed it to Zhao Laosao.

"A treasure, truly a treasure! Wang Dacuan, now that you've lost these two complementary divine weapons, do you really think I'm still afraid of you?" Zhao Laosao brandished the artifacts in his hand, looking immensely pleased with himself.

"Cut the crap. Tell me where Wang Ying and Wei Qi are." My impatience was reaching its boiling point.