Ghost Fire Top; The Unlocking Incantation

They'd come to Mount Tong'lu as well!

"Guzi is here, does that mean Qi Rong has come too?" Xie Lian wondered.

"Look at that ball of green light on top of her head, there's no doubt he has," Hua Cheng said.

"…"

Guzi seemed to be a little afraid of Xuan Ji, his little form still and unmoving in her arms. However, perhaps it was because Xuan Ji's body was cold and it wasn't comfortable, he still secretly wiggled a couple times. Xuan Ji instantly admonished him.

"Don't move!"

The moment she opened her mouth, with the glow of that ball of green ghost fire, the muscles of her face appeared even more twisted. That ghost fire was considered a hallmark sign of the Green Ghost at this point, exceedingly poor in taste, and Xie Lian felt that any female ghost who had normal tastes and valued their own image would refuse to wear such a flashy ball of ghost fire over their heads. Needless to say, it must've been Qi Rong who made her wear it. The green flames and the red wedding robes formed a shocking sight, attacking the eyes, even more despairing than if a master was to force one to wear an extremely ugly uniform.

Guzi pleaded, eyes brimming with tears, "Jiejie, my tummy doesn't feel good after drinking that water."

Water? Xie Lian broke out in cold sweat. That underground water had flocks of corpse-eating rats swimming through. Although it might not be toxic, children had weaker constitutions, and might get diarrhea after drinking it.

Xuan Ji was obviously the type who didn't like children, and had no patience for him. "Hang on for a bit. We're already on our way back."

Their backs disappeared and they became one with the darkness. No need to say any more; Xie Lian and Hua Cheng quietly trailed after them. Soon after, following Xuan Ji, they turned a few corners and entered another main street. At the end of the street was a particularly lavish house, and there were voices coming from within; that must be the destination. Under the guise of the shadows, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng charged forward first and hopped onto the roof of that house, and through the cracks, peered inside. Sure enough, Qi Rong was sitting in the centre of the grand hall of that mansion.

He had carried over dozens of stone statues, their heads facing him; because those stone people were all sprawled on the floor, they looked like they were in complete submission

towards him. He was thus enjoying this "prostration" and munching on an arm, looking quite pleased with himself. In the corner sat several farmers; one of them, with his head bowed, having practically no sense of presence, was Yin Yu!

As they suspected, he had been captured by Qi Rong. Although no one was bound by ropes, there were balls of greasily green ghost fires hovering over every one of their heads. Upon closer inspection, those ghost fires were different than the flashy one on top of Xuan Ji's head. These had grown all five senses, their eyes narrowed downwards, their expressions malicious, looking like wicked wretches; they were all firmly watchful of the person below.

Xie Lian whispered, "Those balls of fires must have something to them."

Hua Cheng replied, "That's Qi Rong's Ghost Fire Lock. Once that fire eyes you, if you dare escape, it will activate a spell and you will be burned to death in an instant."

Qi Rong was fully enjoying munching that arm when Xuan Ji's voice suddenly rang from the outside.

"My Lord, I've returned."

He immediately threw that arm away and wiped his blood-covered mouth. Xie Lian was slightly amazed; what was that gesture? Afraid someone might see? Could there actually come a day when Qi Rong was embarrassed that someone might see the manner in which he ate?

Before Xuan Ji entered, she put Guzi down. Guzi, ta-ta-ta, ran in, rushing straight to Qi Rong's side. But when he saw him, he pointed his finger.

He cried, "Dad is eating bad things in secret again!"

"I'm not!" Qi Rong retaliated.

"I smelled it! Your mouth reeks when you eat it!" Guzi accused.

Qi Rong raised his hand and puffed a couple breaths against his palm; he must've smelled his mouth reeking of the stench of blood and rot. Without any way to deny it, he became irritated.

"GODDAMMIT! XUAN JI! WHY DID YOU BRING HIM BACK ALL OF A SUDDEN? DIDN'T I SAY TO TAKE HIM AROUND A BIT LONGER WHILE I'M EATING??"

