Chapter Three: The Chilling Poison of Ghosts

A jet-black, malevolent spirit radiating intense sinister energy surged out from the Ghost Nurturing Banner. The instant this fiend left the banner’s confines, under Su Ming’s command, it lunged straight at Su Ye.

“So, you even keep a malevolent spirit!” The sight of the inky ghost brought a grave look to Su Ye’s face.

This spirit was far stronger than the Joyful Ghost he’d destroyed previously. Had he encountered such a fiend in his past life, slaying it would have been trivial. Now, however, it was a far greater challenge.

Within the sea of his consciousness, the companion jade talisman shimmered with a soft, verdant glow. Su Ye pressed his fingers together like a sword, circulating the Five Thunders of Yin and Yang technique to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Spiritual light danced at his fingertips, and with a swift motion, he painted a ghost-repelling talisman in the air.

“Seal!”

With a low shout, the talisman blazed with silvery-gold light, flashes of lightning crackling across its surface.

Though this was also a basic ghost-repelling talisman, it differed greatly from the one he’d used against the Joyful Ghost. This was a Golden Thunder Ghost-Repelling Talisman.

With a thunderous boom, the talisman exploded, its silver-gold power enveloping the shadowy ghost. The force wreaked havoc on the spirit, and in the instant it struck, dense malevolent energy was blasted from its form.

But Su Ye’s attack only made the fiend more savage and frenzied. Ignoring the pain, it hurled itself at Su Ye once more.

He dropped into a crouch and rolled, narrowly evading the spirit’s assault. Yet the ghost moved with unnatural speed; in a heartbeat, it lunged again.

This body Su Ye now inhabited was frail, unable to execute the movements he was accustomed to. Because of this, he failed to dodge the spirit’s second strike.

The ghost crashed into him and, opening its maw wreathed in chilling energy, bit straight for his neck.

Su Ye jerked his upper body aside; the fiend’s jaws missed his throat but clamped onto his shoulder instead.

A wave of icy venom surged into him. Gritting his teeth, Su Ye forced himself to ignore the pain, forming a sword-hand as another Golden Thunder Ghost-Repelling Talisman took shape at his fingertips.

He pressed the talisman to the ghost’s brow. Instantly, the spirit convulsed violently, torrents of malevolent energy billowing from within.

“Su Ye, you’re courting death!” Su Ming’s voice thundered from the fiend. This spirit was intimately linked to him, far more precious than the three Joyful Ghosts he’d cultivated.

Feeling the agony that wracked his spirit, Su Ming’s face twisted in distress. With a wave of the Ghost Nurturing Banner, he drew the fiend back inside.

“I don’t care who you are. You’ve been poisoned by ghostly chill—if you want to live, you’d best behave!” Su Ming glared venomously at Su Ye, grasping the banner in his left hand and a bluish-grey dagger in his right, closing in with slow, deliberate steps.

Su Ye’s body trembled faintly as he forced the Five Thunders of Yin and Yang to circulate, striving to suppress the chilling ghost poison.

Su Ming had spoken truly: the malevolent spirit harbored a deadly venom that would be fatal to ordinary mortals. However, the Five Thunders of Yin and Yang was a technique of pure yang, specialized in subduing all manner of evil. With effort, Su Ye forced the venom into submission.

As Su Ming, dagger in hand, drew within ten feet, the jade talisman within Su Ye’s consciousness shone fiercely. At last, he managed to suppress the ghost poison.

Hand forming a seal, Su Ye surged forward. With the sound of a thunderclap, his hand struck Su Ming square in the chest.

“Su Ming’s strength is weaker than I expected,” Su Ye realized. Though Su Ming possessed the cultivation of the Second Realm, his actual prowess fell far short.

The Five Thunder Seal he’d unleashed was not backed by true spiritual power; its force was limited. Yet Su Ming’s body was even weaker than an ordinary person’s. The blow sent him reeling, coughing blood.

“You’ll regret this! My master will soon arrive in Jinhua County. Then, you will not escape death!” Su Ming hurled a smoke bomb from his sleeve, spat his threat, and fled the courtyard.

He actually feared that Su Ye might endanger his life—and ran for it!

The struggle between Su Ye and Su Ming had not been loud, and it was deep in the night. Su Ye’s courtyard was secluded; not a soul from the Su family was roused by the commotion.

“The companion jade talisman is nearly spent. Had Su Ming persisted any longer, I’d have been unable to stop him…” Su Ye clutched his chest, wracked with violent coughs, and soon spat blood.

His dantian was still barren of spiritual power. Repeatedly crafting ghost-repelling talismans had severely taxed his frail body, leading to this state.

“Su Ming is timid by nature. He claims his master will soon come to Jinhua County. By now, he’s likely already fled the Su estate…”

Coughing softly, Su Ye made his way to a stone bench in the courtyard and sat down.

“As the wealthiest family in Jinhua County, does the Su family possess any treasures that could aid my cultivation?” He muttered, exhaling a heavy breath. Then, circulating the Five Thunders of Yin and Yang, he began to expel the suppressed ghost poison from his body.

The ghost poison was extremely harmful; even though he had suppressed it, allowing it to linger would bode ill for his health.

With the technique running, a wave of searing energy surged within him, forcing the venom out, little by little.

Time slipped by. By dawn, Su Ye had finally purged every trace of the ghost poison from his body.

“I’ll go straight to the Su family’s secret vault.” Su Ye gazed at the sky, stained crimson by the rising sun, then stepped out of the courtyard and headed toward Rong’an Hall, where Su Ren resided.

Su Ren lived in Rong’an Hall, and the Su family’s most precious treasures were hidden in the underground labyrinth beneath it—though, in truth, nine-tenths of that wealth had been amassed by the Lin family in years past.

Su Ren was the epitome of selfishness and had never shared this secret with anyone.

The only reason Su Ye knew of the hidden vault was because his own mother, on her deathbed, had revealed it to him. Only then did he learn of its existence.