My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 762 - 480: Night Ghost Cries (Added 3-in-1)_3

Miss Shen felt a surge of humiliation, but what overcame her more was a soul-deep fear.

Jianghu mages travel far and wide; even without a shred of Taoist Skill, they possess considerable experience. Therefore, she had meticulously concealed her ghostly aura before arriving here. Such caution was unprecedented.

But everything ended in the blink of an eye.

Chen Yi was not in the room, off chasing down another malevolent spirit. Yin Tingxue cradled her face, squatted to scrutinize the female ghost, and asked, "Is your surname Nie?"

Miss Shen was confused but didn't dare not to answer, her voice trembling: "W-what?"

"Nie Xiaoqian."

"I… I'm not surnamed Nie…" Miss Shen still couldn't make sense of it.

Yin Tingxue nodded slightly. Books had said that Mr. Hu was a Fox Demon, Lady Bai a Snake Demon, Mr. Wuchang a Crab Demon, and Mr. Wang a Tiger Demon. Consequently, she believed that ghosts might have ghostly surnames, yet these soul-siphoning female ghosts did not all bear the surname Nie.

However, that's not entirely true; perhaps female ghosts harboring genuine emotions in their hearts all took the surname Nie.

Miss Shen saw the girl's naive expression, an innocence unfamiliar with worldly affairs, and a cunning idea struck her. If she did nothing, only sitting idly awaiting her doom, she would surely meet her end when the Taoist returned.

She gritted her teeth and softly spoke: "Sister… dear sister, elder sister cares for you."

"Where does it hurt?"

"My hands, my feet—they're bound here, everything hurts. Could you loosen these restraints a bit?"

"This…" Yin Tingxue hesitated. "He told me not to release you."

Miss Shen discerned Yin Tingxue's subtle expressions and, recalling the nuances between the two, half-guessed and half-probed: "Dear sister, you're the Taoist's companion, aren't you? Seeing how frail you are… You must not handle much abuse. If you release elder sister, elder sister will serve you too, sparing you from hardship…"

Yin Tingxue blinked her eyes.

"Sister, sister also acts out of desperation. My father forced me to drain yang energy—sister didn't want this either. Sister is a good person… no, a good ghost. Sister never wished to kill; it's all my father's doing…" Miss Shen lamented tearfully, sobs clinging to her cheeks.

The girl's face showed slight wavering. She crouched down, leaning closer.

Miss Shen hurriedly lifted her head, intending to strike while the iron was hot, but suddenly heard the question, "Are you a married woman?"

The female ghost was dumbstruck, staring blankly for a while before responding, "…I was never wed, neither in life nor in death."

Yin Tingxue sighed, shook her head, and said, "That won't do. He likes married women."

Miss Shen was stunned into silence, before stumbling upon the reply: "I could be a married woman…"

But before she could finish—

The door opened.

Chen Yi stepped in, holding a writhing ghostly mass, which he tossed to the ground as though discarding trash.

The latter rolled over and shuddered audibly. Miss Shen looked up, recognizing the ghost as her so-called "father."

The ghostly figure hadn't even risen before being slapped with a talisman, rendering it motionless.

Chen Yi glanced at Miss Shen, then at "Old Master Shen," before leisurely asking:

"Tell me, is this 'Aunt' you mentioned actually the Gu Huo Niao?"

Names of demon-spirits often carry their nature. Mr. Hu was a Fox Demon, Lady Bai a Snake Demon, Mr. Wuchang a Crab Demon, Mr. Wang a Tiger Demon. Regarding this "Aunt," she's likely a Gu Huo Niao—a ghost bird said to prey upon the offspring of others.

Both ghostly figures cowered on the ground without uttering a sound. They had been lurking in this desolate wilderness for an untold span, preying on passing travelers countless times over. At this moment, they couldn't gauge this man's purpose.

What was certain was that he was no fraud—a wandering Jianghu mage spinning tales to deceive.

"Dare I ask, Taoist… are you here to meet allies, seal the mountain, or subdue ghosts… ah!"

The elderly male ghost dared to speak up but hadn't finished his sentence before Chen Yi pressed downward with a single hand. His fingers bent of their own accord, eliciting grotesque cracking sounds of broken bones, silencing the rest of the sentence and replacing it with wrenching screams.

Yin Tingxue shrank back, retreating behind a chair. She disliked scenes like this.

Chen Yi's voice was cold: "Answer properly, no nonsense."

Both ghosts shrank trembling, not daring to spout another word, keeping even their gazes lowered in submission.

Eventually, it was Miss Shen who couldn't bear the pressure first, babbling in panic:

"Aunt… she is indeed the Gu Huo Niao of whom you speak, Taoist. Half a year ago, she flew north from the south, arriving in this region, slaughtering all Great Demons here. She also seized many demons' offspring, adopting them as her own sons and daughters… We are just her minions, forced into servitude. We beg for Taoist's mercy…"

Though told not to ramble, the female ghost's tear-streaked pleading—coupled with her trembling voice—was genuinely heart-wrenching.

Chen Yi's expression remained indifferent: "Stop rambling. Where is this bird now?"

"Well… its whereabouts are hard to find. For some reason, its dwelling is concealed and lacks the grandeur of a true Great Demon's domain. Even if we wanted to seek her out, we would only see her once a year." Fearing Chen Yi's dissatisfaction, Miss Shen hurriedly added, "But recently, she's been inviting demons everywhere to a grand banquet, celebrating the two-hundredth day since she established her mountain kingdom."

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. If it were a year of ruling, it might be acceptable, but celebrating just two hundred days seemed rather amateurish—a bit too much for too little. Considering the timing of the banquet and the concurrent upheaval caused by the White Lotus Sect in the south, he pondered whether there might be hidden motives involved.

"In that case… How could one attend the banquet?" Chen Yi asked lazily.

Both ghosts stayed silent, daring not to respond, yet they raised their heads slightly, their eyes trembling as they stared at him.

Yin Tingxue spoke on their behalf: "They want you to give them a way out."

Chen Yi replied, "That's not impossible."

However, the two ghosts merely hesitated further. Then, the elderly male ghost croaked out in a hoarse voice: "Taoist… could you… swear an oath?"

Unlike mortals who speak oaths casually, Daoists cannot swear lightly. For Daoists pursuing the Heavenly Dao, breaking an oath—even slightly—can result in severe consequences. From minor disruptions in cultivation to complete regression, or even a Heart Demon taking root. Chen Yi's cold expression deepened as he slowly said, "If I don't swear, will you refuse to speak?"