Chapter 47: Fighting Wu Zhuang

Upon hearing this news, I immediately rushed forward, while the black mist surrounding Han Cuiyun grew unstable and she flew back into the ghost token.

In the alley ahead, a fierce and noisy scuffle was underway. A pang of shock rippled through my heart—with such a commotion, weren't they afraid someone would call the police?

When I reached the mouth of the alley, I saw Uncle A-Gui, Old Wan’s housekeeper, locked in combat with a young man.

To my astonishment, A-Gui was a martial arts master. Fighting bare-handed, he managed to hold his own against the young man, who wielded a string of copper-coin swords. The ancient coins were strung together with a red cord, shifting fluidly between a rigid sword and a flexible whip.

Although the young man swung the weapon with great skill, he was barely able to maintain a stalemate against A-Gui.

Blood trickled from the corner of the young man’s mouth, making it clear that A-Gui’s strikes had already inflicted internal injuries. The only reason he could still stand his ground was because a ghost was constantly hovering around, assisting in his attacks.

I noticed that the old man was not entirely without a weapon; he held a talisman in one hand, and whenever the female ghost drew near, he would lash out with it to beat her back.

The female ghost seemed utterly terrified of this talisman, fleeing halfway through her onslaught every time it was brandished.

"Wu Qiang, hand over the notebook and come back with me. Master Wan will spare your life," A-Gui said through clenched teeth.

"Hmph! Old man, do you take me for a fool who doesn't know whose side you're on? I saw through that bitch Xiao-Lan’s soul long ago. To think you'd betray Old Wan for her—I really want to see how Old Wan deals with the likes of you."

"Hmph! Wu Zhuang, since you already know, don't even think about leaving."

*Splash.* A water bucket by the doorway of a house in the alley was knocked over.

*Bang!* This time, A-Gui delivered an even heavier blow, kicking Wu Zhuang flying.

"Puff!" Wu Zhuang spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

*Stomp, stomp, stomp.* A-Gui advanced with rapid strides and unleashed another kick.

"Ah!" Wu Zhuang was struck once again.

My heart hammered wildly; it looked as though Wu Zhuang was about to lose.

In the gloom, my eyes adapted exceptionally well. I spotted a dark object materialize in Wu Zhuang's hand.

The item seemed to have been concealed in his sleeve all along. A-Gui lunged with another kick, intending to end the fight by targeting Wu Zhuang's neck.

With a flick of Wu Zhuang's finger, a blinding white light shot outward. A-Gui instinctively tried to dodge, but the moment Wu Zhuang pressed the switch, his own body sprang into motion.

Abandoning his previous steady pace, he spun rapidly, using a reverse hand-wrap to grab A-Gui’s leg. Pulled off balance by the momentum and blinded by the glaring white light, A-Gui was instantly tripped and thrown to the ground by a joint-lock maneuver.

"Ah! My eyes!" A-Gui shrieked. I knew he had been hit; a sneak attack to his face had succeeded.

Wu Zhuang did not pause. With a flick of his wrist, the copper-coin sword snapped back into a rigid blade and thrust straight toward A-Gui’s heart.

"Puff!" The blade pierced A-Gui’s body, sending a violent tremor through him and stripping him of any capacity to resist.

Panting heavily, Wu Zhuang scrambled to his feet and resumed running forward.

This place was no longer safe, especially with a casualty on the hands of their prolonged brawl. Who knew if someone had already called the police?

Stumbling blindly, Wu Zhuang reached the alley entrance where I was hiding. Timing it precisely, I threw a punch—a successful sneak attack that landed squarely on Wu Zhuang's jaw, sending him reeling backward onto the ground.

I immediately stepped forward, intending to follow up with a couple more blows, but Wu Zhuang's reflexes were astonishingly fast. With a swift rolling backflip, he popped back to his feet.

At that moment, Han Cuiyun sensed Wu Zhuang and immediately flew out again, shrouded in dark spiritual energy as she unleashed a barrage of attacks against him.

Yet, Wu Zhuang merely channeled a casual wave of magic to neutralize her onslaught.

My heart skipped a beat. Wu Zhuang must have used certain methods against Han Cuiyun in the past; otherwise, her attacks would not have proven so utterly ineffective.