Xuan Ji floated in and explained, "He was making a fuss over a tummy-ache after drinking water, so I brought him back early. My Lord, please don't make me take care of children anymore, I don't know how to deal with him!"

Qi Rong glared and accused, "WHAT?! AREN'T YOU A FEMALE GHOST?? HOW CAN FEMALE GHOSTS NOT LIKE TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN??"

"But this isn't even my own child!" Xuan Ji countered.

Guzi tugged at Qi Rong's hem. "Dad, don't eat those things anymore, they're not good for you…"

Qi Rong was growing annoyed by his nagging and reprimanded, "Go go go! Don't hang around here to annoy people. What is this, kids nagging grownups, go out and go play by yourself!"

And so Guzi could only drag his feet and go out to play with mud by himself. Before he left, he even glanced sadly at the others in the house.

Only when he was gone did Xuan Ji speak up. "My Lord, I really don't understand, why must you bring him along if you think him annoying? He's been hungry, and thirsty, and teary, and sickly the entire way. If it wasn't for bumping into that mountain spirit who carried us, who knows if he'd still be slowing us down."

Qi Rong laughed wryly. "My cheap son is determined to call me dad, so just let him! Pfft, what rubbish, of course it's because I'm gonna eat that little dumb pecker! A little kid's meat is so tender, even without seasoning it'll be flavourful enough!"

"Then why haven't you eaten him yet?" Xuan Ji questioned.

Green light flashed in Qi Rong's eyes. "You don't understand anything! I'll kill him after he's fattened! Leave the best for last! Besides, we still have so many supplies left, no need to rush!"

Xuan Ji stared at Yin Yu. "I think this new one you captured is suspicious. Very, very suspicious. My Lord, did you find out where exactly he came from?"

Judging by how much Qi Rong hated Hua Cheng, if he knew Yin Yu was Hua Cheng's subordinate, he would've immediately eaten him.

Qi Rong replied, "Yeah, I got it. This bastard came with the Rain Master to help, too."

A weak sense of presence and a flat personality was sometimes a good thing; people usually wouldn't link Yin Yu and Crimson Rain Sought Flower together. It seemed Yin Yu had successfully lied about his own identity. Xie Lian sighed a breath of relief. Xuan Ji's face, however, dropped.

"Yushi Huang has already chased us here?!"

"Nah," Qi Rong said. "This bastard found this underground city by accident, the same as us. The Rain Master hasn't found us yet. GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" He suddenly cussed. "Why is the Rain Master so hard to deal with? So hot on our trail that we had to come hide here! WE ONLY GRABBED A COUPLE OF THOSE FARMERS FROM THE COUNTRY TO EAT, WHY SO STINGY? A heavenly official, too, I just KNEW none of those heavenly officials are any good! SO NARROW-MINDED AND MISERLY!"

He'd always cause others harm first and act all self-important after. You were the first one who'd wretchedly grabbed someone else's farmers, who had been minding their own business, but then you had to turn around and scorn others for not being generous enough to provide you with a few more?! His speech made Xie Lian's fists itch.

"Why don't we just release those people?" Xuan Ji said.

Qi Rong, however, seemed to have thought the very idea embarrassing. He glared, "NO! I already ate half of them, so even if I release the other half it'd be pointless. FORCE MY HAND AND THIS ANCESTOR WILL BURN THEM ALL TO THE GROUND! NO ONE WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS!"

"I didn't think things would turn out like this, either. The Yushi Huang I knew, so easy to bully, wasn't like this in the past. I had thought that, even if we kidnapped people from Yushi Country, everything would just be swept under the rug and the insult swallowed; it was the only reason that I dared make such a move. Who knew it would stir this much trouble, completely unshakable!"

Xuan Ji actually knew the Rain Master, and didn't seem to hold that master in high regard. It seemed they probably knew each other when they were still mortals.

Thinking back on all the legends, Xie Lian whispered, "Could it be that Xuan Ji used to be a general of the Kingdom of Yushi?"

"Gege guessed right," Hua Cheng said. "That's exactly the case."

