Chapter 362: There Really Are Ghosts

“City Lord, you’ve gone too far.”

Ji Kongkong glanced at the Lord of Anyang City with a calm tone, showing no trace of her earlier fear.

Last night, Du Ping clearly had no intention of harassing women. As a Unity Stage cultivator, he was merely investigating a suspected ghostly white figure.

The Lord of Anyang City couldn’t have failed to recognize this, yet he still insisted Du Ping had harassed a woman, proving he wanted to use Du Ping as an achievement in his record.

Cold sweat drenched the Lord of Anyang City’s back—the Nineteenth Princess was warning him.

Innocent until proven guilty, let alone when the evidence favored Du Ping. Thus Du Ping cleared his name and left the magistrate’s office unharmed.

Seeing Ji Kongkong still trembling, Jiang Li couldn’t help but laugh. “Seeing how you just warned the Lord of Anyang City, I thought you weren’t afraid of ghosts anymore.”

After leaving the magistrate’s office, Ji Kongkong resumed her fearful expression, her hands shaking—clearly still terrified of ghosts.

“Thank you, Nineteenth Princess, for upholding justice.”

After reviewing last night’s events, Du Ping vaguely recalled that upon seeing the white-clad figure, he had found her appearance abnormal and eerie, wanting to catch her for inspection. Unexpectedly, the figure screamed at the sight of him and fled immediately.

“This is my duty.” Ji Kongkong feigned composure, not wanting Jiang Li to see her in such a state.

Yet the thought of last night’s ghost still frightened her.

“In that case, we can’t take you along to investigate the ghost.”

“No, I want to go.”

“You’re not afraid anymore?”

“I still am, but I’m also curious.”

Seeing Ji Kongkong’s demeanor, Jiang Li was reminded of those in his previous life who feared horror movies yet loved watching them.

“Human Sovereign, may I join?” Du Ping also found the matter intriguing, wanting to understand what ghosts truly were.

As a Unity Stage cultivator, he knew ghosts shouldn’t appear in the Nine Provinces—something must be behind this.

“Certainly.”

…

Late at night, the trio sat in a small tavern as Ji Kongkong recounted her experiences over the years.

There wasn’t much to tell—just how she mastered the Dao of Time, her exceptional cultivation talent, becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator while her peers still struggled at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

“Pity I was a year slower than Buddha Wuzhi, who reached Nascent Soul at fourteen.” Ji Kongkong lamented. She had achieved it at fifteen, failing to break the record for youngest Nascent Soul cultivator.

Du Ping, recalling he only reached Nascent Soul in his thirties, felt the vast gap between them.

“You’re better than me. At fifteen, I was only at Qi Refining fifth layer, reaching Nascent Soul in my twenties.”

“Human Sovereign, you’re too modest. Like Buddha Wuzhi, you reached Nascent Soul at fourteen. Later, jealous of your talent, someone sealed your cultivation, leaving you at Qi Refining fifth layer at fifteen, mocked by your clan.”

“How come I don’t know about this?” Jiang Li was speechless, wondering where Du Ping heard such a tale.

“From the storytelling ‘Biography of Human Sovereign Jiang.’ It’s clearly recorded there.”

Noticing Jiang Li’s odd expression, Du Ping cautiously asked, “Is the ‘Biography of Human Sovereign Jiang’ inaccurate?”

Jiang Li had heard several versions of his biography, none mentioning this. Du Ping must have heard a different edition.

No matter—none of these tales recorded his true experiences anyway.

Ji Kongkong corrected, “Of course it’s wrong. Uncle Jiang was born with Immortal Bones, his power beyond conventional evaluation. But his body couldn’t withstand their power, so a supreme expert sealed them, allowing gradual release.”

“…”

Which version was this from?

Jiang Li sighed. People found his strength so extraordinary they concocted incredible stories to explain it rationally.

He’d also heard tales of being a reincarnated Immortal Emperor undergoing trials, or transcending time and reincarnation to merge past, present, and future selves into one eternal being.

Every time Jiang Li listened to his biography, he learned new “facts” about himself—achievements he never knew he’d accomplished.

But such was the fate of the first Mahayana cultivator to appear in millennia.

“It’s here!” Du Ping suddenly exclaimed, springing up and dashing outside.

His spiritual sense had enveloped Anyang City, waiting for the ghost’s appearance.

At the same spot as last night, Du Ping saw a white-clad woman crouched, chanting words like “next life” and “rebirth,” hands clasped.

“It’s you!” As Du Ping lunged, Jiang Li grabbed his collar, yanking him back.

“Look carefully—she’s alive.” Jiang Li pointed at the woman, who was merely burning paper offerings.

“May I ask what you’re doing?” Ji Kongkong crouched down, kindly inquiring.

She was surprised to find the woman was a Core Formation cultivator, though aged in appearance, as if struck by tragedy.

“Commemorating my child.” The woman’s face was grief-stricken.

“I’m Qi Ming. Fifty years ago today, enemies came and killed my daughter Xiaofang here. Though punished, my child will never return.”

“Every year on this day, I come to commemorate her, hoping for her good rebirth.”

“She was only sixteen—just beginning to enjoy life. How could she leave so soon?”

Though fifty years had passed, Qi Ming still wept bitterly whenever recalling this.

Ji Kongkong compassionately patted Qi Ming’s back.

“It’s appearing,” Jiang Li suddenly said, his spiritual sense covering Anyang City and nearby outskirts.

“Approaching midnight, just as the reports said.”

Reports indicated ghostly phenomena had begun appearing across the Nine Provinces half a month prior, mostly around midnight. They preferred quiet, feared people, and so far had caused no harm.

“Why didn’t I detect it?” Du Ping was baffled—his spiritual sense had found nothing.

But now wasn’t the time for questions. Du Ping and Ji Kongkong hurried after Jiang Li to a graveyard outside town.

Seeing the graveyard, Ji Kongkong clutched Jiang Li’s sleeve, hiding behind him.

Flickering ghostly figures emerged among the graves, appearing and disappearing. Despite Ji Kongkong and Du Ping straining their spiritual senses, the graveyard seemed empty—only visible to the naked eye.

“Definitely ghosts,” Jiang Li confirmed. Having met the ghostly envoys Black and White Impermanence, these faint figures resembled them in composition, though far weaker.

If ghosts had cultivation levels, Black and White Impermanence would be Celestial Immortals, while these were ordinary mortals—not the Qi Refining third layer mortals of the Nine Provinces, but truly non-cultivating ones.

“But reports said ghosts appeared throughout Anyang City. Why do they seem concentrated here now?”