White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 6 The Ferocious Ghost in Red
Bai Wuxiang slowly turned and left. Once he was out of the two people's sight, he hid himself and quietly waited for the sun to set.

The two men on the ground dared not say anything more, fearing that the hero might still hear their conversation if he hadn't gone far. So they could only lie on the ground helplessly and wait for their acupoints to return to normal.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the two relaxed, they fell into a deep sleep without realizing it.

As the sunlight gradually slants westward across the mountaintop, the forests are ablaze with color, a hazy mist hangs over the mountains, flocks of birds return to their nests, and beasts retreat to their burrows.

Bai Wuxiang, who had been waiting for two or three hours, saw that the two had actually fallen asleep. He couldn't help but twitch his lips, reached out and beckoned with his finger. The black crow flapped its wings and landed on the two's foreheads, letting out a strange "caw".

The two were immediately startled and snapped to their senses, hurriedly getting up.

The black crow then flapped its wings and flew away.

The man with the knife couldn't help but curse at the crow, "You wretched beast! How dare you disturb your grandfather's deep sleep!"

Sanwen glanced at the sky and stopped him, "Alright, it's getting late. Let's hurry back to the mountain stronghold. Remember, you must never tell anyone about our encounter with that hero today!"

"Huh? Why is that?" the man with the knife asked, puzzled. "What if such a powerful figure comes to our village? It's good to inform the village chief so we can be on guard."

"You idiots!" Sanwen cursed in a low voice. "Once the chieftain finds out, we'll be punished! Besides, if this hero really goes to the village, and we don't show our faces in front of him, who will know that we leaked the news about Black Stone Village?"
This person spared our lives, so he doesn't seem like a truly wicked and indiscriminate killer. We'd better just avoid trouble.

“That makes sense, that makes sense!” The man with the knife nodded, agreeing with his idea.

The two stretched their limbs and then hurried back to the mountain stronghold.

Behind the two, in the twilight forest, a figure in white followed them unhurriedly, heading towards the mountain stronghold together.

The rugged mountain road was winding and difficult to traverse, but Sanwen and his companion were familiar with the terrain in the vicinity as they often traveled through the mountains.

They walked for a full hour, and after many twists and turns, they finally appeared in front of a mountain stronghold.

The sky was completely dark, and countless wild beasts dwelled in the unknown, dark mountains, their roars and insect chirps stirring the soul.

Sanwen and the man with the knife stood panting in front of the mountain stronghold. On the left and right sides, tall buildings were burning with a red glow, and several patrolmen were standing on the buildings. Immediately, someone spotted the two of them, and only after seeing them clearly did they lower the bows and arrows they had raised.

The dark gate was slowly pushed open, revealing a crack. Five men dressed in armor with swords at their waists stepped out, greeted Sanwen and his companion, and after questioning them, led them back to the mountain stronghold.

A black raven circled in the night sky, gazing at the black stone stronghold built in the valley. Its pure white eyes were gradually enveloped by black mist. It flew over the tall wooden frame of the watchtower built by humans and entered the stronghold.

Bai Wuxiang sat cross-legged in the forest, quietly gazing at the Black Stone Stronghold below. In an instant, his pupils transformed from clear black and white human eyes into pure black ghost eyes. Above the Black Stone Stronghold, there was a surging aura, like flames in the night, dispelling all surrounding energy.

The reason he didn't use the Bone Possession Technique to possess the two people and enter the stronghold was because their fiery aura made him instinctively feel disgusted.

There are at least several hundred living people here. And unlike the scattered atmosphere of Xiaoqu Village, the terrain of this large village is built with the help of the mountain range, involving some feng shui techniques, which have the effect of warding off evil spirits and dispelling yin.

Furthermore, the village was teeming with people, unusually lacking in ferocity, so much so that even Bai Wuxiang dared not approach it. More importantly, the village's aura, mixed with Bai's, also carried a wisp of azure energy!
This large stronghold is mostly inhabited by officials of the imperial court from this world; these are officials appointed by the imperial court, and even ghosts and gods cannot approach them.

Bai Wuxiang sighed. Even though the Southern Zhao Kingdom was in turmoil, plagued by war and suffering from widespread poverty, he was just a little spirit with little cultivation. The aura of high-ranking officials on those officials would likely manifest itself if he got within ten feet of them, putting him in danger of death.

But since I've already come all this way, I can't leave empty-handed!

