Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 127: The Ghost (1400 votes plus more)
The mighty Yangtze River carries countless mud and sand for thousands of miles, piling up into numerous sandbanks at the estuary.

These sandbanks were not connected to the land and were very unstable. They might be nearly 100 miles in radius this year but disappear without a trace the next year. Therefore, the imperial court could not establish rule over them and used them as places to exile prisoners.

Coupled with the refugees and wanted criminals who fled here, this place became a well-known den of filth and corruption.

On one of the inconspicuous sandbanks, deep in a large reed bush, a circle of reed sheds was built using local materials, providing excellent concealment.

In the largest reed shed in the room, there were no windows on the four walls, and a door curtain was hung at the only entrance. It was pitch dark in the daytime, with only an oil lamp on, which made the place seem even more eerie.

With the dim light, one could see a simple plaque hanging high in the room, on which were engraved two hideous characters in large, vivid strokes - 'Ming Gui'.

There are two lines of words hanging on the side: 'The ghosts and gods will know it; the ghosts and gods will punish it.'

Eight men and women wearing black robes and terrifying ghost masks knelt in two rows on reed mats.

A man with a ghost mask and white hair in a black robe sat cross-legged in the main seat. His sinister gaze pierced through the ghost mask and fell on a large jar in the hall.

There was a dead-like head on the jar, with no blood on the face, but one could still vaguely tell it was Mr. Chen.

"When he was found, his limbs had already been torn off by the zombie king. It was the female zombie he raised who carried him back." A man with red stripes on his mask on the left reported.

"螝, is he still alive?" the leader asked, his voice like the clanging of metal.

"Alive. But he was seriously injured. I was afraid he would die on the way, so I used a life-extending insect to keep him alive."

"Wake him up."

"Yes." The red-striped ghost-faced man responded, and a strange and unpleasant chirping sound came out of his mouth. Soon, countless black beetles poured out of Mr. Chen's mouth and nose, forming a black quicksand that returned to the sleeves of the red-striped ghost-faced man.

As the beetles left his body, Mr. Chen soon showed a look of pain on his face, and his groans became louder and louder.

"Stop screaming!" The leader shouted in a low voice, and his voice seemed to contain magic, which made Mr. Qin stop screaming in pain and open his eyes.

"Ah, Master Zhui!" When Mr. Zhui saw the leader, his face was filled with fear at first, then he lowered his head and said dejectedly: "I have failed to live up to your trust, and I deserve to die!"

"You really deserve to die." Lord Zhui said in a hoarse voice, "But before you die, tell me what happened. How did Donghunhou escape? Where is the Emperor's Sword? Did you get it?"

Everyone looked at Mr. Chen in the jar, and they all wanted to know the answer.

Mr. Chen then recounted the entire incident in detail.

While listening to his story, Lord Nai kept rubbing his hands on his body, and actually rubbed out a mud ball the size of a longan.

Then Mr. Chen sighed in frustration, "...At that time, I had already obtained the Emperor's Sword with the help of the Incorruptible Bone given by the prince. But as luck would have it, suddenly a few mountain spirits and ghosts jumped out and went to pull out the soul stakes separately."

"The three of us rushed to stop it, but one of them was still pulled out, and Donghunhou lifted the seal." Speaking of this tragic experience, Mr. Chen still looked terrified.

"He has really turned into a corpse king just as the prince said. No one present can stop him. And because I ripped open his stomach and took out his Emperor's Sword, he targeted me, took away the Emperor's Sword, and broke both of my arms."

"I was seriously injured and had to run away, but the beast chased me relentlessly for ten days and ten nights. I paid the price of my two legs before I got rid of him..." When talking about the sad part, Mr. Qin shed two lines of tears of blood.

But Lord Nai didn't care about his tears at all, and asked himself: "Where is the Heavenly Emperor's Sword now? Has it been taken back by Donghun Hou?"

"No." Mr. Chen shook his head and replied, "Donghun Hou snatched it back from the tomb, but that thing may have been fighting with him for too long and it repelled him very much, so he had no choice but to throw it away." "Where did he throw it?"

"It was thrown into a person's body." Mr. Chen said: "The scene was too chaotic, and those people used a trick to deceive people. I don't remember what he looked like."

"Waste." Lord Zhui snorted angrily and said, "Although you have been tortured into this state by Donghun Hou, we Minggui reward merits and punish faults without any difference, so if you have nothing else to say, go to the Thousand Snakes and Insects Cave to confess your sins."

Then two people stood up and prepared to carry the big jar down.

"Wait a minute, I can still make up for my crime!" When Mr. Chen heard that he was going to the Thousand Snakes and Insects Cave, his face turned pale and he shouted hurriedly: "I know that the Emperor's Sword has not fallen into the hands of the Xiaoliang court. I can get the Emperor's Sword back!"

"Oh?" Lord Zhu raised his hand and motioned for the two to wait. "How do you know that the court has not yet obtained the Emperor's Sword?"

"The reason is very simple. The Emperor's Sword is a symbol of orthodoxy on the same level as the Seal of the Realm. If the Xiaoliang court had obtained it, it would have made it public immediately!" Mr. Chen quickly explained:
"And I found out from the people here that they didn't know the Emperor's Sword was hidden in the body of Donghun Hou. They all thought our prince had taken it to the Northern Dynasty!"

"Yes, that makes sense." Lord Zhui nodded and said, "The prince announced that the Emperor's Sword was in his hands in order to divert attention."

"Then do you know where that thing is now?" he asked Mr. Chen again.

"I don't know." Mr. Chen shook his head confidently, "But I know it's on those mountain elves and monsters."

"You mean, we can find it by visiting the fairyland?" asked Lord Tui.

"Going to visit the fairyland at this time..." Everyone around was overwhelmed when they heard this. With such a big incident, the court must have been eyeing that place a long time ago. Going there at this time would most likely lead to walking into a trap.

"They are no longer visiting the fairyland." Mr. Chen shook his head.

"How did you know?" everyone asked hurriedly.

"I can sense my incorruptible bones." Mr. Chen said in a deep voice, "I have nurtured this thing for a hundred days. It is connected to me by blood. I can feel that it has long left the Immortal Land and gone to the south."

"Going to Jiangnan?" Lord Tui asked in a deep voice.

"The last time I sensed it, it was near Qiantang." Mr. Chen closed his eyes and searched for a while before saying, "Now it's heading west again."

After a pause, he added: "But the specific location can only be sensed when you are close to it."

"..." Lord Zhu stared at Mr. Zhu coldly. After making sure that he was not lying in order to save his life, he said in a deep voice: "I will trust you for the last time."

"Thank you, sir, for giving me this opportunity to redeem myself from my crime." Mr. Chen was overjoyed. It was obvious that he did not love death as much as he said, at least he did not love his own death.

"Don't be too happy yet. I will go with you this time." Lord Zhui said coldly, "If you can't find the Emperor's Sword, I guarantee you will regret why you didn't enter the Thousand Snakes and Insects Cave earlier!"

"Yes, sir, don't worry, we will definitely find it." Mr. Chen was awed and promised quickly.

"What's the use of just being relieved?" Lord Tui snorted and ordered a subordinate wearing a green ghost mask, "Uncle Tui, offer the highest reward and ask friends in the martial arts world to help find these people."

"Yes." The green ghost-faced man responded in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)