Xie Lian was puzzled. "But that's not right? Lord Rain Master is a descendant of Yushi royalty, with a prestigious status. Xuan Ji was only a general, a lowly official, so how dare she look down on her monarch? And even say something like 'easy to bully'…"

Just then, Qi Rong replied, "Who cares what Rain Master Dog Master, just wait 'til this Ghost King cultivates to a Supreme status in the Kiln! I'll be born with so much might I'll shock the heavens, and everyone will have to fall at my feet! Kneel before me and eat the mud at my feet! Then, I'll tear the Ghost City down, sink that Black Water Island, and even Jun Wu will have to be careful where he treads. HAHAHAHAHAHahahaha…"

"…"

Listening to him make up so much bull, happily imagining his future might; other than wanting to laugh, Xie Lian felt nothing. Hua Cheng, on the other hand, didn't even want to spare the energy to laugh.

Qi Rong then said more to Xuan Ji, "Then, I'll chop off Pei Ming's cock for you to play with, and make him your slave."

Hearing that name, Xuan Ji clenched her fists, a trace of life flashing on her pale face. "NO NEED! As long as My Lord promises to give him to me, for me to handle him myself, Xuan Ji will be plenty grateful!"

When it didn't concern Pei Ming, Xuan Ji looked like a somewhat normal female ghost. But the moment General Pei was mentioned, Xie Lian could see a shadow of that mad and obsessed female ghost from Mount Yujun. She had actually placed that absurd hope on Qi Rong; a move that could only be described as crazy.

Of course, they could just go in directly and beat up Qi Rong and Xuan Ji, but those farmers and Yin Yu were hostages. Qi Rong was thuggish in character; if with every punch they threw he burned a person, then they'd be the ones at a loss. Just as he said, if they forced his hand, he could very well burn everyone to the ground.

Hua Cheng wasn't the least bit anxious, and said, "There's an unlocking incantation to Qi Rong's Ghost Fire Locks. Let's think of a way to trick it out of him first."

"Who will do this? How to trick him? We certainly can't be the ones," Xie Lian said.

Just as the words left his lips, their eyes fell at the same time on Guzi, who was playing with mud outside the mansion.

After a momentary pause, Xie Lian said, "That won't do. It's too dangerous. Qi Rong is already thinking of eating Guzi, what if he catches the deceit…"

"Whether that brain of his can even register tricks aside," Hua Cheng said. "If he plans on doing anything to the child, we can just go and rescue him. Why doesn't gege worry instead whether this child, after having stayed by Qi Rong for so long, has been influenced by him and whether his mental state is still normal."

Having followed Qi Rong for so long, it really was hard to say whether he had turned monstrous.

"Let's give it a try then?" Xie Lian said.

Thus, Hua Cheng opened his fingers flat and released a teeny tiny silver butterfly from his palm.

It fluttered down languidly.

Qi Rong and Xuan Ji were still talking inside the house, and Guzi was outside drawing pictures in the mud; a picture of a big person holding hands with a little person. Suddenly, he saw a silver butterfly emitting a faint silver light. He instantly looked up, his eyes wide, and was just about to go "WOW!" when a whisper of a voice came from that silver butterfly.

"Guzi, don't speak. The moment you speak, I'll be no more. It's me. Do you remember me?"

If Guzi still yelled, Hua Cheng would've had the silver butterfly confound his mind; however, Guzi covered his own mouth, indeed obedient.

He whispered back, "I remember. It's the scrap-collecting gege's voice."

"…Hahaha, what a good memory you have." Xie Lian laughed awkwardly. "That's right, that's me, the scrap-collecting guy. Sneak over here to the side for a moment, don't let Qi…don't let your dad notice."

Guzi nodded. He rose to his feet and was just about to sneak away when Qi Rong, who was inside the house, noticed.

He yelled, "HEY! DON'T RUN AWAY SO BLINDLY, YA HEAR ME? STAY HERE AND DON'T GO ANYWHERE, THE BIG RATS WILL GET YA! GET BACK HERE!"