Chapter Fifty-Four: The Benevolent Fang Mu

Upon closer inspection, Fang Mu realized that the bottom was much broader than the passage of the well. To put it in perspective, it was like a bottle with a narrow neck, a small body, but a wide base. The place was just as damp and dark as above.

Not far ahead was a slightly wider corridor.

Iron Calculation Immortal explained, “There was a stone slab blocking the way above. The water was held there as a cover, but my Bagua shattered it, so it fell down.”

Fang Mu nodded, holding his torch aloft and examining the surroundings. There was nothing else—except for the passage ahead, there was nothing unusual in this space.

The corridor was the only way forward, and their destination was clear.

After discussing briefly, the two decided to proceed.

Under the flickering torchlight, Fang Mu walked into the corridor, finding it just as damp as before. The air was thick with the stench of mold; the ground beneath his feet was soft and slick with mud.

The journey was eerily silent, without the slightest disturbance.

Before long, a dim exit appeared ahead.

Fang Mu and Iron Calculation Immortal exchanged a glance, quickened their pace, and stepped out through the exit.

The space beyond opened up dramatically, and the sight before them made Fang Mu’s brows furrow.

Beyond the exit was a vast cave, empty except for a single person.

It was a woman, her clothes in tatters, her entire body covered in fine scratches.

Fang Mu approached, and as he came within five meters of her, the woman suddenly raised her head.

A face, grotesquely twisted, appeared. Her eyes were a ghastly white, without pupils.

The woman’s hands were shackled with chains as thick as a man’s fist. A large, gaping wound yawned in her abdomen, completely hollowed out.

Even so, the woman had not died.

“A Wraith,” Iron Calculation Immortal said gravely.

Fang Mu glanced down. At the woman’s feet lay a somewhat peculiar book.

The book had no cover; the binding thread was crude, obviously stitched together haphazardly.

Fang Mu picked it up and began to leaf through it carefully.

The more he read, the stranger his expression became.

Iron Fist Immortal also came over, his face growing as grave as Fang Mu’s. “This fellow was clever, no doubt about it. What a pity.”

Fang Mu nodded, continuing to peruse the contents.

“Test, Day One: Wraith lost all reason, knows only how to eat; eats mostly people.”

“Test, Day Two: About half an hour—if no fresh living person is found for her to eat, she will eat herself.”

“Test, Day Three: Turns out we Wraiths need to digest after eating people. If a person turns into a wraith before being fully digested, a wraith will drop after the original dies. What a shame—wasted a wraith, only one left now.”

It was a chronicle, a record of experiments on a man-eating wraith.

“No wonder. Sometimes a wraith drops another wraith when killed, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Fang Mu thought of his recent trip to Meng County. After killing Aunt Wang, a corpse had been left behind, but after killing Old Chen, there had been nothing.

Fang Mu kept turning the pages, and a theory began to form in his mind.

If he was right, this Zheng Wen had been conducting secret tests behind the scenes.

“He probably knew his days were numbered, and somehow found a wraith,” Iron Calculation Immortal said, looking confident. “He hoped to find a way out through these experiments.”

Fang Mu turned another page, eyes fixed on the text. “The results multiply by the day, but none of them seem significant.”

“Test, Day Nine: Why? Why no results? Why is Godfather so flawless? I’ve eaten everyone in my family. Do I really have to eat myself and become a wraith?”

The later entries were more and more disjointed, the handwriting increasingly erratic. Clearly, after repeated failures, Zheng Wen had been pushed to the brink of collapse.

After finishing the last page, Fang Mu checked each one again before handing the book to Iron Calculation Immortal. “See if you can divine anything.”

Iron Calculation Immortal took it, performed a divination with his tortoiseshell, then shook his head. “Nothing. Zheng Wen is dead. The trail is cold.”

Fang Mu paced around the deranged wraith, weighing his options.

“Brother Bronze Calculation Demon,” Iron Calculation Immortal reminded him.

“What is it?”

“Time waits for no one. We need to hurry to Meng County.”

“No rush,” Fang Mu replied, unmoved. He had another idea.

The clues had run dry, but nothing in the world is truly hopeless.

Fang Mu drew his butcher’s knife and pointed it at the wraith.

The ragged wraith lifted her head, a hoarse snarl gurgling from her throat.

“Brother Bronze Calculation Demon, are you… going to kill her?”

“Heaven cherishes life. Let me grant her peace.”

Iron Calculation Immortal was openly skeptical. Cherishing life? Coming from someone else, perhaps it would be believable. But from you? Not a word.

Actually, Fang Mu had his own reasons. Though all other clues were gone, there was still one possible lead—the corpse-touching technique.

As the test records said, if a wraith eats someone and is not fully digested, a wraith will drop when she dies.

Fang Mu didn’t know exactly what “digested” meant, but he took it at face value.

Judging by her starved expression, this wraith hadn’t eaten in a long time; whatever was in her belly had long since been digested.

Which brought up the problem: where could he find something for her to eat now?

Staring at the ravenous look on her face, inspiration suddenly struck Fang Mu.

He had it!

He raised the butcher’s knife and brought it down—not at the wraith, but at the iron chains binding her hands.

Sparks flew, a sharp crack rang out, and the chains broke.

“Brother Bronze Calculation Demon, you…” Iron Calculation Immortal was stunned, unable to make sense of Fang Mu’s actions.

Weren’t you going to grant her peace? What’s this about?

“Hunger… hunger…”

Freed, the wraith let out a blood-curdling scream and lunged at Fang Mu, regarding him as a delectable meal.

Iron Calculation Immortal was about to intervene, but froze when he saw Fang Mu’s movements.

Fang Mu simply lifted a foot and kicked the wraith in the chest, sending her flying.

“Out.”

His gaze was calm as he uttered the single word.

The wraith crashed to the ground, but scrambled back up and charged again, unwilling to give up.

Fang Mu kicked her again, this time with true energy coursing through him, sending her flying even higher.

Again and again, the wraith lunged, and each time Fang Mu sent her soaring.

The only one left dumbfounded in the cave was Iron Calculation Immortal.

Is this Heaven’s mercy? Are my eyes deceiving me?