The woman in red sat across from Nan Zhi, her eyes fixed hungrily on her as if staring at a delectable delicacy.
The guests ate and drank heartily; when their gazes occasionally fell upon the woman, they merely showed a momentary confusion before quickly looking away.
Even the children running through the venue, the waitstaff serving dishes, and the men urging toasts subconsciously avoided her.
It was as if she were an invisible, intangible wall.
Everyone overlooked her existence.
Behind them was the stark white mourning hall. Beyond paper streamers and brazier bowls, a coffin lay flat, flanked on both sides by male and female paper figures with unpainted eyes and rosy cheeks.
The woman in red was exceedingly jarring—dressed in bright crimson with a faint smile on her face, sitting upright at this very table.
Yet apart from Nan Zhi, no one noticed this bizarre sight.
【Joy God: Level 26 (Red-Clothed Vengeful Ghost)】
It was actually an evil ghost on the verge of transforming into a wraith, possessing strength equivalent to Qi Refinement Level 5!
Not long had passed since the Spiritual Resurgence, yet Beidong already had such an evil ghost appearing in the world.
Nan Zhi recognized the ghost's origin at a glance:
This was a Funeral Joy Ghost born in rural mountain villages, originating from someone who died during a joyous occasion. Though its name contained the word “God,” it had nothing to do with genuine deities.
Dressed completely in red at the time of its death, this ghost specifically appeared at funerals, bearing a joyful expression and uttering auspicious words.
What made this ghost formidable was its ability to manipulate human perception, making people subconsciously and dazedly perceive it as an acquaintance.
However, anyone who saw it would later die suddenly and inexplicably.
“Congratulations, congratulations! Today is truly an auspicious day—prosperity and harmony, good fortune and happiness, smooth sailing in all things, peace and safety.”
The Joy God opened her mouth, spilling out a steady stream of blessings:
“The hosts celebrate a joyous occasion and treat their guests to a feast. Meeting here is fate, so I wish you great wealth every day and good fortune without end.”
Liu Guansheng, sitting next to her, looked blank for a moment and subconsciously nodded in agreement: “Right... What a...”
“A handsome groom and beautiful bride...”
“So full of love.”
Apart from Nan Zhi, the others were all somewhat dazed, smiling subconsciously and about to chime in, when suddenly Nan Zhi slammed a bowl of silver ear fungus soup right onto the table before them.
Several nearby tables glanced over subconsciously, but when their gazes swept across the woman in red, they quickly slid away without seeing anything amiss.
“The family is holding a funeral, so what are you doing singing and dancing here? How about I have someone slide the coffin lid open so you can lie inside yourself?”
Nan Zhi wiped her hands with a kerchief and stared coldly at the woman in red: “You three better take a close look at where we are. Shouting congratulations inside a mourning hall—are you looking for a beating?”
Jolted by her shout, Hu Manni, Lyu Dongfang, and Liu Guansheng shuddered, only then realizing they had dazedly fallen under a spell.
Focusing their eyes, they saw white funeral banners hanging everywhere and faint wails drifting from the mourning hall—and seated at the very same table was a red-clothed vengeful ghost.
“Holy crap!”
Being the closest, Liu Guansheng threw a punch instinctively, but the creature had no solid bones; it melted like jelly into a half-phantom before dissipating into thin air with venomous eyes.
Escaped?
How could that be possible?
Nan Zhi unobtrusively spread her divine sense, swiftly locating the fleeing Joy God, and flicked a subtle thought.
A beam of dark light shot out silently. In a mere instant, the red-clothed vengeful ghost let out a shrill cackle and vanished on the spot.
【Congratulations, Cultivator, on slaying the Level 26 wild red-named monster “Joy God.” Obtained: Five-Witch Banner (Damaged) ×1, Large Spiritual Energy Cluster ×5, Yin Yang Flower ×1】
Nan Zhi furrowed her brows.
“Hehehe—”
The Joy Ghost’s dying shrill laughter exploded above the crowd like a kitchen knife scraping across the bottom of a plate—piercing, grating, and carrying a spine-chilling chill.
“!”
“Did you hear that?”
“...I-I heard it.”
“What the hell was that sound?! Who’s laughing that loudly?”
“Why does it sound like it’s coming from the mourning hall? Are we seeing ghosts in broad daylight?!”
“Oh god, why is it so creepy? I've got goosebumps all over.”
That abrupt sound instantly caused the banquet guests to erupt into a commotion. Exchanging glances, they tacitly stood up and left the feast early.
Ever since the Spiritual Resurgence, bizarre incidents around them had grown increasingly frequent. A funeral was already steeped in the shadow of death, and with such an incident on top of it...
No matter how close their relationship with the family was, nobody dared to remain seated at the banquet; everyone made excuses to flee.
The three companions looked at one another, clearly still recovering from the shock. Hearing that ghostly laughter made the hair on the back of their necks stand on end.
Lyu Dongfang touched the back of his neck, finding a palm full of sweat despite the chilly wind: “One fears not a ghost weeping, but a ghost laughing. What the heck was that thing? It was sitting right next to me just now, yet except for Little Aunt, none of us even noticed!”
“That thing shouldn't have gotten far. I wonder what its origin is.”
Hu Manni stood up and scooped Hu Cuiying into her arms: “Cuiying, check if that thing is still around.”
“What in the world, oh my god! Why is it such an unlucky, sickening nuisance?”
Hu Cuiying, who had been gnawing on a chicken leg under the table, scrambled out and placed her paws on Hu Manni's shoulders, her mottled fur puffed out in fright: “Beidong hasn't seen a Joy Ghost in years! I thought these things had gone extinct. How did such a formidable one suddenly pop up out of nowhere? It almost fooled even me!”
A Joy God—also known as a Joy Ghost or Joy Wraith—often wore red and appeared at funerals.
If one wasn't careful and allowed such a ghost to offer congratulations toward the deceased, the corpse would reanimate instantly.
Nan Zhi gave her a silent glance, not bothering to expose her.
—That gluttonous fox hadn't noticed the Joy Ghost's presence at all; she hadn't even wiped the grease from her mouth.
“Don't be nervous. That thing probably ran off, and it dropped this before leaving.”
Lying through her teeth, she held up the damaged little banner and turned to ask Hu Cuiying: “Do you know if any of the Five Families of Beidong specialize in ghost taming?”
She was somewhat concerned about the Five-Witch Banner from that Joy God. Even though it was only a damaged remnant, it proved this creature had been deliberately raised by someone.
“Raising ghosts? Little Aunt, do you suspect that ghost was targeting us? That's impossible.”
Hu Cuiying shook her fur and pondered for a moment: “Ghost raising is the forte of Xixiang and Daoism. The Five Families of Beidong follow the path of demonic cultivation, cultivating merit, and gathering incense offerings; none of that involves raising ghosts.”
“Maybe it's an outsider? Even if no one in your five families knows how, someone else might. This thing looks like something from Daoism.”
Lyu Dongfang leaned in for a look and added: “Beidong has the Changbai spiritual pulse. Influenced by the Spiritual Resurgence, it isn't impossible for one or two formidable ghosts and demons to emerge. Modern society has a much more comprehensive legal system than in the past, so life-taking vengeful and evil ghosts rarely form naturally. If a Joy Ghost like that was truly raised by someone, then—”
The few of them exchanged glances, feeling a pang of concern in their hearts.
Could it be that trouble was brewing in Beidong as well?
Nan Zhi, however, felt a faint trace of excitement.
Her spiritual energy clusters had just about run out recently.
She hadn't expected someone to rush over to deliver cultivation materials straight to her.
What a godsend of a benefactor!
Rate on N.U.
