I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 197 - 169: Last Words (Unjustified Extra - )
Opposite the gambling den, there was a eatery.
Wei Wu, Lu Da, and Shi San stood under the eaves outside. The three of them were Golden Travel Captains among the Day Traveling Envoys, jointly responsible for the southern area of Wangshan City’s safety.
Wei Wu crossed his arms, feeling restless, fearing that Sang Que might mess up tonight, but also hoping she would perish alongside the Gambling Ghost, achieving mutual destruction.
Lu Da stood upright, with a face of unwavering integrity. He occasionally glanced at Wei Wu, "You dare to have a young girl who just joined the Evil Suppression Bureau deal with a four-layered evil ghost? Isn’t she just a Third Layer Yin Walker? Aren’t you afraid she’ll die here tonight, turning one strange case into two, Wei Wu?"
Wei Wu glared angrily, "If you think you’re good enough, then you do it! Stop with this damn sarcastic talk!"
Shi San always had a smiling face, "I actually think that Sang Mulan is not bad at all. She’s highly skilled in martial arts, personally selected by Captain He. If the strange case is resolved smoothly tonight, the three of us should properly thank her."
Wei Wu was about to curse, saying he had already lost enough, when suddenly a chilly wind gusted in.
Dust filled the sky, fallen leaves swirled, and the three of them raised their hands to block the wind, seeing a gray mist surging in. Sang Que appeared out of thin air in the middle of the street, dragging a petite woman.
The soul lamp in Thousand Face’s hand flashed green, indicating the Gambling Ghost was near Sang Que, prompting the three standing at the eatery entrance to retreat further.
Sang Que stuffed the Substitute Death Grassman, whose hair was tied up and smeared with fresh blood, into her bosom, and the Evil Mist swept over them, enveloping Wei Wu and his companions instantly.
"Come in and help!"
In the next instant, five people appeared inside the gambling den. As captains, leading the charge in the vanguard was only right.
Wei Wu, Lu Da, and Shi San froze in place, finally registering that they’d been dragged into the gambling den by Sang Que when they saw the surroundings and the coffin obstructing their path.
!!!
Their hair stood on end instantly, faces changing dramatically. Wei Wu especially, having narrowly escaped earlier, found himself back with no defense, both shocked and outraged.
"Hold them off!"
Sang Que shouted loudly behind the three of them, searching for the coffin lid around.
Thousand Face, with a swift step, dashed into the coffin. Now they had to wait for the Gambling Ghost to arrive. When it attacked her, Sang Que would relocate her and forcibly lock the Gambling Ghost in the coffin.
At this moment, the green soul lamp at their feet abruptly went out. Wei Wu turned and ran, Shi San swiftly retreated while searching his pockets, and Lu Da didn’t hesitate to bite his tongue hard, spitting a spray of True Yang forward.
Puh!
Lu Da, still a child despite his age, possessed abundant yang energy. The Gambling Ghost was covered by his tongue’s blood, appearing as a blurred shadow, smoke rising all over.
But this could only hold off for a second or two. At this critical juncture, Lu Da and Shi San unexpectedly displayed excellent cooperation. Lu Da, after spitting blood, dodged to the side and drew out the Ghost Soldier Talisman, attaching it to his blade.
Shi San, retreating when Lu Da spat blood, pulled out a grimy iron hook from his bosom and gritted his teeth, jabbing it into his own shoulder.
When the iron hook tasted blood, it disappeared, and the Gambling Ghost, approaching Shi San, suddenly had a hook catch it by the shoulder, hoisting it into the air.
The hook was a butcher’s tool used for hanging meat.
At the same time, Shi San, clutching his shoulder, fell painfully to the floor. His shoulder’s scapula was slowly torn open by an invisible force, bleeding profusely, as if the same hook had pierced and wrenched at his scapula.
The Gambling Ghost dangled temporarily mid-air. Wei Wu ran to the door, discovering the door had vanished like before, sweating profusely in panic.
Lu Da also sought an exit, suddenly spotting two corpses lying in the center of the gambling den — one was Bai Yiding Yuan, the other was Ma Zi, a subordinate of Wei Wu.
Ma Zi’s cheekbones were sunken, a bizarre smile hung on his lips, but his eyes still held despair and terror, filled with tears.
Ma Zi’s fingers were bloodied, his nails completely gone, and some straw was scattered near him — remnants of the Substitute Death Grassman. Among the straw was a line of bloodied characters.
[Wei Wu harmed me]
Footsteps sounded from behind. Lu Da turned to see Wei Wu. Upon seeing that line of characters, Wei Wu’s eyelids slowly lifted, his cold gaze landing on Lu Da.
