Mortal Bones

Chapter 24: Battling the Chang Ghost, Xu Taiping Fights with His Back to the River

“Hehehe… hehehe…”

Not long after the two disciples from the Fierce Wind Hall departed, the Chang Ghost, draped in a tattered cloak and possessing a rotting corpse, rode a demon wolf to the gates of Xu Taiping’s courtyard.

“You sought to invite those useless fools to capture me, but do you truly believe they would dare?”

The Chang Ghost shouted toward Xu Taiping, who stood atop the roof, its voice dripping with mockery.

“As long as my doors remain barred, what can you do?”

Xu Taiping retorted to the malicious spirit. In the next breath, his fingers slipped. An arrow, wrapped in the True Qi of the Residual Sunset Technique, tore through the air with a piercing whoosh.

Clang!

Yet, to Xu Taiping’s shock, the black-robed Chang Ghost suddenly drew a longsword from beneath its cloak, delivering a flawless strike that cleaved the incoming arrow in twain.

“Had it not been for your cowardly ambush yesterday, how could a greenhorn who hasn’t even reached the Door Opening Realm possibly injure me?”

The Chang Ghost sneered coldly, leveling the tip of its blade directly at Xu Taiping.

Xu Taiping’s expression darkened into a solemn mask.

From that single sword strike alone, he could discern that the creature’s prowess vastly eclipsed his own. Forcing it out of Liu Qingmei’s vessel yesterday had relied entirely on the element of surprise.

An ambush only works once. The Chang Ghost will be on high alert from now on. Forcing it out of its host to exploit its weakness to alcohol will be immensely difficult.

Xu Taiping analyzed the situation internally as he nocked another arrow and drew his bowstring taut.

“Little brat, do not assume you are safe just because you cower behind these walls. In ten days at most, I will sever the subterranean channel feeding your backyard herb garden. Once it is blocked, your garden will be parched, and every stalk of Spirit Grass will wither into dust!”

The Chang Ghost threatened, its rotting face twisting into a cunning, malicious grin.

A knot tightened in Xu Taiping’s chest.

The lifeblood of his herb garden was indeed a subterranean channel buried deep beneath the earth. It provided a continuous flow through the irrigation ditches, making tending the crops effortless.

If the Chang Ghost truly severed that vein, he would be forced to venture outside to draw water. Otherwise, the perilla he had recently planted would quickly perish.

If I stockpile water now, I can sustain the garden for another four or five days after the supply is cut. That gives me a maximum of fifteen days to prepare.

Xu Taiping’s mind raced at lightning speed.

“Brat, the only reason I am telling you this is because I appreciate your wit. I am offering you a path to survival: surrender your life and become my ghostly servant. Refuse, and I will treat you like Liu Qingmei. I will weave your soul into a lantern wick and let you taste a torment worse than death!”

Beneath the barrage of threats lay the Chang Ghost’s true motive for tonight’s visit.

Having witnessed Xu Taiping’s resourcefulness, the spirit coveted him. It intended to offer the boy’s physical flesh to the Tiger King and bind his soul as a subordinate phantom.

These days, even among the undead, capable hands were in short supply.

“I am a righteous cultivator of the Qingxuan Sect. Why would I ever stoop to acting as a tiger’s lackey like you?”

Xu Taiping scoffed coldly. His fingers released, and with another sharp whoosh, a second arrow struck out.

Swish!

Without any suspense, the Chang Ghost’s blade flashed, batting the arrow away effortlessly.

“A righteous cultivator?”

The Chang Ghost threw its head back and howled with laughter, as if it had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

“Your own Daoist scriptures claim: ‘The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to all things. Ultimately, all things return to One.’ The myriad Dao methods of this world are merely different paths converging at the same peak! What distinction is there between righteousness and wickedness, good and evil? Swear loyalty to me, and I shall impart the Dao of Ghostly Cultivation. Given enough time, you could still achieve true immortality!”

Realizing threats were ineffective, the Chang Ghost pivoted to temptation.

“The Dao may be impartial, but humanity knows the difference between good and evil! The Sage of Calligraphy proclaimed: ‘Born as a mortal, you must cultivate the self, uplift others, and embody the nature of water—dwelling in the abyss of vice yet acting with unyielding virtue!'”

As he spoke, Xu Taiping nocked a third arrow. He raised his chin proudly, his gaze piercing the Chang Ghost. “You were born human, yet you shun virtuous deeds to play the lackey of a beast! You slaughter your own kind and trample the weak. This is a profound evil, and you are courting death!”

Standing barely five feet tall, Xu Taiping’s imposing aura made him seem a towering giant compared to the eight-foot-tall Chang Ghost.

“Since you are so eager to die, I will grant your wish!”

Humiliated and enraged, the Chang Ghost snorted. It spurred its demon wolf to turn away, casting one final, venomous glare over its shoulder.

“Did you really think severing the water vein would only kill your precious Spirit Grass? I have no fear in telling you this: the irrigation trenches are the lifeblood fueling the defensive barrier around your residence. Once the water stops, the barrier will shatter on its own!”

Whether blinded by fury or simply underestimating the young boy, the Chang Ghost had carelessly leaked a fatal piece of intelligence.

“Mark my words. Within half a month, your head will be mine!”

With that final declaration, the Chang Ghost vanished into the adjacent mountain forest, swallowed by the darkness.

“Half a month… that is plenty of time.”

Xu Taiping stared at the tree line where the spirit had disappeared, his fists clenching tightly.

His archery display had not been a mere outburst of anger; he was methodically testing his enemy’s capabilities.

I fired three arrows, and each time, it chose to parry rather than evade. This proves that if the possessed corpse takes damage, the soul tethered to it suffers as well.

Furthermore, I varied the draw weight for each shot. Its reaction speed noticeably lagged against the final two arrows. If I can elevate my cultivation, it won’t be able to deflect my strikes so effortlessly.

If I can somehow lull it into a false sense of security, landing a lethal blow is entirely possible.

With his analysis complete, Xu Taiping leaped down from the roof, his eyes sweeping across the quiet courtyard.

A direct confrontation is suicide unless I break through to the Door Opening Realm. Over the next fifteen days, even if I push my True Qi to the Ice Condensation Phase, my only hope of killing that Chang Ghost is to lay a flawless trap.

I only get one shot. My preparations must be absolute.

He could have chosen to flee. He could have doused himself in strong liquor to ward off the ghost’s approach and run for his life.

But hundreds of miles of untamed wilderness stretched in every direction. How far could a boy truly run?

“Instead of running like a coward, it’s better to stand my ground and fight with my back to the river.”

Xu Taiping spun on his heel and strode purposefully toward his bedroom.

Time was his most precious commodity, and he refused to waste another second.

What Xu Taiping failed to realize was that his entire standoff with the Chang Ghost had been closely monitored from a forest several miles away.

Reclining casually atop a high branch was an old man with thinning, gray hair and tattered robes.

An ancient bronze sword hung lazily from his waist, while a weathered wine gourd rested loosely in his grip.