He needed to see this geomantic map; otherwise, given the vastness of the Yunze Mountain range, he wouldn't be able to find a suitable cave dwelling.

He controlled the black crow to circle and land in the mountain stronghold. Unlike himself, who was an inanimate object, the black crow, though a spirit, was still a living creature and did not have much fear of anger.

The sights seen through the crow's eyes can be transmitted to Bai Wuxiang's mind. This is the wonder of companion demons. Even if they are not strong, they are the most suitable for him!

From a bird's-eye view, the mountains surrounding Black Stone Village are all black stone, with cliffs to the east and west, and deep and long to the north and south. The main gate of the village is heavily guarded to the north, while the bandits live and work to the south.

It was already dark, and many places in the village were dark, with only a few places still lit by candlelight.

The black crow slowly descended. Crows were so common in the mountains, and many birds nested in the village, so no one noticed it at all.

In the darkness, crows flew slowly past houses, searching for something.

In a house, Sanwen tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He sat up on the edge of the bed and opened the small window to get some fresh air.

Recalling the strange swordsman he had met during the day, he felt uneasy.

Especially the skull he saw in that fleeting moment. His eyesight has always been excellent, and he has been practicing swordsmanship for two or three years. While not extremely sharp, his eyesight is still better than that of the average person.

He glanced at the distance of only four or five zhang (approximately 10-20 meters), and logically, he shouldn't have made a mistake.

And that hero's clothes and appearance, upon closer reflection, always seem a bit strange. Now that it's almost summer, who would wear such gorgeous robes?

Moreover, it was a plain white robe.

The more Sanwen thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Could it be that he had really encountered a ghost?

But at the height of noon, would ghosts and monsters dare to show themselves?
Sanwen looked at the faint moonlight shining through the window and illuminating the shadows of the branches by the window. He suddenly remembered that the person he had seen had never appeared in the sunlight and he had never seen his shadow!

"Flap~"

A slight sound came from behind, and Sanwen broke out in a cold sweat. A black crow flew past his window!
A crow's caw suddenly echoed in his mind; black crows were considered very unlucky!

Sanwen felt that the "ghost" he had encountered during the day had come looking for him again! Could it be that the ghost hadn't left and had been following them into the village?

Sanwen's heart was pounding. The handsome man's face in his mind gradually overlapped with the skull, a human body with a skull face, which lingered in his mind.

"Whoo~"

A night breeze blew in, rustling the leaves outside the window, but Sanwen heard it as a strange cracking sound of bones.

"squeak~"

"squeak~"

It sounded like teeth gnawing, like bones being broken and snapped in a mouth. The sound approached slowly and steadily, piercing Sanwen's heart.

He turned around unconsciously and started looking for his longsword.

"Whoosh~" A strange gust of wind blew open the door, and the cold moonlight shone in, casting Sanwen's shadow on the wall.

His movement of bending down to pick up the sword suddenly stopped, his heart almost leaping out of his chest. He looked up and saw a black figure slowly rising from below next to his own shadow on the wall. The figure raised its hands, and ten slender claws slowly approached his shoulders.

Sanwen trembled uncontrollably. Just as the shadows of the ten claws were about to touch his own, he finally couldn't help but turn around and thrust his sword out.

"Shu~"

He drew his sword and thrust it forward, barely mustering his last bit of courage to look, only to find the door wide open and empty.

"Whoo~"

Sanwen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, relaxed. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, thinking that he was hallucinating again.

But just as he lowered his head to close the door, he was shocked to find a pair of bright red embroidered shoes under his feet!

Sanwen's eyes twitched violently, and his body froze completely. Overwhelmed by fear, he no longer knew how to run. He could only slowly turn his head and look back.

A figure dressed in a bright red dress appeared behind him at some point. The face was whiter than a dead person, and the dark eyes were staring intently at him. The face was covered with rotting flesh and dripping crimson blood.

"Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Help...help me!"

Sanwen collapsed to the ground, paralyzed. The three flames on his shoulders and the top of his head suddenly went out. His body, terrified to the extreme, lost all strength. He tried to retreat with difficulty, but could only struggle a few times.

The rotting flesh on the demon's face cracked open, and its lips twitched, emitting a chilling female voice—a high-pitched, insane, low laugh that echoed all around.

Sanwen tried to shout weakly, but his voice was hoarse from fear, and he could only manage a strained cry: "Quick...help! Someone help...help me..."

However, the surroundings were eerily silent, without even the chirping of insects or any other sound, only his own panting and the thumping of his rapidly beating heart.