Lu Da’s heart contracted tightly. He grasped his blade’s hilt, slowly stepping back.
The atmosphere was tense, thick with oppression; then out of the darkness, Sang Que emerged carrying the coffin lid, and the tension between the two eased.
Sang Que vanished on the spot, instantly teleporting back beside the coffin. Previously hidden in the adjacent pawnshop, the coffin lid was smeared underneath with bloodstains that looked like destroyed talisman remnants. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
The Gambling Ghost, hanging in the air, struggled twice, breaking the iron hook. Feeling the ominous windlike surge, Sang Que promptly moved Thousand Face from the coffin.
Just then, an invisible force arose, making Sang Que’s feet feel as if they were drenched in lead, difficult to move.
Instant Teleportation was suppressed, leaving neither her nor Thousand Face escaping the coffin. Sang Que immediately turned to look at Thousand Face. Her face was still Mrs. Han’s, not melting away.
Then, before them appeared a gambling table positioned over the coffin, and darkness loomed across the other side.
Inside the gambling den, the rules on how the Gambling Ghost killed had changed.
"What does this mean?" Thousand Face felt immobile, eyes wide, asking Sang Que.
Few people knew how the Gambling Ghost killed inside the gambling den, and Thousand Face couldn’t gather any intelligence regarding it.
The dice rattled inside the dice cup, awaiting Sang Que and Thousand Face’s bets.
Not far away, Wei Wu could see Sang Que and an unfamiliar young girl restricted by the gambling table, his eyes flickering with barely restrained joy. Seeing Wei Wu’s expression, Lu Da nearby thought he seemed insane.
Lu Da, staying rational, could differentiate priorities. If Sang Que failed to incarcerate the Gambling Ghost, they’d all die.
Lu Da ran to the unconscious Shi San’s side, inspecting his shoulder wound. Due to that iron hook yin object, a baby fist-sized hole appeared on Shi San’s shoulder, breaking his shoulder bone. If the Gambling Ghost hadn’t struggled free quickly, Shi San’s entire right shoulder would’ve vanished.
"Miss Sang, is there anything we can do to help?"
Lu Da’s stinging tongue muddled his speech as he asked, although he didn’t have much faith in Sang Que and even blamed her for dragging them into this without reason. But to survive, he now had no choice but to rely on her.
Sang Que glanced at Wei Wu, speaking solemnly, "I’ve hired this girl to assist. Regardless of success or failure, she should receive one thousand gold. She’s a believer serving the Thousand-faced God, and I promise to help restore the god’s reputation afterward. No matter what happens next, Brother Lu, please keep an eye on Wei Wu and ensure promises are kept."
"One thousand gold! You think I’m a money shop! Sang Mulan, don’t push it too far!" Wei Wu cursed angrily.
Sang Que returned his cold glare, uninterested in entertaining him.
Thousand Face heard Sang Que’s words and was startled, her mouth agape.
Initially, it was agreed money would be given only if things succeeded. But now, whether they succeeded or not, the payment was guaranteed, and she also promised to conceal her identity, only mentioning she was a believer of the Thousand-faced Ghost, not that she controlled it.
Wow, does the Evil Suppression Bureau really have someone this righteous?
Thousand Face couldn’t help but take a good look at Sang Que and deeply remember her. Should Sang Que die today, she’d offer incense and a cup of wine for her every new moon and full moon from now on; if not, she was determined to make her a friend.
This tone, like delivering parting words, unsettled Lu Da. He nodded gravely, "Alright."
"Keep a close watch on Wei Wu. If he tries anything, kill him on the spot, I’ll take responsibility!"
Sang Que remained expressionless, looking at Wei Wu as if he were already dead.
Wei Wu gritted his teeth, while Lu Da, recalling Ma Zi’s dying words, frowned and nodded.
Sang Que withdrew her gaze, earnestly turning to Thousand Face, "I truly apologize for dragging you into this and for deliberately ruining your incense business. Don’t worry, I’ll do my utmost to assist you out of harm’s way. If we manage to escape unscathed, I’ll do my best to compensate for the incense I owe you later."
Thousand Face blushed suddenly, caught off guard by Sang Que’s sincere apology and promise, and despite facing death, she ended up laughing.
"Haha~ It’s okay, it’s okay, incense can always be earned back. Free spirits of the martial world aren’t perturbed by minor details, no need for this. Everyone dies once in life, nothing to fear."
Sang Que nodded, "Are you an orphan?"
Thousand Face’s smile froze, suddenly feeling offended, but Sang Que’s eyes were oddly sincere.
