Chapter 35: Two Conditions

"If you want to see my trump card, Lady, then here it is. Is this enough for you?"

The female ghost fell silent. Ten seconds later, she spoke: "Put away your God-Beating Whip. Let us discuss business."

I smiled. It would have been better if you were this reasonable from the start; it would have saved us both the trouble.

Suddenly, a cry of "Ouch!" came from the doorway. I glanced over with my "evil eye" and saw Li Si had tripped. He scrambled to his feet and ran away. Old Wan was still in the room, but he was so stunned that he remained frozen in place like a fool.

In the short time I had been battling the ghost—which had only taken a minute or two—the others had only heard me talking to myself. According to experts, for someone to see a ghost, their brainwaves must be on the same frequency. If a ghost does not want to be seen, you will never enter that frequency. I, however, am different; I was born with pure Yin of the Five Elements, and compared to a ghost, I possess an extra breath of Yang and the protective aura of my great-grandfather.

"Tell them to leave, so they don't get hurt," I said to the ghost.

"Fine. Put away your trump card, and let's talk."

I glanced at Xiao Lan and asked, "What about her?"

The female ghost didn't waste any time. With another flurry of movement, a stream of dark light flew out from the mirror and sank directly into Xiao Lan’s body. Xiao Lan’s frame shuddered, she slumped to the floor, and began to cough violently.

"Old Wan, take Xiao Lan out. She is fine now."

Old Wan didn't react, so A-Gui, who was standing outside the door, jogged in, hoisted Xiao Lan up, and grabbed Old Wan by the arm to usher him out as he passed. Old Wan finally snapped out of his daze, looking panicked. "Is she alright? Is it really over?"

Ignoring the trio, I said firmly, "Uncle A-Gui, close the door. I’m not coming out, and no one is allowed in."

I said this mainly to prevent them from getting hurt if the female ghost decided to act up again. Since she had released Xiao Lan, her intent was clear: she was showing good faith, and now it was a matter of how much good faith I would show in return. My fear was that if she didn't get what she wanted, she might become even more frantic. If I had to fight again, I would be exhausted, and with the God-Beating Whip, I could at most protect myself.

The door closed, plunging the room into darkness. Yet, I could still faintly see the surroundings against the black backdrop.

I was now alone, but I felt more confident. Since the God-Beating Whip could suppress her, that was enough. I walked forward, intending to put the whip back in its box, but changed my mind. Damn it—the ghost hadn't even realized I had the whip earlier. It seemed the box had been blocking its spiritual energy. I tucked the whip into the inner pocket of my jacket, leaving the zipper open. I needed to be able to draw it for an attack at a moment's notice.

The vanity table began to shake, so violently I thought it might fall apart. Five seconds later, it stopped, and black mist began to churn on the mirror again, slowly forming the silhouette of a woman. The mist flew out of the mirror. I ignored the commotion at the vanity; she had been trying to get out for a while, and the mist was merely the precursor. Huang Liulang had tried to stop her earlier but failed.

I strolled over to the Guan Yu statue. Earlier, a glowing magical artifact had been there, and that was my objective. Up close, I realized it was a string of Five Emperor Coins, and one of the Qianlong Tongbao coins was emitting the light.

My grandmother's notebook explained that the spiritual energy of a cultivator manifests in colors: white, yellow, red, and purple, with varying degrees of intensity. By seeing the color, one could judge their strength. Ghosts and spirits operate on a different system based on resentment: black, green, cyan, and white. If you encounter a ghost stronger than yourself, you should flee. My own spiritual energy was white, but there was a faint, swirling red aura in my chest.

The black mist coalesced into the shape of a woman. She was wearing a Republic-era cheongsam and had a beautiful face. Ignoring her, I reached for the waist of the Guan Yu statue, where the string of coins had been hung. As I touched them, a gentle, warm energy flowed into my palm. I knew this object had been nourished by a predecessor for years, turning it into a true artifact.

The other four coins were ordinary copper, save for one that emitted a faint, cold black light—it had clearly been plucked from a grave, steeped in Yin energy. I untied the string and took the two Qianlong coins in my hand. The warmth flowed into my body, feeling incredibly comfortable.

The comfort didn't last long, however. Looking at the coin again, its white glow had faded and turned cold. I immediately channeled my energy to feel the changes within me. A weak streak of white light circulated through my Qi sea, nourishing it. To my astonishment, in just that short time, my power had increased.

The other coin, however, channeled cold, ghostly energy that sent a chill down my spine and straight into my sea of consciousness. The "little sesame seed" in my mind flickered; it was the core of my Bean Soldier, and a halo of light now appeared around it. I was overjoyed. I had made a major discovery: my power didn't necessarily have to come from cultivation alone; there were better ways.

"Kid, let’s talk. Don't get too smug just because you picked up a low-level artifact; that thing isn't much use against me."

I curled my lip. "Lady, your posturing isn't cute. If you don't want to talk properly, then let's just call it quits. Wasting my time is no different from trying to murder me."

The ghost froze, black mist churning on her face, but then she laughed. "You’ve got a point. You’ll be joining me in a few years anyway. When that happens, hang out with me—I’ll look after you."

I was stunned. Was this ghost a gangster? "What should I call you, and what did you do when you were alive?"

"Asking about my background already? You’re quite the old hand at this."

"I'm no gangster. Let's not waste time. State your demands, and let's negotiate."

"What demands? Haven't I already returned Xiao Lan's soul?"

"Being entangled with your ghostly aura isn't something that just goes away when you say so. If you don't want to talk, don't waste my time."

The ghost was taken aback, then laughed again. "Hahaha! Your cultivation is mediocre, but you’ve got a lot of nerve. Fine, let’s talk."

"State your requirements."

"My requirements are simple: help me find Wu the Pockmarked. I want revenge."

I paused. Who Wu the Pockmarked was didn't matter, but the ghost was from the Republic era. If he were still alive, he would be seventy or eighty years old, not counting his age back then.

The ghost continued, "Find Qingyuan, and take back my ghost plate."

I was struck dumb again. One of these demands was possible to attempt; the other was utterly impossible.