The evil spirit slowly extended its right palm, its five slender fingers twisting and stretching out like five white snakes towards him on the ground.

"Gah~"

A strange raven caw suddenly rang out, followed by the sound of wings flapping and feathers fluttering. A black raven landed under the moonlight, its feathers glossy black.

Upon hearing the crow's cry, the evil spirit's eyes revealed disgust, and it opened its mouth and roared.

The piercing ghostly sounds flooded Sanwen's mind, making him dizzy and paralyzed, struggling on the ground.

The black crow perched on the window, fluttering its wings. Black mist filled its eyes, and a black light flashed, instantly piercing the eyes of the evil spirit like a sharp sword.

Terrified, the red-clad demon vanished instantly, transforming into a gust of yin wind and leaving the house.

At this moment, Sanwen heard the sounds of wind rustling through the leaves, dogs barking, and insects chirping all around him again, and the chill in the air disappeared.

Still shaken, he looked up at the black crow on the window. Under the pure white moonlight, the crow's bright black feathers reflected a shimmering white light. The crow leisurely spread its wings, and a splash of iridescent color was faintly revealed on its pure black feathers.

The black crow suddenly spread its wings, flew away, and disappeared into the night.

After being so frightened, Sanwen finally couldn't hold back and fainted.

……

"Wow~"

In the forest outside Black Stone Village, a black crow flew through the dense foliage and landed on Bai Wuxiang's shoulder, cawing twice in excitement.

Bai Wuxiang shook his head and chuckled, "You've done something good, haven't you?"

Everything that had just happened was seen by Bai Wuxiang, and he did not stop Xuan Ya from rescuing that person.

Because he was inherently evil and wicked, the three men encountered him in broad daylight and became tainted by his evil aura.

The man with the knife was a brave and reckless fellow. With the knife at his side, his popularity soared, and he might at most fall into a minor illness.

Sanwen, being a thoughtful and meticulous man, was prone to overthinking and became susceptible to the influence of evil spirits. This attracted a fierce ghost from the mountain stronghold. After being repeatedly frightened and losing his courage, the ghost blew out the three flames on his shoulders, allowing the ghost's spirit to get close and take his life.

Fortunately, the Black Crow discovered the ghost. This ghost was just a small ghost formed from the resentment and obsession of an ordinary human soul. Normally, even a chicken or a dog would be afraid of it.

Naturally, it was no match for the black crow possessed by the spirit of Bai Wuxiang; it only took a scare to frighten her away.

Bai Wuxiang rescued the man not because he was kind-hearted, but because he didn't want the ghost to disturb the bandits in the mountain stronghold.

There are always people more powerful than you, and mountains beyond mountains. Besides, Bai Wuxiang isn't some great demon, so it's always good to be cautious. He also didn't know if there were any demon-hunting masters in these mountains.

In the young master of the Bai family's memory, he clearly knew that there were people like demon hunters and demon catchers in this world.

Because the Bai family ancestors had people who were skilled in capturing and hunting demons. These people were often not cultivators, but they passed down knowledge of the weaknesses of various demons and their methods of restraint through generations.

Truly skilled demon hunters employ all sorts of unconventional methods, making it difficult for ordinary demons to escape their grasp.

Of course, since demon hunters are just mortals, they can only possess martial arts skills. Even if they know the weaknesses of demons and have ways to counter them, they can only catch ordinary demons. The truly powerful demons are no longer something they can deal with.

Demon hunters and demon catchers are different; these people are not ordinary people, but cultivators.

However, they do not cultivate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, do not study Taoist methods, and do not cultivate their minds and virtues. They only hunt demons to help their cultivation. They are disliked by Taoist practitioners, so they are only called demon hunters. Among them, the strong ones are called demon hunter masters.

In the eyes of demon hunters and demon catchers, whether it is a wild beast that has become a demon, a spirit or a vengeful ghost, they are all their enemies, and once they encounter them, they will fight to the death!
Bai Wuxiang had noticed traces of feng shui in the mountain stronghold earlier, and was worried that there were two types of people there, so he was more cautious.

He glanced at the bright moon. There was still some time before dawn, so he decided to cultivate for a while.

But just as he calmed himself down, he suddenly sensed a deathly aura emanating from not far away, which disturbed Bai Wuxiang's mind like a delicious treat.

"Someone died."

Bai Wuxiang suddenly stood up, channeled his demonic power, and flew away.

(End of this chapter)