Panic gripped me. If Wu Zhuang had truly tampered with Han Cuiyun before, the vast majority of her strikes would be rendered useless.

Driven back by the relentless assaults, Wu Zhuang could only summon his own female ghost to assist.

"Han Cuiyun! Don't force me, or I swear I'll scatter your soul to the winds!"

"Wu Zhuang, you dared to deceive me! Prepare to die!"

"Get lost, you bitch, or I'll be forced to take serious action!"

"Hmph! Wu Zhuang, I can sense your magical power is depleting. Today is your day of reckoning!"

"Whoosh!" Han Cuiyun lunged once again, clawing at Wu Zhuang's throat.

Wu Zhuang swept his hand across his face, and an immediate crimson palm-print materialized, enveloping Han Cuiyun.

"Ah!" Han Cuiyun recoiled instantly, flying backward.

I could clearly feel the terror Han Cuiyun harbored toward Wu Zhuang's blood-stained hand.

A jolt of shock ran through me. I had heard that Daoist priests could use their own vital qi and blood to bolster their mystical powers, but I never imagined a priest's blood could directly manifest as a spell seal capable of subduing Han Cuiyun.

Yet, a passage from my grandmother's manual immediately flashed through my mind: *"Refining ghosts with blood; blood restrains ghost refinement."*

Understanding dawned on me instantly. Having once used his own vital qi and blood to refine ghosts, Wu Zhuang's blood had transformed into a magical artifact that intrinsically suppressed Han Cuiyun. She would never stand a chance of turning the tables on him in this lifetime.

With that realization, I accelerated my pace and charged straight at Wu Zhuang.

The moment I appeared, Wu Zhuang's eyes locked onto me. Without uttering a word, I formed hand seals and chanted under my breath: *"Body and Dao in harmony, spirit and qi as one, with my intent, summon the celestial firmament. Decree!"* This was the second spell I had ever learned, and today marked its maiden deployment in combat.

This incantation was meant to summon Huang Liulang into battle, plunging him directly into an unyielding, relentless combat state.

Huang Liulang materialized before me in a flash of white light, wielding the God-Beating Whip as he charged forward.

Wu Zhuang's gaze froze for a split second before he hastily raised his palms to counter the attack.

A wave of crimson light rippled outward between the two combatants as I closed the distance.

Instead of deploying spells for my attack, I leaped into the air and kicked fiercely toward Wu Zhuang.

My grandfather used to say: *If you believe what you are doing is right, then just go for it!*

I had witnessed my grandfather unleash his fury once; wielding a broadsword, he cowed everyone into silence, relying entirely on his surging vigor and righteous yang energy.

Seeing my kick hurtling toward him, Wu Zhuang retreated, but the narrow terrain caused him to stumble and fall backward.

A surge of joy swelled in my chest. Although my kick missed its target, I had successfully closed in on him.

"Puff!" I raised my foot and drove it straight into Wu Zhuang's stomach.

"Ouch!" Wu Zhuang let out a miserable howl and roared, "You're courting death!"

He rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging my second kick.

Putting all my strength into the strike, I lost my balance after kicking at empty air and nearly took a tumble myself.

"Xiao Fang, finish him off!" Han Cuiyun shrieked as she hurled herself at Wu Zhuang.

*Thud.* Wu Zhuang struck Han Cuiyun squarely, triggering a burst of crimson light that sent her flying backward.

Showing no concern for Han Cuiyun's fate, Huang Liulang closed in on Wu Zhuang with the God-Beating Whip, raining relentless blows down upon him without a shred of mercy.

Though initially caught off guard and battered by a couple of lashes that weakened his aura, Wu Zhuang scrambled back up from his roll. Pulling a talisman paper from his waist, he chanted, "Dao follows nature, heaven and earth are infinite, decree!"

A ball of yellow light instantly materialized in front of Huang Liulang, blasting him backward through the air.

A chill ran down my spine. Wu Zhuang was no ordinary adversary; he had genuinely inherited authentic teachings. His incantations and finger seals were unlike anything I had ever witnessed. Relying solely on mystical combat would surely put me at a disadvantage.

"Damn it, kid, who are you? Who is your master?"

"Your grandpa's name is Fang Yuan! Take this!" I roared, charging forward once again.